American Mole
Hi. Welcome to my fourth novel, in progress. I invite you to come back often as I write this. Please feel free to email me and tell me what you think can improve it. Most of all, if you like it, consider posting a review of it for me.
Chapter
27
The Bloody End
The Bloody End
Cutaway Key, December 28
The day broke beautiful like most of the others, until a hurricane would one day come and wipe away the essence of paradise, only to be rebuilt again by the power of money. Not today. This time, Amos arrived at the shaded table before Pius One. At Jacob's insistence, he ordered a quiche and a strawberry colada. A move he regretted later because the drink was too sweet. He chased it with a gin and tonic that got rid of the sweet, sticky aftertaste. He was well into the tonic when Pius One appeared. Amos didn't say anything about him being late. The One looked the way someone does after too many drugs, lost sleep and sex. He was drawn, pale in spite of his tan, and sported a gray stubble that belied his years.
"Good morning, Chief Amos" he announced as cheerfully as his thick throat could muster. I see you're having quiche. I think I'll have that too. Good taste you have. I like that in you. Jacob, I'll have my usual!" He yelled.
"Good morning. I was just enjoying the beauty of this place alone. Thank you for allowing me to come along."
"I can see you have been having a good time." Pius One winked and pointed his elbow toward the cabanas where the girls were emerging from separate rooms along the deck. Pius One's food arrived before the girls arranged themselves around table and ordered fruit and juices to go with their whole-grain entrées. Each girl was naked except for a translucent coverlet that matched her hair perfectly. Bambi was particularly attractive in pink befitting Marilyn Monroe. She even had a faux beauty mark strategically placed on her now, not so pale, cheek.
"Good morning girls. I trust you have had a good time so far. I know Amos has." He winked again as if to emphasize that he knew precisely what was going on and approved greatly of it. You had better get your overall tanning in this morning, because this afternoon we are going to have a remote derby, thanks to Bambi here, with of all the toys we've been developing for underprivileged kids of the world. I will have to retire after breakfast and meet you all at one p.m. again because I'm feeling a bit under the weather."
With that pronouncement, all three girls jumped up from their chairs and came around to hug and kiss Pius One's head and cheeks while applying enough titty rub to turn Amos on again. It didn't seem to affect the One, who, upon finishing his quiche quickly and downing his drink, excused himself and left the table.
All the girls started eyeing Amos at once. Bambi spoke first. "Jason... err... Amos, I hope you can join us in our all over tanning. We promise to make sure you have plenty of sunscreen (giggles)." Her eyes narrowed on him like it was imperative. Afterward, she glanced furtively from side to side see if the others had heard her gaff.
Angela chimed in. "Have you got a secret lover that looks like this hunk, Bambi? If you do, you'd better share him with us." She glanced at Mary. Mary nodded back in agreement. Bambi remained quiet, shaking her head, no.
Having finished her petite breakfast, Mary rose from her chair and came around behind Amos, putting her arms around his shoulders, and her breasts straddling his ears as she hugged him gently from behind. Her restless fingers moved from massaging his shoulders to unbuttoning his shirt, spreading it out as she went.
By the time she reached the bottom, Amos was stiff again. Her breasts now firmly locking the back of his head in warm embrace, she reached far down and unbuttoned the last two buttons, making sure that her fingers strayed to the bump in his pants. When she rubbed her fingernails lightly over that spot, Amos thought he would die of embarrassment. Still, his erection raged on like the wild wolf that it had become. There was no stopping it. He knew he was wet again. It started to show through his pants. At least the girls across the table couldn't see it. Mary's eyes lit up. "Look what I found girls," she announced. "Come over here and see. You won't believe this!" Amos's embarrassment grew.
The other two girls jumped up from their chairs, their breakfasts unfinished, to see what Mary was talking about. She continued. "Amos has been a naughty boy. Look what he's doing to his pants. Stand up Amos, so that we can see." She was tugging on his under arms now, trying to lift him up. Amos was embarrassed beyond words. So he stayed quiet and stood like a fool they were making him to be. "We are just going to have to fix that, aren't the girls?"
"Yes!" The other two squealed as they skipped around table and began to untie his deck pants and lower his briefs. He stood there, shirtless, his pants and briefs around his knees and his cock standing at attention, not knowing what was going to happen next. They converged on him at once and began taking turns sucking. Thirty fingers caressed every part of his anatomy until he came full stroke in Angelas' mouth. She pulled back smiling, and let the other two girls lick off the rest.
After Angela swallowed, she said, "Yum, looks like I got my protein for today. Now get out of those shoes and join us on the beach. That's an order, Chief. You have no alternative except jail." She giggled and the others joined in. Bambi and Angela were already pulling his pants and briefs off his feet. They put his sandals back on so he could navigate the hot sand, laid out full-sized beach blankets, and began applying sunscreen. They all wanted Amos to apply sunscreen to their vital parts. He gladly obliged. Soon they were all lying down close together on several towels with refreshing drinks placed at their heads by Joshua. The drinks, the food, and the sex, combined with the warmth of the sun and the caress of the breeze, once again had Amos falling asleep as the girls chatted.
Mary was gently rocking him awake. She already had her coverlet on to ward off the midmorning sun. "You had better cover up or go on in, you are starting to get pink again. We had to roll you over an hour ago, because you were getting pink on your backside. Wouldn't want your touche to get sore, would we?" She grinned.
Amos mumbled something because he was still half asleep. But he could feel the heat on his stomach and chest and decided to call it a morning. When he got inside, he took a pee. He was sore and it wasn't from the sun. "Too much sex," he muttered, and headed back to the bed, making sure that he set his alarm clock for 12:30 p.m.
He managed to be on the deck again about 12:45 p.m. Jacob and Joshua were setting up for the afternoon and there were cool drinks to be had at the bar. Amos poured himself one from the pitcher and watched as the others joined him one by one. Pius One was the last to arrive, about 10 minutes after he told everyone to be there, and looking much better than he had that morning. He already had a deep tan that Amos assumed was all over because he didn't see any tan lines. Pius One immediately, as was his way, announced what they were going to do. "Ladies and gentlemen, thanks to Bambi here," he nodded in Bambis' direction, I'm completing my remote project for the children of the world ahead of schedule. As a treat to you all, we are going to get to try out all the toys that I have developed today. Here, each of you put on your remote caps." He pointed to a stack of white baseball caps that Joshua had placed on the deck table. Everyone, including Jacob and Joshua, picked up a cap and tried it on for size. Some put theirs down and tried another. Finally, everyone was satisfied with the cap that they had on.
"Okay, as you can see, the guys have laid out all the toys we're going to try out. There are cars, boats, parasails, gliders, helicopters, planes, and surfboards. I also have a number of Ken, G.I. Joe, and Barbie dolls appropriately dressed and undressed to operate the vehicles. I invite you to try them all out and see how they work. Races are okay and stunts are expected, but please, please... no crashes. As I said before, these toys are going to children around the world and I wouldn't want any damage to the valuable components. Please pick out a toy and concentrate on that one. The transmitter in your cap will know which toy you are trying to control and you should be able to easily control it."
Amos held back while the others selected the toys they were going to try first. While Bambi chose a Barbie and immediately stripped her of her bikini suit, Angela chose a G.I. Joe and Mary a Ken. The etiquette seemed to be to strip the dolls because they were in the clothing optional zone and dressing the dolls was not the order of the day, although Amos thought that maybe, just maybe, he may have to sit down with everyone for a doll fashion show before they left. Amos immediately noticed that these dolls were more anatomically correct than any he never seen, right down to the the strong tan lines where G.I. Joe's shirt was removed from his neck. He was really hung. As expected, Joshua and Jacob both chose Ken dolls. Pius One took a G.I. Joe and didn't undress him. Amos picked up a Barbie with a white bikini and red polka dots, she made him think of Bambi.
The cars could only run on the long deck in front of the cabanas, about 100 yards. Still, they easily reached a scale 200 miles an hour from end to end, and, more than once, skidded off the end of the deck into the sand like a Formula One missing the curve. The off-road vehicles could manage the sand, but some got bogged down. On the beach, the surfboards, boats, and parasails all worked to perfection. Not a single doll drowned, a great achievement considering the daredevil moves that everyone was trying. Amos enjoyed flying airplanes and the helicopter over the water and then gently landing them on the beach above the high water line. He was amazed at the flexibility and utility of these toys. He was so pleased Bambi had had a part in creating them.
The girls, in various states of dress and undress, were squealing with glee as they raced and did tricks with their vehicles. One by one, the fuel cells ran down, usually after about an hour of operation, and needed recharging. Fortunately, there were plenty of charged vehicles for all. About 4:30 p.m., Pius One announced that they would have a crab fest at 6 p.m. Everyone cleaned their toys and put them away, retiring to their cabanas. By wearing the deck pants, a shirt, and the Panama hat, Amos escaped a serious burn that afternoon. Mary had stopped him from going with his shirt off after about a half hour, admonishing him with her index finger like a small child. He loved it.
The sun was just a red glow over the horizon when he emerged for the crab fest. In his closet he found a white suit and navy cravat with matching handkerchief. He thought, what the hell, and put everything on including the two-tone black and white crocodile shoes. He passed on the hat with a navy feather for combing his own hair in the debonair fashion of James Bond. His gold cuff links neatly showing beneath his coat sleeves, he walked briskly onto the deck and joined the others by the grill. Songs from movie classics like Casablanca were playing, setting the mood for an evening of fine dining.
There were two more days of fun in the sun. Amos had acquired that all over tan that he didn't seek and had never achieved in his youth. He made a mental note to make sure that he didn't show the guys his lack of tan lines. There was more fishing, water skiing, scuba diving, and fun with remotes. There was more sex than Amos had had in his entire life before. The girls seemed to thrive on it, but he found that he had to pace himself, being not used to such activity. He never thought he would have to admit that. There, he did.
On the morning of the 30th, Pius One announced that they were leaving at 10 a.m. for Miami. He had to tape his sermon for midnight Mass in the Cathedral at the New Year and then fly off to Monaco for a New Year's party with Prince Rainier and selected guests. Mary and Angela would fly there direct from Miami, while the rest would return to the Vespers. Amos surmised that the One needed Bambi to put all the toys back in order while he was off cavorting in the French Riviera. Amos wondered if he was ever going to give them to any children.
They arrived at Central Wisconsin Airpark just after dark. The pilot announced that it was -7° and snowing. Because of the weather, the helicopter couldn't fly. Still, within an hour, a limousine brought them back to the Vespers. Amos went directly to his apartment and changed into his police uniform. That night he served an eight hour shift on patrol. Warm inside the Jeep as he navigated the snow-covered roads on his route, he pondered the events of the previous days. To Pius One it was probably routine, but to him it was an experience he would remember in his old age. He laughed when he thought of the girls. Elias Four came back on the radio, "Chief, are you all right? Were you coughing?"
"I'm all right, Four. Just thinking about my trip. Will have to tell you about it sometime." His lips were sealed.
Three weeks later, 11:30 p.m. January 21
As was his preference, Chief Amos was on patrol for the graveyard shift, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. he liked it because these winter nights were very quiet and most pions were adverse to running in the wintertime when it was so cold and they couldn't obtain boots and heavy clothes to wear. He would see an occasional deer, coyote, or wolf in the headlights momentarily as he drove along and they blended back into the nightscape of snowy white and dark wood. Occasionally, he would get out and walk to check things like the cameras in way that the guys didn't like to. He found that walking on cold nights like this was good aerobic exercise considering that time spent in the Jeep was a killer along with Ralph's food. He laughed at his own joke. Suddenly the video intercom came alive...
The image in the monitor was a familiar -- Elias Four. His mouth opened and he said, "Chief, Pius One is requesting your presence at his workshop, along with Hector. I've already woke Hector up and he'll be on his way over there shortly. Says it's some kind of a test, and he needs security there when he runs it. You know where the workshop is, don't you Chief?" Amos pushed the camera/mike button next to the shifting paddles on the steering wheel and responded.
"Okay, Elias Four, I'm about 20 away. Will break off patrol and go see what the One wants. Be sure you wake up Ralph and have him finish my patrol. Over."
The screen lit up again, and Elias Four replied, "Copy that, Chief. Over and out."
Amos wondered what in the hell the One needed Hector for. Hector was always with Him, and Amos made sure that he never crossed paths with Hector if he could help it. He had heard of the workshop and knew where it was, but he had never been there. In his duty as security for the One, Amos assumed that Hector had been there many times. There was still so much he didn't know that had been going on for all those years before he came. Hell, Hector knew a whole lot more than he did. But he wasn't going to ask. He knew it was just too dangerous for him to make any effort to investigate what the One did.
Sooner than he thought, he pulled up next to one of his electric carts in the snow-covered parking area outside the hangar that housed the workshop. He knew he was being watched already, but he called Elias Four and asked him to announce his arrival at the destination. Suspicious that something might be going down, he pulled the shotgun from its location under the seat of the Jeep and put it together. He put a rock salt shot shell they used to scare the pions with (stung like hell) and get them to stop running, in the chamber.
A single overhead area light illuminated the area. Aside from the cart, there were no cars in the parking area, but there were two weathered tracks and one new one leading from the cart, in the new snow leading to a door next to the overhead large door. Amos walked over to the side door and tried it. He heard a buzz from an electronic lock and the door opened. Inside was a gleaming room with a lot of equipment. Hector met him at the door. "You aren't carrying are you?"
Amos replied, "No." Hector took his word for it, although they had service revolvers there was almost no need for them on campus and Amos forbade his officers from carrying them unless they went off-campus on police business.
Amos surveyed the room. Near the far wall he saw Pius One and Bambi at a workbench conferring about something. He followed Hector and they walked over to where the two were working. They were busy with screwdrivers putting the finishing touches on a shiny black robot that looked like a miniature Darth Vader, but with a more humanlike face and extremities. Pius One looked very disturbed. His speech slurred and he appeared to be drunk or on drugs or both. He talked on for some time about the device before him until it became a mumbling rant and Amos tuned out all the mumbling about the DOD and his ultimate weapon, Oscar. He didn't know how Bambi could stand it. Hector was fidgety, but paced the large open floor area to calm himself and stand ready if he was needed. Amos stood between the wall and the bench. Always vigilant. He noted that the main relay box for the building was just to his left and there was an on and off lever on its side. Fire extinguishers lined the walls at regular intervals. Overhead he could see large video screens among cranes and other overhead equipment. He noted that there were also many cameras strategically placed around the huge room.
His tinkering finally finished, Pius One's put his robot, Oscar, on the floor. Putting one of his famous white caps on, the One asked Hector to come to the bench and take a large teddy bear to the middle of the open space, 30 feet from the bench. Before he started the demonstration, Pius One repeated what he had said about the robot, Oscar. "Oscar is autonomous. That means he thinks for himself. All I have to do is put my cap on and give him instructions. Once he has those instruction, he acts autonomously on his own without further direction. Another feature that we, (he turned toward Bambi with a leering smile) have included in Oscar is an autonomous power source. Without batteries, Oscar can draw from any power source that he senses, all the energy he needs. If he senses that he will leave his power source, he charges his batteries to last for the brief period of time that he is without power. To function fully, he does need a power source because he is highly functional. Let me demonstrate."
Suddenly, Oscar assumed an active state, running across the room in about three seconds, he jumped three feet onto the king-sized teddy bear, and, with one swift motion, tore off the teddy bear's head while kicking its stuffing out. Oscar then stopped and waited by the dismembered teddy bear, as if awaiting further instructions.
Pius One resumed his discussion, much more focused and clear now, his voice elevated. "I have brought you two here because I have learned of a severe breach in security that must be remedied. As you know, as my lieutenants in arms, I trust you to be discreet and loyal to me in our cause. Amos, you exemplify what I'm talking about.. (he paused, as if to emphasize). Hector, on the other hand... ever since I gave you the power to be my personal security you have worked to undermine everything that we do. Recently, while surveying the Internet, I came across a despicable website featuring snuff movies. Not willing to leave that alone, I paid my money and saw what was offered. To my dismay, I saw videos entrusted only to you, Hector." His voice then rose loud and tremulous. "Hector, what do you have to say about this breach of trust!"
Hector paced around the floor with his head down. "Your highness, I... I..."
With a burst of energy belying his drunken state, Pius One slammed his fist to the table and yelled, "You betrayed my trust for money. For stinking money! My trust...!" Oscar burst into action, ran over to Hector and jumped on him like a rabid dog, tearing at his throat with claws that extended from his fingers. In a second, bright red blood was spurting from Hector's jugular, and Oscar's razor sharp toenails and spinning feet had torn through Hector's shirt, disemboweling him like a wild cat would.
The sight was sickening. Amos hesitated in horror for only a moment, and then acted. In two steps he reached the wall and pulled the power lever. He yelled, "Run!" And headed for the door in the dark. Instinctively he knew when he reached it, and put his hands out to stop his forward motion. Feeling along the door frame, he found the emergency release button and pushed it. The door opened, allowing the white snowy night in. He felt someone at his side and knew it was Bambi, because he could hear Pius One stumbling and cursing as he kept running into the tables trying to follow. Amos grabbed her hand and they sprinted for the Jeep.
Amos almost slid under the Jeep on the slippery snow. He pulled himself up by the door handle and jerked the door open. His eye caught and be going around to the other side. He grabbed the shotgun and popped the glovebox open. Reaching inside, Amos felt for the box of slugs they sometimes used to kill coyotes. He found it and pulled it out onto Bambi's lap. He was shaking now, so bad he couldn't get the shells out of the box. Bambi helped him, and he fed three shells into the magazine. Through the windshield and open door to the workshop, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the lights come on inside.
"Here, Bambi, get in the driver's seat. Whatever happens, get out of here and get help. Leave me behind if you have to. As he was getting out of the Jeep and around to the passenger side to lay the gun over the hood, Amos heard loud screaming coming from the workshop. He knew that Pius One was dead. He wasn't sure if he would make it either. A split second later, Oscar burst through the door opening, bathed in the parking lot light. The creature stopped, looking both ways as if to seek out his quarry, when Amos placed a slug between those beady little eyes and fairly blew its head off. The robot sputtered and ran in a little circle until it fell over and its legs kept kicking endlessly. So much for the strength of fiber composites.
Amos crawled the passenger seat, pushed the button on the video intercom, and Elias Four popped onto the screen. Surprised at what he saw, cracking a joke, Elias Four said, "My, Chief how you've changed."
Chief Amos stepped in. "Cut out the crap, Four, we've got a serious situation here. Call Chuck Blake and wake him up if you have to, and tell him to meet me at the North Gate as soon as he can. Tell him I'll be waiting. Otherwise, carry on as usual until you get further instructions."
Mostly, they drove on in silence, a wispy snow covering the blacktop road that wound through frozen field and forest. The moon was nearly full and cast dark shadows from the trees on the brilliant white scene. Finally, Amos spoke. "I don't know about you, but that scared the begeebes out of me. It's a good thing I turned off the power, or we'd be dead, too."
"I'm sure it helped. But I did it too. I liked working on his toys. It was a way to get close to him. Only the closer I got, the worse it became. I could stomach having sex with him, but I drew the line when he invited other guys in. And that monster. He wanted me to make it autonomous -- you know -- so that it could think for itself and carry out its programmed mission regardless of the circumstances. I know what he was going to do with that thing and it scared the hell out of me. So I programmed it to kill him..." she was sobbing.
"I thought that I..."
"No, it was me. While it was killing Hector, I put on a cap and ordered it to go after Pius One. He would've killed you next. And then me... who knows? He was that crazed. There was no stopping him. I had to do it..." she broke down again. "I had to do it, I had to do it, I just had to..." She curled up in the far corner of the front seat and cried herself to sleep.
It was 20 minutes before they reached the North Gate. Amos left the gate open, turned right on County*, and drove down the road about a half mile to the drive of an abandoned farm, out of sight of the prying Vespers cameras. True to the Chief's request they heard nothing more from Elias Four. "Listen," Amos said to Bambi after he shook her gently awake. "I want you to take this blanket and lie down on the floor in the back seat. I don't want Chuck Blake to even know that you're here, okay?"
Bambi had regained her composure. "I know the drill. I'll make myself as inconspicuous as possible. Guess it's time that I give up trying to be Marilyn Monroe." She giggled and crawled over the seat. Even in coveralls, her altered behind was to be appreciated. Soon, she was nothing more than a blanket covering something on the floor of the back seat. Amos was glad she was not upset and cooperative. A true professional. His stomach told him that he was having a hard time being professional himself. Had to hold it in until this was over.
Turning the car around and aiming his headlights up the road, they parked in the white night and waited. They discussed what they were going to do. Both had stashes that they needed to get to so they could move on. About 15 minutes later Amos saw headlights coming. When they flashed, he knew it was Chuck Blake and flashed his headlights back. Chuck Blake pulled up alongside and rolled down his window.
"What's up, Amos? It sure is late to be getting me up and out here in the middle of nowhere. This better had be important."
Amos exited the Jeep and walked on over to Chuck Blake's patrol car. "May I join you? This is going to take a bit of explanation."
"By all means. Hop in. Let's talk." Amos went around to the passenger side and got in.
"Have you got any cameras or recording devices on?"
"Nope. Just little old me and Miss Betsey, here. See, I've turned off the dash and rear cams for ya. Knew this was important..."
Thoughts of a car named Betsy popped into his mind, but he couldn't talk now about that. "You don't know the half of it. Pius One is dead. He was killed a half hour ago by some little monster robot that he was making for the DOD. Or at least that's what he said. I put the damn thing out of commission, with a slug from my shotgun. He's in the workshop at his compound. One of my officers, his bodyguard, Hector Two, was killed by the same robot on Pius One's order."
"Hector has an assistant, Longray, that can probably tell you everything you need to know. There should be plenty of video in Pius's place on computers that will lead you to anyone that is implicated. I want you to bring the FBI and Homeland Security in on this right away because I believe it involves sex crimes against minors, serial murder, and slavery. I couldn't get close enough to get any evidence, but I suggest you track down the computer servers and Hector's computer before anything else. Those bodies went somewhere and I'm sure you can find them.
"One last thing. I need to disappear. I'm a lot more than some guy who came to the Vespers to become its police chief. I can't jeopardize that right now. If you see me on the videos, make little of it. Treat Ralph like the chief he wants to be, and he'll take over. I have committed no crime and don't need to be brought to the attention of the FBI or Homeland Security. If asked, just say that I saw my opportunity to escape the clutches of the Vespers and took off like so many others that may or may not have gotten away. Is that okay with you?" Amos was at the point where he would beg -- anything to get away from the storm that was about to come.
"Okay, but I..."
"You won't need me for the investigation. I have no incriminating evidence. If anything, you are going to have to investigate the whole Vespers' police force, the Masters, the Brotherhood, and the whole convoluted obsessive cult that Pius created. It's all there... you just have to peel back the layers until you get to the raw meat of the matter. I tell you, you will find bodies, many bodies.
"You're my friend, Amos. Guess I can do that for you. I always knew you weren't from here; that you had some greater purpose than the Vespers in mind. I'm going to miss you. Will you keep in touch?"
"I'd love to, but I can't. I promise you that when I can I will get in touch with you again. All I can say is, by covering for me, you are doing the country a great service. I'm going to give you the shotgun that killed that monster, but I've wiped it clean of fingerprints. You'll find only one shot fired and no evidence that I shot Pius One. I have to leave now. Please, get the FBI on the horn, the state police... whatever you need to seal off the Vespers and find out just what's been going on. Good luck, man." A tear appeared in the corner of his eye as he reached over and shook Chuck Blake 's hand heartily.
Amos walked deliberately back to the Jeep, opened the door, took a rag, and carefully wiped down the shotgun. He walked back to Chuck Blake 's car with the gun held in one hand by the rag and handed it to Chuck Blake 's gloved hands. He also got the box of shells out, wiped each one off, and handed that to Chuck Blake as well. They gave each other one last handshake and wave. Amos got back into the Jeep and pulled slowly out onto County*. As the snow swirled up behind on that lonely road, Amos didn't see any lights following. He couldn't believe that he was leaving Vespers.
They had to make a quick stop at the Auburndale Post Office where Amos had kept a post office box with a stash of money and papers. Before light they reached the Milwaukee airport where Bambi had her stash in an airport locker. She even had a small bag with essential women gear. Where they left the Jeep in the parking lot, Amos had removed all the markings of police uniform from his clothing. Fortunately, his parka looked like any other on that cold morning. Posing as lovers, they took the first flight to O'Hare. At O'Hare, Bambi booked a flight for Los Angeles and they both shopped for some light clothes, grooming essentials and a bag in the airport shops. Chief Amos entered a men's room that morning and emerged as JJ, the carefree young vagabond with plenty of cash. His midwinter tan suited his style and his destination. What was left of the chief's uniform was left in a bathroom stall, along with his fine pair of boots. No need or a parka where he was going. He hoped that some homeless person would be able to pick it up and wear it. Bambi was now a brunette calling herself Lexis Maxtor. Sure that airport cameras were catching them, the sooner they took on their new personas the better. Already, all over the airport, there were special reports from all of the major networks about the tragedy that had occurred at the Vespers. It was hard not to watch, so they did.
By 11 a.m., they had settled in a nice restaurant having lunch before Lexis' flight. Gratefully, there wasn't a television monitor in the place. Although they did see a few patrons watching on their hand held viewscreens. Gratefully as well, State ordinance prohibited viewers from using their speakers in public places, so everyone was listening with earphones. They had time to talk, but they didn't. Each one was thinking, what next. They hadn't had time to think about their next move five years into their twenty year commitment.
Amos spoke first, "Lexis, I'm really going to miss you. This is a really lonely business we are in. I didn't know how lonely until I got to the Vespers and tried to live a monk's life. In a way I'm so glad that I'm leaving that behind. Will I see you again?" His eyes focused on hers.
"That depends. I don't know how I would get in touch with you after... you know..."
" What's your out date? Mine is November 21st. Where should we meet? The Empire State Building?" They both laughed at the thought.
Mine is November 25th. Let's see, DC is gone, so we can't meet there. Why don't we meet at Dulles Airport, you know, the grand promenade. We both have to go back to Headquarters to check out."
"Great idea. I'll see you there. It looks like I'll be missing you the whole time." He patted her hand gently. She turned it over and grasped his. They looked like two lovers holding hands. They were.
It was time for Lexis to go. They reluctantly got up from their table and JJ got her to the last security check before boarding. They stopped for a moment. He gave her a hug and, instinctively, their lips met in a long and loving kiss. It was time to let go. As she turned to put her bag on the x-ray belt, he called out, "When you see me at Dulles, I will be Jason. Remember, ask for Jason." His heart was pounding now. He felt like he was losing her forever.
"And I'll be Amber, Amber Handley, can you remember that!" Jason waved and nodded yes as she walked through the metal detector and was patted down, and soon gone, walking up the ramp and out of his life. A deep sadness came over him as he trudged back to the main terminal to wait for his three o'clock flight to Cancun. He watched a little bit of the news before leaving. It was disturbing what the state police and FBI were finding.