Intelligent Design: Revelations to Apocalypse (16 page)

Dee Dee’s eyes widened. She smiled and bowed with her closed fist over her heart. Perez saluted in return. Dee Dee grabbed her mate’s hand and they left, talking together with sparkling eyes and excited gestures while dozens of people arrived to dance upon the ship’s return.

They do find reason to dance.

“That was very kind, Clematis,” Perez said.

Two women dressed in medical uniforms walked up and gave quick bows.

“Yes, Clematis. You were very kind to speak for
us
. Very kind, indeed,” Cloelius said without enthusiasm, as the medical team lifted Perez’s father from the stasis chamber.

“Well, that is partially true. I do have a vested interest in seeing firsthand what
Silent Star Falling
has brought to us from Earth,” Clematis said.

The medical team transferred Perez’s father to a transporter and took him to the medical center.

“I’m sure there will be … My word!” Clematis’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

“What is it?” Perez asked.

Clematis said nothing. She focused on the ship’s manifest for moment, then pushed the tablet into Cloelius’s hand and waited, grinning and hopping from one foot to the other while casting covetous glances at the ship.

Now what? Fresh lemons? A barrel of chestnuts? No—I bet it’s a barrel of honey.

“What’s going on, Cloelius? I’ve never seen her so excited.”

Perez joined Cloelius’s search of the manifest for something obvious, Perez reading slower due to the Latin. She saw Dee Dee’s name and realized that her name, Dea Data, meant having been given by God. Distracted, she shook her head to focus on the ship’s cargo.

“Other than chestnuts, lemons, tomatoes, and several tons of live haddock and salmon ready for transplanting … I can’t … Oh. Now I see it. Oh, Legate Legionis Clematis! You are such a child at heart!” Cloelius said.

“What is it?” Perez asked.

Cloelius looked at Perez. Her face softened and her smile grew.

Well, at least it’s good news.

“Puppies, Perez. The centurion has several species of puppies in stasis. Large breed dogs we had heard of from your planet—German Shepherds, Basset Hounds, and other hunting dog species. That is why she requested the extra stasis chambers and food for the trip back. It’s been nearly two centuries since we lost our last pack. We now have our dogs back, Perez. It’s such a great day for us all!”

Cloelius’s expression made it clear that something big had changed on Terra forever.

“Oh … great … I hope all of you people know what goes into taking care of these creatures. I wonder if their poop will be heavier here. Yuck!”

Cloelius ignored the comment and walked to the ship with the deliberation of one approaching a sacred altar. Perez’s father loved dogs, but her own memories were mostly that of taking the dog out to poop and picking up the mess. The day she’d left home for college was the day she escaped dog duty. But in the spirit of celebration and understanding the joy these creatures would bring to the people of Terra, she stood tall with her hands on the hilts of her blades and conjured up some enthusiasm for the dogs’ arrival.

“Praise the Creators and God bless us all!” she said with emphasis. The dancers continued their jubilation, the drums beat louder, and a vision of full-sized dogs appeared in Perez’s mind.

Next time those rat bastards come out again, they’ll have to deal with dogs too.

Perez felt for her sidearm and found it in place.

“And I won’t be screwing around with just knives next time.”

What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others -
Confucius

You know, you might want to answer the phone; it might be important,
Reich thought, annoyed by the costume party music competing with the ringing land line.

Who owns a land line anyway? I guess it’s kind of quaint. Not practical.

She stood under the watchful eye of bodyguards, waiting for the owner of the estate to climb the elegant stairs. Bored, she looked at the floor and caught sight of her breasts.
Ah, my poor girls,
she thought;
you used to be so much bigger.

That’s the price you pay for clean living and exercise.

Two heavy doors across the corridor opened. A tall, thin man dressed for Halloween as King Louis XVI stepped out, snapped his fingers at her, and motioned her and the guards into the large office. Book cases, art pieces, ornate tables and knickknacks filled the dark, possibly soundproof office. The estate’s owner looked right at her, picked up his drink from the desk and moved closer to where she stood in the middle of the room. He did very little to hide his annoyance.

“Well, well, well … If it isn’t the elusive Christine Reich. In the flesh, no less; often heard of but never seen. I am honored you have joined us, and in costume no less,” Sir Robert Phillip Pierce said.

“The pleasure is all yours.”

His smile evaporated. He took a sip and stared at her, looking natural in his regal costume. Just beyond him sat his young date dressed as Marie Antoinette. She looked uncomfortable and too young for him and his party. Reich pushed her enmity aside and focused on her compassion for the girl. Even as a cat burglar with all the accessories—skin tight fabric with leather strapping and utility belt—she felt underdressed. The ensemble enhanced her tall, muscular frame as well as her smaller breasts. Though she’d tied her red hair in a tight ponytail, her only regret with her evening’s wardrobe was her functional shoes with excellent support and grip. Good for climbing, but her sexy high stiletto-heeled boots would have completed her costume— stunning, fashionable and impractical
.

Such a statement, though. And if I added a whip … that would’ve been as sexy as hell. Hey! Focus!

With wine glass in hand and an obnoxious smirk, Pierce closed the distance between them, flanked by his two serious-looking bodyguards.

Oh yeah … I’m supposed to be frightened.

“David, Rachael, can you believe that Ms. Reich thought she could just show up and crash my party? London’s most talked about event of the year?”

“Not very proper,” the female said.

“Yes. Not very polite at all, Sir Pierce,” the other chimed in.

“And while you are well dressed for the occasion, I would like to know how you managed to obtain this,” Pierce held up an ornate invitation.

Hmm … that was a good forgery.

Memories of Anthony Perez talking to him at Hiaki’s funeral flooded her, especially his look of disgust as Pierce and his underage date walked away. He’d looked almost as angry as she felt right now when she glanced at the minor on the couch.

Yeah … we’re not done here, you pig.

With little regard for her own safety and little attempt to disguise her loathing, she looked right into Pierce’s eyes.

“I’m sure that if you’d known I was going to be in town for business, you would have invited me. An oversight, I’m sure.”

The guards crowded her on each side while Pierce moved to stand in front. She smiled at how calm she felt—far from intimidated—and noted various soft targets on Pierce’s body should she have to move quickly.

Yeah … these shoes were the better choice.

Reich shifted her weight to her rear leg, leaving her front leg available for a kick to his stomach should the need arise. After months of altering her exercise regime to incorporate more weights, and significant training in combat skills and edged weapons, she was ready. Field tested and ready to go, she waited for any excuse to strike.

Mission first, payback second, free the girl third
, she reminded herself as she tried to disengage from his attempts to intimidate her. She reviewed how she would strike him and then thought how the elimination of processed foods really did reduce anxiety, stress, and cleared her thinking.

Anthony had been right about the change in diet and food.

I swear my skin has gotten tighter too, and my hair—no more bleaching it blonde
.

If she’d known she was a natural redhead, she would have dropped the processed foods long ago.

“You cost us time and aggravation, you know,” Pierce said. “At least forty-five minutes to identify you without bothering my guests, and then an additional twenty minutes backtracking how you produced a legitimate invitation, and another half hour to make sure you were alone. All of my invitations are pressed and addressed under my direct supervision.”

“You don’t like mysteries?”

“No, I do not!”

After an uncomfortable moment of silence, Pierce snapped his fingers at his guards and turned his attention to a phone on his desk that buzzed a low, soft chime.

So you’ll answer the low buzzing phone but not the loud ringing one?

“It would be easier on you if you just tell Sir Pierce where you stole it from,” the female guard said into her ear.

“Yeah, much easier,” the male guard added with an additional nudge at her arm. Unfazed by the guards, Reich continued her silence and stood impassively, projecting fearlessness.

“You obviously have a well-connected network and resources to obtain this, but why would you go to such lengths to simply attend a party?” Pierce continued.

His unanswered phone was really beginning to wear on her.

Don't you have people who could answer that?

“Well, you did say that ’everyone who is someone will be there,’ Sir Pierce.”

Pierce’s eyes narrowed and he stopped sipping his wine in mid-step.

“I don’t recall saying that to you, Ms. Reich. Others, maybe, at a private dinner last week …”

The female guard pushed her left arm and the other gave a more forceful nudge.

This is getting old.

In quick succession, everyone spoke but her.

“How did you know that I said that? You weren’t there.”

“Don’t be cocky, missy,” the female guard hissed.

“You’re pretty foolish if you think you’re just going to walk away from this, princess,” the other said.

Pierce’s jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed. A vein bulged on his temple. The phone ringing probably didn’t help.

“Who is your contact in my network?”

Pierce, once again, stood right in front of her in another vain attempt to intimidate. He left the phone ringing and waited only a second before repeating the question.

“Who is your contact, Ms. Reich?”

An old classic film crossed her mind, and an all too familiar name popped into her head. She couldn’t stop an emerging smirk. Her father, with a twinkle in his eye, used it at parties where people didn’t know him.

“My contact’s name?”

“Yes! The name!”

“You really want to know?”

“Now, Reich!”

“His name is Bond, James Bond. He’s on Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and I assure you that should anything happen to me, MI6 will be all over Pierce Industries.” Without thinking, Reich went with her story, some truth, some not. “Your private life will be in shambles, your stocks will fall. You will be penniless as you watch helplessly all your ventures collapse. At any rate, I’m sure you know Mr. Bond’s number. That could be him on the phone right now.”

Reich had difficulty suppressing her grin. She watched his eyes widen and hoped he would at least laugh or give her some credit for her presentation, but as the shock of her response wore off, it only seemed to anger him more.

Aw, come on! You got to give me something for delivery. The man has no sense of humor. Yet another flaw in the sack of shit’s miserable character.

“Do you think this a game, Ms. Reich? Do you know who I am?” he asked, his anger clearly mounting while the phone continued to ring.

Reich glanced at the underage girl and remembered her name, age and circumstances. Revulsion flared for a moment, but she tamed her anger and looked right into his eyes. She kept her voice low and deliberate.

“I know who you are, Sir Pierce. You should get the phone. It’s Mr. Robert Benson, your finance manager, calling from your New York office.”

Reich enjoyed the confusion and nervousness on his face. He moved away from her towards the phone.

Yeah … I know what you’re thinking. “How does she know that? How could she know that?”

After so many other missions and other similar situations, all their looks of surprise looked the same.

“Hello,” he said tentatively. The anxiety in his expression grew as he listened. Reich sighed and casually retrieved the small tablet she kept in the pocket under her belt.

The male guard stopped her with a firm grip on her elbow, and then extended his hand for the tablet.

“Are you sure you really want it?” Reich asked.

“Do you really want your front teeth?”

That was good. A quick response for the muscle.

“Go on,” the female guard said.

“All right,” Reich pretended to be reluctant and handed the tablet to the male guard. His grip would loosen very soon.

“There have been no arrests here, Robert! How can my investments crash when nothing has happened? I haven’t been charged with anything … For God’s sake, Robert, I’m at my party, not under arrest …”

Reich would’ve liked to hear more, but the guard released her tablet and hit the floor with a loud thud. Pierce dropped the phone from his ear and stared wide-eyed in disbelief that one of his guards lay flat on his back. As the female guard went to her fallen comrade’s side, Reich casually moved away and consulted her tablet.

“Rachael? What’s the meaning of this?”

“I don’t know, sir. He was just touching her tablet and then this.”

“Ah, Sir Pierce? In about ten seconds, Mr. Benson will hear from the United States Federal Trade Commission regarding a couple of federal indictments. And in about one minute, your private phone will ring. Your director of operations, Janice Phelps, will need to scrap your telecommunication satellite project tomorrow due to an electronic issue. It happened during the launch sequence ten minutes ago,” Reich said.