Ana

CH 28

On the trip back to Earth, Heidi gave considerable thought to how to proceed. Her first inclination was to agree to join Tom so she could act as a mole in their organization. The idea frightened her and thrilled her at the same time because, if she did this, her life would always be in danger. However, she would be in the best position to affect what Tom and Naomi did.

But how to get a message to HQ? Maybe she could convince Tom that she needed to give her boss at NASA two weeks’ notice before she quit her job. After all, it wouldn’t do for her to disappear in a suspicious manner. That should give her enough time to get to Washington and brief them on what she had found out so far. Well, if she could find a way to prove any of this in a way that they didn’t have her thrown into a med ward.

With luck, project Red Book was about to kick into high-gear, and with her on point. Pride and excitement helped her suffer the painful pressure that seemed last forever before it lessened enough for to breathe comfortably. For some reason, it didn’t seem to affect Naomi that much but it was the longest torture she had ever endured.

“Well, I’m glad that part is over,” Heidi grunted.

“Oh, we’re only at the halfway point. Now we have to swing around and start to slow down,” Naomi said.

Before Heidi could question her, the ship flipped end over end and the pressure was back in full force.

Knowing what to expect only made the second half of the trip worse and by the time the pressure lessened again, she was a wreck. After she recovered enough to pull herself together, she forced a smile to her face and started working her plan with Naomi.

“You were right. You and Tom are the luckiest people alive.”

Naomi laughed, “I knew you’d see it that way. Are you ready to help us?”

“I think so, but I need to think of what to tell my friends at work so they don’t wonder what I’m up too.”

“Just tell them Tom is offering you a lot of money to work for his company. Maybe you could say you’re in charge of our international accounts.” Naomi gave her a wink.

Heidi giggled for Naomi’s benefit. It looked like this was going to be much easier than she thought.

“Well, if you’re going to join us, you should take one of these bracelets with you so we can keep in touch with you better. It’s basically like a smart phone only much more advanced. You can even make it look any way you want so you can change it to match different outfits.” Naomi held out a bracelet similar to the one she had on.

Heidi’s hopes soared. This could be the proof she needed. “How does it work?”

“It’s voice activated but it also can respond to thought commands.”

Heidi took it and held it up for examination. “It’s a communication device?”

“It’s much more than that.” Naomi lowered her voice. “It can shoot laser beams also but Tom said you and I aren’t allowed to do that. Well, I can if it’s in self-defense but I don’t think you can at all. At least not until Tom raises your security level. You’ll just have to stay close to me for protection.”

Heidi had a chilling vision of the motorcycle man in California holding out his arm and then a flash that burned off most of the carjacker’s head. Jackpot! “How do you turn it on?”

“Just slip it on and the bracelet will form around your wrist. It tingles a bit at first but that doesn’t last long.”

Heidi put it on and felt a now familiar tingling. The same tingling she had felt the first time she had touched Naomi’s bracelet and, disturbingly, the same tingling she had felt when she had turned in her report in Washington.