Madness (20 page)

What if? The
what ifs
were coming in waves. Obviously, she could tie several shoelaces together to make a whip. Then what, maybe wrap nails or razorblades into them to cut her enemy? That would disfigure Peacock but not kill her. She could make a shiv out of Plexiglas. Her cosmetic case was made of the stuff—sharp, brittle enough to break off inside her victim. If she could hone a three-inch piece, she could stab Peacock through the Carotid Artery. Plexiglas could be the killer weapon.

Unfortunately, the woman was an army unit by herself. She had to knock Peacock out. Making Chloroform was easy. Fingernail polish remover was Acetone based.
There was common bleach in the cleaning locker and rags to administer the deed. All she had to do was think of a way to maneuver Peacock to where she could cover her nose and mouth. Kolb had a month to prepare.

It’s madness.
I’ll most likely die. But, so will she.

Peacock edged the bedroom door closed and slipped to the bathroom. A quick, cool shower to get the sweat off from a long day of meetings. Dinner surprised her. The tasty cuisine brightened her spirit. To think even those in the poorest areas of the world were eating this well gave her a sense of pride in her husband’s dream.

As she rubbed a peach body lotion between her breasts, the thought of sex with her husband rushed t
hrough her brain, stimulating an increase of dopamine production. Peacock learned under Doctor Levi’s care that continuous brainwave traffic to that region of the hypothalamus forged a direct line, like an express train directly to the area. She loved the sensation.

Pendleton entered the room and closed the door. “Mom’s tucked George in for the night, and she and Milton are watching the latest on the news o
n the Pacific clean up.”

She stepped to the doorway of the bathroom dressed only in a towel and said, “Do you remember the first night we made love?”

“Indeed I do, Athens, Greece, at the Royal Villa Grand Olympian Resort.”

“I r
emember the emotions. If I have any left, I’ll find them.”

“A quick shower and we’ll give it a go
.”

She climbed into bed as her brain fired wildly and her blood flow increased to the places where it counted most. Some life she’d fallen into, married to the world ruler and a man’s man in the right department, she had no complaint.

Her lover approached her bed smelling like nectar. For the next three hours, she lost herself in his charms.

#

Four o’clock in the morning, and Peacock hadn’t slept at all. She’d finally worn him out and felt a certain pride in her ability. He ruled the world and he could win the heart of any woman he desired, yet he desired her,
tart
that she was. “I want to be faithful to you, Darling,” she whispered. “God, I’m still contracting from the thrills. Whatever Kolb did, I thank her for this.”

Pendleton lay on his stomach, face turned to the side, fast asleep. When the semi-violent erotic struggle ended in orgasm for the both of them, he allowed her to continue even with him spent, until all the quivering and convulsing subsided. Then he loved
on her, gently massaging her neck and shoulders, kissing her eyes, and whispering thank you in her ears. She absorbed it all and returned what she had to give.

He looked so
boyish relaxed as he was. She realized she was humming and felt like a teenager, or at least like what she thought a teenager would feel. When the sun came up, she’d spend a few hours with her son, and then go off with Van Meer to train for her position.

She snuggled next to her Arthur and enjoyed his warmth. Then
a pain flashed through her head just behind her eyes, and she bit her lip. The pain subsided, a reminder of the briefness of life and joy.

#

Crawling on the ground forty feet with live gunfire firing two feet over her head, Peacock reached the training tunnel and dove into its four-foot opening. She crouched down, moving on through water up to her ankles to the other side. Two of Van Meer’s martial arts specialists leapt upon her as she exited.

Don’t kill them.

Difficult though it was, she managed to hold back the final killing blows.

“Proceed,
” Van Meer called out, and she left her two assailants stunned and bleeding. Up the wall-rope, she went, swung over, and dropped fifteen feet into mud. The steadily growing rage within her mind caused her adrenalin to spike as she flung the final bags of cement out of her way, grabbed the revolver handed to her at the door of the house-search course, and entered.

Her entrance required her to tumble through the doorway, come up firing her weapon, and hit the red targets, avoiding the blue, which represented children and innocent hostages. She couldn’t leave a room without eliminating all enemies and harmful ordinance first.

She cleared the upstairs and came down into the back of the house toward the exit door. Red spots in her vision made clear identification troublesome. Her instincts took over as her headaches grew into a rage. As she exited, a course instructor pointed her toward where Van Meer was waiting for her. She grabbed him and flung him across the training area, before she could stop herself and gain control.

“I’m sorry,”
Peacock yelled. “Don’t get close to me when I’m in fight-mode.”

Van Meer called out, “Are you all right, ole boy?”

“Fine, except for my pride.”

“Brush off and grab a soda.”

Peacock bent at the waist until her headache stopped and her eyes cleared. Then she sat down under a tree with Van Meer. She should tell Levi about her eyes and her headaches. Yet, these reactions during combat happened under Kolb’s control as well, and she felt sure they would subside.

“Jolly good show,” Van Meer said with a Cheshire cat grin.

“I’m rusty, but the basic tools are still here.”

“I’d hate to run into you in mint condition.”

“Yes, you would.”

“You’re everything Ursa and Magnus said you’d be
and more.”

“Ursa and Magnus, you’ve talked to them?”

“Ursa’s responsible for Western security. Your husband follows the motto, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies’ even closer.’ I believe Ursa to be a valuable man.”

“And Magnus?”

“You mean Carter Pike. Ursa, by the way, is really Robert Hurst. We won’t be calling you Peacock, except on a mission. We’ll be using Global Realm names from now on.” Van Meer placed a call from his government cellphone. “Bring out Laverna’s teammates.”

#

Agent Alan Loomis normally feared nothing. However, he’d screwed the First Citizen’s wife, and the assignment he was about to accept would take every bit of his skill at self-control. Laverna picked him, Carter Pike, and Felicia Lange for Pendleton’s protection unit. For Loomis, working for Laverna would be hell—not because he didn’t like her, but because he
more
than did.

He’d been a carefree soul until she entered his life. Good looking, available, and a confirmed bachelor, Loomis enjoyed
adventure, love, and a
la dulce vita
life.

“They’re waving us over,” Felicia said and opened the door leading from the Letzigrund Stadium business office
. The three crossed the street to the training grounds located to the southeast of the main stadium. The gorgeous architecture of Zurich and the snowcapped mountains surrounding the city stunned Loomis.

Laverna stood and waved to them.
He wondered if Laverna held any feeling for him at all, other than the boy toy she’d made of him. Loomis flushed. With the sunlight flickering through the trees behind her, she glowed like a Greek goddess. The Global Realm two-piece sports outfit she wore flattered her hourglass figure, and her red hair and blue eyes recalled for him the passion that was Laverna Smythe Pendleton. Yes, she was married to Arthur Pendleton. Approaching her could mean death. Nonetheless, the magnetism he experienced with each step drew him to the conclusion he must find a way to tell her how he felt.

#

At the sight of Felicia Lange, Peacock’s heart jumped. The last time she’d seen Felicia, she knocked her out cold. In fact, all three of the people coming toward her had unpleasant partings due to her rage and insanity.

Felicia hugged her close and Peacock whispered, “I’m sorry about drugging you.”

“I didn’t feel a thing. I love you, Boss.”

Carter Pike
gave her a hug when Felicia stepped away. “All’s forgiven. I’m glad you’ve got that probe out of your head.”

She grinned at him. The hug was enough. She didn’t need to say a thing.

Then she faced Loomis. He smiled at her and said, “I was shocked when told you picked me for your team.”

Peacock laughed. “The three of you are the best I know.”

She hugged Loomis close and said, “Say anything to Arthur about us and I’ll cut your balls off.” Then she continued, “Other than now, I can’t touch you. I’ll lose control of my senses.”

He nodded.

She sensed a little joy flow through Loomis. She’d told him volumes, too much. He’d have to deal with his emotions as well. Not love by any means, but their bodies lusted when near each other.

Van Meer motioned them all into their chairs. “I’ve selected three additional team members for you. They were key players within the Sons of Tiw. They’ve never faced
any of you in battle.”

“They couldn’t have,” Peacock said. “I killed everyone who opposed me.”

“Well now you’re on our side,” Van Meer quipped, with a bit of an attitude behind his words. “We’ve found a team of seven with a strong team leader is ideal when supported, as you will be, by whatever Global Realm resources you need.”

“When will we meet our new partners?” Loomis asked.

“Now,” Van Meer answered. “Remember Arthur has been planning for fourteen years how a one-world government should operate and putting together the resources to run it from square one. I’ll introduce each of your partners individually. They have already been briefed on each of you.”

Peacock’s interest peaked. She’d assess how each walked
and talked, expressed his or herself, and most importantly how they made eye contact.

Van Meer waved one finger. A large bearded man, bare-chested and muscled, loped quickly across the street and over to them. He greeted Peacock first by clicking his heels and reaching out
his hand with a formal, “Pleased to meet you, Madam Pendleton. I’m Klaus Bruegman. I used to work in the circus—traipse, acrobatics, and daredevil stunts. I’m at your service. Oh, and I’ve killed people as well.”

“German?” she asked.

“Austrian,” he answered.

“Welcome Klaus, how many people have you killed?”

He took a step back. “You get right to business. On missions in the Balkans and along the Caspian Sea, I killed fourteen, one unfortunately accidently. A group of terrorists had a hostage dressed as one of them, and I failed to see she wore different colored shoes.”

“You were with the Sons of Tiw how long?”

“Nine years of continuous service.”

Van Meer waved again with two fingers in the air.

Felicia chuckled. “You’re gonna have two soul sisters on your team.”

“Hardly,” Van Meer said.

The woman, brown, lean, but nimble strode up to the group. She saluted Van Meer, ignored the others, and stood straight-backed in front of Peacock. “It is said, ‘If a man says he is not afraid to die he is either lying or a Gurkha warrior. I am Sharesca Baidya from Nepal.”

“Are you as tough as a male Gurkha, Sharesca?”

“Tougher, and call me Cher.”

“Welcome to the team, Cher.”

Van Meer waved a third time and a short Asian man with ham-hock thighs and Popeye arms raced toward the group. He did a somersault and landed with a bounce on his feet. He, too, saluted Van Meer. Then he bowed to the others, and asked Peacock, “Woman, why should I work for you?”

Peacock’s
mind flooded with rage. She smiled at him and said, “Because you show no knowledge of strategy. You confront without understanding your opponent. Sun Tzu once said, ‘If you know yourself and you know your enemy, you need not fear the outcome of a hundred battles.”

She locked eyes with him, and his face turned from arrogant to thoughtful. “Then I accept my role. I’m Shin Mao Ming from China and will learn strategy from you.”

Van Meer stood. “The next several days we will be team building. I’m going to teach the first two days. Laverna will teach the rest of the time.”

“I don’t watch the television much,” Shin said, “Our dress and insignias, what do they mean?”

Van Meer nodded. “Good question. We all work for the government. Therefore, our basic outfits are black. The six of you have blue Global Realm insignias designating you as professional level. Laverna and I have gold Global Realm insignias to designate we are Global executives. I have two stripes indicating I’m second tier. Laverna has one stripe indicating she’s first tier. Her husband has three stripes indicating top tier.”

“Who is her husband?” Shin asked.

“First Citizen Pendleton,” Van Meer replied.

Shin’s eyes widened. “I see I have much studying to do.”