Mirrored Man: The Rob Tyler Chronicles Book 1 by GJ Fortier

little time in town, he
lied. “Yes, sir. I think so, sir.”
    Kitchens gave Greg his attention. “It’s
family owned. Mama still runs it. Well, ever since I became mayor
she's run it. I ran it for a while after college. I know pretty
much everybody in town. The locals, anyway. It's hard to keep up
with all the Air Force personnel comin' and goin'.”
    Greg couldn't contain a smile. This guy!
A U.S. senator, vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee,
mayor of Warner Robins and a local business man to boot? What was
up with all the “low profile” crap Tiong advised me about? “So
… low profile?” The question hung in the air between them.
    Eyes smiling, Kitchens said, “Could be …
challenging.”
    “Outstanding.” Greg said it out loud, though
it was meant mostly for himself. At least his comfort level was
increasing. He no longer felt it necessary to try to impress the
man.
    Turning his attention back to the road, he
saw their destination appear in the distance. “We'll be arriving at
the facility shortly, sir. Oh, I almost forgot. General Stillman
asked me to invite you to a late lunch. She said that it was your
choice. Whatever you'd like.”
    Kitchens’ surprise was visible, but Greg
chose to ignore it.
    The relationship that had existed between
Kitchens, the civilian community's political leader and her, the
military authority in an Air Force town, had been stressful when he
was mayor. Kitchens had no illusions that his recent appointment to
the SASC would give him any leverage with the woman, at least when
it came to personal matters. Well , she did get me the
clubs. I guess I owe her a lunch. Smiling again, he took a
moment to mull over his choices. “Tell Paulette I’d love to. I'll
meet her at White Diamond. There ain't no barbecue like that in
D.C.”

4 Monkey Business
     
     
    “ SHE LOVES ME,” JUNE said with just a
hint of an accent in her almost melodic voice, something akin to
South African, but not quite. As she stared intently at the central
computer screen among the trio of monitors occupying her desk, the
corners of her mouth were curled into the slightest of smiles.
    “Of course she does,” Don said with a tiny
sliver of condescension in his tone. He drew his rubber band back
and fired another Gummy Bear projectile at her from his desk in the
corner of the room.  “But, just think of the ethics, Doctor!
After all, she is your patient.”
    Doctor June Phillips sat at her desk, which
rested in the middle of the other desks in the corner of their work
area. The office area occupied only one quarter of the space in the
gymnasium-sized room. The various pieces of office equipment were
set neatly in place, most of which were black in stark contrast to
the white floor, walls, and ceiling of the lab.
    Both of its occupants wore identical green
hospital scrubs, the only clothes allowed inside the clean
environment. The bland garments only added to the sterile feel of
the place. When the team had arrived eight weeks ago, relocated
from their lab at McMaster University School of Medicine in
Hamilton, Ontario, the equipment had been carefully arranged in the
center of the room. In short order, at June's insistence, the
workspace was moved into the corner to allow for the installation
of a basketball hoop.
    June frowned slightly as the candy smacked
against the computer screen before her and then fell to the desk
below, landing behind the hot pink keyboard that she had insisted
upon bringing with her against the wishes of the professor. Picking
up the candy, she said, “I don't like the green ones.” But she
popped it into her mouth anyway.
    By most standards, June was a very
attractive woman. At thirty-two, she stood five foot seven with a
perfectly proportioned hour-glass figure, as her lab mate spared
few occasions to point out. Shimmering light brown hair hung to her
shoulder blades and nicely framed a fair complexion. She was
restricted from wearing makeup of any kind, which she