Dark as Daylight Ch. 10

"How funny that is. The one thing I hadn't had in my mind, when I first saw you today, was to make you happy. I wanted to do one million things to you for what you did to me, but happy was not one of them.

I did a lot of thinking, while we were walking towards the bedroom, and my conclusion was, 'I was growing up.' I guess it's true. I didn't want to hurt you, and when I did I felt terrible about it. Now you tell me I made you happy, and I'm kind of happy about it. Let's go to bed and have some fun."

"I have some ideas."

"Are you trying to take over?"

"No, you said you wanted to have some fun. I said I had some ideas. If you want to try them out, you are the boss. If you don't, you're still the boss. Should we change the sheets? There is no maid service on the side of the hotel, until May."

"Screw it, we will only dirty those sheets up too. If and when we go to sleep, we will change rooms."

"There certainly are enough rooms on this side of the hotel. I wonder how many we can get dirty in 2 nights."

"Let's change rooms now and find out."

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4B. Upstairs

"All reports are in dad. Everyone, and everything is in position. Richard and Holden are with the Attorney General, General Morris, Burkart, Jim, Casey, and 6 other agents, roaming around the main floor of the Good Luck 2. Everything is in readiness for them to be brought upstairs and packed away in the stasis units. Testing time is 7 minutes, from the first shot being fired, to them being safely ensconced in their units. The AG is not really thrilled about being cooped up in one of them, even with his iPad, and air-conditioning.

"I don't care if he's thrilled, as long as he safe."

"Would you like a laugh to break the tension of the moment?"

"That would be very good for my heart."

"The AG, General Morris, and Laura Burkart were talking. The AG was telling Burkart about plans for her to break the glass ceiling, and how this case was the way for her to do it.

Burkart said she would work her ass off for him, the Bureau, and herself to get this done. However, she had one more master to serve.

The AG asked who it was? She told him it was you. He asked her what you were doing in her life? So she quoted you. Mister Zabo said, "...bring my fiancé to dinner any time I want." I don't have a fiancé. I don't have a man in my life, I don't have a boyfriend, I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I can't fake this because Mister Zabo has more eyes on the ground, then every intelligence agency in the world. What am I supposed to do about it?"

General Morris said, "Maybe something will happen to you, like happened to William Junior. He will be walking one way; you will be walking another. You will trip him, or he will trip you, and you will fall on the floor madly in love."

Burkart replied, "General, I am a plodder. I go from one piece of evidence to the next, until I find the culprit. I don't skip the steps in between."

Morris said to the Attorney General, "$100 Tim?"

The AG said, "Done."

Burkart looked at both of them. "You 2 are betting on me? Your insane."

William Senior started laughing, and Junior joined him. Senior could just see the look on Laura's face, when the Attorney General of the United States bet $100 that she would fall in love, 'Sooner rather than later.' Was this a great country or what?"

William Senior asked his son to send 3 non-coded texts to South Carolina. "Believe upper echelons compromised. YYY. Moving from station 'A' to alternate 'B' at and of transmission. YYY. My hunch Burkart, want in, $100-90 days'. W Zabo Senior YYY

After he stopped laughing, Junior said to his father, "Is it okay if I add my name to this, dad. She's a sure thing, if I ever saw one."

"Why do you say that William?"

"She's hungry dad, and she's lonely. After we wrap up this mess, she's going to have nothing. She's going to break the glass ceiling. If she doesn't do it by herself, you are going to help her do it, because of the work she's been doing on this case. She is a fantastic agent, and a great investigator. She has a keen intellect, and a strong moral value. She's needed at the top echelons of the FBI, because right now it's an all-boys club, and they are running the Bureau like a fiefdom. Once she is in charge of the major part of it, all that will change. However, if there is no one in her life to go home to, she will marry herself to the job, again, and die in it, before her time."

"Do it William, and let's find the bastard's that are causing all this trouble."

"I think I'll send the AG's out first. I'll ask him to take a photo of Burkart's reaction to the text. It should be a Kodak moment."

"Son, if it is, I'll have it blown up to portrait size, and put it in the dining room for when she brings her fiancé to dinner."

"That's downright mean dad. Funny as hell, but downright mean."

"I know. I wonder what your brothers doing?"

"We both know what he's doing, dad, and we know he's enjoying the hell out of it. I hope the young lady is enjoying it too."

"The size of her checkbook will make her enjoy it."

"Is she really going to teach him how to dance?"

"Only horizontally, I suspect."

"Oh well, there will be other days, and other lessons for him to learn."

"Yes there will be. Look at all the lessons you learned, while you were away from me for 12 years."

"It didn't feel like 12-years, dad, it felt like forever. I would wake up every morning wanting to ask you a question about a decision I was about to make, or had made the day before. I always wanted to know what you thought about what I did? Did I screw up? Did I cost you money? I was horrified at that thought. For the first 5 years, while economy was in the tank, and the businesses were slowly growing, but could have gone either way, I wanted you by my side every minute. You have no idea how lonely I felt out there by myself.

Then you sent me Patrick. How fast I grew up after that. I couldn't think about myself, or the businesses anymore. I had to protect Patrick. I had to teach Patrick the little I knew, and make sure his education continued on the right track. Who the hell knew how brilliant he was back then? If I trained him for one year, he could have taken over for me, and done a better job than I was doing. I thought I was pushing him to do better in school, when, in actuality, he was pushing me to do better at work. We would talk about his economics homework. He knew it all. He was teaching me what to do. He reminded me of it a few months ago, while we were in negotiations with Boeing for his aircraft. I wanted to kill him. He made me repeat a lesson, word for word, before I stopped, realizing what he did to me.

What an amazing turn of events that was for me. 15 years separates us, but I feel like he's my twin. No one better threaten him, because they will have me to deal with for the rest of their natural lives."

"You have no idea how proud you just made me of you, my son. I thought, in my heart of hearts, that I couldn't be prouder of you and your accomplishments, but I was wrong. There was place in my heart for this heartfelt confession on your part, and as a father, with 2 sons, who love each other, and would die for each other, it is a blessing beyond price."

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41. Tuesday Night-Wednesday Morning

"Sabrina, I don't believe I've ever had a finer meal."

"Thank you Lucius, for someone so well-traveled as yourself, I believe that's the finest complement I've ever had. I enjoy cooking very much for Patty and Stephano, but their tastes are very limited. Then again, trying to get Miss Patty out of the kitchen, is like trying to get two worms to mate. You're not sure which end goes where, or which one is the male and which is the female.

It's easier with Rita and Paul, because they would eat the paint off the walls, if you put it before them. Of course, you'd have to clean off the table, before you put the food on it, to make sure their fluids do not contaminate the food. I don't believe I've ever seen a couple that have been married as long as they have, who have not been able to keep their hands off each other for so limited a period of time, they can't stop to eat."

"I've heard stories about those two from Stephano. I understand that before Patty's wedding to him, they were much worse than they are today."

"No Lucius, not much worse, just worse."

"Thanks again for a wonderful meal, I have to check our defenses, and make sure everything is prepared for this evening. Good night."

"Don't forget to take a nap before it starts. You're not a spring chicken anymore."

"Why does everybody insist on reminding me of that fact?"

"Probably because it's true."

***************

As he was looking over the huge, plastic covered display, the map showed every defensive alignment, the manpower deployed, the weapons allotted, the fallback positions, fields of fire, and the arcs of fire that would cover the retreating forces.

When he screamed, his top four lieutenants ran to his side, including his shadow, Paul Zachary.

"What the fuck did you do, Paul? All the years we've been together; didn't you learn anything from me? Do I have to start training you all over again? Explain this mess to me."

His four lieutenants cowered under the glaring eye of the brilliant strategist, Colonel Lucius C Canyon. Even Paul was shaking as he explained everything he had on the display. Point by point, he went over each position on the map, explaining its strengths and showing it had no weaknesses. At the end of his dissertation he said, "Colonel, this is exactly the way I thought you would want me to do it."

Lucius responded, "You three idiots, look for the glaring holes in these defenses. You are being attacked by a force that overwhelms you by 4 to 1. Do you all want to die here?"

Heath, Kelly, and Steel poured over the map, looking for what the Colonel called, 'The Glaring Holes' in Paul's defenses.'

They could find none. They looked at each other, and shook their heads.

Colonel Lucius Canyon had that look in his eye that tore bark off of trees.

"You have the nerve to say to me 'This is exactly what you thought I would do?"

Paul was almost too afraid to open his mouth.

"Yes sir."

Lucius walked away, shaking his head. "So do I."

Paul's eyes nearly popped out of his head and he let out a scream that shook the house.

"You bastard, I'm going to kill you one-day old man."

It took the others three lieutenants to keep Paul away from the grinning, strutting Colonel.

Kelly laughed. "I guess he's feeling better?"

"When I get my hands around his throat, he won't be feeling so cocky."

"You wouldn't touch the hair on that man's head."

"You are probably right, but I might shoot him."

Lucius heard him. "The way you have been shooting lately, you would probably miss me if I was any further away than this."

That was it for Paul; he totally lost it. It would've taken an armored battalion to stop him from charging the Colonel.

He threw Heath, Kelly, and Steel aside, as if they were rag dolls, and charged at the Colonel screaming expletives.

Those in the household ran to the living room to see what was happening. Jemma yelled to Gwen to bring her doctors equipment fearing for the worst.

The Colonel waited until Paul was within 10 feet of him.

"Stand at attention Sergeant."

With more than thirty years of discipline, and training bred into him, Sergeant Paul Zachary stopped on a dime, stood ramrod straight, with his shoulders back, his thumbs down the linings of his camouflage fatigues, his head straight, and his eyes unblinking.

Lucius looked at him sternly. He walked up to him, and then around him, as if he was inspecting him for flaws.

Everyone watched with baited breath.

As he returned to the front of Sergeant Paul Zachary, he did something he had never done before in all his military life. He grabbed a hold of the man, and hugged him.

"Paul, I love you as if you were my own son, probably more. I can do more with you alone, than with any other person alive. With 1000 of us, we could stop ever war on this damn planet of ours; that is if the powers that be would leave us alone, and let us do our jobs properly.

You are the finest soldier it has ever been my privilege to command. If I was ever to be sent back to live my life as a soldier again, I would ask only one thing. I would want my friend and right arm, Paul Zachary, be at my side.

So help me God, Paul, if you fuck up these next few days, I'll kill you, without a second thought.

DISMISSED.

A smirk passed along Sergeant Paul Zachary's lips.

"Thank you, you pain in the ass."

"That's One."

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Guard towers 1 thru 4 West Side/Tuesday night -- Wednesday morning

With the guards removed for their safety, life like dummies, and night vision cameras providing coverage of every inch of the perimeter, every man and woman, in their defensive positions, slept. The only way for an enemy to sneak up on them was by parachute, and with 'Little Bird' in the air, circling the base at 12,000 feet, that was not going to happen. With its infrared, and night-eyes sensors, if the enemy used a 'Halo (high altitude -- low opening) Drop', their body heat or visual signatures would be picked up, and the base defenses alerted, and in readiness, before they were able to touch the ground, rid themselves of their parachutes, charge their weapons, and starting fighting offensively.

There was also the problem of the size of the 'HALO' force. Normally, a Halo Drop consisted of a maximum of twenty men. Even if they were able to raise this to 100 men, and they landed in perfect positions, they would be out in the open, and subjected to withering fire from multiple positions. Tactically, this was not an option.

From the north, there was Dorchester Road, and no invasion was possible from there. The enemy would have to come with bridging equipment to traverse the 20-foot wide canal, even though in places it was only 6 to 8 feet deep. They would still need their tractors, or other heavy equipment to break through the razor wire, and other traps that were set to get to the main compound, before they could start fighting. It would take the better part of one hour to set this type of attack into motion, and the entire force would be dead, before any enemy combatant would come close to stepping foot on the 'Private Property' of the 'Deep Space Science Project."

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Guard towers 5 thru 14 / Southern Perimeter

These towers were similarly equipped as their Western brothers. They had life like dummies, with multiple night-eyes vision, and infrared cameras, looking for any type of mass movement. This was the largest flank, and their biggest exposure for potential attack. If the enemy believed they were guarding the entire, 180 Valentino Ranch, this is where they would attack.

However, since it was decided only to guard the 80 acres surrounding the main house, and the barn, only a token force was deployed along this area, plus a minefield that was designed by computer.

There is one thing to be said about a computers' logic program. If you tell it that a particular mine has a killing area of 50 ft.², and its' neighboring mine had a similar killing area, it makes sure those two areas do not overlap. It leaves a space, 18 inches wide, between them.

'It's logic'? No person could stand exactly in the center of this 'exclusion zone' all the time. If the combatant moved 3 inches, left or right, of that area, the odds were: he is either mortally wounded, severely wounded, or wounded enough to be out of the fight for good.

Anyone rushing to help him, including, unfortunately, medics and non-combatants, would run through other mined areas, setting those off. These mines would kill or wound more enemy combatants, and non-combatants in the process, adding to the conflagration, between both sides.

The computer was lethal this way, and it didn't care who you were, or what you were trying to do, when it killed you.

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Processing Center A-B-C-D --Main Gate / Good Luck Expressway (Private Roadway (Unlighted) 1 ^7/16 miles Long. Two Lane- 12 feet wide Divided Roadway. 10" Thick HMA (Hot Mix Asphalt) Suitable for Extremely Heavy Vehicles. Signs every 1500 feet:

Warning: Private Property. All persons and vehicles are subject to search prior to entry. The use of DEADLY FORCE IS PERMISSIBLE against any person suspected of disobeying the rules and regulations of the OWNERS OF THIS PROPERTY, and those of the DEEP SPACE SCIENCE PROJECT. Thank you for your cooperation.

When Rod and Dycke went about secretly purchasing the land for this project, they anticipated making a left turn entry off Dorchester Road, driving along the fenced security area, and then into the main compound. They ran into one small problem, Richard, and he would not be moved. He wanted a longer and somewhat circuitous entry road, and he didn't care what it cost.

Rod said, "I don't know how the owner knows what we are doing, but he wants $6 million to give us the right-of-way for your road. I will not pay him that amount of money for one and a half miles of land, that is less than one quarter of a mile wide."

Richard text three words to Rosalynn, and asked her to show them to her husband.

She replied, "K."

Roz turned her tablet around, and showed her, lawyer, husband. what they were.

Rod looked up into the heavens. "Dammit Even, why did you have to get married, and have children. They are as bad as you ever were to me, and their tricks are lethal."

Richard's words were, "You Are Fired."

It was the one thing, both Holden and Richard knew Rod would never accept. He would work for them, for free, to remain their lawyer, because of his promise to his friend. He would never allow anything, or anyone to hurt them, or as they grew of age, their families, as long as he lived. Money meant nothing, if you lived in fear, and Rod was making sure that would never happen to Even's boys.

"Okay, I'll pay the $6 million, but I hope he chokes on every penny of it. It's not my money, but I hate him for taking advantage of you. Why can't you just say no to someone once in a while. There are other options available, Richard."

"I want a long inbound, and outbound roadway for security purposes, Mister Laver. We can put cameras, and security details all along it. No one will be able to sneak up on us. We will know who they are, and our sensors will be able to tell us what they are carrying, before the get close to our security gates. $6 million out of the $1 trillion budget is nothing to this project. If someone is able to breach our security defenses, the damage could be disastrous for our program."

Rod was thoroughly embarrassed. He did not think of anything but the size of the land, and the amount of money the brash old man, asked for it. Now, a twelve-year-old boy, taught him a lesson he would never forget. He called him on his cell.

"Thank you, Richard. I was not thinking in the terms of security. I was thinking about the value of the land, and the total acreage. I am going to get even with that prick, however. I'm going to pay him in cash, not in a bank check. It means the deal goes through as soon as he takes the money out of my hand, the notary signs the paperwork, and we take our copies.

Then, I'm going to start laughing at him, and at his lawyers. I'm going to call them idiots, and fools.'

He believes he pulled one over on us, but when I get through with him, he's going to wonder what he gave up.