As for agent Rachel Leeds, the day did not go quite so well. She had, in fact, told Berto the truth. Her only intention was to go to a local coffee house that she had grown rather fond of. Rachel got to the little shop, located about 4 miles north of N'Tek, and ordered an espresso. She sat down and sipped at her drink. After sitting in the coffee shop for nearly 30 minutes, she began to walk toward her car, which was parked across the street.
As she tried to unlock the driver's side door, a black van pulled up behind the vehicle. She knew that it was not a good thing to have that happen when she was by herself, but tried not to show fear. Two men got out of the back of the can and grabbed her from either side. She struggled, but was quickly subdued by a shot in her right arm. Following the men, a young woman exited the passengers' side of the van and took Rachel's keys out of her hand. She took Rachel's car, and followed the van back to Dread's base camp.
Upon arrival, Rachel was greeted by none other than John Dread. The two men that had abducted her walked away quickly, while the woman, who arrived only seconds after, decided to stay. She stood next to Dread and watched Rachel stagger, trying to stand while recovering from the medication that had been injected into her body only minutes before. "Ah, so nice of you to join us Mrs. Leeds. Please, come in. I have a nice brunch waiting for us, I think we have a few things to discuss." "No, I don't think we have anything do talk about. I won't tell you anything. You should know me better by now, or is old age catching up with you?"
Oh great, that new girl is beginning to rub off on me. Rachel thought, hoping that Dread would think that the medication was still talking. He held her arm tight and walked with her into the massive building, hidden deep in the large compound. She was led down countless flights of stairs, until finally, they entered a fairly large room with a table against the far wall, and many chairs in the middle. She was pushed into one of the chairs, and Dread took the seat across from her.
After a few moments of chilling silence, Dread stood up and moved toward the table. He began to make up a plate with food that was scattered across the table. He offered to make a plate for Rachel, but she said no, trying to resist his almost charming suave attitude. He began to ask her very basic questions, knowing that he would get little or no answer.
The woman that had taken her car entered the room during the conversation, and watched quietly for a few moments. She left the room after listening to Rachel insult Dread. The woman re-entered the room nearly 20 minutes. She had made many changes to her appearance, and looked identical to Rachel Leeds.
She turned toward John Dread and began to speak with an accent just like Rachel's. He told the woman that she was nearly ready, and she left again. She stood outside of the large room and listened to Rachel a bit more, just to be safe, she learned her attitude and some of her quirks, hoping that she could fulfill her duties.
"Rachel, you are going to be here for quite some time, so you may want to make yourself comfortable. Once my plan is set into action, I won't be able to release you. I am terribly sorry to tell you, but this is your new home. I am also sorry to take you away from your boyfriend, Max Steel." She knew that he was trying to get under her skin, that he was hoping to break her by making her upset.
"I will not make myself comfortable, I will not call this my home, and Max Steel is not my boyfriend, but thank you for the concern." Dread scowled, thinking that his plan to break her would have surely worked. The two spoke many harsh words during the next few hours. After realizing that she would not break her silence so soon, Dread had Rachel sent to a tightly sealed room.
She sat quietly, not knowing whether or not the room was being watched or tapped. Rachel felt like crying because she was, to say the least, out of her element. She spoke softly, as if someone was in the room, and could here her.
"Max, I wish you could hear me, I really want to get out of here. I have no idea what John Dread wants with me, or why he is trying to clone me with that other woman, but I get the feeling that N'Tek is in serious danger. I just wish that I had some way to tell you where I am, but I can't think of any way to get a message to you." She continued to talk to herself for hours, it seemed to make the time pass for her, and calmed her nerves a bit too.
Rachel had no idea at the time, but she was still being watched, and studied heavily. John Dread watched her every move, trying to guess how she might act when at work. He noticed that, even though she knew that she might not be alone, she was not looking around the room much. He took that to mean that she was not a curious or intrusive person. He also noticed that she mentioned Max many times while talking to herself. He felt that she was involved with him and just not letting on, trying to keep him out of danger.
It was not until after 10 o'clock that night that Dread felt that his female associate was ready to take on her mission. He sent her out not long after. She left in Rachel's car, and drove toward N'Tek. "I've always wanted to be an actress, now for my best and most challenging performance yet!" She laughed as she turned toward the main gate that blocked N'Tek from the rest of the world. The woman entered the complex and went straight into Jefferson Smith's office. "Mr. Smith." She began with a familiar accent.
"I am terribly sorry for my unexplained absence today. While I was out, I received a telephone call. I had a family emergency, and I got so caught up in worry that I completely forgot to call anyone here. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry that I wasn't here, and that I am back now. So, did I miss anything?" Jeff was very surprised by her attitude, it was very unusual.
"Not really Rachel, you missed Max giving Laura a tour, and her learning how to drive Shadow, nothing past that. Are you all right? You seem…I don't know…different somehow." Boy was he ever right; she looked like Rachel, and had the accent down to a science, but didn't realize that her anti-social attitude wasn't just a show for Dread. "Oh, I guess I'm just a bit shook up still. That and I feel terrible for leaving without notice. I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow. Well, if there is nothing else that you care to discuss at the moment, I think I'd better go check on everyone." Jeff let her leave, and she tried to remember the floor plan that Dread had forced her to memorize.
She found the control room, and found Berto working with Crystal. Max, Pete and Laura were standing in the room, but not really doing anything. "Hi everyone, sorry that I wasn't here earlier, but I had some personal business to attend to. Ah, Max. I'm surprised that I didn't hear from you today." Max looked at her with a confused expression. "Uh, why? I like never call you. Why did you expect me to call you today?"
The woman posing as Rachel Leeds began to realize that she wasn't involved with Max, and had already made her first mistake. "Oh I know that, I just figured that since I had been gone all day that you might have been curious." He nodded, but still thought that she was being much nicer than usual.
She left the room a few minutes later, and found her room in the large building. The woman placed a call to a cellular phone being held by one of John Dread's men. She told him that she was in, but that she was beginning to suspect that Rachel and Max weren't an item. Luckily for her, that would not affect her duties. She went to sleep around 12:30 that night, hoping not to screw up the mission the next day. Her assignment was clear, find out all of Max Steel's weaknesses and take a large sample of the probes. After that, Dread would find a way to destroy seemingly Rachel so that none of her fellow N'Tek employee's would wonder why she was gone.
As she tried to unlock the driver's side door, a black van pulled up behind the vehicle. She knew that it was not a good thing to have that happen when she was by herself, but tried not to show fear. Two men got out of the back of the can and grabbed her from either side. She struggled, but was quickly subdued by a shot in her right arm. Following the men, a young woman exited the passengers' side of the van and took Rachel's keys out of her hand. She took Rachel's car, and followed the van back to Dread's base camp.
Upon arrival, Rachel was greeted by none other than John Dread. The two men that had abducted her walked away quickly, while the woman, who arrived only seconds after, decided to stay. She stood next to Dread and watched Rachel stagger, trying to stand while recovering from the medication that had been injected into her body only minutes before. "Ah, so nice of you to join us Mrs. Leeds. Please, come in. I have a nice brunch waiting for us, I think we have a few things to discuss." "No, I don't think we have anything do talk about. I won't tell you anything. You should know me better by now, or is old age catching up with you?"
Oh great, that new girl is beginning to rub off on me. Rachel thought, hoping that Dread would think that the medication was still talking. He held her arm tight and walked with her into the massive building, hidden deep in the large compound. She was led down countless flights of stairs, until finally, they entered a fairly large room with a table against the far wall, and many chairs in the middle. She was pushed into one of the chairs, and Dread took the seat across from her.
After a few moments of chilling silence, Dread stood up and moved toward the table. He began to make up a plate with food that was scattered across the table. He offered to make a plate for Rachel, but she said no, trying to resist his almost charming suave attitude. He began to ask her very basic questions, knowing that he would get little or no answer.
The woman that had taken her car entered the room during the conversation, and watched quietly for a few moments. She left the room after listening to Rachel insult Dread. The woman re-entered the room nearly 20 minutes. She had made many changes to her appearance, and looked identical to Rachel Leeds.
She turned toward John Dread and began to speak with an accent just like Rachel's. He told the woman that she was nearly ready, and she left again. She stood outside of the large room and listened to Rachel a bit more, just to be safe, she learned her attitude and some of her quirks, hoping that she could fulfill her duties.
"Rachel, you are going to be here for quite some time, so you may want to make yourself comfortable. Once my plan is set into action, I won't be able to release you. I am terribly sorry to tell you, but this is your new home. I am also sorry to take you away from your boyfriend, Max Steel." She knew that he was trying to get under her skin, that he was hoping to break her by making her upset.
"I will not make myself comfortable, I will not call this my home, and Max Steel is not my boyfriend, but thank you for the concern." Dread scowled, thinking that his plan to break her would have surely worked. The two spoke many harsh words during the next few hours. After realizing that she would not break her silence so soon, Dread had Rachel sent to a tightly sealed room.
She sat quietly, not knowing whether or not the room was being watched or tapped. Rachel felt like crying because she was, to say the least, out of her element. She spoke softly, as if someone was in the room, and could here her.
"Max, I wish you could hear me, I really want to get out of here. I have no idea what John Dread wants with me, or why he is trying to clone me with that other woman, but I get the feeling that N'Tek is in serious danger. I just wish that I had some way to tell you where I am, but I can't think of any way to get a message to you." She continued to talk to herself for hours, it seemed to make the time pass for her, and calmed her nerves a bit too.
Rachel had no idea at the time, but she was still being watched, and studied heavily. John Dread watched her every move, trying to guess how she might act when at work. He noticed that, even though she knew that she might not be alone, she was not looking around the room much. He took that to mean that she was not a curious or intrusive person. He also noticed that she mentioned Max many times while talking to herself. He felt that she was involved with him and just not letting on, trying to keep him out of danger.
It was not until after 10 o'clock that night that Dread felt that his female associate was ready to take on her mission. He sent her out not long after. She left in Rachel's car, and drove toward N'Tek. "I've always wanted to be an actress, now for my best and most challenging performance yet!" She laughed as she turned toward the main gate that blocked N'Tek from the rest of the world. The woman entered the complex and went straight into Jefferson Smith's office. "Mr. Smith." She began with a familiar accent.
"I am terribly sorry for my unexplained absence today. While I was out, I received a telephone call. I had a family emergency, and I got so caught up in worry that I completely forgot to call anyone here. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry that I wasn't here, and that I am back now. So, did I miss anything?" Jeff was very surprised by her attitude, it was very unusual.
"Not really Rachel, you missed Max giving Laura a tour, and her learning how to drive Shadow, nothing past that. Are you all right? You seem…I don't know…different somehow." Boy was he ever right; she looked like Rachel, and had the accent down to a science, but didn't realize that her anti-social attitude wasn't just a show for Dread. "Oh, I guess I'm just a bit shook up still. That and I feel terrible for leaving without notice. I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow. Well, if there is nothing else that you care to discuss at the moment, I think I'd better go check on everyone." Jeff let her leave, and she tried to remember the floor plan that Dread had forced her to memorize.
She found the control room, and found Berto working with Crystal. Max, Pete and Laura were standing in the room, but not really doing anything. "Hi everyone, sorry that I wasn't here earlier, but I had some personal business to attend to. Ah, Max. I'm surprised that I didn't hear from you today." Max looked at her with a confused expression. "Uh, why? I like never call you. Why did you expect me to call you today?"
The woman posing as Rachel Leeds began to realize that she wasn't involved with Max, and had already made her first mistake. "Oh I know that, I just figured that since I had been gone all day that you might have been curious." He nodded, but still thought that she was being much nicer than usual.
She left the room a few minutes later, and found her room in the large building. The woman placed a call to a cellular phone being held by one of John Dread's men. She told him that she was in, but that she was beginning to suspect that Rachel and Max weren't an item. Luckily for her, that would not affect her duties. She went to sleep around 12:30 that night, hoping not to screw up the mission the next day. Her assignment was clear, find out all of Max Steel's weaknesses and take a large sample of the probes. After that, Dread would find a way to destroy seemingly Rachel so that none of her fellow N'Tek employee's would wonder why she was gone.