Jezebel's Ladder

by Scott Rhine

  Trina pointed to the butterfly around Jezebel’s neck. “Get rid of that and you might stand a chance.”

  The former dancer had forgotten she had the device on. “Oh. Without it, quantum sneaks really hurt. If I try one without this, my organs get damaged. Doc Weiss told me to keep it until I heal more. I don’t know when that will be. There’s always another emergency.”

  Trina laid her head on Jez’s shoulder and said very quietly, “If you need us to, we would carry a baby for you, yours and Benny’s. It would be like having one of our own.”

  “Oh, sweetie,” Jez said, crying and hugging her old roommate tight. Then she got hit with cramps, gripping her above the stomach, almost into the chest. Doubled over, she screamed, “Aaaaah! An active is coming up the elevator!”

  An instant later, Trina pulled up a two-foot stake from the potted plant by the elevator and crouched off to the side.

  This time Jez’s senses were different. When she concentrated, she could feel weaker lights–five normal humans with the active. Was it the medication or was she just evolving? She could tell the man in front was nervous, the only non-professional, probably an innocent clerk with the key.

  Using the butterfly computations, she could see the scene play out in her mind. Benny was unconscious. Daniel wouldn’t get to his wheelchair in time. Jez could get the clerk out of the way and maybe stun one agent with her weapon. Her guard, Carl, probably wouldn’t make it into the foyer until the conflict was over. Trina would kill the Rex in the first second and probably disable a few more agents. But one of them would shoot her. Because of the girl’s new talents, the resulting wave of pain or death scream would broadcast through everyone on the Ladder side. They could all end up dead or incapacitated.

  Holding her Taser out to Trina, she ordered, “Escape down the stairway.”

  Trina gripped the stake tightly. “We won’t leave us.”

  “Run or I’ll have to zap you and drag you into the stairs. Trust me!”

  Trina was conflicted. “Give us the butterfly, and we’ll leave.”

  The girl was right. The page couldn’t fall into the wrong hands, but would Trina give it to someone else? It all came down to trust. This woman had just offered her a child, so Jez handed over her two most prized possessions: her only weapon and her greatest tool. The loss of these and her friend left Jez dazed. She heard the stairwell door click shut just as the elevator dinged open.

  The agents had flak vests and caps that read FBI.

  “I’ve come to turn myself in,” she announced.

  The men were puzzled as they moved cautiously into the foyer. Brooklyn Carl opened his door, gun in hand, but Jez ordered him to stand down. “I’m surrendering.”

  One of the agents patted her down and confiscated her phone. Another cuffed her and began reading her rights. The others frisked Carl and searched his room for accomplices. She recognized the active as a Rex who had been arrested after the raid on the LA headquarters. She recalled that he had been a professional weightlifter of some kind. “Isn’t he supposed to be in jail?” she demanded.

  “He’s an informant who saw a terrorist suspect in a recent internet video. He is assisting us in tracking this dangerous fugitive.” The agent’s voice reminded her of the actor Darren McGavin.

  The weightlifter said, “She’s not the blonde you want. This is her lesbo girlfriend.”

  The head agent was of medium height and medium build. The only traits that would have pulled him out of a sea of faces were the hint of red in his short, thinning, brown hair and the highly polished military shoes. He rolled his eyes. “We tracked her here because Ms. Johnson got married to a man. The clerk tweeted it last night. The east coast TV morning shows and blogs are showing her wedding photos from this hotel.”

  “Doesn’t mean she’s not a lesbo,” the Rex insisted.

  “Do you have to make up these fantasies in prison?” asked Jez.

  “Horvath told me herself when I asked her on a date,” said the lifter.

  One of them might have been, thought Jez. Or that could have been her standard kiss-off line.

  “You’re right, this is not the woman we have the warrant for,” said the lead agent. He turned to the clerk and asked, “Which room was the suspect in?”

  “Wait,” she stalled. “Special Agent, what was your name? I haven’t even seen your credentials.”

  Daniel was struggling to look through the peephole in his door. Benny was sleeping through it all. The agent in charge flashed a photo ID and introduced himself as Paul Normandy.

  “I’m paying for all these rooms. May I see that warrant you were discussing?” she demanded.

  He pulled the document out without a second thought and held it up for her examination. However, while she was reading the theft and espionage charges against Nena Horvath in great detail, Agent Normandy blinked. He seemed to shake off something. “I think I should be the one asking questions around here.” He pulled out a black-and-white photo of a woman in skin-tights robbing an office.

  “Do you recognize her?”

  “When was this taken?”

  “Last Tuesday night.”

  Jez shook her head. “You have the wrong person.” The weightlifter was taking too much of an interest in their discussion. “That steroid monster is ten times more dangerous to you than Miss Horvath will ever be. He’s stronger than anyone you’ve ever met and nothing short of a bullet to the brain is likely to stop him.”

  Normandy raised his eyebrows and reassessed the informant. “Thanks for your concern. I’m told this perp only guarded the escape vehicle, and was a model inmate. Even so, I brought two extra agents to guard him.”

  She pulled her hand loose from the cuffs while Normandy’s head was turned. When he faced her again, she whispered. “It won’t be enough. He’ll kill at least one of you before you can blink. He’s excited now, heart-rate elevated.”

  “Our documentation lists the suspect as Nena Horvath.”

  She shook her head as she watched the hulk shamble across the room. “Nena is a myth. Check any of her references, phone numbers, or back story. You’ll find no leads: no DNA, no fingerprints, not even on applications. Unsnap your weapon,” Jez said without changing her tone.

  The weightlifter moved behind the agent questioning Carl by the stairwell. The criminal was waiting. The two men were only inches apart. Multitasking, she continued, “Slowly wrap your hand around the grip. Trina Horvath, however, is real. She is my personal assistant. Trina was with us Tuesday night. We have at least two witnesses. What you have is a picture of her sister Sedna.”

  When another agent disappeared into the hotel room, she could feel the Rex’s eyes as they went to the holster in front of him. The brute’s left arm went around the FBI agent’s throat with crushing force to silence him while the right drew the man’s gun.

  “Turn, now!” she shouted and dove with her hand toward her own doorknob.

  Normandy fired three shots into the Rex as she dialed 911 on Benny’s phone.

  She handed the phone to one of the agents trying to save the man with the damaged windpipe. She got some of the Rex's blood on the hem of her robe. “Ambulances are on their way. The woman on the line will try to talk you through first aid while you’re waiting.”

  In all the commotion, no one re-cuffed her. Agent Normandy stared at Jez the entire time, trying to figure her out.

  After his man was taken care of and the ambulances were leaving, Normandy’s voice cracked with emotion, “Who is Sedna and why didn’t this guy want me knowing about her?”

  “You’re very perceptive,” she admitted. “Though, I’m sorry; you’re not cleared for that information.” She went to the evidence bin and pulled out her phone. She hit the button for the head of the Midas Project. “Colonel Tannenbaum? Sorry to wake you. Can you tell this nice FBI agent what he needs to know?”

  After a brief discussion, Normandy asked, “Why does a fired cocktail waitress have Homeland Security on speed dial?”
>
  Jez switched to her original distraction script, “My first crime was a violation of the 1976 US Foreign Powers Act. Elias Fortune bribed minor officials of the Tibetan government to look the other way when… well, you’re not cleared for that either. But I didn’t report it. That makes me an accessory. I demand you take me in.”

  “Why don’t we have a seat in Carl’s room and finish our conversation in a civilized fashion. You’re obviously a very conscientious citizen. Bribing low-level officials in most of those countries is practically a requirement. Unless you have something more severe?”

  She considered this. “Fortune bribing officials in Brazil to speed an acquisition of an aerospace company?”

  Normandy shook his head. “The US government helped to expedite that transfer. They wouldn’t arrest him for that. Is there anything that you in particular are guilty of?”

  She changed the subject again. “My friend Daniel can attest to the identity of the woman in the photo. He can tell the difference in the girls by sight. He’s been sleeping with Trina and somehow he can tell which is which just by staring at their ass while they walk.”

  Not being an idiot, the agent caught the shift. “Your confession, Ms. Johnson?”

  She winced. “Mrs. Hollis now. If you’ll wake up Benny, he’ll tell you.”

  Normandy stared at her. “What did you do?”

  Jez struggled but eventually said, “I’d have thought it obvious by now to a man of your training. I’ve been stalling so Trina could get away.”

  ****

  Benny woke at eleven o’clock to find a swarm of federal agents in his suite. A fully-dressed Jez was entertaining them and serving coffee while an older man from Homeland Security explained, “The Horvath girl was trained by ex-KGB agents. She should be considered armed and dangerous.”

  Daniel was curled in the corner with his arms over his head muttering, “Have to follow.” His frantic breathing and strained face reminded Benny of a junkie going through withdrawal.

  “Babe,” he called, poking just his head out. “Could I talk to you for a second?”

  Jez excused herself and scampered into the bedroom. When she saw him naked, she cooed, “Trying to tempt me? I don’t think I’m that naughty.”

  Her smell brought back fantastic memories, but he backed away. “For right now, could I just get my underwear and an explanation?”

  “Well someone threw them on the other side of the hot tub.”

  He tingled with the memory again, smiling against his will. “Hey, are you manipulating me?”

  She smiled. “I can’t use the talent like you can. I just distract people to other things they’re interested in. It’s kind of like the doctor smacking someone on the knee to see it jerk. I can also detect regular people from a distance if I try.”

  “How? You didn’t read the Empathy page.”

  “Empathy is contagious through our, ahem, contact, courtesy of the Collective page. I think any of the mental abilities might be transmitted this way.”

  “Interesting,” he noted. “What about the robe?”

  “I washed the blood out with the peroxide in my kit you made fun of me for. It’s still drying,” she admitted. When he reacted, she explained, “There was a gunfight, but I didn’t get hurt.”

  He smiled. “You know you can’t just slip the word gunfight in like that and move on just because you’re cute.”

  She sketched the series of events out for him, finishing with the plan of action, “I need you to take Daniel to the plane. Get him within range of his lady before he freaks out. I sent Claudette by commercial flight to warn Sedna.”

  “That’s dangerous,” he said, alarmed.

  “I have a feeling all our actives will be tied up for the near future. Nobody will see Starlet coming or track her in the confusion. Plus, we really need her to get the goodwill for this one. She’s not exempt from assassination in our deal, and she killed Sedna’s big sister. Starlet needs all the fence-mending she can get. She’s already talked to Ragnar and is running down a lead on Sedna’s location. If anything happens to my matron of honor, Virus knows I’ll come down on him like the wrath of God.”

  “What did Sedna steal?”

  “I’m guessing it was a new page—the Fossils or a government. It doesn’t matter which. The Fossils want it and are willing to kill to get it,” she summarized.

  “Why didn’t I wake up?” he complained.

  She smiled and traced her finger along his chest. “Either you were really relaxed from last night or you caught something from one of my pages that knocked you flat.”

  He nodded. “So how do we get rid of all these agents?”

  “It’s all a case of mistaken identity that Mr. Tannenbaum is clearing up for us. Trina should be safe by dinner time. Daniel can lead you straight to her. It was all I could do to keep him from shouting out her compass bearing and distance.”

  “That’s two we owe the Midas Project.”

  Jez nodded. “Well, I have to start payment today. I’ll be heading to Nellis Air Force Base with him. It’s only about ten minutes away.”

  “I want to hear from you every hour,” he demanded.

  She swallowed. “As often as they let me.”

  He looked into her eyes, calmed himself, and put his forehead against hers. It wasn’t fair; this was supposed to be their weekend. Looking down, he had to ask, “Why not clean the bunny slippers, too? They look like refugees from some horror film.”

  Her eyes glanced down toward her missing toe and her glow turned to shame. Raising her chin, he said, “I’m sorry. You never told me how it made you feel.”

  She was timid for the first time since they’d met. “You didn’t say anything about it. It was like the moose on the table. The doctors said you sent what Maverick had cut off along with us on the helicopter, but they couldn’t reattach it. You never visited after that…I assumed you didn’t want to see it.”

  “Didn’t you listen to the tape in your debrief?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It was private.” Tears were starting.

  “I dictated it to you,” he insisted. When she wrinkled her brow, he wrapped his arms around her and continued, “I apologized to you for not getting there sooner. I told you how brave you were to stand up to that sadistic butcher. I admired you for giving up a part of your life you loved so much just to buy time for a friend. That knife had my name on it, and you stepped in front of it. I promise that every time I see the damage he did, that’s what I’ll be thinking of—one of the biggest demonstrations of guts I’ve heard of in my life.”

  She kissed him. The tears made her lips soft and her mouth was unbelievably hot. He squeaked, “That touch sharing you do, can you do that with anyone?”

  She shook her head. “Only with you.”

  He stroked her hair. A thrill like buying a new pair of sandals washed over her. “Hey, did you just do that?”

  He didn’t answer, but kissed her hard. They were still kissing when Carl opened the door to check. “Oops. Sorry, boss.”

  Chapter 37 – The Midas Project

  Tannenbaum and Agent Normandy were both career investigators and developed an instant rapport. The gray-haired military officer reminisced as he polished his bifocals, “I came out of school with an aeronautics degree. There were no jobs in the seventies; PhDs were pushing brooms. So, I switched to journalism. Nobody wanted to pay me to do that for the first year. Then, I decided to serve my country in order to eat. The Air Force had no idea what to do with me. I got my start in Project Blue Book doing interviews for people who’d seen UFOs.”

  The older man waved his hands in the air and made a warbling sound. Normandy laughed. “Half the guys I talked to were the type who lose their driver’s license and have to ride the lawn tractor to the bar. The Office of Special Investigations kept me on because I could talk to geeks about the science and then explain it in terms the brass understood. These days, I mainly provide an interface between the Sandia think tanks and the
NASA folks. You know, connecting ideas to people who do the implementation. I know Mrs. Hollis through a colleague, an inventor I worked with, Dr. Weiss. He gives her the highest marks for moral fiber.”

  Normandy nodded. “So I’ve noticed.”

  “Since then, I’ve developed a relationship with her coterie of scientists. Fortune’s recruits do a lot of DoD research NASA doesn’t have the funding for anymore. Space is being privatized. That, unfortunately, is part of my job too.”

  “What’s Project Midas?” the FBI agent demanded.

  Tannenbaum looked like he had just smelled an outhouse. “Classified.”

  “She let my primary suspect go free, stalled me, and arranged for me to shoot the only source I had to find her.”

  “While handcuffed in a bathrobe? I wouldn’t put that in my report. Did you ask her why?”

  “She gave me some story about the thief being her friend’s sister, but she also pointed out holes in the Nena Horvath identity.”

  “Hellfire. She always talks too much,” the gray-haired man lamented.

  “Ms. Hollis was right! This Nena character is a very well-constructed legend, probably deep cover for an agent of some foreign power. We have to follow up on this. It’s a threat to national security,” said the FBI agent, his voice rising in volume with his passion.

  “You have to let this go. The girls were… identical twins with a unified cover identity to provide an air-tight alibi. The one they call Trina fell in love with an American, Fortune’s boy over there. She turned state’s evidence and has cooperated with my office every step of the way.”

  “Then we should follow Trina and see if she can lead us to her sister.”

  Tannenbaum raised his voice more than he should have. “The Horvath girl was trained by ex-KGB agents. She should be considered armed and dangerous.” He calmed himself before continuing. “Sedna has abilities you cannot imagine. You couldn’t even protect yourself against a washed-up ex-athlete when a civilian told you what he was going to do.”

  “That’s another thing,” Normandy added. “We watched those security tapes. Ms. Hollis knew we were coming and gave the suspect weapons and money to escape. Explain that to me.”