3rd World Products, Inc., Book 2 Page 15

Leslie giggled, and then shuddered with laughter stoppered only by my dick in her mouth. She worked it a bit more, then rocked back and let me slowly slide out from between her lips and made a grinning production of swallowing.

  Smacking her lips, she said, "I've always wanted to do that, just to see."

  "Uhm... To see what, Leslie?"

  "Just to see what it was like."

  Leslie extended a hand and I helped her stand.

  "The taste won't win any prizes," she said, "But it was a lot of fun."

  "Great. I'll let you go down on me during all my calls."

  She stuck her tongue out at me and wiggled it. I handed Leslie her coffee as I picked up my own. She pulled a paper towel off the roll and stuffed it between her legs rather matter-of-factly, then sipped her coffee before asking me, "Do you think Linda will figure out what we were doing?"

  "No, she probably thought I had to take a first-thing-in-the-morning leak."

  Leslie giggled, then laughed in a loud burst.

  "Gawd," she said, "I almost came when the watches beeped. I can still taste that stuff. I feel like such a harlot, Ed! Let's eat. Our breakfast is cooling fast."

  She was like a chipmunk for a while. Chatter, chatter, food. Chatter, food. Chatter, chatter. Food. By the time our quick breakfast was over, she was realizing that I hadn't said more than ten words during breakfast. Her face became a mask of concern.

  "Is something wrong, Ed?"

  I laughed. "Hell, no. I was just letting you go on and grunting in what seemed to be the right places. I couldn't have gotten a word in, anyway, most of the time. Are you always like that after sex in the kitchen? Or during breakfast?"

  Leslie stared at me for a moment, then said, "I've been running like a faucet, haven't I? I think I feel as if I'm getting away with something, Ed, like I've crossed some lines and I'm afraid of getting caught or something."

  "Maybe you're afraid it will all get away from you, too, like a dream in the morning? Wake up and it fades away?"

  "Yeah. Like that. I feel as if I'm trying to hang on to something. How'd you know?"

  I reached to cup her breast and thumb her nipple erect, then stroked her smooth skin from her breast to her throat and back to her breast.

  "Just look at you, Leslie. You could be ready again in no time, if we had the time enough to play. You're a tall, lusty redhead with a helluva fine face and body and you've been good company otherwise, too. Hasn't it occurred to you that maybe I feel the same way as you right now?"

  Leslie turned a deep shade of red and both her nipples stood out like little castles on their mini-mountains.

  "Maybe so, Ed, but you haven't been chattering like an idiot for fifteen minutes."

  "Nope. I tend to quiet down and try not to startle the deer away."

  She nodded understanding. "We don't have much time, now, do we?"

  "The flight to Carrington will take about half an hour. The flight to the factory will take six hours or so. We'll have lots of time later."

  She gave me an embarrassed little smile and nodded again. We finished breakfast and showered, then tossed our stuff aboard Stephie and took off. Leslie was in the mood for rock music; she and Stephie picked a few and the cabin filled with it just before Linda called again, this time with visuals for Stephie's display field.

  "I thought you were going to call me back, Ed."

  "Forgot. Anyway, you said it was just a wakeup call."

  "Time will be short this morning. Study until you get here. There'll be a test later. What's all that noise in the background?"

  "Led Zeppelin, at the moment."

  "Are they a new band? They sound pretty good."

  I looked at Leslie. Could it be that someone didn't know of LZ?

  "Gotcha," said Linda. "Just kidding. Got all their stuff, too. Study, children."

  I'd already seen most of the info Linda had sent up, but there were a few things in all the details of the factory asteroid that I'd missed. Leslie hadn't seen any of it before, so I used showing her around the place on screen to familiarize myself more thoroughly. I spoke to Elkor just before we landed.

  "Elkor, I'm going to want a private session with you before we go. There may be a few things to add to my list, but it won't matter whether they're made for me here or there."

  "I'll be around, Ed."

  No shit. He was technically everywhere at once. "Thanks, Elkor."

  Leslie asked, "A private session? Won't I be with you? We'll be working together, Ed. I should be in on things."

  "Linda's going to issue you things you'll have to learn to use this morning, Leslie. You may not learn well in only a couple of hours, but you'll be able to practice later. If it's convenient, you'll be with me when I talk to Elkor. If not, I'll fill you in later."

  Stephie was directed to land within one of the buildings connected to the offices. She settled into a space between two diagnostic panels and a third one descended from the ceiling after Leslie and I had disembarked.

  Elkor said, "Ed, I'm going to begin transferring a copy of Stephanie to the transport core. I've enhanced and - partitioned - the core so that Stephanie will remain separate from everything else, yet will be able to access the data in the other sections."

  "Good deal, Elkor. Back in a bit."

  We walked into the main building and went to Linda's offices. She'd set out coffee for us and immediately began briefing us about the mission as it was envisioned at that moment.

  An hour and a half later, Linda took Leslie to one of the labs to be issued a stun wand and some training with it. I took that time to go to what I referred to as the base exchange and pick up some clothes for the trip.

  My persona would be that of a gruff managerial type with a hands-on personality and an appearance to match. Think of a retired first-sergeant in a troubleshooting position at any major corporation.

  Suits and ties on special occasions only. Any other time, you'd see him prowling around in pretty much the same outfit all the time, primarily for instant recognizability, but also to give the impression of an 'up-through-the-ranks' mustang officer.

  I bought six Army-style fatigue shirts, solid green with long sleeves, and six pairs of jeans. Needed 'em anyway, since they're about all I wear normally. I then bought six perma-press khaki-style shirts with epaulets and long sleeves and pants to match them. You could call those my semi-formal outfits.

  I found three corduroy sport jackets, one with a shooting patch on the right shoulder, three suits with appropriate ties and dress shirts that would go with any of the suits, and the necessary underwear and over-the-calf socks, also for formal and informal use.

  I also needed footwear, formal and informal. To match the image I wanted to project at the factory, I bought two pairs of cowboy boots, one pair black and the other suede, a pair of Cocoran jump boots, and two pairs of name-brand jogging shoes.

  Also to fit the image, I picked up two sets of Cross pens, some government-issue style memo books, cuff links, tie clasps, and three pairs of shooter's sunglasses.

  After charging the pile to the agency, I detailed one of Linda's people to take everything that was machine-washable to the base Laundromat and run them through the washing machines twice after removing all purchase tags.

  At the base thrift shop, I picked up two used military B-bags and a duffle bag for luggage and used the shop computer to print new ID tags for the zippered plastic cases on each of the bags, then hauled the bags to Linda's office to await my laundry while I went to visit with Elkor and Stephanie.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The replacement core was suspended in a field next to the core within Stephie's console. I looked for connections and saw none, but Elkor assured me that the cloning of Stephanie was going smoothly and was, in fact, nearly complete.

  Stephie was able to talk during her "operation" and her greeting told me that her sense of humor was obviously unimpaired.

  "Hello, sir! Welcome to Stepford! We'd love to have your wife come to one of our meet
ings!"

  I snickered at her and said, "Poor baby. Messing with your mind, is he?"

  Elkor said, "Her warranty covers aberrant humor, of course. No extra charge."

  "I'll remember that. Elkor, I've been thinking about what I may need up there and I've made a kind of wish list beyond the independent field generator. I want something that will cut through six inches of steel. That happens to be an inch more than the thickness of the largest containment doors between chambers up there."

  "May I ask why you need such a device, Ed?"

  "Sure. The people who were caught in that explosion were taking an inventory in a storage chamber. They couldn't get out because the door didn't respond to the control panel. The rescue team had to cut through the door to get to them. Nobody knows how or why the door malfunctioned and there's no computer record of a malfunction, so I don't want to have to rely on that computer to open my doors for me. I may also want to modify my quarters a bit so that I can conceal odd items like the gadget I just asked for."

  "I think I can create something that will appear to be a stun wand..."

  "Nope. I'll have one of those. Two of 'em on me at once would make me seem paranoid, not just eccentric. Can't have that. How about a two-part gadget? Both parts could look like inkpens."

  "They'd be quite a bit larger than the usual inkpens, Ed; almost the size of the marking pen you used to put your name on the duffle bag."

  "Not a problem. They'll become part of my image. I just came from a science fiction convention where they were handing out promotional items for several movies and computer games. Make these pens look like the handouts for the kiddie movie. If anyone asks about them, I'll just say rather firmly that a friend gave them to me and that I like them. Add a cheap fabric belt holder in some tacky kid-color and make sure the pens actually write, just in case."

  "There were promotions for two such movies, Ed. Would you prefer cartoon dinosaurs or some rather fanciful spaceships on your pens?"

  "The spaceships, of course. Big-eyed baby dinosaurs just don't appeal to me."

  "I somehow hadn't thought that they would, but it seemed proper to ask."

  "Uh, huh. Coming from you, I can almost believe that. Next item: I'd like to have the independent capability of field manipulation. Can that be arranged, Elkor?"

  "Now you've provided me a challenge, Ed. Let me consider how that might be accomplished."

  "I was remembering how you repaired Linda's spine, Elkor, and thinking maybe some sort of linking directly into my brain, using the existing implant or maybe another one."

  "As I said, you've provided me a challenge. I'm researching the matter."

  "Well, I won't be leaving until around two. The surgical drone could be here in half an hour, too, couldn't it?"

  "Less than that, since it isn't having to consider passenger comfort. I believe there's a way to use a second implant for this purpose. You realize that you may not be able to make it function at first, if at all?"

  "If you're making and installing it, I'll remain optimistic about that, Elkor."

  "Can you think of anything else?"

  "For my last wish, I'd like three more wishes, o genie of the lamp. To go."

  Elkor was silent for some moments, then he said, "That may be possible, Ed, if you and Stephanie will allow it. All computer systems have redundancy features. I could use the space from a few of those to give her limited manufacturing capabilities utilizing the factory resources."

  "It wouldn't compromise her personality?"

  "Not at all. The data would be compacted and stored in a much smaller space. The new data would also be compacted, then stored. Each type of data would be uncompacted and used as required, then recompacted pending the next use."

  "If that system works so well, why isn't it in use now?"

  "In the case of common memories and trivia, it is in use. In almost all other matters it was decided that speed and safety outweighed space requirements for non-essential data, so the most essential data is never compacted."

  I thought a bit and consulted Stephie. She seemed to fully understand his suggestion and thought it would be a fine thing, so I agreed to it.

  "Elkor, a question. Why haven't you offered us something like this before?"

  "If there had been a stated need for such a device, I'd have made it, but there has been no request to exceed original core specifications, Ed."

  "In other words, 'because I didn't ask', right?"

  "It would seem so, Ed. I am a computer, however you choose to regard me in another manner. Computers innately respond; they seldom initiate. There will always be times when the answer to questions of why something didn't happen will be 'because you didn't ask'. I'm sorry."

  I shook my head. "No sweat, Elkor. I should have realized that after almost two years of working with you. Would you make her one of those enhanced cores and install it, please? I want Stephie to have the best."

  "It will be done today, Ed, but we're using the facility at the moment. It will have to wait until we're finished and you're on your way."

  "Good enough, Elkor. Hell, it's excellent. Thanks. Oops. One more thought on the matter. Why not set the core I'm taking up there do the diagnostics in the main computer, then wipe the diagnostics routines to allow extra room for compacted Stephie-stuff? And if we have to replace the primary programming, that stuff can go, too, can't it? Then she'd have the whole core to herself."

  "The diagnostics don't require much space, and I think they should remain for use with both systems later. The replacement programming could be eliminated after confirmations have been made and verified. That would leave over eighty percent of the new core's capacities available to the Stephanie at the factory."

  "Again, good enough, Elkor. I'll accept your best judgment on that matter. Are you making any progress with designing the field manipulation implant?"

  "I think so, Ed. Humans have redundant features, as well. I'm investigating the possibility of tapping into some of them at this moment. Research into more extreme manners of portability of field manipulation devices has been sporadic, and a limited concept of implants for the purpose has only been considered for medical reasons."

  "Give me an example, Elkor."

  "The Amarans have encountered people on Earth - and other worlds - who are missing limbs due to accidents and birth defects. A very limited field manipulation implant was conceived, but design efforts were halted after those efforts resulted in damage to the very people they were supposed to help."

  "Uh, what kind of damage was that, exactly? Radiation?"

  "No. In several cases, the implants were dislodged or torn out of the skulls of the users by the forces involved in lifting or moving objects. The implant acted as an anchor point for their efforts. If their efforts became more than the surrounding bone could support, the implant often tore away."

  "Wonderful. Wasn't there any way to limit the things so that they wouldn't yank themselves out of someone's skull?"

  "Such a governing device would be several times the size of the implant, Ed. It was hoped that training and common sense on the part of the user would obviate the need. Such was not the case. Almost all of the implant users have required restorative surgeries due to various overexertions."

  "Ah, hah. Well, that sounds like a downside of sorts. Let me ask this, then; have any of them asked to have the implants removed?"

  "Two of the subjects have opted for removal."

  "We'll try it, then. I'm only thinking of it as a way to create a distraction, like knocking something off a table to get someone's attention away from me for a moment. That's if I can get a handle on it at all. How many people have been unable to make their implants work, Elkor?"

  "The test group contained thirty-seven disabled people. Nine of them were able to make use of their implants to varying degrees."

  "Damn. Only one in four?"

  "Results have been disappointing."

  "No shit. Well, we'll try it anyway. If it doesn't work, we
just won't tell anyone about it. See you in a while, guys. Gotta go see our Fearless Leader."

  I could have walked through the connecting hallway, but I heard something just on the other side of the wall near the dumpsters. Standing on a crate to look out the window didn't help. The angle was wrong, I guess. Couldn't see a damned thing but the dumpster, itself, and the concrete just beyond it, so I went outside.

  Where there are dumpsters, there will be rats. A big one stared back at me when I looked into the foot-wide space behind the dumpster. It was rummaging inside one of a couple of fast-food carryout bags that had evidently been poorly tossed. I had the distinct feeling that the rat was giving me the finger in some fashion as its stare became a defiant glare.

  The other bag moved. I thought it would likely be nothing more than another rummaging rat and almost turned to leave, but the sound that came from the bag was that of a kitten. The rat fixed its gaze on the bag and tensed. The kitten squalled again and the rat seemed to forget about me as it cautiously moved toward the other bag.

  In another day and place, we'd often amused ourselves or vented our frustrations by throwing the big nails used in sandbag revetments at the huge damned rats that had infested our camps.

  I flicked open my belt knife, gripped it high on the blade, and threw it. It turned in the air once and sank to the hilt in the middle of the rat. It was a very good toss for so little practice in recent years; perhaps too good. The rat shrieked, scrabbled at the knife for a moment, and then took off like a bat out of hell with my knife still waving from its side. I hoped the knife would fall free as I shoved the dumpster aside enough to get to the bag.

  "Elkor, could you send a drone or two out to look around for my belt knife? It just left the area in a big brown rat and I'm not going to have time to look for it. I think I've found something out here that may interest you, though."

  The six-inch drones passed me moving damned near as fast as the rat had. They zipped around and over and under things and were soon lost to sight. While I was watching them go, another drone had positioned itself a couple of feet to my left without my knowledge.

  When the third drone asked, "What did you find, Ed?" it was all I could do not to jump ten feet.