Chapter Five
“And I’m sure you all know Fire Force,” said Thunder Force as he gave the Lair tour.
Jake was glad to be in the Lair. Not only was it cooler, but with a set script of events, it made it easier for his mind to wander and think about Michael. He’d been at WonderWorld long enough that he had the four Lair scenes memorized to the point he could recite them anytime. He’d spend the shift at his master control station, play his part in whatever scenario happened, chat with the guests, pose for pictures, and sign autographs. The cycle repeated every 20 minutes with a five-minute break between sequences.
He definitely needed the time to think. Each time he’d run into Michael the past few days, it’d been hot and flirty. The situation had Jake feeling excited and flustered. Michael appeared to be interested in him, and this was incredible. When he went on break, he’d search for Michael online so he could DM about his address.
“He’s helping the city stay safe by monitoring law enforcement channels,” Thunder Force continued. “From here, he tracks where all team members are and can dispatch them at a moment’s notice.”
Jake turned in his seat and gave a smile and a wave to the crowd. “Good evening, everyone. It’s great to see your interest in how we keep the city safe. Let me show you…”
An alarm sounded and the Lair’s lights went red. Jake, or Fire Force, went into alert mode as some in the crowd gasped.
“Excuse me.” He spun back to the control panel. On the map, the bank had a red circle over it. “Gale Force and Rock Force, this is E-Force control. The Central Bank has issued an alert. This is an EF1 mission.”
The guests in the Lair focused on Fire Force’s station as other E-Force team members busied themselves. On the big screen above his console, Fire Force put up video of what was happening outside the bank.
“Copy that, FF.” Rock Force’s voice boomed over the Lair’s speakers. “What can you tell us?”
“Stand by. I’m connecting to the bank’s surveillance system.” Jake typed furiously. For anyone close enough to see, the screen in front of him displayed a bunch of commands. “Got it.” The inside view of the bank appeared on the screen. “Sky Raiders are inside. There’s five. Three have weapons on the nine customers and staff in the lobby. Two are in the vault, along with Mr. Styles, the bank manager.”
“We are on the scene, FF,” Gale Force said. “Preparing to enter.”
On screen, and in the park, Gale Force and Rock Force were on the street in front of the bank playing out the performance.
“Copy that.” Jake typed on his keyboard. “Cutting power to the bank now.”
As the feed showed the bank’s emergency lights activating, Rock Force headed into the alley between the bank and the bookstore. Meanwhile, Gale Force whipped up a storm in the lobby that had wind and rain swirling around the hostages and the Raiders.
The crowd in the Lair watched as the confusion in the bank gave Rock Force cover to bore up through the floor and knock out two of the Raiders in the chaos. The other Raider fired on him, but the bullet couldn’t penetrate his stone armor. Gale Force, coming through the front door, struck him down with a lightning bolt.
“They’re preparing explosives in the fault,” Fire Force said.
“On it,” Gale Force replied. “Rock, you help the people here.”
Rock Force nodded and started by restraining the Raiders.
Gale Force floated off the floor and seemed to move along the wind that she generated. In the fault she stunned the two Raiders with more lightning, dropping them to the floor.
“Looks like we’re under control here, FF,” Gale Force said. “We’ll stay on the scene until the police come to take these guys away, and we’ll help get things cleaned up.”
“Copy that. Good job.” Jake pushed buttons on his control panel to reset the video screens and end the Lair’s alert mode. The crowd around his station applauded. “Now you’ve seen up close what happens here when there’s a crime in progress. Anyone have questions?”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that Fire Force,” Thunder Force chimed in, stepping next to Jake’s chair. “We’ve got to get these folks on their way. We’re already off schedule. If you’ll follow me, our next stop is the vehicle’s area.”
“Hey, Fire Force, that was cool,” a voice said from behind Jake. “Could I maybe get your autograph?”
“Of course.” Jake grabbed an orange marker off his desk, turned, and found Michael standing over him. He couldn’t refuse an autograph request. In this case, he didn’t want to refuse. Instead, he wanted to go away with the autograph seeker. What was Michael doing here?
Michael handed over a WonderWorld autograph book. Jake opened it, trying to keep his cool.
A note greeted him on the first page: “You bolted so fast, I couldn’t give you an address. I really want to see you tonight. I’m in room 219 in Rose Hall.”
Jake flipped to the next blank page and signed: “Find the Fire in You. Fire Force!” Underneath he wrote. “See you in 219.”
He passed the book back with a smile.
“Thanks, Fire Force.” Michael opened the book. He nodded as he read, and then closed it flashing a smile in Jake’s direction.
“You’re welcome. You should catch up with the tour, otherwise Thunder Force might come looking for you, and you don’t want that.”
Michael nodded and kept smiling. “Of course. Thanks again. You’re the best.”
Jake couldn't contain his sheer joy as he spun around a couple of times before he settled back to face his workstation. He never expected Michael to show up like that. To go to the effort to come to the park, pay the admission, and track him down was one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for him.
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