Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction ❯ Bubblegum Avatar #2 – "Born to be Killed" ❯ Chapter 8 - “Calm Before the Storm” ( Chapter 8 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Trboturtle 
Irene has her bachelorette party, things continue to be shaken up at USSD, and the Sabers have an Emergency meeting....
Anime/Manga: Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Cyberpunk / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 03.25.2006 | Updated On: 03.25.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 974 | Status: Work In Progress
Irene has her bachelorette party, things continue to be shaken up at USSD, and the Sabers have an Emergency meeting....
Anime/Manga: Bubblegum Crisis Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Cyberpunk / Action | Type: Self Insertion | Uploaded On: 03.25.2006 | Updated On: 03.25.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 7.9K | Visits: 974 | Status: Work In Progress
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Chapter 8 - “Calm Before the Storm”
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There were only six people at Irene’s bachelorette party.
The low turnout was because Irene didn’t have many friends in the city. The other four girls Linna had met several times before – Yayoi, Harumi, Tomiko, and Natasha – were fellow students at the University. Linna was surprised that she was the ‘old lady’ of the group, and she took the few friendly jabs from the others about her age with a smile.
Irene’s own apartment was the location for the party, as her place was the largest, but all had pitched in when it came to funding the goodies for the event. It was one of only four in the building, consisting of a large living room/dining room, a small but very efficient kitchen, and a bedroom. It was about the size and comfort of a place a mid-level executive would have, and Linna had wonder how Irene could afford the rent. Now she knew – Irene had the resources of a major conglomerate behind her.
Still, Linna thought, I don’t hold that against her. Besides this place, she doesn’t flaunt her wealth, and even here, there’s no signs of her background. The furnishing were modest, though solid, and there was no display of wealth anywhere. There were a few pictures around the apartment showing Irene with an older girl, and a elderly man in a wheelchair. The older girl was probably Irene’s sister, Reika. The man in the wheelchair must be Irene’s grandfather, head of the Chang group.
After her conversation with Craig after the dinner, Linna had done some research. Good pictures of Vision were few and far between, mostly because the singer shunned most publicity when she wasn’t on a concert tour. It had taken half a dozen pictures and thirty minutes of comparing them to a picture of Reika she had ‘borrowed’ before she was convinced that Reika and Vision were one and the same.
Linna tried to let her worries go by the time she entered Irene’s apartment for the party. Dinner had been catered by a nearby restaurant, then the party had drifted into the gifts (Of which Linna’s purchase from the Silky Doll had been among the more ‘modest’ gifts Irene received.) After several minutes of hilarity, the bottles of liquors were breeched, and the party became a relaxed and enjoyable affair – for everyone but Linna.
Out of habit, Linna limited her alcohol intake to a single glass of wine, which she sipped sparingly. While she was smiling outwardly, inside, Linna was worried, despite her efforts to put them aside for the night. Watching the anime version of what was suppose to happen had hit her harder then she expected, and she found it hard to hide the unease she felt. She knew what was coming, that Irene would lose Jeremy in the staged accident, then be killed herself by one of those female boomers. Sylia was trying to change the outcome, but there was no way to know if the events could be changed.
And all she could do was sit her and pretend that she was having a good time....
Because of her preoccupation, it took Linna over an hour to notice that Irene was also hiding feelings. They were small signs – a brief look of worry in Irene’s eyes at one point, a subtle tightening of the jaw at another, and starting to laugh with the other half a beat later then she should – that would have missed Linna’s notice if she hadn’t been attuned to them by her own feelings. The others didn’t notice anything.
After the meal, they had gone from the dinner table to Irene’s living room. The living room had two couches and three chairs arranged around a coffee table. Yayoi and Harumi occupied one couch. The two brunettes were what you expected from college freshmen – bubbly, excited and having a good time. The chattered away on almost every subject, ranging from Irene’s wedding night, to the ingredients of the dinner to the rumor that one of the psychology teachers was really a boomer. They talked to anyone who would listen to them, but Linna managed to tune them out most of the time.
Natasha sat in one of the armchairs. She was somewhat more restrained in her actions and speech, but even she was enjoying herself. Her gift, for ‘those times when Jeremy works late’ made Irene’s face red for a full five minutes, and the others short of breath from laughing for half that long. The dark haired woman had even brought her own bottle of vodka, which she would pour into a shot glass and down it as if it was water.
Tomiko, a chubby, green-eyed blonde, had appointed herself as the ‘official bachelorette
party photographer’. Using a pair of disposable disc cameras, she was snapping photos of the others as the party continued, somehow always managing to take a picture just as something embarrassing was happening. She refused to let anyone else take pictures, declaring that she was in practice for her next job as a photojournalist. Ten minutes later, she declared herself the next Tzarina of the Russian Empire and passed out on the second couch. Half a dozen shots of Vodka were thought by the others to be the main culprit for this sudden change in the usually quiet blonde. Natasha, who had been supplying the alcohol to Tomiko, just smiled and downed another shot glass of the clear liquid.
And then there was Linna....
She was the odd one out of the group. Unlike the others, she wasn’t a student and she was older then the others by at least a couple of years. The experience of being a Knight Saber had also added to the distance.
Linna remembered how she had met Irene. It had been six months ago, when the petite girl had first signed up at the fitness club. She had been in Linna’s early afternoon aerobic class, where she had managed to keep up with the older students with almost no problems, proving she was very fit. They talked after class, and soon Linna became one of Irene’s small circle of friends. Linna didn’t socialize with the others outside of Irene’s presence, but with Irene, they all got along like old friends.
A snort for the still sleeping Tomiko snapped Linna out of her thoughts. Sitting in an armchair next to the couch Tomiko was using as an improvised bed, she had let the conversation drift around her like water around a rock. She quickly looked around at the others before taking another sip of her wine.
“Why aren’t you drinking?’ Natasha asked.
Linna smiled at the dark haired girl. “I have an early class to teach at the club tomorrow,” she said, “and I don’t want to do it with a hangover.”
“Ah,” said Natasha, “that is very good thinking.” Despite the amount of vodka she had consumed, she seemed sober.
“Ah, come on!” said Yayoi. “This is a time to celebrate!”
“Yea!” Harumi chimed in. “It isn’t every day one of your friends gets married!”
“Lay off of Linna,” said Irene. “She’s right – You definitely don’t want to be in one of her classes with a hangover!”
“Oh don’t you be a party pooper,” Yayoi said, waving a half glass of wine around like a baton.
“Yea!” chimed Harumi again. “Let’s party!”
“We need a male stripper!” Yayoi declared.
“Yea!”
“We couldn’t afford one,” Natasha replied calmly.
“Why not?” Harumi asked, her expression one of complete puzzlement.
The dark haired Russian girl sighed. “I think you two have had too much to drink.”
“No we haven’t!”
“Leave them alone, Natasha,” said Irene. “It not often we get a chance to relax, and with finals coming up, we won’t get another chance anytime soon.”
“Yea!” Harumi chirped. “Those finals are going to be murder!”
Linna saw a flash of startled pain cross Irene’s face, but it disappear quickly. The guest of honor sipped some wine and said, “They’re not going to be that tough.”
“You don’t have Professor Satome for phys-ed,” Yayoi muttered. “That man is a sadist.”
Irene grinned. “He isn’t that bad. He’s more bark then bite.”
After that, the conversation wandered into discussion about different instructors at the University. Linna kept quiet, as she didn’t know the people they were discussing. Irene, Yayoi, and Harumi did most of the talking, with Natasha adding pointed comments between vodka shots. A warm happy time that Linna didn’t feel right about sharing in.
What else can you do? She asked herself. You can’t ruin this evening with some wild story about Craig being from another dimension, assuming they even believe you! Let Irene be happy tonight and hope Sylia can stop this madness from happening!
Natasha interrupted Linna’s thoughts. “I think we have bored Linna enough with our discussion about our teachers.” She held up a half-filled glass. “I propose a toast! To our friend Irene: May neither she nor Jeremy ever find the winter wolf at their door.”
All except the still sleeping Tomiko stood and touched glasses. “To Irene!”
The guest of honor smiled, a wane smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You are my friends, and I can’t think of anyone, besides my sister, my grandfather, and Jeremy, I would want to share this moment with.”
“Go get him, Irene!” Yayoi shouted, waking Tomiko.
“We want details of the honeymoon!” Harumi added.
“And we want them right now!” Tomiko said muzzily, reaching for one of the cameras. She blinked, then looked at the group. “What did I miss?”
“Not much,” Natasha replied with a smirk. She glanced at her watch. “And it might be time to end this.”
“Aw,” said Yayoi. “We’re still having fun!”
“Yea!” Harumi said, “we’re not finished yet!”
“Don’t you have classes tomorrow?” Natasha asked.
“Yes, but not until two o’clock.”
“It’s past midnight, and even if we leave now, it’ll be one before we make it to bed.”
“You’re not our mother!”
The Russian girl sighed. “No, but you three need a mother.”
“No we don’t!’ said Harumi said, staggering to her feet. “We’re women and proud of it!”
“Then stop acting like an idiot and let’s get ready to leave.”
The four of them get ready to leave, Linna having volunteered to stay and help Irene clean up the apartment a bit. After the others left, Linna and Irene started cleaning up.
Now that they were alone, the mask that Irene had been hiding behind began to slip. She began to fidget as she moved around the living room, and her cheerful expression slowly slid into one of worry. She avoided eye contact with Linna, and answers to questions Linna asked about the clean-up were short and without emotion.
After about ten minutes, Linna said. “All right, what’s going on?”
Irene looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Er...nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re moping around. Did you have a fight with Jeremy?”
“No!" Irene said quickly. “It’s just that....” She slumped into a chair. “Oh, what’s the use?”
“Is everything all right?”
“No.” Irene looked at Linna. The younger girl’s expression was of someone near tears. “I’m worried about Jeremy.”
Linna sat on the arm of the couch nearest to Irene and reached out to touch Irene on the arm. “What happened?”
“We met for lunch in the park near his place of work yesterday afternoon. When we met, Jeremy was nervous.”
“About what?”
“I asked him and he talked about a component they’re suppose to install won’t be ready for two weeks, but they’re been told to start testing the major systems in three days, and they’re going to a overnight schedule when they start the tests.”
Linna suddenly had a cold certainty what the missing component was. “Did Jeremy tell you what this missing component do?”
“He didn’t know.”
“What else is wrong?”
“Jeremy mentioned a new security consultant on the project calling himself ‘Mr. Largo’.”
Oh shit! Linna thought. Sylia will need to know this at once! “He doesn’t like this Largo?”
“Jeremy thinks he’s at the very least a boomeriod, and everyone on the project is scared of him.” Irene took a deep breath. “This Largo is suppose to have three female boomer aides that are just as scary.”
“How long will this testing take?” Linna asked.
“Jeremy said it would take at least a week. The system tests are last major item. After that, it’s all paperwork.”
“That’s good. Then Jeremy can quit.”
Irene shook her head. “Jeremy’s afraid that if quits, he’ll end up suffering a fatal ‘accident’. That Largo and his aides have him really nervous.”
Jeremy is more right then he knows, Linna thought. “When do they start with the System tests?”
“Jeremy said Saturday. We’re having our last date tomorrow night, before the tests start.”
Linna patted Irene on the arm. “Don’t worry about Jeremy. He’s smart enough to know what’s going on. He isn’t a security threat to GENOM.”
“I know,” said Irene. “But if I lose Jeremy, I don’t know what I would do.”
“Look,” Linna said, putting more conviction into her voice then she felt herself. “Don’t work yourself into a frenzy over what is probably nothing.”
“You didn’t see Jeremy’s face. I know he was scared.”
Linna grasped Irene’s arm and pulled the younger girl to her feet. “You’re tired and you need sleep. Do you want me to talk to Jeremy?”
Irene shook her head. “He’ll just laugh it off and pretend he was joking. Promise me you won’t talk to him about this.”
“I promise.” Linna started guiding her friend towards the bedroom door. “Now promise me you’ll get some sleep and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“But we haven’t finished clea–“
”Worry about it later. Do you have any college classes tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll meet you for lunch at Veronica’s. One o’clock all right with you?”
“That’ll be fine.”
“Good. Now go lay down while I’ll make sure all the food is away and place locked up. I’ll see myself to the door.”
“But--” Irene tried to protest, but Linna cut her off.
“I said don’t worry and get some sleep. Maybe things will look better in the morning.”
“I’m still worried.”
I wish I could tell you the truth, Linna thought, But I’m not certain that you would believe it. I’m not absolutely sure that I believe it! “Don’t be,” she said cheerfully. “I’m certain everything will work out for the best.” I hope!
They entered the bedroom and Irene flopped onto the bed. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Something’s wrong,” she announced to no one in particular. “I can feel it.”
“Just get some sleep.” Linna closed the door and continued cleaning up. Once she was satisfied that she had done enough, she went back to the bedroom and checked on Irene.
Irene was lying on her side, legs drawn up and clutching a teddy bear like it was a life preserver. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was regular, but her face was tear-streaked.
Silently, Linna went over to the bed and pulled the covers over Irene. “We’ll save him,” she whispered. “I promise.”
The sleeping girl stirred slightly, then settled down into sleep again. Linna left her and made sure everything was locked up before she left the apartment and went to her car. Once she was on the street, she dialed Sylia’s number.
Sylia picked up on the third ring. “Yes?”
“Sylia, I think we have a problem....”
*****
Schildt was not exaggerating about Major Abraham Chin’s style of investigation.
In the forty-six hours he had been at the USSD, seven officers had been relived of duty, including Major Stern. In addition, five civilian technicians had their security clearances revoked, with another five under severe restrictions. Those who hadn’t lost either the position or their security clearance where walking around on eggshells, waiting for the hammer to drop on them. The tension in the air was like a thick fog.
All this Rowley was well aware of when she knocked on the door of the office Major Chin was using. The summoning had come in the form of a pair of USSD security troopers, neither of which looked ready to take no for an answer. Even now, they were standing behind her, in parade rest, their expression unreadable.
“Enter,” said a voice from behind the door.
Rowley opened the door and walked in. The office was small, having room for only a desk and a pair of chairs. The walls were bare of any pictures, posters, or bulletin boards, making the place look stark and unfinished. There was a computer monitor on the desk, but that was the only item on the desktop.
She covered the distance between the door and the desk in one long stride, and snapped to attention. “Captain Amanda Rowley, reporting as ordered, Sir!”
Major Chin looked up at her. He was shorter and thinner then the Captain, and bald as a cue ball. Clear grey eyes looked the captain over for several seconds before he said, “At ease, Captain. Please take a seat.” The voice was soft and mild, not unlike an accountant’s.
He waited until Rowley had seated herself before he continued. “I will not waste words, Captain. USSD Headquarters is extremely agitated with the entire Southeast Asia command. Project Hikigane appears to be an unmitigated disaster, and it by sheer luck the boomer carrying the black box is still in our possession. To say that the project security has been non-existent is to put it mildly. One spy was bad enough, but three?”
Chin leaned back in his chair and looked at Rowley. “I have been an investigator with the USSD for over ten years,” he said gravely. “And I have never seen a worse case of incompetence in my entire career. Do you have an explanation for this...incident?”
“No sir, I do not.”
Chin raised an eyebrow. “You don’t? That’s a refreshing change.”
Rowley tilted her head slightly. “Sir?”
“I have never heard so much blame shifting and attempts to cover ass before I came here.” Chin closed his eyes slightly. “Major Stern went as far as to accuse you of being involved with the spies.”
“Major Stern is wrong.”
“Major Stern is a bungling idiot who will be lucky if he does not end up in prison.” Chin leaned forward. “You, however, are not. Why did you decide to investigate this Major Sangnoir?”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t like him. Something about him made me edgy.”
“After discovering the man who called himself Major Sangnoir was a fake, why didn’t you take it directly to your superiors?”
“I wanted something more then a suspicion before I presented such a charge.”
The Major nodded slowly. “I read your report. Interesting reading, if it is true.”
“Does the Major find something wrong with my report?” Rowley asked.
Chin looked away, as if in thought. “Wrong? No. You have enough evidence to warrant a fuller investigation of your claims. You might be even right. But it’s still wrong.”
“I don’t understand.”
Chin looked at her again. “You are accusing several members of this command with incompetence, dereliction of duty, mishandling sensitive data, and attempting to cover it all up. Those are strong charges.”
“I didn’t make –“
”Not on the face of it. But anyone reading between the lines will come to the same conclusions I did. Namely, if it wasn’t for the Knight Sabers, terrorists would have Hikigane.”
“The General was the one who hired them.”
“The point is, it should have never come to that.” Chin stood.. “I’ve read you record, Captain, and I like what I read. USSD needs people like you, and it would be a pity to have you career cut short by this report.”
“And for the good of the service, you want me to change my report?” Rowley’s tone was cold and hard.
Chin took a deep breath. “Yes. As much as I hate to say it, yes.”
“What will happen to Schwartz and Stern?”
“The General will ‘retire’, while the Major will resign, and that will be the public end of the situation. Privately, General Cantrick will do his best to make sure both Schwartz and Stern are never given a position of authority anywhere.” The Major held up a hand to forestall Rowley’s question. “Let me make myself clear on why we want your report to be changed. Unlike some, General Cantrick does not like sweeping things under the rug. He would love to rake Schwartz and Sterns over the coals over this entire situation. But he can’t.”
“Why not?”
“General Schwartz has friends, both in NATO and individual governments, friends that will shield him from prosecution. A court-martial would expose USSD to too much scrutiny and end up becoming a circus, especially if word gets out that at the complete lack of security around Hikigane. Simple put, if this report of yours got out, there would be an uproar and USSD will suffer a possible crippling blow to its reputation.”
“That still sounds like USSD is trying to sweep this under the rug,” Rowley replied cooly.
“Maybe I should talk to her Major,” said a deep growling voice.
Chin looked down at the computer monitor. “Yes Sir.” the Major turned the monitor around so it faced Rowley. Rowley frowned, but a thought flashed across her mind: Someone’s been listening in on this conversation!
The man on the screen scowling at Rowley was wearing the uniform of a USSD General. White hair, a craggy face, and piercing blue eyes gave the impression of an angry grandfather. He gave Rowley the once over, then nodded. “Do you know who I am, Captain?” the man growled.
“Yes sir,” Rowley replied. “General Cantrick.”
Cantrick nodded. “I have your report, and I have read it. I am impressed with your ability and talents to discover evidence that had been overlooked by those...idiots. But Major Chin is right about your report. It is political dynamite and if it was to ever get out, USSD is finished as anything more then a laughing stock. USSD is relied upon to keep the peace, and our reputation is an important part of our peace-keeping efforts. There at least three different trouble spots in the world that could explode into war if this report gets out, and all three could involve nuclear weapons.”
He inhaled deeply. “Captain, please do not think I am covering up this disaster, no matter how it looks. Major Chin has told you I will do anything I can to make sure those idiots are never given a position of authority anywhere for the rest of their lives. At the same time, I have to clean up the mess they left, and while your report is excellent, it is an obstacle to that cleanup.”
Rowley bit her lip. “I don’t like this, sir.”
“If it’s any comfort, neither do I. I would love to take your report and jam it down the throats of half a dozen pinheads who agreed to go ahead with Hikigane.”
There was silence for a moment, then Rowley asked, “You didn’t support the Hikigane project?”
The General’s face darkened. “No, I did not,” he growled. “Hikigane was suppose to be an ace in the hole, just in case our reputation wasn’t enough. I felt that if we’re ever forced to use the damn thing, we’re already in deep shit. Now, thanks to the incompetence of the last two weeks, we’ve got to try and recover those files before someone figures out how to put their own particle satellite targeting system together.”
“How do we do that sir?”
“We don’t. You do.”
“Excuse me?” Rowley asked.
Cantrick looked at Chin. “Major, do you have those orders?” Chin nodded. “Please give them to Captain Rowley.”
Chain handed Rowley a folded piece of paper. Rowley opened it and stared at the typewritten words:
TO: Rowley, Amanda C. Captain, USSD SEASIA Command
FROM: LeBlanc, Jean R., Commanding General, USSD.
RE: Change of Orders
TTS: 15/5/32 12:45:23
1. You are hereby relived as liaison officer, Project Hikigane.
2. You are hereby promoted to the rank of Major, effective as of the TTS.
3. You are temporally reassigned to USSD Internal Security, and report directly to Cantrick, Robert E., Major General, until otherwise directed.
4. Refer any questions regarding these orders to Cantrick, Robert E., Major
General.
Signed,
Major General Jean R. LeBlanc,
Commanding officer, USSD.
“Congratulations on you promotion, Major Rowley,” said Cantrick.
Rowley held up the paper. “These orders are two hours old. What happens if I don’t rewrite the report?”
“The rank is yours, regardless of whether or not your report is rewritten. You were due for promotion in three months anyway. All I did was move up the date. For the work you’ve done in this matter, you deserved it.”
For a report no one will ever see. “It also said I’m reassigned to Internal Security, reporting directly to you.”
“Yes, because I need someone I can trust in place there. Major Chin is a fine officer, but you know the territory better then he does.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Cantrick leaned back in his chair. “You will be commanding a special security unit that reports directly to me. You will be outside USSD SEASIA’s command structure and handle missions within Southeast Asia. Your first mission is to locate and either destroy all copies of the files stolen from Hikigane.”
“That’s a tall order, especially if what I have heard about the people behind the thefts is true.” If you’ve actually read my report, you’ll know who I’m talking about.
“I know who you’re talking about, especially after reading between the lines of your report.” The General looked grave, a sure sign that he had read the report and the veiled inferences to GENOM. “But they have tentacles too deep in too many places. That’s another reason why I want you to rewrite your report. These people do not play fair, and short of doing the unthinkable, beyond our reach. If we think you’re a problem, we’ll ship you somewhere where you can’t cause trouble. These people will simple eliminate you, then make you look like the criminal. So I am telling you right now, be careful.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Will you take the command?”
Rowley took a deep breath and nodded. “What assets do I have for this command?”
“Major Chin?”
Major Chin opened a folder and read off a list. “As of right this minute, you have four platoons of security troopers, eight MH-45U Nighthawk transport helicopters, eight M-47 Armored Personnel Carriers, nine K-12B armored battle suits, and two platoons of assorted support staff. Overall strength is seven officers, two hundred and fifteen enlisted.”
The brand new major blinked. “That’s a lot of assets.”
“To start with, yes,” Cantrick replied. “We will be adding and subtracting assets as need, to reflect the changing role of your unit, but what Major Chin listed is about what you can expect as a minimum.”
“What our my orders regarding the Knight Sabers?” Rowley asked. “More likely then not General Schwartz has already hired them to retrieve the files.”
“He has,” Cantrick replied. “Personally, I don’t like using third parties to clean up our messes, but these Sabers have a very good reputation.”
“They managed to retrieve and return Cynthia to us in one piece.”
Which is why I’m will to cut them a break for now. As long as their goals and ours don’t clash, then I am willing to stay out of their way.”
“Understood sir. What about the others in the liaison office? What happens to them?”
“Sargent Major Schildt will you your new unit’s senior NCO, while Sargent Sanchez will head up your unit’s Computer support section. Under the circumstances, I thought you would want people you can trust.”
“Thank you sir.”
“They should have their orders already,” the general continued, unable to read Rowley’s thoughts. “You have thirty-six hours to get your unit organized. We should have some leads for you to work on by then.”
“Yes sir. About the report....”
“Late next week will be soon enough, Major Rowley. You have a unit to put together, and not a lot of time to do it in. I’m counting on your abilities to perform the mission.”
Rowley swallowed a sigh, straightened to attention and saluted. “I understand sir.”
“One other thing, Major. You and your people will have a free hand on any mission I assign to your unit. I cannot and will not micro manage you. Results are the most important thing I want out of this, but if you can accomplish your mission without bloodshed or publicity, that would be a welcome event. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir.”
Cantrick nodded, suddenly looking tired. “Then you had better get going. I hope the next time we speak, you’ll be reporting success. Good-bye.” The screen went blank, leaving Chin and Rowley alone.
The investigator reached into a pocket and removed a small case. He handed it to Rowley. “Your new rank emblems,’ he said matter-of-fact. “I know there should be a ceremony, but we don’t have the time to waste. Besides, you’re now one of the few senior officers on this base that still has any authority left.”
“That bad?” Rowley asked, taking the small case from Chin and opening it. The glitter of golden oak leaves sitting on blue velvet looked like a pair of eyes staring back at her.
Chin’s expression was neutral. “Yes. I suggest you leave the investigation to my people – the less you know, the better.”
Rowley managed to keep her own expression neutral. “Very well. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
Rowley turned and stated for the door. As she reached it, Chin said. “Oh, there is one other thing I want to tell you.”
Rowley turned to look at him. “Yes?”
“Congratulations on you promotion, Major Rowley. You did deserve it.”
“Thank you Major Chin. Now I have to live up to General Cantrick’s expectations.”
“I have no doubts you will, Major. Good day.”
*****
When the motor on the elevator started, Craig looked up from the computer. He looked at the clock sitting on the desk next to the computer. Who the hell is wanting to see me at three o’clock in the morning?
Patton and Zhukov, the two dogs with him, had been lying under the dining room table. Now, they were up and alert. Not actively hostile, but alert and ready.
Craig drew his pistol from the holster at the small of his back, reconsidered before holstering it, then got up and went over to the bookcase on the wall separating the workout area from the rest of his apartment. The bookcase swung away from the wall easily, reveling a large shallow cavity in the wall. Craig pulled out a compact assault rifle with attached grenade launcher and a belts of magazines for both. He then turned to the small desk light and turn it off, darkening the apartment.
The elevator stopped just as he slapped a full magazine into the weapon. He spun, using the wall to shield most of his body as he aimed the rifle in the direction of the elevator. There was some light in the entryway, but most of the floor was in shadows. The built-in targeting laser, activated by the warmth of Craig’s hands, shot a thin thread of light towards the elevator’s entrance and the figure emerging from the car....
...and came to rest between Sylia’s breasts.
The leader of the Knight Sabers cooly look down at the red dot, then looked up at Craig. “Good,” she said calmly. “I don’t have to wake you up.”
Craig pointed the rifle up so the laser was now paining the ceiling. “Sylia? What in the blue bloody blazes are you doing here?”
“Emergency meeting,” she replied. She was dressed what for her was casual, but what was for most people semi-formal, in a gray business skirt, coat and white blouse. “The others will be here shortly.” She looked at the assault rifle in Craig’s hands. “Interesting choice. You do realize that weapon is highly illegal?”
“I’m well aware of it, but some people, like vacuum salesmen and rampaging boomers, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I could have shot you!”
Sylia walked over and, with her index finger, tapped a small level on the side of the rifle. “Not until you take the safety off,” she said softly, smiling slightly.
“Arg,” Craig muttered, as he realized she was right. He looked at the rifle, then back at Sylia. “Why didn’t you call before you scared me out of ten years growth?”
“I would have, but by the time I got a hold of Priss and Nene, I was already here.”
“What about Linna?”
“She’s the one that called me first,” Sylia replied. “Under the circumstances, I thought meeting here was best.”
“What’s wrong?” Craig asked, removing the magazine from the rifle before he put the firepower back into the cavity.
“Irene says the overnight tests have been moved up. They start Saturday.”
“Shit.” Craig pushed the bookcase back into place, then turn the main lights on. “You better come on in. I’ll start making the tea.”
***
It was an hour later. In that time, the rest of the team had shown up, Linna had explained what Irene had told her, and both Craig and Priss had cursed in frustration. Now they were sitting around Craig’s living area.
“So what are we going to do?” Craig asked. “We had planned with weeks in mind, not a couple of days!”
“We change our plans,” the leader of the Knight Sabers replied calmly. She sipped from a large cup of tea.
“To what?” Priss asked.
“We have to go after the superboomer Saturday night,” Sylia said softly.
The others looked at her in shock, except for Linna. “Sylia’s right.” Now it was her turn to get the stares from Nene, Priss, Mackie, and Craig. “We can’t wait.”
Craig got up and started pacing. “So we go in, guns blazing, destroy the superboomer, maybe get back the files GENOM stole from USSD, and get out without a couple of thousand merry metal madmen killing us. Does anyone see the problem here?”
“Not with guns blazing,” Sylia replied, “but essentially that is what we’re going to do.”
“How are we going to do it?” Linna asked.
Sylia stood and motioned Craig to sit down. He shook his head and continue to pace. “The first thing is that we’re going to do is remove both Jeremy and Irene from the situation tomorrow night.” She looked at Nene. “Do you finish with the N-police records?”
“All set up. There’s now a Detective Douglas Q. Sangnoir and a Detective Yumeko Van Vliet listed in the N-Police files as members of the Major Crimes Unit.”
“Good.”
“Wait a fricking minute!” Craig stopped pacing and looked at Sylia. “Yumeko Van Vliet?” he screeched, eyes wide in amazement. “Are you out of your mind?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong with Yumeko Van Vliet?” Nene asked, puzzled at Craig’s reaction..
Craig glared at Sylia. “Should I tell them or will you?”
“Afterwards,” Sylia replied. “It’s too complex to get into here and now.”
“Why don’t you put a honking big neon arrow on top of your building with the words, ‘Knight Sabers HQ’ on it?”
“I want to send Mason and Largo a message.” Sylia sipped from her teacup, looking cool and elegant. “I want them aware that we’re moving against them.”
Craig shook his head. “This is about as subtle as an avalanche.”
“They’re actively looking for Bert Van Vliet, not Yumeko Van Vliet. They will figure it out, but not until after the fact.”
“What the hell is wrong with ‘Yumeko Van Vliet ’?” Priss snarled.
“Well, you know where the ‘Van Vliet’ comes from,” Craig replied. “But in another dimension, you, Priss Asagiri, have a daughter, who you name ‘Yumeko.’”
“What the Fuck are you talking about?” the singer growled, pushing herself out of the chair and glaring at Craig. “You mean I had a kid with this Van Vliet guy?”
“Er....no. While your counterpart is in a relationship with Van Vliet in at least one dimension, you being Yumeko’s mother occurs in another dimension entirely....I think. But there is speculation that if you and Bert ever –“
”That’s enough for now,” said Sylia calmly. “Priss, just think of the name ‘Yumeko Van Vliet ’ as another psychological trick to annoy Mason.” Priss sank back into her chair, but she didn’t look happy.
Craig started to pace again, not looking at Sylia. “It’s too late to do anything about it,” he growled, “but I’m still not happy with using Sangnoir again.”
“It should be safe, as long as you don’t go anywhere near USSD.”
“Why did you use that identity again?” Mackie asked Nene.
“It was easier then creating a brand new character for Craig,” the redhead explained. “All I had to do was change some data and place it into the N-police’s network. I then just modified the data files I used for Sangnoir and created Van Vliet.”
Craig ran a hand through his hair. “Which is all nice and well, but now useless, because we don’t have the time to build up our story.”
“It should be all right.”
“I hope you’re right. I also hope Jeremy doesn’t recognize me.”
“It’s another risk we’re going to have to take,” Sylia said. “I want both of them safely out of the way before we strike at the research lab. Besides, you’ll be in disguise and in character, it’ll be early in the morning, and he’s going to be tired. By the time he might realize that something is wrong, he’ll be in the car, under sedation.”
Craig stopped pacing and folded his arms over his chest. “You haven’t told us who gets to be ‘Yumeko Van Vliet’ for this Mission Improbable,” he said.
“Priss.”
The singer shot out of her chair again. “Now wait a fucking minute!” she shouted. “Why do I have to be Captain Midnight’s sidekick? Why don’t you send miss Cyberpunk or Linna along?”
“Jeremy knows Linna better then he knows Craig,” Sylia replied. “He would recognize her quicker then he would Craig. Neither Mackie nor Nene look like police detectives, and my face has been in enough newspaper and television stories so that he might recognize me. Besides, we all have other responsibilities at the same time.”
“Like what?” Linna asked.
“Well, Linna and Nene are going to pick up Irene, while Craig and Priss grab Jeremy. Mackie and I will be monitoring both operations, and act as a reserve in case one team gets into trouble.”
Craig raised his hand. “Er...what happens if both teams get into trouble at the same time?”
“I will make a decision then.”
“Oh.” Craig started looking around. “Does anyone see a lump of gray matter? If you do, it’s my mind, because I’ve lost mine somewhere during this conversation.”
“We have to take risks,” Sylia replied, ignoring Craig. “We had hope to remove Jeremy, record his testimony, retrieve or destroy the files, then remove Irene.”
“Why couldn’t we remove Irene at the same time as Jeremy?” Linna asked.
“Because I was going to fake Irene’s death, and that takes time to set up. Jeremy was just going to disappear.”
“Would Mason fall for that?” Priss asked.
“Long enough for us to get them out of the country and to safety.”
“You mean getting them to the Hou Bang,” said Linna, frowning.
Sylia looked at Craig, who had taken an abnormal interest in the ceiling. She then sighed. “I suppose it was too much to hope for.”
“Too much for what?” Nene asked.
“What Sylia means,” said Linna, “is that Irene is the granddaughter of Dr. Chang Chongk, who is the head of the Chang conglomerate.”
“Wow,” Nene whispered. Even Mackie looked impressed.
Priss wasn’t impressed. “And how long have you known this?” the singer snarled at Sylia.
“Drop it Priss,” Craig said sharply. The others looked at him, surprised at his tone. “Sylia didn’t tell you because you didn’t need to know. Irene is exactly what she seems to be, a young girl trying to make it on her own. She didn’t have to leave the safety of the Hou Bang, but she did. She wanted to be independent, but because of events beyond her control, she’s been marked for death. She needs help, not grief.”
The room was silent for a minute. “I still think we should have been told,” Priss replied, glaring at Craig.
Craig shrugged. “Details, details. We’re suppose to save Irene and Jeremy, not write their biography.”
“Craig’s right,“ said Sylia. She closed her eyes and for a moment looked tired. “It’s going to take me most of today to put some other plans into motion, plans that I thought I would have more time to perfect. We’re all going to have move faster then I wanted to. That means that both Irene and Jeremy are going to have to disappear at the same time.” She opened her eyes and stood. “We’ll meet here at ten o’clock tonight. Mackie will drive the truck.”
“What about the boomers watching the Lady663 building?” Mackie asked.
“I’ll make sure the boomer’s attention is distracted when you leave.”
“How much longer will you put up with them watching you?” Linna asked.
“Not much longer,” Sylia replied.
“Define ‘not much longer,’” said Craig.
“Saturday night.. We will discuss that later. Any other questions?”
“What’s the capital of Mississippi?”
Everyone turned to look at Craig, puzzled looks on their faces. Craig’s expression was that of disappointment. “You guys really need a sense of humor.”
“I don’t think our sense of humor is the problem,” Mackie muttered.
Sylia raised an eyebrow. “I meant any other questions regarding tonight’s mission.”
There was none. Sylia looked around the room at the others. “We know what we have to do in the next forty-eight hours, so I won’t waste your time. We better get some rest because we’re going to be busy this weekend. Let’s go.”
Chapter 8 - “Calm Before the Storm”
**************
There were only six people at Irene’s bachelorette party.
The low turnout was because Irene didn’t have many friends in the city. The other four girls Linna had met several times before – Yayoi, Harumi, Tomiko, and Natasha – were fellow students at the University. Linna was surprised that she was the ‘old lady’ of the group, and she took the few friendly jabs from the others about her age with a smile.
Irene’s own apartment was the location for the party, as her place was the largest, but all had pitched in when it came to funding the goodies for the event. It was one of only four in the building, consisting of a large living room/dining room, a small but very efficient kitchen, and a bedroom. It was about the size and comfort of a place a mid-level executive would have, and Linna had wonder how Irene could afford the rent. Now she knew – Irene had the resources of a major conglomerate behind her.
Still, Linna thought, I don’t hold that against her. Besides this place, she doesn’t flaunt her wealth, and even here, there’s no signs of her background. The furnishing were modest, though solid, and there was no display of wealth anywhere. There were a few pictures around the apartment showing Irene with an older girl, and a elderly man in a wheelchair. The older girl was probably Irene’s sister, Reika. The man in the wheelchair must be Irene’s grandfather, head of the Chang group.
After her conversation with Craig after the dinner, Linna had done some research. Good pictures of Vision were few and far between, mostly because the singer shunned most publicity when she wasn’t on a concert tour. It had taken half a dozen pictures and thirty minutes of comparing them to a picture of Reika she had ‘borrowed’ before she was convinced that Reika and Vision were one and the same.
Linna tried to let her worries go by the time she entered Irene’s apartment for the party. Dinner had been catered by a nearby restaurant, then the party had drifted into the gifts (Of which Linna’s purchase from the Silky Doll had been among the more ‘modest’ gifts Irene received.) After several minutes of hilarity, the bottles of liquors were breeched, and the party became a relaxed and enjoyable affair – for everyone but Linna.
Out of habit, Linna limited her alcohol intake to a single glass of wine, which she sipped sparingly. While she was smiling outwardly, inside, Linna was worried, despite her efforts to put them aside for the night. Watching the anime version of what was suppose to happen had hit her harder then she expected, and she found it hard to hide the unease she felt. She knew what was coming, that Irene would lose Jeremy in the staged accident, then be killed herself by one of those female boomers. Sylia was trying to change the outcome, but there was no way to know if the events could be changed.
And all she could do was sit her and pretend that she was having a good time....
Because of her preoccupation, it took Linna over an hour to notice that Irene was also hiding feelings. They were small signs – a brief look of worry in Irene’s eyes at one point, a subtle tightening of the jaw at another, and starting to laugh with the other half a beat later then she should – that would have missed Linna’s notice if she hadn’t been attuned to them by her own feelings. The others didn’t notice anything.
After the meal, they had gone from the dinner table to Irene’s living room. The living room had two couches and three chairs arranged around a coffee table. Yayoi and Harumi occupied one couch. The two brunettes were what you expected from college freshmen – bubbly, excited and having a good time. The chattered away on almost every subject, ranging from Irene’s wedding night, to the ingredients of the dinner to the rumor that one of the psychology teachers was really a boomer. They talked to anyone who would listen to them, but Linna managed to tune them out most of the time.
Natasha sat in one of the armchairs. She was somewhat more restrained in her actions and speech, but even she was enjoying herself. Her gift, for ‘those times when Jeremy works late’ made Irene’s face red for a full five minutes, and the others short of breath from laughing for half that long. The dark haired woman had even brought her own bottle of vodka, which she would pour into a shot glass and down it as if it was water.
Tomiko, a chubby, green-eyed blonde, had appointed herself as the ‘official bachelorette
party photographer’. Using a pair of disposable disc cameras, she was snapping photos of the others as the party continued, somehow always managing to take a picture just as something embarrassing was happening. She refused to let anyone else take pictures, declaring that she was in practice for her next job as a photojournalist. Ten minutes later, she declared herself the next Tzarina of the Russian Empire and passed out on the second couch. Half a dozen shots of Vodka were thought by the others to be the main culprit for this sudden change in the usually quiet blonde. Natasha, who had been supplying the alcohol to Tomiko, just smiled and downed another shot glass of the clear liquid.
And then there was Linna....
She was the odd one out of the group. Unlike the others, she wasn’t a student and she was older then the others by at least a couple of years. The experience of being a Knight Saber had also added to the distance.
Linna remembered how she had met Irene. It had been six months ago, when the petite girl had first signed up at the fitness club. She had been in Linna’s early afternoon aerobic class, where she had managed to keep up with the older students with almost no problems, proving she was very fit. They talked after class, and soon Linna became one of Irene’s small circle of friends. Linna didn’t socialize with the others outside of Irene’s presence, but with Irene, they all got along like old friends.
A snort for the still sleeping Tomiko snapped Linna out of her thoughts. Sitting in an armchair next to the couch Tomiko was using as an improvised bed, she had let the conversation drift around her like water around a rock. She quickly looked around at the others before taking another sip of her wine.
“Why aren’t you drinking?’ Natasha asked.
Linna smiled at the dark haired girl. “I have an early class to teach at the club tomorrow,” she said, “and I don’t want to do it with a hangover.”
“Ah,” said Natasha, “that is very good thinking.” Despite the amount of vodka she had consumed, she seemed sober.
“Ah, come on!” said Yayoi. “This is a time to celebrate!”
“Yea!” Harumi chimed in. “It isn’t every day one of your friends gets married!”
“Lay off of Linna,” said Irene. “She’s right – You definitely don’t want to be in one of her classes with a hangover!”
“Oh don’t you be a party pooper,” Yayoi said, waving a half glass of wine around like a baton.
“Yea!” chimed Harumi again. “Let’s party!”
“We need a male stripper!” Yayoi declared.
“Yea!”
“We couldn’t afford one,” Natasha replied calmly.
“Why not?” Harumi asked, her expression one of complete puzzlement.
The dark haired Russian girl sighed. “I think you two have had too much to drink.”
“No we haven’t!”
“Leave them alone, Natasha,” said Irene. “It not often we get a chance to relax, and with finals coming up, we won’t get another chance anytime soon.”
“Yea!” Harumi chirped. “Those finals are going to be murder!”
Linna saw a flash of startled pain cross Irene’s face, but it disappear quickly. The guest of honor sipped some wine and said, “They’re not going to be that tough.”
“You don’t have Professor Satome for phys-ed,” Yayoi muttered. “That man is a sadist.”
Irene grinned. “He isn’t that bad. He’s more bark then bite.”
After that, the conversation wandered into discussion about different instructors at the University. Linna kept quiet, as she didn’t know the people they were discussing. Irene, Yayoi, and Harumi did most of the talking, with Natasha adding pointed comments between vodka shots. A warm happy time that Linna didn’t feel right about sharing in.
What else can you do? She asked herself. You can’t ruin this evening with some wild story about Craig being from another dimension, assuming they even believe you! Let Irene be happy tonight and hope Sylia can stop this madness from happening!
Natasha interrupted Linna’s thoughts. “I think we have bored Linna enough with our discussion about our teachers.” She held up a half-filled glass. “I propose a toast! To our friend Irene: May neither she nor Jeremy ever find the winter wolf at their door.”
All except the still sleeping Tomiko stood and touched glasses. “To Irene!”
The guest of honor smiled, a wane smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Thank you,” she said softly. “You are my friends, and I can’t think of anyone, besides my sister, my grandfather, and Jeremy, I would want to share this moment with.”
“Go get him, Irene!” Yayoi shouted, waking Tomiko.
“We want details of the honeymoon!” Harumi added.
“And we want them right now!” Tomiko said muzzily, reaching for one of the cameras. She blinked, then looked at the group. “What did I miss?”
“Not much,” Natasha replied with a smirk. She glanced at her watch. “And it might be time to end this.”
“Aw,” said Yayoi. “We’re still having fun!”
“Yea!” Harumi said, “we’re not finished yet!”
“Don’t you have classes tomorrow?” Natasha asked.
“Yes, but not until two o’clock.”
“It’s past midnight, and even if we leave now, it’ll be one before we make it to bed.”
“You’re not our mother!”
The Russian girl sighed. “No, but you three need a mother.”
“No we don’t!’ said Harumi said, staggering to her feet. “We’re women and proud of it!”
“Then stop acting like an idiot and let’s get ready to leave.”
The four of them get ready to leave, Linna having volunteered to stay and help Irene clean up the apartment a bit. After the others left, Linna and Irene started cleaning up.
Now that they were alone, the mask that Irene had been hiding behind began to slip. She began to fidget as she moved around the living room, and her cheerful expression slowly slid into one of worry. She avoided eye contact with Linna, and answers to questions Linna asked about the clean-up were short and without emotion.
After about ten minutes, Linna said. “All right, what’s going on?”
Irene looked at her. “What do you mean?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Er...nothing’s wrong.”
“You’re moping around. Did you have a fight with Jeremy?”
“No!" Irene said quickly. “It’s just that....” She slumped into a chair. “Oh, what’s the use?”
“Is everything all right?”
“No.” Irene looked at Linna. The younger girl’s expression was of someone near tears. “I’m worried about Jeremy.”
Linna sat on the arm of the couch nearest to Irene and reached out to touch Irene on the arm. “What happened?”
“We met for lunch in the park near his place of work yesterday afternoon. When we met, Jeremy was nervous.”
“About what?”
“I asked him and he talked about a component they’re suppose to install won’t be ready for two weeks, but they’re been told to start testing the major systems in three days, and they’re going to a overnight schedule when they start the tests.”
Linna suddenly had a cold certainty what the missing component was. “Did Jeremy tell you what this missing component do?”
“He didn’t know.”
“What else is wrong?”
“Jeremy mentioned a new security consultant on the project calling himself ‘Mr. Largo’.”
Oh shit! Linna thought. Sylia will need to know this at once! “He doesn’t like this Largo?”
“Jeremy thinks he’s at the very least a boomeriod, and everyone on the project is scared of him.” Irene took a deep breath. “This Largo is suppose to have three female boomer aides that are just as scary.”
“How long will this testing take?” Linna asked.
“Jeremy said it would take at least a week. The system tests are last major item. After that, it’s all paperwork.”
“That’s good. Then Jeremy can quit.”
Irene shook her head. “Jeremy’s afraid that if quits, he’ll end up suffering a fatal ‘accident’. That Largo and his aides have him really nervous.”
Jeremy is more right then he knows, Linna thought. “When do they start with the System tests?”
“Jeremy said Saturday. We’re having our last date tomorrow night, before the tests start.”
Linna patted Irene on the arm. “Don’t worry about Jeremy. He’s smart enough to know what’s going on. He isn’t a security threat to GENOM.”
“I know,” said Irene. “But if I lose Jeremy, I don’t know what I would do.”
“Look,” Linna said, putting more conviction into her voice then she felt herself. “Don’t work yourself into a frenzy over what is probably nothing.”
“You didn’t see Jeremy’s face. I know he was scared.”
Linna grasped Irene’s arm and pulled the younger girl to her feet. “You’re tired and you need sleep. Do you want me to talk to Jeremy?”
Irene shook her head. “He’ll just laugh it off and pretend he was joking. Promise me you won’t talk to him about this.”
“I promise.” Linna started guiding her friend towards the bedroom door. “Now promise me you’ll get some sleep and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“But we haven’t finished clea–“
”Worry about it later. Do you have any college classes tomorrow?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll meet you for lunch at Veronica’s. One o’clock all right with you?”
“That’ll be fine.”
“Good. Now go lay down while I’ll make sure all the food is away and place locked up. I’ll see myself to the door.”
“But--” Irene tried to protest, but Linna cut her off.
“I said don’t worry and get some sleep. Maybe things will look better in the morning.”
“I’m still worried.”
I wish I could tell you the truth, Linna thought, But I’m not certain that you would believe it. I’m not absolutely sure that I believe it! “Don’t be,” she said cheerfully. “I’m certain everything will work out for the best.” I hope!
They entered the bedroom and Irene flopped onto the bed. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Something’s wrong,” she announced to no one in particular. “I can feel it.”
“Just get some sleep.” Linna closed the door and continued cleaning up. Once she was satisfied that she had done enough, she went back to the bedroom and checked on Irene.
Irene was lying on her side, legs drawn up and clutching a teddy bear like it was a life preserver. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was regular, but her face was tear-streaked.
Silently, Linna went over to the bed and pulled the covers over Irene. “We’ll save him,” she whispered. “I promise.”
The sleeping girl stirred slightly, then settled down into sleep again. Linna left her and made sure everything was locked up before she left the apartment and went to her car. Once she was on the street, she dialed Sylia’s number.
Sylia picked up on the third ring. “Yes?”
“Sylia, I think we have a problem....”
*****
Schildt was not exaggerating about Major Abraham Chin’s style of investigation.
In the forty-six hours he had been at the USSD, seven officers had been relived of duty, including Major Stern. In addition, five civilian technicians had their security clearances revoked, with another five under severe restrictions. Those who hadn’t lost either the position or their security clearance where walking around on eggshells, waiting for the hammer to drop on them. The tension in the air was like a thick fog.
All this Rowley was well aware of when she knocked on the door of the office Major Chin was using. The summoning had come in the form of a pair of USSD security troopers, neither of which looked ready to take no for an answer. Even now, they were standing behind her, in parade rest, their expression unreadable.
“Enter,” said a voice from behind the door.
Rowley opened the door and walked in. The office was small, having room for only a desk and a pair of chairs. The walls were bare of any pictures, posters, or bulletin boards, making the place look stark and unfinished. There was a computer monitor on the desk, but that was the only item on the desktop.
She covered the distance between the door and the desk in one long stride, and snapped to attention. “Captain Amanda Rowley, reporting as ordered, Sir!”
Major Chin looked up at her. He was shorter and thinner then the Captain, and bald as a cue ball. Clear grey eyes looked the captain over for several seconds before he said, “At ease, Captain. Please take a seat.” The voice was soft and mild, not unlike an accountant’s.
He waited until Rowley had seated herself before he continued. “I will not waste words, Captain. USSD Headquarters is extremely agitated with the entire Southeast Asia command. Project Hikigane appears to be an unmitigated disaster, and it by sheer luck the boomer carrying the black box is still in our possession. To say that the project security has been non-existent is to put it mildly. One spy was bad enough, but three?”
Chin leaned back in his chair and looked at Rowley. “I have been an investigator with the USSD for over ten years,” he said gravely. “And I have never seen a worse case of incompetence in my entire career. Do you have an explanation for this...incident?”
“No sir, I do not.”
Chin raised an eyebrow. “You don’t? That’s a refreshing change.”
Rowley tilted her head slightly. “Sir?”
“I have never heard so much blame shifting and attempts to cover ass before I came here.” Chin closed his eyes slightly. “Major Stern went as far as to accuse you of being involved with the spies.”
“Major Stern is wrong.”
“Major Stern is a bungling idiot who will be lucky if he does not end up in prison.” Chin leaned forward. “You, however, are not. Why did you decide to investigate this Major Sangnoir?”
The Captain’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t like him. Something about him made me edgy.”
“After discovering the man who called himself Major Sangnoir was a fake, why didn’t you take it directly to your superiors?”
“I wanted something more then a suspicion before I presented such a charge.”
The Major nodded slowly. “I read your report. Interesting reading, if it is true.”
“Does the Major find something wrong with my report?” Rowley asked.
Chin looked away, as if in thought. “Wrong? No. You have enough evidence to warrant a fuller investigation of your claims. You might be even right. But it’s still wrong.”
“I don’t understand.”
Chin looked at her again. “You are accusing several members of this command with incompetence, dereliction of duty, mishandling sensitive data, and attempting to cover it all up. Those are strong charges.”
“I didn’t make –“
”Not on the face of it. But anyone reading between the lines will come to the same conclusions I did. Namely, if it wasn’t for the Knight Sabers, terrorists would have Hikigane.”
“The General was the one who hired them.”
“The point is, it should have never come to that.” Chin stood.. “I’ve read you record, Captain, and I like what I read. USSD needs people like you, and it would be a pity to have you career cut short by this report.”
“And for the good of the service, you want me to change my report?” Rowley’s tone was cold and hard.
Chin took a deep breath. “Yes. As much as I hate to say it, yes.”
“What will happen to Schwartz and Stern?”
“The General will ‘retire’, while the Major will resign, and that will be the public end of the situation. Privately, General Cantrick will do his best to make sure both Schwartz and Stern are never given a position of authority anywhere.” The Major held up a hand to forestall Rowley’s question. “Let me make myself clear on why we want your report to be changed. Unlike some, General Cantrick does not like sweeping things under the rug. He would love to rake Schwartz and Sterns over the coals over this entire situation. But he can’t.”
“Why not?”
“General Schwartz has friends, both in NATO and individual governments, friends that will shield him from prosecution. A court-martial would expose USSD to too much scrutiny and end up becoming a circus, especially if word gets out that at the complete lack of security around Hikigane. Simple put, if this report of yours got out, there would be an uproar and USSD will suffer a possible crippling blow to its reputation.”
“That still sounds like USSD is trying to sweep this under the rug,” Rowley replied cooly.
“Maybe I should talk to her Major,” said a deep growling voice.
Chin looked down at the computer monitor. “Yes Sir.” the Major turned the monitor around so it faced Rowley. Rowley frowned, but a thought flashed across her mind: Someone’s been listening in on this conversation!
The man on the screen scowling at Rowley was wearing the uniform of a USSD General. White hair, a craggy face, and piercing blue eyes gave the impression of an angry grandfather. He gave Rowley the once over, then nodded. “Do you know who I am, Captain?” the man growled.
“Yes sir,” Rowley replied. “General Cantrick.”
Cantrick nodded. “I have your report, and I have read it. I am impressed with your ability and talents to discover evidence that had been overlooked by those...idiots. But Major Chin is right about your report. It is political dynamite and if it was to ever get out, USSD is finished as anything more then a laughing stock. USSD is relied upon to keep the peace, and our reputation is an important part of our peace-keeping efforts. There at least three different trouble spots in the world that could explode into war if this report gets out, and all three could involve nuclear weapons.”
He inhaled deeply. “Captain, please do not think I am covering up this disaster, no matter how it looks. Major Chin has told you I will do anything I can to make sure those idiots are never given a position of authority anywhere for the rest of their lives. At the same time, I have to clean up the mess they left, and while your report is excellent, it is an obstacle to that cleanup.”
Rowley bit her lip. “I don’t like this, sir.”
“If it’s any comfort, neither do I. I would love to take your report and jam it down the throats of half a dozen pinheads who agreed to go ahead with Hikigane.”
There was silence for a moment, then Rowley asked, “You didn’t support the Hikigane project?”
The General’s face darkened. “No, I did not,” he growled. “Hikigane was suppose to be an ace in the hole, just in case our reputation wasn’t enough. I felt that if we’re ever forced to use the damn thing, we’re already in deep shit. Now, thanks to the incompetence of the last two weeks, we’ve got to try and recover those files before someone figures out how to put their own particle satellite targeting system together.”
“How do we do that sir?”
“We don’t. You do.”
“Excuse me?” Rowley asked.
Cantrick looked at Chin. “Major, do you have those orders?” Chin nodded. “Please give them to Captain Rowley.”
Chain handed Rowley a folded piece of paper. Rowley opened it and stared at the typewritten words:
TO: Rowley, Amanda C. Captain, USSD SEASIA Command
FROM: LeBlanc, Jean R., Commanding General, USSD.
RE: Change of Orders
TTS: 15/5/32 12:45:23
1. You are hereby relived as liaison officer, Project Hikigane.
2. You are hereby promoted to the rank of Major, effective as of the TTS.
3. You are temporally reassigned to USSD Internal Security, and report directly to Cantrick, Robert E., Major General, until otherwise directed.
4. Refer any questions regarding these orders to Cantrick, Robert E., Major
General.
Signed,
Major General Jean R. LeBlanc,
Commanding officer, USSD.
“Congratulations on you promotion, Major Rowley,” said Cantrick.
Rowley held up the paper. “These orders are two hours old. What happens if I don’t rewrite the report?”
“The rank is yours, regardless of whether or not your report is rewritten. You were due for promotion in three months anyway. All I did was move up the date. For the work you’ve done in this matter, you deserved it.”
For a report no one will ever see. “It also said I’m reassigned to Internal Security, reporting directly to you.”
“Yes, because I need someone I can trust in place there. Major Chin is a fine officer, but you know the territory better then he does.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Cantrick leaned back in his chair. “You will be commanding a special security unit that reports directly to me. You will be outside USSD SEASIA’s command structure and handle missions within Southeast Asia. Your first mission is to locate and either destroy all copies of the files stolen from Hikigane.”
“That’s a tall order, especially if what I have heard about the people behind the thefts is true.” If you’ve actually read my report, you’ll know who I’m talking about.
“I know who you’re talking about, especially after reading between the lines of your report.” The General looked grave, a sure sign that he had read the report and the veiled inferences to GENOM. “But they have tentacles too deep in too many places. That’s another reason why I want you to rewrite your report. These people do not play fair, and short of doing the unthinkable, beyond our reach. If we think you’re a problem, we’ll ship you somewhere where you can’t cause trouble. These people will simple eliminate you, then make you look like the criminal. So I am telling you right now, be careful.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Will you take the command?”
Rowley took a deep breath and nodded. “What assets do I have for this command?”
“Major Chin?”
Major Chin opened a folder and read off a list. “As of right this minute, you have four platoons of security troopers, eight MH-45U Nighthawk transport helicopters, eight M-47 Armored Personnel Carriers, nine K-12B armored battle suits, and two platoons of assorted support staff. Overall strength is seven officers, two hundred and fifteen enlisted.”
The brand new major blinked. “That’s a lot of assets.”
“To start with, yes,” Cantrick replied. “We will be adding and subtracting assets as need, to reflect the changing role of your unit, but what Major Chin listed is about what you can expect as a minimum.”
“What our my orders regarding the Knight Sabers?” Rowley asked. “More likely then not General Schwartz has already hired them to retrieve the files.”
“He has,” Cantrick replied. “Personally, I don’t like using third parties to clean up our messes, but these Sabers have a very good reputation.”
“They managed to retrieve and return Cynthia to us in one piece.”
Which is why I’m will to cut them a break for now. As long as their goals and ours don’t clash, then I am willing to stay out of their way.”
“Understood sir. What about the others in the liaison office? What happens to them?”
“Sargent Major Schildt will you your new unit’s senior NCO, while Sargent Sanchez will head up your unit’s Computer support section. Under the circumstances, I thought you would want people you can trust.”
“Thank you sir.”
“They should have their orders already,” the general continued, unable to read Rowley’s thoughts. “You have thirty-six hours to get your unit organized. We should have some leads for you to work on by then.”
“Yes sir. About the report....”
“Late next week will be soon enough, Major Rowley. You have a unit to put together, and not a lot of time to do it in. I’m counting on your abilities to perform the mission.”
Rowley swallowed a sigh, straightened to attention and saluted. “I understand sir.”
“One other thing, Major. You and your people will have a free hand on any mission I assign to your unit. I cannot and will not micro manage you. Results are the most important thing I want out of this, but if you can accomplish your mission without bloodshed or publicity, that would be a welcome event. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes sir.”
Cantrick nodded, suddenly looking tired. “Then you had better get going. I hope the next time we speak, you’ll be reporting success. Good-bye.” The screen went blank, leaving Chin and Rowley alone.
The investigator reached into a pocket and removed a small case. He handed it to Rowley. “Your new rank emblems,’ he said matter-of-fact. “I know there should be a ceremony, but we don’t have the time to waste. Besides, you’re now one of the few senior officers on this base that still has any authority left.”
“That bad?” Rowley asked, taking the small case from Chin and opening it. The glitter of golden oak leaves sitting on blue velvet looked like a pair of eyes staring back at her.
Chin’s expression was neutral. “Yes. I suggest you leave the investigation to my people – the less you know, the better.”
Rowley managed to keep her own expression neutral. “Very well. Is there anything else?”
“No.”
Rowley turned and stated for the door. As she reached it, Chin said. “Oh, there is one other thing I want to tell you.”
Rowley turned to look at him. “Yes?”
“Congratulations on you promotion, Major Rowley. You did deserve it.”
“Thank you Major Chin. Now I have to live up to General Cantrick’s expectations.”
“I have no doubts you will, Major. Good day.”
*****
When the motor on the elevator started, Craig looked up from the computer. He looked at the clock sitting on the desk next to the computer. Who the hell is wanting to see me at three o’clock in the morning?
Patton and Zhukov, the two dogs with him, had been lying under the dining room table. Now, they were up and alert. Not actively hostile, but alert and ready.
Craig drew his pistol from the holster at the small of his back, reconsidered before holstering it, then got up and went over to the bookcase on the wall separating the workout area from the rest of his apartment. The bookcase swung away from the wall easily, reveling a large shallow cavity in the wall. Craig pulled out a compact assault rifle with attached grenade launcher and a belts of magazines for both. He then turned to the small desk light and turn it off, darkening the apartment.
The elevator stopped just as he slapped a full magazine into the weapon. He spun, using the wall to shield most of his body as he aimed the rifle in the direction of the elevator. There was some light in the entryway, but most of the floor was in shadows. The built-in targeting laser, activated by the warmth of Craig’s hands, shot a thin thread of light towards the elevator’s entrance and the figure emerging from the car....
...and came to rest between Sylia’s breasts.
The leader of the Knight Sabers cooly look down at the red dot, then looked up at Craig. “Good,” she said calmly. “I don’t have to wake you up.”
Craig pointed the rifle up so the laser was now paining the ceiling. “Sylia? What in the blue bloody blazes are you doing here?”
“Emergency meeting,” she replied. She was dressed what for her was casual, but what was for most people semi-formal, in a gray business skirt, coat and white blouse. “The others will be here shortly.” She looked at the assault rifle in Craig’s hands. “Interesting choice. You do realize that weapon is highly illegal?”
“I’m well aware of it, but some people, like vacuum salesmen and rampaging boomers, don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. I could have shot you!”
Sylia walked over and, with her index finger, tapped a small level on the side of the rifle. “Not until you take the safety off,” she said softly, smiling slightly.
“Arg,” Craig muttered, as he realized she was right. He looked at the rifle, then back at Sylia. “Why didn’t you call before you scared me out of ten years growth?”
“I would have, but by the time I got a hold of Priss and Nene, I was already here.”
“What about Linna?”
“She’s the one that called me first,” Sylia replied. “Under the circumstances, I thought meeting here was best.”
“What’s wrong?” Craig asked, removing the magazine from the rifle before he put the firepower back into the cavity.
“Irene says the overnight tests have been moved up. They start Saturday.”
“Shit.” Craig pushed the bookcase back into place, then turn the main lights on. “You better come on in. I’ll start making the tea.”
***
It was an hour later. In that time, the rest of the team had shown up, Linna had explained what Irene had told her, and both Craig and Priss had cursed in frustration. Now they were sitting around Craig’s living area.
“So what are we going to do?” Craig asked. “We had planned with weeks in mind, not a couple of days!”
“We change our plans,” the leader of the Knight Sabers replied calmly. She sipped from a large cup of tea.
“To what?” Priss asked.
“We have to go after the superboomer Saturday night,” Sylia said softly.
The others looked at her in shock, except for Linna. “Sylia’s right.” Now it was her turn to get the stares from Nene, Priss, Mackie, and Craig. “We can’t wait.”
Craig got up and started pacing. “So we go in, guns blazing, destroy the superboomer, maybe get back the files GENOM stole from USSD, and get out without a couple of thousand merry metal madmen killing us. Does anyone see the problem here?”
“Not with guns blazing,” Sylia replied, “but essentially that is what we’re going to do.”
“How are we going to do it?” Linna asked.
Sylia stood and motioned Craig to sit down. He shook his head and continue to pace. “The first thing is that we’re going to do is remove both Jeremy and Irene from the situation tomorrow night.” She looked at Nene. “Do you finish with the N-police records?”
“All set up. There’s now a Detective Douglas Q. Sangnoir and a Detective Yumeko Van Vliet listed in the N-Police files as members of the Major Crimes Unit.”
“Good.”
“Wait a fricking minute!” Craig stopped pacing and looked at Sylia. “Yumeko Van Vliet?” he screeched, eyes wide in amazement. “Are you out of your mind?”
“No.”
“What’s wrong with Yumeko Van Vliet?” Nene asked, puzzled at Craig’s reaction..
Craig glared at Sylia. “Should I tell them or will you?”
“Afterwards,” Sylia replied. “It’s too complex to get into here and now.”
“Why don’t you put a honking big neon arrow on top of your building with the words, ‘Knight Sabers HQ’ on it?”
“I want to send Mason and Largo a message.” Sylia sipped from her teacup, looking cool and elegant. “I want them aware that we’re moving against them.”
Craig shook his head. “This is about as subtle as an avalanche.”
“They’re actively looking for Bert Van Vliet, not Yumeko Van Vliet. They will figure it out, but not until after the fact.”
“What the hell is wrong with ‘Yumeko Van Vliet ’?” Priss snarled.
“Well, you know where the ‘Van Vliet’ comes from,” Craig replied. “But in another dimension, you, Priss Asagiri, have a daughter, who you name ‘Yumeko.’”
“What the Fuck are you talking about?” the singer growled, pushing herself out of the chair and glaring at Craig. “You mean I had a kid with this Van Vliet guy?”
“Er....no. While your counterpart is in a relationship with Van Vliet in at least one dimension, you being Yumeko’s mother occurs in another dimension entirely....I think. But there is speculation that if you and Bert ever –“
”That’s enough for now,” said Sylia calmly. “Priss, just think of the name ‘Yumeko Van Vliet ’ as another psychological trick to annoy Mason.” Priss sank back into her chair, but she didn’t look happy.
Craig started to pace again, not looking at Sylia. “It’s too late to do anything about it,” he growled, “but I’m still not happy with using Sangnoir again.”
“It should be safe, as long as you don’t go anywhere near USSD.”
“Why did you use that identity again?” Mackie asked Nene.
“It was easier then creating a brand new character for Craig,” the redhead explained. “All I had to do was change some data and place it into the N-police’s network. I then just modified the data files I used for Sangnoir and created Van Vliet.”
Craig ran a hand through his hair. “Which is all nice and well, but now useless, because we don’t have the time to build up our story.”
“It should be all right.”
“I hope you’re right. I also hope Jeremy doesn’t recognize me.”
“It’s another risk we’re going to have to take,” Sylia said. “I want both of them safely out of the way before we strike at the research lab. Besides, you’ll be in disguise and in character, it’ll be early in the morning, and he’s going to be tired. By the time he might realize that something is wrong, he’ll be in the car, under sedation.”
Craig stopped pacing and folded his arms over his chest. “You haven’t told us who gets to be ‘Yumeko Van Vliet’ for this Mission Improbable,” he said.
“Priss.”
The singer shot out of her chair again. “Now wait a fucking minute!” she shouted. “Why do I have to be Captain Midnight’s sidekick? Why don’t you send miss Cyberpunk or Linna along?”
“Jeremy knows Linna better then he knows Craig,” Sylia replied. “He would recognize her quicker then he would Craig. Neither Mackie nor Nene look like police detectives, and my face has been in enough newspaper and television stories so that he might recognize me. Besides, we all have other responsibilities at the same time.”
“Like what?” Linna asked.
“Well, Linna and Nene are going to pick up Irene, while Craig and Priss grab Jeremy. Mackie and I will be monitoring both operations, and act as a reserve in case one team gets into trouble.”
Craig raised his hand. “Er...what happens if both teams get into trouble at the same time?”
“I will make a decision then.”
“Oh.” Craig started looking around. “Does anyone see a lump of gray matter? If you do, it’s my mind, because I’ve lost mine somewhere during this conversation.”
“We have to take risks,” Sylia replied, ignoring Craig. “We had hope to remove Jeremy, record his testimony, retrieve or destroy the files, then remove Irene.”
“Why couldn’t we remove Irene at the same time as Jeremy?” Linna asked.
“Because I was going to fake Irene’s death, and that takes time to set up. Jeremy was just going to disappear.”
“Would Mason fall for that?” Priss asked.
“Long enough for us to get them out of the country and to safety.”
“You mean getting them to the Hou Bang,” said Linna, frowning.
Sylia looked at Craig, who had taken an abnormal interest in the ceiling. She then sighed. “I suppose it was too much to hope for.”
“Too much for what?” Nene asked.
“What Sylia means,” said Linna, “is that Irene is the granddaughter of Dr. Chang Chongk, who is the head of the Chang conglomerate.”
“Wow,” Nene whispered. Even Mackie looked impressed.
Priss wasn’t impressed. “And how long have you known this?” the singer snarled at Sylia.
“Drop it Priss,” Craig said sharply. The others looked at him, surprised at his tone. “Sylia didn’t tell you because you didn’t need to know. Irene is exactly what she seems to be, a young girl trying to make it on her own. She didn’t have to leave the safety of the Hou Bang, but she did. She wanted to be independent, but because of events beyond her control, she’s been marked for death. She needs help, not grief.”
The room was silent for a minute. “I still think we should have been told,” Priss replied, glaring at Craig.
Craig shrugged. “Details, details. We’re suppose to save Irene and Jeremy, not write their biography.”
“Craig’s right,“ said Sylia. She closed her eyes and for a moment looked tired. “It’s going to take me most of today to put some other plans into motion, plans that I thought I would have more time to perfect. We’re all going to have move faster then I wanted to. That means that both Irene and Jeremy are going to have to disappear at the same time.” She opened her eyes and stood. “We’ll meet here at ten o’clock tonight. Mackie will drive the truck.”
“What about the boomers watching the Lady663 building?” Mackie asked.
“I’ll make sure the boomer’s attention is distracted when you leave.”
“How much longer will you put up with them watching you?” Linna asked.
“Not much longer,” Sylia replied.
“Define ‘not much longer,’” said Craig.
“Saturday night.. We will discuss that later. Any other questions?”
“What’s the capital of Mississippi?”
Everyone turned to look at Craig, puzzled looks on their faces. Craig’s expression was that of disappointment. “You guys really need a sense of humor.”
“I don’t think our sense of humor is the problem,” Mackie muttered.
Sylia raised an eyebrow. “I meant any other questions regarding tonight’s mission.”
There was none. Sylia looked around the room at the others. “We know what we have to do in the next forty-eight hours, so I won’t waste your time. We better get some rest because we’re going to be busy this weekend. Let’s go.”