3rd World Products, Book 17

by Ed Howdershelt

  In a small voice, she asked, “How high are we?”

  I consulted my core and rounded my answer up one when I replied, “Forty-seven miles.”

  Looking down, she asked, “How do you know that?”

  “I asked an AI.”

  She faced me and asked, “How do you do that?”

  “When you get a PFM, you’ll be able to do it too.”

  Marie seemed to accept that answer as she continued peering around. Athena appeared between us and took control of our boards, moving us a couple of miles quickly. Marie had been startled as hell and now looked pretty shaken, but what happened next made her shriek and twist herself around.

  A thin, short, bright line formed to our right. It seemed to stretch down toward us, widening and brightening, and almost instantly became a bright ball that flashed past us. A soft rumble followed it and an odd thundering sounded below as it hit thicker air. Marie stared after it, then turned her stare on Athena.

  With a smile, Athena said, “If you’ll wait here a bit less than four minutes, two smaller ones will arrive,” and vanished. I linked to say, “Thanks, Athena.”

  Marie’s eyes had widened even further. She turned to me and asked, “Two more?” Her voice was somewhat high-pitched.

  I nodded. “That’s what she said. Wanna stick around for it?”

  “Uh… are we safe? Really?”

  “That’s why she moved us over here, ma’am.”

  “Ah… well, okay, then. I guess. Was that Athena?”

  Putting up a screen, I replied, “Yup,” and linked to my core to display the incoming rocks. Two rather vague objects appeared on the screen. I zoomed on them, but they remained vague. Zooming again, I realized why; they were spinning fast.

  Marie moved closer and I turned us to face the impending show more precisely. The meteor had left a wispy smoke trail that was already dissipating and barely visible.

  When I sipped my coffee, Marie seemed to suddenly remember her own and sipped as she watched the screen. Green numbers spun down as the minutes passed. With ten seconds to atmospheric contact, I pointed ahead and said, “Watch.”

  Twin bright lines formed ahead of us. They seemed to diverge as they approached and shot past us, again brightening the sky fiercely as they found thicker air. Marie stared down after them as the rumbling and thunder raged and faded.

  She asked, “Did they hit the ground?”

  “No.” When she looked up, I indicated the screen. “They burned out ten miles above the Atlantic.”

  Marie abruptly put a hand to her stomach and bent slightly. I didn’t bother asking if she was all right, I had Galatea appear in standard mode ahead of us with her bathroom field up.

  Sliding aboard, I pointed at the wide column in the middle of the flitter and said, “That’s a bathroom.”

  Following me aboard, Marie hurried to the column and stopped for a quick look inside before she entered. I plunked myself into the pilot’s seat and put my feet up on the console. Marie came out a few minutes later and took the seat next to me.

  After a sip from her thermos, she said, “Thanks. I was wondering what the hell to do.”

  I chuckled, “If it happens while you’re alone, just go up a few miles for privacy and pee over the side.”

  She laughed softly, “Is that what you do?”

  “Nope. I call up my flitter and take a leak in a civilized manner.”

  We sat sipping for a time, then I said, “Before you toss the idea of working for 3rd World, I’d like you to meet a lady named Jessie. Ride with her through a typical day. She was issued a flitter for emergency work. Rescue, medical, all that.”

  A moment passed, then she said, “Okay. Why?”

  “Because as much as you’d like to try to help Steph and her team, they fight bureaucracy. It’s mostly paperwork, and I remember how you hated that. You need more action to be happy.”

  Giving me an arch look, Marie retorted, “Oh, really? You’re going to tell me what I need in my life?”

  I shrugged. “Talk with Steph. Ride with Jessie. Give it some thought and prove me wrong. If you can. Which I very much doubt. You’d go nuts in a legal office.”

  Eyeing her from toes to nose, I added, “And try to come up with an appropriate costume. Maybe something close to a bikini, to show off that knockout figure. It’ll make a great distraction when you’re up against the bad guys.”

  Her expression turned wry. “I’ll give that suggestion all the consideration it deserves.”

  I gave her my best dejected expression and sighed, “That actually means ‘no’, doesn’t it?”

  She chuckled, “Good guess. That’s exactly what it means.”

  Sipping my coffee, I muttered, “Damn.”

  Marie sipped and said, “Tell me about this Jessie person.”

  Putting Jessie’s public bio page on a screen, I sipped coffee as Marie read. After a time, she looked at me and said, “She looks good for her age, doesn’t she?”

  “Yup. Delicious, in fact.”

  “And you think I could do what she’s doing?”

  “Sure. You know as much as she did when she started.”

  “I think I’d want her opinion about that.”

  Pulling the screen back, I had it ping Jessie. She answered with a grinning show of vast surprise.

  “Ed?! At this hour of the morning?! Did somebody die?!”

  “Ha, ha, sweetie. If that was the case, I’d have gone back to bed. Got a minute to meet an old crony of mine?”

  “A crony?” Her face looked slightly puzzled for a moment, then brightened as she asked, “Would it be that woman Lori told me about? Marie… um… Conner, was it?”

  “That’s her. I suggested she might want a job like yours.”

  In a cautionary tone, Jessie replied, “Uh… Ed, she’d have to be at least your age, I think.”

  “Sounds about right.” Turning the screen, I added, “Here she is.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jessie and Marie marveled at each other for various reasons for some moments before Jessie said she was in Atlanta and could meet us for lunch.

  Marie asked, “Atlanta? That’s five hundred miles… oh, hell. I’m still thinking in road times.” Turning to me, she asked, “Ed?”

  “No biggie. It’ll take about fifteen minutes.” Looking at Jessie, I asked, “But before I say yes… Will you be wearing your Wonder Woman outfit today?”

  Rolling her eyes, she exasperatedly sighed, “Sorry, this is all you get.” The view stretched to show us Jessie in a well-fitting and businesslike dark blue skirt and jacket.

  I eyed her for a moment and said, “Well, I’m already feeling a little deprived, but yeah, okay. Lunch in Atlanta.”

  “Great. I’m due at a meeting, so call me at noon and we’ll hit a buffet place. Good?”

  “Sounds good. See you then.”

  “Okay. Bye for now. Later, Marie.”

  She poked her ‘off’ icon and I looked at Marie. She glanced down at herself and said, “I’ll need to change.”

  “Why? It’s just a buffet lunch.”

  Her gaze narrowed. It seemed to do that a lot for some reason.

  “You don’t understand, so don’t argue. I want to change.”

  Without further comment, she headed back to Tanya’s and I followed, wondering why she was in a hurry. It was only about nine-thirty. When we got there, Tanya wasn’t home. Marie called her as she installed me at the kitchen table and went to what I’d thought was Tanya’s bedroom. She emerged a few minutes later with clothes over her arm and ducked into the other bedroom, apparently still in a hurry.

  I put some coffee on as Marie made another trip into Tanya’s room. She stopped in the hall, eyed me for a moment, and then moved on. I heard muttering and a couple of swear words.

  As she again crossed the hall, I asked, “Need some help?”

  Marie raised her voice to say, “No, I’ve got it,” and crossed the hall again a few moments later. This time she zipped into
the bathroom and I heard the shower start.

  I got up and went to stand by the door to say, “We have over two hours, Marie. What’s the rush?”

  She yelled back, “Just a minute!”

  Leaning on the door frame, I sipped coffee and waited as instructed. Suddenly the door opened and Marie stood magnificently naked by the bathroom sink.

  When I started to speak, she held up her right hand and shook her head. “No,” she said firmly, “Don’t say anything, just get ready for a shower.”

  Her right hand seemed steady as a rock, but I saw the fingers of her left tremble as she reached to rest her hand on the sink counter.

  I didn’t know why she’d be nervous and said nothing but, “Be right back,” before I headed for my pack in the kitchen. Setting my coffee on the table, I grabbed my pack and had my toothbrush out of its side pocket before I got back to the bathroom.

  Someone else might ask why I did that. Not Marie. Her pack was already in the bathroom; she’d had the same training about never letting your luggage out of your sight. Retrieving my pack made her smile. I set it by hers and started stripping.

  Marie checked the water again, adjusted it a bit, and stepped into the shower. I followed moments later and she handed me a bottle of shampoo. What followed was warm, wet, and fairly wonderful. She no longer trembled, likely because her impromptu escapade was actually underway.

  Had she really had any doubt I’d cooperate? As I washed her hair, I let my enthusiasm nudge her now and then. She chuckled softly and reached for it, apparently examining it thoroughly by touch as she chuckled again.

  I didn’t wonder why she’d chosen this particular ‘here’ and ‘now’. The apartment was turf over which she had a measure of control. She’d just been presented with yet another shiny new option in her life by someone who’d turned out to be a friend. There was undoubtedly more to it, but that really didn’t matter to me at that moment.

  Even as I thought that, Marie parted her wet hair away from her face and looked up at me, then said, “This is going to… Well, let’s just say it’s going to put some of my concerns to rest.”

  “Figured it was something like that.”

  Her left eyebrow arched. “You did, did you?”

  “Yup. Sure did. Something was bugging you and you’re doing something about it, just like you always have. I’m just real glad this is the way you decided to do it.”

  Glancing down, she grinned. “I can see that.” Meeting my gaze, she asked, “So you don’t need an explanation right this minute?”

  Shaking my head, I replied, “No, ma’am. Take your time.”

  Marie laughed and handed me the soap, then turned around and said, “Do my back while I think about what to tell you.” Craning a bit to look back at me, she added, “And what not to tell you.”

  Hm. Okay. That, too. I soaped her back pretty thoroughly and turned her around to do her front. Marie’s eyes met mine in one of those direct, studious gazes that mean the brain behind them is trying to figure something out.

  “Yes’m? A question?”

  She watched my hands for a moment, then shook her head. “No. I think I know the answer.”

  “You could ask and maybe find out for sure.”

  “Maybe later.”

  I shrugged and knelt to wash her lovely thighs. When my fingers tickled her bush, she startled slightly, though their course had been pretty obvious. With a nervous giggle, Marie moved her feet slightly apart to allow my hands to roam.

  A giggle? Marie? I couldn’t remember ever having heard her make that noise before. Not even once. Subjective memory? Maybe I just didn’t want to ‘cuz it would blow my image of her.

  She said, “I bought something on the way home last night. Hope you like cherries.”

  Looking up, I asked, “Oil?”

  She nodded. “I thought we might need it.” With a little moue-shrug, she amended, “I thought I might need it.”

  Trying to look as innocent as possible, I asked, “So this wasn’t altogether spontaneous?”

  With a big grin, she laughed, “Ha! You know so much better. Actually, I wasn’t sure this would happen, but I wanted to be prepared. Just in case.”

  “Ah. Better to have than to need. Sharp as ever, huh?”

  After a short pause came, “That I’m still not sure about. I haven’t said anything to Tanya, but there are some small gaps in my memory. Just little bits and pieces of things. There were other missing pieces, but they came back. Somehow. Maybe these will, too.”

  “Anything really important? Stuff you can’t live without?”

  She shook her head again. “I don’t think so. Just odd spots. Blank spots where there ought to be something.”

  Standing up, I handed her the soap and asked, “Do you remember when we made love on the train to Bremerhaven?”

  Rolling her eyes, Marie rather firmly slapped a handful of lather onto my chest and said, “We never did that. Don’t mess with me.”

  “How about the fifty bucks you borrowed for…”

  She grabbed my dick and squeezed, her nails digging in a bit.

  I quickly said, “Yes’m. Don’t mess with you. Got it.”

  “Good.”

  Letting go of me, Marie grinningly resumed washing me.

  After a time, she stood on tiptoe to kiss me and said, “You’re too tall. Do your own hair and come find me.”

  With that, she got out of the shower and started toweling herself. I quickly washed my hair and stepped out, but she was already gone. I heard her in the kitchen. Grabbing my pack, I headed that way with a towel around me.

  Marie was also wearing a towel. She sipped coffee and smiled as she sat down at the table. I checked my coffee and topped it up, then sat down next to her.

  After another sip, she asked, “Aren’t we quite a pair?”

  I didn’t know what she meant, but I allowed, “Apparently so.”

  Rolling her eyes again, she glanced down at the tent in my lap and said, “You don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. I mean you and me. Us. Sitting here about to go to bed together after all these years and all that… drama, for lack of a better word.”

  Nodding acknowledgment, I replied, “Ah. That. I think we just washed it away.”

  Eyeing me for a moment, she nodded slightly. “That’s actually a good metaphor for it.” Snorting a chuckle that interrupted her next sip of coffee, she said, “I wasn’t going to go through with it until I’d had a look at the goods.”

  I nodded again. “Very sensible, ma’am. And may I say, your goods look delicious.”

  “Thank you. Yours aren’t bad either. Are you wondering why we’re sitting in the kitchen?”

  “Nope. You took the lead a while ago. I figured you had some reason for coming in here.”

  Marie sipped and nodded, then said, “I did. I needed a break. I’m not used to what we’re doing, Ed. Not at all. It feels good… it feels great, in fact… but I needed to step away for a few minutes.”

  I shrugged and sipped my coffee as I waited for more.

  She eyed me for a time, then asked, “Do you really not give a damn?”

  “I just don’t see any need to hurry. You’ll get there when you’re ready.”

  Her gaze narrowed and she lowered her coffee cup. In a flat tone, she asked, “After that shower, you think I’m not ready?”

  Looking around, I replied, “You appear to have led us out to the kitchen, ma’am. If you’d been ready, we’d be in the bedroom.”

  My implant pinged with Angie’s chime. I sent our ‘not alone’ pings and held up a hand to pause whatever Marie had been about to say. To show her something was happening, I put up a blank screen when I answered, “Yo. Here. Present, Fearless Leader Number Two.”

  Angie replied, “I need you in the air fast, Ed. It’s big. Who’s your company?”

  “Marie.”

  “Not a problem, then. One of Iran’s reactors is on the fritz. They say they have it under control, but we have doubt
s. They’ve refused offers of help and shut down any further discussion. The AIs say they need Iranian permission to assist.”

  She paused, then added, “Ed, I know you don’t give a fat damn about the Middle East, but a Chernobyl-style incident could easily reach Israel.”

  “Yeah, I know. Send me what you have.”

  “Already done. Look it over on the way.”

  “Things are that bad, huh?”

  “We think so. The tipster works at Fordow. He’s essentially trapped there, since leaving during a shift wouldn’t look right.”

  Marie asked, “Has anyone verified his tip?”

  Standing up, I asked, “Doesn’t a commo blackout cover that?”

  Angie said, “Given the seriousness of the event, the Iranians were asked directly. They demanded to know our source and vehemently denied any difficulties. Help was offered anyway. That’s when they clammed up. That’s also when Stan Maxwell called me.”

  Also standing, Marie asked, “Stan Maxwell?”

  Grabbing my pack, I said, “NSA boss.”

  Marie stood up fast. “To hell with that! I’m going with you!”

  Angie said, “You’re not cleared for things like this, Marie.”

  Whipping around to face the empty screen, Marie snapped, “Col. Horn, I was cleared for things like this before you were born and I’m not letting him go to a place like Iran alone.”

  Leaving them to hash it out, I went to the bedroom and had my pants and shoes on before Marie came in. She started getting dressed without comment. I glanced into the other room. The silent screen still hung over the kitchen table.

  Marie sat on the bed and said, “She’s gone. She warned me Iran was on the proscribed list. I said if you could go, so could I. She suggested I ask you whether I ought to go along.”

  Looking up from slipping her shoes on, she said, “But I’m not going to do that because I’m not letting you go there alone.”

  Standing up, she asked, “Any objections?”

  Buttoning my shirt, I asked, “Isn’t that the same as asking whether you can go along?”

  She slipped into her blouse as she said, “Don’t be difficult. What kind of clothes will I need?”