Chapter Two
The questions continued for days, any time James or Lauren found themselves alone with either parent. Jaime was starting to worry.
"Did we do the right thing, telling the twins the truth?" she asked Steve one night when everyone else was asleep.
"A lie might've been easier for now, but it would've eventually come back to haunt us," Steve said, drawing her into his arms.
"This morning they asked if we have guns. I told them not in the house - ever - but that sometimes you carry one when you're working."
"Did you tell them you're supposed to carry one, too, but you're too damn stubborn?" Steve asked, and was rewarded by a bop on the head from Jaime's pillow.
Jaime's eyes were far away. "Then James asked if we ever get shot at..."
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Even after nearly four years, Uncle Oscar couldn't tell Jenna and Crystal apart. Jaime refused to dress them alike, but the girls had become experts at switching clothes in a split-second to fool him. On this visit, after a couple of twin-switches and hugs for all five kids, Oscar turned to Jaime and Steve with dark, serious eyes. Lauren caught this and showed unusual perception in herding her sisters and brother outside to play.
"It's nice of you to let them have their fun, Oscar," Jaime said, smiling at him, "but since you're the head of a national intelligence agency, I doubt you have that much trouble telling a set of twins apart..." Jaime's voice trailed off when she saw the expression on his face. "No...That's not fair! You blind-sided us!"
"Excuse me?" Oscar challenged.
"You show up here all casual, like you came to see the kids -"
"Which I did."
"Maybe," Jaime conceded. "But I know that look. Which one of us is the lucky one this time?"
Oscar couldn't look at her. "Both of you," he said softly. "I need both of you."
"No way!" Steve said emphatically. "You know how we feel about one of us -"
"One of you always stays with the family while the other one works, I know, but -"
"No 'but', Oscar," Jaime insisted. "Pick one of us; you aren't getting both. Non-negotiable."
"Rudy's computer system has been breached. His office has been bugged and all his files were rifled through, with a good portion of them stolen."
"Is Rudy ok?" Jaime gasped.
"He's fine. He was on his first real vacation in years. The whole lab was shut down, locked up tight, for two weeks. He returned last night - to all of that."
Steve frowned. "How did anyone get through that security system?"
"We don't know," Oscar sighed. "There could be a leak - a mole - among his staff, but I doubt it. My feeling is that we're dealing with an extremely talented group of scientists and I guarantee that whatever their purpose might be, it is not in our country's best interests."
Steve leaned forward in his chair. "So they could've had those files for up to two weeks?" Oscar nodded. "Oscar, they could do virtually anything in that time, even -"
"Even duplicate bionic circuitry in one of their own operatives," Oscar summarized. "That isn't the worst part. Rudy had some experimental bionic files that the two of you were never briefed on because he decided the ideas were simply too dangerous. He discovered a way to power up bionic circuits by over 75 percent, both speed and strength, but the results turned out to be more than human flesh and blood bodies could tolerate. If someone decided to try that out -"
"They'd have one hell of a weapon," Steve said grimly.
"We don't know who or where these people are, and the two of you are really our only hope of finding them," Oscar told them.
Jaime was puzzled. "How would we do that?"
"We've left the bugs in place, for now," Oscar explained. "We'll let them think they haven't been detected. The two of you will have a 'fight' in the lab - one of you has gone bad - and the other will try to stop them. I can virtually guarantee this group will contact you, and - you're in."
"Hopefully still breathing and with all parts attached," Steve commented.
Oscar ignored the remark. "One of you goes in - you can choose which one - and the other will follow, ostensibly to talk the 'bad' one out of what they're doing -"
"Oscar," Jaime protested, "You're talking as though we'd both already agreed to do this."
"Babe, it's urgent, or I wouldn't be asking you to violate your 'family' rule. I know how much it means to you. But if these people have re-produced bionic circuitry and then powered up their subject, neither one of you would have a chance of stopping them alone."
"We need time to make arrangements for the kids -" Jaime hedged.
"I took the liberty of doing that for you. A car should be picking Jim and Helen up at the airport any minute now."
Jaime was beyond livid. "You have one hell of a lot of nerve! You made arrangements for our children and didn't feel it was necessary to get our input? Dammit! How could you even think that would be alright with us?"
Oscar went on with his instructions. "We'll be leaving as soon as Jim and Helen get here. In the meantime, the two of you need to decide who takes which role.
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