Genomorph

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Susan looked up from her desk at the sound of knocking, to see Admiral Michael Hammerstein standing in the doorway to her office.

“I had a feeling I might be seeing you soon Admiral, please come in and have a seat,” Susan said smiling.

“My friends call me Mike, and I think you and I should be friends,” The Admiral said as he closed the door behind him. He took a seat before Susan’s desk and smiled.

“I think you’re right Mike, please call me Susan.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from her,” Hammerstein said without preamble.

“I’m the last person she would contact,” Susan replied. “Brandi will know that I am being watched carefully. This office is secure, though, so you can speak freely. And yes, Mike, before you ask, if I did hear from Brandi I would find a way to let you know. She trusts you, and I know you’re deeply concerned about her.”

“I had been keeping my eye on Brandon for a long time,” Hammerstein told her. “I could see him one day taking my job. But as special as he was, there’s something even more special about Brandi. She has all of his drive…his sense of duty and commitment, but on top of all of that she has such innocence. I hope she can hold onto it.”

“What’s the attitude in Washington?” Susan asked. “I’m afraid I missed my meeting.”

“The ‘Organization’ is running this show for now,” Hammerstein said bitterly. “And they want Brandi back. I have been told in no uncertain terms that my involvement with this affair is over.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Whatever I have to,” Hammerstein said, his voice filled with conviction. “I just feel so damned helpless!”

The Admiral growled, springing to his feet and pacing about the office, “It’s like my daughter is out on her first date or something, if you know what I mean.”

“I know exactly what you mean Mike.”

“Do you think she can do it? Can she ... I don’t know ... can she come to terms with who she is now?”

“I believe this is the only chance she has to become a real, genuine woman and not some set of programmed responses,” Susan told him. “She needs to be out in the world, to interact with people and learn how to fit in. And yes, she needs to screw up and fall flat on her ass a few times as well. It’s how we learn.

“Brandi was kept in an emotionally and socially sterile environment here. I tried my best but she needs that wide variety of interactions that can only come from living in the real world if she is going to develop.”

“Still, I wish she didn’t have to do it alone,” Hammerstein muttered.

“She won’t be alone,” Susan assured him. “She’ll make friends, probably a lot more easily than she could believe. Despite the environment she was trapped in here, Brandi is a very outgoing person, far more so than Brandon ever was. My biggest concern is that she will have a hard time keeping a low profile.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because one thing she most surely retains from Brandon is a sense of justice and a proactive approach to dealing with conflict,” Susan said. “She won’t back down from a fight if one is forced upon her. And with her heightened combat abilities, she may even seek it out.”

“I would have pitied the poor fool that tried to start something with Brandon,” Hammerstein grunted. “I pity them more if they try it with Brandi.”

*****

“Is Doctor Covington going to be a problem?” the Man asked quietly. He had no name, no identity. Officially he did not exist, and yet he wielded power that made presidents tremble. For forty years he had run the organization, which also did not officially exist, except in rumor, and most of those rumors were fostered to mislead.

“I don’t believe so sir,” Reginald Mercer replied. “She won’t help us in any way, I am certain. In fact I believe if given the opportunity she would help the girl elude us, and we can possibly turn that to our advantage.”

“Cut her loose?”

“Yes sir. The girl will never try to contact her as long as she is associated with the project. But if she were to be removed and were out in public and more accessible, the girl might get careless.”

“You really do have a problem using her name don’t you?” The Man smirked. He had seen the reports Covington had filed, her assertions that Mercer’s obvious animosity towards Brandi and his continued refusal to address her as a person was only making matters worse. It was undoubtedly true. Mercer was a toad, totally lacking in any ability to exercise tact or diplomacy. He would never rise above his current position in the organization.

But he was a useful toad, and why the girl had become rebellious was immaterial. Their intention was to break down her personality and make her a pliable tool. The sooner they had her back in their custody the better.

“Very well, I’ll start the wheels turning. It will take some time, Doctor Covington has friends. She should be off the project by the end of the week. How is the rest of the plan proceeding?”

“On schedule,” Mercer said. “Our operatives are continuing with the sleeper programming and we will be ready to activate them on schedule.”

“Excellent,” the Man smiled.

*****

Kevin Driscoll was looking forward to a weekend off. Most people would see his job, part of the Secret Service detail for the President’s Chief of Staff, as exotic and exciting. Mostly it was routine with an underlying current of tension. There was a lot of traveling which led to lots of jet lag. A weekend was something to be treasured.

As he was on his way home he decided to stop at a bar in Georgetown for a couple of beers. He was on his second when he spied the woman. She was tall and willowy, with long, dark red hair and smoldering eyes. She noticed his gaze and smiled a sultry smile.

A short time later they were seated in a booth talking and laughing. Kevin thought of himself as a ladies man and he was handsome, and of course his job required him to be fit. He was beginning to think his weekend might turn out even better than he had anticipated.

“That’s an interesting pendant you have,” he commented. The redhead wore a large purple gem on a silver chain about her neck. The chain was just long enough that the pendant nestled in her cleavage, which was where his gaze kept straying. The stone was oval and about the size of a large egg. It was set in a silver frame that looked like some kind of stylized circuit board.

“It is fascinating isn’t it,” she said in a sultry alto. Her hand grasped the pendant and extended it towards him so he could get a better look. Kevin saw a bright purple flash, like the stone had caught a ray of sunlight, and blinked reflexively.

“Be a dear Kevin and go out to your car and wait for me,” the redhead said.

Obediently Kevin rose and left the bar. The woman waited a few minutes and then left as well. She walked out to Kevin’s Dodge Stratus and climbed in on the passenger side. Kevin remained as he was seated behind the wheel staring ahead blankly.

“Look at me Kevin,” the woman said. Kevin did as he was asked and turned to face her.

The redhead reached into her purse and removed a device which looked like a miniature ophthalmologist’s vision tester, with straps to secure it in place. She settled the device over Kevin’s eyes, secured it in place and then looked through the eyepieces on her side to verify that it was aligned correctly. After a few brief adjustments she sat back and smiled.

“Just relax and enjoy the show Kevin,” she said as she pressed a button on the device.

Kevin awoke the next morning, thinking he was very glad he had decided to come straight home and get a good night’s sleep instead of stopping off for a beer or two. It always ended up being more, and there was no reason to start the weekend off with a hangover. And the sleep had done him good. He felt great. In fact as much as he had been looking forward to the weekend he was eager to get back to work.

He showered and shaved, and after dressing he stopped at his dresser and looked at himself in the mirror, making sure his hair was styled just right. On the dresser top, next to his pistol and ID was a silver case about the size of a thick paperback novel. Kevin opened the case. Inside was an odd looking pair of goggles and a large purple pendant on a silver chain. He took the pendant out and placed it around his neck, and then closed the case.

Yes, he really was ready for Monday to arrive. He had a lot of work to do.