5 comments/ 88235 views/ 7 favorites Nosh Nothings By: TMAJO Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience; and your comments. All is appreciated and welcomed. And as is known by now, the story contains mainly F/F action as well as a plot that I hope you'll enjoy. It's a patience-demanding piece and thus, some gratification is near but tantalizingly far away. Please, do check out the previous chapters if you want extra jelly on the characters. They're not listed in order but the titles are sequential as follows: (WIT)At First, Blind Borne, Escapade, Felon Failing Fallen, Just Juxtapose, Material Martyr and Nosh Nothings. That said, do enjoy the story. Please don't forget to comment....it truly does help the process 8D TMAJO I warned you of my frailty. I warn you of my will... *************** Previously ****************** "Oh yes. She's in the race too. I'm beside myself with the joy of it." He got up off his perch on the table, "Come now, I'd like to make your time with me as pleasurable as I may." He moved to the door, not giving her another glance as the door hissed open. He stepped out and the air in the room fell still. Bellinda wanted to wait and think. She wanted to think and come to the conclusion that he should shove his offer up a hole of eternal darkness. She knew she didn't want to spend another second in the dingy cell and willed her body to carry itself toward the door. No sooner had she stepped out, had the door sealed shut. She sighed and looked around the hallway to find him standing at the far end, waiting with that smirk on his face. Fuck she hated that smirk. ******************* He led her through the marble-chrome halls and she couldn't help but think of how much she needed a shower. He didn't seem to care that she was wearing the microbial grime of a few days and was starting to tell. She'd by now settled for herself that her captors had been keeping her for more than a few days. She'd been drifting in and out of shock-driven haze, mental slumber and pseudo manic catatonia. He walked by her side, eyeing her every now and again; his aura seemingly ready to burst but he held his tongue. "Your mother must've been a sight to behold." He stated casually, though just under his breath, as they got into the elevator; the only elevator, it seemed. Bellinda realized, only after she was in, how easily she had followed him. She had to admit he was charming; disgustingly so. Yet she wasn't sure know why she trusted him so, so- "What?!" Something else hit her. The air in here felt harsh in her nostrils. Like the air in the cabin of a plane when it was too cold, over-sanitized and the pressure was just enough to keep your eardrums from popping. "Your eyes and that mane of lava...you most certainly didn't get that from daddy, now did you?" He said with a sly smirk. "..." Bellinda couldn't find her words. Or perhaps they were too hot to spew sans fire. "Ah...forgive me sweet. Sometimes I do get carried away." He stopped as though waiting for something. The elevator opened and he smiled; his expression melting a little. With a wide gesture, he ushered her out of the car and into his private hall. Bellinda eyed her surroundings. The lights weren't as blinding, but she still felt ill and a tad light-headed. She caught herself thinking about the sweaty glass of water. "Welcome to my loft." He announced airily, breaking her wet reverie. They'd come upon a very spacious room without walls or sections of any kind. The redhead immediately took note of the fact that there was just a fireplace and a long lounge sofa. Off to a side, stood a wide stone table and a couple of comfy chairs; it was a loft indeed. It was obvious he didn't live here. "Please have a seat...enjoy the décor as I imagine it is to your liking." His voice echoed through the mostly vacant space. He moved to the bar to dispense a truly acidic cocktail. The redhead held her silence and merely observed the place. The ceilings towered well past the usual nine feet. Close to double. The lights from outside poured in through huge, slant-style windows. More dizziness. She turned and spotted him brandishing two drinks as he made his way back to where she stood. "Care for a drink?" He donned that smile again. Bellinda didn't respond. She was ill of his games; getting more and more irritated; a swelling desire to bite his head off. "Well on with it then." He quipped and set the glass down on the nearest flat surface. He studied her lush face for a moment, taking in the bleached caramel shade of her skin. The flash of anger brewing just beneath her silky armor, dashing a hot glow to her face; it made him thirsty. He clasped his hands together in an easy gesture "How about a shower?" ***************** "Hello?" "This is Jack Ross speaking, are you Mavin Bright?" "Yes, how may I help you?" Mavin swallowed. "You can start by telling me where the hell my daughter is!" Jack Ross barked through the receiver, going from zero to sixty in less than a blink. Mavin felt the heat flushing through her. "I don't know where she is." "I don't believe that!" The senator roared in his brogue. "I know about you and my daughter and that's not the issue here." Mavin sighed. 'Of course you don't,' she thought wryly. She could think of a few reasons why he didn't believe her. The fact that they hadn't even been formally introduced was a good place to start. However, she didn't care for his tone or the implication that she had any ill-will towards the redhead. "What then is the issue?" Mavin rumbled back. "I want to know what you've done with her." He cut her off thickly. "Right." Mavin rolled her eyes she could already feel her head pounding. "I'm looking for her too. I would have contacted you before but I needed to be sure. I may have a lead on her whereabouts but if I let you in, you and I will have to proceed with great caution." "IF you let ME in?! Now listen to me, YOU WILL let me in and you WILL tell me where she is-" It was his turn to be cut off. "Wait a second. We can't contact the feds! They'll likely endanger her. I haven't heard from her but if these people work the way I imagine they would, they'll want to bait either of us." Mavin said slowly and left the part out of her already having been baited. "I don't care. What price wouldn't I pay for my daughter?!" "I understand your disposition Senator and I'm sure we can both agree that it's a delicate situation." Mavin pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're damned right it's delicate. But I promise you, if anything and so much as a hair is hurt on her-." Mavin heard the line go flat with a long beeping sound. "Hello?" "Had to cut that short Doc, we have something." Sam's voice bubbled into her ear. Mavin was both relieved and tempted to ask the triple Ws but thought better of it. "Well, is it worth knowing?" "Absolutely, we intercepted an incoming wave and got hot on the keys." Sam sounded giddy. "What's with the peppiness?" Mavin got up to her drug stash trying to find her migraine meds. "Dude, you gotta see this code, it is outta this world-" "Sam?" The butch gulped down a tiny pebble. "What?" "The whereabouts of my girlfriend's takers...?" She pushed it down with water; glad she wasn't choking. "Oh, right. We have narrowed it down to a trailer way over on Mott Avenue. We had to do a ton of digging too." "I'll get the details later; do you have the trailer on map?" "Sure do. I'm linking up to the T4 systems they have on board. Of course, this is all via backdoor trace routes so I gotta watch my ass. It's coming to you in...now." Mavin felt her PDA vibrate at her hip. "Thanks." "Now, wait Mave, don't do something stupid." Sian's voice filtered into the conversation. Mavin was already bouncing into her outerwear. "What was that; thought I heard you say something stupid?" "Do you need any help?" "What more can you do?" Mavin grabbed her keys. "Well, we figured a way to use their code as ours. How fast can you get here?" Sian cut in again. "As soon as you pick me up from Fort Rock." "That'll take forever, get to the beta jump point. I'll have a car waiting." "Will do." Mavin heard the line go flat again and sighed. She looked up at the ceiling of her apartment. One of the three she owned in New York City. She alone knew it existed. Times call for measures; she flipped up her cell and dialed her brother. ***************** She'd been too shocked to speak at first. But she couldn't really refuse a chance to wash her skin of day-old grime and two-day vapors. However, she made sure he understood her displeasure. Still, she couldn't get rid of the dull, tried aches that were washing through her joints. He'd simply nodded and pointed her in the direction of the washroom down another hall. She'd have a change of clothes as well, that is, if she didn't mind sweatpants and shirts. She'd turned off her ears at that point. Not wanting to know further details. She'd long made up her mind that he talked too much and said nothing. She took simple note of the washroom. No tub; just a tiled wall sprouting with shower-heads. She took the fastest shower she ever had and didn't even completely strip her clothes. She maneuvered within them, washing all the necessary hygiene offenders. She wet her hair to rinse out some accumulated grease and grime. She dried off quickly and found the rack of spare clothes that seemed as impersonal as the shower-heads. Only then did she strip...sort of. Making her way back, she found him sitting at the stone desk, nursing his drink and flipping through what looked like a report folder. "Feeling refreshed?" He said without looking up. "Why am I here?" Bellinda spat back, echoes bouncing. Unsure of whom the question was directed at. "I thought we went over that." He leaned back into his chair then swung left to reach into a flap box. He pulled out a cigar and promptly clipped off the end. "I know you don't mind." He said as he sucked the cigar to life on a mini butane-torch. A few more puffs and he cleared his throat and licked his lips. "Please have a seat. I've got secrets to share with you." He waved toward the sofa as rose from the desk. He picked up his drink and carried it with him to the lounge area. "Has it not occurred to you that maybe I'm not interested in your secrets?" "Alright, I lied. They're not my secrets. They're Doctor Bright's. I know you'll be interested in those." Bellinda could feel her jaw falling, but she caught it before it dropped completely. What did he know about Mavin that she didn't? Bellinda rolled her eyes as she pondered the absurdity of it. Of course, she didn't know everything about the dark butch but why would she trust this nameless man about anything? And why was he dangling these 'secrets' over her head? Bellinda weighed her options again. She could play along and allow him to run his mouth even though she wasn't entirely sure of his motives. Or she could contribute to a worse time in captivity by being...difficult. Either way, she wasn't guaranteed her freedom or her sure safety so why not spend the time listening to bedtime stories about Mavin? Whether or not she chose to believe them was moot at this point. Sighing, the redhead made her way over to the lounge area and sat across from him. She was secretly glad about the sweatpants and shirt she was wearing. Nothing to entice him, make him attempt to... "Trust me, you'll enjoy this." He began, tipping a sip of his drink. "Well, I don't trust you. So I guess we'll just have to see." Bellinda said calmly. "I do like you." He smiled that smile. "But please, you needn't be too tense. I usually go for blonds." He quipped and relaxed again when he got no reaction from her. "So where were we? Ahhh yes...Doctor Mavin Bright; ex-bodybuilder; ex-physical trainer; ex-murderer...Well, I'm not sure about the urges these days, so I can't guarantee that ex." His tone was too casual. Bellinda's eyes snapped onto him. There had to be an angle to all this. She was too far yet from falling for it. "Unbelievable you think?" He chuckled, "Alright, I suppose you want details. Quite sometime ago, before the bodybuilding break, Mavin Bright had at one time lived with her mother whom I take it, you've never met. There's a reason for that. You see, Mavin had an uncle..." He trailed off slowly, watching her eyes watch him watch her. He cleared his throat again, "He had a small penchant for fruits deemed forbidden. He tried to take a bite of her then. But you know as I do she's no fruit." He said with that smirk gracing his thin lips. "There was an accident; that's what was reported. The body was found; fifteen gunshots and ninety-eight stab wounds later, the body was found floating off a river-bank. The rectal impalement with a very much rusted pipe happened before all that though...She's something else." He licked his lips in refreshing amazement and sipped his drink, eying the redhead over the rim of his glass. Bellinda leaned back into the sofa. She wasn't hearing any of it. It was too fantastic. Besides, Mavin wasn't a murderer by any shot. So where in hell was this guy pulling his story from? "Yes, she's special Miss Ross. You'd be surprised. She had good ties by her brother to a notable general who in turn had good ties to a notable judge. The case never made it to the courts. But of course, she never actually admitted to it." "Why exactly do you think I'd believe this nonsense?" Bellinda sighed. She had no choice but to keep baiting him. Keep him talking. "You believed the hydric acid, and that was no lie. I haven't reason to lie to you Miss Ross. You can feel safe in my word." "Well your word is not making sense. Where's the proof?" "I thought you'd never ask." With that and with glee, he rose and moved to the stone desk. He handed her the folder; something that should have been burned but had only gone 'missing'. He felt a twinge at the irony. Bellinda opened the folder. She didn't realize that her hands were shaking. She was suddenly terrified of whatever truth the story held, IF it in fact were true. She saw photographs. Pictures of Mavin as a child; clippings of the man who allegedly, was her uncle; the gruesome collection of death and his unrecognizable features; Mavin's mug-shot. She scanned her eyes over the numbers on the plaque; Mavin, with eyes, so cold and distant. She didn't bother reading the reports, unsure if she wanted to have that level of detail into Mavin's alleged past. Sitting across from her, he watched her expression; the rapid shift in her mien. But there was no lasting state. She was examining the photos but she wasn't registering the truth he was presenting. He reached forward and snatched the folder from her. Her expression had melted into shock now. He leaned close; he could feel the anger swelling in him. "What are you doing?" She said slowly. "Don't you see? This is the truth!" He stood to his full height, looming over her. "Alright, fine. It's the truth. What do you expect, fanfare?" Bellinda said, thinking instantaneously of Adam. "You don't believe it, she's a murderer!" He was calm again, a look of astonishment and then that smile again. "Look, I don't care what you do or say about Mavin. I didn't ask you for any of this. So excuse me if I'm indifferent!" Bellinda felt her head churning and swirling. "Am I such a terrible host?" Exasperation tinted his tone. "Yes. Deal with it and stop feeding me lies. You must take me for a fool, expecting me to believe every word you say when I don't even know your name." "I've told you, my name is not of use to you and that too remains true. Would you believe me if I told you your father was in danger?" "I wouldn't believe that." She was angry now and could feel her head burning with the niacin-induced flush. "Oh I really like you." He smiled and kept his twinkling gaze on her. "Fire." ****** Off the shore of Queens. Midnight. ***** "Shit!" "Hey keep it down I'm trying to catch some rest here," Gerald turn to the golden haired man he'd been cursed to work with. He himself was balding so it certainly didn't help his ego that Freddie had a full head of sun kissed hair. "What's the ruckus about anyway?" "Fuck if I know!" Fred clambered to his station and tapped unresponsive knobs. "Hey, get your head right, what's the problem?" Gerald mumbled. The last thing he needed was a caffeine-fueled problem. "Contact is somehow being compromised." Fred scratched his chin, clacking his keyboard in a fury. "That's impossible!" It was Gerald's turn to jump. He totally could do without this mess. "Not according to SYNKLAIR. I've been trying for the last hour to put a call through but each attempt bottoms out into fail-state." The blond guy babbled. "In English...?!" Gerald stood behind him, eying the monitors and the flashing control panels. Most of it didn't make sense to him most of the time and now was no different. "The system is jacked! I can't dial anon. It's somehow forwarding its ports to random directories. The system on this end is running fine and my only guess is that the satellite is blotching out." Fred said angrily. "And you can't fix it?" Fred pinned his reddened eyes onto Gerald's sweaty forehead. "Shit, the system is hotly new and I'm still keeping the manual under me pillow, yeah? And it's fucking early to start troubleshooting yeah? And I'm not fixing for a trip to the moon, yeah?!" "Fuck!" Gerald grumbled, "I gotta find the insider." "Alas, we agree!" "Alright, alright! Can you patch in through the back channels?" "Have you not heard the words coming out my mouth? It's all jacked! The back-channels are bottoming out and the target isn't being reached at all!" "Damn it! This can't go wrong now!" Gerald paced for a beat, "See if you can track down the insider." "What?!" Fred turned, "Why do we need him?" "Just get him here ASAP!" Gerald popped a nicotine gum "Keep trying!" ***** Westbury, next day, 0600 hours. ****** "Mavin this is heavy." He felt the tingle in his spine; the hairs on the back of his thick neck prickling with the dew-time chill. "No, it's necessary." She felt the tingle in her spine; running on less than three hours of sleep in the past 72. "You're talking about doing something completely out of-" "What? Out of character? Zeke, you know me better than that." Mavin sighed. Her head felt like a washing machine on the rinse with turbo engines. "No, this is not advisable and I know I can't talk you out of it and that's why I'm so worried. I know you too well." He sighed and paced on his terrace. He glanced back through the sliding doors and could just barely make the shape of his sleeping wife, the glass was hyper reflective. "Well, are you in or not?" Mavin mumbled. "Don't do that M." Zeke sighed. "Do what?" "Don't do that 'in or out' thing. I'm always in." Zeke sighed again "But times change. There's a lot more for me to worry about now." "...Seems to me you've already made your choice Zeke." Mavin breathed deeply, trying to focus on the conversation at hand. "What exactly do you plan on doing?" Zeke rubbed his forehead. "In or out?" "What time?" "Five hours, I need to make a short run." "Be careful man." "I'll call you with details. Just be ready." ********Three hours beyond the horizon******** "Mmm...you like that don't you?" Adrian toyed with the luscious body next to her. She had just come off her latest construction multi-site tour. She was tired, ragged and in the mood for just one thing. "Yeah, baby. You know what I like." The luscious body replied, moving closer. "Well Lola Mae, sometimes I just like to hear you say it." Adrian licked her lips and allowed her steely gaze to wash over Lola's delicious curves. She had been thinking about them for weeks now. Nosh Nothings "Okay," Lola whispered, "I like the way you play with my nipples." as she moved to straddle the lithe butch. "Mmmm, really?" Adrian's palms found the flesh at Lola Mae's hips. "Tell me more." She caressed the smooth, supple skin. The ache in her fingers throbbed in time to her clit. "It gets me wet...so wet." Lola smiled at her lover; "When you suck them...makes me shiver when you bite...ever so gently." the dirty blond hair splashed all over Adrian's head with light curling tips that screamed for a trim, coupled with the blue-gray eyes peering through the wayward locks conspired to drive Lola Mae insane with lust. "May I unbutton your shirt?" "Yes, you may." Adrian growled through her teeth as a wave of heat ricocheted through her. The sight of Lola's full breasts swaying a breath away made her salivate in more places than one. She drummed her fingers up and down Lola Mae's thighs, watching as her buttons came undone one by one. "You are beautiful to me, Adrian Jones." Lola murmured as more of Adrian's paler skin came into her view. "I'm mighty pleased to hear that, darlin'." Adrian felt the heat spiking between them yet again. Lola Mae leaned down toward Adrian and pressed her lips into the butch's warm pair; seeking permission. Adrian's right palm slid to the small of Lola's back and pulled the woman closer. Lola's tongue danced between Adrian's lips awaiting her tongue. The lithe one eased her tongue out and felt it disappear into Lola's warm mouth. It occurred to her yet again, how good Lola Mae tasted. A moan escaped their midst and its origin mattered not. The kiss deepened and soon they were both vying for air. "God you taste so good." Adrian managed when Lola's lips slid to her jaw and then her pulsing neck. Adrian's palms played on the globes of Lola's plush ass. She felt the teeth grazing her neck and groaned in pleasure. Lola Mae rolled her hips over Adrian's tight abs, coating it with her feminine juice. She licked Adrian's neck and then slowly trailed down her lover's body, tasting the fresh sweat and then her own nectar on Adrian's clenching abs. "I do taste good, don't I?" Lola breathed against Adrian's hot skin. She leaned back and set her eyes on the blond butch. "Watch me..." "Aww baby..." Adrian moaned in half protest. Her fingers throbbed with the intense need to burrow into Lola Mae's secret. Yet, her body tingled at the prospect of Lola's teasing. "Sshhh...Keep your gorgeous eyes on me, hon." Lola said steamily as she ran her hands up her body and cupped her full breasts. She arched her back and tugged her peaked nipples as she rolled her hips slowly. "I'll make it worth your while." In fulfilling some recycled karma, the phone rang. "Ignore it." Adrian sighed, more to her self as Lola didn't bother to cease her actions. The phone rang some more. Adrian motioned for Lola to continue. The butch snatched the cordless phone off its base and spat in a gritty, "Hello?" "Hi, may I please speak to Adrian Jones?" "This is Adrian Jones." Adrian said tightly as Lola's gyrating worked a siren spell on Adrian's senses. "Hello, Ms. Jones, I'm Agent Susan Turner with the FBI and I'd like to ask you some questions about a recently completed project if you don't mind?" "I'm sorry Agent Turner, but you'll have to be more specific than that. I'm busy." Adrian said and eyed the swell of Lola Mae's breasts. "I'm sure you are, I'll only take a bit of your time. I do apologize for the timing, I know it's late but I need your help." What was it with women and their taking ways? Adrian wondered and let her palm smooth over the warm curve of Lola's right thigh as Lola licked a finger and slipped it down her body. "Alright here's what's gonna happen: I'm going to hang up, and you're going call and leave a message. Then I'll give you a call back later. Last time I checked, I wasn't obligated to talk to the feds over the phone without a warrant or subpoena." Adrian killed the phone and turned off the ringer. "Shoot." Adrian breathed just as Lola's fingers combed through the dark patch framing her moist sex. "Hssh...Mmmmm." Lola Mae sighed and pinched her left nipple as her right hand cupped her mons, "I'm so wet for you." "I believe you baby, though I'd love to see it for myself." Adrian's palms fondled the outside of Lola's tender thighs. She watched heatedly as Lola's fingers parted her core, bathed in her dripping juices. "Try this." Lola Mae leaned forward and pulled her fingers away from her hot pussy. She kept her gaze trained on Adrian's attentive eyes and slowly drew her fingers closer to the butch's part lips. Easing one finger into Adrian's mouth, Lola rolled it over the blond woman's tongue; letting her juices melt in Adrian's mouth. "Mmmm..." Adrian's eyes closed of their own volition as she savored the exquisite taste of Lola Mae's goodies. She sucked in Lola's finger and rolled her tongue over it. Lola pulled her finger out and slid another in. "How do you like it?" Lola teased as she pulled her finger out again. "Come here, I need you." Adrian's grip on Lola tightened. Lola smiled and inched her hips over Adrian's body, dragging her wet pussy lips over the blond butch's quivering torso. As she moved closer, Adrian got a view of the long, puffy lips and the beaded bundle of sensate flesh that was Lola Mae's secret. Adrian felt her body ache with her desire to consume the dark haired woman perched on top of her. She pulled Lola Mae by her plump ass cheeks until Lola's wet cunt was right under her nose. "Oh yeah." Adrian saw the sticky wetness on the inside of Lola's thigh and snaked her tongue out to sample another taste. Lola moaned as more of her wetness poured from her. She felt Adrian's tongue wiggling between her lips, drilling into her hole as Adrian's face pressed closer into her body. Her hips rolled forward as she began to ride the blond woman's tongue; her walls clenching and undulating, trying to pull the welcome intruder in deeper. Adrian savored the taste of Lola Mae as it drizzled over her tongue and filtered into her senses. She sucked in Lola's hanging pussy lips, rolling the inner lips with her tongue and sucking them hungrily. She pressed her tongue into Lola's tight hole again and again as Lola bounced on her face gently. The blond spread her tongue and licked up Lola's slit, shaking her head from side to side. Her palms squeezed and kneaded Lola's hot ass. Adrian brushed the stiff pleasure button with her tongue, slapping it again and again as Lola Mae's body vibrated. "Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Lola squealed and pinched her nipples. "Yeesss!" Adrian grumbled and doubled her efforts. She thrust her tongue deep into Lola's hole. She pulled it back and thrust it in, then wiggled it wildly as she pulled it out again. She sucked in the swollen lips again and nibbled them a bit. Lola was panting as she slammed her hips down onto Adrian's face. The butch didn't mind, she was just as happy to feast on Lola's dripping pussy. "Yesss...eat my pussy...fuck yeah..." Adrian slurped thirstily on Lola's juice as it coated her lips, chin, nose and cheeks. She ran her fingers between Lola's ass cheeks, pressing them over the puckered ring of Lola's asshole. She put her palms together and dipped her thumbs in the slippery juncture of Lola's thighs. "Oooh baby," Lola sighed and spread her thighs further apart, opening herself up more for Adrian's wet tongue. Adrian licked her thumbs and slowly pressed them into Lola's puckered asshole. She drove her thumbs deep into Lola and felt the woman clench. She held still and ran the underside of her tongue over Lola's clit. "You like that?" Adrian whispered. "Mm-hmm." Lola rolled her hips and began to relax, "I want you inside me." "Yeah baby, I'm gonna fuck your tight ass." Adrian growled. "Oh god!" Lola shivered as her pussy juice dribbled down Adrian's chin. "Mmm you taste so fucking good." Adrian licked up the sticky nectar and thrust her thumbs deeper into Lola's rectum. The dark haired woman panted her lust as she began rolling her hips back and forth. Lola loved the feel of Adrian's anything up her ass. Now was no different. She wanted more. "Fuck me baby!" Adrian pulled her thumbs out and bodily flipped the woman over and pinned her knees to her chest. She ran her tongue over Lola's exposed slit and pulled the fleshy lips into her mouth, tugging on them and lashing her tongue over them. Lola felt her legs shaking. She grabbed Adrian's head in her hands and held the butch's head in place as she raised her hips to meet Adrian's tongue. She felt the wet muscle rolling over her asshole and snaking to get in. She pinched her nipples and relaxed to the coaxing. Adrian's palms caressed Lola's body, running slowly over her heated flesh. "Uhnn...yeah...ooh..." Lola cooed as her orgasm drew closer. Adrian latched on to Lola's clit and continued her assault; laving the organ and sucking it hard. She released it and licked it slowly, and then she sucked it hard into her mouth again and battered it with her tongue. She trapped it in her mouth and pulled her head back and moved side to side. Her tongue lashed the sensitive bundle repeatedly. "Yeaahhh!....oh god, I'm coming..." Lola screamed, "I'm coming...fuck me...I'm coming!" Adrian pressed two fingers into Lola's hot pussy and the dark haired woman came undone. Her body arched off the bed despite her position. Adrian maneuvered herself and held the Lola's thighs apart as the woman tried to clamp her legs together. Adrian lashed the woman's stiff clit and pumped her fingers in and out of Lola's quivering body. Lola Mae screamed and felt something snapping. She couldn't point out where in her body but all she did know was that her clit was wrapped in Adrian's hot tongue and the butch's long fingers were drilling deep inside her. Her walls gripped Adrian's fingers and the next thing she knew she was pissing all over Adrian. She wanted to jump away, but the butch didn't seem to mind. More importantly, she had no control of her body. "Fuck yeah, baby." Adrian grinned and began lapping up the streaming liquids. She relished each drop and felt her own clit throbbing excitedly. She wasn't sure if she could hold out much longer. Lola Mae was panting heavily as she enjoyed the now gentle licks from Adrian's hot tongue. "...Did that just happen?" "Believe it baby, mmm-mm... there's more where that came from I'm sure." Adrian smiled and crawled up Lola's sweat-glazed body, stopping to lick the hard nipples. That sent another jolt through Lola's body and earned her a playful slap. "...That was amazing baby." Adrian smiled and kissed Lola, sharing the sweet fruit of her labor. "Mmm...so good." "I love you baby." Lola mumbled as her eyes got heavy. "Sweet dreams, darlin'" Adrian pulled her lover close and soon they were both snoring. **** Back on the east coast, 0915 hours. ***** Mavin rolled out of her apartment that no one else knew about. She took her Jeep and drove across town to meet Marcus. Well actually, Lady Marcus. She hadn't been there in ages. She'd promised ages ago; never to come back, never to go back. And now, as fate would have it, the place called to her. She didn't bother calling as would have been polite to do. Marcus' wife liked surprises and Mavin was well prepared to surprise her. It was early in the morning but with the winter, the sky looked just as grim and cold as she felt. Mavin's cell vibrated. She glanced at the caller ID. It was Eva. She didn't want to talk to Eva. Not now. She didn't want to hear Eva's voice. Not now. The phone vibrated some more and then quit. Mavin turned off the Belt and rolled into the condo-laden Arloung Island. *************** "Well that was a damn bust!" Susan sighed in exasperation. She was functioning on less than three hours of sleep; Or at least trying to. Her lids weighed a ton and her eyes felt like balls of fire. Her talk with Adrian Jones had resulted in not much except confirmation of what she already knew. Horizon & Beyond was the primary contract party. Unfortunately, she didn't have proper jurisdiction details to request the actual contract documents. Not unless she was ready to rattle some cages. At the same time, she didn't have enough to convince her supervisor that a search warrant was needed. Reasonable doubt aplenty, she needed a better platter of evidence before she'd get to pursue Kurt Pryce. She let her eyes roam over some of the coroner's reports detailing the havoc that the Red Queen wreaked on unsuspecting victims; Most of them barely of voting age. **************** Sam was beside herself. She'd never seen anything like it, except in her wildest dreams. The kind of dreams only nerds have; the kind of dreams that fuel science and technology; some would think them nightmares. She'd been glued to her station for the past seventeen or so hours. That wasn't entirely unusual. The code she was trying to corrupt however was. All in all, it was a simple idea dressed up in complex algorithms. The incoming connection stream that rolled in on Mavin's line had clued her into how the system worked. They'd both observed the cross-hatching effect of the waves though they didn't expect the actual stream to piggyback on multiple range-wide channels; effectively masking it completely. To make matters deliciously worse, Sian had picked up a third infrared signal which was indeed the 'shooter' beam as she'd nicknamed it. The trajectory led her to a satellite signal that relayed the primary source wave and blasted it back into the hatching pattern. The hatching pattern scattered the signal as a third-layer mask, and then beneath the pattern, the fragments homed in on vacant back-channels of active radio devices to congregate into the target receiver. That explained some of the noise. What it didn't do was clarify why such a shady group housed in a trailer, would use such mind-blowing technology. "I don't know if should feel bad that we didn't think of this first." "Feel free to beat yourself up. I know I will." "I mean, it's still fairly new and I can tell you who else knows about it besides us." "Have you contacted Mave?" "Yeah, she'll be in within the next 46 minutes and 53 seconds." "52." "51.32 now." "Hush up...I just disconnected the stream, so they can't use the wave but they may have other streams ready to hook or hooked even." "I'll keep and eye out." Sian sighed, she was bursting at the seams with excitement and wanted to lock herself in her bunker for a few days with this hot piece of technology. "No, you'll beam up a patch. Set all incoming channels to receive only from our modules and lock out the fucker with the tightest bit-crypt you've ever had nightmares about." Sian clacked at her station, trying to reroute some incoming streams and cover their own tracks. "Should I keep a spare?" "Goes without saying, but keep that locked out as well...in the other satellite." "Piece o' cake" Sian cracked her knuckles. "I know. You up for some grub later?" "If my fingers get ready to die, yes." "Okay, let's get to work." ***************** She didn't remember getting out of her Jeep and climbing the steps...The wind on Breezy Point chilling her sanity. She didn't remember ringing the bell. She didn't remember stating her purpose. But with a touch of skin it came flooding back. With a hint of lilac-scented sheets it poured into her bones. With a sliver of brazen lust it soaked her fingers and she knew there was no turning back. "You're amazing." "Now will you give me what I'm here for?" "Certainly... on one condition." She could hear her stomach dropping. "Promise you'll be back and keep your word." Mavin leaned up on her elbows to eye the woman lying between her denim-clad legs. Her full lips usurping the head of the thick cock standing at her fly. The woman snaked her tongue out and laved it, pinning her eyes to Mavin's and raking her nails over the butch's naked torso. "What's your word?" She smacked between her sucking. "Get up now." Mavin hissed and snatched her eyes away. "Well?" The woman didn't budge. Instead she proceeded to swallow the whole thing until she was gagging. Mavin felt her body shiver. She grabbed Lady Marcus by her hair and ripped her off, letting her slam back onto the bed. She rolled in an instant and hovered over the woman. She nearly lost it when she caught sight of Lady Marcus pulling her long, fleshy inner lips open in anticipation. The hot pink recesses of desire beckoned to the dark butch and Mavin promptly thrust her hips forward. The slush-slurping sound her motions made sent tingles down her spine. Lady Marcus lifted her legs up and hung them over Mavin's shoulders. She played with her nipples and taunted Mavin with her pleas for more. "Yes...yes...fuck...yes!" The woman moaned. She felt the cool drip of Mavin's effort pelting her supple, overflowing breasts. She leaned up and licked her tongue up the side of Mavin's neck. Liking the salty tasty and the sweet musky scent that drilled into her senses. She was afraid to close her eyes lest she be blinded by the white-hot bolts flashing behind her lids. Her nails were short but she dug them hard into Mavin's flexing back. Mavin's harsh breath pouring into her ear and then the rapid sensation bonanza happening between her thighs, - it was too much to bear. She exploded in the dark butch's strong arms, screaming out her husband's name and trembling as she clutched the butch's body tight. Mavin immediately peeled her body away from the limp, satisfied woman as she lay there on the bed, trembling and mewling. She stuffed her cock back in her pants and swept her shirt up off the floor. She stalked away from the bed to a door and tapped it twice. "Come." Came the response from behind the door. Mavin walked through the door and peered at the seated figure through a tight gaze. "Enjoy the show?" Mavin stated blankly...she didn't really care enough to inflect a question. "Each time is special...you know it is." He dabbed the sweat off his forehead with what looked liked silk lingerie. "Go to the warehouse, Armand will be waiting. Make your order, whatever you please." "Thank you." "No, thank you." He said with a nod, his eyes not leaving the monitors in front of him. Mavin nodded and took her leave. On to the warehouse, but first she had to get to the twins. ********** Meanwhile across town ********** "P-please baby, g-g-g-g-give it to m-m-me..." She moaned and stuttered. "I'll make you feel good." Kris sighed lazily even though her body was buzzing. She had popped two Queens and was preparing a fresh syringe for Amy, the girl she met on the subway a while back. "Damn K, she's so hot for it." Gin, Kris' roommate groaned hungrily as she sat up next to Amy's twitching form. "Just give her a touch; I don't want her pussy tasting bitter." "Yeah, Q fucks that up..." Kris sucked her nicotine stick and tapped the syringe and then pressed on the plunger. "You ready babe?" Gin licked a whisper into Amy's ear. The girl trembled and clawed at Gin. "Take that as a yes." Kris capped the needle and tossed it over to Gin who caught it and yanked the cap off. Gin pulled Amy's arm out. The veins stood out greedily, vying for celebrity. Gin picked one and smoothly, by her judgment anyway, slid the needle in. Amy moaned as she felt the bluish liquid flowing into her blood lines. "You like that huh?" Gin pulled the needle out and rubbed the spot for a second. "Feels sooo good..." As though someone lit a match, Amy trembled as the effects thundered through her. Her skin buzzed from the closeness of Gin's body. The sensation of her clothes rubbing against every inch of her drove Amy insane. Nosh Nothings Gin picked up on this and pressed her body closer. Foreplay wasn't needed, as Gin undid the buttons of Amy's blouse, exposing her pert breasts and hardening nipples. She deftly slipped a hand into the waistband of Amy's sweatpants and as expected, found the dark-haired girl's nether lips hot and gooey. Kris sat across from the two of them and watched Amy with her head thrown back and Gin busying her lips around the brunette's breasts. Kris sucked the last of her cigarette in and crushed it into the ash pod. Amy's moans filled the air as Gin's hand played between her thighs. "Fuck, she's so wet! Aren't you baby?" Gin moaned around a nipple. "You're getting this K?" "Now I am." Kris lit another cigarette. She picked up the camcorder off its dock and tapped the 'record' button. "So damn wet K." Gin mumbled as she licked up the valley of Amy's heaving chest and then moved to pull down her sweatpants. "Tell me what you want babe." "Mmmm..." Was Amy's breathy response, the feel of the couch against her lax back had her body vibrating with a million signals. "Hey spread her a bit Gin, I wanna get a close-up of that pink taco." Kris blew out a stream of blue-gray smoke. "Yeah, you do that while I get a taste." Gin smirked and bathed her fingers in Amy's copious juices; coating each finger between the puffy lips. Amy squirmed and rolled her hips forward; her own hands rubbing her nipples and pulling them. Kris glanced at the monitor of the camcorder and moved closer to Amy and Gin. Her roommate was licking her soaked fingers and dipping them into Amy and scooping out more juice to lick off. She felt her own nipples stiff and rubbing against her tank top. Gin used both hands and pulled Amy's pussy lips apart. "Would you look at that?" She spread the wet lips open as Kris zoomed in. "So fucking juicy." Gin said as she dived in. "Gawwd!" Amy peeled and arched her back. She felt the hot tongue dancing over her slick lips. Her skin was so sensitive. The small tremors were quickly turning into thunderous body quakes. Her hand flew into Gin's short, spiked hair; pulling the head closer to her over-stimulated snatch. "Yes, she's a hot one." Kris mumbled behind the camera. Gin spread her tongue wide and gave Amy a broad swipe, and then she flexed her strong muscle and darted in and out of the brunette's oozing, wet hole; digging for more of her tangy juices. "Mmm....yes....yes...right there..." Amy half-screeched; her pussy was vibrating by its own means. The tension in her body undulated with each breath. She felt the surge of heat flowing through her; like lava under her skin. She opened her eyes and blinked. It took a minute to realize that she couldn't see. She was so close to coming. "Please..." Her breath has become tight and ragged. Gin complied as she worked a wet finger into Amy's wet hole. She stroked in another and then two more. She rolled her wrist and felt the gush of warmth in her own briefs. Kris' camera was zoomed in on Amy's obscenely stretched pussy lips. She could taste her mouth watering as saliva pooled under her tongue. "Be gentle with her." "You know she likes it a bit rough." Gin countered as she tucked in her thumb. She closed her digits and moved her arm forward into Amy. The brunette's legs twitched as her orgasm exploded through her. Her pussy quivered wetly around Gin's rolling wrist. Her juices gushed out slowly and Gin murmured in delight of how warm and sweet it was. Amy blinked, unable to catch her breath. Kris zoomed in closer onto Gin's arm that was now buried in Amy's arching body. The brunette's left leg hung limply over Gin's shoulder, with her foot twitching left and right. Gin thrust her arm; enjoying the feel of Amy's clenching walls gripping her arm. Kris knelt down beside the two; her eyes glued to the monitor on the camera. She adjusted her position and held the camera in her right hand as she bent down to lick up Amy's spilled nectar. Neither of them noticed the brunette clawing the couch. And with their heads tucked between her thighs, neither noticed her bloodshot eyes. ************* two hours later************* Upon getting to the twins, Mavin was presented with a K10-sb device; or as Sam preferred to say, 'a kick in the enemies' nuts'. Mavin decided she'd rather call it a scramble chip. "Now what you do with this; is make calls. Anywhere in the world for however long you wish. Just hit this switch and it's activated by your voice." Sian explained as she tossed the device in Mavin's direction. Snatching the device midair, Mavin rolled her eyes and examined the small disc. Small enough to be discreet but heavy enough to know it's there. "Thanks." "Wait...one more thing: there's a blue-shirt fort up on Mott." "And so?" Mavin slipped the device into a pocket. "Be careful. Love makes you do crazy shit." Sam said. "I'll take your word for it. We'll see or not soon." Mavin had one foot outside the door. "Exactly!" Both women affirmed simultaneously and returned to their stations. ************* Having called Zeke to meet her in the vicinity of the warehouse, Mavin drove towards her destination somewhere in the meatpacking district of Manhattan. A covert beep alerted her to the signal from Zeke that he was nearby. A few moments later, both Zeke and Mavin were pulling into an agreed lot and without much need for lengthy conversation; - actually, Zeke knew he couldn't talk his sister out of her looming wrath and secretly, he didn't want to. In fact if he were willing to admit it to himself, he felt thrilled at the prospect of civilian wrongness with military precision. But Mavin didn't need any goading. "There's the place." Mavin said after a short walk from the lot. "We'll just get supplies that we need and can carry." "Do I want to know how you have this hookup?" Zeke tested the waters a bit. "Not really. I'm just owed favors." Mavin said and by her non-cajoling tone, Zeke knew that would be all he'd get. "Just keep your eyes peeled Z." Zeke grunted his affirmation and followed Mavin through the back alleys; not surprised that certain places looked so foreboding in broad daylight. A few passes and steps later, they stood at the shadily marked entrance. Mavin tapped the signal pad and the door buzzed open. Mavin led them through the hallway and a few corridors. Another door, some more door coding and a brief introduction later, Zeke found himself staring at a large room full of artillery. He didn't bother hazarding a guess as to what the thousands of crates contained. He turned to catch Mavin's eyes but his sister was busy talking to the lanky man named Armand. She was nodding and writing notes on a pad. Armand snapped his fingers and two able-bodied figures began loading some crates onto a flatcar. When they were done, Mavin ripped the sheet off the notepad and striking a flame from her Zippo, she burned the list. A handshake to signal the end of the transaction and Mavin ushered herself and Zeke out of the warehouse. Without uttering a word, Mavin and Zeke made their way back to the lot. The flatcar piled with crates was there waiting for them. "Gimme a hand with this." Was all Mavin cared to say as she started hoisting each crate into her Jeep. Zeke joined her and when they finished loading up the Jeep, Mavin cleared her throat and leaned against the vehicle. "Bro, this has to be a clean gig. I'm not a fan of dying for love or whatever. I just don't like being fucked with. You know as well as I do, that all this isn't completely unheard of. So shake off your daddy blues and help me get back what's mine." "Let's do it." Zeke said with a brazen grin. "Alright then!" Mavin turned to get into her Jeep and Zeke into his. Next stop: Mott Avenue. **************** Jack Ross paced back and forth in his office. Every now and again, he eyed the splay of documents and photos on his desk. Mavin Bright was the star of the show and according to the press; Dr. Bright's closet housed some truly atrocious skeletons. The seemingly endless string of women, - non whom could testify to more than a nightly fling with the tall woman; was no doubt eye catching. The change in career path, from one of incredibly narcissistic ideals to one of apparent hubristic motives, was also intriguing. But it was the homicidal shocker that got Senator Jack Ross up and pacing. It was all starting to make sense. Mavin had kidnapped Bellinda due to some probable altercation and in an effort to hide her intentions had cooked up the story of Bellinda's kidnapping by some mysterious takers. And then she had the audacity to warn him about involving the authorities. What did she take him for? He certainly didn't become a Senator by virtue of foolishness. "Forget the NYPD, Dr. Bright." Jack muttered to himself and reached for the phone on his desk. He dialed his secretary, "Alyssa, get me General Montgomery NOW!" *********** Meanwhile ************ Mavin and Zeke pull onto the tepid scene. Via satellite correspondence with the Pyromaniac Duo, they spot the discrete trailer sitting innocently on an abandoned lot. Mavin tosses a radio equipped with the K10-sb chip to Zeke and then points to the 3-story building across the lot. She eyes a crate in the back of her Jeep and Zeke nods. Mavin reached into her glove box and pulled out two pairs of gloves. She hands a pair to Zeke. Zeke gets his gloves on and hurries out to get the crate. He heads for the building casually. He finds the landing entrance and looks for the roof exit. Upon getting there, he opens the crate to reveal a modified Heckler, ready for use. He examined the rifle and the sight as well as the shells. The shells in particular looked odd but he wasn't in the mood to prod further. He recognized the heat switch and flipped it. He aimed at the trailer and felt the thrill of spotting the warm prey within. He waited for Mavin's signal. Mavin walked to a nearby bodega and bought a pack of cigarettes. She walked back towards the trailer and lit one. Mavin hated cigarettes. However at this point they were the lesser of two evils. "Five minutes ago bro." Mavin said into her own radio. Within seconds she heard the ping-rattle on the trailer, as the targets within were eliminated. Zeke held his position and watched as Mavin slowly approached the trailer. He monitored the surrounding area to make sure they were no other eyes on the scene. She kicked the door open and let her eyes run over the carnage. One of the two men in the trailer was screaming in pain. She kicked him in the ribs and then pulled him up. She blew out a stream of smoke and crushed the cigarette in the gaping hole in his shoulder. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions. And you have only once to answer each. If you give me the right answers, I may consider letting you live. If not, then you'll join your pal over here in deadsville. What do you say?" "Fuck you!" The guy screamed as he bled all over the place. Mavin pulled out her pistol with the silencer and shot his right kneecap. The whizzing and wet popping noise was accompanied by his screams. "Arrrgggghhhh! Oh my fucking god!!!" "Oh and yeah, I will take my time ending you. The choice you have to make is how much you'd like to suffer." "Please, I don't k-know anything. Fuck!....I'm just a hired hand!" The man pleaded as his body trembled with a mixture of fear and pain. "Well, pity there man, aren't we all. Who hired you?" Mavin kept her gaze on the fear-ridden form on the floor. "He's dead already!" "Who's your overhead uplink?" Mavin blasted another cap into the same knee. "Think carefully." "I only know of a man named Pryce. Gerald had correspondence with him from time to time. I know nothing else. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He screamed, his eyes bulging with pain. Mavin considered the name she'd gotten. Things began clicking into place, as conversations over the past three months or so rushed through her. Her anger was the first to boil over. She snapped her gaze back to the man babbling before her. "What do you know about Selene?" Mavin said with an eerie calmness. "Selene? I don't know any Sele-" He didn't get to finish as Mavin clocked him in the jaw with butt of her gun. "Her name is Mary Weiss. She's an actress. S-she was hired to bait you. She was paid for her services and knows nothing." He sputtered through the blood gushing from his insides. Mavin dropped him on the floor and shot the other kneecap. He screamed and then lost consciousness. Mavin took the time to rummage through the place. She looked through the open databases for any relevant information. She forwarded the remaining locked addresses to the twins and then she looked through the men's wallets for their addresses and other useful data bits. Once she was satisfied of her findings. She left the trailer and found Zeke waiting for her outside. He handed her what looked like a belt with several grenades attached. She smiled at him and then went back into the trailer. She picked up the cigarette butt and placed it in her pocket. Then she dragged both bodies, one still alive, to a heap together. She fastened the long belt around them both and set the timer for five minutes. She left the trailer a last time and walked to her Jeep with Zeke already waiting in the car. ********** Midtown *********** Investigators are on the scene where hours before, witnesses reported a deafening explosion that rocked surrounding buildings and shattered windows. Turns out it was no ordinary blast. A parked trailer was decimated although the NYPD is refusing to comment on speculation that there may have been casualties. Department Chief David Ferguson released this statement in a previous press conference: "It remains a disconcerting situation when such felonious incidents occur and serve to throw the public into a state of panic. Fortunately no one was hurt and while we continue our investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion, we implore the media and the public to remain calm and not incite further panic." That is all we have gotten so far and we are on stand by for further details; back to you Lucian. Thanks, Greta. We now head downtown for some more local news. The body of a young woman was found earlier today. Possibly having overdosed on a lethal combination of speed and heroin, the 26-year old woman, Amy O'Dell--" "Oh god, oh god, oh god." Jason flipped off his flat screen and felt his stomach doing flips. "Hey, calm down! There haven't been any reported casualties." Adam said trying to soothe him. "Do you know anything about that?" He had finished the day with Joann having rescheduled the New Year exhibition. They had no choice but to make that decision. While Joann had left a bit earlier to report the whole situation, or at least what they knew to Bellinda's father, Adam had stayed behind to monitor construction so that things weren't completely tossed off schedule. More importantly, he wasn't willing to bend the allotted budget if he didn't have to. Pulling the con-crew away would have been a drastic departure from contractual agreement. Breaking deals never sat too well with Adam. Ironic though that was, he thought as he eyed Jason who was now pacing back and forth in his apartment. Just short of pulling his hair out. He had made a deal with himself to stay away from Jason's closet antics but the man had called him just as he was wrapping up at the IMAG, frantic and desperate in that mechanical way. Adam had figured something was afoot but Jason wasn't interested in talking once Adam arrived at his midtown condo. A set of brooding eyes, a loose tie and tussled hair was all it took for Adam to spring into much needed action and play for much needed release. Both sated quickly, they showered and Jason as usual wanted to catch stock news. The breaking news segment popped on and Adam had rolled his eyes dismissively; this was after all New York City. It would be more shocking if a day were to pass without some news being broken. Something was always broken in the Big Apple. While Adam tuned out the news, Jason paced and turned various shades of grey and green. "I don't know what it has to do with you anyway. It happened on Mott, in some dusty old abandoned lot." Adam said, surprising himself with details that had indeed filtered into his brain. He cursed silently at the media's unadulterated power. "So not good...so fucking not good!" Jason spat again, completely forgetting he was not alone. "My eyes are getting tired of following your pacing, you should calm down. Is there something you want to tell me?" Adam prodded, wondering why the hell Jason was so riled up. "Shit, I'm too prone and panic is contagious, I at least would like to know what I'm freaking out about here." "J-just b-be quiet...okay? Please!" Jason snapped and squeezed his eyes shut as though he hoped something to disappear. "Well I can leave if-" "No!" Jason sputtered, "I mean, babe...look. I'm sorry okay? I know I've been a dick lately but I'm under some pressure and it's not fodder for conversation right now." Jason stopped and knelt down in front of Adam who was sitting on the sofa with his feet up. Adam studied his face. Something was definitely not gelling, Jason usually complained about feet on the furniture. "Well, I still don't know if you want me around." "Please, I want you to stay. Okay?" Jason implored with tired but sincere eyes. "I need you here." "Alright." Adam relented as Jason stole a kiss. I've got my eyes on you; the song played in Adam's head. ********* Later that evening, 1900 hours ********* "You're scaring me. I've seen some fucked up shit but that was wholly unnecessary." Zeke voiced as he rode shotgun in Mavin's Jeep. "Relax bro," Mavin said, lighting another cigarette. "Have faith, or a cigarette." With that, Mavin turned up the scanners, picking up radio feedback and relay from the five-mile radius. She scanned for a few active channels and concluded that most squad deployments had been geared toward the little light show she had ignited. Her PDA was interfaced with the Jeep's audio system. She drove around, waiting to hear from the Pyromaniac twins. "Listen, I think things would be hitch-free if you and I stay on the same page. I intend to find her and I'm not planning on ducking before I do. Yet, I appreciate you. Always have and will." Mavin said keeping her eyes tucked on the road ahead. "I'm just worried about you, man." Zeke said softly and just then, the radio buzz and the twins, one of them anyway, came on. "Mavin you've got a hot tail. We intercepted some relay calling for a hit and traced it back to one Bartholomew Montgomery. Highly decorated army general; ruthless and dirty in pursuits, do you have any reason why he'd be after you?" "No but I have a theory it has something to do with Senator Ross." Mavin said and got off the highway. "He was pretty quick to think I hand a hand in all this." "Well I'm sure you had a hand in his daughter at some point." Sam said with humor and Zeke burst out laughing. Mavin remained silent, keeping her eyes on the road but Sam continued, "Don't freak about the general, we've got you covered. Just lay off the fireworks, I don't want to have to jam signals to keep the PD at bay." "How's the word from our anonymous?" "It's been hazy but I can do you one better. We called our old pals south of Moscow and turns out the satellite SYNKLAIR was launched into orbit only eight months ago. It's the third of five test prototypes. Get this: each satellite is worth roughly forty-five million dollars provided you get parts off the black market. Last year, the project was at a standstill. The Russians launched one satellite and just a while later the schematics were leaked to US officials. The Russians launched the second prototype with specific modifications but about four months later, a third US model went into orbit. A third of the bill for that one came from an anonymous contribution. Another third came from Russian funding while the last third came from the US. I'm working on finding out where in the US the fifteen million dollars came from." Nosh Nothings "Thank you Sam. Find out all you can about Montgomery and his ties. Call Troy and have him meet me at Prospect Place within the hour." "Gotcha, over and out." Sam went off line. "Dude, lets grab a bite. You can check in with Becca. This will be all over soon." Zeke nodded as relief washed over his features. He'd known for a long time never to underestimate his sister. Now was no different. The journey to a feeding hole was calm and comfortable. By the time Mavin parked and called in a last minute reservation, both their guts were grumbling for food. *************** Joann sat in her apartment in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. She was at her wits end but decided that no amount of panicking and crying would help to find Bellinda. She didn't even want to consider any alternatives, so she kept it in her mind that her best friend was still alive. It was almost a week now since she last heard from her friend. Bellinda's father had assured her that everything would be alright. She wondered if Mavin did have a hand in Bellinda's disappearance. She stopped herself from thinking up any more possibilities. Trying to relax and clear her head, she lit a few scented candles and found a bad cable movie so that she could have something to yell at. She threw a popcorn bag in the microwave and as she waited for the kernels to pop a commercial came on. "Are you tired of going to the gym many times a week, sweating over heavy machinery, micromanaging your meals and still NOT getting the results you want? What if there was a simple solution that would save you hours in the gym and hundreds of dollars at the end of the year? What if that solution was as easy and taking one capsule a day and never worrying about strict diets and hard exercise? Wouldn't you love to send pounds of fat packing from your midriff and have all the free time to do what you want? Well you can with the new revolutionary drug called Oblivion3. Just one pill and you have all you need to control your metabolism, improve your energy and burn fat. It's amazing! Within just days you'll feel and see the difference as the fat just melts right off. Oblivion3 has been rigorously tested and one hundred percent of test subjects reported significant weight loss. Because Oblivion3 is so new and revolutionary, we want you to experience it first hand at no risk to you. That's right; we'll send you a 30-day supply at absolutely no cost to you. We'll even take care of the shipping costs. Call now, 1-800-OBLIVION and send your pounds packing! Call in the next 30 minutes and we'll double your order. That's right; we'll let you try Oblivion3 free for 60 days. Call now, it's fast, easy and the answer you've been waiting for. So why wait longer, why fight an uphill battle, why waste endless hours when you can have it all in one simple solution? Call now. Get Oblivion3 today!" Joann knew well enough about infomercials never to believe anything the peppy announcer was saying. However, she had the habit of trying to catch all the marquee visuals designed to hypnotize average people into customers. She saw the announcer's name was Cecelia DuPont. Hmm DuPont. She was labeled a former fitness model with some year titles under her belt. Joann snickered as she pondered why a fitness model would suddenly need a magic pill. She was paid to work hard and live healthy. "Well, I guess even gymaholics aren't above shortcuts." Joann caught the on-screen fine prints that stated trademark and copyright information. The drug was a product of Horizon & Beyond Labs. Results were not typical and consultation with a primary physician was recommended. The microwave beeped and Joann jumped off her couch and into the kitchen. "Oblivion3 my ass. There's always some bozo trying to rip people off." Joann got her popped corn and sank back into her comfortable spot. The fifth element was slated to begin in a few minutes so she channel surfed until it was time to start the movie. For a split second, she wondered what Adam was up to and decided she'd call him later. *************** "Trust me sweetie, I have no choice but to be." Mavin drank down her iced tea and quietly enjoyed her pasta dish while Zeke checked in on his family. She was waiting for the page from Sam. She hadn't heard much from Bellinda's takers and while she had torched the only lead she had, she wasn't interested in what they may or may not have known. If she learned anything from her years of academic study, from years of apprenticeship under José, from her dedication to perfection; the smallest, most important things could be right under your nose. You only would have to look. Likewise, she was through being baited. If José's murder, still unsolved, had anything to do with Bellinda's capture then she had to look for the link between those two events, outside herself of course. Mavin chewed slowly, hearing the muscles in her jaw work as blood rushed through her temples. Thinking back a few months, she had just been given notice of José's plans to turn over Lecter Corp to her. Bellinda had just struck a deal to design a construction for some company. Eva had been courted by a new pharmaceutical corporation. As each piece of fact settled into Mavin's mind, she mulled them over. She herself had been contacted by an FBI Agent over the results of her findings as presented to the FDA review board. Mavin dropped her fork and stared at her plate. The din of the restaurant suddenly became a nuisance. Her body went stiff and a cold sweat came over her. She felt her head beginning to throb. "Mavin?" Zeke asked, having calmed Becca down and assuaged her worries. "We must go now." Mavin said and got up. She turned and made for the exit. "H-hey, wait up!" Zeke snatched up their coats and slapped some cash down on the table as he hurried after the tall woman. ************* "You know, I have rather enjoyed our time together. But I must ship you back to your quarters. Since you know I cannot in all devious honesty trust you." Bellinda heard him say. She was feeling woozy and drunk though she couldn't remember having ever taken any drinks. Why was she feeling stuck in slow motion? One minute she was torn between shock, amusement and uncertainty; borderline despair. Now, she was laying on a cushioned surface and was hearing his noise as though her head was under water. She tried to turn toward the liquid sounds, but thought she could also hear her brain rattling in her skull, like a shelled walnut. "As it is, you are as precious as a liability. But it's a good thing we live in the greatest country. There's a solution for everything." He continued and seemed to be moving around in her dazed vision. "But I will be leaving you something to keep you company. I hope you enjoy it." His voice faded. Everything faded to black. ************ Dropping under the radar was easy seeing as they were never even on it. Mavin dropped Zeke at one of her apartments in the City with just a vague request for him to head back to the family house if he didn't hear from her by midnight. He'd argued that they were better off together where they could watch out for each other. Mavin had told him not to worry. It was too early for him to be worried. She had said a quick farewell and speed off to parts unknown, leaving Zeke to trudge up the snowy sidewalk heading to the apartment building. It was only about two hours to midnight, and waiting for Mavin wouldn't necessarily be difficult. He walked up the lobby and into the elevator. The apartment was in pristine condition, very unusual for Mavin's busy bee habits. He stripped down and began his own meticulous pre-bedtime routine. Mavin burned rubber despite the icy roads. Within minutes she was back at the twins' crib. She hadn't even sucked in the warm air from within the duo's lair when they came bursting at her. "Man oh man, do we have news for you!" They said together and Mavin felt her blood stopping in its many tracks. To be continued ... Shortly. End of Chapter 8