Oceans of Red Volume One (5 page)

Rising, she placed her hands on her hips.  “Fine,
Admiral
.  It’s your call.  I’ll stay off missions, and hopefully the others will realize that
your
thought processes are clouded and you’re going to get them all dead.”  Giving him an overly exaggerated salute, she pivoted and marched out the door.

He shook his head and
muttered, “She’s got her mother’s temper.”  Then pushing the call button, asked, “Sally?  Can you come in here?”

***

Greg and Shane listened quietly to Remy’s ranting about their father’s incompetence without agreeing or disagreeing.  Occasionally, they would exchange knowing looks and furtive smiles.  Their sister was wound up tight, and neither of them was brave enough to voice their opinions…yet.

Shane knew she had
to wait for the right moment, when that moment came, Remy would be putty in her hands.  It was all a matter of timing.

“The whole flippin thing is ridiculous!  He knows I had no choice.  How could he even
send us on a mission with a ‘no kill’ order?  Like they would ever be reasonable.  I’m sure had I yelled ‘we’re not here to hurt you’ that would have mattered to them.  Ugh!”  She kicked at a chair, sending it flying across the room to slam into the wall.

Spinning to face them, she said, “Well?  Say something.  You know I’m right!”

Greg glanced at Shane who gave a slight shake of her head.  Returning his gaze to Remy, he shrugged.

“That’s it?  You’ve got nothing to say?  So you’re on his side…well that’s just great.  See if I save your ass the next time.”

Eyebrows rising, he answered, “Now hold up, girl.  I believe I was the one covering you while you prepped the grenade.  So who saved whose ass?  And I didn’t say you were wrong, I just don’t know what you want me to say.  He gives the orders; we take the orders.  That’s how it’s always been, and that’s how it’ll always be.”

“He’s giving shitty orders.  Give me one good plan he’s come up with in the last three months?  Just one!”

“He’s just following logic.  What else can he do?  I mean it’s not like we’re playing on level ground here,” Greg replied.

Winding down, Remy sat on the bed staring at the floor.  “We need something different.  What we’ve been doing is not working.  We’re out manned, out gunned, and with all the psychic crap, we’re out brained.  He needs to start thinking outside the box.  We have to acquire the shroud.”

Smiling, Shane exhaled.  Finally!  Her sister was a pretty smart cookie, but thick headed too.  Sometimes it took her a long time to come around to original thinking.  “Well, there’s only one way to get the shroud.  Just one way, and it’s terribly dangerous.”  Her eyes darted between her brother and sister.  “Do we agree that without it, all the rest of this is pointless?”

Both heads nodded.

“Okay then.  You two need to decide how far you’re willing to go to win.  We can keep following orders and doing what we’re doing,
or
we can make a difference.  It’s up to you.”

“Shit,” Remy muttered.

Greg flashed her a grin.  “What happened to today is a good day to die?  I thought you loved that old Indian saying.”

Defeated, she looked at the floor, and almost whispered, “You’re all I have left.”

Moving to her side, Shane placed her hand on Remy’s shoulder and squeezed.  “That’s why we
have
to do this together.  We could never trust anyone else with something so important.”

Greg stuck his hand, palm down, in fron
t of them.  “Just like always, The Three Musketeers.  I’m in.”

Shane placed her free hand on top of his.  “Me too.”

Briefly searching both faces, Remy hesitated before placing her hand on top of Shane’s and then jerked it away.  “Oh, hell no.  I’m not into anything until I’ve heard the plan, so spill it.”

Shrugging, and dropping her hands to her sides, Shane answered, “It’s simple really.  Just a minor ex
pansion on Greg’s plan.  The two of you are too equally matched.  Although Greg’s physical strength is superior to yours, you make up for that with skill.”  She glanced at her brother.  “No offense intended of course.”

He winked.  “Go on.  No sore feelings here.”

When speaking, Shane’s hands moved in wide arcs as if directing a choir.  “No matter which of you is infected first, it is highly improbable that the remaining sibling would be able to force the inoculation on the infected sibling.  That’s why you need me.  Now if I went in first, even with the supercharged strength I’d return with, the two of you should be able to take me.  Then when each of you returns, I’d still have the residual psychic energy to hold you in place while you are inoculated.  Greg’s plan is good, but with my plan there’s no chance you’ll kill each other.” 

Shane watched as her sister processed the information.  Seeing doubt flitter across her face, she continued, “And of course, I’m much better with hypnosis than either of you.  Coupled with the fact that I can already do self hypnosis, we can’t lose.”

Remy’s eyebrows rose.  “How you going to do self hypnosis?  That’s a ridiculous concept.”

“Seriously?  I’m the best hypnotherapist in this place. 
I’ll record a session, you play it for me, test me to make sure it worked, and then we’re in.  After you’ve returned me to normal, I’ll hypnotize you and wah-la...we go get the shroud.”

  E
yes darting between her siblings’ faces, a look of resignation came over Remy’s face.  Sighing, she softly answered, “I’m in.”

Shane nodded.  “Good.  There’s just one catch I’m trying to iron out.”

“What’s that?” Greg asked.

“When our minds are wiped, we also have to wipe out all memory of each other.  Once that’s accomplished I have to figure out how to get us all back outside.  If we don’t remember we’re out there waiting, why would we go?”

Remy’s empty stomach rumbled.

“I guess it’s time for breakfast,” Greg laughed.

Giving them an apologetic look, she answered, “I’m starving, but it can wait.  I’m not really in a big hurry to chow down on powdered eggs anyway.”

Patting her shoulder, Shane replied, “I totally get that.  Mom would have a cow if she saw the way they run the kitc
hen here.  Supper for breakfast and breakfast for supper, she’d have that changed in a heartbeat.”

Heart fluttering at the mention of their mother, Remy smiled and nodded.

It couldn’t have been any more obvious that Greg had an idea if light bulb had miraculously appeared over his head.  His eyes grew wide as his smile broadened.  “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Shane asked.

Shaking his head he answered, “Duh.  For someone so brilliant, you sure have your blonde moments.  Mom.  Home.  You give us a compulsion to go home.  After we’re infected, we have an overwhelming compulsion to go home.  They’ll just think we’re trying to bring the rest of the family into the fold.  But the other two will be waiting there, and when you get there you won’t be expecting us.”

Remy’s jaw dropped.  “
This could really work.”

Once again Shane placed her hand in the middle of their circle.  “I’m in.”

Placing his massive hand over his little sister’s, Greg agreed, “Me too.”

Remy added hers to the top of the pile.  “Abso-freakin-lutely.”

Chapter Four

“Name?”  The man with glowing red eyes asked while peering into her face.

“Umm, I can’t remember,” the young raven haired girl answered.

Raising his eyebrows, he said, “That is irrational.  Of course you must know your name.”

The girl knew not knowing who she was or how she got here should frighten her, but for some odd reason it didn’t.  “I really don’t know.  What is this place again?”

Head moving to the left a smidge, he closed his eyes for a moment before returning his gaze to the pale faced girl in front of him.  “Wait here
, please.” 

The young girl nodded and allowed he
r eyes to wander over the two story home in front of her.  Tall columns attached the roof to the base of the front porch.  Long, rectangular, red window boxes adorned with burgundy and pink mums lined the edges of the porch, giving it a homey feel. 

Within minutes, a twenty-something blond woman with red eyes exited the front door and approached them.  “What seems to be the trouble?” her musical voice asked.

The tall man answered, “This one’s been mind wiped.  Says she doesn’t know her name or where she came from.”

Stepping forward, the woman placed her hand on the girls shoulder and peered into her eyes.

Still unreasonably calm, the girl felt the woman enter her mind.  Remaining still, she allowed complete access to her thoughts.

“Hmm
.  Interesting.  You’re right, it’s another wipe,” she said looking over her shoulder at the guard.  “She looks very young.  Probably another parent who is tired of seeing their child go hungry.  Too bad they don’t just come in as a family.  I hate to see the humans suffer unnecessarily.  Did you do a print scan?”

“Not yet.”

Smiling, she ran her hand down the young girl’s arm.  “Let me see your hand, pet.  This won’t hurt a bit.  We just need to find out who you are.”

Obligingly holding out her hand, the girl remained still and allowed the guard to take it in his.  He placed it
palm down on a hand held machine with a dark pad.  A light flashed as the machine whirred. 

“That’ll do
, kiddo.  Thanks for your cooperation,” he said as he released her.

Cocking his head to the side, he told the woman, “No matches found.  Must have been in hiding for some time.  Shou
ld she be questioned before she’s processed?”

“That wouldn’t do a bit of good.  The wipe is clean and strong.  She’s a tiny thing.  It is unlikely that she is any sort of weapon.  Besides, once she’s processed, whatever their intentions were will be of no consequence.”  Sliding an arm around the girl’s shoulders, the woman began walking her up the sidewalk to the house.  “This won’t take but a minute dear.  Then we’ll have you out
and fed in a jiffy.  You look like you’ve nearly starved to death.”

***

The pretty blond with the glowing red eyes folded her arms across her chest.  “Kaylyn, we need to find out where she comes from.”

Sitting in a chair across from her, the raven haired young girl spoke.  “The wipe was too thorough.  All I can tell you is that she wants to go home, but she’s not even sure where home is.”

“You’ve been in the shell for two hours and you haven’t managed to glean a thing from the poor girl’s mind?”

Shaking her head, she uncrossed her legs and leaned forward.  “This child knows nothing, Sharelle.  Whoever wiped her is an expert.  There’s nothing here to find.  Just nothing.  Even with all the probing, I keep running into a steel door in her mind.  Whatever is behind that door, I can’t access it.”

A frail grey-haired woman entered the room carrying a plate of sandwiches.  Sharelle moved across the room, took the plate from her hands and dismissed her.  “Eat.  She looks starved.”

“This body doesn’t feel hungry.  I think it might be her natural size.”

Holding the tray in front of her, she said, “Regardless, eat.  The process surely weakened her somewhat.”

Kaylyn to
ok a bite of a ham and cheese sandwich.  “Disgusting.  I don’t know how they can eat this crud.  There was a time when humans feasted on roasted meat.  I liked that better.”

“Humanity is not what it used to be.  But I do en
joy their technology.  Hot running water feels so good on their bodies.”

“Sharelle, when do get our bodies back?  Are we ever going to be returned to our natural state?”

The blond woman pulled at her bottom lip with her fingers.  “I don’t know.  I’m not privy to that information.  They are doing what they can.  Our bodies cannot live in this world.  Not as it is right now.  If we change things, then we lose the cattle.”  Flipping her shoulder length hair behind her, she moved to the red couch across from Kaylyn’s matching wingback chair.  “I kind of like the shells.  They are so sensual.  It’s as if every fiber of their being was designed for pure pleasure.”

“This one seems devoid of feeling.  Not one ounce of emotion resides within her.  I should be feeling her terror.  Some form of torment at being invaded.  Instead I feel nothing.  Total absence of a
nything at all, except the desire to go home.”

Sharelle leaned forward.  “Are you certain you retain total control of the body?”

Kaylyn nodded and shrugged.  “I’m not certain that much of this entity remains in the body.  I have control.”

“Well good.  Then give the child what she wants.  It’s possible that
her family, or whoever wiped her, still remains in that location.  Take her home and bring anyone there to me.  We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“How am I supposed to do that?  She doesn’t even know where home is.”

“She’ll know when she sees it.  Take a walk.”

Kaylyn rose from her seat and stretched.  “Would it have been too dif
ficult for you to acquire a shell that had more strength?  This one is so puny.”