by David Archer
*
Daphne surprised herself by dozing off, but she had been smart enough to set an alarm before she lay down, just in case. It had woken her at five, so she could go and get some dinner, but she allowed herself a few extra minutes of lazing in the bed before she actually rolled off and began getting dressed. She decided to go casual, slipping into jeans and a simple t-shirt with a rose printed on the front. The restaurant was supposed to allow casual dress, and she didn’t feel like doing anything fancy.
A few minutes later, she slipped the key card into her pocket and made her way to the elevator. She was on the top floor, and had to use her card to summon one, but it arrived so quickly she figured it must have been only one or two floors down. She stepped inside and pressed the button for the lobby, then watched the doors close. She hoped it wouldn’t stop too many times on the way down, because she actually was beginning to feel hungry, and she was delighted when it opened a minute later on the ground floor.
The restaurant was just off the lobby on the right, and she walked straight to the hostess. The young woman smiled and asked if she was alone, then led her to a small table with two chairs back in the corner. The only table nearby held two couples, and they seemed to be deep in an animated discussion.
She picked up the menu and began looking at the selections, but the people at the other table were speaking just loudly enough for her to pick up the odd word. She did her best to ignore them, but barely heard conversations tend to make one’s ears strain automatically. It wasn't helping, but then she heard one of the women say, “brain surgeon,” and instantly focused on them.
She still couldn't hear everything they were saying, but she caught enough to make her wonder if they were talking about her. She had heard “brain surgeon,” of course, and she picked up the word “chip” and something that sounded like “operation.” The coincidence was more than she could imagine, and she figured they were probably from the group that had hired her.
She glanced around and saw that they were not actually couples at all. At least, it didn’t look that way. One of the men was considerably older than the rest of them, and the other man was looking anywhere other than at the women. He didn’t look that old, but there was something about him that suggested he might be somewhat different from what most people would consider normal.
The women, on the other hand, were young and lovely. Daphne wasn't into girls, but she could recognize beauty when she saw it, and these two had it in buckets. One of them was Asian, possibly Chinese; the other seemed to be a true-blue American girl.
She caught another word: “bioengineering.” That settled it, they must be connected to the project she had been engaged for. She looked for the waitress and didn’t see her yet, so she set the menu down and got up from her chair.
She walked to the other table with a smile on her face, and it was the blonde woman who noticed her first. She looked up with a smile of her own, but there was a wariness in her eyes that Daphne caught.
“Hello,” Daphne said, her accent thick but not terribly so. “I was not trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help overhearing some of your conversation, and I heard mention of a surgeon for the brain. Which is why I’m here. I’m hired to perform a surgery, to place a new technology into a brain. Are you the people I’m supposed to meet? I was not expecting you until tomorrow morning.”
The blonde woman looked confused for a split second, then her eyes brightened and she smiled again. “Oh, are you the doctor? They didn’t tell us who we’d be meeting yet.”
Daphne’s smile grew wider. She had been a little nervous about taking this engagement, because the recruiter had been so secretive, so seeing these two women in the group was somewhat reassuring.
“Yes, I’m Daphne Hu,” she said. “I’m glad we got to meet tonight.” She looked at their table, which had a couple of extra chairs. “May I join you? I don’t really like to eat alone.”
“Of course,” the young woman said. “We’re actually here to provide security for you in the morning, but we’re delighted to make your acquaintance. And if you like, we can call our supervisor and have him come down to meet you, as well.”
“That would be very nice,” Daphne said, as the older man stood and held a chair for her. She sat as he went to her previous table and got her menu and water and brought it back.
“Would you excuse me for just a moment?” he asked, and Daphne nodded graciously.
Steve walked hurriedly out of the restaurant and into the lobby, dialing Sam’s cell number as he did so. Sam answered on the second ring.
“Steve?” he said. “I was going to call you shortly. Everything okay?”
“Sam Prichard, you’re the luckiest son of a bitch I've ever known,” Steve said, the words rushing out, “but it must be rubbing off on the rest of us. You wanna guess who just walked up and introduced herself?”
“What? Who?”
“Yeah,” Steve said, “exactly! Doctor Hu!”
25
Sam was sitting with Denny and the rest when Steve called him, and his mind began racing.
“Doctor Who? Like, in the TV show?” he asked.
“No, like in a brain surgeon who thinks we’re part of the organization that hired her for some big operation she’s gonna be doing! Something about sticking something into somebody’s brain, can you believe that?”
Sam’s eyes were so wide he was almost afraid his eyeballs were going to fall out. “Are you freaking serious? She just walked up to you?”
“Yeah, seriously! We were eating dinner at the hotel, and she was sitting a short distance away and heard us mention a brain surgeon, so she thinks we’re here for her. Summer told her we’re her security team, and I guess she bought it, because she asked to join us!”
“Where are you?” Sam asked.
“Omni Hotel, in San Fran, where I got rooms for all of us. Are you in the city yet?”
“How long to get to the Omni Hotel?” Sam asked, and Joel answered instantly.
“Fourteen miles, about eighteen minutes.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes or less, Steve,” Sam said. “Do not let her get away! Does she know who she’s working for?”
“Hell, I don’t know, I left her with Walter and the girls and came out to call you! Get here, and by the way, a couple of men attacked the girls in the damned elevator, here. They handled it, but I’m getting really sick of that!” He hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket, straightened his shirt and went back into the restaurant.
Sam had only gotten his food a few minutes before Steve had called, but he didn’t care. He wolfed down what he could as he was getting up, told Darren to take care of the tab and bring everyone else to the Omni when they were done, and took off out the door.
He had just gotten into the car when the other doors opened, and Joel, Pat, and Becky got in. Sam looked at them all for a split second, shrugged, and started it up. “You all could have stayed and finished your dinner,” he said.
“What, and miss the fun when you tell this doctor who you really are?” Pat asked. “Not on your life!”
Joel grinned sheepishly. “I just want to see Summer again,” he said.
Sam looked into the rear view mirror at Becky. “And you won’t let Pat out of your sight, right?”
“Right,” she said, clutching Pat’s hand. “Besides, that was the worst lasagna I've ever tasted.”
Sam grinned. “Okay,” he said. “Everybody buckle up and hold on.” He had already backed out, so he threw the car into drive and shot out of the parking lot.
The traffic was easing by the time they got on the road, and Sam knew how to drive in the city. He made it to the Omni in just under sixteen minutes, tossed the keys to the valet and took his ticket, then walked quickly into the lobby. He spotted the restaurant and made his way into it, then spotted Steve and the rest toward a rear corner and made his way between the tables to get to them.
He saw her. The tiny little Asian woman was sitting between Summ
er and Jade, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying whatever conversation was going on. He watched her carefully as he approached, looking for any sign that she might actually be part of the plot, but her body language said she was relaxed and comfortable with herself.
He hoped he was right. If he could enlist her help, there was a chance they might still prevent Fei, or whoever, from getting the chip implanted, and that was by far the most important part of his goal at the moment.
He saw Steve look up at him and smile, and then the woman turned to look in his direction. What had Steve said her name was? Something about an old TV show, oh, yeah, Doctor Who. Sam had watched it years ago, but hadn’t seen it in a long time. Kim watched it faithfully, though, he knew…
Kim. Beauregard. What was it the old spook had said?
Be careful about the time lady.
Doctor Who was a time lord, but this Doctor Who was a woman. If a male Doctor Who was a Time Lord, then a female one would naturally be a Time Lady.
As crazy as it sounded, it fit. This was who Beauregard had warned him to be careful about, because the name seemed similar to one of Kim’s favorite characters.
He was there, and the woman was on her feet, smiling up at him.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m Doctor Hu.”
Sam smiled and took her hand, shaking it gently. “Sam Prichard,” he said. “And I’m delighted to meet you.”
He took the chair Steve offered him, sitting down next to the doctor while Joel, Pat, and Becky dragged up chairs from other empty tables and crowded around. The doctor looked at them in surprise, but smiled nonetheless. “We thought it would be best, Sam,” Steve said, “if you were to—um—explain things to the doctor.”
“I understand,” Sam said, but he had no idea where to begin. “Doctor…” he began, but she cut him off.
“No formalities, please,” she said. “I’m Daphne, Daphne Hu. And yes, I can see in your face, I have heard all the jokes about ‘Doctor Who.’ I assure you, I’m not that one.” Her smile was warm and genuine, and Sam was almost ashamed to tell her that she had been recruited into a criminal plot that might endanger the entire world.
“Daphne,” he said. “I’m afraid that what I’m about to tell you is not something you actually wanted to hear.”
He began, then, at the beginning, being extremely open since he had no intention of letting this doctor get away. He told her about Dr. Williamson and the theft of the chip. He told her about Barton Medell, the driver who had also lost his life, and about Steven McGill. He introduced her to Becky, McGill’s widow, who had been dragged into the crime, and to Joel, who already had a chip in his head.
Between all of them, they told her about the lawyer, Landry, who had also been murdered, about the attempt on the lives of the two women sitting there, about all of the work that had gone into figuring out just what was happening. They told her about Fei, and that they strongly suspected that he was the intended recipient of the chip, and of her ministrations.
And then Sam told her that she would almost certainly become another murder victim, should she proceed to do the operation.
Through it all, she sat quietly, only asking a few questions about the company that had originated the chip, and asking Joel about what it was like to have the chip in his head, to have access to unlimited information. She nodded at the short, simple answers she got to each question, and then looked back to Sam each time.
When he finished, she sat in silence for quite some time, just looking into Sam’s eyes. To her, silent eye contact only gave the opportunity to read the person she had been speaking with, and reach a decision on whether or not to cooperate. When she finally spoke, it was with courage.
“It seems to me,” she said, “that I am most fortunate to have come here to have dinner tonight. The operation is to take place tomorrow, and it appears that had I not been so fortunate, then tomorrow I might have been dead.”
“I’m afraid I have to agree,” Sam said. “I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you these things, but if I can convince you not to perform the surgery...”
“Of course I will not,” she said. “I came because of the opportunity to learn about a new technology that I was told would make it possible to heal the lame and the paralyzed, the blind and the deaf. If I had known that I was to perform this surgery on a madman, I’d never have agreed.”
“I...” Sam’s phone went off, and he glanced at it to see Denny Cortlandt’s number. “Hello?” he said.
“Just checking in,” Denny said. “They’ll be switching out the security guards in a few minutes, and that’s my best window to get up the building. All go?”
“Yes. Report to me as soon as possible.”
“Righto,” Denny said, and the line went dead. Sam turned back to Daphne.
“We’ll all be staying here at the hotel tonight,” he said, “and there are plenty of us, including some security officers. With your permission, I’d like to station a couple of them outside your room, to watch over you. If this is Fei we’re dealing with, it’s possible he’ll know that you’ve spoken with us and decide to harm you.”
“I have a suite,” she said. “Your men are welcome to stay in the sitting room, while I sleep. And I thank you. After the things that happened to these young women, I have no delusions that such a man wouldn’t harm me.”
Sam nodded. “Thank you,” he said. “I’ll sleep better knowing that you’re protected.”
Daphne looked into his eyes for another moment and then smiled. “Do you know, Sam Prichard, why I have accepted what you say so easily? Why I’m trusting you with my life?”
“No, I honestly don’t,” Sam said, “but I’m glad that you do.”
She laughed softly. “It's because there are two things I know very well. One of them is that the eyes always tell whether a man, or a woman, is truthful. One who lies will have a darkness in his eyes, and yours are full of love and light. And the other is that, if you were not who you say you are, if you were in fact an enemy who seeks to use or hurt me, you would never ask, and so sincerely desire, to protect me until tomorrow. You would take advantage of the night to do what you would, but there is no haste in you. You have a patience that comes from honesty in the soul.” She reached out and placed a hand over his. “If there is anything that I can do to aid in your investigation, Sam Prichard, I hope that you will not hesitate to tell me what it is. Tonight, I truly believe that I owe you my life, and that is not a debt I take lightly.”
Sam pressed her hand between his own. “I hope that I never need to ask,” he said, “but I promise you that I will if it becomes necessary. In fact, can you tell us about the people who hired you?”
She shook her head, and her face became sad again. “I’m afraid I cannot. I was only in touch with a recruiting company from Rome, and they made all the arrangements. I received, through a bank transfer, a portion of the fee in advance. It was about fifty thousand dollars U.S., and I arranged my own flight and hotel. I was only given a telephone number to text to when I arrived, and I’m supposed to text it again in the morning by nine AM. Arrangements for my transportation to the hospital were to be made then.”
Sam bit his bottom lip. “Perhaps,” he said, “I might prevail upon you to send that message in the morning. Then we might at least capture the people who come for you and learn just where the surgery was to take place. That could help us to find the person responsible for all of the deaths and troubles.”
She smiled. “Why do you suppose I mentioned that to you?”
Sam chuckled. “I like you, Daphne. Did you get the chance to finish your dinner before I ruined your evening?”
“I did finish,” she said, “but you have not ruined anything. Sam Prichard, I am excited to think that I may help to save the world from someone like this. Even if all I do is refrain from performing the surgery, I have done the right thing, yes?”
“You most certainly have,” Sam said. “And now, is there anything more I can do for you?”
> Her eyes lit up. “But yes,” she said. “If all is brought to a satisfactory conclusion, would you consider introducing me to this CerebroLink? If I understand correctly, it is they who truly wish to see this technology perform its miracles, and I would still desire to be one of the physicians who helps to make it a reality.”
“That would be an honor, Daphne.” He looked around at Joel. “What do you think, Joel? Would they give her a chance?”
“I've already notified Dr. Prentiss that I've found a candidate,” Joel said with a smile, “and he said if I let her get away without getting her phone number, he’ll shoot me.”
They all rose from the table then, and made their way to their respective rooms. Rob and Darren had arrived, along with Rob’s squad, and two were quickly assigned to guard duty in Daphne’s room, and then Sam and the rest headed up the elevators together.
On the sixth floor, Summer and Jade stepped out of the elevator first, and two Asian men who were standing in the hallway moved toward them menacingly, but then Sam, Steve, Darren, and Joel stepped up behind them, and six more men followed from a second elevator. The two Asians suddenly decided they had pressing business at the end of the hall. Sam had seen them approaching the girls, so he told Rob to check them out, and then chuckled as both of them hurried back to get into the elevator and go down.
“Want me to go deal with them?” Rob asked, but Sam shook his head.
“No. I think we’re sending the kind of message I want to send, so we’ll let them go for now. If they come back, or if anyone tries to bother the girls, well...”
Rob grinned. “No problemo,” he said. “I’m going to have the guys stand watch in the hallway through the night, trading off every couple of hours. We’ll take care of anything that comes along.”
Sam nodded. “Good,” he said. “Keep an eye on room 605, also. If Fei knows the girls are here, it’s possible he already knows Becky McGill is back. He’ll want to get his hands on her, and I don’t want that to happen.”