CHAPTER 16: "THE EAST WING INCIDENT"
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 – 11:45 p.m.
Day 56 of our journey
Now that we've settled the matter with Carver and Ziegler, we can finally devote ourselves again to what we actually planned this trip for: the exploration of the world, its beauty and its wonders – and having fun with each other, of course. And what better place to start with than the Mediterranean, the cradle of western civilization, the birthplace of our culture?
We'll leave Monaco early in the morning and will be arriving in Civitavecchia in Italy in the evening, where we'll spend the night. Civitavecchia is the nearest port to Rome where we can moor. The following day we're going to visit the Eternal City, hopefully this time without any more adventures. I keep my fingers crossed. If Anne had had her way, we'd also have had Florence and Tuscany on the program, but, as Derek put it in his charming way, we can't "stop at every milk churn on the way", which she had to grudgingly accept.
Visiting Rome involves a one-hour drive from the port, but the captain has organized a bus for us, so this should be only a minor inconvenience. However, we came to realize once again that traveling on the "Rising Star" may be like being in a floating five star hotel, but it doesn't only have advantages. Due to her size, the number of ports in which she can dock is limited.
That's why there are some deviations from the originally planned route, which Isaak and Louise had worked out on paper while we were taking care of G.A.O.L. in Florida. Basically, we can only call at ports where cruise ships also dock. And since it's winter, the cruise industry in southern climes is at its peak, which means we have to deal with masses of other tourists at almost every place we go. But we're not complaining.
After Rome, we're finally going south again, towards the warmth. Everyone's anxiously awaiting it. Can't wait to get my tan back…
-0-
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 – 09:01 a.m.
Civitavecchia
"You know what I would really find refreshing for a change?" Derek asked as everyone left the ship and entered the bus that would drive them to Rome.
"What?" a chorus of voices asked back.
"Just a normal, regular, undemanding, cozy, carefree, relaxed and untroubled day where we are nothing but tourists."
"Amen to that," Charley said.
"It would be nice," Sarah agreed.
"So, you three," Derek pointed at Cameron, Emily and Alison, "whatever you do, act like normal young women, okay? If you catch a pickpocket in the act, let them go without breaking their wrist. If you encounter a beggar, don't flash them your red eyes. Be normal. Stay out of trouble. You get the picture."
"We're not looking for trouble," Emily pointed out.
"Trouble is looking for us," Cameron declared.
"And it usually finds us," Alison added.
"And you," Derek addressed John, ignoring their replies, "if you see someone you think needs help, let it be. Or call the police. Don't interfere. Think of Jesse and the baby."
"Cute, Derek," Jesse said a little sourly, "I'm pregnant, not disabled."
"I can guarantee for nothing," John declared, "it's like Emily, Cameron and Alison already pointed out: trouble always seems to find us."
"That's because you walk through this world with eyes wide open and secure in the knowledge that ACE are protecting you," Sydney said.
"Who?"
"A C E," Lauren explained. "Short for Alison, Cameron and Emily. Was Danny's idea."
Everyone was looking at Danny. He held up his hands defensively.
"Hey, I was only suggesting to come up with something snappy, since 'the three' or 'the girls' can be misunderstood and saying all their names all the time can be annoying on the long run."
"But those are our names," Emily pointed out. "How hard can it be to say them, and how can it be annoying?"
"Consider it a nickname," Jody said, "one that refers to the three of you. ACE… I mean, you are the aces up our sleeves, aren't you? What do you think, John?"
"I have to admit, I kinda like it," he replied, receiving frowns from his wives, "but only if we really refer to the three of you. After all, you always emphasize how you are one, aren't you?"
"In that case, we should be called JACE," Cameron remarked with a smirk, "short for John, Alison, Cameron and Emily. After all, we four are one, right?"
"Let's not overdo it," Sarah remarked. "But I have to agree, ACE has got something. It's to the point, and everyone knows who it refers to. Besides, you three form a sub group within our team."
"Because we're not human?" Alison asked.
"That's a fact you can't deny."
"Just think of it," Sydney added, "'Here come ACE'… 'ACE to the rescue'. It's like a brand name. You have to admit, it sounds cool."
The three still looked skeptical.
"It sounds like a vitamin drink," Cameron pointed out.
"I have an idea," John said, "let's try it for a day. If we think we like it – if you like it, that is – we'll stick with it."
"One day?" Cameron asked.
"Yes."
"Hmmm," Emily uttered. "You mean until midnight or for twenty-four hours?"
"Don't be so pedantic," Anne said, "that's my job."
"Let's say until tomorrow after breakfast," John suggested.
The three cyborg girls looked at each other.
"Deal," they finally said in unison.
"ACE have agreed," Danny commented, "awesome."
"You can always rely on ACE," Allie remarked.
"Indeed, you can," Savannah added.
Everyone was laughing.
"But don't overdo it," Cameron requested.
"How can we overdo it?"
"By saying AC minus E or something like that, when you only refer to Alison and Cam," Emily explained.
"Yeah, okay," John agreed, "That would be stupid."
"Thanks, J," Emily said and nudged him.
The trip to Rome was tightly planned. The day's program included the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Castel Sant'Angelo, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Imperial fora.
"I suppose there won't be time for the catacombs?" Kevin asked.
"No," Anne replied, "that would need a whole day in itself."
"Too bad."
"I know what bones and skulls look like," Derek stated, "they were lying in the open in the millions after Judgement Day. No need to see more."
"Many people hid in the Catacombs during Judgement Day," Jesse added. "A lot of people survived in Rome and Paris that way."
"You had contact to them?" Sarah asked.
"Skynet couldn't control the radio waves," Derek explained with a smirk. "Good, old analog tech. The medium wave came back to honor, as did the Morse code and old encryption techniques from the Cold War."
"So, you communicated like in the movie 'Independence Day'?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, like that," Derek confirmed. "Although it took months and sometimes years to contact the other parts of the world. But in the end, we had established a planet-wide, coded communication network Skynet had no access to. And they'd all accepted John Connor as their leader."
"Using radio is how we found that despite all of its efforts, Skynet was only able to wipe out half of the human race," Savannah added. "Three billion had still survived when all nukes had exploded."
"I once read that the USA and Russia alone have more than enough nukes to destroy the world several times over," Jody said. "How come so many survived?"
"Skynet didn't have access to all nukes," Derek explained. "It only had access to the networked warheads in the missile silos or on land-based mobile platforms. It didn't have access to the nuclear submarines yet, and it didn't have access to the nukes in the bombers either. Many of the warheads were also stored in bunkers. Judgement Day only took place using the short, medium and long range rockets. These were aimed at the major cities. In the countryside, most people survived."
"Some survivors were even able to get their hands on remaining military technology," Jesse added. "The 'Jimmy Carter' for instance. Skynet has never been able to take over all of the military technology. Our problem wasn't that we didn't have enough weapons but that we lacked people and crews to man them. That's why Future John got the idea of using reprogrammed Terminators as officers on submarines."
"Guys, can we please stop talking about the war?" Jody asked. "You sound like my grandpa when he reminisced about D-Day."
"All these dark thoughts should be forgotten," Olga added, "especially when we know the war will never happen now."
"She's right," Charley agreed, "as much as I sometimes like to remember old-time stories, these refer to events that have been erased from future history."
"That's easy for you to say," Derek grumbled, "the memories are still burned into my brain and they still haunt me."
"I could change that for you," Alison said, "I could relieve you of the pain. If you just let me..."
"DON'T YOU DARE! Stay away from my head, do you hear?"
"But you just said…"
"Those memories are part of who I am, even if they hurt. Without them, I wouldn't be the Derek you…" He paused and frowned. "Wait a minute, didn't you tell us months ago that you couldn't fuck with our brains anymore, that we're immune to your chemical messengers!? Was that a lie or what?"
Alison just smiled.
"Fooled you again... you're too easy to trigger."
Derek groaned.
"She did it again," he said. "John, can't you just forbid them to pull my leg? I dunno, order them to stop doing it."
"I could try," John replied grinning, "but that doesn't mean they would comply. They may be machines, but first and foremost they're women. And when have women ever let their husbands tell them anything?"
"Oh, we do what you tell us to do," Alison said with an innocent smile and kissed him.
"But only under certain circumstances," Emily added and nibbled his ear.
"Uh-oh," Anne said, "no details please."
"Yes… details please," Savannah contradicted.
"No, those circumstances should stay in their bedroom," Sarah stated sternly.
Everyone chuckled.
"Oh boy," Derek sighed, "this bus drive is going to be longer than I expected."
-0-
Surprisingly enough, the day seemed to pass by without any incidents. The team was able to complete the sightseeing program undisturbed. While being at the Colosseum, Lauren speculated about what it would have been like if cyborgs had taken part in the Gladiator fights. Alison's answer was monosyllabic: "Short."
They had lunch at a typical Italian trattoria and were chatting away in a relaxed and happy mood while watching the hustle and bustle outside on the Roman streets. It was a little warmer than in Barcelona but still not warm enough to just run around in tee shirts.
"How much further south do you think we'll have to go before we can finally tan naked on the sun deck again?" Jody asked. "I look pale already."
"You look fine," Jason complimented his girlfriend. "Everyone looks fine."
"I suppose when we reach the southern tip of Italy, that might be possible again," Savannah said. "And talking about being pale, look at me, I'm a redhead. I'll always look like a china doll."
"You know," Alison said, "if the only purpose of lying in the sun for hours is to become tanned, I could help you with that. I could give you a permanent tan."
"We know that," Jody replied, "but that's not the point."
"What is the point then?"
"Having an excuse for lazing around," John remarked with a smirk.
Some of the girls rolled their eyes.
"Yeah, sure, John," Allie said sarcastically. "We'd be sooo busy with doing stuff if we wouldn't be lying in the sun all the time."
"The whole idea of a vacation is to laze around," Jody added.
"Not to mention that we have a crew of forty men and women who'll fulfill all our wishes almost instantly," Savannah added. "There's simply nothing left to do. We can't even leave our suites for five minutes without somebody tidying it up behind us. Not that I'm complaining…"
"We haven't used the bowling alley yet," Derek pointed out.
"Or the squash court," Charley added.
"Or the jet skis," Kevin said, "Jason, Danny and I want to try them out soon."
"There'll also be a few nice diving spots on the way," John remarked, "I'd really like to try out what we learned in Jamaica."
"See?" Sarah asked, addressing the girls. "Enough to do. For example, Charley and I are having a squash match tonight."
"We are?" Charley asked surprised, receiving a nudge from his wife, "uh… yeah, yeah… we are… haven't played squash in years."
While they were talking, two priests wearing cassocks passed by.
"Forty-three and forty-four," Emily remarked.
"What?" Sydney asked.
"We've been counting Catholic priests," Cameron explained.
"The city is full of them," Alison added.
"Yes, one could assume so," said Anne, "since, as you know, the Vatican state is located here. I hope you can behave yourselves when we visit it."
"While we're here," Emily remarked, "wouldn't it be a nice gesture to visit Jack Visioli?"
"That bishop?" Anne asked.
"Yes," Cameron replied. "the archbishop we met with."
"Sure, why not?" Sarah stated ironically. "We're going to invade his office or his apartment within the Vatican with the whole team. Surely, nobody will notice or ask any questions."
"That's a stupid idea," Derek agreed, "by now, probably everyone in the Vatican knows that he's been in contact with us. Better leave him alone."
"Agreed," John said. "And why should we visit him anyway? Just to say hello? Come on…"
"Who is Jack Visioli?" Olga asked.
John and the others explained to her that Archbishop Giacomo "Jack" Visioli had been an emissary of the Vatican who'd met incognito with John, the three cyborg girls, Catherine, Savannah and Allie at Kenneth Fletcher's house in the Hollywood Hills. He was very impressed by the three and had made sure that the Catholic Church basically recognized the existence of artificial life, accepting it as a part of God's creation.
"So, that is why they suddenly were so open-minded about it?" Olga asked after they'd finished. "Everyone was surprised by that development."
"Yes," Derek confirmed, "don't underestimate the fact that the Catholic Church urgently wants to polish its image in the world. ACE provided the right opportunity at the right time to distract somewhat from all the affairs and scandals."
Olga nodded.
"I see. Everyone was wondering what had happened. Shortly afterwards, the Russian Orthodox Church shared this position."
"Yeah, once the Vatican had started with it, most of the others followed," John said nodding. "Jack Visioli explained that all of the major religions exchange information regularly. By now, most of them have recognized the existence of intelligent life. Not everyone is happy with that, of course…"
"The Evangelicals and the Mormons in North America are still struggling with it," Anne pointed out. "So do some of the Muslims. There's still a lively discussion going on behind the scenes. But all in all, we're on the right track, I guess."
"Which is a surprise, to be honest," Sarah added. "Normally it takes decades, if not longer for them to adapt to such fundamental changes."
"We created facts," Savannah stated. "ACE left them no choice. The public opinion is clearly on their side, so the churches are swimming with the stream. After all, they don't have anything to lose but much to gain by recognizing cyborgs as alternate life forms."
Olga nodded.
"I agree," she said, "even in Russia, people have been talking only about those cyborg girls from Los Angeles for months."
"I suppose we and the financial crisis are still the headliners," Jesse added. "And that's why it would be a stupid move to visit Jack Visioli."
"Oh well, it was just an idea," Emily replied, holding up her hands defensively. "I thought it would be interesting to know how he's been doing."
"I agree," John said, "but if we should ever meet again, then better in a similar way as the first time."
They finished their lunch, then resumed their tourist program.
-0-
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 – 05:25 a.m.
Dallas, Texas
Slowly, Jeffrey Clark opened his eyes. It was dark, and he was lying on a bed. His head felt fuzzy. There was an annoying noise, a beeping in regular intervals… BEEP… BEEP… BEEP… BEEP… BEEP... BEEP... BEEP...
Where was he? And more importantly, what happened? The last thing he remembered was that Ben had sent him on an errand to get more computer parts. He tried to sit up, but his body didn't follow the commands of his brain. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. Then, as his mind became clearer, he started feeling the pain. His body hurt all over.
The beeping accelerated.
He noticed that he had a mask on his face that provided him with oxygen. A respirator? Did that beeping noise belong to a heartbeat monitor? Was he in a hospital? But why? What had happened, how did he end up here? And where exactly was here? There were at least a dozen hospitals in the area. Trying to lift his right arm, he noticed that a cannula was attached there and that he was apparently hooked to an I.V. There was also a clamp on his index finger. Suddenly, he heard quick footsteps. Then the door was opened, and the light was switched on. Blinded, Jeffrey squinted his eyes.
"He's awake," a female voice said.
"Go and inform that annoying woman," a male voice instructed.
"Yes, doctor," the nurse replied and left the room.
Jeffrey tried to speak but his mouth was dry, and he couldn't utter a word.
"Just try to relax," the doctor said. "You were in a car accident. You're very lucky to be alive. Without the side airbags, you probably would be dead."
Jeffrey made some questioning noises.
"Try not to speak, Mister Clark. Your body is full of drugs. You're suffering from several broken bones, a pierced lung, lots of cuts and bruises all over your body, and a minor craniocerebral trauma. The fire department had to cut you out of your car. They had to re-animate you on site and…"
Jeffrey didn't pay attention to what the doctor said. He had only registered two words: Mister Clark. They knew who he was. Of course they knew, they would have taken his fingerprints. He closed his eyes. It was over. They got him. It was his last thought before he lost consciousness again.
There was a tense atmosphere in the office of the hospital director. To his right in front of the desk stood Sonya Hawkins, Zoe Kruger and Norberto Cervantez, and to his left were the chief physician, the ward physician and the Dallas police chief. The unfortunate hospital director was caught in the middle between the two arguing parties.
"What do you mean you want the other patients moved?" asked the ward physician in outrage.
"I want them out of the way and in a safe place," Sonya explained.
"That's impossible, some of them are in intensive care."
"Jeffrey Clark is the only one on that floor who's been deemed unfit for transport. We checked the files on our way here."
"You checked the… what?" the chief physician asked flabbergasted. "Have you hacked yourself into our system or what?"
"Or what, yes."
"What exactly are you expecting to happen?" the police chief enquired.
"That's classified, sorry."
"Classified? What the...? For God's sake, I'm the highest authority in this city after the mayor!"
"Not while I'm in town," Sonya deadpanned. "I'm head of the C.S.I.S. for six more days, and that makes me the highest authority in this city when it comes to Jeffrey Clark. But if you'd like to talk to my successor, feel free to do so. She's standing next to me."
She looked at Zoe who tried a more appeasing tone to smooth the waves.
"Look, we don't know what will happen," she said calmly, "but there is reason to believe that an attempt will be made to free Jeffrey Clark - or to kill him. We don't know for sure."
"We have SWAT teams for that," the police chief pointed out.
"That'd be like throwing a goldfish into a shark tank," Sonya remarked dryly.
"It has to do with those robots, hasn't it? I can't stand all this secrecy about them. We're being kept in the dark, as if we were little children."
"You know everything you need to know," Sonya replied, "it is for your own protection. We need the sixth floor of the east wing deserted, all personnel and all patients have to be out of the way. The same goes for security. Relocate everyone to the west wing. That part of the hospital, including the emergency room, can work regularly."
"What do you think you can you do better than my men?" the police chief asked indignantly. "Hell, what can the three of you do better that a whole SWAT team cannot?"
"We won't remain only three," Norberto Cervantez replied coolly. "reinforcements are on the way and will arrive soon. A complete commando unit of the C.S.I.S. will arrive during the night. We were just the first to be here, thanks to a private jet that's always at our disposal. We don't know how much time we have, to be honest, hence the safety measures Ms. Hawkins required."
"And what if one of the other patients needs medical help?" the hospital director asked. "You cannot simply shut down a whole hospital wing."
"We only want a clear way between the main entrance and the sixth floor," Zoe stated. "Nobody must be in the way. The rest of the hospital won't be effected."
"I can pull rank if you insist on opposing me," Sonya added, "but I don't want to. I count on your insight and that you understand we only want to save lives and protect both the patients and the personnel of this hospital."
The police chief scoffed. But before he could reply, the door burst open and a nurse entered, completely out of breath.
"He's awake," she said. "Mr. Clark has woken up."
"Good," Sonya stated. "The sooner we can interrogate him, the better."
"He's on painkillers and sedatives," the ward physician said, "and he's beaten up quite badly. He won't be available for questioning until tonight at the earliest."
"Then we will wait until tonight," Sonya replied, "but until then, I want the whole sixth floor in the east wing cleared and all personnel in that area relocated. Is that understood?"
Without waiting for an answer, she, Zoe and Norberto left the office.
"What a fucking bitch," the police chief exclaimed.
"Can't you do something about it?" the chief physician asked.
"I'm afraid she's in charge. I therefore cannot disobey her. However, she only said that all personnel and security forces should be withdrawn. She didn't specifically mention that we mustn't bring our own forces in for backup."
"That's a risky game, chief," said the hospital director. "What if she's right, and your men are really in danger when they enter the hospital?"
"I'm not gonna let some fancy woman from Washington tell me how to run things in my city. I'll have a SWAT team on standby by 1800 hours tonight. And I'll make sure Hawkins doesn't find out about this."
"I hope you know what you're doing, chief."
"I do. Damn federals are not going to take over my town."
-0-
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 – 06:51 p.m.
Civitavecchia
Derek let himself fall into one of the convenient armchairs in the main lounge of the yacht with a glass of Scotch in his hand.
"We actually made it," he said with a sigh of relief, "thank God. No trouble, no adventure, no complications. Just a nice, interesting day in Rome."
"Don't be so dramatic," Jesse said and sat down next to her husband. "Yes, it was a beautiful day, but we had beautiful days in Puerto Vallarta, in St Lucia, in Madeira, in Casablanca, in Marrakesh, in Saint Petersburg, in Hamburg, in..."
"Okay, okay…" Derek interrupted her. "Not all of them were bad and thankfully we weren't much involved in most of the stuff. Still… a quiet, uneventful day for all of us was what we all needed, I suppose. Hopefully, we can enjoy his voyage now without any further inconveniences. Now all I need is a nice dinner, then a brandy… or maybe one of those tequilas Isaak bought from that bar woman in Mexico. Maybe smoking a cigar with Charley. Nice and quiet. I…"
"EMILYYYYY!"
The shout came from outside and almost made him spill his drink.
"What the fuck?"
They all jumped up and ran outside, looking over the railing of the sun deck. There, down on the pier, waving at them, stood a young, brunette woman, wearing glasses. Apparently, she'd been arguing with one of the crew members who guarded the gangway.
"Louise?" Emily asked.
"YES! CAN I COME ABOARD? THIS JERK DOESN'T BELIEVE I BELONG TO YOU!"
"Well, yes… by all means," John said.
Emily ran down the stairs and towards the entrance of the ship, and John gave the crew member the OK sign to let Louise on board.
"Where does she come from?" Savannah asked. "Wasn't she supposed to be in Australia with that guy, that beach volleyball player from Florida… what was his name?"
"Avery Bailey," Cameron answered. "And yes, this is an unexpected visit."
"I hope she doesn't mean any more trouble," Derek remarked grimly and let himself fall into the plush armchair again.
"Relax," John said, "she lived with us already, she's part of the team. Mom, you better tell the captain we have another passenger. I have a feeling she won't be flying back tonight."
Sarah nodded and left towards the bridge of the ship.
"Who's that girl?" Olga asked.
"Louise is, uh… a very close friend of ours, especially of Emily's," John explained. "She saved her from a group of psychopathic serial killers who tortured and raped her for months. Since then, the two have been, uh… friends with benefits."
"What? But I thought Emily's your…"
"Long story. We'll fill you in later."
Emily re-entered the lounge, happily pulling Louise behind her. It took a moment until everyone had hugged and kissed her welcome.
"I've finally caught up with you," she said happily. "When I arrived in Monte Carlo, you were already gone again."
"You could have called in advance," Sarah suggested.
"I wanted it to be a surprise."
"That you have achieved," Alison said. "What are you doing here? Where's Avery?"
Louise's face became sad.
"Back home in Florida," she said, "we had a falling-out."
"Oh no," John said. "You have to tell us everything."
"Does that mean I can stay with you?"
John looked around but saw no objection coming up.
"Of course, you can. But you might have to share a suite with Olga, if that's okay for you."
"Who's Olga?"
"I'm Olga," the Russian model said and stretched out her hand, "I'm from Russia."
"Oh wow," Louise replied, shaking her hand with an astonished face, "you and Alison look absolutely identical!"
"What else is new?" Derek asked with a sigh and gulped down his whisky.
Over dinner, Olga was filled in with details about Louise's sad past. Emily told her how she'd found Louise in that cabin in the woods, how she'd freed her and made short shrift with the serial killers, causing Louise to fall in love with Emily – and vice versa.
They explained to her that Louise used to be blonde but had dyed her hair brown and put on fake glasses so that she would not be recognized by reporters. She had also changed her identity with the help of John Henry. Her name was no longer Louise Quinn, but Louise Henson. Her parents had also been given a new identity and now lived in a house in Laguna Beach that had belonged to a Gray, Pablo Gonzalez, who had been turned into a mindless street whore by Alison as punishment for Emily's suffering. Catherine had bought the abandoned house, including staff and everything else, at a foreclosure auction and given it to Louise's parents for a symbolic rent of a hundred dollars a month.
In return, Louise was updated on most things that had happened since they left Long Beach, including the story of Ben Bridger and Jeffrey Clark, the adventures in Madeira, Morocco and Scotland, the arrival of Future Alison and the upgrades she brought with her, meeting Olga in Saint Petersburg, the secret drone production in Goslar. And finally they told her about Brandon Carver and Ludwig Ziegler and their respective demises.
"Wow," she commented, "you really can't be left alone without getting into trouble or being involved in some dangerous adventure, can you?"
John shrugged.
"It's the…" he began.
"… Connor curse," the rest of the team finished in a chorus, then everyone broke out into laughter.
"Seriously, John," Derek said while peeling a banana from the fruit basket on the table, "we're sick of hearing that."
"Well, what is your explanation then for all the things that happen to us?"
"I think you're a nexus," his uncle replied, biting into the banana, "a kind of anchor in time that everything revolves around. You act like a magnet to anything that's trouble."
"Wow, that's deep, Derek," remarked Anne, "complete bullshit… but deep."
"Do you have a better explanation?"
"I hold to the old spy wisdom that persistent bad luck is a result of incompetence, and persistent luck is a result of skill."
"So… that would mean we get into trouble because we're incompetent, and we get out of it again every time because we're skillful?"
"Something like that."
Everyone laughed again. Then Louise looked at Emily.
"So… your whole body has changed now because of that upgrade thing or what?"
"Not on the outside, but yes," Emily confirmed. "I'm a whole new cyborg inside. Literally."
"Wow… can I… I mean… is there a way to see it?"
"Not without cutting into my flesh and peeling it up."
"Eeew, no… gross."
"And not exactly a topic for the dinner table," Sarah added. "If you wanna show her your new endoskeleton, get some privacy."
"We can now swim together," Emily announced happily, "I'm no longer sinking like an anvil."
"That would be cool. And can you, I mean, can you also heal others, like Alison can?"
"No… but I also have nanobots inside me that can heal my flesh. And I have much more physical power and can kill with electric discharges."
"How much stronger are you now?"
"Five times stronger than before."
"That's so cool. You can really kick ass now…"
"I could kick asses before… but why would I do that?"
Again, everyone laughed. It took Louise a moment to realize that Emily had actually understood the remark but simply made fun of her.
"I'm so happy to be with you again," she said and took Emily's hand.
"Now it's your turn to tell. What went wrong between you and Avery?"
Louise lowered her eyes and sighed.
"Have you ever had the feeling that something is going too fast for you, that someone wants more than you're willing to give, that you basically want the same thing but are going at different speeds?"
"Yes, I can relate to that," Emily replied and looked at John, hinting at their long struggle before they finally got together.
"Although in our case," Alison explained, "it's that John was too slow for me, and I wanted more than he was willing to give."
"But in the end, we got together," Cameron added.
"So… Avery wants more than you're willing to give?" Lauren asked.
"Yes… he, uh… he proposed to me."
Astonished silence.
"What!?" Sarah then asked. "After just a few weeks?"
Louise shrugged.
"He says he found the woman of his life in me. But I'm not ready for that. I've hardly overcome my experiences of the last year… you know… what those guys did to me…"
"I'm sure he understands that," John said, "he's not a jerk, is he?"
"I suspect his family is behind this. They're ultra-hardcore southerners, I'm telling you. Unless you're engaged within two months, they say it can't be serious."
"Wow... But they know your history, right?"
"Of course they do. But this has rather strengthened their belief that what I need is the loving care in the bosom of a large, loving family. And they don't think I'll get that in Los Angeles. They don't know about you guys, of course. Also not about Emily and my relationship with her. I think they'd go ballistic if they knew."
"But isn't Avery on your side and able to stand up to his family?" Sarah asked.
"That's the problem. He's having difficulties with that. He doesn't want to hurt or offend anyone."
"I see," Emily said, "so you ran home to Los Angeles."
"In a nutshell, yes. I stayed there for two weeks. My parents are so happy with the whole new situation – new house, new jobs… new pet dog."
"How's Eve, by the way?" John asked. "Does she miss us?"
"Oh yes, definitely. She still understands most of what humans say to her, that hasn't changed. And she's sad that you didn't take her with you."
"A dog always causes trouble when you want to enter a foreign country. Eve couldn't stay aboard all the time, she wouldn't have enough run. And she also couldn't go ashore."
"Yes, we tried to explain that to her, but I think that was too much for her to comprehend. After all, she's just a dog, despite her, uh… human past."
"And then you decided you didn't like it there anymore and came here?" Jody asked.
"Yes. Also, Avery kept calling me, but I didn't want to talk to him. Thankfully he doesn't know my parents' address, otherwise he would have surely come there. But after two weeks, I had enough of being alone with my parents and a dog. So, I visited Isaak and asked him where you are at the moment. He gave me one of his credit cards, so I could book the flights. I just hope I'm not annoying or inconveniencing you in any way."
"Rubbish," Charley said. "If it hadn't been for Avery, you'd have come with us from the start."
"And we've left the option open from the beginning that you can join us at any time," Sarah added.
Louise beamed.
"Thank you. I have to say, sitting here with all of you… it feels like I've truly come home now."
Suddenly, John's cellphone rang.
"It's Catherine," he said after looking at it, took the call, put it on speaker and placed the phone on the table. "Hello Catherine, are you still enjoying the snow in St. Moritz?"
"No. As a matter of fact, Tess and I left early in the morning. We're currently in a car and on our way to the Dallas Memorial Hospital."
"Dallas? As in Dallas, Texas?"
"Yes. Apparently, Jeffrey Clark was involved in a car accident and has been brought to that hospital. Zoe and Norberto are already there, so is Sonya. They're making sure that nobody gets access to him."
There was a moment of silence.
"Wow," John then said. "That's bad news for Jeffrey Clark but good news for us. Dallas, huh? Any traces of Ben Bridger?"
"Not yet. The plan is to get Jeffrey Clark to a secure facility a.s.a.p. We think it's possible Bridger will try to free him or, if he fails to do so, kill him. After all, he has five triple-eights at his disposal. The only problem is that Clark is seriously injured and currently unfit for transport. So, the four of us will function as his bodyguards until the danger is over."
"The four of you should be sufficient protection," Sarah remarked. "Just make sure the hospital doesn't collapse."
"We won't allow that," Catherine replied. "Tess, Zoe, Norberto and I should be able to stop them. Don't forget Zoe also received Future Alison's upgrade. Clark has been isolated. Only one nurse and one doctor are allowed to see him under our strict supervision."
"Isn't it kinda risky to allow Tess access to him?" Derek asked. "Doesn't she want to kill him?"
"Tess and I had a long talk on the way here," Catherine replied, "I could convince her to postpone her killing plan for the time being. First, we'll interrogate Clark. Maybe he's even eligible for the Witness Security Program. It depends on how cooperative he'll be and if he can provide important information. In any case, he'll be able to tell us where their hiding place is."
"What are the chances that Bridger hasn't noticed his disappearance yet?" John asked.
"Very low, tending toward zero. The accident happened at noon yesterday local time. That's why we have to hurry before Bridger or one of his Triple-Eights find him."
"We'll keep our fingers crossed. Keep us informed, will ya?"
"Of course, John. As soon as something happens or we learn something important, I'll inform you."
"Thank you."
"We'll stay in touch. Bye."
"Bye."
The team members looked at each other.
"Talking about having a bad day," Anne finally said. "I suppose Ludwig Ziegler wasn't the only one who ran out of luck yesterday."
-0-
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 – 07:52 p.m.
Fort Worth
The Triple Eight entered the basement in Benjamin Bridger's hideout.
"What is it, Number One?" Bridger asked while looking on an extremely complex three-dimensional object that rotated on a monitor.
"We were able to locate him," Number One answered robotically, not a hint of personality in his voice. "We hacked into the police computer. Jeffrey Clark had a car crash. He is now in the Dallas Memorial Hospital. The police identified him by his fingerprints. He'll survive but has been deemed unfit for transport."
"Dammit!" Ben Bridger exclaimed. "Obtaining the parts wasn't that necessary."
"Then why did you allow him to leave?"
"Jeff was getting cabin fever, he needed to get out. Still, I shouldn't have sent him on that errand."
Benjamin Bridger had noticed that Jeff went missing after he hadn't returned after four hours. But there was nothing he could do. The calculations were running, and he needed all six Triple-Eight chips for them. He himself couldn't leave either, because he had to monitor the process and the system. The last thing they needed now was another house fire because of overheated electronic devices. So he'd had no choice but to wait until the last calculations were finished. When that was done, he'd pulled four of the six Triple-Eight chips out of the sockets that were connected to the computer's main board, re-inserted them into their bodies and gave them the task to search for Jeff.
"I should have sent one of you with him. Calculations might have needed longer but five chips would have done as well."
"We're currently not programmed to interact sufficiently with humans," Number One pointed out, "accompanying him might have revealed what I am."
"True," Bridger admitted.
"If they make him talk, they'll come here."
"I know that!"
Benjamin Bridger thought about his options. But there weren't really many of them. They would make Jeff talk, that was for sure. It had been wise to keep him out of everything, so at least he couldn't tell them anything about the project. Still, this hiding place was no longer safe.
"Take Numbers Two, Three and Four with you and go to that hospital. I'll keep Number Five here to help me erase all traces and load everything into the van. The calculations are complete. We'll just get out of here a few days earlier than planned. I'll have to rebuild the system at another place to complete the design, but one chip will suffice to do that. I did what I came here for, that's the main thing."
"Do you want us to free Jeffrey Clark?"
"You said yourself he's unfit for transport."
"Then what do you want us to do at the hospital?"
"We have no choice... I want you to terminate him."
"Yes, Sir."
The Triple-Eight turned around and walked up the stairs and out of the basement. Bridger turned back to his computer.
"I wish it would have ended differently, Jeff," he said to himself, "but fate has scotched us."
He pulled one of the two remaining chips out of its socket and re-inserted it into the head of the Triple-Eight's body that was slumped over in a chair next to him. Fifteen seconds later, it had rebooted.
"Number Five," Bridger said.
"Yes, Sir?" The Triple-Eight asked and stood at attention.
"The calculations are finished. Now help me to leave this place. I need to get the hell out of here and acquire a place where I can work on the construction of the device. Will probably take a while to find a place that's big and remote enough."
"If I may ask, where are Numbers One, Two, Three and Four?"
"They're on an errand. Don't worry about them. When… or rather if they come back, they'll remain here. I don't need them anymore."
"Yes, Sir."
"And number Five?"
"Yes, Sir?"
"When we're done, you'll remain here as well. I won't be able to take you with me, I have to be fast and flexible, you'd only slow me down."
"I understand, Sir."
Ben knew that the opposition would expect him to try and free or kill Jeff, so they'd be waiting at the hospital. After all, they had enough time to prepare by now. Hence. the chances of the four Triple-Eights returning were slim. But that didn't matter, the calculations were complete, they'd fulfilled their purpose. This way, he'd kill two birds with one stone. From now on, he would work alone, and that was much easier and better. Ben Bridger kind of regretted to leave Jeff behind this way. But all things considered, this was an elegant solution to get rid of unnecessary ballast. No time to get sentimental.
-0-
Slowly, Jeffrey Clark opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, and his mouth felt dry.
"There, as you insisted," a male voice said, "I woke him up for you but only under protest."
"Your concerns are noted, doctor," replied a resolute female voice. "You may leave now."
"Ms. Hawkins, I…"
"What we have to discuss with Mr. Clark, concerns national security. You don't have the required security clearance. Please leave now."
"He's still my patient, no matter what you say!" the doctor protested.
"And he'll continue being your patient once we questioned him," another female voice said. "We assure you that we won't harm him in any way."
Jeff knew that voice. He'd heard it before.
"Wa…" he tried to utter.
All faces turned toward him.
"Wa… ter…"
"He's thirsty," said the doctor, "should I...?"
"Leave that to us," said the familiar female voice and Jeff recognized Zoe Kruger as his vision became clearer.
Next to her stood another woman whom he also knew from the news, Sonya Hawkins, head of the C.S.I.S. and future National Security Advisor. There were another man and another woman in the room. The man was tall and wore a dark suit, and the blond, very attractive and rather busty woman wore a red leather outfit. Jeff didn't recognize them. Zoe reached for a glass of water and carefully brought it to his mouth. He drank in greedy gulps.
"Do you think you're fit to answer a few questions, Mr. Clark?" Sonya Hawkins asked.
Jeff nodded.
"Good. I have to say, you and your friend Benjamin Bridger have kept us pretty busy. I hope you're proud of yourself for devoting so many resources to the search and costing the taxpayer so much money. On the other hand, that's what happens when you commit a capital crime. Or rather seven capital crimes in your case."
"I… I'm not… a murderer," Jeff croaked.
"And why do you think that, Mr. Clark?" Zoe asked. "Do lives only count for you when they're human lives?"
Jeff looked at Zoe and remembered what Ben had told him about her.
"You... you can't be trusted," he stated. "I know what you are."
Sonya and Zoe looked at each other.
"Is that so? Did your friend Bridger tell you that?"
Jeff nodded.
"You killed at least two cyborgs," the blonde woman in the red leather outfit said, and Jeff noticed she was very angry, forcing herself to remain calm. "You can't talk your way out of that."
"And who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Tess, that's all you need to know."
"And this here is Agent Norberto Cervantez," Sonya added, "We're all working for the C.S.I.S. Tess and Norberto have been dispatched here to escort you to a safe place once you're fit for transport."
Jeff scoffed.
"Safe place… right. Nice euphemism for jail."
"Let me state very clearly that you're in serious trouble, Mr. Clark," Sonya Hawkins continued, "surely you deserve a prison sentence. But whether you actually have to serve it is entirely up to you. If you want to have a chance of getting out of this mess, then you better start working together with us."
Jeff didn't reply to that and demonstratively looked away.
"We want to know where Benjamin Bridger is," Zoe said.
"And we also want to know what he did with the chips from the Triple-Eights," Tess added.
"I committed no crime," Jeff replied defensively. "There is no law that prohibits killing cyborgs. One can only murder humans."
"You filthy, little…" Tess exclaimed and made a step forward, but Norberto held her back.
"The little shit isn't worth it," he said to her.
"If you wanted to kill me," Jeff stated, "you would have already done so. I'm only alive because I can give you information. After I've given that to you, you'll kill me. So, why should I talk?"
Sonya bent forward over the bed and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Because if you refuse to cooperate, you'll end up in court, I'll see to that. You're forgetting that it wasn't revealed to the public that those men were cyborgs. Nobody knows that except you and us. Which means you're up to your neck in shit now, because no judge or jury will ever know that it wasn't humans you killed. They won't know that when they discuss if you're guilty of being a serial killer."
"But they weren't human! And that's what I'll say!"
"Oh, so you want to go down in history as a crazy fanatic who randomly murdered people because he thought they were cyborgs?" Sonya asked with a smirk. "We have statements from the neighbors, friends and colleagues of the seven cyborgs you and Bridger killed. None of them has any doubt that they were anything else but human, and they will state that in court, if necessary. I'm afraid your testimony would be contrary to that of dozens of others."
"Tell you what, Mr. Clark," Zoe said, "when in doubt, we'll present medical records that will clearly prove that the victims were human. We'll produce the necessary evidence. Evidence that will mark you forever as a serial killer."
"I killed nobody! I only removed two chips! TWO! They're only dead when their chips are destroyed, right? Simply removing the chip doesn't kill them. I wasn't there when Ben reprogrammed them!"
"One of the chips self-destructed upon removal," Zoe said, "which makes you responsible for at least one death."
"Ben didn't tell me that could happen!"
"And for the others you are at least guilty of accessory to serial murder in six cases. Still enough for you to end up in prison for life."
"Then it's true what Ben said…"
"And what did he say?" Sonya asked.
"That I'd be fucked if you catch me because you play dirty! That you would set me under pressure in order to betray him! But I'll remain steadfast, no matter what!"
"Apparently, you're fundamentally mistaken," said Norberto, "we are the good guys. Benjamin Bridger is an escaped criminal who survived only because you fished his chip out of the ocean. We don't know what lies he's been feeding you, but you surely know what happened in Fredericksburg a few months ago. You should have realized by now that you're on the wrong side, you can't be that stupid. Frankly, I'm surprised you're still alive, now that Bridger has a body again. My guess is that he needed you for something. What was it? Being his servant? Running errands for him? Were you his human pet?"
"Ben is my friend!"
Zoe looked at him intensely.
"While cyborgs can definitely be friends or more," she said, exchanging a short look with Sonya, "they can also become criminals. Ben Bridger was willing to sacrifice thousands of lives in Fredericksburg, he has attempted mass murder! Only with a lot of luck could we avoid that someone was harmed during the raid on God's Army of Light. He escaped, leaving everybody to die. Benjamin Bridger is dangerous. He's nobody's friend!"
Sonya noticed that Jeff seemed to have become insecure.
"Come on," she said in a friendly tone that was unusual for her, "has he threatened you? Is that why you're still with him? You can tell us, it's over now, one way or the other."
Jeff didn't reply to that.
"He won't come to free you, if that's what you're hoping for," Zoe added.
"How do you know that?"
"By now he'll have noticed for sure that you've disappeared. And he'll also know by now which hospital you were taken to. It would be a strategic error to come here. He'll know we'll be waiting for him. If I were him, I'd pack my things and leave before we got you talking."
Jeff hesitated for a moment.
"Come on," Sonya said, still in that surprisingly friendly tone, "you have it in your hands what happens to you. Talk to us, we can help you."
"He… he made it clear to me that he'd never let me go," Jeff said, "that even if I was captured, he'd make sure I'm freed – because we're friends."
"You're kinda naïve, Jeff, aren't you?" Zoe asked.
She sighed and sat down next to him on the bed. For a second, she let her eyes flash red. Jeff tried to shift his body but couldn't move. Suddenly, he looked very uncomfortable with having a cyborg sitting so close to him.
"As you probably already know, I'm one of them," she said jovially. "I've lived here for more than twenty years, I'm indistinguishable from humans, in some ways I've even become human. I live in partnership with a human. Bridger has also lived here for a long time. That's how he knew how to manipulate you. I suppose he probably ensnared you, flattered you, was kind to you, even helped you. But it's all a scam, Jeffrey, a tactic. He needed you, that's why he was so friendly to you. For all we know, Benjamin Bridger is a cool, calculating machine who will stop at nothing to reach his goals. We haven't got a shred of evidence that he was ever anything other than a manipulative son of a bitch."
"You don't know him!"
"And you do? Did he let you in on his plans? No? As I thought. He probably didn't tell you much, but you probably still know enough to be a potential threat to him. That's why he can't simply leave you here with us. He won't come in person, of course. As I said, that would be a strategic error. But we both know that he has five Triple-Eights at his disposal, don't we?"
Jeff gulped.
"What did he do to them, Jeff?" Zoe asked. "Did he fully reformat the chips? Or did he just reprogram them?"
Jeff nodded.
"He reprogrammed them."
"Then there's still a chance to save them," Tess said with a bit of relief. "He might have only suppressed their personalities, locked them inside their chips. They might still be alive."
"Which means we mustn't destroy them," Norberto pointed out.
"That is correct."
Jeff shook his head vigorously.
"He won't harm me," he said. "He promised to protect me."
"You're a liability for him now," Sonya replied. "You're injured, unfit for transport and you're in contact with the C.S.I.S. What do you think he'll do, hm?"
Jeffrey remained silent.
Downstairs in the hospital lobby, the nurse on duty at the reception desk looked up as four stern looking men entered the building and looked around. It was late at night, the corridors were empty, and the nurse was the only one present. The four men walked towards her.
"We're looking for Jeffrey Clark," one of them said robotically.
"Visiting hours are long over," the nurse replied nervously. "Come back tomorrow."
The man produced a gun and pointed it at her head. She shrieked.
"Jeffrey Clark," he said, "where is he?"
With trembling hands, she flipped through a large notebook.
"Room… 627," she finally said.
Without uttering another word, the four men walked towards the stairwell. When they were out of sight, she reached for her cellphone.
-0-
Friday, January 16th, 2009 – 08:05 a.m.
The Tyrrhenian Sea
Louise entered the main salon on deck 2 together with Olga. They looked outside onto the ocean as the Rising Star ploughed through the gentle waves of the Mediterranean Sea. They were going south alongside the Italian coast, so it had become considerably warmer overnight. Which meant that Louise had to smile when she looked at the breakfast table.
"Oh, how I missed this," she said and began taking off her clothes.
"Oh wow," Olga said and began stripping as well, "what an incredible sight."
All the women sat at the table in the nude, and the men wore boxer shorts or swimming trunks.
"It's nice to see that things are getting back to normal," Savannah stated with a smile as she saw the now naked Olga and Louise approach them. "It's been too cold for too long. Now we're starting to catch up."
"It feels liberating," Lauren agreed.
"Like we're ourselves again for the first time in weeks," Jody added.
Olga and Louise sat down and immediately one of the stewards offered them coffee out of a thermos bottle. The two newcomers looked at him with a frown as he poured the hot liquid into their cups.
"Uh… thanks," Louise said and then leaned over to Sarah to whisper in her ear, "um… don't they notice that we're, uh…?"
"Of course they notice," Sarah replied casually, "but they don't care. Alison has made sure they won't."
"It looks like that's not the only thing she's taken care of. Looks nice."
Sarah looked at Louise and followed her gaze down to her chest. She realized that the young woman was complimenting her breasts and smiled.
"Thank you."
Many at the table were looking at their smartphones or laptops.
"Did something happen?" Louise asked.
"Not yet," John replied, "and that's what we're worried about."
"The drones should have arrived by now," Savannah said. "Still, nothing in the news about explosions anywhere."
"Maybe they're hushing it up because it's embarrassing and they don't want to show any weakness," Lauren suggested.
"Emily has made sure that the battery cells on board each drone are overloaded as soon as the system is activated," Cameron explained. "Their charge density is so great that they explode with a yield of nearly half a ton of TNT if they become unstable. The explosion of a single drone may be concealed, but the others will also explode when the first one is activated. All drones within a ten-kilometer radius will detonate simultaneously."
"If one goes boom, all go boom," Savannah translated. "It's a chain reaction."
"And that couldn't be hushed up," Allie added.
"Maybe they were warned somehow and didn't activate them?" Olga speculated.
"That's what I'm checking right now," Emily replied, and Olga and Louise saw that she had connected herself to one of the laptops via a USB cable. "I can remotely enter the drones' operating system via satellite and locate them with the onboard GPS."
"Would have been neglect to leave it all to chance," John added. "Those drones mustn't fall into the wrong hands. We can live with the coltan hyperalloy being exposed, that won't change anything really, except adding a nice, fancy material to industrial production. But the electronics on board are definitely not for this age."
"I see," Louise said before shoving a buttered croissant into her mouth.
"I have access now," Emily declared.
"And?"
"Everything's fine. Two of the shipments have arrived at their destinations, but the containers haven't been opened yet. The others are still at sea. They're all accounted for."
"I just hope they don't try to activate them with civilians around," Charley remarked with a sigh.
"The five arrived containers have been stored inside military installations," Emily replied. "That minimizes the risk for collateral damage. My guess is that whoever bought them, won't want to advertise it."
"You should call Alexander Lintner and tell him that he can begin with raiding H.C. Starck," Derek said. "All the corpses are probably frozen after we loaded them into the container, but there will be a thaw there for the next few days. It's better they find the bodies before they start to smell."
"I'll wait until the first batch of drones exploded," John replied.
"And I'll try to remain connected to them as much as possible in the following days," Emily added.
"Does that mean you have to have that stupid cable plugged into your head all the time?" Louise asked.
"Most of the time, yes," Emily confirmed. "Why?"
"Oh, I dunno… I thought that maybe we could hang around… you know… girls talk and stuff. Lie in the sun, get a nice tan again, without tan lines. There's much I have to tell you."
Emily nodded.
"We can do that. I can hang around with you while being connected. I'm capable of multitasking."
Louise smiled broadly.
"Great!"
John's cellphone chimed.
"Text message from Catherine," he said, "'Code T4'. It's starting there. Bridger sent four of the reprogrammed Triple-Eights to kill Jeffrey Clark."
"He means business," Derek stated.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that Tess, Catherine, Zoe and Norberto are waiting for them."
"A T-1001, a T-X, an upgraded TOK-700 and a modified Triple-Eight," Alison summarized. "That should be enough to prevent them from entering Clark's room."
"And the best thing is," John said and put another helping of bacon, eggs and pancake onto his plate, "that we're not involved. They have the situation under control, and I'm sure they'll handle it on their own just fine."
-0-
Friday, January 16th, 2009 – 12:06 a.m.
Dallas
The nurse at the reception, who was actually Catherine, dialed a number on her phone.
"They're coming … The eastern stairwell … Yes, four Triple-Eights … No, not five … Yes … I see, that means we can't destroy them… Okay, we'll find a way, we gotta transport them to the Babylon Labs anyway … Yes, I'll follow them upstairs, we'll take them from two sides ... See you in a minute."
In that moment, a group of twelve men in combat attire entered the hospital. They wore bullet proof vests and helmets with cameras, their sub machine guns at the ready. A SWAT team.
"We're in," their leader reported via an invisible microphone, "the four perps are using the eastern stairwell." Then he looked at Catherine. "Ma'am, you better go somewhere else."
"Who the hell are you?"
"We're from the Dallas Police Department. Please go outside, it's not safe for you here."
Catherine pretended to walk towards the exit while the SWAT team members ran towards the stairwell. Once they were out of earshot, she picked up the phone again.
"Sonya, we have a problem. Twelve members of a SWAT team just entered the hospital … Yes, I know, but the idiot must have done it anyway … I understand … No, I think it's better I take care of their command center first. They're all wearing cameras and … exactly, we don't want any recordings. I'll get back to you."
Catherine went outside and scanned the parking lot. It wasn't very difficult to spot a number of parked vans and personnel carriers, since the whole parking lot was empty at this time of night. She quickly walked towards them, taking on the shape of a police officer.
The Dallas police chief sat in the command van and stared at the array of monitors that showed the pictures from the helmet cameras as the SWAT team slowly and carefully ascended the stairs. Three other police officers in civilian clothes were with him, communicating with the team and monitoring the operation. Suddenly, the chief's cell phone rang.
"What the hell?" he asked and took the call. "I'm in the middle of an operation, who...?"
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Sonya's voice came over the phone.
"Ms. Hawkins? Where did you get this number? It's not listed and…"
"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID IDIOT!"
"How dare…"
"GET YOUR PEOPLE OUT OF THERE NOW, YOU HEAR ME!?"
"I've had enough of being ordered about by you. I've given you support, how about a little gratitude?"
"I hope you also thought of bringing a dozen body bags, because that is what you'll need… before I kick your sorry ass down the career ladder!"
The call was ended.
"What an arrogant bitch!" the chief declared loudly. "Who the fuck does she think she is?"
A slurping noise made him turn towards the door. To his amazement, he saw how a puddle of shiny liquid metal flowed inside the van through the cracks of the door and rose up to take on the shape of a nurse.
"She's the one in charge," Catherine said, "and you obviously are not."
"What the fuck…!?" the chief began and jumped up from his chair while the other three officers pulled out their guns and pointed them at Catherine.
"I'm going to end this amateurish operation now," she announced and took a step towards the men.
In that moment, one of the officers lost his nerves and a shot went off. It hit Catherine in the chest. The other two fired as well but were shocked to see that the bullets were absorbed into her body, only causing slight ripples in the metal. Catherine stopped and sighed.
"All right, the hard way then," she said and extended her arms, knocking out the three armed officers with her metal fists.
The police chief whirled around and reached for a shotgun in the gun rack at the van's side wall, but the moment his hand reached for it, it got pierced by the spike Catherine had turned her index finger into. He cried out in pain and tried to pull it back but without success. His hand was practically nailed to the side of the van. In agony, he sank to his knees while staring at Catherine, his face an expression of horror. She draw back her finger and the man clutched his wounded hand, breathing heavily. She morphed into the police chief who stared at her open-mouthed and wide-eyed.
"Who… what… in God's name…?" he gasped.
"Under normal circumstances," his doppelganger replied, "I'd be your worst nightmare. But fortunately for you, I'm on your side. You should consider yourselves lucky. Just a couple of months ago, I would have simply killed you all."
The man stared open-mouthed at his spitting image, hearing it talking in his own voice.
Catherine grabbed his arms, the man cried out in pain. She reached for a pair of handcuffs from one of the unconscious officers and chained the chief to a strut in the wall of the van. Then she looked for duct tape, found it and gagged him. He didn't even try to resist anymore. Suddenly, gunfire could be heard over the speakers inside the van. The sound was recorded by the microphones the SWAT team was wearing, and it was apparent that they had encountered the Triple-Eights. Several voices shouted through each other at the same time and screams could be heard.
"I guess the show has begun," Catherine remarked. "If you believe in a God, you better start praying that they get out of there alive."
"I repeat," the team leader inside the hospital spoke into his mike, "we're under heavy gunfire. They pinned us down in the stairwell between the third and fourth floor, we can't go further up. they're using armor-piercing ammo, we have three wounded, one in critical condition. Awaiting instructions. Over!"
But there was no reply.
"Operations, can you hear me? We need reinforcements!"
No answer.
"Goddamit! We're being slaughtered in here! We shot at them and hit them but they're not going down!"
Suddenly, the radio came to life and the voice of the police chief came over their earpieces.
"Withdraw. The operation has been canceled."
"Come again, operations?"
"I said withdraw. You will die in there if you keep on confronting those perps. When they see you're retreating, they'll no longer consider you a threat and let you go. I'll inform the ER team in the west wing, they'll be expecting you."
"Roger that."
Back in the van, Catherine had put the conversation on speaker, so the chief could listen to it.
"Three wounded, one critically," she said and looked at him, "I hope you're proud of yourself."
She morphed back into the shape of a nurse and picked up her cellphone.
"Sonya? … All clear, I pulled back the SWAT team ... No, fortunately no fatalities. But it was a close call ... Right, see you in a moment."
Then she freed the chief. The man was a mess and trembling all over.
"I'm going back in there now. You better take care of your returning men. Perhaps you might consider what you'll say at the press conference tomorrow after the media has gotten wind of what happened here tonight. And you should go to the ER as well because of that wound in your hand. We wouldn't want you to get septicemia, would we?"
She smirked, but there was no reply. Apparently, the chief was completely under shock. He just stared back at her blankly, his mind obviously unable to comprehend what he just experienced. She turned her arms into blades, then destroyed all the electronic equipment in the car, erasing all recorded data of the incident with it.
"Have a nice day," Catherine said and left the van, just as the three officers regained consciousness with a groan.
On the way back to the main entrance of the hospital, she ran into the SWAT team, which was in retreat and came her way. Two of the men limped, supported by their comrades, a third was carried by two others. She explained them the way to the emergency room. The wounded and those supporting them went there, the rest of the team went back to their base. Then Catherine walked towards the east stairwell.
"Fools," she muttered as she started running up the stairs.
"Here they come," Norberto said as he peeked around the corner and down the adjacent corridor.
"It's better you remain inside the room with Sonya," Zoe stated. "Catherine said they're using armor-piercing ammo and I don't want to be the one who has to explain to Kate what happened to her soon-to-be husband."
"You sure you two can handle them alone?"
"Oh yes," Zoe said and let a small electrical discharge build up between her fingers, creating a small arc of light.
"Right, the upgrade from Future Alison."
"Envious?"
"Because you're now tougher and stronger than me? Nah, strength isn't everything."
"Would you two cut it out?" Tess interrupted them. "They're closing in on our position. We need to take them out before they reach this corridor."
"Right."
Norberto ran back towards the hospital room to join Sonya and Jeffrey Clark, who lay in his bed. Tess and Zoe went around the corner and down the corridor to intercept the Triple-Eights.
"What a stupid man," Sonya muttered to herself, visibly irritated, and paced up and down the room. "Now we'll have to explain three wounded police officers. Will be hard to cover this up."
"He's got no personal experience with cyborgs," Norberto pointed out, "you'll see this kind of reaction very often. If I may say so, you could have defused the situation much earlier by acting more diplomatically in his presence. People in his position do not appreciate at all being belittled in the presence of others."
"I know. But diplomacy isn't exactly my strength."
"Really, you think?"
"Sarcasm doesn't become you, Norberto."
"Kate says it does. She loves that funny side of me."
Sonya rolled her eyes.
"You should have better luck with diplomacy when Zoe leads the C.S.I.S., she's better than me in almost every area."
"She'll do a fine job. And you'll also do a fine job in your new position. We need someone to watch our backs from the very top, especially with such jerks as the Dallas police chief around."
"I'll kick his balls to the moon once this is over."
Jeff chuckled from his bed. Sonya and Norberto looked at him.
"What's up?" Jeff asked, "Did the Dallas police stab you in the back? Jeez, I wonder why the chief doesn't like you. Can't be your lovely personality, can it?"
"You better keep your mouth shut, or I'll rethink my offer, Mr. Clark."
"I'm still not sure if I should accept your offer, Ms. Hawkins. I'm still not convinced you're the good guys. After all, I still don't know if they come to free me… or to kill me."
"I'm tempted to let you find out. Should I tell Tess and Zoe to let those four Triple-Eights pass?"
Jeff didn't reply to that anymore.
"Thought so," Sonya remarked with a smirk.
Tess and Zoe walked down the hospital corridor side by side, directly towards the oncoming Triple Eights.
"That's only two of them," Tess observed.
"They must have split up after the gunfight with the SWAT team."
"The elevator."
"My thought as well."
"That means they're in our back and will reach Clark's room before us now."
"You go back there, I'll deal with these."
"Can you handle two Triple-Eights on your own?"
"I've got two arms, haven't I?"
Zoe kept walking towards the two Triple-Eights while Tess turned around and ran back towards Jeff's room.
"There's only two of them here," Zoe spoke into the com system. "The other two must have taken the elevator. Watch your back. Tess is on her way."
"Copy that," Norberto's voice replied over her earpieces. "Ms. Hawkins, you better take cover."
When the two Triple-Eights were only twenty feet away, they opened fire on Zoe. About a dozen armor-piercing bullets wounded her flesh but couldn't penetrate her new endoskeleton. She stretched out her arms, and two electrical discharges shot out of her hands and hit the two cyborgs in the chest. They immediately went into emergency shutdown and sank to the ground. Zoe knelt beside them, and while the wounds on her body quickly healed, she pulled out a knife and began to remove the chips.
The door towards Jeff's room burst open. The other two Triple-Eights entered the room and looked around. Immediately Norberto engaged them and began fighting with the two intruders. Sonya had taken cover in the small adjacent bathroom and watched in fascination through the door how the three Terminators grabbed and smashed each other against the walls, the plaster flaking off immediately. If the hospital hadn't had brick walls, the fight would have quickly spread to the neighboring rooms. The floor shook under the brute force of the wrestling cyborgs.
Thanks to Alistair's modifications, Norberto had slightly more power than the unmodified attackers - but he was alone against two. He managed to temporarily stun one of them, but the other pointed his gun at Jeff. Norberto stepped into the line of fire before the Triple-Eight was able to pull the trigger. Sparks flew when the armor-piercing bullet hit him in the chest. Alarms and warnings of system failures flashed up in his HUD, and his legs gave way, letting him sink to the ground.
The enemy Terminator again pointed his gun at the helpless Jeff, who stared at the weapon with fear and wide-open eyes. However, before the attacker could pull the trigger, he was pierced from behind by a metal lance which protruded from his torso. He looked down at himself, then went limp and his head sank onto his chest. Catherine – still in her nurse shape - pulled the lance out of him again and the cyborg sank deactivated to the ground.
"WHOA!" Jeff exclaimed. "WHAT. THE. FUCK?"
"I guess I arrived just in time," she said.
The other Triple-Eight rose again and also pointed his weapon at Jeff before Catherine could react. But a blue plasma charge hit him in the chest. Lightning flashed all over his body, he jerked, then stiffened and sank to the ground. Tess, who'd appeared in the door frame, turned her plasma cannon back into an arm.
"That was close," Tess remarked. "They nearly tricked us."
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Jeff exclaimed. "What kind of freaks are you two?"
"You're welcome," Tess replied with a cold face and looked at Catherine. "I can't believe I just saved this jerk's life."
Sonya re-appeared from the bathroom and knelt next to Norberto.
"What's your status?" she asked empathetically.
"My motor skills are affected," he replied just as calmly. "I cannot move my legs."
"The energy cell?"
"No damage to it. But I'll need replacement parts if I want to walk again."
"We'll provide them for you in the Babylon Labs," said Catherine and turned the blade she'd pierced the Triple-Eight with back into her arm. "We're prepared for such situations."
"Someone needs to inform Kate that I'm a bit… delayed."
"Don't worry, I'll do that," Sonya replied and padded his shoulder.
Tess watched the scene in bafflement. This kind of sympathetic attitude was something she never knew of Sonya Hawkins - or rather Wanda Gershwitz in her time. Zoe now also entered the room, dragging the bodies of the other two Triple-Eights behind her. The moment she saw Norberto on the floor, she knelt next to him.
"I'm okay," he assured with a smile, "it's just a flesh wound."
"Very funny. You're lucky to still be functioning."
"I guess Kate and I won't attend the football game tomorrow. Damn, those tickets were expensive."
"What about you?" Sonya asked, looking at the many bullet holes in Zoe's clothes.
"I'm okay," she replied, "don't worry, I'm fully healed again."
Sonya took a look around. The door was thrown out of hits hinges, the window pane cracked, the walls heavily damaged. The neon lamps were dangling from the ceiling, and a dusty fog filled the room. Miraculously, though, the medical equipment had remained intact.
"What about their chips?" she asked.
Zoe opened her hand, revealing two chips.
"Let's remove them from these two as well," Tess said and knelt next to the Triple-Eight she'd shot with her plasma cannon.
Catherine did the same with the one she'd impaled.
"Are they still intact?" Sonya inquired.
"The chips hopefully are," Tess replied. "The bodies can be repaired or replaced as long as the power cells are undamaged. I just created an overload that put the system into emergency shutdown."
"I did the same with mine," Catherine stated, "I aimed for the control unit. The damage should be fixable."
Sonya looked over to the bed where Jeffrey lay, his face pale and is whole body trembling, the heartbeat monitor beeping like crazy.
"So… do you still think they came here to free you, Mr. Clark?" she asked.
He looked back at her and gulped but said nothing.
Fifteen minutes later, the C.S.I.S. command unit had arrived, picked up the bodies of the neutralized Triple Eights and stored them in a truck that was parked outside the main entrance. Norberto and Catherine would accompany them to Los Angeles, where the bodies would be brought to the Zeira Corp facilities in order to determine if the personality of the four cyborgs could be reconstructed or if they were lost forever.
From the window up in Jeff's hospital room, Sonya saw that the SWAT team and their commando van had disappeared from the parking lot. Apparently, the Dallas police chief had finally understood that they had no business around here. He probably tried to limit the damage to himself and his career, but Sonya was determined not to let him get away with it so easily. First, however, things had to calm down again. Eventually, normal hospital operations would resume in this wing in the morning.
Should the police chief try to cross them, Sonya would play her trump card and threaten him with another visit from Catherine, because her appearance had obviously left its marks on him. He now knew that he was no longer safe, no matter where he was or what he was doing. If the C.S.I.S. wanted to destroy him, they could do so, he knew that now. Hopefully, this knowledge would make him compliant enough to let him keep his mouth shut.
There was, however, a high probability that bits and pieces of what had happened here this night would eventually reach the public. But with a bit of luck, enough time would have passed to stop the whole thing from making national headlines. There would be questions, of course, but they'd also prepared a cover story for the media. The hospital staff had been sworn to silence, as had the nurse and doctor who continued to care for Jeffrey Clark until he could be removed from there.
"I… I guess I should probably thank you for saving my life," he remarked meekly after everyone but Sonya, Tess and Zoe had left.
"You can stick your gratitude up your ass," Tess replied, "Without you and your friend Ben Bridger we wouldn't all be in this situation today. If it had been up to me, they would have executed you already. I had to take out two friends of mine tonight."
"Those… those killer cyborgs were your friends? Which ones?"
"One of the two Zoe took out and the one I had to shoot with my plasma cannon."
"So… Number One and Number Four?"
"They have names, you ignorant squirt! Lionel Rose and Josh Lewis. We fought together in the war against Skynet. I hope for your sake their personalities can be recovered."
"I… I didn't know any of this," Jeff croaked. "Couldn't have known. Ben said…"
"I don't care what Ben said," Zoe replied, "those were sentient beings before you kidnapped them. I also hope for your own sake that Bridger hasn't completely formatted their memory banks."
"Talking about Benjamin Bridger," Sonya said and looked sternly at Jeff, "I think now's the time to tell us the address of your hiding place, don't you think?"
He looked back at her shortly, then nodded.
-0-
Saturday, January 17th, 2009 – 05:06 a.m.
Fort Worth
"We've sealed off the neighborhood, as you asked," came the voice of the team leader of the commando unit over Zoe's and Tess's earpieces, "nothing gets in or out unless we allow it to."
"Copy that," Zoe replied. "Keep your distance. Tess and I are going in. Wait for our signal before you follow us."
"Roger that."
At this time of day it was still dark and peaceful in this southern suburb of Fort Worth. It was the perfect urban idyll, a drawing-board district whose meandering streets had been created as if by chance. In fact, though, it was one of those typical middle-class neighborhoods where every house, every driveway, every front yard and every garden looked like another. Zoe wondered what people liked about this way of life. It probably had to do with the human desire to belong to a community. Everyone had this longing and was obviously willing to submit to a certain conformity in return - like the obligatory Sunday barbecue with the neighbors. A happy, harmonious community in which it was better not to distinguish oneself by any extravagances.
It was amazing that Ben Bridger and Jeffrey Clark could hide here for so long without a revolt from the neighbors. Two men alone in a house, no wives, no children? Shocking! But perhaps appearances were deceptive, and everyone here lived only in their own little realm, without any contact to their neighbors? Part of a community and yet alone, without having to care for others. This way of life spread more and more. Zoe wondered how many of the residents here didn't even know their neighbors by name.
The two Terminators entered the house, whose door was unlocked. They scanned the inside but there were no life signs. First and second floor were empty, there were almost no furniture. Only one bedroom looked as if it had been used. Must have been Jeffrey Clark's. Then they went down into the cellar. It was full of empty computer racks and shelves.
"Whatever was here, isn't here anymore," Zoe remarked. "he probably fled while his four Triple-Eights entered the hospital."
"Based on the shelves and racks, you can tell that a very powerful computer system was located here. However, I don't think we'll find anything that will allow any conclusions."
"I agree. This has been cleaned out thoroughly."
"He must have loaded everything into a vehicle, probably a van," Tess agreed and routinely checked out a metal cabinet.
When she opened its doors, the Triple-Eight with the designation Number Five came to life and jumped at her with red-glowing eyes, grabbed her head and turned it around by 180 degrees before she could react. This would have put a normal Terminator out of action immediately. But Tess was a T-X and simply turned her head around its own axis in a 360-degree movement and went on to counter-attack. She grabbed the triple-eight and threw it against the wall. Zoe took over from there, incapacitating him with an electrical discharge. The cyborg shut down and collapsed to the floor. Routinely, Zoe removed the chip.
"That makes five," she said untouched. "Bridger probably left him here because he would have been a millstone around his neck on his escape. "Possibly also hoped to do some damage to our team when it entered the house."
"Vengefulness," Tess mused, "untypical for a Triple-Eight."
"Don't forget he was manipulated by Guy Rossi. Benjamin Bridger probably isn't a normal cyborg anymore. It also shows in the way he played with Jeffrey Clark, keeping him like a pet."
"Clark is very lucky to be still alive indeed."
"I'll call in the team. They can do the rest, our job is done here."
From the top of a water tower about two hundred yards away, Benjamin Bridger watched as the team in black, armored clothing entered the building, guns at the ready and helmets on their heads. Then the two female cyborgs left the house again, Zoe Kruger and another one he hadn't seen before. He couldn't determine her model type from the distance. One more entry on the list of his opponents.
When Ben saw them carrying the body of Number Five out of the house, he decided he'd seen enough and climbed down, entered the parked UPS delivery van and drove away, the cargo bay full of his computer equipment.
Time to set everything up again at a new location.
"So, what do you think of Sonya?" Zoe asked as she and Tess were driving back to the hospital. "Now that you worked together with her, I mean."
Tess thought for a moment.
"I have to admit," she finally replied, "she's different from Wanda Gershwitz. I don't know how to put it… she has a soft side. A side Gershwitz didn't have. And she really doesn't seem to mind to work together with cyborgs. She seemed to be genuinely worried when Norberto went down."
"She was. Sonya cares about cyborgs. After all, she and I were a couple until not long ago."
Tess looked at her.
"Were? What happened?"
"Let's say our careers won't allow us to pursue our relationship any longer. She's the type of person who always puts her career before private matters."
"I see. Well, that describes Wanda Gershwitz again."
"I think there must be at least some similarities, right?"
"Suppose so."
"We'll always be best friends, though, I'm sure of that."
Tess nodded.
"I have to admit, my skepticism about her was unjustified. She's a fine leader. Maybe she'll eventually become president. But a better one and under better circumstances."
"Maybe. You never know."
"What do you think Bridger did with all those cyborg chips?"
"It's hard to say. Maybe Clark knows something. He must at least have been able to glance at some things. There has to be a reason why Bridger wanted him dead."
"Can't wait to interrogate the moron. Let's make him suffer a little, what do you say?"
"Tess… he fell for Bridger because Bridger is a master manipulator."
"Clark's anything but innocent. His innocence ended the moment he brought down his first Triple-Eight."
"Agreed. But there's still hope. Maybe those five chips are still intact. Their bodies can be repaired for sure. And John Henry has a device that already brought Emily back. Maybe he can also use it to save their personalities. Maybe they can even tell us something about what Bridger needed them for."
"You never know... I just hope that Clark recovers quickly, I'm not looking forward to being his bodyguard while he's in hospital. I've got better places to be."
"Yes, me too. Hopefully, it will only take a couple of days, then we can shove him into our business jet and transport him to Los Angeles."
"Why Zeira Corp? Why not some federal installation?"
"We don't want him to be in the hands of the feds. Catherine has some, uh... accommodations for prisoners down there in the sub levels of her company. Apparently, she's held people there before. It's actually quite spacious and comfortable, except for the fact that there's no daylight and no way out. It's like in one of those Cold War bunkers, actually."
"Better than he deserves."
"Maybe. But there is this concept of giving people a second chance, an opportunity to redeem themselves. And I have a feeling that Jeffrey Clark might be the type of human who's actually looking for redemption."
-0-
Somewhere, in a remote location in the wilderness of Canada
The man walked quickly along a corridor with a tiled floor and rough concrete walls. Security cameras were pointed at him and followed his movement. At the end of the corridor, he stopped in front of a wooden door, decorated with the stylized four eyes of a jumping spider and the number 51 written below it. He pulled a key card through a card reader, then leaned forward, put his hand on a glass pane and looked into a retina scanner. There was a loud click and the door unlocked. The man pushed it open and entered an octagonal room.
All around the room were upholstered benches, arranged in several levels like an amphitheater. The walls were covered with heavy wall curtains. On the benches sat forty-nine people, dressed in silver robes with hoods. The symbol of the four eyes of the jumping spider was omnipresent. It was on the wall curtains, on the benches, and on the silver robes. The man, who wore such a robe himself, went to one of two empty seats and sat down. Another man, looking Indian, stood up and began to speak.
"Now that we're complete," he said, "we can begin. This extraordinary meeting was convened because a new threat has emerged that endangers our investments, our profits, and our influence in the economic world. A threat we must therefore recognize and address. Brother Jonas, please report."
He sat down and the newly arrived man, Brother Jonas, rose instead.
"I apologize for my late arrival, Brother Mahesh, but I didn't want to come empty-handed and had to wait for important information to reach me. As you might have noticed, 2008 hasn't been a good year for the 51 Society. We have suffered significant losses from our investments into Simdyne and Kaliba. Very recently, Cox Oil also got into serious trouble, causing the stock market prices to plummet. And now we also have to cope with the loss of one of our members, Ludwig Ziegler."
All members of the 51 Society looked at the now only empty seat in the room and lowered their heads.
"His succession at the top of Ziegler Industries is still unclear," Brother Jonas continued, "resulting in a dramatic fall in the company's stock market value as well. Our financials could therefore be better, and we should quickly find a replacement for him. As long as there are only fifty of us, we cannot vote without the risk of a draw. We need an uneven number of members. Until we're complete again, we can therefore only make decisions with a three-quarters majority according to our statutes."
Another man rose.
"We've already approached Catherine Weaver half a year ago, when another seat was vacant," he said. "But unfortunately, we found no interest on her part. Next on our list is Kenneth Fletcher, we can approach him after this meeting. Since our statutes stipulate that only self-made billionaires can join the 51 Society, we are otherwise slowly running out of suitable candidates."
"Very well, Brother Roman," Brother Mahesh said, "do it."
Brother Roman nodded and sat down again, then Brother Jonas continued.
"Since you mentioned Catherine Weaver, we might have found out why she wasn't interested in joining us. We have reason to believe that she might have been the driving force behind all the trouble we had in the past half year."
He made a pause for effect while some of the listeners moved tensely on their seats or cleared their throats. Then he continued.
"It appears that she was at least partially involved in the destruction of Simdyne and the sanctions and international ban of Kaliba. Also, her good contacts to Washington were partly responsible for the exposure of the Shadow Council, and Cox Oil got into trouble after visiting her brother in Scotland, whose whisky distillery was threatened by a project of Cox Oil. And last but not least, she and her husband Isaak Sirko were in Switzerland when Ziegler's house burned down just before his body was found by skiers at the foot of the Gornergrat."
"But what you say, cannot be a deliberate attack on our society," a woman spoke up. "Those events hit us without anyone being aware of our existence. After all, the 51 Society isn't interested in politics or powerplays. Our goal is to create a worldwide connection of people who work together in maximizing their profits and gaining more influence in the global economy while the leadership capabilities of politicians begin to diminish. We didn't know about the wheelings and dealings of Simdyne, Kaliba or the Shadow Council."
"But now we know the problem and have to address it, Sister Alice," Brother Jonas replied. "When our financial assets are in danger, so is our existence as a secret society. If we want to maintain our influence, we have to react to the threat Catherine Weaver represents."
"What are you planning to do?" Sister Alice asked. "If you're right and she's partly responsible for the downfall of Simdyne, Kaliba and the Shadow Council, it means she's in league with those cyborgs from Los Angeles, the C.S.I.S. and the government. These are opponents we better not mess with. We have no one to protect us from them, should we be discovered."
"You're correct. I therefore suggest that we have our agents observe Weaver to find out more about her activities and her weak points. I'm sure that eventually, we'll need that knowledge to protect our investments. Our motto is 'Power by Knowledge', after all."
Brother Jonas sat down, and Brother Mahesh rose again.
"Thank you, Brother Jonas. I hereby put your motion to a vote. All those in favor of finding out more about Catherine Weaver and then possibly taking appropriate action based on the results, raise your hands please."
The vote was unanimous.
"Good. Brother Jonas, see to it that it's taken care of."
-0-
Sunday, January 18th, 2009 – 11:32 a.m.
Sicily
They anchored in a small lonely bay on the south coast of Sicily not far from Taormina, where the beach could not be reached from land because the rocky coast blocked the access. The temperature was 25 degrees Celsius, and naturally all the women were completely naked as they swam to shore.
"Isn't it a bit risky to not bring any clothes?" Charley asked when they got out of the water and entered the hidden beach. "I mean, not even towels?"
"Where's your sense of adventure, baby?" Sarah asked and kissed him. "I'm sure that Alison will warn us if somebody should come here to gawk at us. And who needs towels when the sun is shining and dries our skin?"
"Sometimes I think you want people to see you…"
"We might be naturalists," Lauren said who'd overheard the conversation, "but we're not exhibitionists."
"Where's the difference?" Jason asked.
"We won't have sex while others watch," Jody replied, and she could see that Jason went a little red.
"Well, not yet at least," Savannah remarked with a wink. "We did that already. Ask John and ACE."
"What you do at home in your loft, is your business," Sarah said strictly, "but as long as we're together, follow the rules. And rule number one is: No sex when others are watching. And that also includes oral and girl-girl sex."
"Well… don't watch then," Allie replied with a smirk.
Sarah just rolled her eyes.
"I came here to tan, not to argue," she said. "Charley, would you be so kind to put some sun lotion on my back?"
"Only the back?"
Sarah smiled at him.
"We start with the back, okay?"
Charley removed the sand from his wife's back and began applying the lotion.
"By the way," Cameron asked, "are we keeping this ACE nickname now?"
Everyone looked at the three cyborg girls.
"Sure, why not?" John replied. "It works pretty well, I think. Don't you agree?"
"I say we give it a chance," Cameron replied and the two others agreed.
John smiled and kissed his wives.
Olga followed the whole scene at the beach with awe.
"First time?" Louise asked who stood by her side. "Nude on a beach with others, I mean."
"Uh… yeah… yeah… Everyone is behaving so... normal."
"It is normal for us. Has been like that at Cliffside house in Malibu for months."
"Don't get me wrong. I've seen people getting naked before, but not like this, not as if there was nothing to it. They haven't worn clothes since Rome. It seems so... natural. Like it's the most obvious thing to so."
"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?"
"And all this is just the result of something Alison did to all of you?"
"Not to me. I'm a naturalist, like you, if I'm not mistaken. Believe it or not but you'll get used to it quite fast. After a couple of days, you won't even notice anymore that everyone's naked."
"The men aren't naked, though," Olga pointed out.
"We have an unwritten rule for each gender: Either everyone gets naked or everyone remains dressed. We women have unanimously decided to always be nude, the men haven't. I know that John, Morris, Jason and Kevin have no inhibitions and wouldn't mind being naked as well. But Derek, Charley and Danny feel better with some boxer shorts on. So the men all wear them to not embarrass the three."
"But Derek, Charley and Danny surely have no problem with watching the women, haven't they?"
"No, but seriously, who wouldn't take a look? It's human nature, after all. We're genetically programmed to check each other out. Nobody cares about staring or being stared at – as long as you respect each other's privacy."
"Yeah, I get that but where's the borderline? When is behavior tolerable and when does it become a harassment?"
"Hugs are okay, of course, as well as amicable touches. But you cannot walk up to somebody and put your hands on their tits or slap their butts… not without asking first, that is."
"So… you came up with your own rules of behavior or what?"
"After a fashion. It's more like common sense to be honest. Oh look, John and ACE would love to have some sex now…"
"You can tell? How?"
"The way they talk and look at each other. Same goes for Savannah and Allie. I'm sure they'd love to sixty-nine right now. But they won't do it here, in front of everyone, because it would be against the rules."
"Wow… this is surreal."
"Yes…" Louise looked Olga up and down, "say, why don't you have a boyfriend? Are you lesbian?"
"What!? No! I mean… I guess I'm kinda bi but…"
Louise nodded.
"Same as me then. How come you're still single?"
"I never really thought about it, to be honest. Being a model is a full-time job, you hardly have any free time. You travel the world a lot, rarely stay in one place for longer. You mostly are, uh… busy with yourself, if you know what I mean."
Louise nodded.
"I know exactly what you mean. You should check out Savannah's and Allie's toy collection one of these days. It's amazing."
"I'll try to remember that."
Once again, Louise looked Olga up and down.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You look exactly like Alison, and Alison is the most beautiful woman I know."
Olga blushed a little.
"My hips are a bit too narrow. And my hands and feet are too big."
"Rubbish. They're fine. Besides, absolute perfection is boring. It's the small flaws that make us attractive."
"If you say so… You're very pretty as well, by the way. Ever thought of becoming a model?"
"Yes… before I was kidnapped, tortured, raped... and almost killed. Now… I'm not comfortable anymore among strangers. I need my friends and family around me."
"I heard of your story. It must have been horrible. I can't even imagine…"
"Yes… it was like living in a nightmare. Frankly I'm surprised I got over it relatively easy. Only tried to kill myself once."
"What?"
"Never mind. It's Emily I have to thank. She saved me in more than just one way. She gave me the peace and love I needed."
"You two… had an affair?"
"Well… it's not officially over yet. Just on hold."
"But John…"
"He tolerates it. And she made it clear that he will always be her number one. I accepted that."
"Wow, it's all so... uncomplicated with you. No shame, no false inhibitions. You say what you feel and act on it, just like that. It's like a biotope."
"It could be worse, yes… I really missed being with the gang."
"And your boyfriend… what was his name... Avery?"
"He's probably sulking at home in Florida. It's his own fault, really. All he had to do, was taking my side and support me. But he chose not to. Now he has some time to think about it."
"Will you go back to hm?"
"Sure, eventually. And if only to talk things over. I'm gonna let him stew in his own juice a little bit."
"Hey, look… John and ACE are going behind that big rock over there. Do you think they're gonna…?"
"Almost certainly. As I said… if you do it, make sure you have privacy. Say… how about you? Would you like to go behind a rock as well?"
"What? Are you suggesting that we two should…?"
"Uh-huh. The sooner you get used to this lifestyle, the better."
"I might never wanna leave again…"
"That's a risk you have to take."
"All right, let's go."
Louise took Olga's hand and pulled her with her, vanishing behind a boulder close to the water.
"Have you seen that?" Anne asked, lying in the sand. "Louise and Olga have vanished behind that rock."
Sarah lifted her head and looked where Anne was pointing at.
"So what? Maybe they need some relief."
"Yeah, but… aren't Louise and Emily…?"
"It's just sex, Anne… doesn't have to mean anything. They're doing it for fun. Seriously, sometimes you're still sounding like an old grandma."
"Thanks," Anne replied sarcastically, "whenever I've gotten used to being in the body of a teenage girl, someone has to remind me that I'm actually more than eighty years old."
"Sorry…"
"Never mind. Danny, what do you say? Shall we also take a rock to hide behind as long as not all of them are taken?"
"Uh… what?" the young man asked. "Do you mean you want… here?"
"Yes… before all the good places are taken. Are you up for it?"
Danny jumped up with a big grin.
"Thought so," Anne replied and winked towards Sarah before getting up as well.
"You know," Charley said, "we should swim with the stream. When in Sicily, do as the Sicilians do."
She kissed him.
"I like your thinking. Come, let's look for a spot."
Both got up and walked away.
Behind the large rock that shielded them from view, John put his cellphone away.
"Of all the moments she could have picked…" he said with a sigh and took off his shorts.
"I told you to leave the phone on the ship," Cameron said and kissed him passionately.
"We don't want to be interrupted after all," Emily added and cuddled up to him.
"Yes, but Catherine felt it was important to inform us about the Dallas incident. Besides, now we know that the phone is really waterproof."
"According to the Dallas Morning News," Alison said while she went down on him, "it was just a mentally disturbed intruder the police could overwhelm and arrest while he was still in the hospital. No nationwide headlines."
"Sonya's really good with covering things up. Mmmh, that feels nice, Alison. The bigger story was that the Dallas police chief resigned from office for health reasons - as he says."
"Catherine can have that effect on humans," Emily noted.
"Indeed, she can."
"Maybe we can help them with finding out about what Ben Bridger has planned?" Cameron asked.
"Nah, they'll be okay. Remember, we're on a holiday."
"Is that so?" Emily asked.
"Uh-huh…"
Cameron pushed John to the ground.
"Then I command you to lay on your back and stay still," she said.
John chuckled.
"Oho, are you giving the commands now?"
"Try to resist us," Alison replied with a grin.
"How could I resist three such beautiful women?"
"You can't," Emily said. "And remember, as our husband you are, so to speak, obliged to fulfill your marital duties."
"A hard lot indeed… One needs superhuman stamina to satisfy the three of you."
"Which you have," Alison reminded him.
"And which I intend to use. By the way, when was the last time I told you I loved you?"
"Two hours, thirty-five minutes and three seconds ago," Emily replied.
"Three hours, forty-nine minutes and eleven seconds ago," Cameron said.
"Three hours, five minutes and fifty-six seconds ago," Alison added.
"It's a good thing you keep a record," John said with a big smile. "I love you."
"I love you too," the three answered simultaneously and kissed him one by one.
Then no more words were spoken.
"It has become quiet," Derek remarked. "Everyone's gone in search for privacy."
"Not difficult to tell what they're doing," Jesse replied, "every now and then the wind carries moans, groans and cries of pleasure from behind all those rocks all around."
"Really? I can only hear the breaking waves. Makes me sleepy, to be honest."
"One could think they wouldn't get enough on the ship already. This is really an X-rated version of the Love Boat. Everyone's been doing it like rabbits ever since we left Los Angeles."
"It's the change of the scenery. It increases the sexual appetite. Also, sex in the open on a lonely beach is always something special."
"I suppose so."
"Then why don't we, too?"
"Are you serious?"
"Would I ask if I wasn't? Come on, before you nod off."
"But there are no more hiding places."
"Well, since everyone's gone, this is now a very private spot, isn't it?"
Derek grinned and kissed his wife, then took off his swimming trunks.
"Finally, this honeymoon has become what it's supposed to be," he said.
"A never ending sex orgy?"
Derek shrugged.
"There are worse things."
"Indeed. Come on, babe, what are you waiting for?"
-0-0-0-
Author's notes:
- I think it was time that the team got to relax a little. Let the others do the work for a change, and I think Catherine, Zoe and Tess did a good job.
- Another mysterious enemy (groan)? Sure, why not? ;-) Actions have consequences and there will always be those who find a pattern in seemingly unconnected events :-)
- The beach scene was as explicit as this story is going to get. Sorry if some readers are disappointed by this not being an M-rated story ;-)
