Genomorph

Chapter 68

CHAPTER 68

CHRISTMAS DAY, 2005

Located forty-two miles north of Baghdad, Balad Air Base was home to approximately twenty-five thousand US troops. The base was very much like a small American city, with two exchanges, a large movie theater, a Pizza Hut and a twenty-four hour Burger King.

The heat was brutal, but that did not dim the enthusiasm of the troops as the Post-Modern Bimbos took the stage for their portion of the USO show. They were nothing more than the warm up for the bigger names to appear later, but the five gorgeous women had already attracted plenty of attention as they toured the facility earlier. The fact that Brandi allowed herself to go a bit wild in her choice of attire was in no small part responsible for the hubbub.

Marine Lieutenant Sean Schofield had not been planning on attending the concert; he did not really like crowds or loud music and wasn’t really looking for something to remind him he was so far from home on Christmas. But something had drawn him towards the concert, and as the band began to play, he found himself mesmerized by the gorgeous blonde on stage. He began working his way through the crowd, almost as if she were calling to him.

By the mid point of the concert, he had finally worked his way to the front of the crowd, having used his intimidating steel gray eyes to stare down a few who had protested his advance. Not many could meet Sean’s eyes when he wanted to intimidate, though he rarely did it. It had, however, proven to be a useful trait in the Corps.

As he looked up at the stage, the band began playing a slow song, a cover of Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Some Kind of Miracle’. The lead singer’s eyes closed as she began to sing, and the words flowed over Sean like warm water. When she opened her eyes, she looked straight at him; their eyes locked, and Sean was again mesmerized – this time by the striking color he saw there, a deep violet that seemed to burn with an inner fire. The blonde smiled, and Sean knew beyond any doubt that she was smiling at him. There was something about her, something that was reaching into his very soul.

All too soon the concert was over, and as the blonde came to the edge of the stage, the crowd of servicemen and women surged forward. Sean felt himself carried along, and, as if of its own will, his hand rose like the others, reaching out. The girl seemed determined to shake every hand there and to shout out some kind of encouragement, but when she finally grasped Sean’s hand and their eyes met once more, it was as if time froze. She looked at him, and her mouth dropped; the words she had been going to say evaporating as a current passed between them. Then someone shoved Sean aside, and the contact, and the moment, was broken.

The band finally had to leave the stage, but as they reached the back, the blonde turned around, her eyes searching the crowd. She found Sean, and she smiled, then she turned and followed her friends.

“Who was that?” Melissa asked as the band moved back behind the stage to their dressing room. “Or maybe the question should be what was that?”

Brandi looked at her, a somewhat glazed expression on her face.

“I really don’t know, love,” she said. “That Marine, when he touched me, I had the oddest sensation ….”

“I felt it too,” Melissa said, a mischievous smile spreading on her face. “Should I be jealous?”

“You will always be my one true love,” Brandi said. “I’d kiss you right now, but I don’t want to break any hearts.”

“I’ll accept an IOU,” Melissa told her, still grinning. “Just remember, I charge wicked interest.”

Back outside, Sean continued to stare after the girl for a long time. Eventually, he made his way out of the crowd, but even when he had reached his quarters, he could not get her face, her eyes, out of his mind. His hand still tingled where they had touched. He knew with absolute certainty that he would see her again.

*****

Sabine Rosseau leaned back in the chair behind her desk and sipped a glass of cognac. Her caution had been warranted; the Genomorph had proven far more formidable than they had imagined. Her organization had been crushed but not destroyed; she still had operatives that remained hidden.

Her organization; she laughed at the thought. She had only been a woman for a few weeks. She wondered how the girl would react if she ever learned that the person she had killed was actually the real Sabine, stripped of any memories of her past and programmed to act appropriately, all the while remaining totally loyal to her.

She still had a power base, and a significant stockpile of Forerunner artifacts. All of the optical programmers had been lost, but that was of no concern. She would make use of her contacts outside the country and begin rebuilding.

She also had the most important item of all, the second GMU, secure in the basement of her estate. Thinking of the GMU reminded her of her newest servant, and as she drained her glass, she pressed a button on her desk. Almost immediately, the door to the office opened, and a pretty brunette in a maid’s uniform entered.

“Vous avez sonné, maîtresse Sabine?” ‘You rang, Mistress Sabine?’

“Yes, Merci, be a dear and pour me another cognac,” Sabine said as she extended her glass. She regarded the girl as she took the glass with a smile and walked over to the mini bar.

The dress was sexy but not overly so, not like a maid’s fetish outfit. She did have to maintain a certain appearance after all. Merci was really a lovely girl, and of course she was doing her a great service by taking her into her employ. While Merci understood English perfectly, she was incapable of speaking a word of it, and though she was twenty years old, she had very little education. She was, however, an excellent domestic servant.

Merci brought her drink to her, and Sabine accepted it with a smile.

“Thank you, Merci, that will be all for now.”

“Oui, maîtresse Sabine,” the pretty brunette said and then turned to leave. As she reached the office door, Sabine spoke softly once more.

“I did warn you not to fail me again.”

As Merci left the office, a single tear traced a path down her cheek.