Hardy Sinclair Lewis
Captain London returned to her office and saw the body of Major Lewis in her chair. “Terminate New Orleans bar ambience program.” Her office went back to normal. She went into her closet and produced a private’s uniform. She dressed the immobile ID in the outfit, covering up its black suit.
She then walked it out of her office, steering it down the hallway. She took it back to Carl’s new office, passing only a few others in the hallway. They took no notice. She walked it into the closet where it stood obediently. She closed the door and entered the security code that Carl provided into the digi-lock and returned to her office.
When she returned to her office, she called security and did her best to sound panicky. When they arrived, she explained to them how Major Lewis came to her office unannounced with something important to discuss about the program. She told them that she just left the office to use the ladies room, and when she returned she found him as he was.
She was asked if she recorded the session, and she replied that she hadn’t as it wasn’t a session at all. Given the circumstances and the note, the incident was deemed a suicide.
Carl had told Fiona everything. He had told her about Lewis’ role in Tijuana and Xcaret. He also told her that once he completed his mission in Afghanistan that Major Lewis would come to seek her out and imply her in the conspiracy.
Their plan worked flawlessly. Carl told her that no matter what, things would work out. Either someone else would take the helm of the ID program, or it would be shut down.
Either way, he was loose and carrying on the work of the program. He would pursue the Order for International Liberation and all enemies of peace and freedom to the ends of the earth with his drones.
Fiona had heard that he was last spotted just over the border in Pakistan. Rumors of his exploits circulated quickly through the international press and intelligence communities. The Order for International Liberation appeared in broadcasts daily, denouncing the actions of this mysterious man and his death squad and making wild threats. But in actuality, the attacks stopped, if only for a moment…
…because for once they were afraid.
There was a ringing, and Fiona answered her phone at her desk. “Hello, Colonel Betancourt.”
“Captain, I just thought you should know that we received a communiqué from Xcaret, Mexico. Lieutenant Peter Birdsall is alive. There will be an extraction within the hour.”
“You’ll need me to do a full evaluation.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“I’ll forward you the report when I’m finished.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
Fiona terminated the phone call and couldn’t help smiling.
The End
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, organizations, and dialogues are either products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real, or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2013 by Edward P. Cardillo
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this manuscript or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. No part of this manuscript may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my wife, Sandra, who is my partner, my manager, and my coach. She helped me progress in my development as a writer and never let me succumb to the self-doubt that writers periodically feel. I would like to thank my son, Alexander, who inspires my imagination to roam free; Thank you to Alan Basso, Arno Kolz, Robert Rubicco, Charlene Nunez, James Nunez, and Jim Taylor for their feedback and support as I shaped this work into what it is. I would also like to thank Gary Lucas for giving me my shot and making the process so easy.
I Am Automaton: A Military Science Fiction Novel Page 27