She shook her head. “Sam’s not nearly as good as I am, and you know it. Now Greg and I, we could pull it off.”
“Red contact lenses will not get you through the check points. And that cross around your neck will be a sure fire giveaway. How do you propose you’ll enter?”
She thought for a moment. “The cross will have to go. The rest can be handled.”
Shaking his head, he continued to hold her gaze. “You’ll be infected. Then what? You two return here, and security is breached. Who meets you at the door, Rem? You obviously haven’t thought this through.”
Shane’s face flashed in her mind.
“Admiral?” Sally’s voice interrupted from the squawk box on the desk.
“Yes?”
“Father Thomas is here to see you.”
“Send him in Sal. We’re done here,” he said, nodding to Remy.
Rising, she grabbed her cup and headed for the door.
“Think about it, Rem.”
She glanced over her shoulder and gave him a quick nod.
***
She found Greg exactly where she’d expected, stuffing his face in the mess hall. The spacious cafeteria would hold close to fifty people. Only during staff meetings would the room be at capacity. She glanced around at the white tables, chairs, walls, and floor wondering why her father insisted on making the place look like a sterile hospital. Greg nodded and tapped the empty seat beside him.
The three men seated with him acknowledged her presence and quietly moved to a table in the far corner. Everyone at the shop liked them both, but not when they were together. She smiled, and went to the counter to retrieve her dinner.
“Barbeque and Mac-n-cheese?” Martina asked with a smile.
“What else you got?”
Still smiling, she repeated, “Barbeque sandwiches and Mac-n-cheese.”
Remy snorted. “Guess I’d like some of that then.”
“Oh, it’s good today. I put extra cheese in the Mac.” The elderly, white-haired lady winked.
“I’m sure it is. I just hope it tastes like real meat this time.”
“We do our best, hon. Soy is good for you. Keeps you healthy.”
“Thanks,” she answered, moving to join her brother.
If the wrappers on the table were any indication, he’d already devoured five sandwiches. Once again chewing, he mumbled, “Sit. I heard.”
Placing her tray on the table, she pulled out the chair in front of him. “I don’t want to hear it, Greg. I’m so totally not in the mood.”
Swallowing hard, he took a long gulp of his drink. “What did the old man say?”
“Same thing he always says.”
“He’s right.”
Remy glared across the table. “If he wouldn’t allow Shane to meet us, we could bypass that particular obstacle. I think he does it on purpose.”
Greg leaned back interlocking his fingers behind his head. “Now, Rem, you know that Dad always has our best interest at heart. Why just the other day--”
“Shut up. Don’t pull that older and wiser shit on me. You’re eighteen months older than I am, and I’ve killed twice as many as you. I don’t want to hear it.” Sinking her teeth into the greasy sandwich, she took a bite, chewing slowly. Her nose wrinkled as she tried to ignore the awful taste in her mouth.
He grinned. “It’s better than usual.”
“How could you eat five of these? Don’t you have taste buds?”
Patting his stomach, he answered, “Growing boy and all that. Have to keep the guns fed.”
“If you flex for me, I’m going to hit you in the head with this tray.”
Leaning forward he whispered, “Did the old man tell you about the new discovery?”
Her eyes darted to his face. “What discovery?”
He smiled knowingly. “You really don’t know?”
Exhaling in a huff, she hissed, “You going to tell me or keep wasting my time?”
Glancing over both shoulders, he leaned in closer and continued whispering. “The inoculation has some strange side effects. Those who take it are severed from the psychic connection with the other demons, but they retain the psychic abilities. Not only that, but they retain the strength as well.”
“And re-infection? Is that still an issue?”
Shrugging, he leaned back in his chair. “Don’t know. The old man hasn’t allowed further testing to be done. He doesn’t want to take a chance the serum won’t work the second time around. We just brought in another seven scientists today. So far, all cured. One of them thinks there might be a genetic defect that allows many to remain uninfected. According to him, there could be thousands out there with no link.”
“Shit,” she swore under her breath. “And how are we supposed to know? Anyone with half a brain is using lenses to cover their eyes.”
“Yeah, but they won’t be following orders will they? They’ll be loners trying to stay away from populated areas. It’d be too easy for the devils to tell there’s no link there.”
Remy watched her brother’s eyes as he spoke. He had an idea. Probably one their father would veto. Greg’s ideas were always radical and usually dangerous. He’d never tell her here though. Even with only five other people in the room, he’d wait until they were alone. Nodding, she woofed down her meal while he waited. Time for talking was over. He had some doing in mind, and she couldn’t wait to find out what it was.
Chapter Two
Greg and Remy sat on the rooftop watching the sun break over the horizon with beautiful bursts of pink and orange. Another cloudless day in sunny California. Lost in the warehouses on the outskirts of L.A., this building seemed no different than the numerous surrounding structures. Most had been abandoned a long time ago. The demons had other work for the masses to do, and thankfully, it seemed none involved import and export.
Remy pulled the small gold cross hanging around her neck to her mouth and kissed it. Once again vowing to do her best to rid the world of any evil she came in contact with.
Watching from the corner of his eye, Greg said, “Strange isn’t it? All these demons and no sign of Angels or God. Makes you wonder…”
The dull pain inside her began to boil, turning into anger she would not release. “You need to quit talking like that.”
“Why? Will I be struck by lightning?” he laughed.
Rolling her eyes, she returned her gaze to the rising sun. “He’s out there. I know he is.”
“He’s got a fine way of showing it. We call them demons because that’s what they call themselves. But we don’t really know what they are. Or where they come from.” He winced as she frogged his leg with her fist. “Ouch!”
“If they aren’t, then why do exorcisms work? How stupid can you be? I’m really tired so can we get this over with?”
“Fine. But before you start arguing, promise to hear me out first. Okay?”
She nodded.
“I think we need to set off alone. Just a few days should do it.”
Sighing, she stared at him, but remained silent.
“Think about it. The side effects from the inoculation would level the playing field. We go out, just the two of us. First, you get infected, and I’ll give you the injection. Then I get infected and you give it to me. After that, we can go anywhere we want. We can infiltrate any corporation to get to any leader. We’ll be as strong as them, we’ll be able to control the link, and they will never see us coming.”
Still quiet, her face continued to show no emotion.
“Well? What do you think?”
Although she answered softly, her anger was apparent. “I think you’re an idiot. What did you think I’d think? What happens in the amount of time you’re under their control? How much will they learn about the operation? Have you thought about any of this at all?”
He smiled. Raising his eyebrows in a Groucho Marks impression, he flicked at an invisible cigar. “Frankly, my dear, you seem unappreciative of the connotations of this endeavor.” Seeing no
smile appear on her face, he continued in his own voice. “Really, Rem. What do you take me for? Of course, I’ve thought it through. Hypnosis. We wipe each other’s minds before we go in to the processing house. Wait for the other to return outside, and wah-la, back to normal.”
She moved, stretching her legs out in front of her. “What if we don’t go back outside? We don’t even know what they do in there! And what if hypnosis doesn’t work? We can’t possibly know if the mind wipe will work after we’ve been infected. Even those who have been decontaminated can’t always remember what happened while they were infected. This is a stupid idea.”
He placed his hand on her shoulder. “They’d never see this coming. They’re used to people fighting back and then turning themselves in. Many who are tired of being hungry and on the run give up every day. They don’t know about the serum. This could work.”
“I’ll think about it, but you swear you will not make one move without me.”
He nodded.
Shaking her head, she repeated, “Swear.”
He looked away for a moment before answering. “I swear.”
“Good. Let’s go find Shane. You know she’s probably worked herself into a meltdown waiting to hear about the mission last night.”
Smiling, he answered, “Yeah, little sisters are such a pain.”
Giving him a small shove that threw him off balance, she replied, “Shut up, Greg.”
***
Fifteen-year-old Shane paced her room, nervously watching the clock. Six thirty in the morning, and still no sign of her brother and sister. “They know I hate it when they don’t show up on time. It’s been hours since they talked to Dad. This time, I’m really going to give it to them.” Exhausted, she dropped on the bed. “Shane do this, Shane do that. Go here, Shane. Get me one of those, Shane. Everyone thinks I’m incapable of doing anything at all, but they sure want me doing everything that’s not remotely fun. This time--”
She jolted when a loud knock resounded on the door. Rushing across the room, she jerked the door open. “Where have you two been? I haven’t even slept yet!”
Greg entered first. Smirking, he stopped to peek in the mirror and pulled a comb out of his back pocket. “Not my fault you’re a dingbat. You should’ve gone to bed.”
“That’s enough,” Remy said, following behind him. Reaching out, she tousled Shane’s hair.
“Hey! I’m not a kid anymore. Quit talking like I’m some stupid teenager.”
Snickering, Remy shook her head and dropped on the bed. “No, you’re not. You’re a very smart teenager.”
“Well?”
“Well what?” Greg asked, flashing Remy a conspiratorial look.
Shane pursed her lips, sat on the edge of the bed beside her sister, and refused to look at either of them.
“Oh, that well. It was completely routine, Shane. Nothing extraordinary happened,” Remy said.
Unmoved, Shane stared at the wall waiting for Greg to report.
Glancing at her face, he looked back at the mirror and continued combing his hair with a wide grin.
Shane exhaled louder this time and crossed her arms over her chest while her foot tapped out a rhythm on the bed frame.
Unable to stop himself, he let out a laugh. “You’re just too impatient, Tiny.”
“Impatient? I’ve been waiting most of the night!”
Turning to look at her, he leaned against the dresser. “Why don’t you just come to the debriefing with dad? It would save a lot of time.”
Her head cocked to the side and the light tapping became loud thumps.
“Okay, okay, simmer down. Nothing unusual with me either.”
Blue eyes darting between the two, she asked, “And you didn’t have trouble with the new adrenaline shots? They worked all right?”
The older siblings shook their heads. “Everything was fine. No worries,” Remy answered.
Shane allowed her body to fall back in a perfect parallel to her sister and stared at the ceiling. “Good, I was worried. You know Father Christman said there could be side effects. He wasn’t sure how your hearts would handle it.”
Remy grabbed her sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Everything was fine. My heart didn’t skip one beat.”
“It’s not the skipping that worries me. I’m more concerned with the stopping.”
Shoving his hands in his pockets, Greg paced the room. “The only real issue with the new Dren is the letdown after it wears off. It’s difficult to stay on your feet after. I want to talk to Christman about that. If a fight lasts longer than we anticipate, we could be in trouble.”
Shane sat up. “That’s the kind of thing I need to know. Did you have trouble coming home? Was your thinking clouded?”
Greg’s head moved from side to side. “No. It was fine. I’d let you know if there was trouble. You coats need to figure out how to make it last longer. Think you can handle that?”
Nodding, Shane’s hand covered her chin. Her eyes glazed over as she became lost in thought.
Remy repositioned a pillow and laid back on the bed. Now that her sister was in genius mode it would be a while before she could leave. While both she and Greg had over average intelligence, they were more brawn than brains. Shane was a whole different animal. At ten, she’d graduated from high school and started taking college level courses. Now fifteen, she worked closely with the scientists and lab technicians they had acquired. Her specialty was biochemistry. If it had anything to do with the body or drugs, Shane was on top of it. Under the direction of Father Christman, who at one time had been a world-renowned biophysicist, she had excelled in the field. That wasn’t her only feat though, she had mastered several languages, was proficient in computer sciences, and a complete genius with any type of math. For Shane, everything was based on logic.
“Earth to Shane. I’m tired. I’m hitting the sack,” Greg said.
Still thinking, she lifted her arm and without looking at him, dismissed him with a flick of her hand.
He chuckled, glanced at Remy, and quietly left the room.
Remy curled in a ball on her side. She knew better than to leave her sister alone with her thoughts. If she even attempted it, by the time she reached her own room, Shane would have thought of something, and called to tell her all about it. The soft sounds of her sister whispering to herself began to lull her to sleep.
***
Remy shot out of bed saturated with sweat. Her eyes focused quickly in the dark room. The blanket that had been covering her lay in a heap on the floor. Panting, she returned to bed without it. Tears threatened, but she held them at bay. She closed her eyes and the red eyes that had awakened her came back into focus. The face surrounding those alien eyes had been her mother’s. The voice she’d heard had been hers as well. “Come to me, Remy. Come join us. The Master will give you everything you ever wanted. We can truly be a family now,” it whispered. And the entire time, the red eyes pulsated and glowed.
Against her will, her mind brought back the memories of that horrible day, playing through each one with perfect clarity. Three years ago, they still lived in the house she’d grown up in. They still had school, homework, chores, and dinner. In that order. Things were normal. All three of the children looked like their mother in varying ways. All three had her glossy raven hair, blue eyes, and pale skin. Greg had their father’s broad shoulders, heavily muscled body, and height. But the girls, like their mother, were both small in stature. None of them could look at each other without seeing Miranda Martin.
Before that day, she had been the family rock. Anything that needed handled, she handled. Bills, shopping, cleaning, skinned knees, and broken hearts were all in her realm of expertise. Not that she had much choice; their father was in the military. The few times he did make it home, he didn’t have much to say. Everything he did was classified. He wasn’t home that day either.
Remy had entered the kitchen, enticed by the smell of freshly baked cookies. Usually her mother greeted her with a smile a
nd a hug; this time, she didn’t turn around. Keeping her back to Remy, she told her to grab some milk and sit at the table. Worried, Remy did as she was asked. The cold shoulder treatment only came when one of them was in trouble, and Remy wracked her brain trying to figure out what she’d done. Miranda kept her head down as she turned and placed a large plate of cookies on the table. “I want to talk to you about something important, dear. Something we need to keep between just me and you. You understand don’t you?”
“Yes,” Remy answered.
Miranda sat in a chair at the table, head down and still not meeting her daughter’s gaze.
“What’s wrong, Mom. Why won’t you look at me? Did I do something?”
Shaking her head, she answered, “No, dear. Nothing like that. It’s something more important than right or wrong. It’s life changing. You know what’s going on out in the world right now, right? The so-called red eye disease and all?”
Why isn’t she looking at me? What’s wrong with her? Remy thought as she answered, “Yes.”
“Well honey, the media isn’t telling the truth about it. It’s not a disease; it’s something magnificent and wonderful. It’s a new beginning to a whole new world. A world where people work together. A world where daddies don’t have to go off and play war, they can stay home with their families. Those that have it don’t fight and argue. They don’t even have to talk to each other. They can use their minds. It’s a wonderful and exciting thing. When everyone joins up, the fighting and dying will end. Everyone will be happy. No more tears, no starvation, no sickness, and most importantly, no dying. We’ll never die.”
She’d never heard her mother speak like this before. Something was definitely wrong. Terror set in as she waited for her mother to continue. Squeezing her eyes shut, hot tears trickled down her cheeks.
“I feel your fear, baby. I feel it and understand. But you don’t have to be afraid. I’m still your mother. I love you, and I just want you to be happy.”
Remy’s hand slid up to wipe her wet cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to look at her mother. As her eyes locked on the glowing red eyes, she heard a whisper in her brain, “Come to me, Remy. Come join us. The Master will give you everything you ever wanted. We can truly be a family now.”
Oceans of Red Volume One Page 2