Echo (The Remote Traveler Series Book 3)

by Finian Blake

  “Zelda, I want one seamstress on each piece have them drop what they doing and start immediately on this.” Tamar waived her arm and presentation, “This is Senator Winnifred Ransom. She will not be with us long, and I would like to demonstrate our capabilities. When you’re finished I would like them placed in the closet of apartment number seven.”

  “Of course your Majesty, it should take us no longer than three hours with the whole staff working on your request.” Zelda hurried to the computer to make sure all the materials were in stock.

  “She called you your Majesty. Was she being sarcastic,” Winnie asked.

  “No, they jokingly refer to me as Queen Tamar. You see my family is from Georgia and Queen Tamar was one of our greatest regents. Half of the people here are also from Georgia and we pay them very well.”

  “You do your production here,” Winnie pressed.

  “No, we just do prototypes and work for special clients out of this location. We have our facilities just outside of Baltimore. All of our clothing is made here in the United States since we have a special feeling for this country. All of the people here are legal immigrants, and highly accomplished seamstresses. Our clientele demands quality and would leave us in a heartbeat if we didn’t offer quality work.” Tamar continued, “Now if you will follow me back to the computer room I will show you what we do for the US marshals service.” Once Tamar was seated at her computer she pulled up Winnie’s profile reducing it to a bust. Her hands flew over the controls changing hairstyle, and make up. Winnie pointed to the 3-D figure on the screen.

  “That’s not me,” Winnie said critically.

  “It could be. Our job is to make a new person without surgery.” Tamar smiled up at Winnie, “if you approve of the hairstyle I can prove my point.”

  “I would like to see that,” Winnie laughed. Tamar punched the button causing the printer to spit out a picture of the new Winnifred. Tamar took her by the hand leading her into the spa walking up to a well-groomed man presenting him with a picture of the new Winnifred.

  “Armand, this is Jane Monroe and I would like her to look exactly like this picture. We will serve her lunch while you are working.” Armand handed Jane a silk kimono.

  “Jane, remove your outer clothing and put this on,” Armand said absently as he studied the picture. “Tamar, I can easily shave five or six years off of her appearance will that be enough?”

  “That will be perfect Armand,” Tamar said mildly. “Jane has apartment number seven would you please have her escorted there when you’re finished.”

  “Oh, is she that special.”

  “Yes Armand, I would like your very best work for her,” Tamar said as she left the room.

  The ATV skidded up to the mark in front of the cameras for the fifteenth time. Mary Lee stumbled off the ATV standing up straight looking directly into the camera pointing her gun at the mannequin lying on the cargo rack on the back of the vehicle.

  “This is a god damn Rapist, and I just shot his fucking balls off.” Mary Lee looked up to the director pressing the barrel of the gun to his nose. “If you call for one more take I am going to shoot you in the eye. You have fifteen takes and we are using video so you can edit something up that will look perfect. The set is closed,” Mary Lee said not hiding the venom in her voice. “Senator Belight has been waiting patiently to talk to me, and we’re going into my trailer and have that conversation.” Mary Lee took the senator by the hand limping to her trailer, with the gun still in her hand.

  “That gun is property,” the director said trying to sound official.

  “I am keeping the son of a bitch so that I can shoot the next fucker that knocks on the door.” Mary Lee slowly waived the gun in an arc in the direction of the crew causing everybody to scatter. She slammed the door when she was sure that she had put the fear of God in everybody. She pushed Marvin into a pile of clothing that was on the couch taking a seat at the other end. Mary Lee grabbed a bottle of vodka off the end table taking a long pull passing it to Marvin who did the same thing. After they had passed the bottle back and forth a few times Mary Lee stood up unsteadily obviously drunk.

  “I am drunk and horny,” Mary Lee smiled down at Marvin. Cherry had already told her that the Senator had a preference for men. Mary Lee slipped the panties off her waist presenting him with a penis as she lifted her skirt. The Senator’s eyes went wide.

  “That’s more equipment than I was expecting,” the senator gasped.

  “Just think of it as a very large clitoris. Marvin I am a woman trapped inside of a man’s body. God just decided not to match the equipment with the brain. I am not a homosexual I believe that the best term would be omnisexual. I can love men and women with equal enthusiasm.” Mary Lee grabbed a handful of hair at the back of the Senators head pressing the bottle of vodka up to his lips forcing him to drink the remainder of the bottle. Mary Lee picked the gun up off the couch stroking the Senators ear with the side of the barrel. “You can always say that I put a gun to your head.” The Senator grabbed Mary Lee’s ankles moving his hands up her thighs finally pushing the skirt high on her hips.

  “Not necessary my dear…,” Marvin said as Mary Lee threw the gun on the couch grabbing another handful of hair.

  Winnifred was pacing in the living room of the guest apartment wearing the Kimono that Armand had given her. She was highly irate with him but the only thing that he would say was ‘I have my instructions.’ Finally, she permitted Armand to escort her back to the apartment. There was a quiet knock at the door and she opened it finding Zelda standing in the doorway with three garment bags and a small suitcase.

  “Here you go three outfits and the bag contains lingerie plus shoes.” Zelda said in a soft tone. “I have told her Majesty that I have delivered the order, and she informs me that she will be here momentarily.”

  “You really weren’t being sarcastic,” Winnie said softly.

  “Please believe me when I say that we call her that with the utmost respect,” Zelda said reverently. “Tamar treats us like family and is most generous.” Winnie looked over Zelda’s shoulder to see Tamar standing behind her in the doorway.

  “You’re an angel Zelda thank you so much,” Tamar said in an affectionate tone of voice as she walked into the room. She picked a garment bag at random handing it to Winnie along with the suitcase. Try this on we will check the fit. She did as instructed trying on the new lingerie and shoes along with the new outfit finding that everything fit to perfection including the shoes. Winnie heard a quiet knock on the door as she turned to face the mirror. She stared at the woman reflected in the mirror not recognizing her.

  “Everything is absolutely perfect even the shoes. How did you get my shoe size?”

  “The pedestal measured your feet as you were standing on it,” Tamar smiled holding out her hand. “I have a driver’s license, Social Security card, and credit card all in the name of Jane Monroe. Please be careful with the credit card because it is active.”

  “Why…,” Winnie asked.

  “I wanted to show you what we could do, plus there are times when the senator should not use her name,” Tamar said confidently. “According to the records the credit card is issued two years ago, the driver’s license was issued a year ago, and the Social Security number was issued when you were fourteen. Oh yes, the driver’s license is registered with the state of Maryland and all you have to do is renew it when the time is up.” Winnie examined the documents closely finding the driver’s license even had the official hologram stamped into the plastic and her picture conveyed her present look.

  “How…?”

  “I told you that we work for the US marshals service for witness protection,” Tamar smiled brightly. “Now if you get stopped with the wrong person in the car or in the wrong place you can be Jane Monroe.” Winnie smiled broadly as the ramifications of these three cards dawned on her as well as another thought.

  “Are you trying to bribe me?”

  “No my dear, the contract is alre
ady ours both you and Senator Belight are here to verify the oversight confirming that we are capable of completing the contract. There is no need for a bribe.” Tamar smiled when the expression on Winnie’s face changed. “The clothes and the cards are merely a demonstration of what we’re capable of doing. Shred the cards and burn the clothes if you wish the choice is up to you.” Winnie did a slow turn in front of the mirror’s moving the jacket of her outfit as she did.

  “It would be a sin to destroy these,” Winnie said moodily. “If you were to charge me for these cards what would the price be?”

  “The driver’s license is actually entered into the Maryland state division of motor vehicles and the Social Security card is entered into the system too. The price on these two documents would be about two thousand dollars.” Tamar had enjoyed the expression on Winnie’s face. “If we were to do a full workup with driver’s license, Social Security, passport, and a full personal history along with a credit history the price would be forty thousand dollars.”

  “That’s steep,” Winnie gasped.

  “All the documents are live round documents, and we must deposit the money for your earnings history with Social Security, but the real kicker is a combination of personal and credit history. When we’re finish with a complete package any organization could do a complete security check and never discover that you were once another person. We even create a complete educational history saving your degrees and accomplishments.” Tamar brushed the shoulders of Winnie’s new clothes adjusting the fit.

  “It is a shame that you will be leaving us this afternoon. I would like you to stay the weekend so that you can fully enjoy the advantages that we offer.” Tamar said putting out the bait.

  “I have no plans for the weekend,” Winnie said quickly. “I have seen much more than I ever dreamed would be here, so I think I will take you up on your offer. I have no clothes for the weekend.”

  “That will not be a problem,” Tamar said quietly confident. “You’re welcome to use this apartment, but I fear that you will find it isolated. My house is at the bottom of the hill and I have a well-appointed guest room which you would be more than welcome to use.”

  “Thank you I would love to see your house,” Winnie said warmly bending over to collect the rest of her new clothing.

  “Don’t bother with those things. You will find them in your room when we get there.” Tamar had a critical look at Winnie’s body. “You look like a jogger. I usually jog at this time of day would you care to join me. We have everything you need at the recreation center.”

  “Thank you I would love that.”

  Mary Lee had broken out a fresh bottle of vodka and was sitting on the floor in a pile of clothing. She passed the bottle to Marvin who took a short pull on the bottle. Mary Lee tossed Marvin his clothes.

  “Get dressed we are going down to my place and take a shower.” After Marvin was dressed Mary Lee led him to the ATV. “Get on and hold on tight it is a long walk.” Mary Lee popped both wheels off the ground driving full speed toward the closed doors. She pressed the button next to the ignition switch in the door started to open. The ATV was through the doors before they were four feet apart. They made a hard left to catch a drive-up ramp and sped up the incline. Marvin noticed that much of the incline was covered by camouflage netting which kept the scope of the building hidden. Mary Lee switched into a higher gear but slammed on the brakes a few seconds later. A large man with a brush hair cut was standing in the middle of the road with his hands on his hips.

  “Mary Lee,” Tom said holding up four fingers, “kids, horses, dogs, and me I don’t want any one of those run over. Slow down and get your intoxicated ass off of the road!” Marvin was waiting for Mary Lee to fire off some smart answer but was surprised when she took an apologetic tone.

  “I’m sorry Tom those assholes at the shoot today got me completely wound up. I promise we will cool our jets thanks for reminding me.” Tom stepped out of the middle of the path without further comment allowing Mary Lee to proceed at a more reasonable pace. Marvin leaned over her shoulder speaking loudly, so that he could be heard over the noise of the engine.

  “That was Tom Thomas the director of Four Diamonds Security does he live here,” Marvin shouted.

  “Yes, you might say that Four Diamonds is the landlord.” She shouted in order to be heard. “Rhonda is managing director of the entire project, Tom is the president of the North American division, and Cherry is number three owner of Four Diamonds International. She financed this whole project.” Mary Lee did a hard stop by the back door of a very large house. Marvin jumped off the ATV as if the seat was on fire.

  “Cherry is Rhonda’s boss! I thought that she was just her lesbian lover.” Marvin did nothing to hide the shock.

  “Cherry is actually my lesbian wife,” Rhonda’s voice floated over his shoulder. Neither one of them had noticed Rhonda leaning up against the house with Cherry.

  “And Boris is our husband,” both women said in unison. Marvin flashed back to the little drama that they played out in the document vault at the NSA. Cherry and Rhonda had allowed Marvin to shred several compromising photos of him and a number of male pages. Marvin thought about his little game of slap and tickle with Mary Lee in the trailer suddenly thinking of the negative possibilities.

  “Is this blackmail?” Marvin held his breath waiting for an answer.

  “No silly, Cherry and I keep our promises,” Rhonda said soothingly as she gently stroked Boris’s cheek. “This is a straight business proposition. We’re asking you to do us a favor and in return you will profit.”

  “What kind of favor,” Marvin asked in a straightforward manner wanting to clarify the issue, and Cherry obliged by moving straight to business.

  “Your committee is holding an oversight on the construction of five new fast transport ships. Everybody believes that Titan Shipyards should receive the contract and that Hall Shipbuilding is out of the running. Senator Ransom is going to forcibly insist that you reconsider. She knows that you have received huge campaign donations from Titan and in order to appear impartial you will agree after a long argument.”

  “I can’t…” Marvin started to object, but Rhonda continued over his objection.

  “You can if you alert Wayne Haggard the CEO of Titan Shipyards before you do this. After a few weeks the committee will determine that Hall shipbuilding does not have the capacity in their yard to build 8 fast transports.” Rhonda smiled and Marvin waiting for an answer.

  “And how this that generate a profit,” Marvin asked sounding somewhat annoyed.

  “We already own a large block of stock in Hall Shipbuilding which we bought at a very reasonable price. When the announcement goes out the Hall stock will take a huge jump and the stock for Titan Shipyards will take a dive. At that point we will sell the stock in Hall Shipbuilding buying the stock in Titan Shipyards when it bottoms out. And then we will sell the stock for Titan Shipyards when it tops out buying all the stock we can for Hall Shipbuilding when it bottoms out.” Rhonda was sounding very confident, but Marvin was a little confused.

  “But why buy stock in Hall Shipbuilding?” Marvin knew that there was a good answer, by the broad smile that appeared on Rhonda’s face.

  “The government wants the ships to be powered by turbine driven thrusters instead of the conventional propellers and Hall shipbuilding as the foremost design on that type of a system. When the market finds out their stock will make a modest rise at which point we duck out of the whole stinking mess taking our money to the bank.”

  “It won’t work,” Marvin said shaking his head. “You won’t be able to get your profits out in time to purchase the next batch of stocks.”

  “It will work because we have sufficient funds to stake three purchases ahead of what we need,” Rhonda smiled. “Here’s the deal: you can have your little row with Senator Ransom and we will give you $200,000 cash when the deal is presented for reconsideration or you can have fifteen percent of the total profits after we c
omplete the last transaction with the stock for Hall Shipbuilding.”

  “What if I can’t make up my mind?”

  “The only thing that you have to make up your mind about is whether or not you are going to cave in to Senator Ransom’s demands for fairness. You have received $50,000 from the Titan war chest so you will have to cave in sooner or later especially when they find out about the lobbyists donation. The hearing is Monday and if you cave in as planned you are down for a minimum of two hundred thousand dollars paid in cash delivered in one of those little black bags.” Rhonda kissed Mary Lee gently on the cheek.

  “You two go play. Cherry and I have arrangements to make.”

  Mary Lee took Marvin by the arm guiding him to the shower removing his wrinkled clothing as they walked.

  “What pictures,” Mary Lee pressed. Marvin decided that considering what they had done it was no point in hiding it from her.

  “As you know I have a preference for men,” Marvin said not wanting to call himself a homosexual, since he had made several rants for family values in the Senate. “I had a few relationships with various male pages, and pictures were taken. These pictures ended up in a black mail file of a rogue intelligence agency. Cherry and Rhonda were the keepers of the documents vault at the NSA, and after a little bit of drama they agreed to destroy the entire file giving me their assurances that the file never existed. When they showed up downstairs on your back porch I thought that you had set me up.” Mary Lee turned on the water pushing Marvin in the shower without giving it a chance to warm up causing him to howl at the shock. When the water warmed up she stepped in the shower grabbing him firmly between the legs causing Marvin to drop to his knees.

  “This one time I will tell you something about me. I say what I think and I take what I want.” Mary Lee kissed him fiercely on the mouth forcing her tongue in between his lips. When he slipped his tongue into her mouth, Mary Lee clamped down firmly on it refusing to let him withdraw. Mary Lee’s almond shaped eye with her dark pupil betrayed no emotion. It was easy to read the panic in Marvin’s eye. She held his tongue between her teeth until she detected the look of surrender. “You are mine until I say otherwise. Say it…,”