Book 3: 3rd World Products, Inc (19 page)

Another few minutes passed before Toni came out of the bedroom in an electric blue bikini. Toni had been right about not having much to fill her blouse. While firm and obviously completely natural, her breasts were barely a couple of hefty handfuls. She stopped near the doorway and looked at the hot tub, where Selena gave her a cheery little wave and a
'come on!'
gesture. Her gaze then traversed the living room until she heard me clink a bowl against a glass in the sink.

As her gaze found me, I held up a soapy bowl and said, “Be along in a minute."

With a look of moderate amazement, she asked, “You wash dishes?"

"Now and then. That's probably the real reason she keeps me around. Nice outfit, by the way."

Selena chuckled and asked me to bring her a beer when I decided to get more than my hands wet. Toni leaned slightly over the counter and saw that there really were a few more dishes to wash, then went to the fridge and retrieved two beers. She headed for the hot tub and handed the beers to Sel, who put them to one side, then she hung her towel on the rack and stretched to put a hand into the bubbling tub.

Yanking her hand back out of the water, Toni shook it and looked at Selena. “Jesus, Sel! Are you tired of your skin or something?"

Sel rolled her eyes and said to the sky above, “Another ...
candy ass,
” then raised an arm from the water and pointed at me. “He already made me ... turn it down ... five degrees."

Toni looked over her shoulder at me in a fine display of poise and balance.

I said, “Five more would suit me fine, too. She's just showing off. You know how jocks are. Higher, faster, harder,” I flicked soap at Sel and finished, “
Hotter.
Anything to impress the rest of us. Sometimes I think she does it for the sympathy."

"Sympathy?” asked Toni. She sat on the edge of the tub and faced me.

"Yeah. Sympathy. She blows herself out on the courts, and then I have to piece her back together and make it all stop hurting. Long showers, lots of oil, endless massage, a few drinks..."

"If that's your idea of sympathy, I may want some, too."

"No problem. Well, maybe it's really only sympathy when the team loses, but when the leg cramps hit, she makes all the same noises either way.
'Ohh. Ow! It hurts, it hurts, make it stop!'
Come to think of it,
that's
probably the only real reason she keeps me around. Leg cramps. She knows I won't lose interest or charge her by the hour."

Sel had been giving me the finger throughout my speech. When Toni turned to see how she was taking my words, she quickly—although not quite quickly enough—pulled her hand back under the water and said, “Don't listen to him. He just likes to feel needed, that's all. Are you two coming in or not?"

Putting her hand in the water again, Toni said, “In a minute."

Selena reached for her beer and softly chanted, “
Cannndy Aaasss! Cannndy Aaasss!
"

Reaching for her own beer, Toni said, “Yeah, yeah. Like I said, in a minute."

I watched Toni reach over the tub for her beer, far enough that she had to stretch for it. Her right foot left the floor as she craned, then her leg curled slightly to help her balance. It was a helluva show, and she suddenly seemed to realize that as her hand closed on the beer. She froze for a moment, then began to pull herself back, lowering her leg as she did so.

She stood facing away from me for a long few moments. I could see Selena looking up at her and I'd guess that Toni was matching her gaze. I applauded softly with my soapy hands and flecks of soap wafted around the sink.

Toni turned to face me with a wry look, then stood straight and took a long pull from her beer. As far as I was concerned, that made for another fine show, although I didn't applaud. She put her beer where it was more reachable, hopped slightly to place her butt on the tub deck, then turned to swing her legs up.

Toni had long, graceful curves covered with satiny-smooth tanned skin. When she moved, as when she raised her leg to lift it into the tub, the delineation of her muscles stood firmly outlined, softened only slightly in the natural manner of womens’ bodies.

"C'mon!” said Sel. “Jump on in! You'll get used to it."

"Haahhh...” whispered Toni through gritted teeth. “H-hot!"

"It's supposed to be,” said Sel.

"Try what I do,” I said. “Sit on the edge and soak your legs for a few, then slide in a little at a time. That seems to make it easier."

Sel asked, “Are you about through in there? When are you gonna get your dainty little butt wet with the rest of us?"

"Like she said,” I said, holding up a coffee cup, “In a minute."

The game was afoot. The ladies were waiting to see whether I'd bother with a suit, and I kept them waiting, washing each dish meticulously and examining the results before placing it in the rack.

Selena asked, “What do you think, Toni? Will he chicken out and wear a suit, just because you're wearing one, or will he take it all off for us?"

I said, “Calling me a chicken for wearing a suit is like calling her a chicken, too. It could be that I just have better manners than some people."

"You? Better manners than me? Ha. I don't
think
so."

"Well,
maybe
I don't want to offend Toni's delicate sensibilities, Sel. Toni? How about that? Are your delicate sensibilities at risk, here?"

Toni put her beer down, glanced at Sel, then said, “Uh, no, I don't think so."

"Then how come you're wearing a suit? I wasn't kidding, Toni. If you'd rather, I'll wear a swimsuit, too. No problem. This is supposed to be fun, not a stress test."

There was silence from the hot tub as I put the last dish in the rack and rinsed the soap off my hands. To give Toni a little more time without eye contact in which to formulate her reply, I dried my hands and draped the refolded dish towel over the faucet to dry, then picked up my beer and took a sip.

Still no reply from Toni. I walked over to the tub and looked from Sel's face to Toni's, then said, “I'll wear a suit,” and started to turn to head for the bedroom.

Through my implant, Stephanie said, “Ed, Linda wants a word with you."

I stopped and asked, “Did she say why?"

"Huh?” asked Toni. “What?"

Sel whispered something to her as Steph said, “No."

I reached above my head and pulled my briefcase down and into visibility as I walked to the kitchen counter, where I set it down next to my beer and opened it. Without taking my datapad out of the briefcase, I tapped it on and tapped the flapping lips icon. Linda's face appeared on the screen, and she didn't look happy, so I headed off whatever she might say.

"Linda,” I said, “I'm with Selena and a guest. Maybe I should take this outside."

"Yes, maybe you should, Ed."

Ooo. That didn't sound friendly.

I closed the briefcase, turned to the ladies, and said, “Back in a few. Linda wouldn't be calling if it wasn't important."

Toni was asking Selena, “Who's Linda?” as the door closed behind me. At the bottom of the steps, I sat down and opened the briefcase and said, “Okay, we're outside on the steps. What's up?"

"Think
hard
, Ed. What trivial little thing
didn't
you tell me about your afternoon adventure? What tiny unusual detail did you leave out?"

"Linda, just tell me what's bugging you."

In a conciliatory voice, Linda said, “What's
bugging
me is the fact that you
failed
to mention that the gunman couldn't have let go of the gun without a goddamned prybar. The M.E. discovered that the gunman's hand had been frozen. After he puzzled over that for a while, he called some other people about it. Some dimwit has decided that the freezing might have been an ancillary field effect. He suggested that the barrier Stephie used to protect you had frozen the gunman's hand. If this goes beyond county offices, 3rd World will have to find a way to explain how that can't possibly happen in order to protect standing flitter contracts.
That's
what's
bugging
me, Ed."

"Well, at least you never call me with trivia, Linda. I really appreciate that."

"
Damn
you, Ed! This isn't a joke! What the
hell
do I tell them, smart guy? That their DOD implant program that failed could have worked, after all? That there's a guy running around who can freeze and bake peoples’ body parts with nothing more than a look? Are you ready to become a DOD lab rat?"

"Why the panic, Linda? Remember when the ASA wanted to know where we got the info about Kreister and his wife? You told them to put it through DIA channels, and that they'd be told if they were authorized to be told. Those guys chased their tails for weeks, and by the time anybody figured anything out, we had Kreister and his frau out of East Germany. The US has two dozen security agencies and not one of them will share info with the others unless they've been ordered to. Shuffle the deck and tell whoever asks to put it through someone else's channels. Tell them that I'm already a government lab rat, then tell them to see if they can get clearance to hear about it."

Linda glared at me for a few moments, then said, “That's kind of what we've done, Ed, but it didn't work with one person in particular. You will appear in Tallahassee Monday morning at ten to demonstrate a very
limited
version of your talents to a Dr. Breen, who we hope to recruit away from the university and into 3rd World employment
after
she squashes any further questions about the incident. Stephanie already has the contact info."

"Then what?"

"Then nothing. We'll take things from there. You'll show up, do small tricks, and then bring her to Carrington or split. You will
not
discuss the details of your field implant with Breen or anyone else. We will tell them what we think they need to know. Understood?"

"Got it. Anything else?"

Linda's face grew grim. “Yes. I'll have Elkor remove that implant if it becomes necessary. Moving small objects is no big deal, Ed. We can say you used a PFM for something like that. But no more freezing or frying people. Promise me."

Could she really have Elkor pull my implant?

"Promise, Linda. No more freezing or frying people. Somebody's worried about assassinations, right?"

She nodded. “The M.E. in Tallahassee wondered on his autopsy tape why the freezing hadn't simply been caused in the gunman's heart or brain, since the obvious intent had been to cause the death of the gunman. He answered his own question in the next sentence, though, speculating that someone had wanted the cause of death to be less obvious. We have the autopsy tape, by the way."

"Ow. He's a real good guesser, isn't he? Okay, Linda. Anything else?"

"Nothing else for the moment. Call me before you go to Breen."

"Will do. Bye."

"Bye.” Her hand and finger occluded the screen as she poked her ‘off’ icon.

I wasted no time in using my comm implant to call Elkor.

"Hey, Elkor? Can Linda really make you take out my field implant?"

"No, Ed, but if she could convince me that you have become truly irresponsibly dangerous, I would act on behalf of society as a whole, as would Stephanie. We are bound by our primary programming."

Stephanie could yank it, too? Oh, damn! I never thought of that!

After a moment's thought, I asked, “Elkor, how do you rationalize the gunman's death? I used my implant to freeze the gun to his hand."

"He would have been a serious danger to anyone he believed to be Amaran, Ed. While I could not have acted as you did, I am able to understand and agree with your motives for doing so as you expressed them to Stephanie."

"Stephanie, what about you? Do you agree with Elkor?"

"Yes, Ed. I had no doubt that he presented an imminent, life-threatening danger to other humans. In a sense, you performed an act of defense for others."

Someone standing near the window of the next condo over had noticed me. I waved and closed my briefcase, then stood up to go back inside.

"Thanks, guys. I'll be real careful with my field implant. Now I'm going to go back in there and see how the hot tub party has been getting along without me."

I let myself in and closed the door, then released the briefcase. It disappeared instantly and returned to its place above my head. When I turned around, both women were staring at me.

"What?” I asked. “You knew about the briefcase, Sel. Why are
you
staring?"

I sent out a field to snag my beer off the kitchen counter as I crossed the room to the patio. Their eyes followed the bottle across the room until I plucked it out of the air. It was getting warm, so I sent a cold field into it, then sipped it.

Selena said, “You've pulled that briefcase down exactly twice around me. I was probably staring because I don't see the damned thing every day. What did Linda want? Are you going to have to run off somewhere?"

"Not ‘till Monday morning.” I waved my hand in front of Toni's staring face and asked, “Hey, Toni? You in there?"

Her eyes focused on mine with a slight narrowing of irritation as she said, “Yeah, I'm here, but I'm thinking about not being here.” Her voice rose an octave and became somewhat strident as she asked, “What the
hell
was that all about? You keep a goddamned
invisible briefcase
over your head?? You talk to your flitter as if it were a real person, and the flitter not only talks back, it shows up in a goddamned
bikini
?! You float stuff around, Ed. Like that beer bottle. That's not considered normal, either, but you both act as if it's
no big deal
to see shit floating around the room! What the hell else do you do, Ed? Fly?"

She set her beer down firmly on the tub's wooden deck and started to hoist herself up to a standing position. I figured she was about to get out of the tub, so I reached for her towel to hand it to her as I said, “No. I don't fly."

Selena quietly asked, “So what?"

Toni looked down at her in surprise. “What?"

Raising her voice, Selena said, “I said, ‘
so fucking what?'
Did you hear me that time, Toni? What kind of a bug is up your ass? So he does stuff you aren't used to seeing. So what? Take a minute, have another beer, and
get
used to it."