Balance (36 page)

“Thanks
.”
Rena replies, not hiding her
disinterest
.

Arriving at
their table
, Waters
drop
s
a news
print
ing
in
its
center
.
 
The headline …
Harbinger of Death: 
10-Massacred
,
Execution Style,
Suspected Extortion

Michael picks it
up, “You’ve got to be kidding
!
”
P
erusing the article quickly,
“Holy crap
!
W
here did they get these details?  The girl couldn’t have seen all of this.”

“You mean they’
re accurate?” Mr. Black inquires incredulously
.

“A lot of them are.  I didn’t really notice
I’
d hit everyone with kill shots to the head
.
”

“E
x
cept the
three
with bladed weapon
s
.
I
s
the beheading
accurate?” Mr. Black
asks
,
surprised by the
acknowledgement of the
account.

Michael’s attention on the article, he absently replies,
“Pretty much …
she
would’ve
seen that
one.
”
He shakes his head, “
Poor kid, no one should have to witness that.  I probably messed her up pretty good.”

“Considering you saved her life, I think she’ll adjust.” Rena interjects
.

The four of them talk for several more minutes before Mr. Black excuses himself.

“So
,
Waters
.
W
hat’s
on our schedule today?” Michael asks
turning his attention to the newest
arrival
at
their table
.

“Whatever you want.  Y
ou’ve both
graduated.
” He
replies, smiling like a proud father
.

“What does that mean … Graduated?
” Rena
asks
.

“Well
,
I’m sure Takada and
Ms. Smith
will have more details, but basically
,
you two are free to conduct your own business while in the
Bunker
.  I’
m still at your disposal, both of you now, Rodr
iguez has been reassigned. 
Nevertheless, from now on, for the most part, you a
re free to schedule your own training sessions
,
as you see fit
.  Both Takada and
Ms. Smith
would like
you
to
continue to hone your skills.  I’m to track
your training
and perform
periodic
evalua
tions
,
make sure you don’t g
o soft on us.  As
infiltration jobs come up,
I’
ll handle coordinating your prep
aration
and
additional education
.
”

“Our operation specific t
raining will be pretty limited, time constraints and all …
won’t it?” Michael asks.

“
Not necessarily.  Y
ou have to
understand;
some infiltrations take weeks or months, espec
ially when you consider the
immersion prep work.
”

“S
o, what happens to us now?” Rena inquires
.

“Well, at some point
,
I expect you’
ll be placed
outside. 
U
ntil then
,
you
’
re to
operate out of the
Bunker
.”

Later that afternoon,
Michael and Rena have a meeting
with
Ms. Smith
, Takada and Comma
nder Still
,
where
they confirm
Waters
’
report
.

Sho
rtly after, Michael and Rena
relocate
to a separate wing of the
Bunker
with
their own
,
private
,
shared
residence
. 
The new wing is secluded,
reserved
for active agents
,
almost a community unto itself. 
A
ssets come and go
at
leisure
, set their own schedules and interact, almost as a neighborhood
.

Their individu
al living quarters are separate
,
but join
ed by common area
s
.  This
allow
s
agents to have privacy
,
while still maintaining the bo
nd, n
ot all pairs
romantic.  The
shared
areas include dining and
living
rooms. 
The new accommodations
also
include
a private
Ready Room
for the agents to work together on infiltrations and research.
 
Rena suspects
the living arrangements are
protocol, considering the bonded nature of an Infiltration Team.

Though they are romantic,
sex
has eluded them.  Rena
,
afraid of the potential
fallout
that pinnacle of intimacy
could cause in their current
situation
.  Michael
concur
red
,
the risks associated with
sex
,
outweighed the pleasures
.

C
omfortable enough with their
relationship,
they
sleep together as much as they sleep apart, normally reserving their
shared
evenings for
decompressing tough days
or talking
through
observations or
concerns
.
 
S
uspect
ing
surveillance measures in place,
their time together
in bed
offer
s
the
safest
forum for
guarded conversations
.

Although provided
a wider variety of clothing choices,
they’ve
become accustomed to the workout gear, never knowing what the
ir
day will hold
.  The casual wear, jeans, sweaters and such, normally only worn in their residence,
preferring
a semblance of normality
.

Most of their time now
spent in re
search.
Rena occupied in the
Immersion Offices
, supporting ongoing operations or investigating potential future endeavor
s
.
I
n Advanced Technology Development
, Michael assists in weapons design and assessment, having an excellent
sense
for the effectiveness of new armaments
developed for hand-to-hand and short-range combat
.

When not involved in research
and development
, the two continue to maintain their peak physical condition
s
. 
T
rain
ing
Rena, Michael expands
her
indoctrination
to include
sessions on
the Monolith,
focus
ing
their
efforts
to improve
her
functional strength,
reaction
and agility.

…

Several weeks into their new
living arrangement
s
, Michael returns to their quarters for a private dinner with Rena
.  He
find
s
her in the
Ready Room
pouring over an operation profile dossier
.

“Excellent … you’re here.  We’ve got an
operation
coming up.”
She
greets
him
, her attention focused on the monitors in front of her
.

Michael pick
s up the dossier;
“RamSteele?”

“It
’s a large holding company, specializing
in computer hardware and mineral processing. 
They’re a
freelancer, but picking up momentum.
” She explains absently.
“
You can see where those t
w
o sectors could be a beneficial acquisition for Chango.”

“Okay … not really, but I believe you.”

“
Here
,
let me explain.
”
Turning her attention to him, “
Mineral processing
for product
s
like iron
, lithium, carbon
and silicon
ha
ve
significant importance to communications and transportation, not to mention manufacturing.  New developments in material and processing can
affect
electronics manufactur
e.  That’s a lot of influence.  Ramsteele’s
R
esearch and
D
evelopment
is
an
unknown
variable
.
Without
first-hand, knowledge of what they’
re working on,
a hostile takeover
could be a very risky endeavor
.
 
Until now, RamSteele has been large
enough and defiant,
no
SuperElite
w
ere
willing to
attempt
acquisition.
Immersion’s a
dvance monitoring teams
recently
discovered
increased interest in RamSteele
.
S
o
Chango wants a merger
.
”

“
So
Chango feels
…
now is the time to force
this
merger?  What changed that
makes him
think a
n
acquisition
is
even
feasible
?”  Michael asks.

“I know what you’re thinking.  I can’t tell if this is what we’ve been expecting.  It might be, but it seems a little too isolated.  Takada might be looking at this as a way to cut our teeth.”  Rena
explains.

“
So, w
here do we come in?”
Michael asks.

“
He wants me to
negotiate
the
merger
,
or you to facilitate a takeover.”

“Ah, of course he does.  What’s the time frame?”

“
It appears that
RamSteel
e
is throwing a large
,
formal
,
gala
in
six
wee
ks.  I’ve got an invitation, so
I’
m to present an offer there, assuming I can get a private audience with the Chairman of the Board, Mr. Frienz.”

“How do you plan on getting an audience?”

“Seems
,
he likes his compani
ons smart, beautiful and blonde
.”
Rena replies.