AMPED by Douglas E. Richards

Author:Douglas E. Richards [Richards, Douglas E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Paragon Press
Published: 2012-03-28T06:00:00+00:00

31

Kira, Desh, and Griffin returned to their Denver headquarters. Jim Connelly was away, providing new identities for Rosenblatt’s family and hexad, and helping them get established in their new surroundings and life.

Kira was grateful to be able to slip into some of her own clothing for a change, and added back to her pocket the key ring she had removed before driving out to surrender herself to Jake. She spent a few minutes attending to some pressing administrative duties and checking the computer logs for both Denver and Kentucky, making sure she had a full accounting of the actions and schedules for each hexad.

With this completed, she and Desh drove to their favorite Thai restaurant for dinner. They had been in communication via computer while she was holed up in Peterson, and she had already been thoroughly chastised by her husband for taking the risk that she had. Given that it had turned out so well, she knew he wouldn’t bring this up again.

The restaurant was dark and cozy, and the food outstanding. She ordered a glass of wine and took a small but satisfying sip.

“Believe it or not,” said Desh as their Mee Krob appetizer was placed on the table, “we haven’t talked about the alien ship yet. We may be the only people on earth who haven’t.”

“Well, we have been busy conducting prisoner exchanges,” pointed out Kira with a smile. “Not to mention escaping from military bases.”

“That old excuse,” said Desh with a grin of his own. “If I’ve heard that once I’ve heard it a million times.” He took a sip of his own glass of wine. “So what do you make of our alien friends?” he asked, serious once more.

Kira shrugged. “I don’t know. The fact that they’ve conquered zero point energy is stunning. But I find it depressing that as advanced as they are, they’re still bound by the speed of light. Maybe there really isn’t any clever way around it.” She paused. “I saw that several hexads have been enhanced since the news broke. What do they make of it?”

“There’s not nearly a consensus, even among enhanced minds. There are as many theories as there are Icarus members. They haven’t come up with anything much different than the general population.”

Kira nodded, but she was obviously distracted. “Look, David,” she said, before he could continue. “I need to change the subject. I told you about my impressions of Jake and how I escaped, but I didn’t tell you everything.”

Desh considered his wife carefully. “Go on.”

“There’s a person or a group out there with access to my enhancement treatment. I’m sure of it.”

Desh’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know that?”

“Jake admitted to me he’d been enhanced,” she replied. “And he didn’t get a gellcap from me, that’s for sure.” She quickly recounted her discussion with the colonel.

“So Eric Frey is alive after all?” said Desh when she was finished.

Kira nodded. “Yes. Under a false identity, no doubt. It’s the only possibility I can see.”

Frey had been a molecular biologist at USAMRIID, the U.

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