Bokamper thought about Baker again. They had developed a friendly rivalry about how many human females they bedded. The “sex score” was buried among the other athletic scores they traded. By adding or subtracting a prearranged digit here or there, they were able to keep count. Baker was well ahead in that department, thanks to his access to a large student body at the University of Georgia. Not that Bokamper was jealous; he had more sex than he could handle. And now that he feared Baker might be dead and dissected somewhere, he was less inclined to begrudge his colleague his success.
Now there were probably only two of them left. Bokamper wondered if his superior enjoyed sex as much as he did. Given their relative ranks, it was not something they could discuss, even if they saw more of each other. Their intimate contacts were limited by protocol and military tradition. Besides, they worked in separate areas of the Hadron facility. Given their respective positions, frequent after-hours contact might have created a stir. When they met on CERN business, they appeared to be friendly colleagues, no more.
Bokamper turned back to his screen. He had access to some of the best computers on Earth, as he had expected when he took the job at Hadron. After all, the search for the so-called “God particle” that seemed to consume his human colleagues — a waste of time, literally, in his opinion — needed incredible computations. And even if the Hadron computers paled in comparison to the liquid-based machines on his planet, they were sufficient for his needs, with the ability to crunch billions of bits of information. The Hadron machines were child’s play to him, of course, and using keys and other mechanical input devices was frustrating. But the real problem was that his equations weren’t working. None of them created a solution that would push neutrinos past the speed of light in the collider. And he knew it could be done, and not only with neutrinos. After all, he and the others who came to Earth were the proof of that. They had traveled many light years.
Even some of his human colleagues believed that the light constant could be breached, although many people mocked them. It had been scientific dogma, ever since Albert Einstein proposed it more than 100 years earlier, that nothing could travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum. Some CERN researchers had even claimed they had recorded neutrinos traveling faster than the barrier of 186,282 miles per second. They said their instruments recorded neutrinos arriving 60 nanoseconds earlier than the 2.3 milliseconds taken by light. A later report in Science Insider debunked that claim, saying that “the 60 nanoseconds discrepancy appears to come from a bad connection between a fiber-optic cable that connects to the GPS receiver used to correct the timing of the neutrinos' flight and an electronic card in a computer." The report went on to say that "after tightening the connection and then measuring the time it takes data to travel the length of the fiber, researchers found that the data arrive 60 nanoseconds earlier than assumed.”
The mocking only increased. Well, Bokamper thought, punching in some numbers that had just popped in his head, they may not mock us for long.
“Us,” he said aloud, laughing. I’m really assimilated.
If they only knew.
CHAPTER 15 - ROMANTIC INTERLUDE
Bert Silverstein was called away by his wife and Sudden went back to Samantha and Melissa Krige.
“We were just talking about you,” Samantha said. “Melissa wondered if all Department of Education employees look as tough as you do.”
“You can’t imagine how dangerous it is to go up against the N.E.A.,” Sudden said. “Those teachers are fierce. We get combat pay.”
Both women laughed.
“Sam, I wonder if I could borrow Melissa for a few moments. I’d like to pick her brain about something.”
“Sure. I think I’ll go munch on something. Can I fix you a plate?”
“No. And stay away from the asparagus sandwiches. In fact, go easy on everything. I’m taking you out to dinner after this.”
“How nice. See you in a few minutes.”
“You want to pick my brain?” Melissa looked confused. “About what?”
“Charles Baker.”
Now she really looked confused.
“Charlie? I hardly know him. And he seems to have disappeared. It’s all very mysterious.”
“Melissa, I happen to know that you were balling Baker’s socks off.” Her eyes widened and her mouth popped open. “Why don’t we take a walk in the yard so we can’t be overheard.”
“What business …?” Sudden grabbed her elbow and started moving her toward two side-by-side Adirondack chairs. “Wait. Your the man I saw when I came out of Maxwell’s office. Did Maxwell …?”
“Max was a perfect gentleman,” Sudden said. “I bet I could have pulled out his fingernails and he wouldn’t have said anything about you.” Sudden smiled inwardly. Youngblood had given his girlfriend up in a heartbeat. But he figured he owed the poor slob something. “What I know I’ve found out through other sources. You weren’t exactly discreet, Dr. Krige. And, of course, we’ve had George Baker under surveillance for quite some time.”
Another lie, but it worked. The woman’s eyes widened.
“Surveillance,” she croaked.
“Not in the bedroom, of course. That’s where we drew the line. But it’s also an area where we hope you will do your patriotic duty. I’d be interested in anything Baker might have told you. Anything you might consider useful to us.”
“Surveillance?”
They were sitting.
“Yes. I work for the Government, but not the Department of Education. Your lover, Baker, is wanted for espionage.”
“Oh, my God.” She gathered herself. “But Charles is a teacher. What could he know that would be of value.”
“He also worked at the linear accelerator.”
“I know. But none of that is classified. You can Google it. He told me.”
“That’s what he wanted you to believe. I can’t go into details, as I’m sure you understand. But we’re talking death penalty offense, here. Needle in the arm.”
“Oh, my God.”
By the time I leave Athens, Sudden thought, the place will be a hotbed of intrigue and false rumors. CNN and FOX won’t be far behind.
“But what can I tell you?”
“Pillow talk.”
“Pillow talk?”
“Listen, Melissa. We’ll be here all night if you keep repeating what I say. That’s not thunder you hear. It’s my stomach. I want to find a nice steak somewhere. So, just tell me what you and Charlie talked about. And please be candid. We’re adults, after all, and lives may be at stake.”
Sudden knew he was laying it on pretty thick. But it apparently worked. She took a deep breath.
“We hardly spoke. Either in bed or out. All he wanted to do was screw. Frankly, that’s all I wanted, too. But Charlie was insatiable. I thought I had an active sex drive, but he about wore me out.”
No wonder she dumped Max for Baker, Sudden thought. Poor Max. Now that he and Melissa were presumably back together, he’d probably never measure up, in any department, if the Guantanamo boys were right about Baker’s “equipment”.
“Thank God he had other sexual outlets,” Melissa continued, “although it always amazed me he had any energy left after we were through.” She turned her full gaze on Sudden. “I usually leave my partners very satisfied, if you get my drift.”
Jesus, the crazy broad was hitting on him, Sudden realized. What did they put in the water in this town? He might have to go back to college.
Melissa Krige spent the next 10 minutes describing Baker’s sexual proclivities and stamina in semi-pornographic detail. Then she asked him if he was “serious” about his date that night and whether he’d be in town long. She actually put her hand on his leg.
He was finally rescued by, of all people, Maxwell Youngblood, who suddenly loomed over them.
“Melissa, can I talk to you?”
Actually, he said “Melisha.” He was very drunk. When Sudden left them to return to the terrace, they were
engaged in a heated conversation. He found Samantha Brooke.
“What have you been up to out there?” She pointed to Youngblood and Melissa. “They look like they’re going to kill one another. Youngblood stopped drinking wine and has been inhaling vodka. He’s plastered.”
“Oh, I was just spreading some academic cheer. Let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”
“Did you learn anything interesting?”
“Maybe.”
That’s if one considers finding out that a dead alien was a sex maniac was interesting, he thought.
***
Sudden had been hoping for a steakhouse. But Samantha insisted that no stay in Athens was complete without a meal at The National, the city’s trendy organic eatery.
“Everything is locally farmed,” she enthused.
“Wonderful.”
Sudden thought the menu was a bit pretentious, and feared the worst. He ordered “Grilled Beef Hanger Steak, with Romesco Sauce, Arugula, Braised Green Vidalia onions and Radishes”, while Samantha went for “The Vegetable Plate: Roasted Beets with Feta, Pumpkin Seed Salsa Verde; Sauteed Snow Peas with Turnips, Orange, Sesame; Moroccan-Style Wilted Greens Salad; Chickpea Fritters with Yogurt and Harissa; Roasted Broccolini with Paprika; Black Rice Salad with Edamame and Frisee”.
“I was going to get that,” Sudden said dryly, “but I thought most of those vegetables would be out of season by the time I finished reading them.”
Then, remembering his expense account threat to Nigel Buss, he ordered a syrah-voignier, a $95 bottle of Cote Rotie, Patrick Jasmin, 2005.
“It should go with the vast majority of your vegetables,” he said.
As it turned out, the food was superb. Instead of dessert, they opted for “A Plate of Three Cheeses: Fortsonia (Cow, Georgia), 11-month Georgia Gold clothbound cheddar (Cow, Georgia), Cabra al Romero (Goat, Spain), Toasts, Marcona Almonds, Apple and Quince”.
“Don’t they have goats in Georgia?” he asked the young tattooed waitress.
“No. But we have plenty of asses.”
Sudden laughed and looked at Sam.
“I like it here.”
They ate their cheese, drank coffee and chatted. The place filled up with mostly young people, but no one rushed them to get out.
“Are you involved with anyone, Cole?”
“Not really.”
“Not Really? What the hell does that mean?”
“It’s complicated.” Sudden thought of Rebecca Soul. What exactly was their relationship? Agents with benefits? “Let’s just say that I have no commitments.”
“Sounds like a good deal for you.”
“That’s a sexist thing to say, nowadays.”
Sam smiled.
“You’re right, of course. I’m sorry if I’m prying.”
“It’s all right. It sounds like a cliché, but people in my line of business are often better off not having serious relationships.”
Sudden thought of another woman. He had learned a hard lesson in a previous case, when someone he’d come to love — there was no other word for it — was killed by a bullet that passed through him directly into her heart. Samantha Brooke noticed a slight change in his expression. A hardening of his features.
“Sounds like a pretty good line, too,” Sam said, gently.
Sudden laughed. He knew he was being teased.
“One of my best.”
“I saw Melissa Krige put her hand on your leg.”
“I think Youngblood may have saved my life.”
“She’s pretty notorious.”
“I thought adjuncts didn’t know much about what went on.”
“That’s how notorious she is. Even we’ve heard about her. I hope I didn’t ruin anything. You could have taken me home.”
“I’m not that kind of guy.”
“You’re against one-night stands?”
“As a general rule, I’m not in favor of them.” He smiled. “Of course, it’s only a general rule.”
“I’ve never had one,” Sam said.
“Rules?”
“A one-night stand.”
She smiled and her eyes crinkled.
“How long will you be in town?”
It was the second time he’d been asked that question that night.
“I was planning to leave tomorrow.”
“Can you stay another day? That way it would be a two-night stand. Not quite a relationship but more than a quick roll-in-the-hay.”
Sudden laughed.
“Sam, I like the way you think. Very scientific. You probably didn’t need my help to get on a tenure track here at Georgia.”
“I still can’t believe you’re blackmailing Youngblood for me.”
“He was born to be blackmailed. Besides, would you rather I just bought you a box of Russell Stover chocolates.”
***
Back in Sudden’s motel suite, Samantha Brooke dropped her bag in the bedroom and then disappeared into the bathroom while he poured a couple of drinks.
When she walked out to the living area she was wearing nothing but a towel. He handed her the drink. She took a small sip and said, “I don’t really need this.” Her pupils were dilated and there was a red flush on her chest. He could see the outline of her erect nipples against the cloth towel. Her face had the pinched look of a sexually aroused and slightly tipsy woman. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom, dropping the towel on a chair. She turned to him and he stood back to admire her body as he undressed. He had been right about the body. It was taut. He put his hands on her hips and slowly slid them up her sides until he could cup her small conical breasts and massage her nipples. Her hands were also busy. He started to push her straight back on the bed. She suddenly rolled over on her stomach and drew her knees up. Then she grabbed a pillow and wrapped her arms around, laying her head down. Her rear-facing pudendum was shaved and swollen. She looked back at him.
“Please,” she said huskily, “I love it this way.”
Her right arm snaked under her belly and she cupped him gently, her fingers moving in slow circles.
“Is that good?”
“Arf, arf.”
***
When he awoke the next morning, she was sitting up next to him, still naked.
“You’ll live, sleepyhead. I’m sorry. I guess I can get carried away. It’s been a while.”
Her face had the slightly slack, contented look of the sexually sated.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. I’m going to take a long, hot shower. Then let’s eat.”
CHAPTER 16 - LINEAR ACCELERATOR
Sudden dropped Samantha off at her apartment. He leaned over and kissed her.
“Looking forward to it. Now, scoot. They’re expecting me at the linear accelerator.”
“Noura is staying with her boyfriend tonight. I’ll cook something for us. Why don’t you bring your stuff over to my place? You can leave for the airport from here tomorrow.”
“Is a microwave a type of linear accelerator?”
She laughed.
“No. And I hardly ever use one. I’m a great cook. You’ll see.”
***
“Max Youngblood called me, Mr. Sudden. Said I should extend every courtesy.”
“That was very kind of him, Dr. Obote. Max and I have become quite close.”
Dr. Gamba Obote, a tall black man with a pencil-thin mustache and ready smile, had just offered Sudden a seat in his rather cramped office inside the main, or “target”, building at the business end of the University of Georgia’s linear accelerator.
“I trust that my staff gave you a proper tour of our lineac.”
“They certainly did. I was fascinated by the length of your beamline.”
“Just a long vacuum tube with oscillating electric potentials.”
“You mean booster stations?”
“Yes, sorry. I tend to talk in the vernacular.”
“That’s OK. I think I get the drift.”
Sudden the
n repeated, almost word for word, what Samantha had explained to him.
“That is terrific, Mr. Cole. I couldn’t have said it better myself, jargon or not.”
“I had a good teacher. Samantha Brooke. An adjunct at the university.”
“An adjunct?”
“Not for long. Max has his eye on her.”
“I can see why. What’s her name again?”
Sudden repeated it and Obote wrote it down.
“I’d like to meet her.”
“I’ll have her give you a call. Now, what can you tell me about Charles Baker?”
Obote leaned back in his chair and tented his fingers.
“Fine scientist. Said to be a good teacher. Well-liked here, I can tell you that. Always willing to pitch in when needed. Often could be found working well into the early morning hours. His disappearance has been a great loss.”
“His credentials passed muster?”
“Oh, yes.”
Sudden knew how easily they could be fabricated. But, then again, Baker might really have attended all the schools he claimed.
“But we would have taken him even if he only had a high school diploma,” Obote continued. “He knew as much about particle physics as anyone here.”
“What, in particular, was he working on.”
“Same thing as everyone else. They used to call it atom smashing, and I guess that’s what it boils down to.”
As if to reinforce that point, there was a large whine in the background that stopped abruptly with a loud bang.
TWO SUDDEN!: A Pair of Cole Sudden C.I.A. Thrillers Page 25