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Authors: Michael Carroll
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to the west and ramped it up to full speed.
The interior of the vehicle was not large, but it was just about able to accommodate all the passengers, including Niall, who had fallen asleep shortly after takeoff and was now stretched out across two seats.
“How fast
is
this thing, Dad?” Danny asked. He noticed his mother glaring at him and quickly added, “I mean Façade.”
“Top speed is a little over Mach two,” Façade replied. “Mach one is the speed of sound at sea level: seven hundred and sixty-one miles per hour. We can travel twice that fast.”
Renata asked, “What’s our destination?”
“Kansas.”
“So what’s in Kansas?”
Solomon Cord said, “You’ll find out when we get there. Until then, no more questions!”
“Just one,” Colin said. “Why did you decide to become Paragon again?”
Solomon Cord stared out of the hatch’s tiny window. “I thought I could escape the past, Colin. I was wrong. After Max Dalton betrayed us, I realized that he knew everything about me.
Everything.
He knew where my daughters went to school, who their friends were, where my wife’s mother lived, what my brother did for a living.”
“But you told me you’d destroyed your armor.”
Cord nodded. “I did. It was practically ruined after the last battle against Ragnarök anyway. This”—he thumped the armor on his chest—“is just a prototype.” He smiled. “The new version will be much more powerful. Now everyone get some sleep! We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”
Ignoring his mother’s disapproving look, Danny climbed into the copilot’s seat. “Façade…How do you know how to fly something like this?”
Façade smiled. “I used to be in the U.S. Air Force. I was a test pilot.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“But—”
“Danny!” Solomon Cord said. “I said no more questions.”
Gradually, Colin became aware that someone was saying his name. He opened his eyes and looked around. Danny was staring at him. “What?”
“We’re almost there.”
Colin looked out of the StratoTruck’s window, but all he could see was darkness. He concentrated, focusing his eyes. He still wasn’t sure how his night-vision worked, but somehow it did: the landscape outside became brighter, almost as though a weak sun had suddenly appeared.
“What can you see?” Danny asked.
“Everything’s covered in snow. It’s pretty flat out there…There’s a lot of fields, a couple of lakes, a few small hills.”
Façade’s voice called out, “Hold on tight! We’re about tobank to the right! You should be able to see the lights of Topeka on your left, about twenty-five kilometers away. That’s a little over fifteen miles.”
Colin climbed into the copilot’s seat. “There are some hills ahead. Can’t see much else. Wait! There’s a platform in the middle of them and there’s a guy standing on it. He’s freezing. Stamping his feet to keep warm.”
“You can
see
him?” Façade said.
“Sure.”
“Amazing…But that’s not a platform. That’s a roof.” Façade picked up the radio. “Josh…Hit the lights.”
The StratoTruck crested the top of a small hill just as the building ahead was illuminated. Through the thick flurries of snow, the passengers could see their destination: an enormous snow-covered stone structure with sloping sides. It looked almost like an Egyptian pyramid with the top third removed. Close to the top of the building were two rows of large windows, and far below, at ground level, was a covered entrance.
Maneuvering slowly and carefully through the snowstorm, the StratoTruck touched down on the wide, flat roof. “All right,” Cord said. “It’s freezing out there so no hanging around! Grab your bags and let’s go, people!”
The hatch opened and the wind howled through the vehicle. Colin was the last to leave—it didn’t seem all that cold to him—and he took a few seconds to look around. He guessed that the roof of the building was about the
The interior of the vehicle was not large, but it was just about able to accommodate all the passengers, including Niall, who had fallen asleep shortly after takeoff and was now stretched out across two seats.
“How fast
is
this thing, Dad?” Danny asked. He noticed his mother glaring at him and quickly added, “I mean Façade.”
“Top speed is a little over Mach two,” Façade replied. “Mach one is the speed of sound at sea level: seven hundred and sixty-one miles per hour. We can travel twice that fast.”
Renata asked, “What’s our destination?”
“Kansas.”
“So what’s in Kansas?”
Solomon Cord said, “You’ll find out when we get there. Until then, no more questions!”
“Just one,” Colin said. “Why did you decide to become Paragon again?”
Solomon Cord stared out of the hatch’s tiny window. “I thought I could escape the past, Colin. I was wrong. After Max Dalton betrayed us, I realized that he knew everything about me.
Everything.
He knew where my daughters went to school, who their friends were, where my wife’s mother lived, what my brother did for a living.”
“But you told me you’d destroyed your armor.”
Cord nodded. “I did. It was practically ruined after the last battle against Ragnarök anyway. This”—he thumped the armor on his chest—“is just a prototype.” He smiled. “The new version will be much more powerful. Now everyone get some sleep! We’ve got a long journey ahead of us.”
Ignoring his mother’s disapproving look, Danny climbed into the copilot’s seat. “Façade…How do you know how to fly something like this?”
Façade smiled. “I used to be in the U.S. Air Force. I was a test pilot.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“But—”
“Danny!” Solomon Cord said. “I said no more questions.”
Gradually, Colin became aware that someone was saying his name. He opened his eyes and looked around. Danny was staring at him. “What?”
“We’re almost there.”
Colin looked out of the StratoTruck’s window, but all he could see was darkness. He concentrated, focusing his eyes. He still wasn’t sure how his night-vision worked, but somehow it did: the landscape outside became brighter, almost as though a weak sun had suddenly appeared.
“What can you see?” Danny asked.
“Everything’s covered in snow. It’s pretty flat out there…There’s a lot of fields, a couple of lakes, a few small hills.”
Façade’s voice called out, “Hold on tight! We’re about tobank to the right! You should be able to see the lights of Topeka on your left, about twenty-five kilometers away. That’s a little over fifteen miles.”
Colin climbed into the copilot’s seat. “There are some hills ahead. Can’t see much else. Wait! There’s a platform in the middle of them and there’s a guy standing on it. He’s freezing. Stamping his feet to keep warm.”
“You can
see
him?” Façade said.
“Sure.”
“Amazing…But that’s not a platform. That’s a roof.” Façade picked up the radio. “Josh…Hit the lights.”
The StratoTruck crested the top of a small hill just as the building ahead was illuminated. Through the thick flurries of snow, the passengers could see their destination: an enormous snow-covered stone structure with sloping sides. It looked almost like an Egyptian pyramid with the top third removed. Close to the top of the building were two rows of large windows, and far below, at ground level, was a covered entrance.
Maneuvering slowly and carefully through the snowstorm, the StratoTruck touched down on the wide, flat roof. “All right,” Cord said. “It’s freezing out there so no hanging around! Grab your bags and let’s go, people!”
The hatch opened and the wind howled through the vehicle. Colin was the last to leave—it didn’t seem all that cold to him—and he took a few seconds to look around. He guessed that the roof of the building was about the
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