Genomorph

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Candace Deveraux was pissed at being awakened at five-thirty on a Sunday morning by someone pounding on her door. She was a civilian employee at the Naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, and she liked to sleep in on Sunday. Cursing under her breath she wrapped a robe around herself and stormed out of the bedroom. At the front door she peered through the peep hole and saw two men in dark suits standing outside.

“What the hell do you want?” she demanded.

“Federal agents, Miss Deveraux,” one said, holding up a badge. “We need to speak with you.”

Candace opened the door but kept the chain fastened and peered out through the opening. She wondered what federal agents would be doing at her door at any hour, and was suspicious.

“Could I see your identification again?” she asked.

“Certainly,” the man smiled, holding up a black leather badge case. As he flipped it open Candace saw a brilliant purple flash, then blackness.

She awoke again when her alarm went off at nine. She stretched, vaguely recalling a dream about someone being at the door. She could not recall anything else about the dream, and quickly dismissed it.

As she was having breakfast she thought about Brandon Anderson. It was odd that she would think of him now; he had died nearly five months ago. They had dated quite a few times, and she had hoped their relationship would go further, but then Brandon had been wounded. After that he had been different. It wasn’t anything dramatic, but he had become quieter, almost sullen. It was to be expected, of course, and she had tried to be understanding. Finally one day Brandon had told her they were through; that he had to focus all his energy on his recovery.

It had not fooled her for a minute. Brandon felt incomplete, and he was cutting her free so she would not feel obligated to him. And rather than argue with him, she had meekly accepted it and never seen him again. In a way she had been grateful.

As she thought about their time together, the image of a beautiful young woman with blonde hair came into her mind. It was not anyone she knew but the picture was so clear in her mind it was eerie.

She was supposed to watch for this person, why she did not know. Just watch for her and then make the call. That wasn’t very hard. She could do that.

*****

“Do you realize what this means?” Susan asked Amanda Breton after showing her the email she had just received from Ryan. She had found Amanda having tea in the parlor, and was rather perplexed by the older woman’s rather blasé demeanor once she had read the message.

“Yes I do,” The older woman replied. “Brandon’s transformation to Brandi was not accidental. Susan I’m sorry I kept this from you but I suspected as much from the start. I had no actual evidence to base my suspicion on other than my familiarity with the people involved.”

“Well I can understand why you wouldn’t say anything,” Susan sighed. “This just makes me furious. I played right into their plans.”

“You were played, Susan,” Amanda corrected her. “They manipulated you; that’s what they do.”

“Someday you are going to have to tell me how you know so much about them,” Susan said.

“Let’s hold that for another time,” Amanda suggested. “When we eventually bring Brandi here, then I will tell you both.”

“Do you have people watching her?” Susan asked.

Amanda regarded her for a moment before speaking. “No. We are watching the people that are looking for her. Specifically, we are watching the ones which will be used to attempt retrieval should Brandi’s location be discovered. I did not want to place people on her, both for fear that they may lead her enemies to her, and out of concern that she would notice them. She deserves her space.”

“Thank you for that,” Susan said. “I told Ryan, again, to be careful. If they find out he has been funneling information out of the lab I hate to think what they would do to him.”

“It tells me a lot about Brandi that she has engendered such loyalty in people who only knew her for a brief time.”

“That’s Brandi. One minute she would be sparring with a half dozen experts in the martial arts, and thrashing them thoroughly. Then she would be sitting in front of the TV with Ryan playing a video game and squealing like a school girl.”

“I’m quite anxious to meet her.”

“I’m anxious for this to be over so she can have a normal life,” Susan whispered.

“Susan, you know that Brandi will never have a truly normal life.”

“Yes, I know that,” Susan sighed. “She will want to use her abilities…she will need to use them. But she can at least to be free to choose when and how.”

“Susan there is something more I need to tell you,” Amanda said, rising from the sofa. “In fact I have something I must show you first.”

“All right, Amanda.”

Amanda led Susan from the parlor, through the foyer and into the back hall. She opened a door there and they went down a short flight of stairs to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs was a large, steel door with an electronic lock.

“The biometric reader is already programmed for you,” Amanda told her. “Just press your thumb to the pad to unlock it.”

Susan did as she said, and there was a buzz followed by a muffled metallic clang as the door unlocked. The room beyond was the size of a three car garage, and there were shelves from rising from the floor to the ceiling, stacked with seamless silver cases.

“The organization does not have the only collection of Forerunner artifacts,” Amanda smiled. “Though theirs is far larger.”

Susan looked at the cases with awe. True, the warehouse in Nevada was many times larger, but to have access to even a few artifacts outside the control of the organization was unexpected and very welcome.

Amanda led Susan to a counter against one wall, and picked up a device which looked like something an eye doctor would use.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Amanda asked. Susan shook her head.

“This device is capable of implanting programming within a persons mind,” Amanda told her. “It uses the optic nerve as the path way to establish a connection. The information is transferred in flashes of colored light. This particular device is useless with out access to one of the Forerunner’s computers to program it.”

“They have computers in Nevada,” Susan said, the impact of the device dawning fully on her.

“And they have several of these devices,” Amanda nodded. “They have had them for some time, but now they are using them. The device can implant programming in the brain which remains dormant, until activated by a signal. The organization has been using them for some months now.”

“Creating sleepers,” Susan said dully.

“Yes and when they have all of their sleepers in place, they will send out the signal from satellites already in orbit,” Amanda said. “And with the pressing of a single button, they will be able to take control of the United States without firing a single shot.”