"I'd still like to ring and speak to Luke tonight, just to reassure myself, Kiera."
"Okay. We'll be at his place; do you have his mobi number?"
"Yes thanks. I'll ring at 9 p.m. to confirm the operation. Right, that's everything, Kiera. I'll see you tomorrow." He got up and ushered her to the door. "Good luck."
#
During the trip home, she worried about Luke. The element of surprise was everything. It was essential that he stayed calm. After this morning's argument, she hoped like hell he'd support the actions she'd taken. If Williamson got wind of anything, the whole thing could fall apart. Fingers of fear wrapped around her insides and squeezed. For a moment she couldn't breathe, and a wave of nausea swept over her.
When she got home, she called her dad. She realised how lucky she was that he'd maintained all his contacts and had been able to give her credibility with his associates, John Harrington in particular.
"Hi, Dad."
"Hi, sweetheart. From what I hear, it's all falling nicely into place."
Kiera found his steady voice comforting. "Yes, mostly thanks to your influence. I couldn't have done this without you, Dad."
"You realise you're probably about to go down in legal history. When this comes to trial, it will establish new precedents. I think it will be a landmark case. I'm so proud of you, Kiera. What you've done has taken real guts."
Kiera heard the slight choke in her father's voice. Perhaps she had finally redeemed herself. A couple of years ago, at her mum's insistence, she'd forgiven her dad for his affair and the marriage breakup. The relationship had remained cool, distant and restrained. But over the past couple of weeks, they'd grown closer. Like a nan-neuro circuit, threads had reconnected to make their love whole again.
"Thanks, Dad." Her own throat tightened. "But it wasn't just down to me. Jack's been incredible, and Luke's my inspiration. I just hope we can pull it off."
"Everything will go like clockwork, you'll see. Good luck sweetheart, and be careful. If anything goes wrong, don't put yourself in danger, just pull out."
"Okay, Dad."
"I'm dying to meet this fellow of yours when this is over. He must be something really special."
"He is. I can honestly say that I've found the love of my life, Dad. Speak to you soon, bye." She hung up, and brushed tears from the corners of her eyes. She couldn't afford to get all sentimental. She needed to be rational and focused, and more to the point, she needed Luke to be rational and focused. Her stomach tightened at the thought of another confrontation. Seashells came to mind, and it reminded her of crunching through shell grit along a deserted beach.
Chapter 19
Luke left work earlier than normal but not enough to arouse suspicion. When he arrived home, the mouth-watering aroma of steak and onions was wafting from his door. As soon as he opened it, Kiera darted out of the kitchen. She skipped across the room and threw her arms around him.
"Hi sweetie, how was your day?"
"Have you been drinking?" Luke dropped his bag and gave her a gentle hug.
"Just a little. I needed some red wine to add to the steak and onions, so I raided your cellar. I had to try it, of course, to make sure it was okay. I've only had half a glass, and I've poured you one."
"My cellar? All six bottles? Luke groaned, "You haven't used the forty-five, have you? Please tell me you haven't used it for cooking." He grabbed the wine bottle and turned it around. "Thank the Universe for that." He gave a relieved sigh before chuckling.
"I'm not a total idiot when it comes to wine, I'll have you know. Oh God! My onions are beginning to burn." She dashed back into the kitchen. Luke followed her and surveyed the carnage. In Kiera's usual style, cutting boards, vegetable scraps, and various utensils littered the kitchen benches. He struggled to keep his expression neutral.
"I think it's cooked, I just have to make some toast. I promise I won't burn it." Kiera opened the freezer and got out the bread.
He could already smell the burnt toast—time to escape. "I'll just go and wash my hands and change." When he re-emerged, Kiera was setting two plates down at the table.
"There you go; steak and onion sandwiches with salad, accompanied by a glass of wine." She sat down opposite him and began hoeing into her toasted sandwich. Brown juice began running down her chin and dripping off her fingers.
His mouth watered, as he realised how hungry he'd become—again. He wolfed down his own sandwich. They sat there in comfortable silence licking juice from their fingers. "You make a pretty mean steak sandwich, Kiera."
Kiera beamed at him. "I do, don't I. I bought some cake for sweets. Just a little indulgence before tomorrow."
"Are we comfort eating?" Luke asked.
"Absolutely." Kiera vanished into the kitchen.
Luke cringed when he heard his plates, crash into the sink. Fortunately, his crockery was sturdy enough to be Kiera proof.
After they'd cleared the table, Kiera set up her laptop.
"Worktime," Kiera said, "Time to reveal exactly what Jack and I were up to last night."
"I was beginning to think it was a taboo subject."
"I wasn't going to show you, but Jack changed my mind."
Luke frowned. Jack again! He imagined Jack's ghost poised behind him about to tap his shoulder.
"Luke!"
He started. He needed to stay focused. "Sorry."
"I warn you, Luke, you're going to find this shocking." Kiera grimaced. "It's an experience I don't ever want to go through again."
Luke wondered what on earth was coming. Kiera brought up the file and pressed enter. They sat in silence as its contents played on the screen in front of them. His thoughts drifted from mild amusement to revulsion. He sucked in his breath when Lianna, the Asian guide, described in detail the use of the various illegal pheromones, including those that induced pain.
"Zarking hell, the bloody bastard. The Zarking, bloody bastard."
Kiera pressed the pause button.
"No wonder you were so upset. I understand now why you didn't want to talk about it, but why didn't you tell me what you were going to do? I could have gone instead."
Kiera scowled. "No, you couldn't have! You wouldn't have been able to trust someone you'd only just met."
Luke avoided her gaze, and mumbled, "No, probably not."
"Jack and I know one another well." She hesitated. "We have a certain connection."
Luke raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you call it?"
Kiera ignored his comment and continued on, "You couldn't have helped. Only Jack's skills and knowledge enabled me to get in and out without being detected. It was strictly a job for two people."
"But it was so Zarking dangerous. Great Universe, Kiera, what if you'd been caught?" He shook his head. "I can't believe you did this without telling me." He sat rigid in his seat, struggling with his anger.
Kiera remained quiet and stared at the screen. "You need to see the rest. If you think what you've seen is bad, the next bit will make you feel positively sick." She avoided meeting his eyes and pressed play.
Luke sucked in his breath and sat forward, "Oh Zark...please, Holy Universe, tell me this isn't real." He began rocking backwards and forwards, "Oh Zark! Oh Kiera...this is Zarking unbelievable." On the screen, the camera panned around a small room—full of children. He listened intently to the exchange between Lianna and Kiera.
The camera zoomed in on the main label in front of the central section holding the android children. Luke's breath caught in his throat when he read the words, 'each orifice stretches comfortably ...' His stomach lurched. He leapt up, raced to the bathroom, and heaved into the toilet.
Kiera, appeared in the doorway, her face full of concern. "Luke! Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." He flushed the toilet and splashed cold water on his face. He caught his image in the mirror. A deathly white apparition stared back at him. After he patted his face dry, he walked back into the lounge.
Kiera had sat back down at the computer
.
"I don't think I want to see any more," he said, weakly, as he sat next to her.
"I need to show you the last one," Kiera fast forwarded through the rest of the children. She pressed pause when it reached the final boy. "This was the one that made me lose it, Luke, because he looked so much like you." She pressed play.
Luke sat transfixed—the uncanny resemblance to himself as a boy made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He listened to the commentary and reached out and took Kiera's hand when he heard the boy say, 'Please take me home and be my mother.' Kiera started to sniffle, so he stabbed the pause button. The scene froze in front of them. Luke swallowed hard and sat forward to read the close-up of the label on the screen, 'All available options from the previous room are available with these models. Pain is one of our specialties. Ask the guide to elaborate and remember we can tailor your order to your specific needs.'
"Oh Kiera." Luke turned away. His throat went tight, as tears prickled in the corner of his eyes. "I'm sorry…I can't…that's enough. Shut it down"
Kiera wiped her face with her hands before shutting down the laptop.
Luke stood up. "I need a drink, how about you?"
"No, I think I've had enough for tonight. I need a clear head for tomorrow morning."
Luke went into the kitchen and opened the fridge but after a few seconds slammed it shut.
Kiera called after him, "I'm sorry, Luke, but you had to see it. We're springing a slightly different version of this on Williamson tomorrow."
"I know, but I wish I hadn't. I'm going to find it hard to get those images out of my mind." He stuck his head out of the kitchen door. "Let's sit on the lounge, and you can fill me in on the details for tomorrow. I'll make us some tea."
When he came out with the tea, Kiera, lost in thought, sat staring blankly into space.
She focused on him as he set the cups down.
He sat next to her, leant over and wrapped his arms around her.
She began to cry.
He held her and stroked her hair while she sobbed.
"I…wanted…to rescue him, Luke," she said, in between gulps of air. "It took all of my strength not to pick him up and run out of that dreadful place."
Luke took her face in his hands. "It will end for them tomorrow, Keira, when Williamson is arrested, and, it will be down to you."
"And Jack.''
"And Jack,'' Luke reluctantly agreed.
"But what about the thousands of other androids that must be out there? Williamson's can't be the only ones. How does this help them?"
"It will focus the public's attention, Kiera, and bring it out into the open. Most people are probably unaware it's going on. Hopefully, it will result in changes in the laws. It will certainly make things more difficult for people involved in this sort of thing."
Kiera's expression brightened. "Yes, you're right. I guess we have to believe in the basic goodness of most of us." She drew in a deep breath. "Okay. Enough of that. Let's get on with our plans for tomorrow. We are going to pull the SAD routine."
"What?" Luke gave her an incredulous look.
Kiera laughed. "It's an acronym for shock, anger and distract. We're actually providing the police with a diversion. It's to keep Williamson busy, so he doesn't become aware of the three raids, the police are going to carry out."
"Oh, I see."
"It's to prevent him from activating any of his fail-safes. I mean, he's certain to have procedures in place to dispose of incriminating evidence in an emergency. So, I've been told to shock Williamson as much as possible."
"How are you going to do that?"
"I've been given a memory stick that, when plugged into Williamson's computer, will upload a link to a live feed. A policewoman is going to be filming the same tour I did last night."
"So, he won't see the footage you took, Kiera?"
"No. That way, my involvement is kept secret."
Luke rested his chin on his hand. "I'm not sure Williamson will just let you plug in a memory stick to his computer."
"I have a strategy for that." Kiera sighed.
"Enlighten me."
"That would spoil it. It's on a need-to-know basis, and currently, only I need to know. But whatever I say or do, Luke, don't intervene, okay?"
"Kiera, I thought we'd agreed there would be no more secrets." He ran his fingers through his hair.
"This is different, Luke. John thought it would be best."
"John? Who's John?" His stomach clenched, and his fists became tight.
"Oh, for God’s sake, Luke. John Harrington––Detective Inspector John Harrington." She glared at him. "I thought you said you trusted me, Luke."
He took a deep breath and relaxed his hands. "Sorry, Kiera. I do trust you."
"I'll show you the transmission device I'm going to wear tomorrow." She fished around in her pocket and pulled out a clear bag containing a spherical object about the size of a small button.
"Great Universe! You wouldn't want to drop it. How does it stay on?"
"It's coated with Gek-skin, it will stick to anything. You can't pull it off, it slides off." She dropped the bag into his outstretched hand.
Luke examined its contents closely before handing it back to her. "So that's going to record everything we say and transmit it back to the police?"
"Yes." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost 9 o'clock. Detective Harrington insisted on speaking to you tonight, Luke, because he wants to reassure himself you're okay with all this. He'll pull the operation, in its current form, unless we can guarantee that neither of us will lose our tempers."
"Look, I know the importance of staying cool, Kiera. I promise I won't lose it," he paused, "under any circumstances."
"Okay. The other thing I need to tell you is that the police need you to give a statement about the pheromone lab incident."
"Oh." He locked eyes with her.
Her expression was so serious.
"I'm sure I can get through that, it won't be the end of the world." He swallowed down his acute embarrassment.
At that moment, his mobi rang.
"That will be Detective Harrington."
Luke pulled his mobi out and answered it. It was Detective Harrington. He set the detective's mind to rest by convincing him that he could execute the plan and stay in control. The detective, after a brief conversation with Kiera, confirmed that the operation would go ahead.
Kiera handed him back his mobi. She appeared calm.
"It's reassuring, knowing five minutes after confronting Williamson, the police will be coming through the door."
"Absolutely." Her face became sombre. "Do you think this is worth the risk, Luke?
"After what you've shown me tonight Kiera––yes."
Kiera's eyes brightened, and she smiled up at him.
"What did Detective Harrington say to you, Kiera?"
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask. He said Williamson is unpredictable, and we need to be extremely careful. But he was adamant he didn't want either of us to place ourselves in any danger. So, if things get too hot––we scarper." Kiera took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's have a bit of a run through."
Once they'd rehearsed their performances as much as they were able, he and Kiera went to bed at around ten. Sleep proved elusive, his brain inundated with thoughts about the next morning.
Chapter 20
"Ready?" Kiera whispered, squeezing Luke's hand.
"Ready." Luke gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Kiera tapped on Williamson's door.
"Enter," boomed Williamson's voice.
She opened the door and strode in, followed by Luke.
Williamson looked up. Holding his face in an unreadable expression, he stood, walked around and leant on the front of his desk. His eyes flicked from her to Luke.
"Well, this is a surprise." He smiled his empty smile. In an instant it vanished, replaced by an expression of controlled fury. "What do you want? I'm busy." He stood glaring at them, his han
ds gripping the desk behind him. "Ah, let me guess. You wish to discuss Luke's relocation. I am afraid the decision's been made, and it's nonnegotiable. I won't be persuaded otherwise. Quite frankly, Luke, I'm a little disappointed that you thought involving Kiera would convince me to change my mind. Quite to the contrary, it only reinforces my resolve." He leant back on his hands.
"We've something you need to see," Kiera said, unfazed by his smug expression. She placed the folder containing all the information she had gathered on the desk.
"Oh, I very much doubt that, Kiera. Anything that you say, do, or show me now, would be a total waste of time. Now get back to work, both of you." He stood up from the desk as if to reinforce his superiority." Actually, before you go, I have something to show you." He moved back around his desk and sat down. "Luke's going to be interested, Kiera. Very interested indeed." He swished his hands past his desk screen. "Turnaround, Kiera, Luke."
She and Luke turned.
A second later, to Kiera's horror, the three screens on the wall facing Williamson's desk displayed multiple images of a bleary eyed, dishevelled young girl, complete with long, bright pink hair on one side, a shaved scalp on the other, and wearing an angry expression. It was her mug shot taken after her arrest when she was sixteen.
She glanced at Luke. His mouth had fallen open in shock. Her hands tightened into fists. "You Zarking bastard! That information is confidential. It's way in the past." A little voice in her head was saying––careful Kiera, don't lose your cool. She smothered her anger and eyed Williamson, keeping her expression calm. "I have no criminal record. How did you get hold of it?" she hissed.
"Oh, I have connections everywhere," Williamson smiled. "I always make sure that I have a little insurance for all my employees, just in case they get out of hand. It makes for a peaceful workplace."
Kiera watched as Luke swallowed shock and pulled his face back into a mask of calmness.
"This is irrelevant," he said, indicating the screens.
"You mean she didn't tell you about how she killed her friend?" Williamson feigned an expression of shocked surprise.
"Kiera is my partner. I don't care what she did in the past," Luke said, defiantly. "Show him what we've got, Kiera."
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