Genomorph

Chapter 44

CHAPTER 44

A dark grey Ford van was parked a block away from Melissa’s house in Venice. The interior of the van was a small operations center, with electronic monitoring equipment and communications gear. Spaced throughout the neighborhood were over a dozen agents in civilian clothing.

A brown delivery van pulled up to the house and the driver disappeared into the back. He reappeared a moment later with a package and walked up to the back door. In the back of the delivery van were a dozen heavily armed mercenaries from the tactical unit.

The fake delivery man reached the door and rang the bell. He waited several minutes, ringing twice more, before stepping off the porch. He took a quick look through the garage window and then returned to the van, taking the package with him. As the van pulled away from the house he spoke into his radio.

“There was one vehicle in the garage, I couldn’t see the plate,” he said. “Subject is not on the premises.”

Reginald Mercer cursed softly in the operations van.

“All right, pull everyone back from here,” he said. It was too risky to maintain surveillance around the house.

“Agent Reynolds reports the girlfriend is under surveillance,” the man at the comm panel reported.

“Have all units move to the campus,” Mercer said. “Tell Reynolds to maintain watch and wait for my arrival. We’ll grab the Barlowe girl there. Send word to the Washington team and tell them to be ready to move on the other one at a moment’s notice.”

“The Washington team wants to know if they should send a team prepared for a full tactical response,” the communications technician said after he had relayed the message.

“No, she’s just a girl, not a Genomorph,” Mercer said. “Tell them to keep it low key.”

*****

~ What have I done? ~

Brandi’s mind was a mass of conflicting emotions as she left Dylan’s apartment building. She lit a cigarette, her hand shaking so badly she almost could not do it.

She was filled with conflicting emotions; far worse than she had felt after her first time with Melissa. There was a definite elation that she had finally gotten past a major milestone in her transformation and definitely shock over how wantonly she had thrown herself at Dylan. She felt dirty, cheap, and yet wonderfully satisfied. Most of all she felt guilty and unfaithful, even though Melissa had assured her repeatedly that she understood Brandi’s need and would not be upset when she gave in to it.

She saw the red and white awning of her favorite café ahead and decided to stop for a coke. She needed some time to think. She knew she loved Melissa and that Melissa loved her; but could their relationship last if she continued to have a need to be with a man? She desperately hoped it could. She had received a tremendous sense of sensual gratification from Dylan, but it was only when she was with Melissa that she felt truly whole.

She found a table outside and had a seat, lighting another cigarette as she did.

“Hi Brandi, having a late lunch?” The waitress asked as she walked up to the table.

“Just a coke today Sally,” Brandi told her.

As she sipped her soda she thought about what she had done. Did she feel any different? Yes, she did. It was as though a great weight had been removed, like she had faced a right of passage and come through the other side. She now knew in her heart that whatever memories, whatever experience she carried with her from Brandon she was now and forever a woman. She had experienced the same sensation she had before, whenever she had reached a milestone along the path to accepting herself as a woman. But did that mean that sex with a man was what defined her?

“Hi Brandi, how are you today?” A voice said, breaking her from her reverie.

“Oh hi Sam,” Brandi said, smiling as she greeted the café manager. “I’m ok, have a seat!”

“Thanks,” Sam said as he joined her at the table. One thing Brandi immediately noticed was that she felt almost nothing in Sam’s presence. Of course, she had just had sex with Dylan … more than once actually, so it was no surprise her libido was sated for the moment.

“Listen, I just wanted to tell you something,” Sam said in a hushed tone. “A couple of suits showed up here about two hours ago flashing your picture and asking questions. I got a real bad vibe off them. I told them I had never seen you before.”

Brandi’s eyes grew wide and she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Before she could say a word her cell phone began ringing. She pulled it from her bag and opened it to see a text message from Susan. It said one word ….

Run!

*****

Melissa had an hour to kill before her next class, and as was her custom stopped by the coffee shop in Kerckhoff Hall for a cappuccino. She took the beverage outside and sat at a table, enjoying the California sunshine. She was engrossed in a book when the two men in dark suits approached. They looked about for a moment, and when they spied her, one of them pulled a picture from his coat pocket and examined it. He nodded to the other man and they walked up to Melissa.

“Miss Barlowe, we’d like you to come with us please,” one of the men said.

Melissa looked at the two men, both wearing dark glasses that obscured their eyes. One was fairly short, about five seven with a toad like look to his face and a significant gut. The other was tall and fit and he gave Melissa an arrogant leer.

“Unless I see a badge and a warrant I have no intention of going anywhere with you,” Melissa told them flatly. She cursed the fact that her permit had not come through yet. Her gun was back at the house.

The toad faced man leaned close and whispered menacingly, “There are a lot of innocent people here Miss Barlowe. If you don’t want to see them get hurt you’ll do as you’re told.”

Melissa looked around at the students laughing and talking and knew that these men were prepared to hurt, even kill every one of them. Her cell phone began vibrating in her purse which was sitting on the ground next to her leg, and she knew it was Brandi calling to warn her, but it was too late.

~ Brandi I need you! ~

*****

Brandi dropped her cell phone into her purse and thanked Sam, giving him a twenty dollar bill to cover the coke and dashing away from the café. She sprinted the entire distance from the café to the house, and was actually a bit winded when she burst through the door into the living room. She had known even as she was approaching that the house was clear, though she was well aware they could be watching from outside of her range. She detected no foreign electronic emissions either coming from the house or going into it so she knew they had not left any bugs behind.

But they had been here; she knew it even though there was no evidence. They had tried to take her at the house and when they did not find her they had gone to their alternate plan. They were after Melissa.

She bounded up the stairs and into the master bedroom, stripping her exercise clothes away as she entered the huge walk in closet. She already knew what outfit she was going to wear, and with an energy that bordered on frantic she grabbed clothes from the closet and then hefted her black duffel bag to her shoulder. It had almost everything she needed, and as she quickly dressed and applied makeup she planned her next move.

In less than five minutes she was bounding back down the stairs, the duffel over her shoulder as she raced through the house. As she settled behind the wheel of her Solstice she tried Melissa again, and again got no answer. They either already had her or were close and Melissa did not want them to know Brandi was calling. She dropped the cell phone and threw the convertible into reverse, rubber squealing as she exited the garage while the door was barely high enough for the little car to pass under it.

Gary’s shop was closed on Monday’s, which was just as well. What Brandi was after she could not buy anyway. She was about to do something that went against everything she believed but she did not waver in her resolve for an instant.

She parked her Solstice a few blocks away and made her way around to the back of Gary’s shop. She knew he had an alarm system; she also knew it would not cause her any problems. Using her ability to detect electromagnetic fields, she located the sensors for the alarm on the door and placed her hand over the area. It took a few seconds to establish a connection, and then she was able to override the system without alerting the monitoring service.

Once the alarm was dealt with, she turned her attention to the lock. She was not sure if her nanocyborgs were capable of picking the lock but it was worth a try before she simply forced the door. She placed the index finger of her right hand over the deadbolt and grasped the doorknob with her left hand. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on unlocking the door and immediately felt both hands tingling. Seconds later both the locks clicked and she opened the door.

She used the same method to open the gun safe and took the two MP-7 sub-machineguns from it, along with half a dozen loaded magazines for each. She felt terribly guilty; Gary was a friend and had been very kind to her. Now she was rewarding that kindness by stealing from him. If all went well, she would not even need the guns and would have them back before he ever knew they were gone. If not…she left a note explaining why she had taken them. No doubt by the time he saw it the story would be all over the news. With the note she left a stack of cash that would more than pay for the weapons and ammunition.

She placed the MP-7s, the magazines and pouches for them and the straps and clips for carrying the weapons in the black duffel bag with her pistols and other gear. In less than ten minutes she was out of the shop and had relocked the door and re-enabled the alarm system.

She made her way quickly to her car, tossing the bag in the passenger seat as she slid behind the wheel and started the engine. Rubber squealed as she released the clutch and pressed the accelerator of the Solstice to the floor. She would try to do this with as little violence as possible, but if they hurt a hair on Melissa’s head she would make them wish she had never been created.

“They wanted to know what a Genomorph is capable of,” Brandi muttered as she sped along the streets of Los Angeles. “They’re about to find out.”

*****

“I don’t really think you want to create a scene in a public place like this,” Melissa told the men, stalling for time. She knew Brandi was coming, she just knew it.

“Look missy, we don’t care who we kill here as long as we draw that blonde freak out.” Toad Face growled.

“I know you,” Melissa smiled at the man. “You’re that jerk Mercer! Brandi described you perfectly. You do look like a toad.”

Reginald Mercer’s face clouded and he grabbed Melissa roughly by the arm. She responded by throwing her cup of cappuccino in his face. Mercer cried out in pain and recoiled from the hot liquid, releasing his grip on her arm. Melissa shoved him away and into the other man and turned to run. His partner recovered too quickly and grabbed her by her pony tail, causing her to cry out in pain as he jerked her back by the hair. Several of the students seated around the area began looking at the altercation and a few even shouted for someone to call campus security.

“Just bring her Reynolds!” Mercer snarled, wiping his face with a napkin from the table. Melissa began screaming and fighting as the men dragged her south towards the street, until Mercer told her he would kill someone if she did not keep quiet. He turned to the angry students and flashed a badge.

“We’re Federal Agents, and this is a matter of national security!” he shouted. “Do not interfere!”

Reynolds began dragging Melissa roughly along the sidewalk, heading south from the courtyard. She fought him every step, until Mercer again threatened to start shooting students if she did not cooperate. Melissa ceased her struggling but kept her pace as slow as she could.

They were nearing the street, a dark sedan parked and waiting there, when Melissa saw the girl approaching. She was oriental, with long, silky black hair that reached below her waist. She was dressed in a very short, black miniskirt and white blouse, with knee socks and a pair of patent leather Mary Janes on her feet. Melissa smiled; she recognized the outfit and even more she recognized the girl’s figure. When they were nearly even with the girl, Melissa could not help herself.

“You guys are so fucked,” she crowed.

Understanding came to Mercer and Reynolds too late. Brandi was already in motion, two lightning fast kicks catching both men in the face and knocking them back. Melissa dashed forward out of the combat zone so Brandi would not be hampered.

Reynolds, younger and much more fit than Mercer, recovered fastest, his hand diving under his coat. Brandi caught his wrist and twisted, the gun he was grasping falling as his hand went numb. Reynolds was good though, and punched forward with a left jab to her face, bloodying her nose.

“Brandi, look out!” Melissa cried, seeing Mercer leveling a weapon at her girlfriend. Brandi started to dodge to her left but Reynolds caught her with another hard jab and slowed her down just enough.

Mercer fired, the weapon making a slight popping noise as compressed air was released. Two tiny darts streaked forward, wires trailing behind, and struck Brandi squarely in the back. Her body convulsed as the taser discharged its fifty thousand volts, overloading her nervous system. To Melissa’s horror Brandi’s body went limp and she slumped to the ground. Brandi reached around to her back and pulled the darts free and then tried to rise but Reynolds hammered her with a vicious blow to the side of the head, knocking her back to the ground.

Mercer popped the cartridge off the front of the taser and fumbled in his pocket for another as Reynolds continued to beat Brandi. It was as though she could not get her limbs to respond, just as had happened at the lab when Evans used the taser on her.

Mercer snapped the new cartridge in place and was raising the weapon to fire again when Melissa spun him around. Before the surprised man could respond she drove her knee into his stomach. He grunted in pain and doubled over as Melissa twisted the taser from his hand and then kicked his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground. She smiled with satisfaction, glad that Brandi had been working with her on self defense.

“Damn you bitch!” Mercer snarled as he struggled to rise.

“Yeah, whatever,” Melissa said, and fired the taser into his right buttocks. Mercer jerked and then fell to the ground, immobilized.

Reynolds’ attention was still occupied by Brandi, who had managed to get to her feet but was still struggling to defend herself. Melissa noted that she had lost control and returned to her normal appearance as well.

Melissa looked at the taser in her hand; she had seen them before. Her father had shown her how the defensive weapons worked. She knew that in addition to the darts, the pistol had a secondary contact stun capability. She popped the spent air cartridge free and walked up behind Reynolds.

“Leave my girlfriend alone!” she screamed as she jabbed the tip of the weapon into his back and pulled the trigger. Reynolds did a jerking dance and then fell to the ground.

Melissa tossed the taser aside and rushed to Brandi, catching her lover before she fell to the ground. Her face was bloodied and bruised from the beating she had taken, but she looked at Melissa and smiled.

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Brandi asked.

“Not since this morning, babe,” Melissa said and then kissed Brandi passionately.

“We gotta run, love.” Brandi said after the kiss. “They always hunt in packs.”

“You almost had me fooled,” Melissa said as she helped Brandi towards her car. “I was looking for a blonde in a black cat suit!”

Brandi giggled and said, “I decided to try the subtle approach.”

“Yeah a Japanese schoolgirl with those boobs is real subtle,” Melissa laughed.

“Well the outfit woulda been too big if I made them smaller!”

By the time they reached the car Brandi was much stronger, and she started around to the driver’s side. She caught a glint of light from the roof of the math sciences building across the street and saw several dark shapes rising. She dove back and knocked Melissa to the ground behind the car, throwing herself on top of her as a hail of automatic weapons fire tore into the street … and Brandi’s car. The tires on the left side and the engine compartment were riddled.

“Okay, now I am pissed!” Brandi screamed.

Brandi opened the passenger door and grabbed her duffel bag and pulled it out. She set the bag on the ground and began stripping off her clothes as her armor formed around her body. She did not have to worry about the shoes; they were shredded as her boots formed and expanded on her feet.

“You look way sexier in that outfit than Kate Beckinsale in Underworld,” Melissa said, grinning.

“Thank you, sweetie!” Brandi said.

“Why did they stop shooting?” Melissa wondered as Brandi slipped her combat harness and weapons on.

“They just want to keep us pinned down until their friends can flank us,” Brandi said. She passed the bag to Melissa, who reached in and removed her Smith and Wesson revolver. She clipped the holster to the waistband of her jeans and slipped a half dozen speed loaders into her purse. She then slipped the strap of the bag over her left shoulder. She could tell by the weight that Brandi had stopped by the house and collected their emergency cash.

Brandi slipped the shoulder rig for her pistols on, the pistols carried butt down for faster drawing. Pull through snaps through the trigger guards held the guns in place, and were released with a firm tug when drawing. Once she had the pistols secured, she took the MP-7s and slipped the straps for them over each shoulder, and then snapped them into clips on her belt to secure them at each hip. Melissa saw the MP-7s and moaned.

“Brandi, you didn’t talk Gary into giving those to you?”

“No I stole them,” Brandi grinned. “I would never get Gary into trouble.”

Melissa sighed and rolled her eyes. She supposed they really couldn’t be in any more trouble then they already were.

“Just try to keep the felonies to a minimum please,” Melissa said.

“I will,” Brandi said, and then looked sharply at Melissa, “Is doing one-ten in a forty-five zone a felony?”

Melissa groaned again, knowing better than to ask if Brandi was serious.

Brandi scanned the area behind them, back the way they had come. There was no sign of enemies, and most of the students had sought cover within the buildings as soon as the first shots were fired. She guessed they probably had at least two teams; one here and one that had tried to get her at the house, but missed when she was not there. They were likely somewhere on the campus already.

“We have to move,” Brandi said. “I’m going to go left towards Moore Hall and draw their fire. You run back towards Kerchoff and take cover in the trees; I’ll cut through Moore and meet you in the courtyard. We’ll work our way around to one of the parking garages and steal a car to get out of here.”

“Are you recovered enough?” Melissa asked. “You really had me worried.”

“I’m fine,” Brandi assured her. “Now you know my weakness. The taser screws up my nervous system just like it does anyone else, but it also stuns my nano-cyborgs. All I needed was a little time to get my balance back, but as long as that bastard was hammering me I couldn’t recover. They must have pieced that together after Evan Mitchell beat the hell out of me in Nevada.”

“What about the police?” Melissa asked. “Won’t they respond to the gunfire?”

“I imagine they have already been told to back off,” Brandi said. “They’ll probably have the LAPD sealing the campus. If we run into them, great, we’ll try to slip by and if we can’t, we’ll surrender. Susan sent me a warning so they know what’s going down. They should be able to delay any attempt to move us until I can get us out.”

“Ok,” Melissa said.

“I’m sorry about this, love,” Brandi told her. “I never should have gotten you involved in my mess.”

“Don’t you dare!” Melissa snapped. “I wouldn’t give up one second with you. We’ll get through this … together.”

Brandi nodded, “Wait till they open up on me and then run like hell. If any of them get in your way, you shoot to kill. Remember, you have an advantage; they want you alive as leverage to use against me. Use that advantage.”

Melissa nodded, a look of fierce determination in her eyes. Brandi kissed her and then sprang to her feet, an MP-7 in each hand as she ran. The men on the roof tracked towards her and she fired, even as they too fired. She saw two go down before several bullets found her, stitching up her back and pitching her forward to the ground. She rolled with the fall and came back to her feet, hardly slowing her forward momentum. The men on the roof were armed with assault rifles, and the rounds had penetrated her armor though they had been slowed down somewhat. Even as she continued to run, returning fire all the while, she felt the armor sealing over the wounds. It would stop the bleeding like a tight dressing and allow her body to heal more effectively.

Melissa was on her feet and running as soon as the men on the roof opened fire. She did not dare look back, and she ran for all she was worth until she was under the cover of the trees between Kerchoff and Moore Halls. Ducking behind a tree, she stopped and looked back. Brandi was already out of sight.

“Well, well, look what we have here,” a voice behind her said.

Melissa turned to see the man named Reynolds standing there, an automatic in his right hand, held down at his side. He was wearing that same arrogant smile, which quickly vanished as Melissa raised the revolver in her right hand, the red laser dot settling squarely on his chest.

“Drop the gun and get on the ground,” Melissa ordered. She knew Brandi would have probably just shot the man, but she could not bring herself to do it without giving him a chance to surrender.

“I don’t think you have the balls to pull the trigger,” Reynolds said. “Your girlfriend would, but not you. You’re not the killer she is.”

Reynolds slowly began raising his weapon. At the last second, he realized he had underestimated Melissa, as he saw her eyes harden. Frantically he tried to bring his pistol on line to fire.

Melissa was surprised by the ferocity of the muzzle flash and the recoil; Brandi had neglected to tell her she had loaded the gun with magnum rounds, but the shot was still on target. Reynolds was dead before he hit the ground.

Melissa tracked the gun to the right, where Reginald Mercer was struggling to his feet.

“I’m unarmed!” he screamed as the laser dot settled on his chest. He opened his coat to show that he wore no weapon.

“Run or die, little man,” Melissa told him. Mercer ran.

*****

Karen was seated in her cubicle reviewing a file on her computer screen. A smile crept across her face.

My cubicle … my computer ….
She noticed several people moving about the Pit hurriedly, and knew something was going on. She rose from her desk, and looked over the wall of her cubicle.

Every one was crowding around the television in the lounge area, and Karen walked over to see what was going on. The picture showed the Fox logo, and she could see a helicopter view of several LAPD cars forming a barricade across a street. As the view zoomed out, she recognized the location as the campus of UCLA.

“What’s going on?” she asked a young woman beside her.

“Some kind of shootout on the UCLA campus,” the girl told her. “They think it might be a terrorist attack.”

A sense of dread filled Karen as she walked slowly back to her desk. She knew it was not terrorists, at least not in the way the media was thinking. She tried calling the house in Venice but only got the answering machine. When she tried Brandi and Melissa’s cell phones, she got their voice mail.

There was no doubt in Karen’s mind that Brandi had been located. She knew her friends were now fighting for their very lives and she felt totally powerless to help them. There she was in the middle of a state of the arts intelligence gathering center and she did not know what to do. Then inspiration struck her. She was reaching for her phone when it rang.

“Karen Meadows,” she said after lifting the receiver. A smile crept across her face.

“Admiral Hammerstein, I was just about to give you a call.”

*****

Brandi crashed through the doorway into Moore Hall to the screams of frightened students. She dropped the spent magazines from the MP-7s and reloaded the weapons, looking about at the cowering figures.

“Stay down and don’t go near the windows,” she told them. This was already going much farther than she had anticipated. She had expected them to come in force; she had not expected them to bring an army. She and Melissa either had to get off the campus quickly or surrender. She could not let innocent students and teachers get hurt because of her.

Weapons reloaded, she ran down the hallway and then turned left and headed outside into the courtyard between Moore and Kerchoff. As she did, she heard the unmistakable sound of Melissa’s magnum discharge and headed for the noise. She arrived just in time to see Mercer running away as though the hounds of hell were chasing him.

“Are you ok?” she asked her lover when she saw Reynolds’ body.

“I’ll cry like a baby about it … later,” Melissa said, and then she looked down at Brandi’s right leg, seeing blood there.

“Your bleeding! I thought that armor was supposed to stop bullets.”

“Handgun bullets,” Brandi corrected. “They are using assault rifles. I’ll be fine; the armor has already sealed the wounds.”

Gunfire tore into the trees and both girls ducked low, seeking cover. Brandi stole a glance around the tree she was concealed behind and saw a half dozen men dressed in black BDU’s advancing cautiously from math building. She popped out in a crouch and triggered a burst from each of the MP-7’s. Two of the men dropped as the rest returned fire.

Melissa was relieved to see that the students outside Kerckhoff were gone, most likely taking cover inside. In fact the campus was nearly deserted. In the distance she could hear the wail of sirens, but they did not seem to be getting any closer.

In the distance two of the commandos appeared, creeping around the far corner of Kerckhoff Hall. Melissa stabbed her revolver forward and squeezed the trigger. Her three rounds missed, the distance was over one hundred feet, but caused the two men to hesitate, allowing Brandi to whirl and fire, standing to get a clear shot. The two commandos jerked back, even as the others advancing towards them fired again. Brandi’s body jerked as more rounds struck her, and she fell to the ground in front of Melissa.

“Brandi!”

Brandi moaned and rolled over, pushing herself back until she was propped up against the tree.

“I think their plan is to shoot me until I don’t get up anymore,” she said, struggling to stand. A few more hits and she knew they might well succeed. “We’ve gotta get out of here, they can box us in too easy here, and the longer we stay the more likely it is that they’ll hurt someone.”

“I can’t believe they think they can get away with this!” Melissa said.

“That’s what scares me … they do believe that,” Brandi said. “Something else is going on here. Until now the organization has been very low key, but this … there’s no way they can cover it up.”

“Which means they don’t think they’ll have to,” Melissa concluded.

With Melissa’s help Brandi rose to her feet and they limped off to the north, after Brandi fired a long burst from her weapons to convince their pursuers to be cautious.

“So how has your day been gorgeous?” Brandi quipped as she leaned heavily on Melissa. Her armor had once again sealed her wounds and stopped the bleeding, but the damage was beginning to stack up. She could distinctly feel eight bullets in her.

“It’s turning out to be a real pain,” Melissa replied. “How about yours?”

“Well it’s been interesting,” Brandi said. “I had sex with Dylan.”

“Really? Brandi that’s wonderful … at least I think it is … how do you feel about it?”

“Well, like, to be real honest I wish I was doing it right now … no offense love.”

They reached the corner of the building where the two dead commandos lay and Brandi stopped, bending down to snatch an M4 carbine from one. She handed it to Melissa and pointed at a lever near the trigger.

“That’s the safety,” Brandi said, flicking the lever. “It’s set for semi auto. If you have to use it, aim and squeeze just like with the magnum. If it gets bad, give the safety another click and you’re ready to rock and roll.”

“Ok,” Melissa said. “Um, honey, you know how you wanted me to let you know when ever you act like a guy?”

“Yeah.”

“Well you’re acting really macho right now and I love it.”

“Just don’t start getting any ideas,” Brandi grinned. She snatched three spare magazines from the dead man’s harness and handed them to Melissa who stuffed them into her purse, thankful that she routinely carried an oversized bag.

Brandi stole a glance around the corner in time to see two of the black clad figures emerging from the space between Kerchoff and Ackerman halls. As she watched, they turned west and headed towards Bruin plaza.

Big mistake, Brandi thought as she stepped around the corner and fired both MP-7s. The four round bursts struck both her targets dead center in the back, punching through their body armor easily. As they hit the ground she and Melissa were already moving.

“You shot them in the back,” Melissa said.

“That’s because that’s the side that was facing me,” Brandi said, dropping to her knees at the corner. She turned and looked at Melissa, her eyes hard.

“If you have any ideas in your head about fair play get rid of them now,” she said. “This is war and they started it. You never want to face the enemy on level ground. You want the odds stacked as heavily in your favor as you can get. Fighting fair will only get us killed … or worse.”

They cut north across Bruin walk and sought cover under more trees between the Student Activity Center and Powell Library. Ahead lay Janss steps and Wilson Plazza, and just to the west of that was a parking structure beneath the soccer field. If they could steal a car, they had a chance of getting clear of the campus.

As they approached the plaza Brandi turned, detecting that the men behind were closing. She saw one darting between two trees and snapped off a burst from the MP-7 in her left hand, the bullets striking his legs and bringing him down. Then she heard gunfire from behind her and heard Melissa cry out.

Brandi spun about, time slowing to a crawl from her perspective. She saw the muzzle flashes from the steps; saw Melissa going down, the front of her turquoise sweatshirt red with blood. A scream burst from Brandi’s throat and she tracked both weapons towards the four figures partially concealed by the low wall.

Partial concealment was not enough, and even as more rounds found her Brandi fired, her vision seeming to zoom in and lock onto each target. One by one their heads snapped back as her rounds struck home. Then, her weapons empty again, she let them fall to her sides and dropped down next to Melissa.

“Oh shit, no,” she cried. “Melissa, baby, hold on!”

“I’m sorry, love,” Melissa said, her voice barely a whisper. “I messed up.”

“No you didn’t now shut up and save your strength while I fix this” Brandi said, placing her hand over Melissa’s abdomen, covering the wounds and willing whatever it was that allowed her to heal another into action.

She felt the tingling, and after a few seconds Melissa’s ragged breathing had steadied, but she was still weak. Brandi tried to force the healing further and was rewarded with a pain like a tremendous electric shock.

“Melissa, I’ve stabilized you but that’s not going to get us out of here,” Brandi said.

“Just leave me love,” Melissa told her.

“Like hell,” Brandi said. “We either both get out of here or I surrender, but the only way I can get you strong enough is to use the Bonding.”

Susan had finally sent Brandi an email explaining what she had learned about the ritual, which was not much. It was however enough to tell Brandi that she could get Melissa on her feet and moving, if Melissa agreed to it.

“Do it,” Melissa whispered.

“Love I have no idea what this will do to you,” Brandi said. “You could wind up being like me.”

“I don’t care,” Melissa said. “If it means I can stay with you forever it’s worth it.”

That was all the permission Brandi’s programming required, and the pain was replaced by an intense feeling, like a million ants were flowing along her arm. Melissa felt it too, spreading into and through her body. The sensation bordered on orgasmic as their eyes met, and for several seconds their nervous systems were in direct contact. Melissa’s wounds began closing even faster than Brandi normally healed as she pushed herself to the limit and beyond to get her girlfriend mobile. Melissa felt her strength returning and then Brandi was overcome by dizziness and pitched forward across her.

“Brandi?” Melissa asked.

Brandi rolled, her hands reaching under her arms and yanking the HK pistols free of their holsters. As she rolled onto her back she brought them up and fired, her rounds bringing down the first of the commandos who had taken the opportunity to advance from behind them. The remaining four retreated as she continued to fire until the slides of the pistols locked back.

“Can you move?” she asked Melissa as she reloaded her weapons. She holstered the pistols and switched back to the MP-7s. Melissa nodded.

They rose but had only taken two steps before Brandi collapsed to her knees, overcome by weakness. She was bleeding from several wounds to the abdomen, and her armor was not sealing them. The Bonding had taken more out of her than she had anticipated, and she had actually pushed it far beyond the programmed safety limit, drastically reducing the number of nano-cyborgs in her body. Until they were replaced, she would be relying almost entirely on her innate healing abilities, which though far superior to a normal human’s healing rate were dangerously taxed by her wounds.

“Get out of here, love,” Brandi said as she struggled to rise. “I don’t think I can make it.”

Melissa was by her side, throwing herself under Brandi’s left arm. Her own wounds were healed nearly completely, and she knew that Brandi must have exhausted her own healing abilities to save her.

“Just leave me, please ….”

“Just shut the fuck up and move!” Melissa screamed as she heaved, lifting Brandi to her feet.

They reached the entrance to the parking structure, Melissa half dragging Brandi. Once inside she quickly scanned the interior of the first level, smiling as she saw the perfect vehicle.

It was a jet black hummer, and not a mere H2 but an actual H1 nearly identical to the military Humvee. Melissa helped Brandi over to the car and started to reach for the handle.

“Wait,” Brandi said. She placed her hand on the door and closed her eyes, having to concentrate hard to disable the security system and unlock the door. The effort nearly made her collapse again.

“Dammit, Brandi, don’t you die on me!” Melissa barked.

“I’m not dyin’, love,” Brandi said, forcing a weak smile. “Just need a little rest.”

“Rest later,” Melissa said as she opened the door. “Get in the car now.”

With Melissa’s help Brandi was able to climb into the vehicle and crawl over into the passenger seat. Melissa was relieved to see that her armor had at last sealed the most recent wounds. At least she knew that she was still healing.

“Can you start it?” Melissa asked as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Brandi nodded and grabbed the ignition switch. With a twist she snapped the locking mechanism, even as her nano-cyborgs hotwired the ignition. The Hummer rumbled to life as Melissa pressed her foot down on the gas.

“Damn I wish I had a smoke,” Brandi moaned. Melissa took a pack from her purse and lit a cigarette, passing it to Brandi.

“I thought you were quitting again,” Brandi said as she took the cigarette.

“I don’t think that matters anymore, does it?” Melissa asked as she put the Hummer in gear.

“Melissa .…”

“It’s ok, love,” Melissa said. “You did what you had to. I can feel something changing inside me … whatever the outcome I meant what I said … I want to be with you forever.”

Melissa pulled the Hummer out of the garage, expecting at any moment to see police cars surrounding them. There were none in sight, and she turned left onto Sunset Boulevard.

“I can’t believe they haven’t sealed the campus,” Melissa remarked.

“Not enough time,” Brandi told her. “How long do you think all that took?”

“It seemed like hours,” Melissa said.

“Less than fifteen minutes from the first gunshot,” Brandi said. “Time compresses in a situation like that. It’s how your body deals with everything happening around you. Your mind starts working faster to keep you alive.”

“Mine didn’t do too well,” Melissa said. “If you hadn’t been there .…”

“You wouldn’t have been shot,” Brandi said. “You did just fine. I’m proud of you. Now, where are we going?”

“I figure getting on the interstate is risky,” Melissa said. “Especially here. I’m gonna cut north to Mulholland and then take that up into the mountains. We’ll work our way to the cabin on back roads and lay low until you’re strong enough to move.”

“You still have the bag?” Brandi asked.

“Of course,” Melissa grinned. “You think I’m gonna lose twenty-five grand in cash?”

They reached Mulholland and began heading towards the Santa Monica Mountains. Melissa noticed then that the Hummer was equipped with a GPS tracking system.

“Brandi can they track us?” Melissa asked.

Brandi smiled, “I’m afraid the tracking system is experiencing technical difficulties.”

Within an hour they were passing into the mountains and the sun was beginning to set. Melissa pulled the Hummer off onto a small fire road. They took that for another thirty minutes until it reached another narrow paved road. When they finally reached the cabin it was full dark.

“This is some cabin,” Melissa said as they pulled up to the house.

It was really more of a lodge, a huge log home with an attached three car garage. Melissa pulled the Hummer around to the garage and got out. She keyed in the entry code on the outside keypad and one of the doors began opening. The bay behind the door was empty, but as Melissa pulled the Hummer inside she saw there was a Lincoln Navigator SUV parked inside. She knew the keys for the vehicle were on a hook in the kitchen.

Melissa helped Brandi out of the Hummer and into the house. They passed down a short hall and into the immense great room. On the other side was the door leading into the master suite. Melissa got Brandi to the bed and turned to go back to the Hummer.

“Melissa, I don’t think I can stay awake,” Brandi said groggily.

“Just sleep, love,” Melissa said, “I’ll keep watch.”