Meanwhile Patrick and I were zip-tied and bundled into the back of a windowless van by taciturn men in military gear. It would have been comical in its level of Hollywood cliché, except for the fact that I was scared almost to the point of wetting myself.

But we weren’t dead, which had to be a plus. And Sheldon and Nat would be on the case. I wasn’t sure what they could do, but it still made me feel better.

We soon found ourselves bound to chairs in what looked very much like a warehouse. I’d have chuckled at the predictability of it all, except for the zip-ties on our wrists. And the guns. My bladder continued to signal its concern, which wasn’t helping either.

“Well, well, well,” said a voice behind me. The speaker sauntered slowly around into view, obviously trying to project confidence and control. Not doing a bad job, really, considering our situation.

I frowned at him. “You look familiar, but … ”

“Arley Montrose,” he replied. “I’m sure Karen Ingram has mentioned me.”

Patrick turned to me. “Ingram. That’s Nat’s boss, I think.” Then to Arley, “We’ve never actually met her.”

Arley smirked and examined his fingernails. “Uh huh. By all means, play dumb. It adds to the entertainment value. My friend Luthor, here, will be happy to help you with your memory issues.”

He gestured to his left, and another man stepped into view. It was the fake cop from a few days ago. He glared at us with an expression that made me think we might not be best buds.

“Luthor would like to thank you, by the way, for giving him a firsthand experience with the effects of a disruptor. I’ve never had the pleasure myself, but I understand it’s quite uncomfortable. Unfortunate that you don’t have it on you; I’d have been happy to give you a small sample. I’m very interested in finding out how you got hold of a disruptor and a couple of cloaking belts. That will be Luthor’s department.”

Luthor grunted, then smiled at us. “I hope you won’t break too quickly. On the other hand, I don’t think it really matters if you do.”

I looked back and forth from Luthor to Arley. “Luthor, do you know who and what you’re working for?”

He grinned back, and it wasn’t reassuring at all.

“Luthor is being well paid, and has an assured place in the enclaves once our plans come to fruition.” Arley smiled. “You, on the other hand, will be joining Phil Ross once Luthor is done with you.”

“Phil?” Patrick piped up. “Is he okay?”