Team: Echo (16 page)

Chuckling James popped up off the bed. “Only you would toss a
lady aside who’s tossing her cookies. And you should really know
better than to drink with Mikhail. He can down that stuff like it’s
water, I’ve never seen him drunk from it.”

“
Yeah well he’s not the only one. Typically I can drink like
crazy but I couldn’t what he was drinking. I’m feeling buzzed, not
ready to throw-up but I know that I really and truly need to have a
nap,” she told him honestly.

“
Fuck he was feeding you that hundred proof crap?” James asked
in shock. Shaking his head he took her hands and pulled her
forward. “Alright, let’s get you stripped down and into bed before
that shit truly kicks in and leaves you beyond loopy.”

“
Yes, sleep sounds good.” Penny’s eyes drooped and she yawned
again. “I think that I should just slide into bed now. Think I’m
going to be asleep before you get in bed.” She whispered the last
part, barely making it onto the bed before she was deep asleep from
the effects of the vodka she and Mikhail had shared.

Chuckling James looked to Dieter. “We should probably strip
her down. You know how she is when she tries to sleep in
clothing.”

“
She makes Mikhail look like a kitten in comparison,” he shook
his head. “How they couldn’t see the resemblance between them I’ll
never know.”

“
Bro,” James snorted, moving to roll her over so he could undo
her jeans. “It’s the most obvious of things that tend to elude even
the most brilliant of minds. Penny is a smart little cracker but
she’s oblivious where it counts.”

“
Amen,” Dieter muttered, working on pulling the shirt off
her.

Chapter Twelve

Looking at everyone gathered around the table Mikhail let out
a sigh and then looked to Penelope. “Alright folks, first things
first,” he said to gain the others attention. “Penny and I got some
news yesterday that we figured we’d make official. Apparently we’re
half-siblings, not that I’m sure it comes as any surprise to the
lot of you rotten low lives.”

There was an instant murmur, some protests, some indignation,
mostly just rude things that were toned down for Daisy and Honey.
“Yeah, yeah, stuff it. Second thing is something Penelope overheard
when she was being sneaky and naughty so I’m letting her tell that
part.”

“
Gee thanks, big brother, I thought you were supposed to
protect your kid sister.” She had to tease him, needed to or else
she would puke. “Seems as if the boys back at the medical facility
decided to play god, and they want their creations to multiply.
They inserted nanotechnology into all of you. Sorry guys. I didn’t
know about it until I went for a little stroll through the air
vents.” She flushed at that pronouncement, she could feel the heat
in her cheeks just get worse as everyone stared at her. “They also
want to see if the nano’s will go on to the next generation so if
you were shooting blanks before, you aren’t now.”

Rubbing Penny’s back Mikhail looked at the group. “We all
need to figure out what we want to do from here. They keep lying to
us and are using us as their own personal experimental drones. I
for one had enough of the need to know crap when we were in the
military. Yes we volunteered, yes we accepted certain risks but not
a one of us signed off on the nanotech and we all know why. I
called the Colonel and told him that we needed to meet, here. I
didn’t say anything more than that but I told him to watch his back
and make his own way without assistance, hopefully he
listens.”

Marius leaned forward and looked at everyone. “I don’t know
about anyone else but I’m ready to tell them to stick it where the
sun doesn’t shine. But on the other hand if we do step down they’ll
just find other patsies who don’t have the same support system we
do and fuck them over. I think we all need to take a few, think
about this and then figure out what we want to do.”

“
You also have to keep in mind the very real threat that is
out there. We all know it’s there, we have all seen it up close and
personal. I think that you guys are the best of the best. Not just
because I love you guys but because I know it. My suggestion,” she
took a deep breath and let it slide out. “My suggestion would be to
bring on scientists that we can trust. Ones that will not fuck us
over install them here. Under the barn there is space that we could
turn into a medical facility, it would take some time and doing but
they said we could have anything we want, so I say we appropriate
the team that we want, supplies we want, when we want it, and we do
it here. They will bitch, moan and complain, but we will allow them
views into medical. When we want them to have them. We will work
with those we can trust. I know that you all trust Dr. Turner;
there are a couple more I think we can trust. Ones that pitched an
ungodly bitch fit when they found out. If you will recall there
were three that weren’t there that last day. Mal being one. It was
because they had been forcibly removed and medically knocked out so
that they didn’t come to you and tell you when they happened to all
receive an email with the specs of what they did to you. Not saying
how they got it, they just did.” Penny had dropped from the air
vents into one of the lead scientist’s office and sent it, she was
sure they were still trying to figure that one out.

“
Everyone let’s take fifteen, walk, go hit the bag, something.
We’ll reconvene then and talk out all the options,” Marius said,
getting to his feet. “Get,” he ordered before heading out of the
kitchen.

Moving up next to Penelope Mik looked down at her. “Now
you’re planning on messing up my barn?” he asked with a slight
grin. “Woman,” he shook his head at her.

“
Yep, we want them close but not too close. I’m also going to
ask for the house that you were going to put me in to be theirs. We
need to block off a couple of walls and such but it will work as
apartments for them so that we don’t have to have them here at the
house, that’s something I assume that you will want, right?” Penny
knew damn good and well she didn’t want them under her feet, except
Mallory, she liked her. They were friends and she was a good, if
odd, duck.

“
Hmm,” he watched her and then turned and walked around the
now empty table. The kitchen was quiet without all of them in it.
“Alright. It’s all cleaned up already and a couple of walls will be
easy enough to do I suppose. The rest of it’s in good shape if a
little dated, as long as they don’t whine I’m sure we can make do.
But are you sure you want to stick your pal out there with the
others?”

“
Oh I have a feeling a couple of your friends won’t let her be
out there so the answer to that is no. She can have the room that
was going to be mine.” Since she had moved in with James and
Dieter, there were now two rooms that were empty actually. “Plus if
you think that I’m terrified of spiders, she’s even more so. And
clowns. Good lord please never let that girl see a clown or she
will pass the hell out.”

“
There are no spiders out there,” he rolled his eyes as he
faced her again. “It was cleaned out the first day you were here
Penelope. As for clowns, who is afraid of clowns?” he snorted
shaking his head slightly. “Really, that’s just silly.” Moving back
to her he looked down at her. “We’ll talk to the Colonel and see if
we can manage to make this all fly. But we need to have our list of
what has to change and how we want it to change down, organized and
not scattered. He’s going to be a tough sell but he wants the best
for us all so I think we’ll be able to sway him.”

“
True. He has genuinely been on your side the whole time. The
ones that are playing god are the ones that are heading the
project, the scientists. They want to make a name for themselves in
the scientific world and don’t care who they tread on to do it. I
hate to say this but I honest to god think that the head scientist,
Dr Monroe, has lost his ever fucking loving mind. And as for
clowns.” Penny shrugged and then said, “Mal is. Don’t know why, but
she is deathly afraid of them.”

“
Probably some childhood trauma,” he murmured and then hopped
up onto the counter. Leaning back he stared up at the ceiling. “You
know that the DOD is funding this so Dr. Monroe is likely acting on
the Director’s orders. That fuck has had it in for us since the
very first moment we met and he foisted you into our laps.” Tipping
his chin down he grinned at her. “Aren’t you ever so glad you got
foisted on us P?”

“
Yep, very much so,” Penny said with a smile. “And more than
likely it is because of him. I really think that we need to do a
little digging into his background because something doesn’t feel
right about him. Don’t know what, but when you look at him don’t
you just feel as if you have been tainted somehow? Something is
going on.” She smiled happily. “I might just have to make a small
little trip. Can you keep my boys busy so that they don’t realize
I’m gone?”

“
Doesn’t matter how busy I keep them they’re going to clue in
you’re not there Penny. Those boys ain’t dumb but I can probably
buy you about six or eight straight hours. But that’s it. Any more
than that and they’ll likely start planning the mutiny and finding
weapons to kill me with.”

“
That will give me time to get to his place and search it and
by then I would be on my way home so that should be good.” Penny
smiled happily. “Thank you for trusting me. For knowing that I can
do this and not trying to pull the whole male macho card on me. I
appreciate that Mikhail, a great deal.”

“
Please,” he shrugged. “Doesn’t mean I won’t try to talk you
into taking someone with you,” he grinned. “But I will let you go
on your own as long as you’re in constant contact with me during
the entire thing. That means we need to figure out how to manage
that given the distances you’ll be covering to get
there.”

“
Hurm. Yeah that one is going to be a head scratcher. I mean I
have my cell but I don’t want it going off at the wrong time and we
don’t want to use blue tooth with it because of how many things
might accidently pick it up, so. Yeah I don’t know.”

“
You don’t want your cell on either during the trip because if
you’ll be pinging off cell towers,” he murmured. “And if he ever
clues in that someone may have searched his house you know he’s
going to be digging with all his resources.” Tapping his fingers he
tipped his head. “Encrypted signal off a NSA satellite. You drop a
box a mile outside the radius of the house, wear an earpiece and we
chat that way. We’ll bounce the signal around like mad. It will
create some delay in transmission but not a lot for what we’ll be
using it for and we have Anton bury it under the other regular
chatter going on. It won’t be great but at least we’ll be able to
chat briefly, one maybe two words for the go or no-go.”

“
Sure you want anyone other than us knowing? You know that
James and Dieter are going to be pissed off when they find out.”
That was the only thing giving her pause. She didn’t want her guys
pissed at her but she was really the best one for the job. “So what
do you think? Should we tell them all?” She was hesitant now. “But
James and Dieter won’t let me go if we tell them.” Damn double edge
sword and she was falling on it regardless.

“
We can trust Anton besides, I only know enough of that tech
shit to get myself into trouble,” he said shaking his head, “and
come up with the cockamamie plans. But to hack a government
satellite and do all that routing, we need a true geek. Besides, he
hasn’t hacked anything lately and he’s feeling all down on himself
and blue. It will give him some good practice and make him feel
better too.” Lifting a finger he tipped his head, “They’re coming
back,” he murmured sliding off the counter.

Penny nodded and took a sip of her drink. “Let’s do it,” she
whispered to Mikhail before anyone got closer. “For now I think
that I’m going to go and spend some time with my guys. See if I
can’t get them to take me out on a date. Think that I can con them
into going and seeing a movie with me?”

“
I’d bet on it,” he murmured and looked up as the first couple
came back in. “I’m going to make coffee, I have a feeling this is
going to take a while,” he said and moved away.

* * * * *

“
You swear it’s not going to be girly?” James asked as they
stood in line at the theater in Sweetwater. “Because if it’s a
girly movie I’m just going to curl up now and start
crying.”

“
I swear it won’t be girly.” Much. She grinned and then added,
“Just promise me that scary movies don’t freak you out.” She had an
arm looped through each of theirs, keeping them close and loving
it. “Because it is a scary movie, one that hopefully will have us
jumping in our seats and stuff.”

“
American horror leaves much to be desired,” Dieter said
shaking his head. “It’s much too leading if you know what you are
looking for. But at least it’s entertaining and, in some cases, can
actually surprise me. Haven’t yet found one that actually scares me
but I have to say Stephen King is the one that has the least
obvious plot lines.”

Penny smiled. “Well if you see the plot or the hidden agenda
please don’t tell me. I want to be surprised if you don’t mind. I
like being surprised, a great deal. Sometimes at least,” she added
with a chuckle.

“
We won’t spoil it for you but if you hear us groaning we’ve
figured out where it’s going,” James told her as they moved up in
the line slowly. “So Penny darling, what’s up with dragging us out
for a movie? Not that I’m complaining but you’ve been acting weird
all afternoon since the meeting.”