Edge of Tomorrow

by Wolf Wootan

  “Why would I be wired?” shrugged Syd, searching for a chink in his armor.

  “You’re not even afraid. Most broads would be peeing their pants and crying by now,” he observed.

  “I’m too scared to be afraid,” she replied. The quiver in her voice was not all fake.

  “Let’s check for that wire, missy. Take off your clothes,” he ordered with a snicker.

  “Look at these clothes! You can see I’m not hiding anything!” she wailed.

  “Let’s just be sure. Besides, you’ve got a great body and I want to see it. Don’t mess with me! You’re trespassing and I can shoot you legally. Shirt off, now!”

  Syd glanced over his shoulder and saw a battery-driven clock on the wall. It was 3:40. When had she left Sara? How long had it been? She needed to keep him talking as long as she could, or she was dead!

  She pulled her body shirt off and put it on the table next to the couch. She stood there as he leered at her in her black bra. He was beginning to get an erection already.

  “Now, you can see I wasn’t hiding anything. Happy?”

  “Take off your bra and toss it over here. The CIA and the FBI have some great technology now,” he said as he ogled her body. “The sunglasses, too.”

  Syd tossed him her sunglasses and then reached behind her back, undid her bra, and tossed that to him. He caught both deftly in his left hand. He put the sunglasses on a table and began feeling the cloth of the bra for a hidden device. Finding none, he tossed it on the floor and picked up the sun glasses and inspected them. Syd crossed her arms over her breasts, wishing she was closer to him. She had no chance to take him at this distance. He was definitely a pro and his pistol never wavered.

  Vlastok decided at that moment that he was going to fuck her before he killed her. The white of her breasts against her tanned body was driving him crazy! Who would ever know? He would be safe back in Russia before her body was ever found.

  But who is she? Why is she here? I need to know.

  “The rest of your clothes now. We’re going to play the game of ‘hooker finds john’ now.”

  My God! He’s going to rape me! What in the hell have I done? I’ve really let Hatch down big time!

  Syd slipped off her leather skirt and laid it on the table with her shirt. She pointed to the couch.

  “May I sit down to take off the rest?”

  “Sure. But hurry up! Big John here is getting impatient!” he said, really wanting her now.

  Syd looked at the clock again as she sat down and took off her shoes. It was only 3:45. At least 15 more minutes until Sara came looking for her!

  This asshole is going to kill me when he gets through with me! I’ve got to stall some more. Shit! Why didn’t I let Sara come up here with me? What’s the matter with me?

  What Syd had not realized yet was that she was in this fix because she was still Syd! Anna Klein was still being repressed subconsciously. Syd had thought she was being Anna Klein, but in truth, she was merely acting out a charade. Anna Klein would never have found herself in such a situation! Carrying a weapon and sneaking around was insufficient. So far, she had acted as an amateur would, and was reaping the consequences.

  As she slipped out of her pantyhose, Vlastok was getting hotter and hotter, and it showed on his face. He was surprised when she said, “Who hired you to shoot Lincoln, Vlastok?”

  He wondered how she knew his name and why he was in the U.S. He could deny everything, but since he planned to kill her later anyway, why bother?

  “Well, well. What are you? FBI? Going after Gramble finally?” he laughed.

  “So it was Gramble,” she said as she stood up, completely naked now. “Look at my face for a second, instead of my body. Don’t you recognize me?”

  He looked at her intently, then it came to him. “You’re the broad who was with him when he was shot!”

  “Yes. I’m his fiancée. So Gramble hired you to kill him, eh?”

  “Sure. He’s been using my services for years. It sure took you guys a long time to sniff him out. Too bad he’ll slip through your fingers again. When I’m finished with you, I’ll be gone and you’ll have nothing on him.”

  Syd figured that if he thought she was from the FBI, she might be able to use that.

  “People know I’m here. If you kill me, they’ll come after you,” she said as she peered at the clock again. Ten long minutes to go!

  “Unfortunately for you, your country requires all sorts of evidence to convict people. There won’t be any, and I’ll be back in Russia. OK, enough of this! We can talk while I sample your wares,” replied Vlastok.

  Syd was trying not to panic, but she was not doing too well.

  I can either let this guy screw me for ten minutes, or make some sort of move now! I have one chance! I can turn his lust against him, maybe. A woman possesses the greatest power in the world, and it lies between her legs! Go for it, Syd!

  Anna Klein was struggling to be turned loose!

  Syd walked to the table where her leather skirt and shirt were. She leaned over the table, her ass pointing at Vlastok.

  “Could you do me this way? I don’t want to look at you while you’re raping me,” she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

  See my crocodile tears, asshole? thought Anna Klein as she took over Syd’s body.

  “So, you want it in the ass, eh?” he laughed.

  “I don’t want you in any of my orifices, you prick! But I guess I don’t have any choice, do I?”

  He moved up behind her and dropped his pants and shorts. He put his left hand on her left buttock, laid his gun on her back, and positioned himself to thrust into her.

  Well, if he’s not distracted now, he never will be! Here we go!

  When she felt the tip of his hard penis touch her skin, she grasped the handle of her plastic travel knife, which was in the special scabbard in the hem of her leather skirt. She pushed on the table, and he mistakenly thought she was thrusting back to receive him. Rapists usually thought that their victims enjoyed it! To his surprise, as she arched up, she spun to her left and smashed an elbow into his ribs, breaking two of them. She continued her turn and drove the knife into him just under his sternum. She withdrew it and stabbed him again in the left side. She pushed him and he stumbled on the pants around his ankles, but his right hand caught her left wrist to help break his fall. She quickly slashed his right wrist to the bone and he let go and fell to the floor on his back. He was bleeding badly.

  Anna wiped the knife on his shirt as she picked up his gun.

  “Take a good look at me, you son-of-a-bitch! I’ll be the last thing you see on this earth! Why did Gramble hire you to kill Lincoln?” she snapped, furious now.

  “I don’t know,” he gasped, blood running from the side of his mouth. “I never ask.”

  He coughed, then continued, “Besides, I didn’t kill Lincoln. Someone beat me to it! I wasn’t about to tell Gramble. I had more money coming. Who are you, really?”

  “I’m Lincoln’s fiancée, just like I told you. I vowed to find whoever shot him and take care of them. That’s you, asshole!”

  “But I didn’t do it! Someone in that chopper did! I was watching from the pool house. Call me an ambulance!”

  “There are three good reasons why you’re going to die today, you prick! One, even if you didn’t shoot him, you would have. Two, you were going to kill me. Three, you humiliated me, and were going to rape me! For that alone, you’re going to die! You should bleed out in another minute or two. Say, look at that! Doesn’t my body excite you anymore? Your hard-on is gone!”

  Syd looked at the clock. It was 3:55. She went to her purse and grabbed her Blue Phone and called Sara. She didn’t want Sara or Packy involved in this. She told Sara that she was fine, and would be down in a few minutes. Vlastok’s eyes were glazing over as she went to the bathroom and washed the blood off her body.

  She dressed quickly, put her own gun in her handbag, then went to the small kitchenette and got a butch
er knife. Vlastok was still breathing shallowly as she knelt down and ran the butcher knife across the wound in his wrist, then plunged it into the other two wounds, leaving it sticking out of his chest.

  “Well, they won’t be looking for a weapon now. It’s right there in plain view,” she murmured to herself.

  She took one last look around to make sure that she had left no signs that she had been here, then slipped out into the hall, letting the door lock snap shut. She walked to the stairwell, then took off her latex gloves and threw them in her handbag.

  At the bottom of the stairs, she put on her sunglasses and went out into the sun and joined Sara. They walked quickly to Packy’s car, got in, and drove away.

  “Well?” Sara asked in the car.

  “Later. Let’s go to my condo, Packy. I want to change clothes, then go to the hospital and check on Hatch. Then, I want to go to Klaus Haus and see his parents.”

  “Sure, Syd,” replied Packy as he looked at Syd in the rearview mirror.

  • • •

  Syd showered as soon as she got to her condo, and while she dressed in fresh clothing, she told Sara what had happened with Vlastok.

  “I told you not to go alone, dammit!” blurted Sara.

  “I know! Pretty stupid of me! I acted like a friggin’ amateur. I’ve never used my naked ass to distract a killer before, but it worked! Thank God! If he hadn’t been so damn horny, I’d be dead now!”

  “Do you believe Vlastok about not shooting Hatch?” asked Sara.

  “Yes. He was dying. He had no reason to lie, I guess. That means I still have a shooter to find,” replied Syd as she touched up her makeup. “I don’t expect the cops to connect me to that body, but if I fucked up somehow and they do, remember: you know nothing about it. I don’t want my little vendetta to get my friends in trouble.”

  “Horse shit, Syd! I would have killed him myself if I had been there!” exclaimed Sara. “What are you going to do about Gramble? He’s a fucking top honcho in the CIA! But he ordered Hatch killed. We can’t let that go unpunished!”

  “I’ve dealt with him already. It should hit the fan tomorrow. I won’t tell you the details. I want to give you deniability,” said Syd.

  “God, you’re a busy bitch, Syd! And sneaky!” laughed Sara.

  • • •

  Packy drove them to the hospital and they visited Hatch for 15 minutes. Syd held his hand and talked to him, even though he could not hear her. On the way out, she sought out Dr. Jenkins and he told them that he had stopped the coma-inducing drug. Hatch should start waking up by tomorrow he told them. That cheered them up immeasurably.

  • • •

  Back at Klaus Haus, Syd greeted the General and Carrie, then told them the good news about Hatch. At 5:30 P.M., they had congregated in the dining room for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. The news about Hatch had lifted everyone’s spirits. Even Mrs. C. was smiling again.

  When Syd had first arrived at Klaus Haus, she had gone to her suite of rooms and called Soup on her Blue Phone.

  “Soup? Syd. How are you doing?” she asked.

  “Just fine, Syd. I got some sleep, and some of my searches have ended. Did you find Vlastok?” he replied.

  “Yes. Your info was right on. I talked to him. He said Gramble hired him to kill Hatch, but someone else beat him to it. I believed him, so we still need to keep looking,” answered Syd.

  “You talked to him?”

  “Yes. Look, Soup; so far you’ve only committed white collar crimes for me. I owe you some deniability. Let’s just say the Russian assassin will not make his plane tomorrow. Or any day.”

  “Bravo, Syd! ’Nuff said. Well, everything is in place for Mr. Gramble to take his fall. There has been strange activity in the database. I think it’s the FBI gathering evidence. If things don’t break in the morning, I’ll give them another nudge. I’m the electronic ‘Deep Throat’ of the new millennium,” laughed Soup.

  “That’s great, Soup! I can’t wait to see that bastard behind bars in disgrace! In the meantime, what about the list?”

  Soup answered, “I’ve whittled it down to ten. The Mafia guy is definitely in Chicago now. I’ll keep looking. In the meantime, I’ll post the list on your personal system file. Your voice print gets you into it.”

  He went on to describe how to access the file from a system computer. She gave him the good news about Hatch, then hung up. As she started to leave her room, her pager vibrated. It was Marty Winsocki. She connected to him on her Blue Phone.

  “You called, Marty?” she said.

  “Yes, Syd. I’m in a situation. Our acquisitions people have found a startup company which specializes in advanced underwater detection devices. Hatch has had us looking for a company like this for quite awhile. We have a chance to acquire it if we move immediately, but unfortunately, doing so exceeds my authority,” said Marty.

  “And?” queried Syd.

  “I usually discuss these things with Hatch. However, the deal won’t wait until he’s well enough,” replied Marty.

  “I don’t have the slightest idea why you’re telling me this, Marty!”

  “You could approve it.”

  “Oh.”

  Syd finally understood why he had called her.

  “I see, Marty,” she finally said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t understand what this had to do with me. You say this is something Hatch wants?”

  “Yes. So does Dr. Mills.”

  “You would recommend this to him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then do it! Do I have to sign something?” she asked.

  “Eventually. Your recorded approval will do for now. Thanks, Syd,” said Marty. “Hatch will appreciate this.”

  “By the way, Marty. How much money are we talking about?” laughed Syd.

  “Only $100,000,000 for the initial package,” he said. “That includes development budgets and …”

  “Oh, shit!” exclaimed Syd as she hung up.

  • • •

  The General said, “If they expect Hatch to wake up tomorrow, Syd, can we go see him?”

  “Of course, General. We’ll take the chopper over in the morning. I’ll call the doctor first, just to make sure,” replied Syd.

  “Thanks, Syd,” said Carrie Lincoln. “You’re a good woman. Hatch is lucky to have found you.”

  • • •

  The next morning, at 10:05 A.M., all the major TV networks interrupted regular programming to announce a breaking story. They reported that the FBI had just arrested the Deputy Director for Intelligence for the CIA for selling nuclear secrets—an act of treason. He was being held without bail at an unnamed Federal facility as the investigation continued. It was a bigger story than finding the FBI mole back in March.

  Syd smiled as she watched the talking heads read their notes. No details were known yet, they reported. Syd knew some of the details—maybe not all of them. She did not know everything that Soup might have done. She did know that Gramble’s bank records would show a transfer of $5,000,000 from a Swiss bank into his account. The money was then immediately transferred out to a bank in the Bahamas.

  Syd also knew that the personal computer work station—which was connected to the Triple Eye system—on Gramble’s desk, when inspected by FBI computer experts, would have the digital residue of Top Secret nuclear documents in its memory banks. The contents of the buffers used to write CDs would also be damning. The access trail posted on the files would lead them directly to Gramble’s computer.

  The TV reporter said that Gramble was insisting that he was innocent, and that they—the network—would break in again as the story unfolded.

  Sara looked at Syd and thought, How did she arrange this? Unbelievable! She knew this was going down!

  Sara said out loud, “Very interesting development, don’t you think, Syd?”

  “Yes, Sara, it is! I love it!” laughed Syd. “I hope his lawyer can’t get him out of this. He is safer behind bars!”

  Syd thought, Now, I have to fin
d the real shooter!

  • • •

  The General, Carrie, Sara, and Syd arrived at the ICU at 11:30 A.M. Dr. Jenkins met them and briefed them on Hatch’s progress.

  He said, “The worst is over. Recovery should be rapid now. He is in very good shape. The drug has worn off, and he is conscious. You may have short visits with him now. In pairs, please. I don’t want to excite him too much. After your visits, I would like a word with you, Ms. Steppe.”

  “Sure, doc. General, you and Carrie go in first. If he asks for me, tell him I’m here and will be in shortly,” said Syd. “We can talk now, doc.”

  Dr. Jenkins told Syd that he was going back to Chicago. He felt Hatch was now out of danger and the very competent hospital staff here could see him through his recovery stage.

  “Well, if you’re sure, Dr. Jenkins. I greatly appreciate what you’ve done. I’m certain you have a queue of patients waiting for you. If there is anything I can do for you, please call Marty Winsocki. He’ll get in touch with me. When do you think I’ll be able to take Hatch home?”

  “If things go as planned, I would say in three or four days. He will need care for awhile at home, however. You might want to leave him here a little longer.”

  “No. I’ll make sure that he has the best of care at home. This place depresses me! I’m sure he’ll mend faster at home.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Syd was alone with Hatch. She had gone in with Sara, but after a few minutes, she told Sara that she wanted a few minutes alone with Hatch. She leaned down and kissed his dry lips.

  “Have a nice nap?” she smiled.

  His voice was low, but strong. “So they tell me. It’s sure good to see your smiling face, sweetheart. This must have been hell on you!”

  “I admit I didn’t behave all that well. I was a little snappy with everyone. Also, I spent a lot of your money getting Dr. Jenkins down here, but he saved your life. We owe him big time,” said Syd as she sat next to his bed, holding his hand.

  “We’ll buy him a new hospital, or something. Whatever he wants. Do you know who shot me?”

  Syd did not want to upset him right then with what she had been up to, but she didn’t want to lie to him either.

  Before she could speak, he continued, “They had the TV on for me this morning. What is this bullshit about Gramble? He’s a fucking, low-life asshole, but he’s not that stupid! Do you know anything about this?”