Involuntary Control (Gray Spear Society) (19 page)

Norbert stood nearby, doing nothing. This job was far beyond his skills.

Two wallets and a small black purse were on the table. Aaron opened one of the wallets, and inside there was a Virginia driver's license with Smythe's picture but a fake name. The wallet also included credit cards, a gym membership, insurance cards, a U.S. Government Accountability Office badge, and some blank checks.

Aaron had seen a lot of fake identities over the years, and he recognized quality workmanship. The girls had done a fabulous job. Not only had they crafted cards that looked at least as good as the real stuff, but they had aged them properly. The photo on the driver's license was slightly faded. Just the right amount of smudges and scratches marred the plastic surfaces. Even the signature on the credit cards was partially worn away.

Of course all the hard work had taken a lot of time. Aaron checked his watch and found it was six in the evening.

"Almost done?" he asked.

The twins continued working as if they hadn't heard.

Norbert leaned in. "Bethany, Leanna, Aaron is talking to you. Girls!"

Finally, the twins looked up from their work.

"Sir?" Bethany said with a vague expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes," Aaron said. "You spent the whole day on this project. Norbert might as well stay in Chicago tonight and drive down to Lemonseed in the morning."

"We had problems! The transmitter didn't meet our specifications."

"And the credit card machine was misaligned," Leanna said.

"And there was dust in the laminator," Bethany said.

"And the checks were smudged."

"And the batteries were two millimeters too thick."

"And..."

"OK!" Aaron raised his hands in surrender. "I should've expected this. I ordered two people with compulsive disorders to do a perfect job, and that's exactly what they're doing. At least no harm was done. Marina and Smythe spent a relaxing day in a nice hotel, and I helped Nancy patch holes in the roof. But you will be done tonight, right?"

Bethany nodded. "We just need to finish installing the transmitter."

"Then you can afford to take a break. You must be starving. Come to the kitchen."

Aaron led the way to the other end of the building. He noticed Norbert stayed close to the girls like a shepherd herding sheep. Aaron decided he needed to keep an eye on that relationship.

He had already prepared a meal he hoped the twins would like. There was sliced cheese, grapes, hot dogs, steamed broccoli, and crackers. Everything was plain, clean, and served on separate plates. The twins immediately gravitated to the food and ate with their fingers. They didn't bother to sit down.

Aaron sighed.

"Do you want some stew, boss?" Norbert said. "We have plenty left over from lunch. I'll warm it up."

"Sounds good," Aaron said.

Watching the girls eat was fascinating. After a few bites, they rearranged the plates to make a perfect polygon. Then they stood on opposite sides of the table and moved in exact synchrony, as if trying to mirror each other. All this happened without any words being exchanged. They seemed compelled to create symmetries everywhere.

Aaron walked over to Norbert, who was putting a bowl of stew in the microwave.

"They are strange people," Aaron said.

Norbert nodded. "But very sweet in their own way. I don't mind letting them stay at my place again, sir."

"I don't want to burden you. I was thinking of sending them home with Nancy tonight."

"No burden, sir. Besides, I'm sure the girls would prefer to sleep on a familiar bed. They don't like changes."

Aaron shrugged. "If it's OK with them, it's OK with me. You seem to be growing fond of our new recruits."

"Yes." Norbert blushed slightly. "They're so helpless. I want to protect them from the cruel world."

"Just be careful. They may be physically mature, but emotionally and socially, they're crippled. You could easily confuse and hurt them without meaning to. Be very unambiguous in your communication."

"Yes, sir. I will take that advice very seriously."

Aaron patted his shoulder. "You're a good man."

* * *

Bethany was lying in bed but not sleeping, and she didn't understand why. The air was cool, the bed was soft, and the sheets were neatly tucked in. She had eaten a really good dinner. She had showered, and for the first time in weeks her hair was clean and properly brushed. She didn't need to use the toilet. Nothing hurt. Her problem had to be emotional, not physical.

She often had difficulty interpreting her own emotions. To help herself decide what she was feeling, she went down the list of possibilities. The first was fear. She had a lot of experience with that emotion, and she quickly discarded it as a hypothesis. Norbert was in the next room, lying on the couch. If a threat arose, which was unlikely, he would handle it. Bethany had no reason to be afraid.

The second emotion was happiness, but that one didn't fit either. She had enjoyed working on her tasks during the day, but the pleasure had been muted. It was hard to have fun when lives were at stake. Now that her assignment was done and the mission could proceed, she felt mostly relief.

She realized she wanted something so badly it was keeping her awake. An image popped into her mind. The object of her desire was in the next room.

"I want to see it again," she said.

"Me, too," Leanna responded immediately. "Will he let us?"

"I don't know."

The twins climbed out of bed. They still wore their normal clothes. Day or night, summer or winter, their uniform never changed. That consistency was very comforting to them.

They padded out to the living room on calloused, bare feet. Norbert was snoring softly on the couch, fully covered by a blanket. A large, black gun was on the floor within easy reach.

"Norbert?" Bethany whispered.

His eyes popped open and he grabbed the gun. When he saw her, he relaxed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Um, we have a question."

"What?" he said in an impatient tone. "It's late, and I have to wake up early tomorrow."

"Can we see your penis again?" Leanna said.

Even in the dark room, Bethany could tell he was blushing.

"That's an inappropriate question," he said quietly.

She didn't understand that response. The question had sounded straightforward, and Leanna hadn't used any curse words.

"Why is it inappropriate?" Bethany said.

"In polite society, people don't ask to see each other's genitals. Even you should know that."

She frowned. She felt an unfamiliar kind of tension that affected her whole body. She was almost feverish. Looking at Norbert's handsome, kind face only made it worse.

"What's wrong?" he said. "Both of you seem very anxious."

"You've been so nice to us. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I wish..." Bethany bit her lip. The emotions she felt were so strong it was almost painful.

"You could sleep in our bed with us," Leanna said.

"I appreciate the invitation," Norbert said, "but I'm obligated to politely refuse it."

"Why?" Bethany said in a sharp tone. "You don't want to be near us? Are we ugly?"

"No, you're very pretty girls. Beautiful, in fact, especially now that you're finally clean. You look like real princesses."

"We don't have any diseases."

"I'm not worried about diseases!" he said. "I just think we should be careful. Sharing a bed can lead to... complications."

Bethany rubbed her eyes.

He wrapped his blanket around himself and approached her. "You're really upset."

She nodded and sniffled.

"I'm sorry." He touched her cheek. "I don't want you to feel rejected, but I'd be a brute if I took advantage of your inexperience and vulnerability."

She put her hand on his chest, and his hair was stiffer than she had expected. His muscles were huge.

"Bethany," he said, "don't."

She pulled back his blanket to reveal his penis. It was much longer and thicker than the last time, and all the wrinkles were gone. It pulsed with his heartbeat. Leanna came over and touched it gently.

Norbert closed his eyes. "You two are making it very hard for me to be a gentleman. I'm not made of stone. It's been several years since I was with a woman."

Bethany took his hand and pulled him towards the bedroom. Leanna pulled on the other hand.

He sighed. "You win."

The three of them went to bed together.

Chapter Twelve

Marina looked around for signs of trouble. She and Smythe were standing by their car in the visitor's parking lot of White Flame Technology. It only had a few hundred spaces and was partially full. The employees parked in a vastly larger lot some distance away. An ocean of cars stretched into the distance, reminding her they were battling a very powerful corporation.

She checked her watch. "He's ten minutes late."

"It's a long drive," Smythe said. "Give the guy a break."

"I don't like standing in the open with no weapons. I feel like I have a target on my forehead."

Even though it was still morning, the day was warm. She was perspiring under her dark blue business suit. She hoped she wouldn't get sweat stains on her silk shirt.

A gray sedan arrived and parked in the next spot. Norbert stepped out. He wore a formal, brown suit with a tailored jacket and a red tie. Polished, black shoes were a nice touch. He carried a steel briefcase with a combination lock.

"You kept us waiting," Marina said.

"Sorry, ma'am. There was heavy traffic in Chicago, and I admit I was running a little behind schedule. Getting out of bed this morning was harder than usual."

Norbert gave a wallet to Smythe and a small, black purse to Marina.

She opened the purse and found identification inside. There was a nice assortment, including a driver's license, credit cards, and most importantly, a U.S. Government Accountability Office badge. All of it showed the name "Virginia Henderson." The quality of the forgeries impressed Marina immediately.

"The twins did this?" she said.

Norbert nodded. "They worked their tails off for the better part of two days. I think they did a tremendous job."

She held the driver's license up to the light. It looked really sharp.

"We'll see about that," she said ominously.

There was a health insurance card in her new purse. She took it out and called the number on the back. After navigating through a voice menu, she reached a human on the other end.

"Fidelity Transnational Insurance," a woman said. "My name is Ginger. How may I help you?"

"Hi there," Marina said. "This is Virginia Henderson. I need to verify my claim history. First off, how long have I been a customer?"

"I'll need your identification number. For security purposes, I'll also need your date of birth and social security number."

Marina found the information on the cards in her purse.

"Thank you, Ms. Henderson," Ginger said. "You've been a valued customer for two years, three months."

Marina raised her eyebrows. "And when was my last claim?"

"Let's see. Five months ago you broke your leg and required two days of hospitalization."

"What kind of accident was it?"

"Sky diving, it seems," Ginger said.

Marina smiled.
Yesterday, Virginia Henderson didn't exist. Today, she's an adrenaline junkie with a medical history.

"Thank you. That's all I need."

"You're welcome. Feel free to call Fidelity Transnational Insurance any time you have a problem. We value loyal customers like you."

Marina put her phone away.

"Well?" Norbert said.

"The twins did OK," she replied grudgingly.

"I knew they would. They're brilliant."

"When did you become such a fan?"

"I spent a lot of time with the girls," he said. "I let them sleep in my apartment both nights."

"What else did you do together?" she said.

"I washed their laundry and prepared their meals. I trimmed their nails. I mostly just kept an eye on them. They don't take care of themselves unless they're reminded."

She leaned forward and squinted at him. "My feminine instincts are tingling. You like them, don't you."

"Sure," he said.

"No, you
really
like them. When a man does a woman's laundry, it must be serious."

His face turned pink. "I may have certain feelings."

"Really? Did you screw them?" She was joking.

He blushed fiercely.

"You did!" she yelled. "I can't believe it! Both at the same time? How could you? They're so weird."