The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  "So, newbie, are you here yet, or am I awkwardly talking to myself again?"

  "Good morning! I'm here, obviously. Bright eyed and bushy tailed." She forced her voice to be chipper, feeling nervous, but not that much. It wasn't like she hadn't known Marsh for years after all. Sort of.

  "Great. Here's the situation. We have a computer coming for you later in the day, and a telephone that's being retrofitted with tech so that there's a time delay on it for speaking. That won't work for a lot of things, so I'll mainly be the one on the phone still. Your job is basically going to start out as a super gopher. I'll have you set things up for people coming to visit, little projects like that. Maybe collecting data on them. Talking points and things like that. Online stuff. Most of the time I'll probably forget that you're around, so if you hear me say anything that sounds like something you might be able to do, chime in. Other than that, send me e-mails." She looked at the back wall, but seemed happy enough.

  Even if her new assistant was a bit handy-capable. Then, as long as she didn't make more work, it probably wouldn't be a bad thing.

  "Got it. So, what's up first?"

  "We have Senator Samantha Gerald coming in at nine this morning. At the tarmac. Karen and Director Moore are doing the meet and greet. I'd like you to head out now and make sure they're both on task. Moore will be, but Karen can be a sleepy head in the morning. I don't know if they'll have ear pieces with them, so I tucked a box of the things in your desk drawer. Top right hand side. We really kind of need to move on this. Can you handle it?" There was a strange look on the woman's face, but Penny shrugged.

  "Yeah. Don't worry about it. Senator Gerald at the airstrip, nine o'clock. Should I set up anything else? A room or whatever?"

  "Already done, but good thinking. Just those two right now. This is basically just a double check. Normally I'd just call, but I have people for that now. Go."

  After grabbing a pocketful of little ear buds, the things small and black, with little foam protectors on them, she jogged out, checking Director Moore's office first. He was, as promised, already in, looking dapper and clean, sipping at a cup of black coffee behind his desk. No ear piece, so she got one of hers and put it in place.

  "Good morning, Director Moore. I was asked to remind you that Senator Gerald is due in at nine and that you and Karen Young are supposed to meet her. Do you need anything special for that?" She sounded pretty darned professional she thought, the fact that she was ambushing him making it easier.

  He jumped.

  "Oh! Oh, my... That will get the heart going won't it? Thank you Penny. Could you check with my Assistant, Mr. Morris and make certain he has everything to hand that way? This is fairly standard, but it will be a chance for you two to meet officially. Make certain you work out how to stay in touch, since you two will probably be in close communication."

  "On it. Karen first, since I hear a rumor that she's not a morning person?"

  "That... seems prudent. Thank you Penny. Good to have you aboard."

  She jogged again then, her sweat pants brushing her legs gently as she moved, her tennis shoes not making much noise on the golden colored short pile carpet under her feet. It was enough to be picked up on the audio pick-up, but not easily, she didn't think.

  Karen was in room four, on the first floor. She knew that off the top of her head, having been in there before. She'd been in most of the rooms at one point or another, mainly because of boredom. The door wasn't locked, so she let herself in, since knocking wouldn't work. It wasn't pitch black inside at all, since there were enough appliances that had small lights on them to make a difference, but it was clear that the lady wasn't up for the day at all. Penny, being a cruel and heartless pirate, flipped the lights on and moved to the bedroom, which was off to the left here. It was a really nice room, but all the ones on the first floor were. Big, about six times as large as what she had herself. The furniture was expensive too. When she got to the bedroom it was dark, so she hit the light switch without thinking about it, noticing that there were two forms in the bed. Both women.

  "Rise and shine sweeties." Penny didn't really care what they'd been doing she decided, but the fact that one of them was Georgia kind of spoke to something having happened. After all, the woman couldn't help herself when it came to sex, could she?

  Tucking an ear bud in, but just for Karen, she started over, knowing that shaking her wouldn't do any good.

  "Up and at em! Wakey wakey. Um, a thousand other annoying things that people say in the morning? Karen! Get up now... You have an appointment in... forty minutes. Up!"

  "Wha? Hen?" The words weren't articulate at all, but were a sign of life, which had to be a good thing.

  "I said get up. You have to go meet the Senator in forty minutes, you need to hit the shower and get a move on if you're going to make it in time. Hurry." She started pulling, which, even if it didn't make sense to the sleeping woman's mind, did make her body move. She fought her way to her feet, glowing a soft blue as she did, which suddenly made Penny feel really nice. Filled with compassion and love.

  That was cool. She hadn't realized that Lady Glory's power could work on her at all. It didn't when she shot beams of the stuff out, but touching her seemed do the trick pretty well.

  That didn't stop her from pushing the woman to her feet, half dragging her into the bathroom. She didn't have any clothing on, which made the showering portion of the day's events easier for her at a least. That just meant Penny needed the ear bud back. She got the water going as Karen stood, still dazed and half asleep, her lean body reflecting in the mirror.

  "What's going on?" There was a bit of fear in her voice, which sort of made sense. Who had a ghost force them into the shower for anything good?

  "Ah. You have an ear piece in, it's Penny, from Team Three? You're running late, so Marcia sent me to see that you got to the air strip in time to meet Senator Gerald. I need you to get in the shower here and for you to wash yourself. I could do it for you, but I don't want to get all wet. I set the water for warm, but don't get lazy. If I have to I can make that water go freezing, understood?"

  "Penny? I... How did you get in here? Is everything all right?"

  "Into the shower, we can talk later. Go..." She pulled the little black bud from the woman's ear and started to push her into place, which got a yelp, since clearly her idea of warm water did not meet what Karen thought of as nifty. She started to scrub though, which meant that Penny had a moment to go back and see that Georgia was awake. That was awkward, but had to be dealt with, didn't it?

  A few invasive shoving motions later, Penny was able to be heard, so started in on her. Gently, since she clearly didn't know what the heck was going on. The woman sat up, the white sheet falling from her, exposing her nude breasts. They were smaller than what Penny had going by a full cup size at least. For half a second she almost felt smug about it, but then realized that visible breasts that could be felt kind of won that contest, didn't they?

  "All right Pixie. I don't know what the deal is here, but please tell me why I shouldn't drag you outside and kick your ass for abusing Karen? I know that your own first mode means you probably have to try to get with her, but..." It wasn't an easy situation, was it? If the two things overlapped, then was either of them in the wrong.

  "Invited. I didn't ask, or even hint. We do this sometimes, if Karen is feeling lonely. It's... not what it looks like. Also, why am I hearing voices? Another accusatory dream from my subconscious mind? Stupid dreams." She growled cutely, not really able to pull it off, being too small and sexy sounding.

  "Nope. Penny. I have to get Karen out to meet someone in a few minutes, so, you know, invasion of privacy. Not that I don't do that all the time anyway, but you get the idea. So... I guess if you were invited that's cool. I'll have that checked out or..." She sighed. "You know... I don't think I really care. Just don't get caught. That's all I was really mad about with Rob. That and the fact that Karen did it in a way that hurt Brian. They aren't dating now t
hough, so screw it, do what you want. I just didn't know that Karen swung that way." It made sense, but only in that her compassion probably meant that almost anyone that had needs would be seen as a reasonable person to sleep with. It did help explain some of those gay rumors that Lady Glory had floating around, didn't it?

  The tiny shoulders shifted, and a smile came across the auburn haired woman's face.

  "How about you Penny? Do you want to get together some time? I've never been with an invisible girl before." She sounded a little smarmy when she spoke, almost as if she were teasing instead of anything else. Under the legitimate invitation, that was.

  "Heh. Do you need help getting out of here? I can check the hallway for you. Where's your room?"

  "I'm in six, one door down. It isn't a hard trip back or anything, so I should be all right. This is weird. Are you sure you don't want to do something? Otherwise I need to go and find someone else, if you're going to steal Karen from me this early. A girl has needs after all."

  "I don't think so. I'm working right now, hence being here at all. Best head out, if that's a real problem for you. Have you tried Denis yet? I think he's still in his room. Room eleven on floor nine."

  That got the woman to get dressed at least, but she didn't leave until after Karen came out, a towel wrapped around her middle, her hair still damp.

  "Hey honey? I have to go and do an 'm and g', I don't think I have time for anything..." The words seemed almost sad, but Georgia shook her head a bit and smiled.

  "I'm going to check on a lead for that. Penny clued me in. She seems nice, doesn't she?" There was more conversation then, which turned into giggling, which led to kissing. Finally she cleared her throat.

  "What part of invasion of privacy aren't you two getting? Karen, get ready please... Georgia, I don't know if Peggy is going to be with him or not, but they aren't exclusive, so, you know, two chances for the price of one, if you hurry along."

  It still took most of the time they had left, but with a bit of pushing and laughing she managed to get Karen into both clothing and make-up in time to meet the Director in the lobby. From there she wasn't needed, so she headed back to the office, going to the restaurant on the first floor and grabbing a small tray of donuts first. Not for her, but Marcia, since the woman had a real problem remembering to eat.

  It had been a constant thing for years, but in the last six months or so it had become an even bigger issue. She couldn't taste food, and for some reason hadn't been eating much at all. So, as her new assistant it was her job to take care of that, right?

  "OK boss lady, food on your desk, you have two minutes to get that down, so that you won't forget. Go on that. You're eating every two hours, so don't waste time fussing with it."

  The food looked delicious, but Marcia wrinkled her nose and swallowed visibly.

  "Crap, did Moore put you up to this? I knew there had to be a catch. So, are you spying on me for him too? I swear I tell him at least a portion of what I know." She picked up a jelly filled and took a bite, looking disgusted by the whole thing, even though it shouldn't have been a problem at all. It was just a donut and even though she couldn't feel hungry or tasted the food...

  Well, clearly it was an issue, wasn't it?

  "Not really. I think this is just to give me something to do, to tell the truth. I mean, sure, I spy on everyone all the time, but that's mainly just when they're having sex, or in the shower. Or when I steal their things. Books and what not. I put them back though, so, you know, prove it." She grinned, wondering if the woman would remember the conversation later at all.

  "That's a likely story. Still, I always just work on the idea that you're watching anyway. You and Chris. Anyway, this pad is where I keep my appointments written down. Check it a few times a day and make sure that I stay on task. Right now I need to get onto a phone conference call with Michigan. That's the IPB Agents substation there. We need Lancaster for this one too, since he's their boss. Can you set him up at your desk? That or find another chair. He might need to take notes though."

  The man himself came into the room then, a black ear bud already in place, since, she rationalized, he was her sweetie, right? Him and Tobin. She nodded at the thought, feeling almost good about herself for a moment.

  "Hi Lancaster. I'm here. You can use my desk for this call. I'll get another chair out of the store room later. Do you need coffee or anything?"

  The man tilted his head and smiled, not looking at her at all.

  "Ice water, with a twist of lemon? I heard that Marcia finally had an assistant. How's it going so far?"

  "Well, I suck at answering the phones, but other than that not too bad. Make sure that she finishes her first snack while I'm out, will you? Marcia, do you want some coffee or... Screw it, I'll get you something. Hang on."

  It was back to the restaurant then, where she was met by the same hostess that she'd seen there before. This time she was dressed in slightly less sexy clothing at least, and looked almost like she was there just to get people seated.

  "Hello! It's me, Penny." She spoke before getting anything into place, but the woman smiled.

  "Good morning! Have you come for breakfast?"

  "Wait, You already have a bud in? Just in case I come by?" After a wash of shyness passed over her Penny felt her eyes water a bit, feeling oddly special.

  "Of course. I can seat you now, or are you waiting for a friend?"

  "Neither, I actually just need an Ice water with a twist of lemon for Agent Lancaster and a milkshake for Deputy Director Turner. I should be back every few hours for something for her. Part of my secret plan to fatten her up for Christmas. She'll still be a bit chewy no doubt, but what can we do?"

  The lady in front of her smiled, a large and happy thing.

  "Good. I'll make sure that Jan and Warren know. They've both been trying to plot something along those lines themselves for months, but I think they didn't want to be too pushy about it. The woman keeps skipping meals. Claims she forgets to eat."

  "That's probably true. Well, that's my job now, I guess. Unless she fires me." That was possible, but so far, so good, right?

  The woman had the drinks out on a tray not three minutes later, making them herself, and promised to have something ready for Marcia at eleven as well, if Penny could come back for it.

  "It will be sitting out, behind the counter over there? I'll make sure it has a name on it. Just take it for her and bring the plates back later?" She nearly sounded nervous about that part.

  Did she think that Penny would be forced to keep them all? People had to suspect that she was behind most of the thefts in the place, at least the ones that noticed anything at all. Or it could just be that she was worried Marcia would be pissed at them and accidently break things in retaliation?

  "Got it. Thank you. I'll be back then."

  The tray balanced easily enough and she didn't spill anything as she rode down the single floor, there was a bit of dancing on her part when the Director, Karen and two other people climbed into the car as she was trying to get out, but she managed it, feeling pleased about her deft movements. It was a hazard of being her, that no one realized she was there. She didn't speak though, even though she noticed that both the Director and Karen were set up to hear her.

  Probably because the hassle of doing that was less creepy than having her sneak up on them and cram things in their ears for them. That or it just made sense to keep up with your coworkers and all that.

  The conference call with the Michigan office was already going on when she got back, so she slid the Ice water onto the desk next to Darryl and did the same with Marcia, then waited a minute before mentioning it.

  "Drinks are here." She whispered the words, so they wouldn't be picked up by the tense sounding fellow on the phone.

  "So we need back up. I don't know who exactly, since we can't get a good handle on this. Someone just went in and tore the family to pieces. We heard that there was something like this in another state, but the info on it wa
s sort of light. Does any of this sound familiar? Wife and kids left injured, but alive, husband of the family, one George Tallies was left with his throat torn out. Nothing was taken, but it really seems like it's in our area of expertise. The locals didn't even hesitate to call us in."

  That really did sound familiar, but Penny didn't mention it, since the operation she'd been on at the time was classified. They had a crime scene that was like that though? Interesting.

  "What information do we have on George Tallies then?" She said the words out loud, then slapped a hand over her mouth, wincing. It wasn't her place to be asking the questions, was it?

  Lancaster nodded once.

  "Simpson, do you have any line on Tallies? Was he involved in hate group activity, or politics? Anything out of the ordinary?"

  There was a brief pause as the man checked something, probably on a computer, since she thought she could hear some keys working in the background.

  "Yeesss. He was a former staffer for House Rep McCreedy. Is that important?" There was another half second pause, and a soft grunt. "You wouldn't have mentioned it so specifically if it wasn't, right? Should we be looking for anything related then?"

  "Yes. We'll set it up from here, but if you have anyone with a similar profile in the area, political ties to any of the anti-Infected government types, you might want to keep an eye on them. Go back at least ten years. That's a hunch, but if this man only used to work for McCreedy, then we need to cast a broad net."

  They worked out the particulars as Lancaster sipped at his water and Marcia pretended not to see that she had anything at all. Two of her six donuts had been left and she didn't even play at sipping her drink. As soon as the call ended, Penny descended on her like a drill instructor from a movie.

  "OK, get that food down now Turner. You have a schedule to keep and this nibbling on things isn't going to play. Don't make me..." What could she actually do to the woman? Force wouldn't work. It would be really hard to make the woman do anything at all, ever. Too strong and hard to hurt. That meant manipulation was in order. Penny nodded to herself and crossed her arms sternly. "Don't make me collect everyone up for an intervention. It would be really embarrassing for you. 'Oh, please Marcia, you need to eat enough, or we'll lose you' things like that... Much easier just to do your job and eat what I put in front of you without a big fight each time." She crossed her arms for affect, but it wasn't needed, since after a few seconds of scowling the milkshake got chugged.