Transparency by Charles Royce (children's books read aloud txt) 📕

in the bright lights of the lobby, ArchEngine cannot identify the man with the bandaged face. Grabbing his arm, the hooded man limps out the front door down the stairs.

“He’s gone.” Josh exhales, presses his ear. “The hooded man is gone. Repeat, the hooded man is gone. Agent Pillsbury, we are sending the security guards down to Sublevel One to check on the agents.”

“Copy that,” she says. “I’ve got West in cuffs. Heading down.”

Josh watches her head down the executive hallway to the North Tower elevator, holding West by his handcuffs, pushing on the nape of his back.

TRACY SWITCHES HER headset to the security channel. “Manny, DonDon, the shooter is gone, please just check on the agents, and make sure the box hasn’t been activated.”

“Shooter?”

She recognizes the voice in her ear. “Jamal, all is well. Earlier there was a man with a gun, shot and killed two federal agents on Sublevel One. The shooter is gone now. Repeat, the shooter has left the building. Everything’s under control.”

She switches to channel four. “Pamela, Pamela, Tracy.”

“Go ahead,” Pamela says.

“Help should be there any second now.”

“Good, we are freezing up here. This wind is nuts.”

“Everybody okay? How’s the vice president?”

“He’s good. Mrs. Maddox had surgery on her knee a few months ago. Seems to be acting up. We’ve been all over this godforsaken—”

Pamela’s sudden silence frightens Tracy.

“Pamela,” she says. “You okay?”

“Yes, I just hear somebody coming up the stairs.”

Tracy looks at the monitor. ArchEngine has spotted movement on the stairs to the roof deck. Shawn Connelly is heading toward the door.

Tracy presses her ear. “Pamela, Pamela, Tracy.”

“Go ahead.”

“Shawn Connelly is at the door. He’s a friend. He’s coming to let you guys in.”

C h a p t e r   6 6

SHAWN PUSHES ON the door harder and harder. Pamela helps him from the other side. He finally breaks through.

“Damn!” Shawn’s hair blows back, revealing his strong forehead. “Everybody okay up here?”

“We are now, thank you.” The former vice president reaches out his hand. “Roger Maddox.”

The bodyguards walk beside the vice president.

Shawn shakes his hand. “You need no introduction, sir. Shawn Connelly here. We sure miss you guys in the White House.”

“You don’t need any introduction either, Mr. Connelly. Fine work coming out of your firm; we know it well.”

They all begin to walk through the stairwell door, out of the blustering wind.

“Thank you, sir.” Shawn reaches to help Pamela walk Mrs. Maddox inside to the stairwell.

“It hasn’t been acting up at all until tonight,” Mrs. Maddox says. “I thought it was good.”

“It’s my fault.” The vice president walks inside after them, bodyguards on either side. “Too much walking. I forced her to see every inch of this spectacular building.”

“Ahh, a fellow architectural buff?” Shawn asks.

“Why yes, yes I—”

Slam!

A giant gust of wind slams the door behind them, shaking the wall. They all stop and turn around.

Creak.

They hear a loud screeching noise whimpering outside, followed by a giant clunk that shakes the top of the stairwell.

“What the hell was that?” Shawn asks. “Hold on, wait right here.”

He opens the door to the roof deck, attaches the latch to keep the door from closing. He walks back outside, scans around to his right, then to his left. He leans over the railing and looks down onto the atrium, then to his left. His eyes widen.

Shawn presses his headset. “Tracy?”

“This is Tracy. Shawn, is that you?”

“Uh, we have a problem up here on the roof deck. This big ol’ metal logo up here? It’s about to fall eighty floors into your party.”

C h a p t e r   6 7

TRACY SNAPS HER fingers at Josh, points to the monitor. ArchEngine has already detected a problem on the roof deck and has automatically brought it up on the center screen. The system analyzes the situation, outlining the sign like the facial recognition program:

Exterior problem: Unbolted fixture.

WARNING! DISLODGING PROBABLE.

SOLUTION: REWELD IMMEDIATELY.

“We see it, Shawn,” Tracy says into her headset.

“I mean it,” Shawn urges. “These bolts are giving way.”

“Shawn, you guys need to head down right away,” Tracy says.

“Look!” Josh points to the ArchEngine analysis of the sign.

WARNING! POSSIBLE CASUALTIES.

WEIGHT: 0.8 metric tons

DIMENSIONS: 12’ x 22’

SQUARE FOOTAGE: 264’

SUBSTRATE: Steel, aluminum, brass

TERMINAL VELOCITY: 86.751 MPH

Possible trajectory simulation initiated:

Tracy and Josh watch in awe as the system generates a possible trajectory of the sign should it fall. In the simulation, the sign breaks free and crashes onto both exterior glass elevators in the front of the building, then propels slightly outward before it crashes through the Center Tower atrium. The simulated thermal indicators of the people begin disappearing one by one.

POSSIBLE CASUALTIES: 1,712

SOLUTION: EVACUATE CENTER TOWER ATRIUM

Tracy turns to Josh. “The party! We have to get everyone out of there now!”

“Tell Shawn about the glass elevators right underneath that sign.” Josh looks at a live feed of the building from the front. He stands, grabs his event headset, puts it on, heads toward the door. He turns around on his way out. “I’ve got my event headset on now, Tracy. Call maintenance, see if there’s anything they can do without an elevator.”

“Shawn!” Tracy screams into the headset. “Stop! Do not go down those elevators! If the sign drops, it’ll take you guys out with it.”

“Copy that. Heading back up to the roof deck. Is maintenance on this thing?”

“Gonna try to send them up now.” Tracy switches channels.

Josh pulls the fire alarm on his way out.

C h a p t e r   6 8

AS THE ALARM blares throughout the atrium, Josh rushes in. “Jamal!”

“Is there a fire?”

“No, but that sign up there is about to fall on our guests.” Josh looks up, points at the logo, which is almost completely visible now with its new angle. “We gotta get everybody out. Now!”

“Fire!” Jamal yells. He grabs his flashlight, starts motioning for people to exit. “Everyone out of the building. Please don’t panic. That’s right, through the lobby, down the stairs, please.”

The music from the big band is still playing. Josh notices they don’t seem to be