The Daughter Warrior Page 3

  Dr. Herbert Schneider, known as the professor and formerly the emperor’s computer guru, was short, white-haired and solitary in nature. Over the years his sedentary lifestyle had added a bit of paunch, making him look stockier than in his younger years.

  Dr. Argus Delis, former sarin gas developer for the king and queen, was tall and thin, with an unruly patch of graying hair and a more outgoing demeanor than Schneider.

  It was late in the afternoon. The two scientists were sitting in the rebel research lab in Mexico City trying to figure out how to deal with the S-chip destabilizer, a problem they had been pondering for a couple of weeks. They heard about the S-chip from the Bl rebel spy within the imperial security forces. Unless they figured out how to identify and interrupt the S-chip signals to the spies’ brains, the BL rebels would be at a tremendous disadvantage once the spies were released to do their dirty work.

  The BL spy told them about the remote Spencer always carried which could make the spies inoperative, but there was only one remote. So far, the BL spy had been unable to get ahold of it.

  “I understand the principle of the chip they are calling a spy chip, but I am frankly stumped on how to identify people who have the chip implanted, let alone how to interfere with the signals to their brain,” Delis said in frustration as he scratched his head, causing the stiff bristles of hair to become a cluttered mess.

  The research lab was a cavernous room. A dozen assistants worked on pieces of different projects. The professor and Dr. Delis set aside one end of the room for their own research on more difficult aspects of the projects.

  The professor sat back in his high-backed lab chair. Delis could hear his back crack in protest. He started to laugh.

  “We are quite a pair, aren’t we? Me with my horsy look and you with that whole Albert Einstein look going on.”

  Herbert grinned. “What do you say we take a break? Maybe we need to get away from it for a while before our massive brains can figure it out.”

  Argus snorted at the euphemism. “Great idea. Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight? I think Rachel is making one of her famous veggie lasagna dinners from scratch. I’m convinced she is trying to fatten me up; but she’s been trying to do that since we met more than thirty years ago. Hasn’t worked yet, but it sure has been fun letting her try. As you know, she is a great cook. So, how about it? Dinner at 6 pm?”

  Slapping Argus on the back, Schneider agreed.

  “Great! I’ll see you at the apartment at what time?”

  “How about 6 pm?”

  “Sounds good. See you then. I’ll bring some wine.”

  The professor told his lab assistant they were quitting for the day. The other techs were starting to leave, too. Both scientists threw their lab coats into the automated cleaner and headed out, their minds still churning with the problem of the S-chips. There had been no need to try to interfere with B-chips, T-chips or I-chips, so this was a whole new area of chip research.

  Professor Schneider’s small apartment was located on the secure rebel base. He initially objected to its location, wanting someplace more private. But, he quickly agreed with the general’s decision after a couple of attempts by imperial spies to kidnap him. Now he was used to being surrounded by laser security fences and troops. He rarely even thought about it.

  The spartan apartment was one of a dozen in the center of the rebel base. Only one bedroom, it was adequate for a bachelor’s needs.

  While he was finishing his burst shower, getting ready for dinner at the Delis’ apartment, the professor had a eureka moment. The wrinkles on his face creased into a huge grin. Boy, will Argus be surprised.

  Herbert quickly finished his preparations, not caring or even noticing the tunic was wrinkled. He headed out the door, swiping his thumb against the ID pad to lock the door and nodding at the security guard posted nearby.

  When Argus opened their apartment door, just a couple of doors down from his, Herbert could smell something delicious. As a bachelor he rarely got home-cooked meals. This was going to be a treat. He handed Argus a gel canister with a red wine inside as a “thank-you” gift.

  “Hey, look at that. The wine matches my red tunic,” Argus snorted. “I did not know I was going to color-coordinate with the wine.”

  The professor laughed. “Yeah, you are such a fashion plate.”

  The Diehl apartment was at the end of the same row of guest apartments but was a two-bedroom. Although he would have been hard-pressed to identify why he liked their apartment so much, if he put any thought into it he would have realized it was the colorful feminine touches making their home so comfortable.

  The two scientists had become good friends during their years working together. Herbert was just a little bit in love with the beautiful Rachel; but more envious of Argus than anything. He was afraid to ask how such an odd-looking bean-pole ended up with such a gorgeous woman; a question he never seemed to get around to asking.

  After lively conversation while keeping Rachel company in the kitchen, including updates on their son, Andrew, the trio sat down at a small fiberglass table. Herbert was the most relaxed when he knew the people he was with; otherwise he tended toward shyness.

  Herbert accepted the honor of pouring the wine. When everyone had a glass, he held it up and gave a toast: “to solving the S-chip problem.”

  He couldn’t help but laugh at the way Argus’ mouth dropped open.

  “You solved it?”

  “Yes, I think I did. At least I think I have the beginnings of a solution.”

  “Tell me.”

  Herbert looked over at Rachel, who sat with a bemused expression on her face.

  “Sorry, Rachel. I know you prefer we not talk shop at dinner, but this is so exciting I couldn’t wait to tell Argus.”

  Rachel giggled. Both men looked at her in surprise. Giggles were not normally a part of the reserved woman’s repertoire. “This is so funny. Talk about de ja vu. The two of you do this at every meal. You swear you won’t talk about work, and you always end up apologizing and doing it anyway.”

  The two scientists looked just a bit embarrassed and then saw the humor of the situation. The trio contentedly ate the lasagna, and each had a second glass of wine.

  Herbert sat back in his chair, his hands folded across his now full stomach.

  “That was phenomenal, Rachel. Thank-you.”

  Argus slapped the table, stood up and said, “Let’s take this into my study. Do you mind, honey?”

  “Not at all. The two of you go solve the problems of the world and I’ll bring dessert in later.”

  Rachel smiled at them and put a disposable apron on over her burgundy tunic before clearing the table of the throw-away dishes.

  The men happily moved to the second bedroom converted to a small study. Argus sat down in front of a large vid-screen, the most dominate feature in the room, where Herbert eagerly began to draw with a stylus on the screen.

  “Okay, here is my theory. You know how neurons work. They conduct electrical impulses by using the Action Potential, generating the flow of positively charged ions across the neuronal membrane. Our job is to figure out a way to interfere with the effectiveness of the S-chip. And I think we can do that by disrupting the blocks of myelin, or the Nodes of Ranvier.”

  Argus was a chemist not a physicist, but he followed Herbert’s thought process. His eyes widened as he realized the potential of what Herbert was saying.

  “If we interfere with the myelin sheath, the electrical impulses won’t work, and the muscles of the spies won’t be able to function.”

  “Exactly. This is the reason Multiple Sclerosis has such a devastating effect on the body, creating a lack of co-ordination and muscle control as well as difficulties with speech and vision. For some reason the myelin sheath is not working right in people with MS. Now all we have to do is figure out how to interfere with the myelin sheath and how to identify which people have the S-chip implanted.”

  The rest of the evening was an ene
rgizing brainstorming session on how to make it happen, interrupted only by Rachel’s delicious home-made apple pie and ice cream.

  Maybe now they could protect the BL rebels and citizens from whatever diabolical plans the king and queen set in motion with their S-chip spies.

  Chapter Five

  Doctor On-Call

  Dr. Allison Simpson-Anton had just gotten the seventeen-year old twins to settle down to do their homework when the vid-phone chimed. Sometimes she hated the thing. It seemed like there was never good news on the other end; either she had an emergency at the research lab or some other crisis demanding time away from her family.

  She sighed as she verbally responded to the call without looking to see the identification picture.

  “Dr. Allison here. How may I help you?”

  “Allison, it is Herbert. How are you? How are Marco and the twins?”

  “Com switch to hologram,” she instructed the vid-phone. She smiled as she saw Herbert’s face, his hair standing on end as usual. “What a surprise, Professor! We are all great here, but we haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “Sorry about that. Just a bit of a jaunt from Mexico City to Tegucigalpa. Besides, Argus and I have been working on a big project, which is why I called you.”

  “Me? What could I possible do to help. I know next to nothing about physics.”

  “This has little to do with physics and a whole lot more about human anatomy. We thought about it and realized you are probably the best medical doctor to help us. We need your expertise in both medicine and research. Any chance you can come to Mexico City for a consult? Shouldn’t take more than a few days.”

  “I don’t know, Herbert. The twins will be graduating from high school next week. Kind of a big deal for the family and there are a lot of things to do to get ready for the party afterwards.”

  “Why don’t you see if you can get that lazy partner of yours to help out?”

  Allison laughed. “You know him well. He looks for the quickest, most effective way to do something, so he can start working on something else. He calls it being organized and efficient. I call it lazy since he doesn’t want to be bothered. I do wish I had his energy, though.

  “He should be home any minute, Herbert. He went to see his parents. Both are having some health problems.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Are they okay?”

  “As well as can be expected. They are both getting up in years and without the benefit of all the health advances in the past century, there is not a whole lot we can do, other than see they are happy and comfortable.

  “Herbert, I will call you as soon as I have talked to Marco. Anything you can tell me in the meantime?”

  “Don’t want to discuss it on an insecure vid-phone. It will have to wait until you get here.”

  “Okay, talk to you soon.”

  “Com off,” Allison instructed.

  For the past fifteen years, Allison’s daily routine was pretty set: get the family up and out, then go to the factory where she oversaw the development of all kinds of new drugs to benefit citizens, financed by Marco’s parents. Thousands of lives had been saved by the drugs, but sometimes she missed getting her hands directly involved in the research. Most of her time was spent in administrative tasks.

  She couldn’t help but be intrigued by the professor’s odd call. She puttered around the apartment while she waited for Marco. Just in case she would be making a quick trip to Mexico City, she packed a small travel bag. Allison had almost finished with the packing when she heard the front door chime as it opened.

  As the son of one of the most influential men in the area, Marco was able to get their large apartment at a good price. The four-bedroom apartment was more of a house than the typical apartments in the area. Located on the side of a hill, there were informal terraced gardens behind the apartment planted and maintained by Marco’s talented mother, Maria, and her crew of landscapers and gardeners.

  Allison looked down the stairs. It was Marco coming into the apartment. As always, her heart skipped a beat in anticipation of seeing her partner. They had been through so much together, including three years in Canada trying to convince them to support the rebels and dealing with the after-effects of the Missouri massacre which devastated the ranks of the BL rebels.

  “Be with you in a moment, sweetie,” she called over her shoulder as she returned to her bedroom and swiped her hand across the security chip on her valise to close it, leaving the rest of the packing until later.

  She took a quick glance in the mirror over her dresser and eagerly skipped down the stairs and moved into the kitchen to greet Marco.

  “Hello, sweetie,” she greeted as she kissed him on the cheek. “How was your day at the marketing office?”

  “Good. You look particularly beautiful tonight in that shimmery tunic thing. How about your day?”

  “Thanks. Nothing unusual. At least not until a couple of hours ago when I got a call from the professor in Mexico City.”

  “That’s a surprise. What did he want?”

  “Apparently he and Argus are working on some kind of secret project and think I might be able to help.”

  Although she tried to keep the eagerness out of her voice, Marco could tell she was intrigued.

  “That’s great. When are you leaving?”

  “I’m not sure I should, with the graduation party for the twins next week and all the preparations I need to do for it.”

  Marco managed to look crushed at the thought she didn’t think he could handle it. He dramatically placed his hand over his heart and heaved a big sigh.

  “To think my own partner doesn’t trust my party-planning skills. I am devastated.”

  Allison laughed. “Okay you can dispense with the dramatics. I get your point. I think you, the twins, and primarily your mother, will manage to get things ready. I’m sure I will only be gone a couple of days.”

  “We will do our best to survive without you. What time do you intend to leave?”

  “How about after dinner? That will give me a chance to say my farewells to the twins. I will arrive in Mexico City tomorrow; I’ll send word to the professor, so he can meet me at the train.”

  “Sounds like a plan. What’s for dinner?”

  “You are so predictable. How about you fix dinner tonight while I finish packing?”

  “It’s a deal.”

  Marco was a good cook, so it was no sacrifice for him or the family. He usually wore a pair of denim trousers to work and an old-fashioned t-shirt making it easy to transition from work to cooking. They looked good on his still muscular, athletic body. He coached a youth lacrosse team and kept in shape running after the children.

  Allison finished packing and went to check on the twins before dinner. They were, for a change, working on their homework instead of teasing each other. Their rooms were across the hall from each other. Their bed pods, built-in storage units and desks were the extent of their furniture. They personalized their rooms with favorite holograms on the walls.

  She stood in the hall for a few minutes, watching them. How different they were, even though they were twins. Both were less than six feet tall, like their parents. Marcus was a series young man, quiet and interested in academics. He was blond, like his mother, but with a trim, athletic build like his father. Annette took after her father in looks, with her dark Italian appearance and high levels of energy. She was just starting to fill in with the eye-catching curves of her mother, and quickly losing her adolescent awkwardness.

  Now high school graduation from the BL rebel school was near, both of her children needed to figure out next steps. She was dreamily contemplating their futures, when Marcus looked up from his desk and the vid-com he was using to study.

  “Hello, Mother. Anything you want?”

  “No, sweetheart. Just standing here admiring my handsome son and wondering if he has decided what he will do after graduation.”

  Marcus sat back in the body-molding chair and contemplated her questio
n.

  “We have discussed implanting the I-chip or studying in Mexico City at the BL university. Although I am still not sure of my major, I am leaning toward studying at BLU.”

  “You know we will miss you terribly,” Allison replied, “but if that is what you want, I certainly won’t stand in your way. Not sure about your father, however. He was never much for education. He barely squeaked by at the University of Texas Austin. He was more apt to play Lacrosse than study.”

  “You never told me that. How come?”

  Allison shrugged. “Guess I didn’t really think it was relevant. Anyway, I’m sure your dad will support you, too. Any thoughts on course of study?”

  Marcus looked thoughtful and considered her question.

  “I guess I’m leaning toward medical research. I have thoroughly enjoyed working at the research facility the past year. I am fascinated by what you are doing to develop new vaccines.”

  In a couple of strides, Allison reached her son and leaned down to give him a big hug. He was still enough of an adolescent to be embarrassed by the show of affection.

  “Mom! Come-on, it’s not like I haven’t talked about this before.”

  “I know, son, but I’m thrilled you might consider the field of medicine I love so much.”

  “What’s so thrilling?” Annette poked her head into her brother’s bedroom, her curly black hair so reminiscent of Marco’s younger years. Her voluptuous body, however, she got from her mother.

  “Oh, go poke your nose in someone else’s business, Nosy,” Marcus sputtered.

  “Now Marcus,” Allison told him as she patted his arm, “Leave your sister alone. You know very well she can’t help the fact she is just like her dad.”

  All three laughed at the appropriate analogy. Marcus always had to know what was going on and Annette was just like him.

  “How are your final exam studies going, sweetie?”

  Annette shrugged. “Okay, I guess. If I don’t know it by now it is too late. I’ll take the final exams on the vid-com tomorrow. No big deal if I don’t pass. I can’t wait to stop studying for a while.”