Broken Wings - I
Renfro set her folder to the side and looked at the four men around the table. Four different nationalities and over three decades were represented at this table. Personally, she couldn't stand any of them. Huang, a Colonel in Chinese black ops, was impressed by his own power. Brandt was a German intelligence officer who spent more time smuggling drugs that he did on intelligence gathering. Diasio was an Italian geneticist who had a taste for bottled libations. Last, but not least, was Portillo, a self-proclaimed Latin American revolutionary whose faction was waiting for an opportunity to seize the current government, when their leader was not chasing women. She might not have any respect for these men but she respected the powers they represented. As long as they financed and supported her project, she could play their petty games.
"Gentlemen. Welcome to New Mexico. I have asked to meet today to discuss the future of our project."
Brandt interrupted her, as usual, "Fraulein, has there been progress? It has been over two years."
She cringed inwardly at his patronizing tone. Some men would never be accustomed to having a woman as their equal or superior.
"Si signora," continue Diasio, "You tell us three year ago that you have a special project that will change our countries. Then, there is a problem, this...che cosa รจ il suo nome?"
"Lydecker." Finished Renfro.
"Yes, Lydecker." Said Portillo. "He steal the child, no?"
"Colonel Lydecker is no longer with us and yes, we have reason to suspect that he was involved in the disappearance of the child."
"Then there is no project left in which we can contribute." Finished Huang.
"There is no point..."
"My government will not waste it's money..."
"We should have a prototype by now..."
"It is too late..."
Their voices all blended together. Why did people insist on panicking and talking on top of one another? It really had no purpose besides being annoying, foolish, and wasting time. Wasting time irritated her. She let them talk anxiously for a few moments among themselves, feeding off on one another's fear as she went to a side table and poured herself a glass of water. They were grating on her nerves but she knew that she had to bide her time...just string them along long enough to get the project off of the ground.
Holding up a hand, she interrupted them. "Gentlemen, please. Let me explain. Losing Colonel Lydecker and the child, although a disappointing loss, is not the end of the project. You see, there is one thing that Colonel Lydecker did not know. Breeder Tx-0214 did us a great service while she was here." For the moment, she had their attention. She relished the feeling of control as she savored the next three words. "She had twins."
The shock on the faces around the room made her smirk. They were so easy to impress.
None of them seemed capable of uttering a complete sentence.
"Why..."
"That..."
"When..."
Renfro shook her head. "I haven't mentioned it earlier because we wanted to monitor and train the child to see if we had a Tx candidate."
Silence.
"I am pleased to report that Tx-1256 is in training as we speak. He is two and a half years old and quite surpassing our expectations."
"When do we see him?" Huang asked.
"Soon." She replied. "But there are a few details that we need to discuss first."
Finally, she had what she had hoped for...their undivided attention. Smoothing out the jacket of her tailored dark plum suit, she sat back down in her chair and reveled in the feeling of utter control that she had over these men. They had lost their smug attitudes and they were looking to her for guidance...exactly how things should be. Now, she could get back to business.
Renfro set her folder to the side and looked at the four men around the table. Four different nationalities and over three decades were represented at this table. Personally, she couldn't stand any of them. Huang, a Colonel in Chinese black ops, was impressed by his own power. Brandt was a German intelligence officer who spent more time smuggling drugs that he did on intelligence gathering. Diasio was an Italian geneticist who had a taste for bottled libations. Last, but not least, was Portillo, a self-proclaimed Latin American revolutionary whose faction was waiting for an opportunity to seize the current government, when their leader was not chasing women. She might not have any respect for these men but she respected the powers they represented. As long as they financed and supported her project, she could play their petty games.
"Gentlemen. Welcome to New Mexico. I have asked to meet today to discuss the future of our project."
Brandt interrupted her, as usual, "Fraulein, has there been progress? It has been over two years."
She cringed inwardly at his patronizing tone. Some men would never be accustomed to having a woman as their equal or superior.
"Si signora," continue Diasio, "You tell us three year ago that you have a special project that will change our countries. Then, there is a problem, this...che cosa รจ il suo nome?"
"Lydecker." Finished Renfro.
"Yes, Lydecker." Said Portillo. "He steal the child, no?"
"Colonel Lydecker is no longer with us and yes, we have reason to suspect that he was involved in the disappearance of the child."
"Then there is no project left in which we can contribute." Finished Huang.
"There is no point..."
"My government will not waste it's money..."
"We should have a prototype by now..."
"It is too late..."
Their voices all blended together. Why did people insist on panicking and talking on top of one another? It really had no purpose besides being annoying, foolish, and wasting time. Wasting time irritated her. She let them talk anxiously for a few moments among themselves, feeding off on one another's fear as she went to a side table and poured herself a glass of water. They were grating on her nerves but she knew that she had to bide her time...just string them along long enough to get the project off of the ground.
Holding up a hand, she interrupted them. "Gentlemen, please. Let me explain. Losing Colonel Lydecker and the child, although a disappointing loss, is not the end of the project. You see, there is one thing that Colonel Lydecker did not know. Breeder Tx-0214 did us a great service while she was here." For the moment, she had their attention. She relished the feeling of control as she savored the next three words. "She had twins."
The shock on the faces around the room made her smirk. They were so easy to impress.
None of them seemed capable of uttering a complete sentence.
"Why..."
"That..."
"When..."
Renfro shook her head. "I haven't mentioned it earlier because we wanted to monitor and train the child to see if we had a Tx candidate."
Silence.
"I am pleased to report that Tx-1256 is in training as we speak. He is two and a half years old and quite surpassing our expectations."
"When do we see him?" Huang asked.
"Soon." She replied. "But there are a few details that we need to discuss first."
Finally, she had what she had hoped for...their undivided attention. Smoothing out the jacket of her tailored dark plum suit, she sat back down in her chair and reveled in the feeling of utter control that she had over these men. They had lost their smug attitudes and they were looking to her for guidance...exactly how things should be. Now, she could get back to business.