Madness

by Bill Wetterman

  “And you’re honest about it.”

  Peacock pushed back. “How can you say that?”

  “You told me much of this already. Before we married you said, ‘I can’t promise to be faithful to you.’”

  Yes, she remembered. “And you still love me?”

  “Dearly.”

  “Here is what I’ll promise you. I’ll protect you and our family with my life. I’ll develop a shield of protection close around you, so no one can harm you. And I’ll develop a strike force capable of destroying your enemies wherever they live.”

  “I believe you.” He unfastened his seatbelt as the motorcade pulled up to the Widder. “Do you want to stay married to me? Your decision to marry me was Hercules’ doing.”

  “Yes. I want to learn to give you everything I’m capable of giving. What I can’t promise is what I don’t have in me.”

  His bodyguards waited at the doors for the two to exit the vehicle.

  “I told you the last time Ursa arranged for us to meet. ‘I will see that your implant is removed.’ I have. I am honest with you. I will love you forever.”

  “Should I hide my indiscretions from you? Would that be your desire?”

  “Let’s get off on the right foot. There will be no secrets between us. Open and honest, that’s how our life will be.”

  “I respect you, Darling.”

  #

  Her husband stood at the door of what was to be her new home. She’d lived in a hotel before, The Emerald, where she worked in Room 1515. Now she had a family living with her. Her son was here. Would her baby boy reject her? The last time she held him she raged out when they tried to take him from her. What would she do now? Of course, that was the point of her month trial at home.

  Steady yourself, Peacock, she thought. You’re Mensa level. You can remain in control and learn normal behavior.

  “Are you ready?” Pendleton asked.

  “No.”

  “Good. No time like the present.”

  The door swung open. Anne Pendleton’s broad smile greeted her, and in Anne’s arms, her son cuddled in a blanket, asleep and carefree.

  “Can I hold him?”

  “Laverna, of course,” Anne’s voice sang with warmth. “You’re in charge. I’m the backup, available twenty-four seven, like tonight for instance.” Anne winked.

  At first, Peacock’s whole body trembled as she pulled her son to her breast. He fidgeted for a second and Peacock’s heart almost stopped. Then George’s breathing returned to his slumber pattern.

  Love? Was this what love felt like? If she dwelt on her emotions, she’d fall apart in front of everyone.

  Behind Anne was Milton Rogers. She recognized him by name and face. “Milton, you look younger.”

  Milton grinned and hugged Anne. “That’s what a good woman does for a man.”

  She felt Arthur’s discomfort without looking at him and realized what a strong connection they had. Then an eerie chill cause her to shiver.

  “You remember my best man Hans Van Meer,” Pendleton said. “He’ll be your new boss.”

  Van Meer raised his hand. “Remember, old boy, the last time the two of us met, we were fighting each other to the death.”

  “I had you beaten. What happened?”

  “Our good Professor, Thaddeus Cline, hit you square on the back of the head with a Marlins’ bat.”

  “I knew you didn’t beat me one-on-one.”

  Anne Pendleton’s mouth gaped. Milton Rogers chuckled, hand covering his face. “That’s our dear Lovey,” he said. “When Arthur picks them, like everything else he does, he settles for nothing but the best.”

  “School’s out on who is best,” Van Meer said, a glimmer in his eye.

  “We’re having lunch after you spend time with George. Then you, Milton, Hans and I need to talk.” Pendleton sniffed the air. “Oh, I think a change of diapers is in order, Mum.”

  Peacock almost handed George to Anne at those words. Luckily, she caught herself. She was Mum in this case. Into the bedroom she went, Anne following at her heels. “I’ll let you do it. I’ll just observe for the first time to see if you need help.”

  I’m a damn college graduate, Mensa level IQ. Of course, I can change a diaper.

  Now if she could get over the smell and find the pins—wait, the thing’s held together with Velcro. Piece of cake!

  #

  “This is yummy,” Peacock said, having a drink of Global nutrient.

  “Yes,” Rogers said. “Europeans and Americans eat too much. Fat is out. Lean is in.”

  “Why don’t you tell people more about your plans?” Peacock asked her husband. “All I hear is, ‘All this for the environment?’”

  “She has a point,” Van Meer said. “People are numb. They’re still trying to figure out what’s coming.”

  “But the testing is far from complete yet,” Pendleton said. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”

  “There are people living in hovels,” Rogers said. “They’re being fed and clothed. They’re getting work and healthcare. But they don’t know why some of the people in the mansions still live there.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Lay out your ten-year plan with the timetables we developed with Project Enlightenment—how the world will be in the future, the beautification projects, the city reorganization plans, and the enrichment of human minds.”

  “You see, Darling,” Peacock said. “I don’t even know where the world is going.”

  “We’ve stopped most of the rioting.” Van Meer pointed a finger at Pendleton. “But we’re faced with expectations in underdeveloped countries and apathy among the youth in rich countries. They, up to now, cared less about anything but themselves.”

  Her view of Van Meer changed as Pendleton accepted the criticism without throwing a fit. If this man became her boss, she would have to walk carefully, so as not to create a ‘choose me or him’ situation.

  “All right.” Pendleton took a spoonful of yogurt and fruit and swallowed. “I’ll speak once a month. I’ll follow the Project Enlightenment plan. Now give me some good news.”

  Milton Rogers held up a file. “Our nuclear science team has examined a nuclear fusion-fission process whereby plants using radioactive material produce no waste. In fact, materials now stored as nuclear waste could be reprocessed and used, thereby slowly eliminating radioactive material altogether.”

  “I don’t understand,” Peacock said. “How can your team come up with these plans so quickly, when the nations couldn’t reach agreement on any solution?”

  “Greed, Lovey.” Pendleton shot her a knowing grin. “The world has never produced the best results. This technology has existed for a long time. However, implementing the program didn’t make the rich richer. I’m not proposing we convert all nuclear plants to the fusion-fission process, only certain safe plants until we’ve disposed of all nuclear waste, and then abandon nuclear plants entirely.”

  She stared at her husband with a new respect. She could see the wisdom of his dreams, and she couldn’t argue with the means by which he accomplished them, not with her own rage issues and heartless deeds to deal with within herself.

  “Peacock,” Van Meer said, “I’m calling you by your code name as your boss. Information has come to us which may involve you.”

  She was straight up in her chair and tuned to Van Meer’s voice.

  “One of our informants in Turkey leaked information to us. Grandayatollah al-Sistani, the slimy little bugger, is planning a holy war against the Global Realm, in particular your husband.”

  “Who?”

  “He’s the former spiritual leader of Iran,” Rogers said, “a dangerous man.”

  She nodded. Maybe she knew the name in the past, but the past came to her in little pieces, like a puzzle board that once fit together but spilled out on the floor and needed reassembling. “I’m listening.”

  “Riders are crisscrossing Asia and the Middle East making contacts with Muslim mil
itants. In five months, they will meet near Mashhad to plan terrorist attacks, and we will be waiting.”

  “And my role?”

  “Aren’t you a specialist at this? Do what you did to Reed. Take a small group in and eradicate the bastards.”

  Five months—plenty of time—she needed to pick a team, train like mad, and build her own skills into top form. Then she’d construct a game plan and execute. “Can I have my pick of agents?”

  Van Meer grinned. “You’re the wife of my friend, the First Citizen. Other than those assigned to other gold level duties, yes, you have your pick.”

  “I want at least three people besides myself, Loomis, Magnus, and Felicia Lange.”

  “Done,” Van Meer said. “There are real advantages having your wife as head of your personal protection team. She’ll always have your best interest at heart.”

  “Unless I piss her off and she offs me.”

  “I’d rather just have it off with you darling. Screwing is much better if you’re alive.”

  “Oh my,” Rogers laughed. “This one fits right in with the boys.”

  #

  Beatrice Kolb threw a chair across her room. The legs bounced harmlessly off the wall and rattled for a few seconds. Those bastards Levi and Pederson, so stupid as to think she could ever cooperate with Peacock. She had one month to plan how to murder the bitch.

  Even though she’d never seen Major’s face, she loved him. “We could have been a team, Peacock,” she said aloud. “The science could have propelled our civilization into a new era of understanding. However, Pendleton controls everything now. He’s won.” She pointed her finger at an imaginary Peacock. “The only way I can find peace is to murder you and drive him mad.”

  She examined her hospital garments, comfortable, form fitting, and totally dull. Into the bathroom she went. A ritual she performed several times a day. She tossed her robe aside and glared at Peacock’s work. Death would have been better. Her once sensuous figure and striking face repulsed her.

  The Hell-like road map embedded in her mind. Ugly highways of scars led to her left nipple, now only an oozing scabby mass. Her attack on Peacock must be swift, painful, and deadly. Peacock must suffer, but in the end, die. Only then could Kolb rest.

  Leaving her robe on the floor, she left the bathroom and paced about her twelve by twelve foot room naked, wringing her hands. How could she sneak a weapon into the next meeting with Peacock, and what kind of weapon did she need? A flurry of ideas crossed her mind as she stared at her shoes lying in the corner of the room.

  What if? The what ifs were coming in waves. Obviously, she could tie several shoelaces together to make a whip. Then what, maybe wrap nails or razorblades into them to cut her enemy? That would disfigure Peacock but not kill her. She could make a shiv out of Plexiglas. Her cosmetic case was made of the stuff—sharp, brittle enough to break off inside her victim. If she could hone a three-inch piece, she could stab Peacock through the Carotid Artery. Plexiglas could be the killer weapon.

  Unfortunately, the woman was an army unit by herself. She had to knock Peacock out. Making Chloroform was easy. Fingernail polish remover was Acetone based. There was common bleach in the cleaning locker and rags to administer the deed. All she had to do was think of a way to maneuver Peacock to where she could cover her nose and mouth. Kolb had a month to prepare.

  It’s madness. I’ll most likely die. But, so will she.

  Chapter 34

  Peacock edged the bedroom door closed and slipped to the bathroom. A quick, cool shower to get the sweat off from a long day of meetings. Dinner surprised her. The tasty cuisine brightened her spirit. To think even those in the poorest areas of the world were eating this well gave her a sense of pride in her husband’s dream.

  As she rubbed a peach body lotion between her breasts, the thought of sex with her husband rushed through her brain, stimulating an increase of dopamine production. Peacock learned under Doctor Levi’s care that continuous brainwave traffic to that region of the hypothalamus forged a direct line, like an express train directly to the area. She loved the sensation.

  Pendleton entered the room and closed the door. “Mom’s tucked George in for the night, and she and Milton are watching the latest on the news on the Pacific clean up.”

  She stepped to the doorway of the bathroom dressed only in a towel and said, “Do you remember the first night we made love?”

  “Indeed I do, Athens, Greece, at the Royal Villa Grand Olympian Resort.”

  “I remember the emotions. If I have any left, I’ll find them.”

  “A quick shower and we’ll give it a go.”

  She climbed into bed as her brain fired wildly and her blood flow increased to the places where it counted most. Some life she’d fallen into, married to the world ruler and a man’s man in the right department, she had no complaint.

  Her lover approached her bed smelling like nectar. For the next three hours, she lost herself in his charms.

  #

  Four o’clock in the morning, and Peacock hadn’t slept at all. She’d finally worn him out and felt a certain pride in her ability. He ruled the world and he could win the heart of any woman he desired, yet he desired her, tart that she was. “I want to be faithful to you, Darling,” she whispered. “God, I’m still contracting from the thrills. Whatever Kolb did, I thank her for this.”

  Pendleton lay on his stomach, face turned to the side, fast asleep. When the semi-violent erotic struggle ended in orgasm for the both of them, he allowed her to continue even with him spent, until all the quivering and convulsing subsided. Then he loved on her, gently massaging her neck and shoulders, kissing her eyes, and whispering thank you in her ears. She absorbed it all and returned what she had to give.

  He looked so boyish relaxed as he was. She realized she was humming and felt like a teenager, or at least like what she thought a teenager would feel. When the sun came up, she’d spend a few hours with her son, and then go off with Van Meer to train for her position.

  She snuggled next to her Arthur and enjoyed his warmth. Then a pain flashed through her head just behind her eyes, and she bit her lip. The pain subsided, a reminder of the briefness of life and joy.

  #

  Crawling on the ground forty feet with live gunfire firing two feet over her head, Peacock reached the training tunnel and dove into its four-foot opening. She crouched down, moving on through water up to her ankles to the other side. Two of Van Meer’s martial arts specialists leapt upon her as she exited.

  Don’t kill them.

  Difficult though it was, she managed to hold back the final killing blows.

  “Proceed,” Van Meer called out, and she left her two assailants stunned and bleeding. Up the wall-rope, she went, swung over, and dropped fifteen feet into mud. The steadily growing rage within her mind caused her adrenalin to spike as she flung the final bags of cement out of her way, grabbed the revolver handed to her at the door of the house-search course, and entered.

  Her entrance required her to tumble through the doorway, come up firing her weapon, and hit the red targets, avoiding the blue, which represented children and innocent hostages. She couldn’t leave a room without eliminating all enemies and harmful ordinance first.

  She cleared the upstairs and came down into the back of the house toward the exit door. Red spots in her vision made clear identification troublesome. Her instincts took over as her headaches grew into a rage. As she exited, a course instructor pointed her toward where Van Meer was waiting for her. She grabbed him and flung him across the training area, before she could stop herself and gain control.

  “I’m sorry,” Peacock yelled. “Don’t get close to me when I’m in fight-mode.”

  Van Meer called out, “Are you all right, ole boy?”

  “Fine, except for my pride.”

  “Brush off and grab a soda.”

  Peacock bent at the waist until her headache stopped and her eyes cleared. Then she sat down under a tree with Van Meer. She should tell
Levi about her eyes and her headaches. Yet, these reactions during combat happened under Kolb’s control as well, and she felt sure they would subside.

  “Jolly good show,” Van Meer said with a Cheshire cat grin.

  “I’m rusty, but the basic tools are still here.”

  “I’d hate to run into you in mint condition.”

  “Yes, you would.”

  “You’re everything Ursa and Magnus said you’d be and more.”

  “Ursa and Magnus, you’ve talked to them?”

  “Ursa’s responsible for Western security. Your husband follows the motto, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies’ even closer.’ I believe Ursa to be a valuable man.”

  “And Magnus?”

  “You mean Carter Pike. Ursa, by the way, is really Robert Hurst. We won’t be calling you Peacock, except on a mission. We’ll be using Global Realm names from now on.” Van Meer placed a call from his government cellphone. “Bring out Laverna’s teammates.”

  #

  Agent Alan Loomis normally feared nothing. However, he’d screwed the First Citizen’s wife, and the assignment he was about to accept would take every bit of his skill at self-control. Laverna picked him, Carter Pike, and Felicia Lange for Pendleton’s protection unit. For Loomis, working for Laverna would be hell—not because he didn’t like her, but because he more than did.

  He’d been a carefree soul until she entered his life. Good looking, available, and a confirmed bachelor, Loomis enjoyed adventure, love, and a la dulce vita life.

  “They’re waving us over,” Felicia said and opened the door leading from the Letzigrund Stadium business office. The three crossed the street to the training grounds located to the southeast of the main stadium. The gorgeous architecture of Zurich and the snowcapped mountains surrounding the city stunned Loomis.

  Laverna stood and waved to them. He wondered if Laverna held any feeling for him at all, other than the boy toy she’d made of him. Loomis flushed. With the sunlight flickering through the trees behind her, she glowed like a Greek goddess. The Global Realm two-piece sports outfit she wore flattered her hourglass figure, and her red hair and blue eyes recalled for him the passion that was Laverna Smythe Pendleton. Yes, she was married to Arthur Pendleton. Approaching her could mean death. Nonetheless, the magnetism he experienced with each step drew him to the conclusion he must find a way to tell her how he felt.