by C M Dancha
"What type of questions did he ask you about the ReLife project?"
"They were all science related questions. I had no idea what he was talking about. The only one I remember is something about chromosomal restructuring in different atmospheric conditions. Does that make sense to you? Oh, there was another question about how blood types and bone marrow composition affect the cloning process. Rollie, this guy was speaking a foreign language most of the time I spent with him."
Rollie thought about the two CR47 questions Raul remembered Slice asking about. At first, neither of them seemed pertinent to the cloning project. But he didn't discount entirely there was some relevance to one or both questions. He made a mental note to ask Claude if he could figure out why Slice might ask these two questions.
Rollie and Raul went over everything Slice did during the six-plus hours he spent at Phoenvartis. Rollie encouraged Raul to recall Slice's exact questions and comments. Raul did the best he could to remember the exact wording but couldn't help bitching about the time he wasted escorting the World Council member. He made sure Rollie heard several times his opinion of Slice. The man was a flimflam artist who tried to create the impression he knew much more than he did.
Rollie respected Raul’s ability to correctly judge people. But in this case, he wasn't sure Raul made the correct assessment of Slice. He concluded that he would have to make his own assessment after meeting Slice.
Raul spent most of his time during dinner trying to decide if Rollie was concerned about Slice. Did Slice pose a threat to the CR47 cloning project or not? All his training with kinetics interviewing didn't help a bit trying to figure out what Rollie thought of Slice's surprise visit. Was Rollie thinking about sidetracking Slice's involvement in the project? The only conclusion Raul felt comfortable with was that Slice's primary goal was to find out the real status of the cloning project. Once he made that assessment, he could work on pushing the project ahead. Raul knew Rollie was too smart not to think the same thing.
By 9:30, Rollie and Raul had exhausted every subject they wanted to discuss. Neither man learned a lot about what the other knew or didn't know. It was time to go home and get some sleep. At the least, tomorrow would be interesting and stressful.
Raul paid the restaurant bill which would go on Raul’s expense account. Rollie left Gretchen a generous tip and whispered in her ear as they prepared to leave, "I'll contact you. By the way, excellent choice on the beer."
The men left the restaurant as friends and walked together for a while before heading in opposite directions. When Raul was out of sight, Rollie sprinted the remaining distance back to his apartment. He needed to contact Claude and forewarn him about Sedgewick Slice and then open the maple box. And he needed to prepare for Sophia's visit. He had a lot to tell her this evening.
Chapter Seventeen
I’ll Do It My Way, Thank You!
"For Christ sakes, I'm sleeping with both of them. How much more do you want me to do?"
"Catherine, I want to make sure you're doing all you can to get us up-to-date information on the ReLife project. This one technological breakthrough could be exactly what our cause needs to rid the world of the World Council."
Catherine, also known as Sophia, was beginning to question whether associating and feeding information to the Black Cross revolutionaries was a good idea. Her contact person was too demanding and implied constantly that she could do more to get restricted information. She was quite sure he never supervised a deep mole before. If he didn't knock off the outrageous demands, she would break ties with the Black Cross. She could easily sell her information to another group opposed to the World Council.
"Mr. Sun, if you think you can do better why don't you come to Zurich and show me how?"
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Catherine. I know you're doing your best. I realize you can only push so fast for information without blowing your cover."
Krieger, using the code name Mr. Sun, wasn't sorry one damn bit. He kept pushing her for more information because she seemed to be enjoying her life at Phoenvartis a little too much. While he and his cell members were living like dogs each day, she was screwing two top executives at Phoenvartis, eating well and living the high life. Her marks were showering her with gifts and treating her like a princess in return for sex and the mistaken belief she cared about them.
"I am doing the best I can, Mr. Sun. You're not dealing with an amateur. I've been undercover many times. I've worked for groups wanting to do everything from steal information, blackmail important people and overthrow regional governments. So let me do things my way and get off my back. And by the way, I didn't see this week's deposit made to my world credit account. If that doesn't happen by 5 p.m. tomorrow afternoon, this will be the last time you hear from me."
Sophia broke the connection with Mr. Sun without any type of courteous or formal parting. That should get the point across that she was dead serious about being left alone. This constant hounding by Mr. Sun was irritating and didn't help her one bit. In fact, Mr. Sun's recommendations on how to work the marks were stupid if not downright dangerous.
His latest idea was for her to do a memory brain scan on one of her marks while he was sleeping. She couldn't believe he could be so naive to suggest this method of obtaining information. It was not only very hard, but many times damaged the mark's brain to the point of being left a vegetable. If she followed Mr. Sun's recommendations, she would end up dead or put away for the rest of her life.
And what was with the name Mr. Sun? What a foolish name. It was hard to believe the name had any significance. And what was the reason for using the title, Mister? In the dozen or more undercover jobs she took part in through the years, not once did the contact person have a title not related to a military rank. It was usually Colonel, Commander or General. The brainchild at the Black Cross who came up with Mister must have thought it funny or clever.
This upset Sophia even more; almost to the point of calling off the entire operation. There was no room for this type of sophomoric humor in the undercover world. Being too cutesy or clever usually got people killed. She had no intention of being a victim because some idiot at the Black Cross wanted to make a name for himself. Starting tomorrow, her contact at the Black Cross was going to be treated like the amateur. And the first thing she would do is stop using the name Mr. Sun. If he demanded to be referred to by a name, Sophia thought either Dildo or Ass Face would be perfect.
She tested the temperature of her bubble bath and slipped off her clothes. As usual, the water was perfect. It would stay at the same temperature for the entire time she soaked in the bath. She needed time to forget that fool Mr. Sun, aka Ass Face. Time was too important to waste on him. It needed to be applied to handling and juggling her two marks at Phoenvartis. So far, neither Klaus or Rollie suspected she was seeing someone else.
Having two marks at the same company was risky but she had one thing in her favor. Both were high-ranking executives who signed a code of conduct contract. Bullet point number three on the contract explicitly stated that executives of the company would not fraternize or develop personal relationships with non-executive subordinates. Violation of this point or any others, like the rent Klaus paid for her trendy apartment, could result in immediate termination. This policy alone kept both guys at arm's length but close enough to be valuable sources of information.
Their relationship with Sophia was kept behind closed doors. By never appearing in public with either of these men it was easy to make each of them believe she was the committed property of only one man. She knew the day would come when one of these guys found out about the other, but it was way too early for that to happen. She needed to continue the ruse until the CR47 was working perfectly or found to be a failed pipe-dream. If the cloning project became a success, she could earn a huge bonus of world credits by figuring out how the Black Cross could access the CR47. She had no idea what they wanted to clone and didn't care to know. All she cared about was making enough world credits to liv
e lavishly for many years.
The soothing warmth of the water and luxuriant, low pressure bubble jets relaxed Sophia enough to mellow her temperament. She remembered the upcoming date with Rollie in less than two hours. It was easy to be physically attracted to this man because he was gentle and such a good lover. Much more so than wimpy Klaus Ekstrom. Thinking about Rollie's lean and textured body and the way he used his mouth to work on her began to send chills of excitement throughout her body. She considered getting her dildo and pleasuring herself to the visual fantasies playing like an old black and white movie in her head. Her own fantasies were usually better and more pleasing than the touch of most men. But postponing her sexual gratification for a couple of hours with Rollie won out over masturbation. He always outperformed any make-believe lovers she created. Using Rollie was a lot easier than doing the work herself.
She left the warmth of the tub and went to the bedroom to select her evening wear without bothering to dry off. For some reason, she always felt sexy air drying in the nude as she prepared to meet a lover. It was another way to add more anticipated excitement to the upcoming evening.
Sophia scanned the clothes in her walk-in closet, looking for the perfect outfit to excite Rollie. He seemed to prefer tight-fitting, dark business suits like the one she was wearing the first night they locked gazes in the Schwarzenbach Tavern. The memory of that night led her to select the same outfit. She knew he would like the tailored, black business suit worn over a ruffled white blouse and modestly adorned with a single chain of black pearls. Her black undergarments would consist of only a half bra to elevate her breasts and a garter belt to hold in place the ultra-sheer nylons. Open toe, four-inch stiletto type shoes, in black, completed the outfit. What she wouldn't wear this evening was a pair of panties. This should be a delightful surprise for Rollie and help get him hot and bothered. Anything she could do to make their lovemaking more adventurous and satisfying made him open up about his job and the ReLife project.
She had nothing but grand expectations for this evening. She should leave Rollie's place knowing the latest about the ReLife project. Plus, she wouldn't have to worry about that dweeb Klaus trying to contact her. When she left him earlier in the day, he was so drunk and strung out on the drugs he wouldn't wake up until morning. Getting him high as a kite was the easiest way to get information from him.
As she slipped into her clothes, she thought back to the first time she was used as a sexual pawn in an undercover operation. She was only a girl of sixteen and stupid enough to believe her boyfriend loved her.
They grew up together in a small town located in the former country of Moldova. Their lives were filled with the benefits and perks derived from the two most prosperous and influential families. Her family owned several businesses including furniture manufacturing, retail stores, and coal production. His family had been buying and selling wholesale diamonds, gold and precious stones for hundreds of years. Their two companies monopolized commerce in that area of the world. The pending marriage between Sophia and her boyfriend would be the final move by the families to solidify their grip on the economy.
Unfortunately, the World Council moved into the area and set up a puppet government before the marriage took place. The entire political and economic systems in the region were turned upside down. The influence of the two families plummeted to nothing. The once prosperous families were targeted as enemies of the state. The new government confiscated their wealth and nationalized their businesses. In less than six months, the former powerful and wealthy families became pawns of the state with no more and no less than everyone else. They joined the ranks of the equally poor.
Even though Sophia's family accepted their fate, they continued to petition the government for the return of their land and assets. It never happened, and her father and mother died a pauper's death. Her brothers, sisters and their spouses were labeled enemies of the state and sent, one-by-one, to re-education camps. They refused to learn and follow the world government's dictates and ended up dying in the camps. Sophia was the only family member who went along with the government's propaganda. She played the role of a reformed citizen perfectly to gain her freedom. All the while, her hatred for the World Council grew day-by-day.
By the time she was released from the re-education camp, she was ready to strike back at the World Council. She sought revenge for the destruction of her family, the theft of her property and hijacking of her youthful happiness. It wasn't long before she united with other dissidents and formed a retaliatory strike force. Their goal was to do anything they could to cripple the central government. To assist in this effort, Sophia became the mistress of a high government official. It was her first experience as an espionage mole.
Her boyfriend's family reacted differently to the government's take-over. They fell in line with whatever the central government wanted from its citizens. They adapted to the new government and culture and learned how to survive in a highly regulated society. They used caches of diamonds to supplement and improve their standard of living by selling the stones in the underground economy.
She made the mistake of reuniting with her boyfriend. In the four years they were apart, each of them had changed quite a bit; more than either of them realized. Sophia truly believed his professed love for her. Her love was so deep she told him about the dissident group and her role as a mistress to help the group's cause.
Within two days, Sophia and everyone else in the revolutionary group were arrested. The government's justice was swift. The men in the group were executed. The women who were still a valued commodity after the FISS plague became servants and slaves to high ranking members of the local government. Sophia, who was beautiful by Moldovan standards, became the sex slave to a local magistrate. He treated her well, but she dreamed of the day she would escape and leave that area of the world. But not before slitting her ex-boyfriend's throat.
Chapter Eighteen
A Night of Lies, Worries, and Passion
Rollie expected Sophia at 9:30 p.m. That gave him just enough time to contact Claude, put together a tray of finger-food and make sure there was an adequate supply of beverages.
"Mr. Sweats, how good of you to call. What can I do for you tonight?" Since making their secret pact to manipulate the CR47 project, Claude kidded around and poked fun at Rollie more and more.
"Claude, knock off the crap. I've got something important to tell you. Hang on a minute, someone is at the door." Rollie hoped he could get the call to Claude done before Sophia arrived. He wasn't quite sure it was a good idea to let her overhear their conversation due to the sensitive topics. But, in this case, he couldn't see an overwhelming reason to keep her in the dark about what he was getting ready to tell Claude. Before opening the door, he made sure the visual option on his communicator was off so Claude couldn't see his guest.
His eyes bugged out when he opened the door. Standing before him was a goddess. Sophia had never looked so inviting and sensual. For a moment Rollie considered hanging up on Claude and devoting all his attention to this gorgeous creature. He smiled, gave her a peck on the cheek and motioned for her to have a drink and sit down.
"Okay, I'm back. The next-door neighbor needed to return a serving bowl. Anyhow, I was told tonight that the World …"
That's as far as Rollie got before Claude interrupted. "Let me guess, Rollie. The World Council has sent one of its members here to Phoenvartis."
"How the hell did you know that?"
"Believe it or not, I have a few friends at the company. I've already gotten two calls telling me about the World Council member who showed up today. They said he arrived sometime around noon."
"Well, your information is absolutely correct." Rollie paused for a moment to think about who Claude's contacts in the company might be. It was hard to concentrate considering how sexy Sophia looked in her tight outfit. "Hey, if you knew about this guy why didn't you call me?"
"Rollie, I did call you. I've been trying to reach you for the past cou
ple of hours. Check your call log."
Rollie did a quick search and spotted several contacts from Claude. "Yeah, I see them. Sorry, I didn't answer. I must have had my communicator in ignore mode."
"Rollie, why do you think he's here and what do you want me to do?" Rollie could tell by the tone of Claude's voice he was very concerned and anxious about the visitor.
"I think he's here to check on the ReLife project. I don't know if he'll want to talk with you, Claude. But, if he does, stick to the same answers we've told Klaus. Nothing more and nothing less. I'm hoping he'll only question me and Klaus. It would be odd if he dragged you into the discussions. Anyhow, stay calm and either follow my lead if I'm in the room with you or stick to what we've already told Klaus. Very simple. Got it?"
Rollie didn't wait to hear Claude's response. Sophia was waiting and if he didn't end the communication, Claude would think of a hundred questions to ask. "Listen, I need to go. I'll see you in the morning around 8:30. Get a good night's sleep. We have a lot to figure out. By the way, how are your little friends doing?"
"I assume you mean the mice. They're fine. I've started testing them as you suggested. Nothing abnormal about them yet. They're acting like regular mice."
"Okay, good. I'll see you in the morning. Take it easy." With that, Rollie shut off his communicator and turned his attention to Sophia who was kneeling on the floor playing with the puppy.
"Rollie, whose dog is this? What a cutie."
Rollie smiled at the two of them wishing he had a recorder handy to capture the little guy licking Sophia's face.
