“Do you mind if I get mine?” he said.
“Why? You don’t like beer in your hair? It’s all over the front of my shirt and it was freezing.”
“I know,” he said. “I can feel how cold it is to you.”
“You pig,” she laughed and punched him in the arm as she sat up straddling him.
“See,” he pointed. And she turned a little crimson but didn’t get up.
She stayed there un-moving for a minute then leaned down and kissed him, softly, then more urgently. The beer in his hair was a distant memory as he got lost in her lips, the soft smell of some flowery scent in her hair exciting him even more. He ran his hands up her sides and then softly cupped her breast in his hand and she moaned and then broke away.
“What?” he said breathlessly, almost a whisper.
She looked into his eyes and said, “Are we going to be all right with this?”
“What do you think?”
She smiled. “I’ll be all right with this. I’m worried about you.”
He touched her face and ran his thumb to her bottom lip, caressing it softly. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do and won’t think twice about it.”
“What about after?”
“Let’s worry about after—after,” and he pulled her to him.
She broke the kiss again and said, “I’m only doing this because I don’t have a bed to sleep on now. You got it all wet.”
“If that’s all it would have taken I would have soaked it last night.”
“You just weren’t getting the signals.”
“I’ve got it now,” and he kissed her hard pulling her to him until he could feel every curve of her body against his. They never even got to eat the snacks.
Chapter 24
Orange Park, Florida
Jake was in the lab surveying any damage to the chamber opening while Bodey, Maddy and Winslow busied themselves with menial tasks. The door had remained on its hinges, but they were bent and it would not close completely. He would have to have the engineering company come out and re-align it. It was too heavy for any of them to tackle. The six-inch polycarbonate plastic weighed almost a ton.
Bodey walked up and looked at the hinges. “Took quite a blast and held, for the most part.”
“Still, I may have to find a better containment medium,” Jake said. “I expected it to withstand more than what happened yesterday.”
Bodey reached up and touched the part of the door that had been struck by the weird lightning. It was melted and fused into a fissure sunk 3 inches into the bulk of the door. It was charred, but not a black color. It looked more reddish purple, but definitely burnt.
“How’s ANDEE?” Jake asked. “Any damage?”
“None that I can find. I’ve cleared all the bugs and taps too, so we should be good to run her again without worrying about who is watching.”
“That’s good. Though I would really like to know who is running the other lab and where the hell it is.”
“Jackson Hole, Wyoming,” a voice said. Jake turned and a small smile spread on his lips as he recognized the man who had almost killed, and then saved him. He couldn’t believe Peter Smith was standing in his lab again. Bodey tensed as he recognized the man who had shot him in the arm six years ago. Bodey probably did not share his enthusiasm for this little reunion.
“Peter,” Jake said. He walked over to shake his hand. “Somehow, I knew you were still alive.”
“And kicking,” Peter said. “Sorry I had to keep you folks in the dark as to my well being. Need to know and all that.”
Maddy walked up but did not smile. Jake could tell she knew there was a specific reason Peter Smith, assassin and government operative, was standing in the middle of their world in a high ranking military uniform.
“What’s up with the get-up?” Bodey asked.
“I currently hold the rank of General in the air force and work out of Colorado Springs, Colorado.”
“You’re at The Cave?” Bodey said.
“Yes, NORAD. Cheyenne Mountain. I’m the head of the operation.”
“You run NORAD?” Jake asked.
“Part of it,” he said and smiled.
His face was the same old Peter. Tough and calculating. A mean streak you could see in the set of his mouth, but his eyes held something else. A softness behind the steeliness that betrayed his new outlook on things. This man was not the killing machine he had once been and Jake felt a little pride at knowing he probably had something to do with that.
“How long have you been there and why have you not kept in touch?” Jake asked.
“Like I said, need to know. My movements and operations are kept in the strictest confidence as there are lots of bad people in the world who would love to get inside my brain.”
“We can do that here,” Bodey said, happily, but Smith gave him a look that belied any humor. At least that part of Peter Smith hadn’t changed.
“We’re all just surprised by you being here,” Jake said. “Then again, maybe not. I take it you know of our little incident yesterday.”
Smith nodded and walked around the lab looking things over as he talked. “We have been monitoring your facility over the years and find it satisfactory that you have kept ANDEE under wraps. The technology was too dangerous to control, as you know, and we were worried you may abuse it, so we watched and waited. Nothing. Until yesterday. But I can bet you probably weren’t expecting what happened. Can you enlighten me on why the portal was opened again?”
“Yes, but hold on. You said Jackson Hole, Wyoming, when you snuck in on us. What’s going on there?”
“We weren’t sure at first, but if I were to guess, I would have to say someone has copied your little experiment here and is using it in a very dangerous way.”
“Yes. We’ve come to the same conclusion, but were not aware of where the location was. How did you find it? EMP?”
Smith nodded. “We’ve detected several very strong EMPs in the area but have not been able to isolate them as of yet. They disappear without any residual effects for us to trace.”
“Yes, it would,” Jake said. “If they are utilizing a chamber such as this one.” He pointed. “The containment unit is meant to act as a safety measure in case of accidental opening of the dimensional portal, but we haven’t had need of it until now. It would shield the residual but not the initial burst.”
Smith nodded, understanding. “So, what happened here yesterday?”
“We had a psycho bitch from hell visit us,” Bodey said.
Jake explained all that had happened and Smith listened without commenting until the whole story was out.
“Teleportation,” Smith said. “That’s phenomenal. Did you know of this potential?”
Jake shook his head. “And I don’t think it’s what you think it is. Some imbalance has occurred and this creates the teleportation anomaly. I do not think the technology could be utilized like you are imagining. I think it is much more dangerous than what we’ve done in the past just by opening the portal. We may risk disrupting some basic law of physics we are not even aware of.”
“But this Elise Boudreau is trying to control it?”
Jake nodded. “She and whoever else she is working with. She was speaking to someone on the phone just before everything happened, but I don’t know who it was. Maybe her fiancé.”
“That psycho is loved?” Bodey asked.
“So she says,” Jake said. “But I’m not inclined to believe everything coming out of her mouth. As a matter of fact, I know she lies.”
“So you know her,” Smith said.
“I have met her before when she visited the lab trying to find help with her amnesia, but that was probably all a ruse. She was probably checking out the place.”
“What did she look like?” Smith asked.
“Hot,” Bodey said, and Maddy rolled her eyes.
Jake described her as Smith took a few notes. “But you don’t know the fiancé’s name?” Smith asked.
“If she mentioned it, I don’t recall.”
“What about this man that took her place? Any idea who he was?”
“Another psychopath,” Bodey said. “With a melted face.”
Smith looked at Bodey.
“He has a rather extensive mass of scar tissue on the right side of his face,” Jake said. “He’s hard to miss. I got the impression it was new to him too, because he seemed shocked to see his own looks and was quite upset when he saw himself in the mirror. He cursed Elise as if it was her fault and then stormed out of here as if in pursuit of her.”
“You mentioned a gun,” Smith said.
“The dude took it,” Bodey said.
Smith nodded. “I’m going to leave some personnel with you here for—protection. They are highly trained and the best at what they do.”
“That’s not necessary Peter. They may just get in the way.”
“Try to deal with it,” Smith said, dismissing the concern. “I don’t want you folks in any danger, nor do I want more problems with portals opening.”
Jake didn’t like it, but it made sense. He and the girls were really no match for what they had seen and Bodey would probably be heading home soon. He nodded, wondering how long this would go on.
“How long are you staying?” Jake asked.
“I’m not,” Smith said, turning to go. “I have to get back immediately.” He spoke into a small cell phone or radio and two nondescript, but healthy men entered the building as he was leaving. He stopped at the door and indicated the men, “Sven and Bob,” he said. “I don’t know which is Sven. I’ll be in touch,” and he was gone just as quick as everyone else lately.
~ ~ ~
Lucky woke to find Ginny gone. Or so he first thought. Then he heard the water running and realized she was in the bathroom. At least she hadn’t bolted. He was amazed at the connection they had last night and was wondering what was going through her mind this morning. She had asked if he was going to be all right with this and he had said he was. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He could get used to her being around, but if she were anything like he knew she was, then this was just a brief little interlude before she ran back to Pam, the dyke from hell.
She stepped from the bathroom in her bra and panties with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth and stopped. She smiled around the toothbrush and mumbled, “Do you need to get in?”
He chuckled at her, but waved his hand and stayed in bed. “I can wait.”
She nodded and went to her suitcase where she rummaged around in it finding God knows what. He watched her. Her hair was still wet and hung shining to her shoulders where little droplets shimmered on her skin as she moved. She looked up at him and then stood up straight. She pulled the toothbrush from her mouth and swallowed.
“Uh oh,” she said. “You all right?”
“Yeah. You?”
She watched him, but then nodded and headed back toward the bathroom. She stopped halfway and faced him. “This isn’t going to be all weird and stuff is it? Because I don’t think I can handle that.”
“But you are weird,” he said, and smiled. She did not return it and he wondered what the hell he had done wrong.
“Lucky…it was fun, right?” She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him with a sadness he did not like.
He nodded. “It was for me.”
“Me too.”
“But…”
She turned away and then looked back at him. “But, you know it can’t go any further than this, right?”
“I’m cool,” he said quickly.
She touched his leg through the sheet and stood back up. “I’m almost done. If you need the head, just knock.”
He nodded and watched her close the door behind her. What an idiot he was. He never even should have thought he had a chance with someone like her. He was such a pushover when it came to women and he knew it was one of his worst weaknesses. He just couldn’t help it. He fell so hard and fast he usually got what he deserved and he really deserved this. What made him think he had a chance with a lesbian? Come on, man! What were you thinking? You could convince her to swing back to the other side again with your smooth, manly ways? What a crock. He was a fool and he knew it.
Lucky flung the sheets off and found his boxers in the pile of clothes. He threw on his shirt and pants and headed out the door. The blast of frigid air as he opened it only angered him further and he grabbed his big coat in defeat and headed out to find some coffee. The day was going to be stellar.
~ ~ ~
“Now be ready,” Elise said. “When you touch him, it will be as if the universe opens to you and you will want to run from it.”
Bart nodded and reached for Benjamin as he lay sleeping in his bed. “But don’t run from it,” she said as a last warning. “You will not be able to escape and I think it will defeat you if it knows you will run.”
He looked at her, his hand hung in suspense over Benjamin’s pale skin.
“I just know,” she said, as if reading his mind. “I can’t explain it. It’s just something I realize I now know.” She nodded at his hand and he placed it on the cool face of the killer. He almost screamed.
A buzzing, like 10,000 angry wasps shot up his arm and into his head. He could feel them crawling along his skin and hear the sound of their wings as they beat a path to the inner workings of his mind. One by one, each one he felt crawl across his psyche into his most inner secrets, the thoughts he didn’t even know existed until now, the ones he kept hidden even from himself. Each thought mingled with a single, stinging insect and the pain was pure electric. He did want to run, but he fought the urge with every fiber of his being. They knew he was weak and they concentrated on that feeling as they learned everything there was to know about him. Each shock, each stinging bite, each buzzing vibration brought him closer to insanity and he was on the verge of breaking when it suddenly ceased.
A release, so sweet and urgent, he moaned at the pleasure and wondered at something he had never felt before in his life. He was alive. Yes, he’d always been alive, but this was a new feeling. Like being born for the first time, yet totally conscious of what was happening. A baby being brought forth with full knowledge and understanding of the implications of life and the living. He was invincible and the power that coursed through him was immense. He breathed it in, and held it, never wanting it to go free.
Then things whispered in his ear. Slippery and oily and it made him cringe and fear again. He felt cheated, tricked, used, and the feeling only magnified as the whispering went on. The words he could not understand but the meaning was clear. He had been given a gift, but he was not his own. He belonged and he could not go back. He belonged to things that would not let him be and he now knew what Elise had meant. There was no running. If he did, he would be destroyed and he could not let that happen after feeling what he had just experienced. He embraced the whispering and let it worm its way into his soul and listened with all of his heart. He would live. And maybe never die.
~ ~ ~
Ginny drove and silence filled the car. Not the comfortable silence of before, but tension filled quiet that ate at Lucky’s head. It was starting to give him a headache.
They had been driving around the town, hoping for hope that something would ‘turn on,’ and were starting to get looks from the locals who now knew the two were up to no good and they were paying attention. At least that’s the way it felt to Lucky. All eyes seemed to follow them down the street, around the corner, up a hill. Between Ginny’s lack of conversation and the town glaring at them as they made random patterns through the street, he needed a couple of aspirin.
“They’re staring at us,” he finally said, his voice making her jump.
“Yeah. I was noticing that.”
Another minute went by and then he said, “Something needs to happen.”
“What do you want me to do?” she said a little too quickly. “I can’t conjure any excitement for us.”
“I didn’t ask you to. I was just
talking. Sheesh.”
She pulled over to the curb and turned to him. “All right, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Me? What the hell is wrong with me? Oh, I don’t know. I guess I’m just ‘Lucky’ to have you for some company.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what it sounds like,” he said. “You’ve barely said two words to me this morning. I figured you were all about you.”
“You got all weird,” she said and turned to stare out the front of the car. She shook her head and mumbled, “Man, I knew I shouldn’t have…”
“Shouldn’t have what? Shouldn’t have slept with me? Maybe you’re right, because somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew you would be like this.”
“You’re sounding like a chick.”
“Somebody has to be the ‘chick’ here,” he snapped and regretted it immediately.
She glared at him, then put the car in gear and popped the clutch. The tires barked a bit and then they were moving quickly through the street. Some old woman had to jump back to the curb to keep from getting hit.
“You almost killed somebody,” he said, and she turned and looked at him. He stared back and then raised an eyebrow. A small smile broke her face and then she laughed as he smiled at her.
“Stupid woman needs to watch where she’s going,” she said. Then she reached out and touched his knee. “Hey, I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too. Man, are we stupid or what?”
“You didn’t like last night?”
“Oh, you know I did,” he said and smiled, the anger he felt only a few seconds ago, seemed such a distant memory now. He couldn’t believe how fast it left him. “I just expected one thing and got another.”
“I asked you if you were going to be okay, remember?”
He nodded and clasped the hand that was resting on his knee and gave it a squeeze. “You do know you have some magical powers or something.”
Near Sighted (A Jake Townsend Science Fiction, Action and Adventure, Thriller Series Book 2) Page 13