Kindle Series 3-Book Bundle: A Genetic Engineering Science Fiction Thriller Series

by Orrin Jason Bradford

  “I’ve been completely unnecessary,” Damba finished for him.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Flip replied.

  “You just did,” Damba shot back.

  “But the mission is far from over, Damba. We don’t know what might happen in the next day or so. You can think of yourself as our ace-in-the-hole.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Damba asked.

  “Well, it’s a poker term,” Flip replied.

  “What’s poker?”

  “Oh, never mind. It means you’re our reserve for unexpected contingencies.”

  Damba stared at him, a confused look on his face.

  “In case the shit hits the fan,” Flip tried again.

  Damba continued to stare at Flip for several seconds before turning away, anger replacing the look of confusion.

  “I’ll be in my room if you need me,” he said as he stomped out of the room. He stopped at the door to his bedroom. “You know, if the shit hits the fan.”

  The three sisters rushed to hug each other while Willow and Hassan looked on. After several seconds, Hassan spoke up.

  “Well, isn’t that sweet. I always enjoy a good family reunion.”

  Tina continued to hug Tabitha and Kristin while glancing over to the Sheik. “Thank you for bringing our sisters back to us.”

  But at the same time, she was also sending her sisters a different message.

  Play along with me.

  What’s that? Tabitha asked.

  Just play along with whatever I say. It’ll be mostly lies.

  Tina pulled back from Tabitha and Kristin and gave them a slight nod to confirm they understood. They nodded back.

  “Welcome home,” Tina said. “We were all so worried about you when you fell into the water. We were afraid we’d never see you again. Boy, you would have missed out. We’ve been having such a fun time; thanks to everything that this dear man has provided.”

  Tabitha and Kristin glanced over at their host, confused looks on their faces.

  Remember…play along. Tabitha reminded them.

  “I’m only too happy to provide you with a safe sanctuary,” Hassan replied with a nod to Tina. He turned his gaze to Willow, a smug look on his face as though to say, see how well this is turning out.

  “Where’s our brother?” Tabitha asked, pulling away from Tina and taking a menacing step towards Hassan. “What have you done with Mel?”

  Willow stepped between her and Hassan. “He’s indisposed at the moment. Best you keep your attention on you and your sisters, for now.”

  “What have you done with him?” Tabitha persisted.

  “He’s completely safe and out of harm’s way,” Hassan answered. “Don’t fret about him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Tina said. Cool it, Tab. We’ll find Mel later. Promise.

  Tabitha glared at her sister but said nothing more.

  “It’s so good to see you,” Kristin spoke up, trying to relieve the tension. “How is everyone else?”

  “They’re just fine,” Tina answered. “More than fine. We’re having so much fun and have met so many wonderful people. I can’t wait to introduce you to them.”

  It’s really horrible here. We’re constantly watched. We have to do exactly whatever the Sheik asks including wearing these ridiculous outfits. It’s like being in a prison. But as she shared their real situation Tina continued to smile broadly.

  “I’m looking forward to discovering what special talents you two possess,” Hassan continued as he walked over to his desk and flipped a switch on the phone console. “But for now, I’ll give you a little time to become acclimated to your new home.”

  “Yes sir?” A male voice came from the phone,

  Hassan leaned over the desk as he spoke. “Take our two new guests to meet Zillah.”

  He turned back to the girls. “My wife, Zillah, manages my harem and she’ll make sure you’re well taken care of. Right, Tina?”

  “Yes, Sheik Hassan. She’s become like a mother to us. I don’t know what we’d do without her,” Tina replied. But I’d sure like to find out. She’s a selfish, self-centered tyrant who constantly nags us and keeps putting her nose in our business, she added for Tabitha and Kristin’s sake.

  The door to Hassan’s office opened and a pudgy man entered wearing a security guard uniform that appeared to be about three sizes too small.

  The three of us could over power this jackass and get out of here, Tabitha said as she stared at Tina for confirmation of her spontaneous plan.

  It won’t work, Tina replied. There are security cameras everywhere. We’d get caught in no time, plus they’d still have our other sisters.

  Tabitha continued to glare at Tina for several seconds before finally relinquishing. Okay…for now, but remember who’s the leader now that I’m back.

  The guard waved them towards the door. Still smiling, Tina led the way with Tabitha and Kristin reluctantly following behind her. After they’d left, the Sheik turned to Willow.

  “Good job bringing them in. What’s the status with the boy?”

  “He’s being kept sedated and under close guard,” Willow replied.

  “Okay, good, at least for now. Eventually, we’ll need to figure out what to do with him. He might be one of our greatest assets.”

  “Well, for sure he’s the most dangerous one,” Willow replied.

  “True,” Sheik Hassan agreed, “We’ll just need to find a way to turn that danger to our advantage.”

  Surprise

  The guard escorted the three sisters down the hall to the elevator that would take them to the upper level where the harem quarters were. Waiting for the elevator, Tina glanced first to Tabitha and then to Kristin.

  Something is different about the two of you, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.

  She noticed Tabitha trying to signal Kristin with a slight shake of her head. Unfortunately, Kristin either didn’t catch the motion or chose to ignore it.

  We’re both pregnant! Kristin conveyed enthusiastically as though she was just waiting for the opportunity to share the news.

  You’re what? Tina asked incredulously as the elevator dinged and the door began to open. How is that possible? You’re too young…are you sure? Who’s the father…never mind. It’s Mel, isn’t it?

  The three of them walked into the elevator with the guard close behind them. He pushed the button for the second floor and waited for the elevator door to close.

  Yes, Mel’s the father, Tabitha replied. You just had to go spill the beans, didn’t you, Kristin?

  No, wait, Tina interrupted. No time to argue. We’ve got to keep this a secret. If Hassan finds out…it’s no telling what he’ll do. Are you showing yet?

  Yeah, a little bit, Kristin said, but only without our clothes and if you look closely.

  Well, mother Zillah will do just that, Tina replied, and everyone is forced to take a shower or bath upon entering the harem. We’ve got to make sure she’s not around when you get yours.

  Okay, how we do that?

  I haven’t the foggiest idea, Tina replied as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

  The harem was a large room that occupied close to half of the upper story of Falcon Nest, divided into different areas by plush furniture with an abundance of colorful pillows and lounge chairs. There were tables scattered about with different activities ranging from simple cards, to computers displaying the latest video games.

  As the three girls entered, their guard spoke briefly to one of the women sitting behind the reception desk, giving Tabitha a chance to look around. She estimated at least fifteen or twenty other women sat around the lounge room, a few munching on a late breakfast or snack.She noticed that while long dark hair seemed to predominate, there were several women who were blonde and one or two redheads. The two things they all had in common was their amazing beauty and healthy, youthful appearance. She noticed one other common quality; they all appeared incredibly bored…until a couple of t
hem noticed her and Kristin. Immediately a wave of whispers flew through the room as everyone turned their attention on the new arrivals.

  Through the flock of femme fatale strolled a slightly older but still gorgeous woman, the translucent light blue fabric of her dress flowing behind her like a wave cascading on the beach. She wore her sandy blonde hair back in a severe bun that gave her face a harsh look accentuated by steely gray eyes.

  That’s Zillah, Tina conveyed as she plastered a fake smile on her face. Don’t be fooled by her.

  “Hello, my darling girls. Welcome to your new home,” Zillah said waving her arms around like a dancer listening to her own music. “I’m Zillah, Hassan’s first wife, but just think of me as the mother you never knew. Isn’t that right, Tina?”

  “Sure,” Tina replied, the smile never wavering, but before she could elaborate, there was a commotion from behind Zillah as the rest of the Kindred sisters rushed forward.

  “Oh my,” Zillah said as the girls passed her. “What a wonderful reunion.”

  For several minutes, the room was filled with greetings, mixed with hugs and kisses and more than a few tears.

  “We’ve so missed you two,” Mia said as she hugged first Tabitha and then Kristin.

  “Yeah, we’ve even missed your bossiness,” Heather said as she took her turn to hug Tabitha. The sisters, dressed in colorful outfits much like the one Tina wore, encircled the two new arrivals, chattering without anyone really listening…until Tina delivered the news.

  Listen up. We have a problem. Tabitha and Kristin are both pregnant with Mel’s babies.

  The scene instantly froze like someone had pressed the pause button on a video, and the chattering stopped as well, but only for a couple of seconds as Tina stepped up and exclaimed.

  “Welcome to our not-so-humble abode. Isn’t this great?” She waved her arms in an effort to reanimate her sisters. The activity resumed but with a noticeable decrease in enthusiasm.

  Mimi Rawlins positioned herself several yards away from the front entrance in a distant corner of the harem room. Her feelings still smarted from the calloused comments from her first meeting with Zillah.

  “What are you doing here?” Zillah had asked in near perfect English. “You’re not at all Hassan’s type,” she continued as she reached out and touched Mimi’s hair with a disdaining wave of her hand. “Way too short and a really bad dye job.” Zillah grasped her face between her two hands and studied it. “Nice bone structure though. I can work with it, though you’ll never be one of his favorites.”

  I have no interest in being one of his favorites, Mimi started to say, but then thought better of it.

  “She came with the other young girls,” her guard said to Zillah in Arabic. “Not sure what we’re going to do with her.”

  “So you dump her on me, is that it?” Zillah replied in the same language while Mimi looked on with a puzzled look on her face.

  The guard shrugged with a boyish grin. “Yeah, that’s about the size of it.”

  Zillah turned her attention back to Mimi. “We will start with a thorough cleaning. You girls come to me all filthy and smelling like pigs. Remove those nasty clothes. I’ll have someone bring you a clean outfit, and I’ll give you one warning. Do what I say and everything will be fine. Cross me at your own peril. Do you understand?”

  Mimi nodded and began to disrobe. She figured the best thing she could do was to keep as low a profile as possible, at least until she got the lay of the land. She did as she was told and allowed two of the other women to take her into the showers where she was thoroughly scrubbed down. By the time she was finished, her old clothes were gone and new ones were laid out in a neat stack.

  Afterwards, it didn’t take her long to find Kristin’s other sisters, since they were huddled together in one small group and were much younger than the rest of the harem. She thought about walking over to them and introducing herself, but then decided to just play the newspaper reporter role by keeping her eyes and ears open. There would be plenty of time to get to know them later. It looked like they would all be here for quite a while.

  This should make an interesting chapter in my memoirs, she thought. How I tried to help out a new friend, only to find myself imprisoned in a sheik’s harem. Yeah, good stuff for a book; but I’d prefer it be something I imagined for one of my works of fiction rather than my autobiography.

  She was about to doze off on a couch in a corner of the room when she heard a commotion at the front desk. She sat up to get a better view as Kristin and Tabitha entered, along with another young girl that Mimi suspected was another sister. Let’s see, that makes seven girls, she thought as she counted the ones she’d seen earlier. How many had the secretary back at the Research Triangle said there’d been? She couldn’t remember, but it seemed like most, if not all, of them were here…but for what reason, she wondered? Suddenly, both her reporter’s radar and her survival instincts went on high alert .

  She noticed the sudden pause that took place for a couple seconds. What had just happened? Every one of the sisters had stopped talking or moving simultaneously. But why? Even as she asked the question, everyone returned to normal…but not completely. Something had just passed among the sisters…something important. And like any good reporter, Mimi knew she wouldn’t rest until she found out what it was.

  As the clan of sisters moved back to the lounging area with Kristin and Tabitha, Mimi stood up and sauntered over, continuing to stay out of the way, waiting for the right opportunity to introduce herself.

  It didn’t take long before the moment arrived. Two of the sisters appeared to be keeping watch towards the front of the harem where Zillah continued to talk to the guard.

  “What are we going to do?” the young girl in the bright yellow and blue outfit who had entered with the new arrivals asked frantically. “We’ve got to keep this hidden from Zillah.”

  “But how? As soon as she has them disrobe for their shower, it’ll become obvious,” one of the other sisters replied loud enough for Mimi’s astute hearing to pick up.

  What could it be that they had to hide from the matron of the harem that would be obvious once the two girls disrobed, Mimi asked herself? Tattoos? Some scar or blemish that would mar their youthful beauty? Then, as she stared at first Kristin then at her companion…what had her name been? Tabitha, that’s right. Suddenly another possibility popped in her head. Could it be? The two girls had been with the teenage boy, probably for quite some time, and Mimi remembered from her high school days the number one thing on most teenage boys’ minds. Could it be that the two girls were pregnant? No way, Mimi thought, rejecting the idea at first. How could that be? They weren’t old enough, or were they? They sure looked old enough, and what had Rachael said? Her pregnancy had only been a few weeks, not the normal nine months, and apparently that rapid growth rate had continued.

  She was about to walk over to the group to introduce herself and offer her assistance, then noticed Zilla approaching and thought better of it.

  “Okay, first order of business; the new young girls must be cleaned.” Zillah said as she tossed two large black garbage bags in their general direction. “Take off your clothes and place them in these bags so they can be incinerated. No telling what nasty things are growing in them. Then, off to the showers with you.”

  The clan of sisters stood frozen in place.

  “Come, come girls. Mustn’t dawdle.”

  Slowly, the two girls started to disrobe, first removing their shoes and socks, then their soiled blouses, and finally their pants. Kristin and Tabitha moved as slowly as they could as Zillah stood watching impatiently.

  I’ve got to do something, Mimi thought. But what could she do?

  Create a diversion, the idea popped into her head, and even before it was fully formed, she started walking towards the small cluster, a guttural sound vibrating up from the center of her body. As it grew in volume, the girls turned their attention to the source of the strange sound, but more importantly, so
did Zillah.

  Mimi stumbled towards them as she forced her eyes to start to move to the back of her head, shaking her entire body as she moved forward. “Heellpp…me,” she slurred as she collapsed just a few feet from the harem’s matron, her body continuing to shake uncontrollably. She’d never seen a person in the throes of an epileptic seizure, but she figured it was also unlikely that Zillah had, either. It was the best diversion she could think of on the spur of the moment, and it worked wonderfully.

  Everyone jumped into action as Zillah screamed for help. “Get over here! She’d having a fit. Someone call security!” She raced around frantically, like the proverbial chicken missing its head. Seeing the matron’s attention momentarily distracted as she called for help, Mimi waved her hands at the sisters and pointed towards the showers, quickly returning to her play acting.

  The young girl who had accompanied the new arrivals deciphered what was happening, and quickly ushered Kristin and Tabitha to the bath area. Meanwhile, Mimi continued shaking uncontrollably on the floor. Zillah ordered two of the larger women to hold her down. One of the redheads stepped forward with a towel and forced it into Mimi’s mouth.

  “It’ll keep her from chewing her tongue,” she declared.

  Mimi had read once that seizures could vary in length and severity depending on the condition and the patient, but after a little over five minutes she found herself exhausted and drenched with perspiration. She slowly reduced the shaking but continued to act as though only semi-conscious. Finally, she heard a commotion behind the crowd that had gathered around her and saw Kristin and Tabitha walking out of the shower area, dressed in loosely fitting clothes that hid their condition and towel drying their hair. They were safe; at least for the time being. Now it was time to find out if her suspicions were true. Was Kristin or Tabitha pregnant; or God forbid, could both young girls be in such a condition?