Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 20:39:09 -0700 (MST) From: "Katherine R. Freymuth" Subject: Coup d'Etat - Chapter 20 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Chapter 20: The Bough Breaks "You've got that clear, Ziggy?" Al asked as he looked at Genine with hope. "Yes, Admiral," the computer replied. "But I'm not sure that it will work. There is only a fifty-four percent chance of a successful transmission." "We have to try, Ziggy," Genine told her. "Even if you have to send it audio only, it has to get through to Admiral Beckett." "Of course, Lieutenant Commander," Ziggy answered. "I will naturally do my best." Al smiled. "I know you will, girl." He looked at Genine. "Now, what next, Admiral?" Genine asked. "Admiral Calavicci to the Control Room," a voice demanded over the intercom before Al could speak. "Now, you have to escort me to the Control Room, Major Taylor," he said, putting on a white lab coat. He didn't like lab coats but at least the coat gave a little color to his drab clothes. "Aye, sir," Genine replied, following Al out of his quarters. ************************* Captain Howell had the largest smile on his face that Burke had ever seen. "Are you sure this will work, Captain?" Burke questioned skeptically. "Absolutely, sir," Howell bubbled. "All it takes is just a little adjustment here and there and you'll have total control of the Project." "And Dr. Beckett?" Howell's grin widened. "It won't be a problem." "Good. How long will it take?" "Four hours. Maybe less." Howell hesitated. "But there is one small problem." Burke looked at him firmly. "What problem?" "The main computer has an anti-tampering program in its system. I need the clearance code to get at it." He looked at Burke carefully. "And, according to the computer, only two people have that code: Dr. Beckett and Admiral Calavicci. Given that Dr. Beckett is suffering from amnesia...." Burke raised his right eyebrow. "Then, call the Admiral down, Captain. Let's get this done as quickly as possible." The Captain did as he was told and, a few minutes later, Al walked into the Control Room. He was followed by Genine, who kept her hand on her side-arm for appearance sake. "What is it now, Burke?" Al complained. "Ziggy would have told me if Dr. Beckett had leaped." Burke smiled at him. "We need your help. We need your clearance code." Al glared at him. "Why?" "Just to make some adjustments, that is all," Burke practically bubbled. Al frowned. "I don't think I'd like your idea of adjustments. I'm sure the project can run just fine without them." Burke's face was suddenly serious. Al had seen that face before when they had their conversation in the storage room. Burke was going to do something to force Al's hand. "Then, we'll have to just shut down the project completely," Burke told him. Al lowered his eyelids slightly. "That's impossible." Burke looked at Al in the eyes. Al shivered uncontrollably. He knew he wasn't going to like what was coming. "I would say the computer _is_ the project. Wouldn't you, Admiral?" Al stepped slowly around Burke, keeping a safe distance. "What are you getting at, Burke?" "Only that it would be a shame to lose such a fine piece of machinery." Al stood straight. "You're bluffing. You need Ziggy. Otherwise, you would have gotten rid of her a long time ago and you wouldn't be asking for my clearance code now." Burke laughed. "Caught red-handed, I'm afraid." His mood changed instantly. He had a frighteningly determined look on his face. "But I'm not afraid to shed some blood for that code." Al wasn't threatened. "My blood." Burke grinned slightly. "No, not yours. You are too much of an altruist. Hurting you won't do anything." He paused. "But hurting an innocent might. Like perhaps Mrs. Conelf or even Dr. Calavicci." Surprise registered on Genine's and Captain Howell's faces but not on Al's. He was wondering just how long it would be before Burke would consider the possibility of murder. He looked closely at Burke's cold-hearted face. *Or even torture*, he added to his thoughts. "You know I can't give you that code. You could alter the entire project with it." "Yes, I know that," Burke told him. "Nevertheless, you are going to give it to me. Must you hear screams to convince you?" Al didn't answer. Burke frowned. "Bring Mrs. Conelf," he ordered. "Sir?" Genine questioned in surprise. "You heard me, Major." Genine stood her ground. "Sir, I strongly object to your plans." She lowered her voice slightly. "This wasn't part of the deal." Burke sighed. "Major, you aren't becoming emotionally attached to the Admiral, are you?" Genine looked at Al with disdain. "With him? Not on your life, sir." *She's good*, Al thought. *She has to be good, though, to keep her cover.* "Then, bring me Dr. Calavicci," Burke told her. Al glared at him. Genine raised her eyebrows. "But you'd said Conelf." Burke smiled towards Al. "I changed my mind." He looked at Genine fiercely. Genine gulped slightly and nodded before turning and leaving the Control Room. ************************ Genine hurried to the elevator and closed the doors. "Ziggy, where's Dr. Calavicci?" she asked quickly. "Dr. Calavicci is in the infirmary with Dr. MacArthyr," Ziggy replied in as frightened a voice as a computer could have. "You're not going to..." "I don't have much of a choice," Genine interrupted quietly. "We all have to play our roles until our time comes. Otherwise, we could lose our only chance." "But Admiral Calavicci and Dr. Calavicci..." "I know!" Genine told her loudly. "But there's nothing we can do. Except pray." ************************ When Genine returned to the Control Room with Beth, they opened the door to see Al with his hands bound together, behind his back, with a belt. Colonel Stewart was holding Al firmly so that he couldn't move away from him. Captain Howell was standing by Ziggy. Burke smiled at Beth with malicious delight and started towards her. "Leave her alone, Burke!" Al shouted at him in fury. Burke ignored him, taking hold of her arm. "You can leave us now, Major." "No, sir," Genine told him. "My place is here with you." Burke shrugged. "If you wish. Help restrain the Admiral, then." Genine nodded and went over to Al. Fear and confusion filled Beth's eyes. Burke tightened his grip on her arm, causing her to cry out. Al lurched forward in anger and was dragged back by Stewart and Genine, though it was obviously done mostly by Stewart. Genine spoke quietly into Al's ear. "Just tell him what he wants to know, Admiral, and she won't be hurt." "And if I do tell him, what will happen?" Al replied. Burke forced Beth closer to Al and then put her in front of himself. He wrapped his right arm around her neck in restraint and pulled out an object from his pocket with his left hand. There was a click. "Shit!" Al exclaimed at the sight of the knife in Burke's hand. He struggled futility against Stewart and Genine. "Please, Admiral. Just tell him," Genine whispered to him. "Let her go, Burke!" Al begged. "You know what I want, Admiral," Burke said as he placed the knife near Beth's navel. "Or shall I re-enact MacBeth? You know. 'From nave to chops'?" He began pushing the knife into Beth. Beth screamed in fright. "Stop!" Al shouted. Burke stopped before the knife broke her skin. Beth was crying. Genine put on a cool act but inside, her stomach was turning with fright. "Why?" Burke asked Al. Al took a breath. "Because I love her," he said more firmly than he thought he would. "Not good enough, Admiral," Burke told him. "You're just going to have to do better than that." Burke started pushing the knife in again. "The code, Admiral." Beth screamed again. This time, she was obviously in pain. "All right!" Al yelled. He sighed. "Sigma six five nine nine three zero two seven four Calavicci." "Thank you, Admiral," Burke told him, the sobbing Beth in his arms. He dragged Beth towards Howell. "Did you get that, Captain?" "Yes, sir," Howell replied, pushing buttons on Ziggy. "But I need him to repeat it for verbal confirmation." Burke looked at Al expectantly. Al exhaled loudly. He repeated the code. As he said the words, he knew he was probably ringing the death toll of the entire project. "It's working, General," Howell chirped. "Any time you're ready, we can continue." Burke smiled. "Take them back to their quarters," he ordered. "Mrs. Calavicci first, Major." As he spoke, he released his hold in Beth. Genine took her gently by her arm and led her to her quarters. "Now, Admiral, would you care to watch as we reconfigure your computer's search parameters?" Al glared at him. "I'd like to be with my wife, if you don't mind," he seethed. "Of course not," Burke nodded to him as if Al had spoken kindly to him. "Colonel?" "Yes, sir," Stewart responded. He roughly took Al out of the Control Room and up to his quarters where Genine stood guard outside. "Here," he said, giving Al to her and opening the door. "Keep an eye on him." "Yes, sir," Genine replied, leading Al into the quarters and closing the door behind her. "Get this fucking belt off of my wrists!" Al bellowed in anger. Genine jumped to obey. Once free, Al rubbed his throbbing wrists and hurried over to Beth, who was sobbing on the bed. He hugged her gently but firmly. "Are you okay, Beth?" "Oh, gawd, Al!" Beth moaned into his shoulder. Al glared at Genine in fury. "I had no choice," she said simply, sympathy in her eyes. "When's that meeting?" Al demanded. "Tomorrow night, sir," Genine told him. "You move it up to tonight, Commander!" Al ordered. "Tonight! Is that understood?" Genine stood erect and respectfully. "Yes, sir." "Now, get out." Genine nodded and saluted before quietly leaving while Al held his frightened wife in his arms and carefully checked her for injury. ************************ "Very well done, sir," Howell said with a smile. Burke didn't return the smile. "I bluffed it." "Bluffed it?" Howell questioned. "With the way you were jabbing her, I could have sworn you were serious, General." "Exactly," Burke smiled. "You believed it and so did Admiral Calavicci." "And what if he had called your bluff?" Stewart asked after entering the Control Room. He had heard enough of the conversation to know what Burke was telling Howell. Burke turned to Stewart. "I wouldn't have killed her. Just would have put her in the infirmary for a couple of days." He smiled maliciously. "Let's get to work, Captain," he told Howell. "Time is precious." ************************ Sam stumbled slightly as he tried to regain his balance after his leap into the new time period. The usual unsteadiness passed quickly as Sam looked at his surroundings. He found himself in a comfortable private library. Every wall was covered with books. The room itself was decorated with a Victorian couch and two Victorian lounge chairs. In the center of the room was a beautiful mahogany coffee table with an etched-glass surface. *Whoever I've leaped into must have money*, Sam thought as he looked about. As he did so, he heard a door open from behind him. He turned around to see a brunette stop in her tracks at the sight of him. "Sol, what the hell are you doing here?" she said, angrily closing the door. "Well, I..." Sam started. The woman sighed, approaching him. "How long?" "I'm sorry?" Sam queried. "How long did you need to stay this time?" she pressed. "Well," Sam hesitated. "I'm not sure." She laughed sarcastically. "You're not sure? What? Did you lose your job as well as your little hussy?" Sam looked at her in confusion. "Okay, so Carol isn't a little hussy," she told him apologetically. "But she is your fourth fling since we divorced." "We're divorced?" Sam asked. "Divorced," he repeated, making the sentence sound more knowledgeable. "Sometimes I think we're not, the way you keep crawling back every time one of your girlfriends kicks you out of her apartment," she told him, not looking at him as she picked up one of his bags. "Well, come on. You can have your usual room. Just remember. This is my house now and, as such, you're going to have to obey the house rules." She led him out of the library. Sam grabbed the remaining bag quickly before following her. "Umm... of course," Sam replied. She led him up a flight of stairs and opened a door, leading him into a room. Behind the door was a small bedroom, modest but still beautifully decorated with good quality furniture. The woman put the bag she was carrying on the bed and walked towards the door. "There you are," she said plainly as Sam put down the bag he was carrying. "And, Sol?" she added. Sam looked at her upon the name. "One week and you're back out on the streets. You got it?" Sam had no idea what to say. Fortunately, the woman had left the room without waiting for a response. "Terrific," he muttered after the door was closed. *Why can't these leaps ever start on a good note?* he thought as he noticed the minor just above the dresser. He walked over to it and looked into it. The face that reflected back was a gentle but mischievous one. With dirty blond curly hair and the face of a teenage boy (minus the acne), Sol was what Al would call "a good looking stud"; Sol was definitely a ladies' man. "Sol," Sam said aloud, wondering. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a black leather wallet. Opening it, he found a driver's license immediately. "Solomon Ray Havlin," he read aloud. "Born April 21, 1954. License expires 1998." *Well, it's not much but at least I know my name and I'm under 44 years old, unless Sol never renewed his license. Now if Al would only show up and tell me where I am, when I am, and why I'm here.* But Al was nowhere to be seen so Sam started to unpack Sol's bags, hoping to gain more information from the man's possessions. ------------------------------------------------------ What! Still want more?! Okay. Chapter 21 next. Rob and Kathie Freymuth