by Dee, Bonnie
Forcing a smile back on her face, she knocked on the open door of one of the sterile white rooms leading off the hallway. Inside, a swarthy, dark-haired man looked up. “Elyse, you’ve come to call!” His clipped British tone was softened by the lilt of India. “It’s been a while. I’m so pleased to see you.” He abandoned his computer terminal to come and greet her with a kiss on each cheek.
“Jhoti, I’ve missed you.” Elyse was always careful not to stomp on a man’s heart after she was through with him. You never knew when a connection might be useful and so she kept friendly with all her conquests. After a three-day fling with Jhoti Naidu last spring, she’d carefully extricated herself while maintaining a polite friendship. “I’m showing Mr. Foster around the facility. Mr. Brody wants him to see how everything works.”
Naidu looked at Justin with a quick frown of uncertainty. New hires weren’t given this kind of tour. The science lab was a classified world. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Foster. What department will you be in?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Foster’s big hand enveloped Naidu’s slim tan one as they shook. “So far Ray has had me working on special projects, but I don’t know his long term plan for me.”
“Mm.” Jhoti still looked doubtful, but turned his attention back to Elyse. “So what do you want to see?”
Her heart beat faster. The mind control program was the most vital, well-protected creation here. Asking to see it would be too obvious. “I don’t know. What are you working on? There are rumors going around about an earthquake-producing machine.”
She laughed to show she didn’t believe it. As long as they were here, they might as well try to find out about the mission of the two men they’d met yesterday.
But Jhoti laughed along with her. “The staff here slays me. Such gossipmongers. They think we’re mad scientists in here.” He smiled at Justin. “We don’t invent crazy doomsday devices, but designs with more practical applications.”
“Like the tracker,” Elyse said, taking the opening. “That is one slick program.”
Justin nodded. “I’ve heard all about the implant program. A very clever way to monitor people.”
“Not just monitor. I worked with Dr. Rivera on the project myself. The further application was my idea.”
“What else does it do?” Justin asked.
Jhoti looked past them at his open office door. He crossed the room, closed it then returned to stand before them. “With the enhancement to the program, Mr. Brody cannot only track his followers’ movements, but infiltrate their thought patterns, introducing ideas of his choosing.” He folded his arms and glared at the screen saver flashing across his computer monitor. “Let me stress—the program I developed and Rivera took credit for. He’s about as innovative as a garden slug.”
Elyse moved even closer to him and squeezed his arm. “It’s an amazing device and you should be proud.” She stayed hugged up against his side, letting the warmth of her body and her seductive perfume cloud his judgment. “If I’d had a hand in it, I’d want the world to know what I created.”
“May I see how it works?” Justin asked, displaying respectful interest.
Naidu shook his head. “No, that’s impossible. Only Rivera and Brody have access to the program.”
“Oh, come on,” Elyse said. “You mean to tell me after all you did they cut you out of the loop? That’s terrible!”
He shrugged, but his mouth thinned to a straight line.
“I can’t believe you have no access to your own creation.”
Guilt flickered across Jhoti’s dark eyes. He hesitated then lowered his voice. “Well, actually, I left a back door.”
“Really?” Elyse widened her eyes. “Can you … would you show us? I’d give anything to see how it works and I’m sure Mr. Foster would too.”
“Your secret is safe with us,” Justin assured Naidu. “I used to work for the CIA a long time ago. I understand what it’s like to be used by the organization you work for. They have no respect for your personal accomplishments.”
Jhoti nodded. “Exactly! It’s been so hard, knowing the miracle I’ve created and having to keep it a secret.” He beckoned them to his desk and sat at his computer, fingers flying over the keyboard. Screen after screen popped up. Elyse had no time to see how he entered the program before they were inside it. “There!” he said with satisfaction after a few moments.
On the terminal screen was a world map with tiny points of light scattered across it like a swarm of fireflies. Occasionally they moved around, but mostly they stayed static.
Elyse’s stomach gave a little flip as she realized each of the lights represented a person. While she’d understood Brody’s power, she hadn’t really assimilated it until now. It was terrifying. The little lights represented real people, with vital lives, plans, dreams, hopes and agendas of their own. No wonder Brody had begun to think of himself as a god.
“There they all are,” she breathed.
Jhoti’s cursor floated over a bar with coded buttons below the graphic. “These are the commands to control the program. But, we can only look from here. There’s no way to operate the program.”
“Where does that take place?” Justin asked.
“The command center. Only Mr. Brody has access to that room. The commands aren’t typed in or verbally delivered. The brain waves of the person communicating with the targeted implants are directly transmitted. There’s special headgear we created which the operator wears while concentrating intensely on one thought. After viewing the brain patterns in another part of the program, we isolate the dominant thought, freeze the pattern and interface it with the myriad minds on the grid or isolate one mind to receive the transmission. Voila, the new thought seed is planted.” He paused to draw breath. “Pretty exciting, huh?”
“Phenomenal.” Justin leaned to examine the computer screen. “What if one of these people dies? Does the tracking signal just wink out? And what if the program went defunct? Would the interface between the implants and the computer be broken?”
Justin’s questions didn’t appear to raise Jhoti’s suspicions. “If the connection is severed, a light goes out, but we don’t know if an implant has been removed, broken or the person has died. Cutting off the connection between the program and the tracking devices on our end … well, it might be completely harmless or it might send a surge of electricity as it shuts down that could fry the synapses of everyone on the grid.” Naidu shook his head. “The program wasn’t perfected or tested before Mr. Brody put it into action. He was too impatient to get it working and now we’re in limbo about the results of terminating the program.”
“Severing the connection might kill them all?” Justin said.
“Or leave them mentally incapacitated.” Jhoti brushed his finger over the twinkling lights on the screen. “That would be a shame. All for want of a little patience and a few months of testing. But lay people never understand pure science. All they want is instant results.”
Elyse gazed at the throbbing mass of pinpoint lights and her stomach did another slow, sickening flip. For the first time, the knowledge that she’d had her own part to play in a science experiment gone wrong horrified her. Oppenheimer must have felt like this the first time he saw a mushroom cloud rising over the desert.
Chapter Eleven
Trina racked her brain for a way to keep Ray from sending her back to her cell. She was usually able to handle him pretty well, but he was distracted today, anxious about his upcoming press conference.
“Mr. Brody … Ray, I want to thank you again for trusting me, letting me talk with Justin and offering me a job. It’s all so wonderful.”
“You’re welcome. I must concentrate on my speech now. Mr. Murav will escort you to your room. You may come to the press conference later and watch.”
“Would you like to practice your speech on me? I’d love to hear what you’re going to say.” Trina forced a smile, something she’d become remarkably good at over the past weeks. She’d become an amazing
actress and should change her major to theater if she ever got back to college.
Ray looked surprised then smiled. “All right. I’d appreciate a young person’s opinion. It will tell me how I’m likely to fare with the early 20’s demographic.”
Trina took a seat, brushing her hand over the strap of her shirt to activate the camera as Justin had demonstrated.
Ray sat behind his desk, hands folded on the blotter. He looked into an imaginary camera and launched into a prepared speech paralleling the work of his ministry with the job of leading a nation. He was such a beguiling speaker he made the idea of a self-proclaimed spiritual leader taking over the political reins of the United States seem perfectly reasonable. He said he was sorry not to be able to support his father’s campaign but personal introspection had led him to believe he was the best man for the job.
When he’d finished his brief and heartfelt announcement, Trina had to mentally shake herself free from his vocal spell. She applauded. “That sounds great. You’ve made me a believer.” She paused then added, “How do you think your father will take the news?”
“Not well.” He sighed. “I’ll be lucky not to be assassinated before I take office. Father will take this as a betrayal. He won’t understand it’s my destiny.”
“You’re confident you’ll win then?” Trina carefully nudged him toward the admission she wanted him to make.
“I can count on the support of every single one my followers. A simple suggestion planted in their minds and they will all vote for me on election day.”
“How does that work?” Trina pushed. “They respond to your voice?”
“Basically, yes. There is a chip implanted in the head of every person who has attended a retreat here. My people will do whatever I ask them to.” He sat back in his chair and rested his chin on folded hands. “And it will be to their benefit. The world will be a better place when I rule it.”
“The world?” She widened her eyes and injected awe into her voice.
His faraway gaze refocused and he looked at her with a frown. “We’ve talked about this. You know my ultimate goal is to regain control of the planet, resume the rightful place that has been usurped from my people.”
Trina didn’t want him to go off on a tangent about Terrans, although it would serve to make Brody sound even crazier than he already did.
“As more people join the Center for Wellbeing, more transmitters will be implanted,” Brody continued. “Soon I’ll have control over a large portion of the global community.”
Icing on the cake, Trina thought. Now to get out of here. “Well, if anyone can accomplish such a thing, you can.” She stroked his ego for all she was worth.
“Thank you for your confidence. Your faith in me touches me very much,” he said. “Now, I must get ready. I’ll have you escorted back to your room.” Before he could summon Murav, Brody’s phone rang.
Trina watched his face slowly change from Dr. Jekyl into Mr. Hyde as he listened to the person on the other end of the line. The relaxed smile her ego-massage had engendered evaporated and was replaced by a thunderous scowl. “What? No! They do not have my authorization to be there. You should have called me immediately!” There was a pause. “All right. Detain them, but be discreet about it. Don’t let them know I’m coming. I’ll be right down.”
Her stomach felt like it had been punched. There was no doubt in Trina’s mind about whom Brody was talking. When he hung up, his glare at her confirmed it. “Come with me.” He stood so abruptly his chair rolled back and hit the bank of windows behind him. Trina’s pulse raced, blood rushing in her ears, as he strode around his desk and seized her wrist. This is it! It’s over now. I’m dead.
Brody dragged her along with him as he marched out of his office suite and to the elevators. Murav and another bodyguard fell in on either side. “Security breach,” Brody told them succinctly. “In RandD. Foster and Greenwood.”
As she rode in the elevator with the three men, Trina reviewed her options. She reviewed as to how this turn of events could play out—be killed or try to run and be killed. Neither option was appealing. She didn’t dare talk to Brody, his face was so flushed and angry. All her careful weeks of finessing him had been eradicated. An insane desire to laugh shimmered through her—nervous hysteria. If she broke into giggles, Brody would go berserk. There was nothing the man hated worse than disrespect. His ego was too fragile to accept the slightest hint of contempt. She firmed her trembling lips and stared straight ahead at the elevator door.
The guard at the door of the science labs looked as pale and frightened as Trina felt. His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed then launched into a tirade of apologies. “I’m sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have let them pass without clearance. Ms. Greenwood said…”
Brody waved a hand and the guard fell silent, pressing in the code to open the door. Grasping Trina’s arm even tighter, Brody shoved her through it before him. She’d begun to think of Brody as weak simply because his psyche was, but his physical strength matched that of any Terran’s and her arm hurt like hell as his punishing grip pressed flesh against bone.
Trina had an impression of sterile corridors and startled faces as Brody swept her along with him. Then they rounded a corner and suddenly Justin and that Greenwood bitch were standing there. The pair froze and from the look of shock on their faces, they weren’t expecting Brody at all.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Brody barked. His voice, devoid of its usual mellifluous warmth, was so loud and harsh Trina jumped.
“Sir?” Elyse blinked, playing innocent like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “Showing Justin around. You said he was part of the team now. I thought…”
“I don’t believe you. There’s only one reason you’d bring him here, to attempt to get to the tracking program.”
“No, sir. I’d never do that. Even if I wanted to it’s impossible since you’re the only one with access to the room.”
Ray ignored her and spoke to Justin. “You want to see how it works, Mr. Foster? Fine. We’ll go there right now. I’ll demonstrate on Trina here.”
Justin’s face was paler than the guard’s at the door. He clenched his jaw so tightly it bulged. “Elyse is telling the truth. I asked to see the operation and she agreed to give me a tour. Why would I do anything to endanger Trina? I haven’t asked to see the program. I didn’t even know it was here.”
“Really?” Ray didn’t sound convinced. “You’re demanding a lot of faith. Let me test yours. Follow me.” With the hand not squeezing Trina’s arm into mush, he gestured Murav and the other guard to take charge of Justin and Elyse.
Before Brody pulled her with him down the hall, Trina’s gaze met Justin’s for one long moment. His blue eyes shone with concern, and she suddenly flashed back to an incident when she’d been eight. She’d felt humiliated as her teammates were picked up from softball practice and she’d been left behind with the coach, who’d been kind but clearly impatient to be on his way. By the time Justin arrived to get her, Trina had been furious. She’d glared at him as he explained the delay—her au pair had been in a car accident. She’d been old enough to know the situation was unavoidable and that she should be concerned about Marie instead of angry at Justin, but she hadn’t been able to shake her rage. Trina had refused to look at or talk to him all the way home.
Later that evening, he’d come to sit on the edge of the bed and say goodnight. Brushing her hair back from her forehead, he’d looked down at her with his kind eyes. “I’ve disappointed you, haven’t I? I’m sorry, Trina. But you have to trust that I’ll always come for you. Never doubt that.”
She had burst out sobbing and thrown herself against him, hugging him with all her scrawny strength. At the memory, tears stung Trina’s eyes. Here he was, as promised. He had come to get her, but would he be able to save her or himself?
The room to which Brody led them was secured with a keypad, eye scan and voice recognition. A man wearing a lab coat waited for them just ou
tside the door. He had a pencil-thin moustache and dark, luminous eyes. Trina didn’t know when he’d been summoned, but he acted as though he expected to meet them.
“Dr. Rivera, I’m here to give a demonstration of the program.”
“Yes, sir.” He ushered the six of them into the small, windowless room. Inside was a computer terminal. Sitting on the desk next to it was a headset with wires connecting it to the computer. Rivera seated himself before the monitor and quickly brought up a map of the world marked by glowing lights.
“There it is, Mr. Foster. The program. As you can see, my ministry is spreading.”
Justin’s hands clenched by his sides. “Honestly, you don’t have to prove anything to me. I never intended to anger you. Don’t punish Trina for my mistake in coming here.”
Brody finally released Trina’s arm and rested a hand on the crown of her head before stroking it down the length of her hair. The hairs on the nape of her neck rose at his caress. “I don’t wish to hurt the girl. But her pain would be your greatest punishment. There’s something poetic about it.”
Brody took a seat near the computer and put on the headset. Rivera moved around him, attaching small discs to his temples and to his scalp underneath his hair. The contraption looked so ludicrous, Trina was again seized by the crazy impulse to laugh.
Break my kneecaps, just don’t get inside my head! Biting her lip to keep it from quivering, she looked at Justin through a haze of tears.
He gazed at her intently as though trying to transmit a message with his eyes.
“Mr. Brody,” Elyse spoke up suddenly, shaking off her guard’s hand and stepping forward. “I know how fond you are of the girl. Why not demonstrate the power of the program over Mr. Foster instead? Several nights ago while he was sleeping, I implanted him with a chip. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to you to have his obedience permanently secured—no more questions about loyalty or trust?”
