Uplift (15 page)

“I know. I’ve been keeping up with you,” I said trying to let her know I was still interested.

“So – still keeping tabs on all your one night stands. Must be a pretty big stable to only use them once every two years,” she snapped. “I hated losing my old job. That old biddy treated me like family. I’m convinced she was adding me to her will. Now I have to look after everyone else’s problems now that I’m the supervisor. My tension level has gone up 100 percent.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that. I thought you hated the old bird. I didn’t mean to…”

“You didn’t mean – did you have something to do with me getting fired. I thought it was kind of funny. One second we’re fine, and then she gives me the sack. The next second I’ve got an offer, and a promotion – thought it was somebody pulling strings. Did you do that?” she demanded. “How dare you!” she yelled, and swung to slap him hard. He saw it coming, but the blow did not land.

Carole yelled, and jerked her hand back to her chest. “Oh God. Oh god, oh god…” she said weaker, and weaker as she went into convulsions as she collapsed out of the booth onto the floor.

****

Joshua decided he would slide out since his poisoned dart had missed its intended victim. That nerve toxin gave her about 25 seconds. He was heading out the door in five.

Richard saw the sliver embedded in her arm, and looked at where the projectile must have come from. He saw a man rapidly marching out the door. His team had gone on the alert after Carole’s outburst, and they saw her collapse. Mister Patterson pointed at the man. “That’s the guy. Tried to kill me. Get him.” The two security team members nearest the door went out, and indicated to the outside group. The security remainder inside stood up, and covered all additional threats. The man was half a block away already.

Mel Brown stepped in front of the fleeing man. “Going somewhere buddy?” Mel asked, and the man’s hand shot out lightning fast, but Mel was ‘enhanced.’

Mel saw the man’s hand held a stiletto, and then jabbed out toward Mel’s neck. Fast, Mel thought. Mel leaned slightly left caught the man’s right wrist with his own right hand, and pulled forward slightly. Mel took his left hand with palm out, and slapped the man, palm wise across the assailant’s face with his left index finger under the man’s nose. Mel’s right arm slammed the assailant’s outstretched arm down across his knee, snapping the assailant’s arm just above his elbow. The assailant’s head was whipped back, and the back of his head slammed against the sidewalk. Mel pressed at the mandibular junction of the man’s jaw while he was stunned – forced the man’s jaws apart with both hands, and then ripped down. The man’s lower jaw was ripped, and hung, and flapped as blood drooled.

Joey was the next one from the security team to run up – saw the man, and raised her eyebrows. Mel looked taken aback by her look. “He pulled a knife on me.”

“Really, and you thought you’d rip his face apart for that?” she said accusingly.

“Thought he might have had a suicide capsule,” he explained.

“Oh. Cool. Didn’t think of that…good idea partner. Boss is okay – his albeit girlfriend looks like she gonna be a goner though. Fast acting poison,” she said.

****

Carole was fading fast. Corey, what is it?

Fast acting neurotoxin.

“Sir. Our trauma kits don’t have anything for this…the nanites protect our troops from this, and other effects. The nanites we give the troops need a replicator, and we have don’t have one with us,” said the security member.

My nanites are self-replicating though – aren’t they Corey?

Yes sir, but yours have many additional features not available to others, your multi-spectral vision, your…

Now you’re just trying to delay me. How can I get mine into her?

You can slit your wrist, spit, urinate, or defecate in her mouth.

I worked up as much saliva as I could – difficult to do in a tense situation, even for me, but I doubt pissing, or shitting in her mouth would have won me any accolades from a dying person. Her jaws were clamped, but I forced them apart, hocked as big a volume as I could, and spit into her mouth. The onlookers that saw past my body, gasped in horror.

Carole started writhing, and screaming. Her convulsions got worse. She lay there screaming, with joints locked rigidly, in pain.

Corey said.
I had prepared you for your nanite upgrades. She didn’t have the musculature, or nerve improvements that you did. Remember – the subject has to have a pretty high intellectual potential for this to work. Even a few of your elite military were not able to get them to work. She will need an extremely high caloric intake, and we have no idea how much damage the neurotoxin did to her brain before the nanites could be effective in treating her.

Yes. Fine. See if you can find out who tried to kill me this time. I had the ambulance take her to a private hospital, and assigned around the clock protection for her. Corey arranged all the ‘treatments’ for her by signing her in as a patient of a Doctor Minlow. She was sedated by her nanites finally, and looked peaceful. I stayed by her side, but got three floors of rooms in a nearby hotel. I wanted the floor above mine, and below to be controlled by my team. They scanned every person, and delivery. Anything coming, or going, or overhead, or under the hotel, and hospital was checked. I had to bring in one hundred of my private troops to control egress.

****

The room swam into view in a fuzzy way – she was seeing through the clothing of all the nurses, and orderlies. She saw that one man, definitely a man, had a gun – several in fact carried in his clothing, but she couldn’t see his chest area for some reason. She wished her vision would clear up, and suddenly it was clear. She had been a little nearsighted, but when she concentrated she could see the serial numbers on the equipment in the other room. She normally had good hearing, but she could hear what they were saying in the other room, and it was about her.

(Female voice) “I’ve got this shift. Don’t see what the boss sees in this girl, but she’s really lucky to be alive. If he hadn’t given her his nann***s She’d be two days dead. She’s coming to. Call the boss – he said he wanted to be here when she came to explain what’s happened to her.”

(Male voice) “Will do. I’ve ordered a couple of decent meals – she’ll be starving if my experience was any indication.”

(Female voice) “Good idea – I eat around 5,000 calories a day when I’m active.”

Carole heard the sound of footsteps, and saw this beautiful woman walk into her room. Lord –what a body, and without thought Carole was looking at that body through her clothing. She also saw several knives, and firearms – she seemed to be wearing – body armor?

“Hi Ms. Koth. My name is Joey, and I’m here to welcome you back into the world of the living. I’m one of the personal guards for Richard Patterson.”

Carole squinted her eyes, “Well I bet he’s got a bevvy like you around – you’re very pretty. Do you do more than protect him?”

She laughed. “Hardly. I’m gay, but willing to dabble. As far as I know – he doesn’t dabble, or diddle with any employees.”

“Well. I’m sure he has other women…” Carole said, but Joey cut off her slur in mid-sentence.

“…I should have said. He doesn’t diddle anyone. You are the only person he has ever talked about dating, and he was worried about even doing that because of the inherent danger.”

“Danger?” Carole said.

“You know. Danger… as in getting killed because you are around him, or involved with him – like, say – two days ago in a restaurant when you came between an assassin’s death dart, and Mister Patterson…or last week with a car bomb, and snipers. You’re lucky to be alive,” Joey explained to a stunned Carole.

“What is happening to me? Are the doctors going to release me? What happened to me? I feel…strange. I remember this stabbing pain in my hand that spread – and then – and then I remember Richard holding me. He then – he then made me open my mouth, and he spit – he spit right into my mouth! Is that what happened. I have some type of disease now – that he gave me. I heard – you – I heard you talking in the other room a minute ago about nannies?”

“You heard that in the other room. Oh Lord…so that’s what Richard did. That’s nanites…small nanomachines that entered your bloodstream through the mucosal linings of your mouth. That is why you’re feeling strange. Mister Patterson will be here in a minute. I better not tell you any more – anyway – bet you want to eat,” Joey said as she heard the food tray coming down the hall.

Oh my, Carole thought. I can smell that food from here. Steak, potatoes, and lamb – I can even smell some of the vegetables – fresh lettuces, tomatoes, cantaloupe, noodles, onions, squash – oh my…coconut crème pie…strawberries dipped in chocolate. Carole nearly swooned when she saw the covered dishes roll into the room.

The two men set out the food on a table on the side of the room. Carole realized this wasn’t like any hospital room she had ever used. The table with the food had a tablecloth.

“Will the doctors let me get out of bed?” Carole asked.

“Doctors,” Joey answered. “You won’t need doctors any more. Bon appetite,” she said, and left.

Carole heard her talking way down the hall, but there were too many echoes, and she couldn’t make out what was being said. The food smell was almost overpowering, and she literally hopped out of bed – she felt so springy – light. She realized she was not wearing a hospital gown, but instead a beautiful silk, silhouette long nightgown/robe Peignoir set. Oh how beautiful, she thought.

****

Richard Patterson entered her room just as Carole had settled in to eat. Carole stood up.

“So this is what I get for slapping you,” she said.

“I never wanted you in any danger. Our day together back the apartment means so very much to me. I never met another woman like you.”

How about Sandy?

Shut the hell up Corey – that was just business. “There is so very much you need to know…” he stopped. “You look absolutely stunning. I had Joey pick out your clothing – I’m glad it’s not leather, and chains. I hoped you would like it. Go ahead, and eat. I remember we were going to have lunch together. I imagine you have many questions.” He paused. “Eat. Eat. It’s getting cold. I’ll join you if you let me.”

The food drew Carole back to the table, and she did notice there were two place settings – she had been having so much stimuli, she had missed it before. She had already cut a bite of steak, and was savoring the rare steak as the rich flavor filled her mouth. Richard just sat there, and looked at her – kind of dreamily, and he did look a LOT younger. He looked about her age, but had a couple of little streaks of gray hair – made him look distinguished. My – he had broad shoulders, and he looked fit – not just healthy – he looked fighting fit. She wondered – yep – she could see that he was trim – oh – and wearing weapons too. Too bad he was sitting, but she had seen him before – very adequate.

Him packing a weapon would have worried her two days before, but her perspective was altering rapidly. A man brought another few dishes, and Richard started joining in. He could pack it away too, Carole thought… just as a man brought a couple bottles of champagne, and opened one.

Carole raised an eyebrow. “You trying to get me drunk?”

“Sounds like fun, but that won’t happen anymore unless you want it to?” he said.

“You mean me dating you, or getting drunk?” she asked.

“I’ve got a lot to tell you,” he said, and started pouring her a glass of champagne. He sighed, and then looked resolved. “Cheers.”

He raised his glass for a toast. “Here’s to Earth,” he said.

Hold on big boy,
Corey thought
. Don’t go spilling the beans to her, or we’ll all be headed for the looney bin.

I’m not, but she needs to know what’s going to happen to her.

Keep it short lover boy
.

“Lost you for a moment there,” she said. “To Earth.” Strange, but sort of cool as an environmentalist, I guess, she thought. Not very personal…you get rich…you get weird.

EXPLANATIONS

Carole was sitting quietly waiting for his explanations. This ought to be a doozy she thought. He is exciting to be around she thought, and then remembered his explanation of ‘exciting.’ Pain, uncertainty, frustration, and 5% sheer terror. She could remember those days with him – word for word, and the memories of their lovemaking made her nipples hard.

Richard inhaled deeply, and nearly jumped across the table to ravish her. He could smell her scent, and she must be remembering the night, and morning together so long ago.

“Stop it Carole. Stop thinking about our time together, or I won’t be able to stop myself. You project smells – pheromones that are attractive, and you will be able to control them at will soon. I have that ability too – I didn’t much when we met.”

“You could project smells to make a woman fall for you when we met. You seduced me – that’s like drugging me.”