knew some of the limitations on her privacy before she’d signed the proverbial line, but some shocked her. Video cameras everywhere, Internet usage monitored and restricted to approved sites. Social networks and email completely banned. The only thing a computer was good for in this place was work, and that, despite outside appearances, did not fill sally North with overwhelming joy. It was beyond foolish to think the human mind did not need distraction. It was ludicrous to assume that professional men and women needed to be sequestered to this degree just to carry out their research and development.
The death of the innocent men and women, as well as the soldiers, weighed heavily on her. While not responsible—she was no soldier after all—the lack of liability did nothing to diminish the pain and sorrow she felt. Sally North, for all her life, strove to be in control of everything. She took up the sciences as a young girl in an attempt to put order to chaos. If she’d made any progress was uncertain, but she liked to think she had. The murders she’d witnessed was something beyond her control, were beyond anyone’s. That she did not like, appreciate, or respect.
She’d felt the churn of her stomach, the chills on her skin as she’d watched the monitor display the feed from the soldier’s helmet cam. Not for a second did it feel like a movie, a drama on television, and when the soldier that shared his sight with her and the others aboard the Blackhawk fell, a little bit of Sally had died along with him.
How much worse would it have been without Omega there? While there was no denying her contribution to the project, Omega was the one that saved those people, and he should be hailed as a hero, not a villain as Hendricks saw him. So much about the world of war and politics remained a mystery to Sally. Unlike almost everything else, it was a mystery she did not care to explore.
Letting herself into her small, sparse quarters, Sally let out a small breath of relief. While watched around the clock and almost everything in the apartment belonged to good ole Uncle Sam, it was her place when she inhabited it. It was good to be home.
She let her lab coat fall from her shoulders to the floor. Stepping lazily to the kitchenette, she pulled a bottle of wine from a rack. Liquor was frowned on officially, but it had been said even General Hendricks himself turned a blind eye to moderate consumption.
The dark merlot filled a plastic cup and she sipped it slowly as she made her way to the bathroom. Sitting the cup on the sink counter, she undressed slowly. Already the wine was easing her mind, loosening her muscles. She downed the entire cup before stepping into the shower. The water fell hot as it sluiced down her naked form. As the merlot and water began to calm her, she imagined what troubles tomorrow would bring.
Though an outstandingly creative scientist and a free thinker, even she could not begin to conceive the future’s woes.
It started with a phone call. Hendricks was exhausted. He needed sleep. That hadn’t been in the cards. Instead, he took a little helicopter ride. With his tie loosened but his uniform still on, he stepped from the chopper and a group of men that he did not relish seeing greeted him.
While Adaven was his main concern, he was also responsible for this little side project, more a warehouse than any type of operating base. While he made his regularly scheduled tours of the installation, he spent no more time here than he felt necessary. Hendricks would be hard pressed to explain why, at least to anyone but himself. But of course, he knew. Oh, yes, he knew. The place and the things within it made him more than just a bit uncomfortable.
Since his promotion to commander of Phantom Base, there had never been the need to arrive suddenly, in a rush. Tonight, that changed.
“Sorry to have bothered you, general. We thought you’d want to know immediately.”
“That’s fine.
The death of the innocent men and women, as well as the soldiers, weighed heavily on her. While not responsible—she was no soldier after all—the lack of liability did nothing to diminish the pain and sorrow she felt. Sally North, for all her life, strove to be in control of everything. She took up the sciences as a young girl in an attempt to put order to chaos. If she’d made any progress was uncertain, but she liked to think she had. The murders she’d witnessed was something beyond her control, were beyond anyone’s. That she did not like, appreciate, or respect.
She’d felt the churn of her stomach, the chills on her skin as she’d watched the monitor display the feed from the soldier’s helmet cam. Not for a second did it feel like a movie, a drama on television, and when the soldier that shared his sight with her and the others aboard the Blackhawk fell, a little bit of Sally had died along with him.
How much worse would it have been without Omega there? While there was no denying her contribution to the project, Omega was the one that saved those people, and he should be hailed as a hero, not a villain as Hendricks saw him. So much about the world of war and politics remained a mystery to Sally. Unlike almost everything else, it was a mystery she did not care to explore.
Letting herself into her small, sparse quarters, Sally let out a small breath of relief. While watched around the clock and almost everything in the apartment belonged to good ole Uncle Sam, it was her place when she inhabited it. It was good to be home.
She let her lab coat fall from her shoulders to the floor. Stepping lazily to the kitchenette, she pulled a bottle of wine from a rack. Liquor was frowned on officially, but it had been said even General Hendricks himself turned a blind eye to moderate consumption.
The dark merlot filled a plastic cup and she sipped it slowly as she made her way to the bathroom. Sitting the cup on the sink counter, she undressed slowly. Already the wine was easing her mind, loosening her muscles. She downed the entire cup before stepping into the shower. The water fell hot as it sluiced down her naked form. As the merlot and water began to calm her, she imagined what troubles tomorrow would bring.
Though an outstandingly creative scientist and a free thinker, even she could not begin to conceive the future’s woes.
It started with a phone call. Hendricks was exhausted. He needed sleep. That hadn’t been in the cards. Instead, he took a little helicopter ride. With his tie loosened but his uniform still on, he stepped from the chopper and a group of men that he did not relish seeing greeted him.
While Adaven was his main concern, he was also responsible for this little side project, more a warehouse than any type of operating base. While he made his regularly scheduled tours of the installation, he spent no more time here than he felt necessary. Hendricks would be hard pressed to explain why, at least to anyone but himself. But of course, he knew. Oh, yes, he knew. The place and the things within it made him more than just a bit uncomfortable.
Since his promotion to commander of Phantom Base, there had never been the need to arrive suddenly, in a rush. Tonight, that changed.
“Sorry to have bothered you, general. We thought you’d want to know immediately.”
“That’s fine.
Similar Books
