“Yeah. What about the asteroid chunk? I thought the Astraeus”—he stumbled slightly over the word—“couldn’t see the alien rock hence why the trouble started in the first place.”
The query brought a furrow to Aquarius’ brow. “Good point. If you do find one, no guarantee it will make the trip.”
“Should we come back the long way if we do happen to locate any pieces?”
“I’d say speed is more important. You’ll be more than a day getting to the lake as is.”
“Fair enough.” Grayson raked his fingers through his hair. “Any words of advice?”
“Don’t die?”
A dark joke that made Grayson chuckle. “Gonna do my best.”
“The Astraeus wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t up to the task.” Aquarius slapped him on the back before heading out. Grayson took the selected weapons to his room, where, sure enough, a bulging knapsack awaited, along with clothes that might have come from the set of Indiana Jones. Khaki pants, button-up shirt, canvas jacket, sturdy hiking boots, and a utility belt with flashlight, flint, a sealed bottle of lighter fluid, and a pocket with matches.
As to when he’d be leaving, a knock at the door showed Leila dressed similarly, carrying a smaller pack.
“You ready to go?” For a woman who’d been initially reluctant, she seemed eager to set off.
“Think so. Do you know how to drive from here to Baghdad?”
She snorted. “No. I didn’t even think there was a road.”
It turned out there wasn’t. They emerged from Tower to find Aries standing beside a side-by-side UTV.
“Not the most luxurious ride, but the first bit you’ll traverse is rough terrain,” said the man, patting the hood. “I’ve dropped a pin in the navigation system that will guide you to the jet waiting for you at Baghdad airport. I will warn, the lack of roads means the GPS is gonna try and route you in the most direct way possible. Watch out for ravines and rocks. Some parts will require you to zig and zag rather than go straight.”
“Done this before?” Grayson queried.
“Yeah, how do you think I got this UTV here? Wasn’t something Tower could bring over since it is limited by the widthof the portals, and Sage insisted we keep a set of wheels on hand for just such an occasion.”
“Anything else I should know?”
“Not that I can think of, but try to not die.”
Grayson snorted. “That’s what Aquarius said.”
“Smart man.” Aries grinned. “Relax. For a first mission, you’re getting off easy. My first solo event, I had to wrangle a wendigo. Nasty fucker. Almost took off my thumb.” Aries turned to Leila with a more somber expression. “I know we’re asking a lot of you, but your aid in this matter is most appreciated.”
Her lips pursed. “I can’t say I’m happy to be going, but I know it’s necessary. Hopefully Asterion doesn’t run into any problems with Blue while I’m gone. I told him to not feed it more than a few ounces a day to ensure it doesn’t die of starvation.”
“I’m sure Asterion can handle the critter. Smart fellow. Now, I’m sorry to rush off, but I’ve got to head back to Toronto. Reports indicate a new batch of aliens have already begun surfacing. Good luck.”
With that, the man strode back into Tower. Grayson climbed into the driver seat of the all-terrain vehicle, while Leila took the passenger seat.
She buckled in before softly saying, “Off we go.”
The ride proved bumpy as fuck. No road, no trail, just hard-packed terrain that kicked up dust, scrubby bushes, and rocks that jutted. However, despite that, Grayson couldn’t deny a slight thrill. Having gone trail riding in a Jeep a few times, this proved similar, just without the mud. To his surprise, Leila appeared to be enjoying herself. While she maintained a firm grip on the “oh shit” bar, she laughed every time they hit a hump that sent the buggy soaring and hitting with a solid thump.
The drive took several hours and required him stopping to add gas from the tanks strapped to the vehicle. For some reason, he kept expecting to be ambushed by armed men or even shotat by snipers. Blame the media. He’d been raised on stories of the violence in the Middle East, and yet they encountered no trouble. However, once they reached the populated outskirts of Baghdad and began driving on actual roads, he worried because the UTV drew looks and pointed fingers.
He pulled over, and Leila glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re drawing too much attention. Wondering if there’s a way to swap this for a car.”
“We only have about ten miles to go.” As she said it, a pickup truck slowed beside them, and the men riding in the back stared hard. A car that had to slow behind them honked, and they took off, but it didn’t ease Grayson’s concern.
“I wish there was a way to make us invisible.” Soon as he muttered it, his back heated and the air around them shimmered. “Um, Leila, what’s happening?”
