Stalling's voice was filled with rapture as he pictured the statues and stories that would be written about him. He would be immortalized in this world and sit on the left hand side of God when he died... -if he died. Perhaps he would be granted immortality for his sacrifices and achievements; after all, he had forsaken marriage and children and most earthly pleasures in order to fulfill his master's wishes. Surely he would be rewarded for accomplishing what even his God's son hadn't been able to do.
"No I can't," Billings agreed forlornly. "It must be wonderful to know you've succeeded in achieving your dream."
"Almost," Stalling corrected, wanting to sound humble, but failing, "but soon, Billings, soon. A few minor setbacks can't stop us now. We must get those Hubots back."
"We will. How can we fail knowing God is with us? I mean you."
Billings knew Stalling didn't like others horning in on his accomplishments. Because he believed his boss was truly blessed, he was willing to overlook the man's arrogance.
"Yes, how can we? Alright, enough! I need to leave for a conference."
Without waiting for an answer, Stalling disconnected the call and left for his meeting.
* * *
Lawton and Finton sat in the black mini SOLR-V watching the woman as she walked up the library steps and unlocked the door.
"That's her," Lawton said.
"She's fat!" Finton exclaimed, unable to hide his disgust.
"Uhh, yes, she is."
Lawton wasn't sure how to respond to the remark. Being fat didn't mean she was stupid. From everything he had gathered on Jain Plaine, she was an intelligent, highly competent woman.
"What have you found out about her?"
"Basically, she's a loner leads a boring life from all indications. She goes to work every day; arrives twenty minutes early and leaves exactly at 6:45 p.m. Her mother and father were killed in a car accident when she was twenty-three."
"I don't need her life history... just anything that might connect her to the Hubots."
"The only connection we've come up with is that someone may have used one of the library's computers to hack into our security system and Ms. Plaine was staying at the hotel the night the Hubot disappeared. Homeland was unable to find anything in the library and no one at the hotel saw her with anyone."
"I don't believe in coincidences. Keep her under surveillance until I say stop."
"Will do, boss."
"Oh, and Lawton. You're already walking a fine line with Mr. Stalling. I suggest you make sure you and your men don't screw this one up."
Lawton nodded nervously.
"It's covered, I promise. She'll be under 24/7."
"Good."
After Finton left, Lawton radioed two of his best men and ordered an around the clock surveillance on the library and Jain's condo with camera, phone taps and long distance voice monitoring. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to eavesdrop inside of her complex due to the specialized voice scrambling equipment that had been installed there several years ago. The people's distrust of government had created a boon in anti-spying technology making it difficult to monitor conversations in many private establishments.
CHAPTER 30
JAIN WAS BORED. Solaria had left the condo several days ago and hadn't been heard from. Neither was there any news about Joanie.
They probably think they're protecting me, she thought and sighed. Someone could have at least told me if Joanie and Betta made it home okay.
Sifting through the returned book basket, she pulled each one out and examined it closely for damage or wear and tear.
"I never realized what a boring job I have," she grumbled.
Halfway through the box she noticed one with a paint stain on the binding. Shaking her head in disgust, she rubbed the white stain with her thumb.
Still wet! Maybe I can wash it off!
Walking into the ladies room, she grabbed a paper towel and began blotting the stain. Whatever the substance was, Jain realized it wasn't paint. In fact, by the time she finished rubbing it, the stain was vanished.
"Hmmm. Strange," she murmured flipping through the pages to see if the inside had been damaged. A small piece of paper tucked between two pages caught her attention. Pulling it out, Jain read the note.
Recently found package delivered to owner but tracking number still active. Company researching all possibilities pertaining to initial disappearance and any possible persons involved in handling up to time of discovery. H.A.
"What the hell! H.A?" Jain muttered, rereading the note. "Shit! Hackattack! The bastards are watching me. I hope Solaria knows this."
Tearing the note into tiny pieces, Jain divided them into several sections and flushed them down three toilets.
"Let the assholes find this."
Frowning, she glanced around the bathroom suspiciously, looking for anything out of order.
Like I'd really be able to spot a bug.
Shrugging she grabbed the book and headed back to her desk. If she was being watched, she'd make sure whoever it was understood what a boring life she really had. If that didn't put them to sleep nothing would. The rest of the day she made sure she followed her normal routine but was frustrated knowing there was no way to warn Solaria.
* * *
It had taken Solaria more time than she expected to find the right scientist to impersonate and then alter Carley's I.D.. Dr. Sasha Sonella had advanced degrees in Physics and Microbiology but specialized in retro-viral research. From everything Solaria had read about her, the woman was dedicated to discovering a magic bullet to cure several forms of cancer using genetically altered viruses to attack malignant cells in their embryonic state. Curing cancer at such an early stage would be mankind's greatest medical success, and worth billions to whoever held the patent.
Similar in build and bone structure, it would be easy for Solaria to alter her features. Because Dr. Sonella had dark hair and wore it short, Solaria would need to cut her own hair and dye it.
It'll grow back, she thought and then wondered if she could excite the hair follicles enough to cause them to produce longer hair faster than the normal growth rate.
Maybe I'll try it after I'm done with all of this.
Immediately, she filed the thought away and concentrated on her plan. Dr. Sonella was known for her eccentric irregular hours. It would be a gamble entering the complex as the doctor, but Solaria hadn't been able to come up with anyone else who fit the requirements she needed to accomplish her goal. The woman had a high security clearance, was physically similar to Solaria and erratic enough to make her sudden reappearance in the same day accepted behavior. At least she hoped. She was about to find out.
Parking her car in the shadows, she climbed out, straightened her lab coat and glanced at the security station several hundred feet away.
When the security guard saw Dr. Sonella walking toward the gate, he nudged his partner.
"The woman's fuckin nuts. Why anyone wants to spend so much time at this place is beyond me."
Shaking his head, the other guard flipped the page on the porn magazine.
"Just make sure you check her out good. We're in a red alert here and I'm not about to lose my job because you screwed up."
"Yeah, yeah. If you're so damned worried, you check her out."
Giving him the finger, the guard's eyes never left the nude centerfold picture.
"Good evening, Dr. Sonella. What brings you back here tonight?" the first guard asked, trying to sound pleasant. It wasn't in his best interests to alienate someone with her clearance.
Giving him an irritated look, the doctor pulled out her I.D. and handed it to him before he could ask for it.
"My work," she replied, curtly.
"Of course. Could you place your palm on the screen and look into the optic scanner?"
Dr. Sonella mumbled something unintelligible under her breath but did as she was asked. Two green lights appeared simultaneously on the security console.
"Thanks. Sorry abo
ut this but orders are orders, doctor."
Handing back the I.D., he signaled her to go on in knowing she had three more gates to go through.
"This place hires nothing but kooks as far as I'm concerned," he muttered, looking at the other guard in disgust.
"As long as I get paid I don't care who they hire. It's a cushy job with good benefits."
"I guess."
Picking up one of the magazines his partner had brought in, the guard sat down and relaxed. It was going to be another boring night.
CHAPTER 31
SOLARIA STRAINED against the titanium clamps but couldn't budge them. Although her strength was greater than humans', it wasn't enough to break or loosen the hardened metal.
"You're wasting your time," Phillips said as he inspected the vials in his briefcase. "Titanium has the tinsel strength of 150000 PSI... but then you know that, don't you?"
Solaria refused to answer the man. She didn't know if he had a direct role in Carley's death but she was sure he had played some part. In her mind, his future was assured. It was only a matter of time before she figured out the weaknesses in the clamps or the mechanism controlling it. Already she had isolated the network that operated the hydraulics that opened and shut them. The same sensors in the restraints that monitored her vitals provided her access to the security system controlling the locks. Finding the access code was the only obstacle left.
"I've always wondered if injecting a fully functioning Hubot with certain drugs would have the same effect as on humans. Our race is so weak. It doesn't take much to disrupt the neurons in the brain. Unfortunately, sometimes the effects are quite damaging but sacrifices are expected if we're to make progress in our experiments."
Solaria continued to ignore Phillips and took satisfaction in his annoyed expression.
"I really don't care if you talk or not. I know what you're thinking."
Even she couldn't resist looking at him then.
"I thought that would get your interest. You think your electronics are immune to chemicals. Well, maybe they are but they aren't immune to the electrical impulses your body generates. This stuff will play havoc with every neuron in your body. You'll tell me everything I want to know. In fact, you'll do anything I want. At least, I hope you will. The last Hubot didn't do so well with my first experiment."
The smirk on his face annoyed Solaria but she refused to let him know he had hit a nerve. It would also divert valuable processing resources from her real problem to a minor nuisance.
"Have it your..."
Phillips was interrupted by the lab door opening. Stalling walked in followed by two men dressed like old time mafia, black suits, shirts and ties.
They watch too much television, she thought and this time let the smirk show.
"Ah, I see Phillips has made you comfortable, Solaria. It is Solaria, right?"
Solaria decided the question didn't merit an answer.
"So that's the way it's going to be. Well, no matter. I hope you've enjoyed your short period of freedom. I doubt if Future Dynamicon will be able to give you time off from any future assignments. A valuable asset like you needs to be utilized as much as possible. Speaking of which..." Turning to Phillips, he nodded at the briefcase of vials. "Are you ready?"
"A few more minutes. I want to make sure I calculate the exact amount of drugs for the optimum affect. I misjudged the amount on the last beta and it self-destructed."
"So I heard. An expensive loss for the Company. I don't think the investors are going to be pleased hearing about it."
"This isn't an exact science, you know. Once I've perfected this drug, we'll make billions of dollars. Imagine being able to control anyone you want and make them do anything you want. Combine that with the Hubot Project and you'll have an army capable of defeating anyone that opposes them."
"I'm not interested in armies. Too unstable, but if we can infiltrate companies and governments, we can take control of their wealth and their leaders. I will be the power behind all of those thrones. No one in human history has ever been able to unite all of the superpowers."
"It's almost like being a god," Finton said, mentally calculating how he could take advantage of his role in the process.
Second or third from the top isn't too bad and a lot safer. Let Stalling be the target for anyone who wants to try and stop him.
Solaria realized she would never escape from the manacles before Phillips injected her with his concoction.
"I must say you've given me quite a bit of heartburn since your escape," Stalling said, walking over to get a closer look at the Hubot. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"
When Solaria didn't answer, he shrugged indifferently. Picking up the altered I.D., he flipped it over and looked at the picture.
"It's a fairly good likeness to Dr. Sonella but I'm more curious about how you got this pass and where you've been hiding. Did you think it would get you off the complex? Our bio-scans would have detected the difference instantly."
Solaria realized Stalling thought she had been hiding somewhere inside of the installation. As long as he believed that, Jain would be safe.
Leaning close, he examined the teal eyes and smooth complexion and stiffened slightly.
"You're Dr. Branson's assistant! We met in the cafeteria."
When Solaria realized she had set off the motion sensors entering a highly restricted area, she had immediately changed back to her natural form. It was better to be captured as herself than have anyone discover her chameleon skills. Besides, security would think she had been hiding somewhere on the premises, providing some security for everyone who had been helping her. Realizing that resistance would only prolong the inevitable, she decided to give up without fighting rather than take the chance of injuring herself during a scuffle. She would need all of her resources to escape when the time was right.
"I want this checked," Stalling ordered, handing the pass to Finton. "If it's Dr. Branson's then you may have made a mistake in thinking she had something to do with this Hubot's disappearance."
"I never said that she did," Finton replied defensively. "You thought that. Besides, why would she commit suicide if she wasn't involved?"
Stalling glared at his chief security officer.
"She's a woman for God's sake. That's enough to make her unstable."
Realizing he had overstepped himself, Finton decided challenging Stalling over a resolved issue wasn't in his best interests.
"Perhaps your right," he acceded. "I'll check this out."
"Good. You can also find out how this thing managed to alter the I.D. if it is forged. Someone inside must have gained access to our personnel records and security system to get Dr. Sonella's clearance codes."
Turning to Dr. Phillips he glared accusingly.
"Not my field of expertise, Mr. Stalling," Phillips quickly replied. "Sounds like there's another leak in the Company. If I were you, I'd be looking for a new Chief of Security."
"Don't tell me my job!" Stalling growled angrily and then re-focused on Solaria.
"I don't know who's been hiding you but I can assure you, I'm going to find out soon."
Stalling's smile held the hint of a sneer. He was a man who enjoyed making others squirm. The CEO's arrogance and smugness grated on her. It was a human emotion she could have done without. Still, knowing that she would soon wipe the smile from his face was satisfying even if she wouldn't be around to appreciate it.
The clock was ticking! It was an appropriate cliché.
"Do you really believe I will let you use me for your own purposes?" she asked, calmly concentrating on both him and the final codes that would unlock the manacles.
"So, you do speak!" Stalling exclaimed, pleased that he had gotten a reaction.
"You state the obvious. Surely you didn't expect otherwise. You're not a stupid man."
"From you I'll take that as a compliment, and yes I'm quite sure you'll be everything I hoped for."
"Then I've changed my opinion. You
are stupid."
Solaria caught the faint surprised look on Stalling's face and something else; nervousness.
You aren't so confident after all!
"Maybe you need a little example of exactly how smart I really am? I'm sure Dr. Phillips has introduced himself."
Solaria - S1 Page 20
