The Unofficial Biography Of Kimmay

Book 2: The Nature Of Power

by G. L. Hudson

 

 

Kristal immediately dialed Jennifer's number. "Melissa May has been shot. She is in very serious condition at Milwaukee General Hospital. Meet me at my house and make arrangements for us to fly up there tonight if possible." She then wrote a short letter. She closed all of the doors to her office and locked them. When she had finished, she began gently rubbing the black coral ring on her right hand. She sat in a chair in front of her desk and continued to rub the ring. She rubbed it for almost four minutes. It seemed like an eternity.

She heard a whoosh and a pop behind her. She turned around and saw Amanda standing behind her. She quickly stood up and handed Amanda the letter. Amanda read the letter and nodded her understanding to Kristal. She gave Kristal a quick hug and then walked across the room and disappeared.

Kristal gathered her notes and day planners, and slipped them into her attaché. She stopped by her receptionist's desk and told her what had happened. "Jennifer and I will fly up to Milwaukee tonight. I'll call you first thing in the morning with an update. Call me a taxi."

Kristal waited in her receptionist's office until the taxi came. She walked down to the first floor landing and out to the taxi. It was a cold night and there was snow on the ground. While not a rarity for Washington D.C., the snow did manage to slow down traffic. It took over an hour to reach her house. Jennifer was waiting for her when she arrived. Jennifer was standing in the front living room, looking out the window when the taxi came to a halt. Kristal paid the driver, gathered her things and stepped out of the taxi. She started walking towards the house when a man came running from the side of the house. He ran at Kristal and smashed his fist into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He was a very large and strong man. He grabbed Kristal with one arm around her waist and kept running to the street. A van screeched to a halt and the side panel door was already open. The man jumped into the van in one easy move, carrying Kristal with him. The van disappeared before Jennifer reached the front door. She ran out into the street, but the taillights had already turned the corner and disappeared.

Jennifer stood in the middle of the street wondering what to do next. Run to her car and try and follow them? It was too late for that. Call the police? They might be able to throw out a bulletin, but Jennifer couldn't even tell them what type of van or what color it was. Then she remembered. She started running to the house while rubbing her black coral ring at the same time. She stopped only long enough to open the front door. She kept rubbing the ring until she reached her attaché. Jennifer pulled out her gun, and three clips of ammunition. She put one clip in the gun and one in each pocket, and then put the gun back in its holster. After she pulled off her blazer, she threw the holster over her shoulders, fastened the buckles and then put her coat back on. She resumed rubbing the ring, wondering what was taking so long.

 

Kristal could barely breathe. She was fighting to suck in air, but her stomach was so constricted that she couldn't. She was getting light headed from the lack of oxygen, and she felt like she was going to vomit. The man pushed her across the bare floor of the van and slammed the door shut behind him. The driver squealed the tires as he accelerated as fast as the vehicle would go. The van swung around the corner so fast that Kristal was thrown against the opposite side of the floor, and she banged her head against the side of the van.

The kidnapper quickly regained his balance and lunged across the van and landed on top of Kristal. He sat on her chest and pinned her hands above her head. The extra weight on her chest made breathing even more difficult. She gasped and tried to talk, "What do you want?"

"Ahh, the famous Krysallis. Tell me gorgeous, do you give good head? It had better be good, I'm telling you." He pulled a plastic flask from his pocket. "Guess what this is my little beauty?" He waved the flask in front of her eyes. "Its beauty water my little pretty. Although most people call it sulfuric acid. It does wonders for the face. Better than any facial peel you have ever had."

Kristal could still barely breathe. "What do you want?" she gasped in a small voice.

"Not much. Just a little fellowship, dear. Tell me, do you squeal when you have sex? Or do you just lie there like a corpse?"

"Who are you? What do you want?" she gasped a third time.

"Just a few moments of your time, Senator. This shouldn't take too long."

He said senator, she thought. This was more than just a robbery or random rape. They wanted Kristal the Senator. "I can barely breathe, would you please get off my chest?"

"Is that how you talk to your lovers? Get off my chest? What kind of pillow talk is that?" While he was mocking her, he did get off her chest and he sat next to her. Kristal placed both hands on her chest and massaged her ribs. At the same time she began rubbing the ring on her finger.

"Why did you kidnap me? What do you want?"

"We just want to have a little chat, senator. We would like to explain something to you. You know, you haven't been a good team player lately. We're here to explain some things to you."

"What team are you on?" Kristal asked sarcastically.

"I guess I'm on the other team, senator. The team you don't seem to be on. What is all of this nonsense that you've been spouting lately? Are you going through menopause? I mean dear, you've been a real bitch lately. You've been acting and talking really negatively. You have been accusing some very important people of not being nice. You've been going around saying some people are evil. Is that really the word you used? Evil? My goodness, you do have a bad attitude."

Kristal said nothing. She was going to have to try and reason with these goons, but this wasn't the right time. Not yet. She remained quiet and kept rubbing her ring.

"Now we're going to ask you real nice to stop saying such bad things. You need to learn to play well with others. That is why we're here. We're like guidance counselors. Psychiatrists, you might say. We're going to explain very nicely to you why you need to see the error of your ways. And as, uhmmm, unpleasant as this lesson might be, we're doing you a very big favor tonight. As we're discussing your first lesson plan, you need to realize that the second lesson plan is much more difficult. Do you understand?"

"Who sent you?"

"You know who sent us. If you are so stupid that you can't figure it out, that second lesson is going to be coming a lot sooner than you might think. And it has a very difficult final test. I doubt that you will survive it."

"Don't be a fool. If you attack a senator it's a federal crime. You will spend the rest of your life in jail."

"I don't think so. Now there are a couple other items that we need to discuss. Along with saying nasty things about honest, hard-working American patriots, you seem to have more information than anyone else. We need to know where that information is coming from. Now don't tell me yet. I want you to think about that question." He waved the flask of acid in her face. "We will find a more relaxing location to hold our first lesson. I'll ask you again when we get there. Think about how fast and honestly you want to answer that question. It will be a timed test, and slow answers have nasty repercussions. Just sit there and think about it dear."

He slid a little farther away from her, then stopped and leaned towards her again. He again swung the flask in front of her face, "Have you had a facial peel lately? This stuff works wonders." He obviously meant it.

They drove in silence for another ten minutes. Kristal was wondering why Amanda hadn't made an appearance. This was starting to look very bad. Panic was starting to seep in. She was having trouble breathing, but it had to do with more than a blow to the stomach. The adrenaline was pumping into her blood stream and it was having an effect. The car drove into an abandoned warehouse district, where the driver pulled into an old building and stopped.

"The bus ride is over. We've arrived at school." He slid the door open and grabbed her by the leg. He pulled her across the van and out on to the gravel. She landed on her back and it knocked the wind out of her again.

 

Amanda was standing in Kristal's living room, with her control unit in her hand. She was looking at it intently. "He threatened her with sulfuric acid. He's probably going to rape her. It's about politics. They want her to shut up and quit attacking the administration. He's threatened her with death if she doesn't stop talking. They've stopped the vehicle. They're in an abandoned building. Let's go."

Amanda and Jennifer materialized in the building. They could hear the men talking. They were still trying to intimidate her. They were talking about rape, and the conversation was getting incredibly gross. If they weren't all talk, Kristal was going to suffer through a lot more than just a simple rape. They were pushing her up a staircase. They were going to go up at least one or two floors.

Amanda grabbed Jennifer by the arm and the two of them disappeared again. They reappeared one floor above the men. The men were still talking as they walked up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs the kidnappers would have three choices; they could go right, left or up the next flight of stairs. Jennifer took a guess and stepped into a doorway to the right. The three reached the top of the stairs, and Jennifer could see that Kristal was in front. The first man had the acid in his hand and the second man had a gun. Kristal stopped and the lead man shoved her forward. "Up the stairs Senator. Keep going."

Jennifer stepped back and she and Amanda jumped to the next floor. There were only two choices here; right and left. Jennifer again chose the right. She stepped back into the shadows and held her gun with two hands in front of her. The safety was off. Kristal and the kidnappers reached the top of the stairs and again Kristal halted. The lead man shoved her again. "To the right," he said. Raw fear was raging through Kristal's mind. She was starting to hyperventilate and her knees were getting weak. Kristal was trying to think of a way out. She was looking for a chance to run, but she saw no exit. Panic was seeping into her mind and her gut. The three of them began walking down the hall to the right of the stairwell.

Jennifer stiffened. Amanda took a step further back into the room. Jennifer took a deep breath and flattened herself against the wall. She could hear the footsteps coming closer. She watched intently. Kristal walked by the door. The first man walked by next. Jennifer flexed all of her muscles. The second man came into view. She spun into the doorway and shot the second man through his side, just under his arm. He crumpled and fell to the ground and his gun slid across the hall. Jennifer quickly took another step out into the hall so she would have a clear shot at the first man. She wanted him alive. She aimed low and shot him in the thigh. The man fell forward and the flask of acid flew out of his hand. The cap was on very loosely, and it splashed over the back of Kristal and down her left leg. Her leather coat caught the upper half of the acid. Kristal's wool skirt caught the next part of the acid. Her skirt ended at her knees, and the rest of the acid hit the back of her bare leg.

Kristal felt the liquid hit her, but she wasn't sure that it was the acid. At first she felt nothing, but after a few seconds her leg and calf started to burn. It quickly escalated to an unbearable level. She started to scream. Amanda came running from the room, pulled Kristal's coat off and threw it aside. Amanda pushed Kristal to the ground, grabbed her skirt and pulled it down past her feet and threw it away. Kristal was screaming louder as Amanda finished pulling off her skirt. Then the screaming suddenly stopped; Amanda and Kristal had disappeared.

 

The two of them materialized in Kristal's apartment. Amanda ran Kristal into the bathroom and helped her into the tub. Amanda turned the cold water on the faucet and plugged the drain, while she helped Kristal sit down in the tub. Her leg was bright red and blistering from her knee down to her lower calf. The pain was unbearable. She kept trying to grab her leg and rub it, and Amanda fought to keep her hands away.

"Don't touch it, don't touch it," she kept repeating to Kristal. "You'll do more damage. Hang in there. Bite on this," and she gave Kristal a washcloth. "The water is neutralizing the acid, don't touch it, you'll make it worse."

Kristal was fighting the pain as best she could. Tears were streaming down her face. She was trying to hold the leg up so it wouldn't touch the bottom of the tub. The cold water was helping some. It was starting to chill and numb her. She was biting as hard as she could on the washcloth. Her jaws were aching.

"Kristal, listen to me. Listen. You have to fight the pain. I have to take you back to the warehouse and call an ambulance. I'm going to go right now and have Jennifer make the call. I'll come back immediately. Then we'll go back and meet the ambulance. Do you understand?"

Kristal shook her head. Her eyes were closed and she was biting the cloth in half. Her hands were clutching the sides of the tub. "Go," she muttered through the washcloth. She wanted to say go fast, hurry, but she couldn't mutter through the washcloth.

Amanda left the bathroom and returned through her portal to the warehouse. Jennifer had tied the first man's hands behind his back. He was sitting against the wall and grimacing in pain. Jennifer was looking over the second man, when she heard Amanda arrive. She stood and in a satisfied voice announced, "He's dead."

Amanda spoke, "Jennifer, call an ambulance for Kristal. I'm going to bring her back here so the ambulance can pick her up. Call now!"

Jennifer took out her cell phone and made the call. The operator tried to keep her on the phone, wanting Jennifer to continue giving directions and explaining what had happened. Jennifer gave the basics and disconnected. They stood behind the second man where he couldn't see Amanda. "Amanda, I'll need time to interrogate him. If the ambulance takes him, I'll lose the chance. What can I do?"

"He needs medical attention, Jennifer."

"I know, but I have to talk with him first. How do I do it?"

"I have to go back to Kristal. We will return just before the ambulance arrives. I'll keep them outside as long as I can. Interrogate him now." Amanda walked around the corner and disappeared.

Amanda came back to Kristal's townhouse "Where were you? I didn't think you were coming back," Kristal cried in desperate pain.

"I'm sorry Kristal." Amanda reached in her pocket and removed her control mechanism. She held it front of her.

Kristal stopped clutching the sides of the tub. Her body relaxed. Her pain was gone. She could breathe again. It took Kristal several minutes to recover. "Why didn't you do that before?" she demanded.

"I shouldn't be doing it now. I'm sorry Kristal, but I will return the pain when the ambulance returns. Don't touch your leg! The flesh is badly damaged. You will require extensive care and later you will need skin grafts. But for now it will be very painful. They will help you with morphine, but it will cloud your mind and diminish your cognitive thinking. I have to talk with you now. Jennifer killed one of the kidnappers. The other has been shot and is bleeding, but he is alive. Jennifer wants to interrogate him, but there isn't much time. If we turn him over to the police, Jennifer loses her opportunity. But if we do not turn him over he will bleed to death. What do you suggest?"

"Amanda, can you heal him? You eliminated my pain."

"Yes I can, and no I won't. I shouldn't have helped you. What else do you suggest?"

"I can only think of one thing. Jennifer has to turn herself in when the police arrive. She can't run and hide with the attacker. Can you take her a camera? Have her document everything she can. Get his fingerprints. Photograph their guns and collect any identification that he is carrying. Have her get DNA samples and a recording of his voice. Tell her to document everything, and then can you take the evidence someplace safe? Please?"

"Yes, I will do that. I will also allow you to stay pain free until the ambulance arrives. Wait here, and do not touch your leg."

Amanda reappeared at the warehouse. She handed Jennifer the cameras, scissors, pens and envelopes. "Kristal says that you must remain and turn the kidnappers over to the police. She says document everything that you can. Take pictures, DNA samples, collect any identification, get fingerprints, and photograph their guns and other items that you can use later. Hurry, you don't have much time."

"No!" shouted Jennifer. "I want more time. I can break him."

"Those are Kristal's orders. Please don't argue with me. Do as she wishes, and hurry Jennifer. Time is running out."

"Damn it," she muttered. Jennifer took the camera and began collecting evidence. The siren could be heard in the distance.

"Hurry Jennifer, I will take Kristal out front. She can stall them for a while. I'll come back and collect your evidence. I'll protect it for you. Go!" Amanda left again.

The ambulance and police were less than a few blocks away. Kristal and Amanda reappeared outside the warehouse, and Amanda helped Kristal lay down in the snow. "I'll go help Jennifer. Brace yourself Kristal, I am going to return your pain."

"Wait, wait!" shouted Kristal. "I have to say thank you Amanda. You probably saved my life, or at the very least, a horrible nightmare. Thanks."

Amanda nodded her head and Kristal screamed out in pain. Amanda returned to the third floor of the building. Jennifer handed Amanda the camera and envelopes. "I've changed my mind. I'm sorry, but he has to die." She walked over to the man and knelt beside him. "But a bullet is too fast. I am going to personally choke you until you die. Trust me, I'm much stronger than you think." She wrapped her hands around the man's throat and started to squeeze.

"Jennifer, stop. You can't do this." Amanda pleaded.

"Yes I can, and I know that you can't stop me. Sayonara mother fucker." And she started to squeeze harder.

Amanda looked immensely sad. "Jennifer, this is wrong. You know it."

"Leave. Take the evidence and go!" she yelled. Amanda picked up everything and walked around the corner. Jennifer waited to hear a pop and then released her grip. The man started choking and gasping. "Last chance," Jennifer told him as she removed the heavy nylon boot strings from the man's boots. She wrapped the ends of the strings around her hands. "Your very last chance," and she wrapped the strings around his neck like a garrote. She began to slowly strangle the man.

The police and ambulance had arrived. Kristal was lying prone in the snow and screaming in pain. The paramedics came running to her. Through her pain Kristal grunted, "Acid," and rolled over on her stomach so they could see her leg.

 

Amanda took Jennifer's evidence and returned to Davos Monstein. Todd and Kim both started throwing questions at her as soon as she arrived. "What happened?" asked Todd. "When can I go to my mom?" Kim demanded.

Amanda answered Kim's question first. "Not yet. It won't be for a couple of hours. Kristal was ambushed. The administration is starting to fight back. They were trying to force Kristal to back off her attacks on the President." Amanda told them the entire story. It was 3:00 A.M. by the time Amanda finished answering questions about her story.

Amanda turned her attention to Kim. "It's almost 8:00 P.M. in Milwaukee. We'll go in about five or six hours. Try and get some rest." Kim rested, but didn't sleep. Things were not looking good, and they were about to get much worse.

 

It was almost 2:00 A.M. in Milwaukee when Amanda decided to take Kim to see her mother. "She is sedated and unconscious. You will not be able to talk with her."

"I know," said Kim. "I just want to see her and be with her for a little while. Will I be able to see Valerie or my grandparents?"

"I doubt it. The government has the room bugged and surrounded. They have plain clothes FBI agents in the hospital and outside. They are expecting you to show up. My hope is that they aren't ready for you yet. The last thing that they knew, you were out of the country. That means we go in fast and leave fast. You will not be able to leave your mother's room to look for any of your family. We will go in when the room is empty, and when I say it is time to leave, no matter what, we go immediately. Understood?"

"Yes. I'm ready, let's go."

Amanda was being cautious. "I will go first. Count to ten before you come through. That will give me time to counter their bugs and prepare for your arrival. Make it a slow ten Kim, I want to be careful."

"Ok, I understand," she answered. She was jumping at the opportunity to go. The adrenaline was picking up.

"Wish us luck," said Amanda.

"Good luck," answered Linda and Todd.

Amanda removed her control device from her pocket. It was black and shapeless. It looked like a beanbag. There were no buttons or dials or protuberances of any kind on the device. Somehow, Amanda and Linda received all the information they needed from the bags, but it was impossible to tell how they did it. Amanda stepped through and disappeared. Kim began to slowly count aloud.

Amanda arrived in Melissa's room. Melissa was sprawled on her bed. Each arm had an IV line attached. Sensors taped to her upper body were connected to a monitor over her bed. The monitor lights blinked quietly. There was no one else in the room. She held her control bag in her hand and the electronic bugs in the room all blinked out. The door was slightly ajar. She walked to the door and silently pushed it shut. There was no lock on the door, but it wasn't necessary. No one would be able to open it from the outside. There were two windows in the room, but neither was casting any silhouettes. Amanda's device controlled that also.

Amanda turned toward the center of the room to watch Kim materialize. Just as Kim began materializing Amanda sensed something wrong. It took a full second for the information to be verified. By then it was too late. Three concussion grenades smashed through the window and landed in the room. They had no delay fuses and they went off on impact.

 

In Switzerland, Linda was following their progress. As soon as Kim had disappeared Linda looked at her control device. She turned white as the blood drained from her face. She fell to her knees. "Oh no," she quietly whispered. "Oh no!"

"What?" demanded Todd. "What happened?"

Linda looked at Todd. There were already tears streaking her cheeks. In a barely audible whisper she said, "Amanda is dead."

 

The concussion grenades went off one after the other. They flipped over Melissa's bed and ripped the IV lines out of her arms. She landed on the floor opposite the grenades with the bed protecting her. She was the lucky one. The blasts threw Kim across the room and smashed her into the wall. The impact of her head against the wall gave her a concussion and knocked her unconscious. The impact also broke three ribs and collapsed one of her lungs.

Amanda was killed outright. Before there was anything that could be done, the first grenade threw a shard of glass through her heart. It cut her heart in two before she ever had a chance to respond. The grenades also threw her against the wall, but the damage from her smashing into the wall had no affect on the outcome. She was already dead.

The impact threw the door open. Plain clothes FBI agents came running into the room, weapons drawn. The room was full of smoke and it was difficult to see. They found Kim and Amanda, but couldn't find Melissa. They didn't care about Melissa and quickly stopped looking. "Medic! Medic!" came ringing from the room. One of the agents was guarding the door and he took up the cry, "Medic!"

A nurse came running down the hall and tried to squeeze past the FBI agent. He knocked her to the floor. "No one goes in! Stand back," he ordered brusquely. Five more agents and a Naval medic came running down the hall. The medic moved into the room. He came to Amanda's body first and quickly declared her dead. He then moved to Kim. A quick examination indicated that she was under severe trauma and having great difficulty breathing. "Oxygen! Tell the nurse to bring a respirator immediately!" The agent at the door relayed the order.

The nurse got off the floor and ran back to her station. She opened a cabinet and grabbed the respirator and a small tank of oxygen. She brought them back to the room, but again the agent refused her admittance. Another agent took the respirator to their medic.

All of the agents wore headsets. Information was flying back and forth to their outside agents. A Navy helicopter landed on the roof. Two medics jumped from the helicopter and pulled out a gurney with their equipment strapped on top. A second empty gurney was wheeled out as well. They ran through the open doors into the elevator and descended to the ICU floor. As they came running down the hall, a large marine was pushing on-lookers out of the way. They were not in Melissa's room for much more than five minutes. Kim was strapped to the gurney as they came running back down the hall.

 

Grandma and I had been sleeping in the waiting room. Grandpa was down stairs in the cafeteria. I heard the explosion and tried to run to mom's room. An FBI agent pushed me back into the waiting room and made me stay there. I stood in the doorway and watched the pandemonium. People were running back and forth, there was a great deal of yelling and there was a steady stream of agents running in from other floors.

While it was difficult to tell what was going on, there was one thing I saw with perfect clarity. I saw Kim on the gurney as they wheeled her past the waiting room and towards the elevator. I had thought my world couldn't collapse any farther than it already had. As I watched Kim go by I knew how wrong I was.

 

Todd was trying to console Linda. He had helped her over to a chair. She sat slumped forward in her chair, continuing to hold her control device in her hand but no longer looking at it. "Linda?" Todd whispered. "Kim. Is Kim ok?"

"No … she is not … she is unconscious. They are taking them away. FBI agents. Many of them. Too many. I can't go get them. Helicopter. They are flying them away from the hospital." Linda talked in short bites of thought. She couldn't go help them, because she would be seen.

Todd was at a loss as to what to do. He brought Linda a glass of water. He sat next to her and tried to get her to tell him what was happening. What had happened? Todd was still unclear.

"What about Melissa's mom? Is she ok?"

"No. They have forgotten about her. She is dying."

"Can't you do something? Can't you help her?"

Linda looked at Todd with a strange, mean look in her eyes. "There are no such things as angels. That's what got us into this mess!" Linda stood and stomped across the room.

What did that mean? Todd had no clue. 'There are no angels?' What in the world did that have to do with helping Kim or Melissa? The impact of Amanda's death was having an effect on Linda. She was starting to withdraw. Todd couldn't afford to lose Linda. He needed her. He had to get her to respond to something.

"Linda, talk to me. Tell me what you can do. There must be something you can do. Don't quit on me," he screamed.

"There is nothing I can do. There are people everywhere. I can't get to any of them," she screamed back at him.

"Then get them away from the people. Get the people out of there."

"HOW?" she bellowed.

"I don't know!" Todd yelled back. "Pull the fire alarm."

"YES!"

 

The hospital was in absolute chaos. People were still running all over. FBI agents were filtering out, but they still had control of Melissa's room. No one was allowed in. The smoke had cleared. Mom was still on the floor with the bed on top of her and no one knew and no one cared. I again tried to get to mom's room. The agent in charge of the waiting room had left. I ran down the hall to mom's room but there was still an agent guarding it. I tried to get in and he shoved me back. "No one goes in. Get out of here."

"My mother is in there," I screamed. "She needs help. Doctor! Nurse!" I was screaming as loud as I could. I wanted someone to come help. As I glared at the FBI agent and contemplated murder, a klaxon sounded. It was the fire alarm.

The FBI agent was wearing a headset just like all of the other agents. He was listening to something and then answered, "I'm at the ICU room for the woman." More listening. "Yes sir, I'm on my way." The man walked away. He never said a word or even looked at me. He just left.

I ran into the room and looked around. The place was a disaster. There was blood everywhere. The bed was upside down, the windows were smashed, and the fire alarm was still ringing. I started to look around when a nurse walked in. She had long black hair and looked just a bit familiar. She grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around towards the door and started shoving me out. "Fire alarm miss, you have to go. Now!" She was much stronger than she looked. I tried to turn around and protest, but she kept pushing. When we reached the hall she yelled, "Go! Now! Or I'll call the FBI back." I didn't know what to do. I ran back to the waiting room but grandma was gone. I ran to the stairwell and ran down to the first floor and out on the lawn. I started looking for grandma and grandpa. I was going to have to tell them about Kim.

 

Up on the ICU floor Linda closed the door to Melissa's room. After pulling the bed off Melissa, Linda rolled her onto her back. She was barely breathing as Linda straightened out her arms and legs and placed her in a stretched out position. Linda took out her black bag and began to study the device. She began to move it over Melissa's body. Up and down, from neck to knees and back again. The device began to warm. Up and down she waved it. The device began to glow. Beads of sweat began forming on Linda's forehead. One minute, then two minutes and then three minutes, she continued to wave her hand over Melissa. The device turned red, then orange, then yellow and finally white. Linda was sweating profusely, and her blouse was showing wet stains under her arms and around her neck.

She mopped her forehead with the sleeve of her free arm, as she slowed down the rate of her hand waving. Linda held the device in a stationary position over Melissa's abdomen. Five minutes had passed. The fire alarm stopped ringing. Time was running out. She continued to hold the device stationary over the bullet wound. With no fire alarm blaring, a quiet pulsing could be heard. Melissa coughed. She took a deep breath, as if she were catching her breath. Her pulse started quickening, and her breathing became faster and deeper. Linda's blouse was soaked in sweat, and her sweat was dripping off her forehead onto the floor. The device was getting very heavy in Linda's hand, and she was having trouble holding her arm and the pouch over Melissa's body. She shifted her position to allow her shoulder to accept more of the weight. Linda moved the device directly over the second bullet wound. Melissa was breathing fast and deep. Sweat was starting to form on Melissa's forehead and the entire room was getting warm.

After nine or ten minutes the pulsing in the room started to grow quieter. Linda's device turned yellow. She started waving it back and forth over Melissa again. She moved it from her knees to neck and back again. The device turned yellow, then orange and then red. Linda was slowing down the waving motion. Sweat was still dripping from her nose and chin. Melissa's breathing started to slow down. Her body was relaxing; Linda could see it on her face. Linda let her arm drop and rest on her leg. The device was back to its original color. It was no longer warm to the touch.

Linda was spent and she had little time. She stood and squeezed the device, and disappeared just as two FBI agents kicked in the door and came running back into the room. They looked around and saw Melissa lying on the floor. The senior agent scolded the junior agent, "Don't you ever leave your post again. I'll get a nurse and get that woman out of here. No one else comes in here." Then he leaned into the junior agent's face and yelled, "Is that clear?"

 

Linda returned to their chateâu in Davos Monstein.. She had left wearing her regular clothes and returned wearing a nurse's uniform. She was soaking wet. "Are you alright?" asked Todd.

"I'm tired, but I'm ok. Melissa will live. She has made a miraculous recovery." Linda smiled at Todd, the fatigue showing on her face. He pulled a chair over to her and let her sit down.

"What about Kim and Amanda? How are they?"

Linda looked at Todd, "Amanda is dead. There is nothing that I can do about it. Kim …" She was studying her beanbag again. "The helicopter has landed. Great Lakes Naval Base. Not far from Milwaukee. Her lung is collapsed. She has broken ribs. She has a concussion with some internal hemorrhaging in the brain. They want to operate. I've got to stop them. How? How?"

Linda stood and began pacing around the room, and muttering, "How?" She looked at Todd, "Help me! How do I get Kim away from a hospital full of doctors and nurses who are prepping her for surgery?"

Todd had an idea, "Can you be the doctor? Can you impersonate the real doctor? Can you send people out of the room or stall the operation?"

"Let me think," she said. She sat down in her chair, ideas charging through her mind. "Yes," she whispered. "But … but … I doubt that will do it. Maybe …" she muttered as she continued to talk to herself. Then she stood and announced, "Ok, I've got an idea. Todd, she is coming back with me. Prepare a bed. Turn up the heat. Prepare food; a chocolate or energy bar. I don't know how long this will take. Just be ready."

Linda stood in the middle of the room and held her beanbag in her upheld palm. She stood there for a couple minutes and then said, "Show me." In mid air a floor plan for the hospital at the Great Lakes Naval Base appeared. Linda studied it as it changed to a 3-D display. Then lines laying out routes appeared. It changed again, this time showing moving dots. The 3-D rotated. It changed back to 2-D. Dark outlines appeared around some rooms. Then the hospital shrunk and a larger map showing roads appeared. Again it rotated. A series of lines, probably indicating routes away from the base appeared.

The map evaporated. There was a small pop and Linda had changed. In place of Linda stood an Admiral. He was a large man, over 6 foot 8 inches tall and about 275 pounds. The man was fiftyish, silver hair and very handsome. He looked like he was solid muscle. Age, looks, muscles and authority; what more could an infiltrator ask for?

"Get ready for our return." Linda disappeared for a second time that morning.

 

Dr. Kaminski, the chief surgeon on the Great Lakes Naval Base, was in his office. He had the x-rays, cat scans and vitals for his patient laid out on his desk. His desk was a giant light desk and easily showed the pictures. The vital signs were on one of the monitors on the outside edge of his desk. It was very early in the morning, coming up on 4:30 A.M. None of the civilian staff had arrived. His secretary's office was empty.

Linda appeared in the hallway outside Dr. Kaminski's office. The admiral walked to Dr. Kaminski's open office door and knocked on the doorframe. "Doctor, may I have a word with you?" She walked in the office without waiting for an invitation. "What's the situation, doctor?" she asked clinically. Linda walked over and stood over the doctor's desk. She was an imposing figure. Kaminski never even considered asking the admiral to introduce himself.

"The Kimmay girl is in serious condition; collapsed lung, broken ribs, internal brain hemorrhage, concussion just for starters."

"How are her vital signs?"

"Weak but stabilized."

"May I see?" and Linda walked around behind the desk without waiting for an invitation. She put her huge hands on Dr. Kaminski's desk and leaned forward to look at the monitor. "You're kidding, right?" She used a deep booming voice, "You call these weak? I think you are being optimistic here doctor. You can't be serious about going in now."

The doctor was taken by surprise. The admiral was talking with authority and knowledge. But he was questioning the decision of the chief surgeon. That was unacceptable. "Admiral, I think I know what I'm doing. I've made an educated and professional decision and we will proceed. I can handle the situation."

"Dr. Kaminski, I disagree. I suggest that you call the operating room and call for another liter of saline to stabilize her. You will be there in one hour, make sure the staff is prepped and ready. You will take a short thirty minute nap to prepare for the operation."

Dr. Kaminski swung around in his chair and in a loud authoritative voice demanded, "Who do you think you are?" The admiral had a beanbag in his hand. The doctor relaxed and slumped back in his chair. His head was tilted back at an exaggerated angle and he was beginning to snore.

Linda punched the audio phone and held the beanbag in front of the microphone. A woman answered, "Operating room, Carver."

Linda never opened her mouth, as the doctor's voice came from the beanbag, "Nurse, this is Dr. Kaminski. I'm monitoring the patient's vitals. I want another liter of saline. I want her vital signs stabilized further. Take her back to prep. and give her the liter. Tell the crew we start in one hour sharp. I don't want anyone late by as much as a second. Understand?"

A surprised voice replied with a, "Yes sir." The woman disconnected and passed the word to her fellow nurses. They disconnected the sensors and lifted the patient off the operating table and back onto the gurney, then wheeled her out of the operating room and across the hall to pre-op. The head nurse handed a saline bag to her second and told her to set it up. She re-taped monitor sensors on the patient and switched to the fresh saline.

Linda straightened her suit and walked down the hall. She knew exactly where she was going and she walked with authority and urgency. The Admiral walked into the operating area, past the nurse's station and straight towards pre-op on the way to Kimmay's room. The nurses could hear the admiral's heels striking the floor as he walked towards Kimmay. The head nurse jumped up and met the admiral in front of Kimmay's room.

"Sir, may I help you?"

Linda used a suave and quiet tone of voice. "Thank you Miss … Carver. I appreciate your professionalism. I am going to see the patient. I want to see the woman that has caused so much commotion that it pulled me in here at this ungodly hour. Room C?"

"Ahhh, yes sir." The nurse was obviously confused. The man had authority written all over him, but this was totally unheard of. Before she could think of an action to take, the admiral spun on his heels and walked past her. She watched him walk away while not knowing what she should do next. Finally, Nurse Carver decided to return to her station and watch the monitors in the room.

Linda walked into the room and quickly took out her beanbag. She walked to the far side of the gurney, so she could see out the door while also blocking the video monitor. Linda the Admiral began to wave the beanbag over her patient. First she circled Kimmay's head and then moved down to her chest and circled her collapsed lung. The bag started to warm up. Linda was concentrating on Kimmay's lungs. Her hand spiraled into larger circles and then into smaller circles. Over and over she passed the bag over Kimmay's chest. The bag warmed to a low red color. She circled for another minute and could see Kimmay responding and starting to breathe deeper.

Linda stopped the circling and gently pulled the tube out of Kimmay's throat. The monitor beeped twice and then stopped. Linda gave the panel a look to make sure everything looked proper. She leaned over to get a better look down the hall. No one was coming. She resumed the circling over Kimmay's chest. The bag had lost its color during the interruption, but quickly returned to red. As Linda continued the circling, the bag reached orange and then yellow. Linda was sweating profusely, the room was heating up and the familiar pulsating noise could be heard again. Kimmay started breathing deeper and more regularly.

Linda stopped at the yellow color. She was short on time and she didn't want Kimmay's vital signs to improve too drastically, because she had to leave Kimmay hooked up until just before they left. Linda moved to Kimmay's head and began the circling once again. The circling lasted for only one minute, and then Linda held her black bag in a stationary position near the side of Kimmay's head. The pulsating noise increased significantly. It was getting loud and Linda was becoming worried. The bag went through the red to orange to yellow and finally to white color. Sweat was forming on Kimmay's forehead, and Linda was already sweating profusely. The sweat was beginning to run into her eyes. She was blinking fast to keep her vision clear.

Linda heard a noise outside and looked up. The head nurse was standing in the door and staring at the Admiral. "What are you doing?" she demanded.

Time for Plan B. "I'm preparing to remove this woman from here. Now come here before I shoot you." Linda had no gun, but she was big enough to carry off the bluff. Linda placed the bag back into her pocket. She quickly moved between the nurse and the door. "Unhook all of the monitors and the IV. Faster! Now!" He took a threatening step towards her. As the nurse began removing the sensors, Linda went over the floor plan in her mind.

When the sensors were removed, Linda gave the nurse her marching orders. "We're going to roll this gurney out of here. When we get her in the hall, you will take the lead and I will push. We will go to the left and away from the nurse's station. If you say one word or try to run, I'll shoot you on the spot, guaranteed. Savvy?" The nurse shook her head yes. "Good, then let's move."

They moved into the hall and started pushing the gurney. Almost immediately there was a yell from behind them, "Hey, what are you doing?" Linda turned and saw a nurse standing in the hall by the station.

Linda looked the other way down the hall and saw that she was only twenty feet from a corner. That would be good enough. "You," and she looked at the head nurse. "You go back there and shut her up now, or you're both dead. Go!" The nurse quickly walked past Linda towards the other nurse. She motioned with her hands trying to get the other nurse to quiet down.

Linda began pushing Kimmay as fast as she could. Being a large man, Linda was able to move fast. As soon as she turned the corner she pulled out her bag and they disappeared. They materialized back in Switzerland, where Todd was waiting for them. Kimmay was laying on the gurney and looking bad. She was in much better condition than she had been, but Todd didn't know that.

"She is going to be alright. I've stabilized her condition, and I can clear up all of her injuries when I return. Comfort her, but don't try and do any nursing. Get her a new pillow," Linda instructed as she took Kimmay's pillow.

"Where are you going?" Todd was amazed that she would leave after they had Kimmay.

Linda was holding her black bag while a floor plan materialized in front of her. She was watching dots move along the map. "I have to go steal an ambulance. I have to give them a credible action plan for getting Kimmay off the base. They can't start thinking that she just disappeared. I calculate five minutes from the operating room to the ambulances. Three minutes before I go. Kimmay will be very warm," Linda continued. "Get a couple of cloths and soak them in cold water. Apply them to her forehead. I'll be gone for at least ten minutes, maybe fifteen. When I get back, I'll take care of Kimmay. Don't worry, I can return her to perfect health. Two minutes. Now let me concentrate on this map, I want to make everything look as real as possible."

Todd collected a couple of cloths and soaked them in water. He rung them out and placed one on Kimmay's head. He took her hand and held it softly between his. Her hand and arm had several cuts from broken glass flying through the air. Todd asked Linda if Kimmay was in pain?

"No. I nullified all of her pain. She feels nothing right now. Thirty seconds. I'll be back in ten or fifteen minutes." She gave her map one last look and then it dematerialized. Ten seconds and pop. Linda was gone.

 

The Admiral materialized at the ambulances. There were four medics standing around chatting, and Linda materialized at the ambulance farthest away. She dropped the pillow on the floor, and quietly opened the door and climbed in, but did not slam the door closed. She started the motor with a touch of her hand. The medics yelled and started running towards her. She stomped on the accelerator and squealed the tires as she lurched forward. Before reaching the first turn she slammed the door shut.

It took three minutes of fast driving to reach the front gate. It was barricaded with two humvees and the tire spikes were raised. She stepped on the gas and aimed for the two-foot gap between the two vehicles. She raised her palm and the black controller began to glow. She hit the two vehicles and the front end of the ambulance dove down as she hit the breaks and then released them. The shocks collapsed with the sudden maneuver. To the guards standing on the side, it looked like the ambulance bounced. The front axle bounced over the spikes and then the rear axle bounced over. Not a single tire was punctured.

Linda led them on a wild chase. Being a neophyte driver she did very well for herself, but she also had a huge advantage over the MPs. With her bag sitting in the palm of her hand, she gave it one last squeeze. She literally disappeared as she slid around a blind curve. The ambulance slowed down and Linda drove to an abandoned gas station, where she parked the ambulance and stepped out onto the broken pavement. Leaving the ambulance to be found later, she squeezed one more time and returned to Todd and Kimmay.

"Sixteen minutes," Todd said with disapproval.

"So you can tell time. Good for you. Hands off the table and step back." One more time Linda placed the device in the palm of her hand. She started circling around Kimmay's head. Todd watched, as the device grew warm and changed to a red glow. He could hear and feel the pulse. The power was awesome. It wasn't electrical or magnetic. It couldn't be defined but it could be felt. Todd took another step back. Linda held her hand stationary over the side of Kimmay's head. The color changed to orange then yellow then white. Sweat was popping out on Kimmay's forehead, and Linda and Todd were beginning to sweat. The room was warmer, but not that warm, Todd thought.

"Todd, please wipe her head with a cool cloth." He stepped forward and wiped her brow. Linda's device continued to glow white. Todd could feel the power emanating from it, and although e knew he had nothing to worry about, the power was intimidating. For a full ten minutes Linda stood still, holding a white-hot power source six inches from Kimmay's head.

When ten minutes were over, the device began to quiet down. The color cooled to yellow, then orange. Linda stepped towards the foot of the gurney and held the device over Kimmay's chest. The power picked up again, and the pulse rate and volume increased. The device warmed again; back to yellow and then white. Linda began very small circles around the broken ribs; slowly circling first clockwise and then counterclockwise. Over and over for another ten minutes.

The three of them were covered with sweat. Linda was exhausted and it was difficult to keep focus, but she eventually stopped circling her hand and the device quickly cooled back to normal. She stepped back and closed her eyes, "Todd, after you mop Kimmay's brow, would you please bring me something cold to drink? A sports drink would be best. Bring one for Kimmay also."

Todd retrieved the drinks, and Linda guzzled hers. Todd began to drink his when he noticed Kimmay open her eyes. She looked like she had been close to death. Linda stepped forward and quietly whispered, "You are going to be alright. You need to drink liquids and eat. You have lost a great deal of your reserves. Rest for a moment and when you're ready we will help you sit up. Nod when you are ready."

Kimmay didn't move for several minutes. She rested with her eyes closed. When she reopened her eyes she gave Linda a small nod. Linda helped her sit up. "Slow. You might feel dizzy or nauseous. Go slow." Kimmay sat up and rested for a few moments. Todd handed the drink to Kimmay and she took a small sip. She said nothing as she slowly drank half of the drink. "Are you ok, Kimmay? Do you remember what happened?" Linda asked.

"Not much," said Kimmay. "I stepped through the portal and then there was an explosion. I think. I don't remember anything else. How is my mother? Where is Amanda?"

"Your mother is going to be fine. Kimmay, you need to eat and sleep. Can you handle a candy bar?" Linda offered her a piece of chocolate. Kimmay took it and tried to eat it. It took a long time for her to chew and swallow it. She needed another sip of the drink. It took a while, but Kimmay ate the entire chocolate bar.

"Where is Amanda?"

"She's not here," answered Linda. "You need to rest now. Todd and I are going to help you to the bed. You need to sleep and then tomorrow we can answer all of your questions. Todd, come take Kimmay's arm and help her to bed. They placed her on the bed and she fell asleep immediately.

Linda prepared to leave. "Where are you going?" asked Todd.

"I have one more task before I can rest," and she disappeared through her portal.

 

Mr. Dunn was returning from lunch. He stepped out of the taxi and began walking towards his office, when the two men quickly walked up on either side of him. "Mr. Dunn, may we have a word with you?"

Mr. Dunn feared the worst. He looked around for a bobby but saw none. "Who are you?"

"Interested parties, Mr. Dunn." One of the men handed him a stack of photographs. They stopped walking and Mr. Dunn flipped through the pictures. His face turned white. They were pictures of his grandchildren, and they were very recent. They were probably taken as the kids walked to school that day.

"What do you want?"

"Oh good, then you recognize the pictures. Excellent Mr. Dunn. We won't take much of your valuable time, sir. We just wanted to make a suggestion, an editorial suggestion concerning your news coverage."

The other man began speaking, "It is quite simple Mr. Dunn. Back off. Call off your coverage of the Grand Cayman incident and quit trying to pull the United States government into a scandal. Your choices are very simple here, Mr. Dunn. You won't get another chance." They began to walk away when one of the men stopped and said over his shoulder, "You can keep the pictures. They might be useful at the memorial service."

 

It was almost 6:00 A.M. at the hospital. It had taken almost twenty minutes to find mom after the fire alarm. She wasn't in her room, and the FBI agent was worse than useless; he was abrasive and antagonistic. I finally found a nurse who knew where mom had been moved. She was in an ICU at the far end of the hall. I quickly ran down to the new room, but she wasn't there either. I found another nurse and asked about mom, but she had no idea who I was talking about.

I eventually found her in the room next door to where they thought she was. I was able to get in and I walked over to her bedside. I feared the worst as I took her hand in mine. It was soft and warm. For some reason I expected her hand to be cold and clammy. 'This is good,' I thought. I was watching her face, trying to stifle a sob when she opened her eyes. I couldn't believe it. She muttered something but I couldn't hear what it was. I leaned closer, "Water."

"I'll get it right away." I ran from the room to the nurse's station. "Water, I need water for my mom." The nurses said no. They had to have clearance from a doctor first. "Then call the doctor," I yelled. I ran back to the waiting room and grabbed a plastic cup that I had been using. "Mom's awake," I excitedly told grandma and grandpa. "They moved her to 217. She wants water." I ran from the room with the cup and stopped at the water fountain in the hall. I filled it half full of water and snuck back into mom's room.

Mom watched me walk in. I raised the top half of her bed and handed her the water. She sipped it slowly. I just watched and said nothing while grandma and grandpa walked in behind me. We all stood by the side of the bed and watched mom sip the water. No one said anything. She finished the water and handed me the cup. "More," she whispered in a raspy voice.

"We should wait for the doctor," I said.

"Please."

I went and got more. She was finishing the water when an intern arrived. He gave us all a nasty glare as he saw her finish the cup of water. "Please wait outside," he ordered. We backed up against the door, but stayed in the room.

The intern took his stethoscope and listened to mom's heart and breathing. He lifted her pajama top and carefully removed the bandages over her bullet wounds. I couldn't see much, but the bullet wounds didn't look as bad as I thought they might. He took another scope and looked in her eyes. Then he stepped back and watched the monitor above her bed. His arms dropped by his sides and he stood still and stared at mom.

"Mrs. May, you are the most remarkable person that I have ever seen." He turned and faced us. "I have never witnessed a recovery like this in my life."

"Is she going to be ok?" grandma asked.

"She's fine," he said. "Her recovery is amazing. She is going to be just fine."

 

CHAPTER THIRTY

 

Source: Freedom of Information Act - Administration of 2028

 

Mr. Clover called his meeting together, "Gentlemen, I want some updates on our progress. We had four areas of concern and I need to know where we stand on each of them. We will start with issue number one; how to discredit Mr. Kaliber and his team. Secretary Starr you have responsibility, how goes it?"

"Slow so far. We have tried to keep a low profile; we don't want to draw attention to ourselves by being too aggressive. We have finished all our inside work in establishing credible scenarios as to how Kaliber and his people acquired their materiel. We have worked backwards to establish links between the team and mercenaries that could have provided insertion and extraction options. We have worked on establishing the love triangle, and we now have pictures of Kaliber and Kimmay, Kimmay and Keystone, and Keystone and Kaliber. "We have both innocent pictures and some doctored pictures that would indicate some very personal or intimate contact between them. We have also established a pattern of Saturday night get-togethers between the girl and the professor, and we have receipts and eyewitnesses that can place the two of them together in San Francisco. We have the Professor's daily planner that showed several meetings with the girl and also some with Kaliber. If we have to, we can doctor additional pictures for more obvious contact, but I am trying to stay away from that. The less altering we do, the fewer potential problems that can pop up later. We're still working on placing Kaliber and the Professor together with witnesses that can verify angry words and yelling. That area needs to be strengthened.

"We have strengthened the case against Kimmay as far as being the killer in the Keystone murder. We have planted more evidence and given the police more things to think about. We have collected testimonials from eyewitnesses who saw Kaliber and Kimmay together and talking at the awards dinner. We've leaked bits and pieces to different reporters just to see how they worked. No one has seen the full-blown counter attack. So far I'd say everything looks good.

"I would say that we are 90% ready to counter anything that comes out of France. Our best hope is still to kill the news articles first, rather than have to defend ourselves."

"Ok, it sounds promising," said Clover. "You make a good point about killing the stories rather than having to go on the defensive. So let's jump ahead and ask Mr. Marks how the press side of the equation is proceeding."

The CIA Director Dennis Marks stood and addressed the group. "We believe that we have identified a single driver to the story. His name is Henry Dunn and he is Executive Publisher for the BBC. He controls both the print and electronic side of their editorial stance. He seems to be the source of most rumors, and we have traced some leaks in other papers directly back to Dunn. We feel very strongly that if we neutralize Dunn, we can stop the vast majority of the pressure coming from the press."

"Good work," said Clover. "Where is he getting his information from?"

"That is still under investigation. We don't know who notified him or invited him to Grand Cayman," Marks conceded.

"How are you going to deal with Mr. Dunn?"

"In a very direct manner, Mr. Clover. We have already supplied Mr. Dunn with recent pictures of his four grandchildren and made it perfectly clear that their future depends on him slowing down and killing this editorial content. I think we got our point across. Our electronic surveillance indicates less activity, and he has shied away from the press contacts that were receiving his updates. I have seen no new items in the last two days."

"Nice work. But let's keep our profile lower if we have to go to a second phase. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Dennis, as long as you have the floor, fill us in on acquiring and silencing the girl."

The Director took a drink of water. He was obviously stalling. Clover had already heard his update but the others had not. "I was right about how to bring in the girl. Her mother met with a rather nasty and life-threatening incident during a recent robbery attempt. She wasn't in the hospital twelve hours when the daughter showed up. The FBI did some nice work and captured both the girl, and her Stanford friend. We ran every lead we can think of on the Stanford girl. I'm convinced that she was supplying the means for Kimmay to move around and escape from us."

"Who does she belong to?" asked Kurtland. He was hoping to prove that the entire mess was much larger than anyone had imagined. He was desperately hoping for something that would take his neck out of the noose.

"We don't know. We can't find one single lead. It's like she never existed."

"Well you have her right? You can get the information from her, can't you?"

Marks looked at Clover. Clover never flinched, and he didn't offer Marks the slightest hint of any help. "We lost the girl. She was killed during the collection."

Marks paused and Clover gave him a few seconds to continue. When Marks continued to pause, Clover spoke up. "And where is her body, Mr. Marks? Is there any evidence on her that we can use?"

Marks knew damn well that Clover was hanging him out. "The body disappeared from the morgue. She was in the Great Lakes Naval Station hospital morgue and she disappeared. General Walsh, perhaps you would like to discuss how that took place. And maybe you could discuss the other situation."

The rest of the members glanced at the General wondering what the other situation might be. General Walsh was the Pentagon's Chief of Staff and had responsibility over all matters dealing with the military. He reported to Secretary of Defense William Starr. "We are running a full and complete investigation as we speak. At this time we still have no idea how the body disappeared or where it might be." The general was uncomfortable and it showed in his fidgeting. "However, we do know that base integrity was compromised and we are looking into that at the same time. We suspect that the infiltration and the disappearance of the body are related."

"And?" coaxed Clover.

"And the Kimmay girl also escaped."

"What?" yelled Kurtland.

"Let him finish," Clover said.

"The Kimmay girl and the Stanford girl were brought in by helicopter. They both went through triage and the Stanford girl was declared DOA. Her body was sent to the morgue to be held for an autopsy. The Kimmay girl was sent to pre-op. She was banged up pretty bad and they had to stabilize her vital signs before operating. They then moved her to the operating room and were about to begin life-saving actions, when the chief surgeon called and said she wasn't ready. He sent her back to pre-op to let her vital signs stabilize further.

"The head nurse says an Admiral showed up to see the girl. He went into the prep room and began disconnecting tubes and monitors. The head nurse caught him and he threatened to shoot her. He made her help him remove the girl from the room and head towards the motor pool, where he put her in an ambulance and was able to drive off the base in a high-speed chase. Our people lost him after he cleared the base. We found the ambulance abandoned not too far off base. Obviously, they were able to change transportation vehicles and escape."

"And the girl was still in critical condition, right General?"

"Yes sir."

"Are you checking everywhere that she might be able to obtain medical care?"

"Yes we are," jumped in the FBI Director. This was his area of responsibility. "We've put all of our agents within a 1000 mile radius on the lookout. We notified the Coast Guard in case they try and exit through the great lakes. TSA has all transportation venues covered. We have found nothing so far. According to the doctors at the Great Lakes base, she was in very critical condition, so it is unlikely that she can get far without some medical attention very soon."

"Did it ever occur to any of you that she might not get medical attention?" The group looked at Clover. They were all puzzled. "Maybe she was removed to make sure that we couldn't help her. If she dies, we can't ask any questions."

Starr figured out his approach first. "Her handlers are covering their trail? That's why they grabbed the body also?"

"It's a possibility," said Clover.

Kurtland saw the possibility of a huge conspiracy, and something that could take the pressure off him. "So maybe this was part of a large operation? Some foreign government moving against us?"

"Don't get your hopes up, Allen. I'm only throwing out scenarios. I want you people to consider all possibilities. Does anyone have any other suggestions or comments?" Clover addressed the directors who would be searching for the Kimmay girl, "Gentlemen, I will be watching your progress, and your careers with horrified fascination." He smiled just enough to indicate that he wasn't trying to be humorous.

"Ok, that brings us to our last action item. Mr. Marks and I took some action concerning the opportunists who were taking pot shots at the administration. Mr. Marks, perhaps you could bring us up to date on that action."

Marks was on the spot again. How could so many things have gone right, and then so many things have gone wrong? This was not healthy for one's career. "We had a piss poor performance from our agents," he began. "We made a rather simple request of two of our supposedly better agents. They were supposed to rough up Senator Horn and persuade her to back off her outlandish criticism of the administration. Instead, of the two agents that we sent in one is dead and the other is in the hospital. Horn's female bodyguard handled both of them. I accept complete responsibility for this disaster. But I sure as hell will make sure we change our training regimen. If I can't rely on two agents to handle one female bodyguard, we are in one hell of a lot of trouble!"

"So we're looking at an unmitigated disaster here. Is that a safe assumption director?" Clover asked.

"Yes sir, it sure as hell is. They have both been identified and we've now got another rogue operation that we have to cover up."

Clover walked around the room. His face was red and he was ready to explode. He was trying to calm down before he spoke. "Gentlemen, I don't know where to begin. I have seen what appears to be a system wide failure here. It's not just your guys Dennis; it's everyone. Our agents are incompetent, our intelligence is lacking and our managerial decision making process pretty much sucks." Clover had made a complete circuit of the room and he was back to his chair. He stood behind the chair and placed his hands on its back. "If this were normal times, I'd fire everyone's ass and clean house, but things aren't normal. Something is happening out there and we have no idea what it is. We have no idea who is running the girl, but she isn't surviving on her own. There seems to be some type of conspiracy between her and the press. I base that only on the fact that she was responsible for catching Kaliber's team, and the press seems to know more about it than they should. On top of that you have an opposition senator already trying to take advantage of the situation.

"Nothing adds up here. You and your people have to find out what is going on. This is your number one priority. Put everyone and the Pope on this. Squeeze every snitch and contact that you have. I want everyone under 24/7 surveillance. I want a control center set up and I want every one of you reporting in twice a day. Nothing is too small to ignore. Dennis, you set up the control center and coordinate it through NSA and me.

"This scares the hell out of me, and it had better be scaring you too. Any questions or comments?" The meeting was over.

 

Source: Valerie Samantha Kim

If Clover and his team were unhappy, the other side was in complete despair. Amanda was dead, Kim, Kristal and Melissa had been seriously injured, and Mr. Dunn had been intimidated to the point that he was afraid to move. Everyone was feeling naked and vulnerable. Word on the street was that the administration had moved to nullify any intelligence that might come from the Kaliber team, and they were moving fast trying to cover up the identities and motives of Kristal's attackers. While the team still had plenty of evidence against the administration, its value was slowly being drained.

Worst of all, their most important ally Linda was in depression and losing her motivation. Kimmay and Todd could only speculate, but they wondered if Linda could handle strong human emotions. She had most likely never been tested as she was when Amanda was killed. She was continuing to carry out her duties, but it was evident that her heart was no longer in the battle.

And even Kimmay was despondent. While she knew her mother was quickly healing, Linda had decided that she should no longer contact her family. She was cut off from her emotional base. Even Todd stopped contact with his family. They were slipping into a bunker mentality, and it was evident that as a group they needed help. But there was no help. There was no cavalry and no super heroes. They were going to have to work through their own problems and push ahead.

Todd provided the best leadership by simply insisting that everyone do his job. He did his work, modeling the circuitry necessary for the teleportation of hydrogen nuclei. He insisted that Kimmay continue her work on her energy chips. He asked for daily updates from Kimmay, and he insisted that she work on it every day, including weekends. "Vacation is over," was his mantra. By pushing Kimmay he also was pushing Linda, since Kimmay couldn't do anything without Linda. Whereas Todd had a laboratory that could handle much of his experimentation, Kimmay had to do everything on a chip. That meant she had to go to vendors to build her chips. Linda in turn had to make the arrangements and get Kimmay there and back safely.

It was the middle of winter in Switzerland, so there wasn't much else to do. Neither Todd nor Kimmay were skiers, so there were few distractions to their work. Traveling helped break the monotony of life in their Davos Monstein hideout. Kimmay was working with two chip companies, one in Germany and one in Indonesia, and Todd was working with one cryogenic laboratory in Germany. Kimmay was giving Todd only one or two prototypes a week, and he quickly tested them in the lab. He wanted more work and faster turn around, so he forced Kimmay into adding a third development laboratory, a South Korean research facility.

The third lab made all of the difference in the world. Kimmay was now too busy to brood about missing her family and she started making much faster progress. And Linda was kept busier also. The worldwide travel meant crossing several time zones and keeping odd hours. While it took its toll on their sleep habits, it kept them out of the winter doldrums and cabin fever.

Within three months Kimmay had solved the fabrication problems concerning the superconducting materials. What surprised both of them was the next problem: it concerned teleportation. The one area they felt the most comfortable with, teleportation, was having difficulties at the micro-scale they were using. In fact, the problem was so intransigent that Kimmay left Todd working on the problem, while she moved onto connectivity concerns. How could they move huge amounts of electrical energy from a chip through wires smaller than a human hair and then transfer that energy to normal size wires? She had to expand her superconducting wires into the connections, which meant a wider cooling area. That in turn led to a need for better and additional insulation since she did not want to deliberately convert more usable energy to the job of cooling. In the grand scheme of things it was actually a minor problem, but indicative of the numerous problems that continuously cropped-up.

Todd and Kimmay soon came to the realization that their product couldn't be just two chips. They needed to engineer a much larger package that held temperature control and insulation, connectivity to standard size electrodes, hydrogen storage and re-fill capability and grounding, which also turned out to be a much larger problem than anticipated. This decision to try and package everything was necessary in the short term so that they could prove their concept, but in the long run it was a waste of time. Later, when they finally started talking with the commercial experts, the large electronics firms merely wanted the two chips and they were able to do a much better job of adapting them to specific applications.

But for the time being, they contacted a very large electronics engineering consortium to help with the package. This turned out to be a very difficult phase. It was in essence, their first step towards commercialization and it raised all kinds of problems, starting with proprietary technology that belonged to Todd and Kimmay and went all the way to the legal end requiring lawyers. The kids were moving into the world of big time entrepreneurship, and neither was ready for that. And to make matters even more difficult, they had to hide their identities throughout all the contacts. But luck was finally on their side. By serendipity they learned that Professor Drum had experience in this area. He became their front man.

Professor Drum and Barnhardt were making good progress on their computer modeling, and were already confident that Kimmay's plan would be safe. They were refining their models and algorithms, trying to find anomalies that might result in catastrophic failures. They were now doing diagnostic work for Kimmay. Kimmay and Todd were meeting with them on a bi-weekly basis when Todd made a sarcastic remark about lawyers. Professor Drum asked why he was talking with lawyers. One thing led to another and Professor Drum soon began helping with some of their commercialization problems. However, that problem ballooned a hundred fold when Kimmay and Todd tested their first full prototype chip. They were about to move into plant-scale production and commercialization.

It was August of 2030 when Kimmay brought the chip back from the German laboratory. Within two weeks, Todd had run a full set of diagnostics on the annihilation chip and pronounced it ready. The storage chip was still undergoing development in the laboratory, because the multi-dimensional phasing was requiring re-design work by Kimmay. For the first trial on the annihilation chip, they essentially hooked the chip to a voltmeter to see what would happen when they started up.

The first step was the activation of the chip. The chip was placed in its test harness, while the harness sat on a scale and the entire apparatus was inside an environmental chamber. Two very important things happened with the chip's activation. First, the weight of the chip dropped by fifteen percent; well within their calculations. Second, the temperature started to drop. They applied power for the activation process for only five seconds, then cut the power and watched the weight return. And most importantly, the temperature began to rise. Kim and Todd had successfully opened another multi-dimensional universe, an historic breakthrough for humanity. They were delirious. They bounced around Todd's laboratory for ten minutes, hooting and hollering. Linda stood out of the way and smiled. Although she didn't show it, it had to have given her an emotional boost also.

As the thrill started to subside, Kimmay pushed for the next phase. Let's open the chip and see if it can achieve absolute zero. This time they left the power on and began monitoring the temperature. Everything was being recorded for analysis after the test and the real-time chart showed an exponential curve that dropped quickly but then started to slow down as the temperature dropped below minus one hundred degrees centigrade. The rate slowed down, but the temperature continued to drop. They passed minus 150 in only two minutes. It took five minutes to reach minus 200, and it kept slowly dropping. They watched the monitor as they reached minus 225 and then minus 250 degrees. The temperature chart had essentially leveled off. Kimmay was disappointed. She didn't expect to reach absolute zero, but she had been expecting an equilibrium temperature of minus 265. A re-design might be required. The temperature was low enough for her superconducting materials, but operation of the chip would raise the temperature and it might actually exceed the maximum superconducting temperature.

It was time to annihilate protons. The chip had been designed with eight staging chambers to prepare the hydrogen nuclei before teleportation into the annihilation chamber. They disconnected seven of the eight chambers and ran their first test. It worked. It worked better than they ever anticipated. Protons were teleported into the annihilation chamber and destroyed, releasing high energy photons. They tested the staging chambers one at a time and everyone worked. The best part was the temperature. Operating at one-eighth of efficiency raised the temperature only two degrees. Kimmay wanted to try all eight chambers at once, but Todd refused to move so fast and aggressively. He agreed to run two chambers simultaneously and see what would happen. They tried two chambers and watched the temperature. There was bad news; the temperature moved up another three degrees for a total of five. With eight chambers they would not be able to maintain superconductivity.

The question then became, did they continue adding one staging chamber at a time until they destroyed the chip, or stop and go back to the design work. Once the temperature became too high, the amount of energy they would be generating would overload and destroy the circuitry of the prototype chip. They knew what they needed to do, and Todd suggested that they keep the chip, in case they needed to come back at a later time and confirm something. Kimmay agreed, and they shut down the chip.

It had been a great success, even with the minor glitches. The only thing that they had not done was disconnect the external power source and determine if the chip could operate on its own. That circuitry would have to be checked out with their next prototype. There was a great feeling of satisfaction in Davos Monstein, Switzerland that night. On August 17, 2030 the rest of the world had no idea what was coming their way.

 

(continued)

  

  

  

*********************************************
© 2005 by G L Hudson. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of StorySite and the copyright holder.