by Gennita Low
“Beat the odds,” he muttered.
* * * *
Using binoculars, they all watched from afar. Waiting.
Then, there was a slow roar, an avalanche of sound that echoed like ominous thunder, the familiar rumble of explosives. The whole island lit up, flames shooting miles high in the distance.
Soon, there would be helicopters and air patrols on the way. McNeil had a way of getting governments to cooperate, especially when the glory became theirs to take. Saving a convention full of Interpol personal—that would make worldwide headlines. The SEALs faded into the darkness, their CRRCs taking them back to the waiting submarine. The other operatives guided their crafts into international waters to await further orders.
Dec and Shane grimly looked on for a second or two longer. Then they too turned.
“Home,” Dec said.
“Then we go after the bastards, one by one,” Shane said.
* * * *
Dear Reader,
There is an EPILOGUE and notes of interest from my research after this page. The epilogue shows the connection of MacKenzie Securities’ scientific research with my Super Soldier Spy project’s experimentation with exoskeleton and brainwave machines (Jed’s and Helen’s series). It was awesome to be able to work my spy themes into Liliana’s world and vice-versa.
I hope you enjoyed this story. If you did, perhaps you would like to share it as a review so other readers will find this book too. It is so important to have a written review (not just rate it) because they are what counts for the author, not only as feedback, but also as the way to get promotions and ads. This is because some companies do not bother with books which have fewer than 30 reviews.
Thank you so much! You know all my furbabies and I appreciate your taking the time!
Regards,
Gennita
You can read Jed’s story in VIRTUALLY HERS
You can read Hawk’s story in HUNTER
You can read Jazz’s story in PROTECTOR
You can find out about Cucumber’s cucumber in WARRIOR
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EPILOGUE
Encrypted message from Uncle JD
Dec, regarding the agreed upon exchange of information. Your science notes were very helpful. Here’s what’s in the works at DARPA. Read memo and special attached notes. Make your own conclusions.
Regards,
Uncle J
MEMO
FYEO (For Your Eyes Only)
Cc: Intelligence Security Command (INSCOM), Los Alamos Task Force Unit Chief Scientist for Operation
Past memo collected from various sources regarding human augmentation.
Re: The Virus Program
Unclassified 2003 DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) Report: “The human is becoming the weakest link. Sustaining and augmenting human performance will have significant impact on Defense missions and systems.” (http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/superSoldier.pdf )
Latest DARPA budget request to fulfill projects researching on:
* cracking the brain’s neural codes
* manipulating complicated machinery or remote-controlled weapons by thought alone (robotics and thought manipulation divisions) (Re: MACAQUE EXPERIMENT—success in manipulation of robotic arm with implanted brain sensors in monkeys)
* more work on the exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation. The $40 million program is already midway through the projected six-year run, experimenting on amplification of human muscle movements through a super body suit for the average soldier.
DARPA plans for further augmentation marrying brain and muscle power are challenged by the natural boundaries of human endurance.
On the $20 million Continuous Assisted Performance program, DARPA Director Tony Tether in a statement to the House Government Reform Committee: “The CAP is investigating ways to prevent fatigue and enable soldiers to stay awake, alert, and effective for up to seven consecutive days without suffering any deleterious mental or physical effects and without using any of the current generation of stimulants.”
DARPA’s top-secret still classified bio-research and human augmentation programs are also up for more funding. Identities of all operatives in program to be held top secret.
Dr. Paul Saffo, research director at the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, Calif., from interview, please click on link to hear entire quotation:
“Human augmentation is coming; the only question is how soon. This stuff is being worked on in all sorts of places all over the world. I’ll give you three options. We can stay in it and be state of the art and deal with the moral issues. We can get out of it completely and be bystanders. Or we can do this half-assed thing in the middle. Now, of those three options, which one do you think is rational?”
Of interest to Dr. Kirkland pertaining to his questions on remote viewing: Military Applications of Post-Quantum Physics: http://www.qedcorp.com/Q/ChiaoBell.html.
NOTES OF INTEREST
1. There was an Interpol Convention held in Bali on Nov. 7, 2016. It was the 85th Interpol General Assembly, attended by representatives from 167 countries.
2. Also in the news around that time was the kidnapping of several foreigners by Aby Sayyeh terrorists. I used both pieces of news to form my own story.
3. DARPA
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies
Of all the acronyms and agencies above, only DARPA is real. It is run by the Department of Defense. DARPA works on many, many cutting-edge technologies for the Defense Department and through the years, have also used their work to advance science for the betterment of life. Their research in the use of exoskeleton skin for injured veterans is one of these exciting projects.
While coming across many versions of projects called Super Soldier in my research, it occurred to me (while on the rooftop!) that it would be fun to write about a Super Solder SPY. A Female Super Soldier Spy. And thus started my deep research into the world of virtual reality, exoskeleton skin, remote-viewing and government secret programs. I had fun creating my own Super Soldier Spy in Helen Roston, a GEM operative, in my SSS series (Virtually Hers). All the projects are based on real government experiments that have been or are being conducted on humans and robots.
4. CRRC (Combat Rubber Recon Craft)
This is a specially fabricated rubber inflatable boat often used by United States Navy SEALs and Marines. It is used for inserting lightly armed night-raiding parties. They can be dropped out of a helicopter or launched from a ship and even a submarine.
DISCOVER THE LILIANA HART MACKENZIE FAMILY COLLECTION
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DANGEROUSLY HOT
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Kissing her turns up the heat to Dangerously Hot!
While working undercover looking for his missing brother, Luke meets the mysterious Nina who appears to know more than she's saying. Can Luke charm the sexy and dangerous Nina into assisting him?
Can they form the hottest partnership this side of Eastern Europe?
* * * *
CHAPTER ONE
Outskirts of Talinn, Estonia
The man was delicious to look at. What Americans would call “hot.” Tall. Dark-haired and rakish-looking with that stubble. And, as always, that heated look in his jewel-green eyes gave her a sudden need for a long cool drink, preferably with vodka.
She was long past the point of wondering why he affected her this way. He just did. At each meeting, she anticipated his gaze, so direct, so damn intimate, and each time, she couldn’t help herself. She winked at him. And then, depending on the situation, they would pick up or exchange items in the middle of the place or one of them would back away, following the unspoken protocol of a first-come-first-serve basis.
It was part of the game. She could play it a bit hotter but knew she couldn’t afford it. It was just too bad they were on opposite sides because she had a feeling it’d be more than a bit hotter.
Scorching, more like.
Her superiors wouldn’t approve any consorting without their say-so. After all, she was their fixer. She couldn’t be seen being friendly with someone who could use it against her.
But damn, he was hot. She waited for him to step back, do his usual two finger salute to acknowledge that she’d arrived first this time, but instead, he started walking slowly toward her.
She frowned. This wasn’t their pattern. Nowadays, their respective agencies had agreed to do things with the least casualties as possible. Yes, some treaties actually included secret clauses like “first-come-first-serve,” “positional operative compromise” and “negotiable exchange.”
So civilized.
She didn’t back away as he approached. Curiosity stopped her. He had a hand in his jacket, probably a weapon. It occurred to her she might be a target but she didn’t think so. If he’d wanted to kill her, he’d have done so already from five meters away. Or any number of times she’d bumped into him the last ten or so months.
They’d never spoken to each other directly. He’d never touched her. Their long looks at each other had been when there were no witnesses.
She watched, unable to move, as his hands came up and cupped her face. Tilted it up. His thumbs rubbed her cheeks. She didn’t do a thing as his head swooped down and his lips caught hers. His tongue swept into her surprised mouth. Tangled. Tasted. Vodka and lime. Five seconds, tops.
He stepped back and gazed down at her, those eyes cool and unreadable. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, a smile of a man who had just discovered a secret.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” he softly said, that husky American Southern twang sending a tingle down her spine.
That voice was distinct, instantly recognized in the European underground. The Cowboy had a reputation of getting things done his way. But she had a reputation too, a lethal one.
She continued watching him as he disappeared into the shadows. Five seconds could get a man killed. Five seconds could change one’s life.
* * * *
“So, did you make your move?”
Luke unzipped his leather jacket, shrugged out of it, and hung it on the hook by the entrance. His friend, Konstantin, continued regarding him from the small dining table as he walked to the fridge. Perusing his options, he closed it, and went for hard liquor instead. He went to sit across from his flat mate. He took a swig from the bottle.
Konstantin flapped the newspapers, folding it over, his dark eyes mocking him with a knowing gaze. “Was she that good? Or that bad?”
Ignoring Konstantin was pointless. He’d just continue riding him all night.
“Maybe I didn’t see her,” Luke said.
“And maybe cows don’t fly. You have the lovesick look about you, buddy.”
Luke grinned. Konstantin’s trademark of over-the-top exaggeration was just what he needed to loosen the tension inside him. His frustration must really be showing. Konstantin had that “I got you pegged” look in his eyes. “Pigs. It should be ‘and maybe pigs fly.’ Cows already don’t fly, Kostya.”
“Whatever.” Konstantin copied the popular American slang term with bored perfection. He flicked his hand expressively. “You’re changing the subject. You can’t distract me from my quest.”
His flat mate also loved online role-playing games. His current obsession was some medieval quest for magical weapons that pitted worldwide players against each other. Luke had watched him at his gaming sessions now and then, although it was beyond him why anyone, let alone someone who was in their business, would play a multi-level dungeon and dragons game for months on end without getting bored.
When asked, Konstantin had just shrugged and replied that it kept him on his toes, and besides, he met interesting people, from professors of medieval history to young men bored with their current factory jobs. Luke supposed those types were interesting to his friend only because they were ordinary people living safe, ordinary lives. He was so into it, he’d brought his current gaming character, Sir Constantinus, into his real-life dialogue, both amusing and somewhat disconcerting to some.
Luke took another swig and peered over the bottle. “And your quest is?”
“Come on, we all deal with information. Do you know how much I could get for proof that The Cowboy and La Niina are sitting on a branch?”
“In a tree,” Luke corrected and frowned. “I should’ve known you’d try to sell information like that.”
Konstantin snorted. “You don’t care if I do or I don’t. The ladies think The Cowboy is a handsome challenge anyway.”
Luke hadn’t chosen that nickname. They called him that because he was so obviously American, with his South Georgia drawl and his boots. It was a pretty useful one since it didn’t sound particularly threatening and was easily identifiable. It didn’t take too long for many in the underground network to get to know the name and it was the first one on their minds any time they needed something fixed that needed an American handler.
Exactly what he wanted. Information from the fringe. Non-network news.
As for La Niina, the woman given that handle of the cold front that swept through the oceans, was neither a child or frigid. In fact, she was all woman and smoldering hot.
ON BEHALF OF 1001 DARK NIGHTS,
Liz Berry and M.J. Rose would like to thank ~
Liliana Hart
Scott Silverii
Steve Berry
Doug Scofield
Kim Guidroz
Jillian Stein
InkSlinger PR
Asha Hossain
Fedora Chen
Kasi Alexander
Pamela Jamison
Chris Graham
Jessica Johns
Dylan Stockton
and Simon Lipskar
Table of Contents
BOOK DESCRIPTION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
EPILOGUE