Jenny smiled, got up and gave Nadine a hug before leaving the room. Pulling the door closed, Nadine sat back at her desk, not noticing that the door never locked behind Jen.
She reached in her desk drawer and pulled out a silver colored box that contained the long syringe with green liquid. Tying her hair back, she gave herself another injection at the back of her neck. Returning the syringe to the open container, she reached for the fiber optic cable and proceeded to plug it into a receptacle on the back of her neck.
Just as she punched in a code on her console, she was interrupted by a brief knock at her office door.
“Knock, knock,” Nurse Rollins said, swinging her door open, “Dr. Rhodes’ is looking for you...”
Nadine looked over with a start, but it was too late. Vivian saw Nadine’s eyes turn to a brilliant green color.
Vivian was in the middle of taking in a huge breath to scream, when Nadine shot across her desk at lightning speed. Grabbing her neck, she squeezed her throat enough to prevent air from escaping and making any noise. She fought back, grabbing and clawing at Nadine’s face managing to tear a chunk of skin from Nadine’s cheek, revealing a large section of computer traces and wires beneath the surface.
Nadine moved her hands to the sides of Vivian’s head and gave it a sudden twist, causing a bone creaking snap, killing the woman instantly.
She caught her mid-fall, and laid her to the floor. Then turned to quickly close her office door and returned to her desk.
Terminating the AMP sequence, she unplugged the cord and stowed it in her desk. Then she looked at the dead body on the ground, picked up her data pad and called an attendant to quietly remove the body from her office.
Removing a make-up mirror from her purse that sat on the corner of the desk, she examined the damage, “Damn! I don’t have time for this.”
She picked up the syringe on her desk and injected some of the green liquid to the sides of the opening. Holding the mirror up, she watched as her skin grew over the open wound sealing her identity once more.
“There...much better,” she said, returning the compact to her bag. Then looked down to the dead body on the floor, “You shouldn’t have just barged in here...now look what you’ve done...no matter, I was about to discharge your services anyway...the Company will send your final check on the next pay cycle...What’s that?” Nadine said, cupping her ear, “You said we can keep your last check? You won’t be needing it anyway, will you my dear.”
Nadine’s private aide secretly removed the dead body from her office.
* * *
Oak Harbor, WA
Crow’s Nest Bar & Grill
November 22nd, 2064 12:00hrs
Calvin, Rhodes, and Griffin sat in a quiet corner of the bar for their lunch field trip. Calvin was in a great mood and continued kidding around his usual way when Dr. Rhodes held up his hand, “Shhh, shhh, shhh,” he pointed to the telecom screen displaying the news, “I wanna hear this...”
“...ever increasing cases of missing persons in the greater Seattle area,” the telecom report announced, “So far, there have been thirty new cases filed with the Seattle PD. The department has had no comment, and no suspects in these cases. In other news, the number of street people in the downtown sector is on the decrease, an indication that the new city mayor has clamped down and is cleaning up the back allies, making Seattle a much safer place...here is Jason for a more in depth report...”
Griffin sunk down slightly in his seat and continued to eat his Ruben sandwich, clearing his throat as quietly as possible.
“The word from the mayor’s office is clear,” the reporter continued, “Their plan is to make the streets of Seattle the best and safest in the West. The Mayor claims they are on track to reduce the number of homeless on Seattle’s streets by over fifty percent by the end of the year.”
The picture changed with the reporter interviewing the mayor as he talked over him with his narration until the section that they wanted the people to hear, “...they are disappearing, though we don’t expect that there’s any connection with the rash of missing people being reported.”
The reporter began to narrate over his voice again until the last segment, “We’re taking away the incentives from the street people and they’re simply moving off to another city where their government caters to them...”
The reporter turned live again to finish his story, “There you have it...now back to you, Matt.”
The telecom screen returned to the news cast, “...and in other news, Colonel Tucker Petersen is scheduled to lead another salvage operation back to CSMO 253 Mathilde. The crew is set to depart in four months...”
Rhodes turned to Griffin, “I’m stuffed,” then slid his dish away from him and sipped down the rest of his brew.
“In a way,” Calvin said, leaning over to the doctor, “I wish I was heading back out to space right about now.”
Rhodes leaned close to Cal, “I couldn’t agree with you more.”
Nadine walked up to their table from another booth, “You boys finished up then? We need to get back to the base now.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen about all I need to for the moment,” Calvin answered. He wiped his mouth and tossed the napkin on the table as he stood, “So...Nadine, what do you think about these reports of missing people?”
She looked over at Griffin, “Sorry, I wasn’t paying any attention to the news. Perhaps Griffin could shed some light? What do you make of it, Colonel?”
Griffin choked on his last bite of the Ruben, wiped his mouth and shrugged, “Beats the hell outta me.”
Rhodes turned to Nadine as he stood from the table, “Matter of fact, Ms. Rollins is missing.”
“Who?”
“You know, Vivian my assistant. Do you think she’s one of the missing people?”
“No, I dismissed her weeks ago.”
“Why didn’t you tell ME?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“I’ve learned not to ask so many questions. I assumed that she was being given assignments by the Company.”
“Oh heavens no. We terminated her. Shoddy workmanship. She left in a rush.”
“Uh huh, I’m sure she did,” Calvin said.
“So, how is it she gets to leave and we do not?”
“That’s easy. Remember? She was not involved with any ‘National Security’ issues. Once both the chip and the box were ready for integration, that’s when the Company deemed the work as such.”
“Why didn’t she at least say good bye first?”
“I don’t know, Doctor,” Nadine answered, “All I know is she was pretty upset. I’ll bet she didn’t want to belabor any feelings she had toward you, you know, since you weren’t leaving anytime soon. It’s rather difficult to cultivate any type of relationships with this type of separation involved.”
“Humph,” Rhodes frowned, “Too bad, I did kind of like her.”
* * *
CHAPTER 12
Whidbey Island Naval Base & Space Port
Oak Harbor, WA
Underground Lab Complex
Calvin’s Lab
March 12th, 2065 10:00hrs
“That’s so cool, Uncle Calvin,” Ben said as they made their way to the lab, “So, Jen and I are the first to see the new ‘amp-aratus’?”
“Oh, good one...I’ll have to remember that. But you are right Ben. This is a zero gravity chair, padded and rigged to facilitate a much cleaner and efficient AMP session.”
“What if the chair misses my socket,” he asked.
“Then you’ll get a new hole in your head,” he smiled, pushing Ben into the man trap.
“Come on, really. What could happen?”
“The chair is equipped with a small visual cam that allows the computer to see that the person’s plug is aligned.”
“And you say it uses half the power and space that the mainframe system used?” Jen asked.
“Quite right indeed. You see? We’ve been taking notes on all your AMP sessions.
Our system improvements will allow the gamma effect to last longer than just minutes.”
“You’ve got it down to hours now, right, Cal?”
“Yes, Ben. The sessions will last two hours after unplugging. Of course, the stations that are going to be sold for commercial use will be dampened.”
“They only get the bliss effect,” Rhodes added, coming from the opposite direction, “Come on,” he insisted, “Inside.”
The group quickly scanned through the secure station, entering Calvin’s lab.
“What’s got you’re panties in a knot, Doc?”
“They’re already shipping jamming packages out for commercial use.”
“What?!” Calvin nearly shouted.
“Shhh,” Rhodes said, with his back to a camera on the ceiling, “We have an infestation.”
“Bugs?” Calvin whispered, not moving his lips for the camera.
“Yes...bugs...don’t take too long getting them set up. We need to come up with a communication system...can you hack into the complex’s file library? Find out if they recorded us talking about leaving?”
“Leaving?” Jen said with a puzzled look, “What are you talking about?”
“Jen, you’ll have to trust me. Cal, hook them up, they can read my mind and get the info they need to know. Then have them help you hack in undetected.”
“Behind Nadine? I don’t think so. What are you two hiding, anyway?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Cal said, motioning to the two bright and shiny new chairs. “These are the Zero Gravity AMP stations that clinics will be using...these are the same models that are being shipped.” he whispered.
“A few...you’ll understand in a minute.”
“Ben, Jen. Just sit in the chair and relax normally. I’m cycling the power now,” Calvin switched on the power and the two chairs accelerated with a whine. “You should be plugged in now,” he added.
The two chairs aligned to each of their sockets, and then with a snap, they clicked into place, “There. You should be feeling the bliss effect beginning...now...and as evidenced by your facial expression, I’d say so...now, in two minutes the machine will ramp up to the AMP levels.”
“Veeerrry gooood,” Jen smiled.
“Yeeeees, veeery niiice,” Ben agreed.
“Okay. When you pass this stage of the AMP, your minds will be open to developing telepathy. You not only will be able to read each other’s thoughts and communicate, you should be able to project your thoughts to us. We can’t respond in like, but we can receive your messages...do you understand?” Rhodes asked.
Calvin intently examined the chair’s consoles, “Now it’s imperative that you remain still for the entire AMP session. The chairs have been programmed to run a two minutes bliss effect. Ten minutes for the actual AMP signal, two additional minutes of bliss, and finally, one minute to cool down.”
“That last minute breaks the immediate desire and addiction. The signals that are passed through at the end, engage the chip to re-repair any damage to the brain tissue, caused by the flood of gamma frequencies,” Rhodes added.
The chairs ramped up to the next cycle, Jen and Bennie both closed their eyes and absorbed the gamma waves. Then as they opened their eyes during the final cool down, their eyes remained a green color.
They disconnected each simultaneously. Bennie smiled, looked over at Jen. She returned a green eyed smile.
The two stood and faced each other. Bennie wrapped his arms around her waist, while she wrapped hers around his neck. The two stared intently at one another, ignoring the others in the lab.
Their bodies emanated a glowing aura about them that gently sparkled. Calvin and Dr. Rhodes looked on in wonder.
“They must be in direct communication,” Rhodes said, breaking the silence.
Yes, Doctor. You are correct, Jenny projected with her mind, in fact, things are very clear now.
We are linked directly and we have been able to project our thoughts to you and Calvin, Ben thought, looking over at the two men.
Come, Jen offered, dropping her grip on Bennie, join us...come and take our hands and join us in the circle.
Calvin and Rhodes looked at each other, and then back at the two. Then they took their place in the circle provided by Bennie and Jen. Taking their hands, completing the circle, Calvin winced at the sudden mind probe.
Jenny dropped his hand and stepped back slightly, “Calvin, you are holding information back...what is it?”
“No, it’s just that I wasn’t used to this feeling...kind of unsettling to say the least.”
She reached up and touched Calvin on his forehead and closed her green glowing eyes for a moment, “I sense no intentional deceit or mistrust, but still you hold back? What?”
“Jen,” Rhodes nodded, “Here, take my hands and read it from me.”
Jen turned her attention to the doctor, “Why do you do this? Are you betraying your friends trust?”
“No, I do this freely...I have nothing more to lose...my reputation as a doctor is on the line for the things I’ve been made to do...Calvin is not a willing participant.”
Jenny clasped the Doctor’s hands. They both closed their eyes, but Rhodes insisted that this link stay between Jen and himself, “It’s for the best, Jenny. You must trust me, and with Bennie’s permission. I will ask this be between just the two of us.”
Jenny turned to Bennie and projected her thoughts for his approval, then turned back to Rhodes, “Agreed.”
Dr. Rhodes and Jenny connected mentally, but there was no golden glow, Doctor, I am listening to you. You may relay your information, but understand that the thought processes to relay this data is much more efficient than you are accustomed to. Nonetheless, you will experience the thought transference as if you were orally speaking, but it will occur in seconds instead of minutes.
I understand. We are planning on making an escape.
Why would you want to leave such a wonderful host...
...Jenny, you must not interrupt...
...if this is about Nadine, I won’t believe you...she saved my life...
...she has done things, things that any normal person would not have done...
...tell me what it is, Doctor...
Rhodes flooded Jenny with images of what Nadine had him do. This was the only way he could relay his thoughts to Jenny and have her believe him.
She suddenly shot back with a start, breaking the connection with Rhodes, “What?”
“Shhhh,” Rhodes motioned, keeping his back to the camera the best he could.
Jenny raised her hand to the camera and caused the lens to shatter. Then she caused the microphones to be muted using only her pure thoughts.
“We can speak freely...what are you trying to tell me Doctor? She’s been torturing people? She had you kill someone just to hold that over your head?”
Rhodes stepped up to Jen and rested a hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry, but the person you think is on our side, is not...she’s not at all...she’s only for the Company...”
“...she’s been recording us in our rooms?” Jenny gasped.
Her eyes shone a brilliant green as she clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, “I will make her pay for this...let me at her...while I’m AMP’d...I wish to probe her mind!”
“You must wait, Jenny. Wait for the right moment.”
Bennie stepped up to Jen, “Sweetheart, why don’t we join together, we can use our combined mind power to reach out and probe her from here. She won’t even know it.”
“Kind of like a wiretap?” Calvin smiled.
“Yes, kind of like a wiretap,” Jen nodded as the two joined hands and faced each other, “We only have a few more minutes before they realize I broke the camera signals...we better make this as quick as we can.”
The golden glow returned as their minds became one with the other, Nadine...they each thought together, Nadine...tell us what you have hidden...
Images of Nadine connected on her data pad to the Compa
ny flashed across their minds, followed by images of Jenny and Ben’s late night rendezvous in his quarters. Finally, an image, through Nadine’s eyes, of her snapping Nurse Rollin’s neck, which made them jerk apart and break their connection.
They burst into tears as they broke apart, both seeing the horror of Nadine committing cold blooded murder.
“She...she...killed her...” Jen said in shock.
“Nadine,” Bennie said, turning to Rhodes, “Nadine killed Ms. Rollins.”
“We didn’t understand exactly what she was doing, but Ms. Rollins took her by surprise. She saw something that was going to make her scream,” Jen said, “I can’t imagine what that would be?”
“Couldn’t you read her deeper thoughts?”
“No, we couldn’t see any more than that. It’s like a firewall was put up, preventing us from going any deeper,” Ben answered.
“Security is coming through the man trap, what’s our story?” Rhodes asked.
“Leave that up to me,” Calvin answered, “Just follow my lead.”
“Okay,” Jen nodded, “But I tell you, Bennie and I can take care of these while we’re AMP’d.”
“If they’re not buying my story, then go for it,” Calvin whispered just as the security detail entered the lab.
Rhodes and Calvin turned to study a monitor while Bennie and Jenny took their place on the AMP chairs. They closed their eyes to pretend they were in an AMP session.
“Give us a show of hands...NOW!” the lead security ordered, holding an AK-47, aimed at Doctor Rhodes.
Calvin and Rhodes froze at the console, then slowly raised their hands in the air to surrender.
“You have to let us finish the AMP session...the cameras...they broke the cameras with their minds,” Calvin pleaded, “If we don’t finish their cool down period, they will be able to break more than just a camera.”
Jenny opened her green eyes, “Sorry Cal, they’re not buying it...”
She pointed her hands in the air toward the security detail. A wave of energy shot down her arms and flung the men in the air, slamming them into unconsciousness on the wall behind them.
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