Lewis turned over suddenly, making sure to catch Keri's attention. She nodded…it was time. He focused and exerted control over his internal functions, forcing his temperature to rise sharply. It didn't take long for him to break out into a sweat and he could feel Keri's approval of his efforts.
She reached for the satchel and fussed with the contents. "I'm making sure the chocolate bars are hidden in the bottom," she told him. "Wouldn't do for 'Mr. Suspicious' out there to see them in the medical kit."
He continued the restless movements, and concentrated on allowing the rise in body temperature to have a visible effect, brightening his eyes and bringing a flush to his fair skin.
Finally Keri decided to act. "Uh oh," she said loudly and climbed out of the depths of the oversized chair and dashed to the door. "Davis, open up!" she yelled, pounding on it. "I gotta get in there, now!"
Several minutes later the door slowly opened. Lewis could feel the man's defiant attitude; Davis had evidently kept her waiting purposely. Keri could feel it too, anger flashed through her aura, then faded into a grim sort of satisfaction.
"I've got to get more antibiotics into him. The pain is subsiding, but I can't get through the fever to read a damn thing," she told him.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep your shorts on. Hey, guys…you wanna get in here, need some back up when I open this thing," Davis yelled to the monitor room guards. He waited at the door until they joined him, automatic weapons at the ready. He locked the main door, and then moved to the cell. "You sure you want to go in there?" he asked. "It ain't safe, you know."
"Of course I'm sure. I'll be fine."
Davis shrugged. "It's your funeral."
Lewis turned his face to the wall and allowed himself a sardonic grin. There would be a funeral, he decided...but the corpse was going to be Davis.
The door finally opened and Keri half ran across the cell, dropping the satchel on the bunk beside him. "Stay put and keep making noise," she whispered as she pulled out the antibiotic and drew the proper dosage into a syringe. "After I'm out the door and it's closed behind me, I want you to turn over and say 'No', firmly and clearly, and give the monitor room guards your best glare. Then follow my lead." She finished administering the injection and repacked the satchel. "I hope that does it," she said in a normal tone of voice.
Lewis continued his pretense of illness, watching out of the corner of his eye as she walked slowly out of the cell. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of letting the door close behind her, but she obviously had something in mind. She could have shared it with me, he thought sourly.
Keri was out the door, and it clanged shut behind her. He could see Davis move into the lead, heading for the outer door and the two monitor-room guards walking in a line behind him. She crouched to quietly set the satchel on the floor, then stood up and reached up to the neck of the rearmost guard. Lewis took this as his cue and said, "No."
As the guard hesitated, the needle slid home. "What the…" he took a half step back, and then slid to the ground.
Keri dropped the first syringe on the ground and had the other ready as the second guard turned around and bent over his comrade. Davis was still turning as she injected the sedative into the neck of the other guard. The man's face was rife with her betrayal as he tumbled to the ground. "Holy shit, I didn't know he could do that!" Keri exclaimed excitedly as Davis finished his turn to find the other two guards at his feet and the woman hovering over them.
"Do what? What did he do? Goddamn it, what did you do, you son of a bitch," he yelled, fumbling with his side arm as he glared at Lewis.
Keri grabbed his gun arm. "Relax, they're okay and I'm blocking him now so he can't do it again."
"Do what again? What the hell happened?" Davis demanded.
"He used some variation of the empathic abilities that I have to affect their nervous systems. They're okay, just unconscious." Davis continued to look back and forth between Lewis and the downed guards, and tried to tug his hand out of her grasp. "Will you relax? Check them for yourself, I'm blocking him now, he can't do it to us."
Lewis chuckled. Davis was so frightened that the whites were showing all around his irises. The sound seemed to enrage the man, and he yanked his arm free of Keri's restraining hand.
"That does it," he muttered darkly. "The only good dominant is a dead one!"
"Whoa!" Keri yelled, practically jumping onto his arms as he stretched them out in a shooting posture. "Think of what we could learn! Dani would have a fit if you killed him now, and Dr. Lam would surely file a very angry report with the review committee."
The key phrase had the desired effect and Davis subsided, however reluctantly. He shoved the sidearm into its holster and bent over the downed guards to check their pulses. Keri helpfully moved out of his way and then pulled the third syringe from her coat and shoved it into his neck…possibly with more force than absolutely necessary, Lewis noted with amusement.
Davis looked up at her in horror as realization set in. "Fuck you, bitch…" he began.
Keri snorted. "In your dreams, Bozo." She looked up sharply as Lewis laughed out loud. "You know, indulging your amusement damn near got you killed," she said conversationally as she moved to the keypad and began keying in the code she had memorized when Davis had opened the door fifteen minutes ago.
He stood and strode casually over to the door, smiling sardonically as it opened. "I had every confidence in your ability to handle him."
"Gee, thanks." She looked critically at his clothing; then glanced back and forth between him and the three downed men. "Okay, you would stick out like a sore thumb in that outfit, so we're going to do a little creative borrowing here. First, let's get Davis into the cell. You're going to take his shirt and put him in all of your clothes. The pants will be way too long on him, but that won't matter, he won't be walking in them."
His left brow rose questioningly.
Keri sighed. "He's about your size in the chest and shoulders, and he has the most silver in his hair. If he's wearing your clothes and facing the wall and we stick the other two in the observation area, it will give us an extra hour before they realize exactly what's happened. The guards will be missing, but it's possible they could be escorting me to my car. If anyone looks on the monitor they will see what appears to be you in the bunk. They won't be able to open the doors until the next time the code changes and is delivered to the monitor station. That's in a little over an hour from now."
"Very good," he told her, allowing his grudging respect to color his voice.
"Thank you," she said, only half sarcastically. "Okay, now this guy's pants look like they'll fit you and the other one's hat should do it. Other than the name patches and sizes, their uniforms look identical to me, or am I missing something?" she asked.
He examined the three bodies. "They have two different belt styles, but that isn't a problem, Davis' belt will fit me."
She bent over to look more closely at the belts. "Damn, I didn't even notice that. What an odd way to designate what position they're supposed to be in." She shrugged. "Okay, take Davis' belt and shirt then. We don't need to re-dress those guys, they won't be visible on the monitor and by the time they get the door open it won't matter."
Lewis nodded and began to undress Davis. He didn't want to move him around while dressed and chance damaging the clothing. After stripping him to his underwear, he bent to heft him to his shoulder.
"What do you think you're doing?" Keri hissed. "You're going to tear out all of your damned stitches, you idiot!"
He let the man drop and turned on her, his face cold and expressionless. She felt his anger and raised her hands in a placating gesture.
"You've got to admit, that would be kind of dumb," she said, smiling at him impishly. "Especially when we could drag him across the floor like a piece of meat…after all, he doesn't deserve any better."
She did have a point. However…
"I'm sorry I called you an idiot. I was just worried about you hurting yourself."
His eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Deciding she was sincere, he nodded, accepting the apology. He was rewarded by a warm smile and just managed to catch himself before returning it. He sighed and reached down to grab one of Davis' arms as she grabbed the other. The woman was a menace to his peace of mind.
... ...
Keri grunted as she helped Lewis lift the re-dressed Davis up onto the bunk. He was taking her at her word and letting her do most of the work. She shook her head as he gave her what she had taken to thinking of as his 'trademark sardonic look'. He was, to borrow part of Reilly's terminology, quite a piece of work. But somehow a likeable one. Keri chuckled to herself and enjoyed his startled reaction. Yes, getting something past him was every bit as much fun as baiting Danielle.
It had been interesting getting the uniform shirt over the gel cast, but they had managed. Lewis had chosen to remove the finger splints rather than worry about them being spotted by a chance passer-by. He had pointed out, and quite correctly, that any guard with broken fingers would be out on sick leave, likely collecting disability pay and workers' comp. He'd assured her that he was perfectly capable of resetting them later.
He followed her to the main door, leaving the cell door open. "We've got to close that or it will show on the monitors," she reminded him.
"You go on ahead, I'll get it."
"Okay," she said, grabbing her purse and the medical satchel. She stopped short as his feeling of grim satisfaction washed over her; just as she reached the door. "Lewis, let it go. He's going to lose his job at the very least…assuming Dani doesn't vent her anger on him in some less civilized way."
"No. He will die. Didn't your spirit guides tell you so?"
"That didn't mean he'd die today." She sighed at his implacable expression and walked back into the room, set the bags down, crossed her arms over her chest and waited.
"I suggest you go on ahead," he told her. "You don't want to see this."
"If you are going to do it, I'm going to see it."
Lewis shrugged, walked into the cell and over to the bunk. He looked back at her. "I will do this. Leave now."
"No, I can't."
"Suit yourself." He bent down, took the man's head between his hands and twisted it sharply. The neck broke with an audible pop, and he rearranged the head on the bunk in as natural a position as possible. Turning, he stopped short as he took in her wide-eyed, lost expression. "Are you that naïve, did you truly think that your watchful disapproval would prevent me from doing this?"
She shook her head wordlessly, one tear slipping down her cheek.
He left the cell, slamming the door behind him. "This is real life, Keri. Not some musical where the protagonist has a soft side," he told her derisively.
"What are you talking about?"
"Why did you stay to watch?" Lewis demanded.
Keri sighed heavily. "That man died because of decisions I made. What kind of person would I be if I had just left and pretended it didn't happen? I can live with my choices, but I could not look myself in the mirror if I ducked responsibility for them." She shook her head miserably. "I guess I just don't understand that kind of revenge."
Lewis nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. He walked up to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "It wasn't revenge," he admitted. "It was resolution. I now know that this particular enemy can never hurt me or anyone else again."
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she looked up at him. "Now that I can understand."
Keri smiled sadly, then pulled away to scoop up the two bags. Lewis wordlessly held out a hand for them. "Davis wouldn't be caught dead carrying something for me," she said, then giggled nervously. "I can't believe I said that."
Lewis chuckled. "It's always good to maintain a sense of humor," he told her. "After you?" he offered, gesturing to the main door.
"Thank you." She slung the one bag over her left shoulder, clasping the handles of the other in that hand. Her right hand slid into a pocket of the very wrinkled trench coat. "Good thing this is black or I'd be feeling like Colombo about now," she joked as her fingers slid over the comforting weight of the SW99 pistol. "Okay, this corridor has no cameras since it leads to the VIP entry. Unfortunately that's locked at this hour so we'll have to go through the main corridor. That one does have cameras, and they are monitored pretty carefully by the primary security station."
"When did you check on all of this?" he asked.
"The other day, when Dani first called me in." She laughed at his confusion. "It's part of the bodyguard training. I always make sure I know exactly what security measures are taken in any building I'm going to be spending a good deal of time in, and even if I'm only going to be there for a short while I check out all the possible exits."
"Ah. A wise precaution."
"I thought so. What's wrong?" she asked as he blocked her from moving forward.
"Someone is coming this way." He stood perfectly still for a moment, his face frozen in concentration. "It's Dr. Lam," he informed her, his eyes glittering with fury.
"Okay, let me handle this."
"No."
"Are we going to go through that again? Besides, she's in the corridor that's monitored, remember? We'll have building security all over us if you handle it."
His nostrils flared and he was nearly trembling with anger. "Her life is…"
"Chill." Keri smiled at his astounded reaction to her terse order. "Wait here. Getting her is not worth dying over, right?"
Lewis' breath hissed out. "Right."
"Okay. I'll be back." She set the bags down on the floor and disappeared around the corner.
Keri walked quickly around the corner, timing herself so that she'd walk right into the approaching doctor. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Dr. Lam told her.
Smiling, Keri stepped back from the petite Asian woman. It was hard to believe that this woman who looked like a delicate doll could have ordered the unspeakable experimentation. She reached in with her gifts to surface read the doctor, and struggled to suppress a gag. This was number seven. The dark, hungry maw that she had seen only six times before all but consumed the woman's aura. Keri forced a bright tone into her voice, focusing on the doctor's badge.
"Oh, you must be Dr. Lam! I have really been looking forward to meeting you."
"Is that so?" the doctor said warily. "Why?"
"I've heard so much about your innovative experimental techniques," Keri told her. "Danielle…my cousin you know, rarely compliments anyone, but I could tell she was very impressed."
"Really?"
"Yes. Evidently you are the only member of the staff who got any conclusive results. Amazing, with how little we have been able to find out about these people."
"Well, I did have to take extreme measures with Subject 847," Dr. Lam admitted. "But I think it was worth it. After all, it's not like they're human or have feelings."
"Not human? And how do you know they don't have feelings?"
"Of course they're not human. Though my belief is that this so-called new species of man is nothing but a scientific curiosity, you know, like King Kong. And they pride themselves on not having feelings."
"But aren't they higher on the evolutionary ladder than us? I heard something about them having a 1.6 % differential from base primate DNA to our 1.1 differential."
"That does not make them superior. If it did, we would be the ones in cages."
Keri began to seethe. "You know, the information that Dr. Bowman picked up during his last shift was really interesting too. Did you get to read about it?"
"No, I didn't see any reports. What happened?"
"Hmm, well, it was late in the shift. He's probably planning to write it up over the weekend and then submit it. Do you want to see for yourself? Maybe you could beat him in with your own report."
"Yes, I'd very much like that," she said, her tone cold and calculating.
"Great, I'll take you back. Come on," Keri said, taking her by the arm and leading her around the corner into the unmonitored corridor.
... ...
Lewis' eyes narrowed as he realized that Keri would be bringing the doctor to him. What was the woman playing at? They came around the corner rapidly, Dr. Lam pulling up short as she almost walked into him.
"Davis, what are you doing away from your…" she broke off as she looked up and realized she was not talking to Davis. She gasped, and started to back away, only to bump into Keri.
"You know, I'll bet you two have never been formally introduced," Keri said with a decidedly nasty edge to her voice. Lewis, may I present Lam Sze Mun? Dr. Lam, may I present Lewis? Oh, I believe you know him as Subject 847."
Dr. Lam began to shake, her mouth opening and closing, making her look a bit like a feeding fish. "How…Why…Have you any idea what you've done?" she demanded of Keri.
"Yes, actually, I know exactly what I've done."
"Ms. Ashton will have your head for this...cousin or not, you will die!"
"I know."
Lewis frowned. He had thought Keri's comments about the likelihood of Danielle killing her for releasing him an exaggeration at best. It seemed it was not. He did not understand why she would take such a risk. The doctor's eyes were darting back and forth as she sought for a way to escape. He was not prepared when she actually moved, her fists slamming into his already cracked ribs in two short powerful bursts. His breath hissed out as he fought to control his reaction to the pain and contain the woman…he needn't have bothered with the latter.
Keri's jaw dropped in horror as she saw him stagger from the blows. Her eyes blazing, she grabbed the doctor's arm in both hands, planted her feet, and swung her around with all her strength so that the smaller woman crashed into the wall face first. Dr. Lam slid down the wall like a cartoon character, landing on the floor.
"Are you all right?" Keri asked as her right arm slid around his waist and grabbed his belt firmly to give him support. "I should have seen that coming. Dani had said something about that bitch being a black belt, and I forgot. I am so sorry."
He rested his left arm over her shoulder, and shook his head. Having this woman tucked into his left side was becoming a habit. "It was not your fault. I am supposed to be an expert in assessing such things. I discounted the possibility of her having offensive skills because of my rage. That was foolish of me."
"But still…"
"Enough. You handled the situation admirably. I am grateful."
"Yeah, but she's waking up."
"Good. I want her to know she is going to die." He frowned as the woman supporting him shuddered. "Still squeamish after that display?" he asked. Perhaps you should go on…" he broke off as she gave him an admonishing look. His lips twitched. "No. You would not be able to live with yourself, hmm?"
Keri nodded and sighed. "I've never really hurt anyone before." She looked down at Dr. Lam as she began to stir. "Just try not to drag it out too long, okay? I don't think my stomach could take that."
Lewis chuckled and touched her cheek. "I will make it quick and relatively merciful."
"Thank you," she said dryly.
The downed woman lifted her head, the raven hair sliding over her face as she moaned. Lewis reached down with his right hand and twined his fingers in that hair and pulled her to her feet. The pain in the broken digits distracted him from the fire in his ribs. He twisted her head back so that she was looking up at him. Blood seeped from one nostril and her eyes were not quite focusing. Keri had evidently managed to give the doctor a broken nose and a concussion. As her position became clear to her, the injured woman began to shake in his grasp.
"Eww," Keri said, wrinkling her nose. "What is that smell?"
Lewis' shoulders shook with silent laughter. "Terror tends to make sapiens loose bowel and bladder control. I believe the good doctor has now discovered the meaning of the word."
Keri took a step or two backwards. "Gross."
The doctor began to struggle, but with his left hand holding her arms motionless and his hand in her hair keeping her at an angle that made it impossible for her to move her legs, she was helpless. Lewis leaned down so that his face almost touched hers. "For her sake," he said, nodding at Keri. "You die quickly. Be thankful." He let go of her arms and the heel of his left hand flew up to strike under her chin with shattering force. The neck snapped, and the body swung crazily while the head still gripped in his right hand remained still. He let her drop to the floor and looked around for a convenient spot to hide the body.
"We're going to have to put her back in the observation room," Keri told him in a small voice. "That will give us the most time."
Lewis nodded and began to reach down to pick up the dead woman. He winced and straightened. At least one of his ribs was now severely fractured.
Keri swallowed. "I'll do it, she can't weigh more than a hundred pounds soaking wet. You just lean against the wall and keep an eye on the stuff." She bent down and pulled the dead doctor over her shoulder in a fireman's carry, her face twisting in revulsion. Keri staggered down the hall, keyed in the code, and then dumped the body just inside the observation room door.
Lewis watched as she closed the door and returned to where he waited. Soft half-sobs registered on his sensitive hearing, but they were stifled before she reached him. She stopped in front of him, her eyes troubled. He took her chin in his good hand, stroking her jaw with his thumb. "This one's death bothered you a great deal more. Why?"
"I couldn't have stopped you from killing Davis. But I could have told Dr. Lam that the reports were in the lab or something and she would have gone looking for them." She sniffed; her eyes filling with unshed tears. "But I didn't do that. Instead, knowing what would happen, I literally put her in your hands." The large gray eyes closed, and she quickly dashed a hand across them to wipe away the moisture. "And the worst thing is…I wanted it to happen. She was evil, but it was still wrong for me to want her dead."
Her lower lip began to tremble, and she leaned lightly against his chest, cheek resting on his collarbone. Sapiens females were rarely practical about death, though this one was stronger than most. He sighed and stroked her hair comfortingly with his left hand. "Keri," he began, then frowned and shook his head, annoyed. She picked up on his annoyance and pulled away from him.
"What did I do now?" she demanded.
"Nothing." Lewis shook his head again. "It's the name. There's just something…"
"Keridwen Elizabeth Ashton is a perfectly good name. I don't know what your problem is," she seethed.
Lewis began to smile.
"There's absolutely nothing wrong with it," she continued. "Keridwen was the Welsh goddess of poetry…"
"And dark prophesy," he interrupted. "Unlike the diminutive you insist on using, it is quite appropriate. I shall call you Keridwen."
Keridwen stared at him. "You…I…Ohhhh!" she sputtered, then turned on her heel and started to stalk away.
Lewis grabbed her arm, pulling back slightly from the strength of the glare she directed first at his hand, then directly into his eyes. "You're angry with me."
"No shit, Sherlock," she told him. "Not that it matters." She exhaled noisily. "Do you even care?"
Surprisingly, he decided, he did. "Yes."
"What?" Her anger faded and her look turned into one of consternation. She sighed, and a small smile began to emerge. "Humph. At least I guessed right," Keridwen said, leaning against his chest once again.
His eyebrow rose. "About what?" he finally asked. She pulled slightly away and looked up at him, a definitely mischievous look in her eyes.
"You are worthwhile."
