The Infected [Books 1-6]

by P. S. Power

  "You mean the Holiday Special?" She laughed about it, since that was always Brian's line.

  Penny took the jacket, standing up and fighting to keep herself from feeling too tense. She slipped it on and left the front open, which go a nod from the tiny red head at the end of the table, who was still shoveling food into her mouth.

  "OK, that's pretty hot. You don't think we're being too pushy, do you?"

  "Oh, hell yeah. I'll take it though, since it comes with presents. Got to like that." She did at any rate.

  It was kind of nice and she noticed that she wasn't feeling even half as shy, most of the time, as long as she kept making herself relax. It took work and she did slip, a lot more than she realized was the case probably, but at least she only sounded half way like a goon all the time now. She managed to seem like herself more. Like Pirate Penny.

  Her new outfit got a bit of attention when she went to pick up Marcia's early snack, and that reminded her that she needed to find someone to put on Deputy Director feeding duty while she was gone. True someone else could have done it, the job of getting a replacement in, but Marcia had only had anyone at all for a few days. She'd been there for nearly twenty years, so what were the odds that someone would magically find a substitute her for the next few weeks?

  It didn't seem that likely.

  Penny had someone in mind for the job though, but that would have to wait until after Clari did whatever it was that she wanted to her. The woman was a wizard with makeup and hair, and it was her job to make Team One look good all the time. True they had to do the day to day things themselves, but she taught them how to do it right. If anyone could help her, the miracle worker of make-up would be the one.

  For that Penny didn't even have to leave the floor she was on, the woman having a work space not too far away from the main studio. It was just used for press events, but they had regular briefings there, so the woman reported to work almost every day. She wasn't certain, but it didn't seem that the woman lived on the base, which meant a decent commute each day. She had a coffee cup from in town, one that said Mary's on the side, and a muffin that looked like it had seeds on it. Not poppy, but something dark that looked like it would taste bad. Health food.

  She was a trim woman and wore a t-shirt and jeans, little bright red socks and black tennis shoes. There was a lot of energy and cuteness to her, but for all her makeup skills, it didn't seem that she'd bothered with any that day. When she turned around she had the coffee cup up to her lips, but stopped.

  "OK. I'm awestruck. You are perfect. Mark called and had me come in early for this, and I think I see why. Here, sit in the chair. Have you done this before? It will be like having a makeover. A really intense one, but the idea is about the same."

  "Um, yes, once. My mom took me. It was years ago. I was fourteen. so, five years ago?"

  "Just like that then. First things first, I'm going to hand you a powder puff. I want you to hit yourself on the tip of the nose with it. Please. That way I'll know where to aim." She let her eyes go wide and happy as if it wasn't a complete pain to work on someone she couldn't see at all. After she patted the very tip of her nose the woman let her smile grow. "Nice. I wasn't sure if makeup would show up, being that close to your skin, but it's working perfectly. Now all you have to do is sit back and let me work. Stay relaxed and think of happy things."

  The stuff itched, but she tried not to fuss about it, especially since the woman didn't stop with make-up, but started to spray things on her head too. After a few seconds she stopped.

  "What's your hair color? Brown?"

  "Blonde. Why?"

  "Oohh. No reason. I'm going with brown though today. That or black, but I think it will work better. We can try blonde next time, but I made you a little too dark for that to look right. We can do anything you want in the future. I have some nice blue and purple colors too. Keep your eyes closed." Then she did her hands, even painting her nails for her. "We can use spray tan on you too, I think, which won't rub off on everything like this will. Remember this is just the first effort. Want to take a look? It might not be what you remember, but I think it's pretty impressive."

  She had stuff on her eyelids but when she looked into the bright mirror, the kind surrounded by lights, she could see herself. It was... strange.

  "Oh my god." It sounded halfway to horrified and the woman seemed worried about it for a second as she lifted her right hand. It was her. She raised her hand and started to touch her cheek, which, as promised was darker than before. The hair was wrong, and her face was leaner and a bit more pointed at the chin than she remembered it, but it was Penny.

  "I can see me! In a mirror! Look, right there!" When she spoke her mouth was an empty hole, her teeth not showing at all, or her tongue, but if she didn't speak she looked almost normal. Her eyes were black pits, but it had that deep and profound look, or so she told herself.

  "I can get contacts, right? Those fake ones? I'm more than willing to stick things in my eyes."

  That got a new pair of them brought out. They were brown, but fit the skin tone, so it would work. After a few minutes and some makeup being smeared in her right eye, they had it in place.

  "OK, Clari. You're now my new girlfriend. I'm not gay, but we'll just have to adapt, because you are far too awesome to leave to anyone else."

  "I'm straight too. Oh well, you can still buy me lunch sometime. Not today though, since I have Charlot coming in for a meeting in ten minutes. Now, I hear that you're leaving today? Obviously you should go and show off your new look first, but it won't last. After you get back we can do a lot toward making things more permanent. I'll research what's available. You need to be able to take it all off though, right? For your job?"

  "As a stripper? I didn't think that anyone else knew about that." It was quick and witty, and got the woman in the hallway to make a dirty face at her for a few seconds, until her hand came out professionally, to shake.

  Charlot Chambers was there for her appointment a little early it seemed. Her smile was brittle, but she looked good. Black hair that was a bit big to be fashionable, but her face was flawless and she looked almost like an ex-beauty queen that hadn't let herself go at all.

  "I wasn't aware that we were bringing in entertainers of that sort. Are you here with a news station?" It wasn't the friendliest voice ever, but Penny had heard the woman go psycho on people a lot and this wasn't even close to that.

  "Char, this is Penny Cooper, from Team Three? Cellophane? She's learned some new tricks. Isn't it great? This is all paint though, so don't shake hands just yet, it will rub off. She has great cheekbones, doesn't she?"

  Instead of just saying yes, or even snippily growling that she'd seen better, the PR lady stood back and looked at her from head to toe. Then she smiled a little. It was slightly predatory, to tell the truth.

  "She has great everything. I had no idea, Penny. Keep this up and we'll have to put you on Team One. You look ready for a photo shoot. Too bad the photographer isn't in today..."

  Penny shook her head and sighed, then opened her mouth, pointing at it.

  "Not exactly ready for prime time yet. I could dye my tongue with a popsicle though, that or some Berry-Cherry Kool-Aid." She smiled anyway, with her lips tight which got a little, very careful, hug from the mean PR lady. At least her reputation was that she was always angry.

  It was her first mode, but was more irritation than rage, which had let her function for years with the public.

  "We'll figure that out, don't worry about it dear. Now, not to be a pain, but I need Clari here for a bit. You need to go and surprise everyone too. I really do wish we had some cameras ready to go." She shewed her out of the little room though and Clari shut the door. It was nearly noon, which reminded her that she needed to get Marsh her eleven o'clock supplement beverage. It was just sitting on the counter where it normally was, but as she moved past the hostess the women stopped her, smiling professionally.

  "Hello? Are you meeting someone?"


  Penny stopped for a second and smiled, her eyes going wide.

  "It's me, Penny? Like my new look? I'm not sure about the hair, it's a bit dark..."

  The woman stopped and gave her a disbelieving glare, until she opened her mouth and pointed again. Then she seemed to get the idea. It took an act of will not to freak out and tense up since the woman stared at her really hard, but she smiled as well.

  "I really do! This is amazing Penny. I thought you couldn't be seen at all?"

  "Mental control exercises, hair dye and three pounds of makeup. Glad you like it though. I just came to get Marcia's eleven o'clock. Oh, I might have someone else doing the pick-ups for this while I'm gone, so if you see someone awkwardly hanging around at the door tomorrow, you should ask. I'll call in and tell you who I wrangle for it, if I can find anyone."

  "Got it. Thanks. You really look nice."

  Smiling Penny waved and got the oil and sugar mix, waving to Warren when he came out, just in time to see her pick it up. He didn't scowl, but he gave her a funny look anyway, clearly not recognizing her. She didn't fill him in, since they'd shared a bed once and it was his responsibility to remember her, wasn't it? She grinned at the silliness of it and left quickly, noticing that her hands were smearing on the tray just a bit. She'd been warned it would happen though, hadn't she?

  To celebrate she took the stairs down the one flight, not seeing anyone at all. Naturally. Now that she was visible, no one would be around would they?

  Marcia was in though, and looked up at her, suspiciously, examining her as if she were going to try and poison her or something with the golden liquid on the wooden tray.

  "May I help you?" She didn't sound helpful at all. No, it was more like she thought something was very wrong suddenly.

  "It's me, Penny. Um, here." She tensed all her muscles and held it, which let her feel a thin line of anxiousness running through her stomach. It was very nearly what she always felt, so it was normal enough. She didn't even realize it was there for a few seconds, until she relaxed again. That let her flow back towards visible. "Mark's been working with me? It isn't exactly ninja like control, but I like it. Clari did this. The painting and hair color. It isn't real." She still sounded doubtful, but the lady in front of her nodded.

  "Incredible. The body suit is a little trampy for the office, but I like the jacket. You and Agent Lancaster are taking off at three, we had to change the schedule, so you have the rest of the day. I'll drink this and then be free for nearly five whole days. Longer if you decide you need to stay. Don't be shy about taking your time, best to do it right, and make sure Maggie's safe."

  Penny grinned and shook her head.

  "I was going to ask Peggy to come in and take over, so no food respite for you. It isn't hard after all, and she would probably welcome having something to do. Is that good for you? I can find someone else if you want. She was just my first pick. She might tell me no, anyway."

  "Well, I was looking forward to the vacation away from you, but that sounds like a good idea. I know I should eat, I just don't want to, most of the time. Fine, see what she says? I like her at least. I always have."

  "On it then. See you later?"

  "Probably not before you leave. I have to do oversight on our people in Florida and D.C."

  She just left then and realized that it was probably considered rude to do that if you could be seen walking away. When she got to the dining room no one recognized her except Brian, who just pulled out a chair for her, even as everyone else gave her strange looks. Mark got it after that, having seen her for years, if in an unmoving form. He had an excuse though, since he was back in the kitchen. Denis smiled at her and Peggy looked away after a few seconds.

  "Peg, I was wondering if you'd consider taking over my job for a bit while I'm gone? Kind of a temp thing, if you want it?"

  The woman turned then, her long and protruding crocodile face aimed nearly at her. The skin was normal flesh tone though, and her eyes were a friendly and warm brown.

  "I... guess. What do you do? Have we met?"

  Brian cleared his throat.

  "Everyone, Penny Cooper, Penny, everyone." He made a little hand gesture which seemed a bit fussy for him, but everyone else fairly goggled at her.

  Denis summed it up for them at least, understanding what had to have happened. He was a sci-fi fan and that clearly sped up understanding new things at times.

  "All this time and I had no idea you were hot. I mean, Brian said you were decent looking, but I always figured that he was talking a five or so. You hit at least a nice eight." Then he stopped as Peggy's gaze moved back to the far wall, which left her looking into the kitchen. "And I'm being a jerk aren't I? Sorry."

  He was trying at least, which really was better than he used to be by loads.

  "OK then, Peggy. I'll fill you in on the wonderful job of being a gopher while we eat. It's mainly getting Marcia food and making her eat it. I haven't had to use force yet. If she starts taking too long to get it down, threaten to hold an intervention."

  It did not take long to explain what was really needed at all. Peggy was smart enough and really wanted something to do other than gossiping and lifting weights. Working on the second floor wasn't exactly getting her freedom back, but it was kind of a big deal for an Infected person that was as obvious as she was. Penny too, for that matter. People could forget about her though, if the need arose.

  Denis made a point of not paying any more or less attention to her than normal and while she had to make herself return to visibility about ten times, it was getting easier for her to hold in either state on purpose.

  After lunch she just had to get her things ready, raid the armory and work out how much ammo she could carry on a commercial flight cross country. Technically she was required to be armed on the plane, since she was a government Agent, so that part wasn't a problem. She'd need picture I.D. for that though, which would be hard. On the other hand she could just give it all to Lancaster and take it back when she was on the plane. No one would try to hijack it, she didn't think and if they did, they deserved what they'd get, wouldn't they?

  At two she went to find her partner, knowing that he'd probably work right up until the moment they needed to leave, only to find him waiting for her with a stack of papers in front of him that he didn't look up from at first at all.

  "So, is this fine for travel or should I climb into my new uniform?" She didn't really expect him to have anything, but he looked up at her and after a few moments nodded.

  "You look great. Try the uniform though. I don't want anyone to have good tracking on you yet. We can establish a physical form for you later. You'll probably want to shower first, or you'll leave traces all over the place. Here, in the box." It was a large thing, one that rattled a bit. She started to open it, but the man waved his right hand.

  "Go ahead, we have about half an hour. Meet me back here once you're ready."

  That was easier said than done, since the makeup didn't want to come off at all, but she managed it, and was even dressed in the outfit that Lancaster had picked out for her. It was all black, and looked like something a dominatrix would wear. The material was comfortable at least, but it left very little to the imagination. It had gloves and a hood, one that clearly she was supposed to have on all the time. There were three holsters with it too and a sheath for a knife. All of them fully loaded already.

  "Awesome." She looked pretty badass she had to admit. The shoes were boots and had soft soles on them, which had to be hard to find, and the whole thing was a bit shiny. In the bottom of the box was a face mask. It had slits over the mouth and nose and the eyes were covered by a single mirrored shield. It had to be about seven shades of illegal, but, she had to admit, it was more complete looking than her otherwise empty face would have been.

  When she walked in to see Lancaster again he stopped working and nodded at her.

  "It even matches the picture on your new I.D." To demonstrate he held it up and indeed, there was the ma
sk all right. She wondered how many times she'd be stopped and searched before they got to the capital. She was going to bet twice per airport.

  It didn't work mathematically, but it still turned out to be closer than not. At Dulles they managed to get her three times, and she was just leaving the plane. After that she made sure no one would realize she was there, which made her life a whole lot easier.

  Chapter nine

  The hotel room actually had two beds and if it wasn't a four star hotel, it was a decently high three. It was also on the far side of town from where Senator Hooper lived. That, Lancaster told her, was on purpose. It was still a risk, sending her in on something like this and if anything went wrong it would help to make it look like she had an alibi.

  "I'm starting to think that we'd be best off having you double back after we officially leave. I should have thought of that before. That means we can spend some time on recon, which never hurts. On the bad side, that means we might have to cut your trip short for some reason here... Don't worry about that, I'll handle the timing issues. Right now we should get something to eat. Room service?"

  It wasn't like she really got a choice, was it? Plus that might be kind of cool. Romantic even.

  "Sure, tell them to bring a bottle of sparkling something or other and some candles too." It was another case of speaking without thinking, but the man just shrugged and looked over at her, his eyes going slightly dead. It was the kind of look that Brian always gave people when he thought they were being shifty.

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah. Then after I eat, you can stay here and pretend to be having a fun evening in, while I go and see if I can find anything out about Hooper. I do kind of wish it was a bit closer, no one is going to pick me up in a cab dressed like this. Then, I won't really be dressed for big parts of it. I hope it doesn't get too chilly." She felt it was a decent recovery, but the man still looked right at her eye plate.