Never Say Spy (27 page)

At the top of the stairs, Germain held out a restraining hand.  “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to stay away from the windows once we’re up top.  I don’t want to take any chances.”

“No problem,” I assured him.  “Just being above ground and getting some food will be great.”

I stepped out onto the main level and sucked in a deep breath, stretching.  Warmed by the exercise, my muscles felt looser, and even the bruises hurt less.  I sighed relief and rolled my neck and shoulders, realizing Germain was watching me curiously.

“You really are claustrophobic, aren’t you?” he asked.  “How do you manage in elevators and cars?”

I shrugged.  “Really tight spaces are bad, but I’m fine in elevators and cars because I know I can get out.  It’s not being able to escape that freaks me out.  I’d feel claustrophobic in a football stadium if I couldn’t get out.  ”

“But what if the elevator stops between floors?” he prodded.  “Wouldn’t that bother you?”

“No, you can always get out of an elevator.  The hydraulics on the doors aren’t that strong, and you can easily pull them open, both in the cab and on the building floor.  I’ve done it a few times.  It’s not very safe, though.  If the cab starts to move while you’re getting out, you’re in serious trouble.  I heard of a guy getting decapitated like that.”

He winced.  “Ouch.”

A sound on the front porch made Germain hustle me around the corner into the kitchen.  Seconds later, he said, “All clear,” and I poked my head back out into the open area to see Hellhound arriving with pizza boxes and a grin.

The aroma drifted over and made me salivate.  I sniffed the air theatrically and purred, “Oh, Hellhound, oh, baby, I
love
your cologne!”

Both men laughed, and Germain said, “She’s so easy!”

Hellhound bounced his eyebrows.  “I wish.”

“C’mon, stop messing around, you guys,” I urged.  “Let’s eat.”

Hellhound led the way into the kitchen, dumping the boxes onto the table, and we dropped into chairs to chow down on the hot, greasy slices.

I finished my first piece and sat back in my chair, licking my fingers.  “This is amazing.  Where did you get it?”

“Fiorenza’s does takeout.”  Hellhound shrugged.  “I didn’t know what ya liked, so I got one vegetarian and one loaded.  Chicks always go for veggies.”

I blinked at him.  “I like everything.”

He returned a leer, waggling his eyebrows.  “Darlin’, that’s the only thing that gives me hope.”

I laughed and snagged another slice.  “Keep dreaming.  You’re right about the pizza gender divide, though.  Any time I’ve ever ordered pizza with a group, the girls want the one with the veggies and the guys want all meat.”

Germain grunted and thumped his chest.  “Me like meat!”

As our laughter died away, we heard the front door opening again.  Germain was instantly on his feet, dropping his pizza and drawing a gun that I hadn’t known he had concealed at his back.  He stepped casually through the kitchen doorway, holding his gun out of the sight line of anyone entering the front room.

His shoulders relaxed.  “Kane.”  He tucked the gun away again and came back to the table, picking up his pizza.

Seconds later, Kane filled the doorway, sniffing hungrily.  “Thank you, God.”

“You’re welcome,” Hellhound deadpanned.

Kane sank into the remaining chair and reached for a slice.  He chewed in silence for a few bites before glancing around the table.  “We’re making progress, faster than I’d hoped.”  He went back to his pizza, and I realized he wouldn’t elaborate in front of Hellhound.

“Good.”  I turned to Hellhound.  “Are you going to jam at Blue Eddy’s tonight?”

“Yeah.  Wanna come an’ be my groupie, darlin’?”

I grinned.  “I don’t know.”  I nodded at Kane and Germain.  “Depends on whether Mom and Dad will let me go out tonight.  I might still be grounded.”

Kane’s mouth crooked up.  “If you’re planning to go and be a groupie for that old lecher, you’re definitely grounded, young lady.”

Hellhound put on an indignant face.  “Old lecher?  We’re the same fuckin’ age, ya shit!”

“I notice he didn’t bother to deny the ‘lecher’ part,” Germain put in.

“I’m pretty sure that’s established fact,” I agreed.  “Not much point in denying it.”

“Last time I bring you bums pizza,” Hellhound groused good-naturedly.  “I do somethin’ nice, an’ I get nothin’ but shit an’ abuse.”

I waved a slice of pizza at him.  “Want some cheese with that whine?”  He shot me a scowl, its sincerity slightly marred by his grin.

“Seriously, though,” I added.  “You have no idea how much I appreciate this.  Thank you.”

Hellhound reddened slightly.  “Darlin’, ya know I’d do anythin’ to put a smile on your face.”  He winked, making a joke of it.  “’Course, bringin’ ya pizza wouldn’t be my first choice of how to do that.”

“Yeah, yeah.”  I waved a dismissive hand.  “The day I take you up on that, you’ll drop dead of a heart attack.”

“But what a way to go,” he breathed.

The subject dropped as we all addressed ourselves to the excellent pizza.  Finally, I pushed away from the table, groaning.  “That was so good.  There is nothing in the world more lethal than superb pizza.  I think I hurt myself.”

Hellhound got to his feet amid the general laughter and agreement.  “I’m outta here.”  He winked at me.  “See if ya can ditch the ‘rents tonight, darlin’.  I got a little somethin’ special for ya if ya do.”

I eyed him critically.  “Well, if it’s that little, I don’t know...”

He shook his head ruefully and let Kane’s and Germain’s guffaws carry him out of the house.

Kane sobered.  “We’ve got some new developments on the warehouse network.  Webb and Smith have cracked the crystal already.  Once they got to it, the circuitry itself wasn’t that complex.  As we’d surmised, it is designed to be a skeleton key.  It’s supposed to spoof an authentic user to any network, not just Sirius.  The only strange thing is that it doesn’t seem to work for Webb or Smith.  A couple of other analysts tried it, too, but no luck.”

He smiled at me.  “You seem to be the only one who can make it work.  And thanks to you, it’s in the hands of the good guys, not the bad guys.  The CSIS analysts are still trying to trace its origin.  Judging by what we know so far, it appears to be a one-of-a-kind item, which is good news.”

“So once you know where it came from, you might be able to figure out what to do next, and then I can go back to my real life?” I asked hopefully.

“That’s the plan,” he agreed.  “In the mean time, though, I’m sorry to have to ask you, but Sandler wants to run some more tests over at the warehouse.  Do you feel up to it?”

“You are looking at an intensely motivated woman,” I assured him.  “When do we leave?”

“They’re over there now.  We can go right away.”

The hallways were spotless when Germain and I trailed Kane through the warren of corridors in the warehouse.  Wheeler nodded from beside one of the doorways, and we entered the bare room he’d indicated, leaving him on guard in the hallway.  Sandler, Smith, and Webb were already seated around the large boardroom table.

Sandler glanced up as we entered.  “Kane.  How nice of you to come at last.  It’s reassuring to know that your personal convenience overrides issues of national security.”  He gave my clingy workout gear an up-and-down examination that made me wish I’d worn Kane’s baggy T-shirt.  “Ms. Kelly.  I see you’re dressed for action, as always.  Let’s see if we can find you some.”

Kane remained silent and impassive.  I concealed my distaste, and we all sat down at the table.

Sandler addressed me again.  “Kane tells me you accessed this network last night.  I want to see if you can do it again.”

“I can’t without the crystal.  I tried.”

“These are not the dark ages,” Sandler sneered.  “You accessed the network using micro-miniaturized processing technology, not by rubbing a magical crystal and chanting.  Webb, give her the key.”

Spider slid a tiny plastic bag across the table to me with a half-smile.  “Don’t sneeze, or we could lose it forever.”

I held the bag up to the light, studying the miniscule dot in its corner.  “Wow.”

“Oh, very eloquently said, Ms. Kelly,” Sandler needled me.

Mindful that I was holding the skeleton key to a simulation network, I clenched my teeth and determinedly avoided dwelling on the thought of dismembering him with a blunt butter knife.

“Here is how we will proceed,” Sandler explained condescendingly.  “I will enter the network first.  Then you will attempt to access it, Ms. Kelly.  If you are able to gain access, we will conduct some tests within the network.  These tests may take some time.  Are you ready?”

I nodded.  Goody.  There was nothing I wanted more than to spend time with the most objectionable man on earth.  Not.

Sandler fell silent and his face took on the blank stare that indicated he was inside the network.  I sighed and concentrated on the void.

Nothing happened.

I frowned around the table.  Sandler still sat blank-faced.  The other four men watched me, unmoving.  I tried again, with the same result.

Sandler blinked, returning to the real world.  “I take it you were unable to gain access.”

I shrugged.  “I guess your new security must be working.  Either that, or there’s some change to the key as a result of its removal from the crystal.”

He nodded smugly.  “Excellent.  I’m so pleased.  And now, Ms. Kelly, your usefulness is almost at an end.”  He turned to Kane.  “Kane.”

Kane rose.  “Yes, Mr. Sandler.”  He walked around behind my chair, then suddenly seized my arms and pinned them behind my back.

I let out a cry of pain and shock and tried to pull away, but he twisted my arms until I sat still.  Smith, Spider, and Germain watched, expressionless.

“What the hell?” I demanded, the first flicker of apprehension racing down my spine.

Sandler smiled.  “Ms. Kelly, thank you for delivering the circuitry for the hacked fob.  You have our sincere appreciation.  However, your continued existence would be a tremendous inconvenience.  I have taken the liberty of assuring my associates that you have been eliminated.  I would hate to be made a liar.”

“But I’ve done everything you’ve asked!  I signed the non-disclosure agreement, and I’ve abided by the terms.  Kane said he trusted me.”  I squirmed painfully around to look up into Kane’s impassive face.  “John?”

He stared down at me in silence, his face utterly blank.

“John…?”

“Your precious Kane will do exactly as I say,” Sandler informed me with satisfaction.  “He knows who his master is.  Isn’t that right, Kane?”

“Yes, Mr. Sandler,” Kane replied flatly.

“But…” I gulped at the dryness that suddenly parched my throat.  Eliminated?  As in… killed?  Cold fear raised the small hairs on my arms.  I appealed to the others, my voice a croak.  “Spider?  Carl?”

They sat silent and motionless.

Sandler smiled again, licking his lips.  “Let’s play.”  He rose from his chair and approached.

Adrenaline galvanized my body and I launched myself to my feet, simultaneously relieving Kane’s pressure on my arms and driving the top of my head into his chin.  He staggered off balance, and I turned to flee as Sandler cried out behind me.

“Restrain her!”

I barely saw Kane’s fist in my peripheral vision before a tremendous blow to my temple turned everything black.

I shook my head groggily.  Knives of pain stabbed my head and neck and I groaned, trying to focus.  A hard, cold surface chilled my back.  Dots floated in the blank whiteness in front of my eyes.  I groaned again and tried to rub my head, but my arms wouldn’t move.  When I began to struggle, I realized the white dotted surface was actually the ceiling.

The blurs in my vision resolved themselves into Kane, Spider, Smith, and Germain, standing at the corners of the table.  Spider and Smith each held one of my arms, while Kane and Germain held a leg apiece.  With a shock of terror, I realized I was naked, spread-eagled helplessly on the table.

Sandler stood between my feet.  I peered down at him, my breath catching in revulsion when I realized that he was masturbating with my panties.

He smiled.  “I understand you expressed an objection to me doing this earlier.  Quite understandable.  I know you’ll prefer the real thing.”  He caressed his erection.

Kane spoke up obsequiously.  “Please, Mr. Sandler, can I do her when you’re finished?”

My panic rose while I struggled frantically.  The four men held me completely immobilized, their faces distant and emotionless.

This couldn’t be happening.  I had trusted Kane with my life.  He was so careful to avoid any hint of sexual misconduct.

And I’d never figured him to suck up to anybody.

Through terror, the tiny voice of logic whispered.

My voice trembled despite my effort to control it.  “This is a sim.  We’re in the network, aren’t we?  Kane, Spider, Germain, they’re all just your constructs.”

Sandler’s erection grew visibly.  “Oh, my dear, I do love bright women.  Although bimbos definitely have their place.  On their knees with their mouths open.”

Keep him talking.  Give Kane time to rescue me.

“How long have you been working for Fuzzy Bunny?”

Sandler moved closer, still fondling himself.

Oh, God, please tell me that was the touch of fabric against my ankle, not…

I tried to jerk my leg away, but Kane held it effortlessly, his massive arms flexing.

“Don’t trouble your pretty head about that.”  Sandler’s gaze slid over my body, and I fought the urge to close my eyes to shut out the invasion.

“Why do they want the fob?” I blurted desperately.

“For this.  Welcome to the future of interrogation techniques.”  Sandler smiled.  “I’m so pleased that you’ll be the one to help me with the final testing.  And I’m sorry to say that it will be truly final for you.”

Nausea flooded me along with comprehension.  Keep him talking, dammit.  Stall.

“The ultimate tool,” I choked.  “Your victims don’t even know there’s a network.  You can do whatever you want, and there’s no evidence of torture.  Their physical bodies are undamaged.  You can break them at your leisure.”

“Yes, and today we have all the time in the world,” he purred.  “I’ve taken the liberty of disabling all network access and monitoring except mine.  And as you may recall, I did say the network tests would take some time.  No one will ever suspect.”

Hope died.

Kane wouldn’t be able to save me this time.  He didn’t even know there was anything to save me from.

Sandler stroked himself more quickly.  His erection expanded to inhuman proportions and he spoke jerkily.  “And I can use the network to kill people undetectably.  If you die here inside the sim, it looks like an unexplained heart attack in the real world.  So sad.  That’s what will happen to you.  I understand you had… increasingly bad reactions… to accessing the network.  They’ll all believe… it was just an accident.”

He was beginning to breathe heavily.  “I’ve always wanted… to make a woman… scream and bleed.  And in the network… I can go on… as long as I want…  Of course, it will be… quite painful for you… as I keep getting bigger… and bigger… until you finally… bleed to death.”  He stepped closer, sliding the head of his gargantuan penis slowly up my ankle, then past my knee.

“Open wide!” he sang merrily.

Kane and Germain jerked my legs further apart and I clamped my eyes shut, my mind fleeing to a safe memory.  Lying on the warm sand, laughing with Kane, the real Kane, about Hellhound’s tattooed butt and whose expectation had created it.

Expectations create reality.

My wrists and ankles slipped through the constructs’ insubstantial grip, and I yanked the trigger of my newly-created submachine gun.

“
Not my reality, asshole!
”

The gun jerked in my hands and the butt slammed into my shoulder.  The power of the recoil threw the muzzle upward, ripping a trail of destruction from Sandler’s groin to head in an instant.  Wetness splattered my face and hands.  I wrestled the gun back under control and held the trigger until no resemblance to a man remained.

My feet slipped in gore, and I dropped the gun and collapsed to my hands and knees to crawl away, whimpering and gagging.  A few yards away, I curled into a shivering ball, holding down the sobs that tried to escape.

When I regained a measure of control, I dragged myself shakily to my hands and knees again, then crept to my feet and tottered toward the portal for what I hoped and prayed would be the last time.

Pain.  A hand on my shoulder.  A bolt of agony shot through my head as somebody slapped my face.  I opened blurred eyes to see Kane looming over me, his hand raised to hit me again.  I screamed and jerked away from him, throwing up my arms to protect myself.

I toppled off the chair and sprawled on the floor, rolling and scrambling away when he came after me.  My back fetched up against the wall with a thump, and I was cornered.  Scuffling my feet under me, I launched myself at him with all my strength.

He reacted almost too late to deflect the punch I’d aimed at his throat.  Pain tore my knuckles when my fist connected with his chin instead.  He staggered back, and I shoved past him toward the door.

Germain lunged to his feet from beside Sandler’s crumpled body, his eyes widening as I charged.  He made a grab for me, and I ducked to slam a shoulder into his unprotected rib cage.  Rebounding off his hard bulk, I used the vector to propel myself into a desperate dash out the door.

Kane caught me two steps into the hallway, his huge hand clamping around my bruised wrist like a vise.  I shrieked and swung on him, tearing savagely at his hand and kicking at his crotch.  An instant later, he locked my arm in a painful submission hold.  I fell to my knees, still screaming and thrashing as he yelled.

“Wheeler!  Trank!  Shoot her, dammit, shoot her!”

Wheeler whipped out a small gun and fired from point-blank range.