Page 20 of Operation Iron Heart

“That’s OK,” he replied carelessly, looking in Jack’s direction as he headed back towards them. “I’ve already got something. Jack told me who you are,” he continued, sitting down opposite her. “I was with him in Will’s unit, but I was injured earlier than your husband. Silver evac’d me from the danger zone.”

“But you survived,” she noted dispassionately, trying in vain to swallow the second lump in her throat.

Lennox hesitated for a moment and seemed to realise the reaction that his thoughtless comment had triggered.

“Sorry,” he said hurriedly, “I didn’t want to re-open fresh wounds.”

Marci gave a deep sigh and shook her head. “Nobody can bring Will back to me, and certainly not by not talking about his death,” she commented firmly. “You’re lucky that, unlike Will, you got out of it reasonably unscathed.”

“I lost both arms and a leg,” he said flatly.

“Oh!” Marci looked shocked and put a hand over her mouth. “I don’t mean to trivialise what happened to you. You just look so undamaged.”

“The guys and girls in Cathrin Porter’s plastic surgery team are really something,” he enthused. “They patched me up as if it were nothing, and you really can’t tell now which bits were damaged. The prostheses not only look like real arms and legs, they work like them, too.”

To demonstrate, he raised his hands and wiggled his fingers in the air as if playing the piano. “I can do practically anything with them,” he said triumphantly, and then gave a crooked grin. “I can even give women pleasure again.”

“Well, you squashed my fingers,” replied Marci with a pained smile, trying to suppress thoughts of Will and his fate. “Before you approach any more sensitive areas, I suggest you practise a bit more.”

For a moment, Lennox was speechless and was still silent when Jack got back to the table and gave Marci her tortillas and hot coffee.

“What’s happened?” asked Jack, sensing immediately that something wasn’t right. He sat between Lennox and Marci as if wanting to make it clear to his human colleague that this was his territory.

“We were talking about Lennox’s fine motor skills and I suggested that he’s not yet ready to use them on women,” explained Marci in the sudden silence. “He has an exceptionally strong grip and almost squashed my fingers.”

“You really have to practise that when you get robot technology implanted in you,” confirmed Jack with a grin. “A robot is seven times stronger than a human, and the same goes for replacement parts, so you have to practise how to interact with people to avoid any unfortunate incidents.” He winked at Lennox pointedly and didn’t have to wait long for a comeback.

“At least I’ve still got my dick,” he boasted to Marci. “And it’s a damn sight more sensitive than a robot’s.”

“And how do you know that?” teased Jack. “Have you done anything with a robot?”

Marci laughed and was still chuckling as she picked up one of the tortillas and bit into it.

“One-nil to you, Jack-With-No-Name,” conceded Lennox sardonically, standing up. “I’d better go now before I lose here completely.” He saluted and marched off, moving slightly stiffly.

Marci realised that his limp was hardly noticeable and felt guilty that she might have driven him away by laughing.

“Is he actually more sensitive than he sounds or is that just me?” Marci sipped her coffee and looked at Jack questioningly.

“I think he’s traumatised,” said Jack soberly, suddenly serious. “He was a hybrid like Will. They shot off both his arms and half of one leg. Our medics did an amazing job of putting him back together, and our psychologists added some nanotechnology to calm his nervous system, but I don’t think he’s yet come to terms with being kidnapped by agents of the government and everything that’s happened since. People can’t simply be reprogrammed like robots.”

“Does he have a family?” Marci suddenly felt a bond with Lennox and his fate.

“No. His wife died in a mugging years ago and they didn’t have any children. After she died, he became addicted to drugs, lost his job and lived on the streets until MacIntyre’s people picked him up in the slums and reprogrammed him into a hybrid soldier to serve them.”

“The more you tell me about MacIntyre’s schemes, the more I hate him – if that’s even possible,” said Marci quietly. “What he did to Will and Lennox on government orders is enough for me to want to send him to hell at the earliest opportunity.”

“That’s the right attitude to have,” said Jack with a weak smile. “You’ll need it for what we have in mind.”

That was the cue for them to finish up and Jack led the way to a final meeting in the operations centre, where Cathrin met them in a soundproof room. With a brief smile, she showed them to their seats at a long conference table.

“From what I’ve heard, your preparations are now complete,” Cathrin stated soberly. She remained standing and started a program on a holoscreen. “Early tomorrow morning, you and Jack will fly by hyperglider to Chicago using an official route. Silver has stored your data in the government’s files. It states clearly that you’re arriving from St. Lucia via Vancouver, where your MfM production facilities are located. An agent has bought an old factory building for us and set it all up just in case anyone wants to check. It now gives the impression that robots are developed there and we’ve also procured the relevant government licences so that you don’t have to worry about anyone tracking you.” Cathrin launched a holopresentation on the table’s embedded screen that showed the hotel complex and the areas around it. She turned to Marci with a serious look on her face. “We’ve booked a suite for you and Jack on the twenty-second floor of the hotel – it’s a luxury apartment with two bedrooms, bar, terrace, lounge and office. Representing MfM, you’ll use it as your workspace during the congress and can receive MacIntyre and his representatives there. The whole hotel is being monitored by MacIntyre and his government friends, but our hackers have managed to penetrate the recording systems and manipulate them so that the relevant authorities will only see trivial sequences. We’ll also be able to hook up to you if necessary using the chips in your brains, but that doesn’t mean that we’ll be permanently monitoring you.” She winked encouragingly at Marci, who was looking a bit alarmed. “When you appear at the ball in the evening with Jack, we’ll be with you all the time to provide support in case things get tricky. If you don’t know how to start a conversation, just think ‘Start Conversation’ and the implanted chip will give you the appropriate instructions.”

Marci found it difficult to hide the faint doubts that still nagged at her. Only the sight of Jack’s formidable frame and the undaunted expression in his eyes reassured her that he wouldn’t let her down.

“When you first sit down at your table,” Cathrin continued confidently, “everything will happen automatically. What happens after that remains to be seen. We’ll maintain constant contact with you via the chip and intervene from here if things start to head in the wrong direction.”

Marci had no choice but to trust Cathrin’s assurances but her concerns remained, even the next morning, as Jeanette brought her up to speed on the latest fashion and make-up trends and Marci deferred completely to her suggestions. She wasn’t sure whether she would actually be able to move elegantly enough in a snug-fitting, snow-white suit to draw the attention of the hordes of business hyenas. Jeanette was emphatic that she would, particularly as the combination of the incredibly short, tight skirt and the silver thigh boots revealed a significant portion of her sleek thighs.