Balance (59 page)

Per Rena’s instruction, t
he associate contacts the client, setting up a meeting
for
the nex
t day.  E
xpecting the servers to be on site
,
Rena
has the meeting scheduled
at
the client’s office
.

Ms. Smith
quickly
assembles
disguises for the two young women.  Rena asks that Meg be
dressed to accentuate her youth
in order to pose
minimal
threat, providing an element of surprise
.

Assuming a search on entry,
Michael work
s
with
Tech Development
to identify
weapons for the
immersion,
selecting items
concealable
in
business attire and accessories
; like clothing, computers, satchels and the like
.

With
only
that
night
to spend
together,
Michael and Rena
opt
to have
a private
din
n
er in their quarters. 
They do not tell
Meg
or
Waters
any
part of their
pl
ans,
the operation must
unfold
as any other. 
Rena
knows
,
a
ny deviation
from normal
activities
could potentially expose
the
ir
collusion
,
and for Waters, Michael and
her
, could be a death sentence
.

She
recognizes
how important the software is to Takada, who has been
uncharacteristically
indifferent
in preparation
for
the
mission. 
He’d
made
sure
the team underst
ood,
th
e
software in the wrong hands cou
ld
prove
quite
dangerous
, but
implied
no
personal
interest
on
Chango
’s behalf
.

That night, while sequestered
in bed,
conversing in whispers
, Rena finally directs the conversation into territories she has been avoiding for months.
 
“
Michael, do you trust me?” B
oth
often preface
import
ant
d
iscussions or dangerous activities
with this request for a leap of faith
.

“With my life? …
Always
.”
Michael replies
without hesitation.

“
W
e need to get out
of here
.”

“I was wondering when we
were going to get to this discussion.”
He
responds
casually
.

She
turns to see his face
, mildly surprised
,
“You were expecting this?”

Tipping his head slightly, a knowing smile crosses his face,
“Rena, I want to spend my life with you, but n
ot like this.  I would fight all the
demons
in
hell to get you out
of here
safe
ly
.”

“You may have to.  After tomorrow, things are going to get
precarious
her
e
in the
Bunker
.  I think I’
ve discovered Takada and Chango’s
end
game.  It hinges on two
acquisitions
.
T
he first is this software.  The second is a piece of information.  Once we stop him from getting this software, the second piece will become an obsession for Takada.  We need t
o prevent him from getting that
as well.
  When we do that
,
we won’t be coming back.”

“
You have a plan?” Michael asks
, knowing the answer
.

“Yes.  T
omorrow I put that plan into motion. 
Michael, o
nce I do that, I cannot turn back.” Rena tells him, looking past his eyes,
her mind focused elsewhere
.

“You mean ‘we’.”

“I didn’t want to speak for you.  This is your d
ecision,
al
though I kne
w what your answer would be
…
I hope you
know how much I love you.”

“Someday, I hope I can be as valuable to you
,
as you are to me.”

“
Y
ou have no idea how valuable you are to me, in ways I hope to be able to tell you very shortly
.  No matter what happens tomorrow, you have to make sure I get back to the
Bunker
.”

Her tone worries him.  He knows
mystery is part of the deal between them, knows
it’s there to protect them both.  He places his finger to
the side of
her face, tapping her
temple, once.

Rena closes her eyes, sliding in against his bod
y for warmth and security.  He i
s the most d
angerous person she knows.  He’
s more dangerous than even he realizes.  If it is all the
demons of hell, under the right provocation
,
‘
hell hath no fury
’
like Michael obsessed.

The next morning, after the team has a brief breakfast together, Meg and Rena go to the
Immersion Offices
for
fitting
.

Ms. Smith has
Rena
wearing
a slim cut tailored
pantsuit
. 
A
form fitting silk and lycra crimson red top
, under a
short
black
low cut
blazer
, exposes
just enough cleavage to be both distracting and professional. 
B
lack
high-waist
pants
,
and
open toed black leather heels
, follow the contour of
her l
egs while accentuating their length
. 
To hide her deep red mane, she dons a
brunette wig
,
bob-cut just above her shoulders
,
with
a black gather in the back
held in place with a
long
silver spike.
  Glasses and dark amber contacts conceal her striking and memorable turquoise eyes.  A heavy silver chain wraps twice around her waist, breaking the long
dark
look
.
Rena
appears
four inches taller
and
downright
bitchy.
  If the room is filled with powerful men, she’ll come across both sexually alluring as well as formidable.

Ms. Smith dresses
Meg
in
a mousy dirty blonde wig, pulled back into a
loose
ponytail
.
S
he
wears a knee length
dark
bl
ue
silk skirt;
a wide pleat in the front hides
slits
providing extra mobility.
A short,
tailored
,
antique color
ed
silk sleeveless blouse, square cut at the bottom rests over the top of her skirt
.
A
matching blue
blazer
extends
just
below the blouse.
  Blue leather flats accentuate the height difference between Meg and Rena.
 
The look accessorized with an intricate brushed pewter chain; wrapping several times around
her
waist
.
O
n her right wrist
, she wears a
thick
oval
brushed silver bangle
with a single blue bead
.
  The entire outfit makes
Meg appear younger than her
nineteen years of age
, completely unassuming and non-threatening
.

Feeling unprepared,
the operation
coming together so quickly,
Rena ask
ed
Waters
to assist
Mr. Black in the
Ready Room
,
provid
e
an extra
set
of eyes
.

During immersion, Meg and Rena would be without comms, so Michael
will
facilitate
their extraction in event of
a
problem.
S
tationed in the limousine, with
a
sniper rifle,
he’s prepared
to enter the building directly
,
if need be.

At the carport, Michael waits patiently for his charges, his mind going over the details of the plan
,
knowing that what everyone thinks is supposed to happen … will not.  The only person truly privileged to the actual plan, is the one person he’s not sure expects to walk away unharmed, the one person he’s desperate
to keep safe
.  There will be no hesitation on his part; entry will be his first reaction
if
something goes amiss.

Meg and Rena step from the elevator, looking strikingly different, in every way, from the two woman he’s come to care deeply for.  Meg step
s
before
Michael, an embarrassed grin
on her face, “How do I look?”

He smiles, “Like a surprise waiting to happen.  You be on your toes.  You’re like a sister to Rena and I, so nothing stupid.  Okay.”

She bit
e
s her lip, not expecting the pep talk to go down that route, thrilled to feel so appreciated.  She nods quickly and climbs in; hoping Michael didn’t see her eyes tear up.

“Everything good?” He asks as Rena
nears
.

“As it should be.” She replies, her tone cold, calculated.

As much as Michael wants her assurance and affection, this Rena is what he and Meg need right now.  He nods, “Good,” then steps aside.

The car stops outside the
banker
s
’
offices
.
  The elegant
building
,
located in the heart of the Indianapolis Elite district, forty-stories surrounded by tinted glass windows.
An
edifice … a monument
to the excess of privilege.

E
xit
ing the limousine,
R
ena’s team
proceeds
to the
front entrance, looking every bit the role of business professional and en
tourage.  Whitemire’s associate
scans the streets nervously, his eyes darting in every direction, fearful of his part in these imposter’s infiltration.

Rena
slows, waiting for him to move up next to her.  She steps in next to him, leaning into his ear, “If you jeopardize this mission, I’
ll terminate
you
in the elevator
my
self
.”

Meg,
playing
the obedient
assistant, waits at the top of the steps in front of the entrance doors
.

Inside, four
security
guards spend
extra
time scanning the two women for concealed items, less concerned
with
discovering anything and more interested in
admiring
their bodies
.
 
Two of the guards take cursory glances at
Meg
’s
hard brief
case and Rena’s
mobile computer unit. 
The distraction Rena and Meg present, permit both
women
to
carry
in
small clutches
, completely unexamined
.