They had died when helping thwart a plan to undermine the government of the United States. Now Ben and Susan have returned from the dead and they must bring that government down. Standing in their way are Michael Black and Michelle Gray, the bodies of whom they now occupy.
-(The Story begins HERE)-
"Immortal? You can't be serious!" O'Day yelped.
King's solemn glare was a declaration that he was indeed serious. He spoke with icy deliberation, "You should realize that Gates, as President, has at his immediate disposal highly placed individuals whom he can easily manipulate to do his bidding. These include the Vice President, a handful of senators, high-ranking military leaders, and the heads of several agencies."
"All of whom are past recipients of the neural implants," I added bitterly.
"Correct." he responded. He cleared his throat and paused to study those of us in the room. "Let me hypothesize for a moment. Suppose that in next November's primary Addams feels that he will not win the nomination ..."
"Good grief," O'Day resounded, "he would be able to influence the party to select someone he has in his back pocket."
I shook my head at the police sergeant and uttered, "I'm afraid you're missing the bigger picture, Brock. He will ..."
Rosie stepped forth interrupting me, "Regardless of the nominee ... regardless of Presidential election results ... he will only have to transfer his mind into that person. Unless we are able to stop him, he is in a position to become a perpetual President of the United States."
"Jesus!" O'Day yelped. "When he shows up, why don't I just shoot the bastard?"
"Do you really want to go down in history as the man who assassinated the President?" Baxter reasoned aloud.
"No. No I don't," O'Day replied. He looked into his wife's eyes, "Faye, I don't really want to shoot your step-father either."
"I know," she nodded, "but as far as I'm concerned ... he's dead anyway."
Rosie arose from her chair next to Faye and walked into the center of the room. She raised her hands to her temples and whispered, "They're here now. They are on the street in front of the building."
Both Michelle and I stared wide-eyed as Rosie's thoughts penetrated our own. "Julius, David, there is a door in the back of the convenience store ..."
"Rosie?" I muttered. "You're leading them right to us?"
She seemed to ignore my words and turned to both Baxter and O'Day. Without speaking she bowed her head. The two men, their eyes appearing glazed, stepped forth and produced pistols from their pockets. Falling in on either side of her they leveled the weapons menacingly at the rest of us.
"Rosie?" Stu Jankowski sputtered. "You? You're the enemy within?"
"Enough chatter," Baxter shouted. "All of you into the next room."
At that same moment the door to the stairway swung open to reveal David and President Addams. From his swagger it was obvious that Gates was in complete charge of Addams' mind and body. David's eyes were as glazed as those of O'Day and Baxter.
Addams/Gates was grinning from ear to ear and gave a victorious thumbs-up gesture to Rosie. "I gotta hand it to you, it worked. Getting them all together in one place ... here ... was a stroke of brilliance!"
Her response was just a weak grin and she seemed to tremble when she spoke, "We must get to work. I'm growing weak. I can't hold them much longer."
"You heard her, people," Baxter snapped. "Into the next room ... now!"
"Jeremy ... Brock," I pleaded, "you can't let this happen. We've got to stop them."
The barrel of O'Day's pistol grazed the side of my head. He kept the gun elevated near my face and sneered, "Wake up and smell the coffee, Michael. It's over and you've lost!"
One by one we were marched into the next room. I gasped as I looked upon a row of consoles like those that had lined the inner bulkhead of the destroyed aircraft. At each one of the consoles lie the neural headsets.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Gates barked, "have a seat at the stations and kindly place those headsets upon your pretty little heads."
King's solemn glare was a declaration that he was indeed serious. He spoke with icy deliberation, "You should realize that Gates, as President, has at his immediate disposal highly placed individuals whom he can easily manipulate to do his bidding. These include the Vice President, a handful of senators, high-ranking military leaders, and the heads of several agencies."
"All of whom are past recipients of the neural implants," I added bitterly.
"Correct." he responded. He cleared his throat and paused to study those of us in the room. "Let me hypothesize for a moment. Suppose that in next November's primary Addams feels that he will not win the nomination ..."
"Good grief," O'Day resounded, "he would be able to influence the party to select someone he has in his back pocket."
I shook my head at the police sergeant and uttered, "I'm afraid you're missing the bigger picture, Brock. He will ..."
Rosie stepped forth interrupting me, "Regardless of the nominee ... regardless of Presidential election results ... he will only have to transfer his mind into that person. Unless we are able to stop him, he is in a position to become a perpetual President of the United States."
"Jesus!" O'Day yelped. "When he shows up, why don't I just shoot the bastard?"
"Do you really want to go down in history as the man who assassinated the President?" Baxter reasoned aloud.
"No. No I don't," O'Day replied. He looked into his wife's eyes, "Faye, I don't really want to shoot your step-father either."
"I know," she nodded, "but as far as I'm concerned ... he's dead anyway."
Rosie arose from her chair next to Faye and walked into the center of the room. She raised her hands to her temples and whispered, "They're here now. They are on the street in front of the building."
Both Michelle and I stared wide-eyed as Rosie's thoughts penetrated our own. "Julius, David, there is a door in the back of the convenience store ..."
"Rosie?" I muttered. "You're leading them right to us?"
She seemed to ignore my words and turned to both Baxter and O'Day. Without speaking she bowed her head. The two men, their eyes appearing glazed, stepped forth and produced pistols from their pockets. Falling in on either side of her they leveled the weapons menacingly at the rest of us.
"Rosie?" Stu Jankowski sputtered. "You? You're the enemy within?"
"Enough chatter," Baxter shouted. "All of you into the next room."
At that same moment the door to the stairway swung open to reveal David and President Addams. From his swagger it was obvious that Gates was in complete charge of Addams' mind and body. David's eyes were as glazed as those of O'Day and Baxter.
Addams/Gates was grinning from ear to ear and gave a victorious thumbs-up gesture to Rosie. "I gotta hand it to you, it worked. Getting them all together in one place ... here ... was a stroke of brilliance!"
Her response was just a weak grin and she seemed to tremble when she spoke, "We must get to work. I'm growing weak. I can't hold them much longer."
"You heard her, people," Baxter snapped. "Into the next room ... now!"
"Jeremy ... Brock," I pleaded, "you can't let this happen. We've got to stop them."
The barrel of O'Day's pistol grazed the side of my head. He kept the gun elevated near my face and sneered, "Wake up and smell the coffee, Michael. It's over and you've lost!"
One by one we were marched into the next room. I gasped as I looked upon a row of consoles like those that had lined the inner bulkhead of the destroyed aircraft. At each one of the consoles lie the neural headsets.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Gates barked, "have a seat at the stations and kindly place those headsets upon your pretty little heads."
Rosie's Revenge
№ 2129
1 comment:
Rosie is a traitor? I can't believe that. There's more to this than meets the eye.
A perpetual President? That's one scary thought.
Oh this is getting better and better.
Have a terrific day. :)
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