Maxine's New Life Ch. 13a

"God I missed you," Irish lied as he closed the door behind us.

"Bullshit," I said.

"Well, I did think about you once or twice," he corrected himself.

"That's more like it, but this is business," I said. "I never mix the two."

"Yeah, that's what the bosses like about you." Martin said.

"So you are going to be code name Irish?" I asked with a laugh.

"Yeah they like it at the office for some reason. It's all part of this new image shit that we are trying to achieve."

"I still don't understand that. How the hell are we going to fit into that black bag shit, if we are on TV."

"Executive Security Service is about protection, not black bag shit, as you call it." he said.

"Oh come now, You aren't going to try to tell me that your boss is suddenly above a little industrial espionage. Because if you do, I'm gonna laugh in your face." I said.

"Our operation isn't going to be doing anything like that. You and I are heading up the non profit operations. Heading up hell we are the feel good ops department. If we can figure out a way to make the bad guys pay the freight, then we will be heros. If not, Swamp Thing just writes it off as a cost of doing business. Of course we have an almost zero budget."

"Of course," I agreed.

"Look before Mike gets here, I need to tell you something," Irish said. "But first how much do you know about Johnathan Hunter and Cheryl?"

"Not much to be honest. I think she is his girl toy, but I don't see him around much. She and I have breakfast together these days, but that's about all I know."

"You didn't do a background check on them?" Irish asked.

"I did it on Johnathan. It started out that Johnathan was going to rent the apartment. Then it all got moved to her name. I figure that her last name wasn't really Hunter, but I didn't care. His credit check told me he had the money to keep a sweetie on the side, so it all seemed harmless. Just an old married goat with a lamb in the woods. Why?"

"First of all Cheryl is Johnathan's Daughter. He was working in a machine shop, when she was born. He came up with some gadget and it was about to pay off big, when she graduated high school. Just a week after she graduated, she got his shotgun from the closet.

Then she put it into her new, to her car, the one she got for a graduation present, and drove to the house of he senior prom date. There she proceeded to kill him and his father, then she calmly drove to the police station."

"Wow, my Cheryl did that I'm in shock," and I was too.

"Back then Johnathan wasn't rich, but he got her the best lawyer he could afford. Cheryl wouldn't cooperate, so it wouldn't have mattered who her shyster was. She got twenty five to life. She refused to allow her dad's lawyers to put her up for parole. Somewhere along the way she got that institutional mind set. She did eighteen years before they put her on the street. Since Cheryl's mother died while she was in the joint, she moved in with Johnathan and his new wife.

"Since she is here, I guess the step mommy's kiss was cold, like the saying goes?" I asked.

"I guess. Anyway he set her up with a trust, to get her started. It pays her living expenses for a few years. She also has stock in his company which pays dividends. She isn't wealthy but she doesn't have to work, if she doesn't want to. Of course this is going to be her lifestyle if she doesn't work."

"And what's wrong with this lifestyle?" I asked.

"No offense but it is only one small step above her old prison life. She feels right at home here, I'm sure." Irish said.

"So Cheryl killed two guys on graduation day. I have to admit, I'm impressed." I said.

"Not exactly graduation day, but almost," Irish said. "We need to keep in mind that she has done a lot of time, she is going to be a wild card."

"It sure as hell explains a lot of things. She loves the bike, because she doesn't have a driver's license, but she knows how to ride a bike from her childhood. She had never been inside a Hardee's, because they don't have them in prison. Well at least not yet." I said smiling.

"Just be careful the chick is a stone killer. It might have been years ago, but she will pull a trigger." Irish said.

"Oh yes and we certainly don't want someone around here who has killed people." I said it with a chuckle.

"Not unless they have been vetted, and are on the payroll anyway," he said lightly in agreement.

I instantly made the decision that the information would not effect my relationship with Cheryl. I had no room to judge. When you get right down to it, whats a couple of twenty year old murders among friends.

I was still working it out in my head when Mike came knocking. When we were all seated at the old reception desk with coffee Irish began, "Here is how this is going to work filming wise. Mike you can film anything you want, when we are not working. I have no say in that, and I don't want any. That is between you and Max."

"Same as before as far as I'm concerned. Careful with the microphones though, those are the most likely thing to get me killed." I said.

Mike nodded. "I have some new toys," he said.

"Now when we are working our decisions on shooting are final. If we think a wire is too dangerous, or a camera in place is, then there will be questions. I don't plan on either of us getting killed for TV coverage. You do understand?" Irish wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings later. He probably thought Mike was wired. I was positive that he was.

"I understand," Mike said aloud. He knew that at least I didn't trust him, and he should know that Irish probably didn't either.

"The video has to be from hiding. If we know where the action is going to be, we will give you a heads up. If not, you will have to follow us and do the best you can from a distance. Now Mike, let me warn you. If some of these people spot you, Max and I might be able to talk our way out of it, but you are dead. I might have to shoot you myself to protect our cover. You do understand that you need to be very careful. If you aren't 100% sure it's safe, don't do it."

"I understand," he said again for the record. "Like I said before, I have some new toys that will help."

"Fortunately for us, most of these cases will be with very low tech opposition. We will have more technology at our disposal than they will. Our budget is very small, but the existing equipment in the company warehouse is available. We just can't spend any new money, unless we create it ourselves."

"If that is all, could one of you give me a lift to the car rental place here in town?" Mike asked.

"I can drop you there on my way out of town. I have to get back to the office, we are sifting through our files. We are looking for just the right case for our first little adventure," Irish informed us.

"After I get the car, I will be headed out to UPS. They are holding boxes of my equipment there. I should be ready to wire your place for video tomorrow," Mike suggested.

"Okay, so I have the rest of today off. After that I'm going to be on TV 24/7?" I asked to verify the plan.

"Oh yes and in every room in your apartment except the bathroom. I will start monitoring you for sound as well." Mike admitted.

"Mike, my neighbor Cheryl and I ride to breakfast every morning on our bikes. You might need to figure out something for that. You can meet us at the restaurant and then at the mall where we walk if you like, or we can get you a bike if you have the budget for it."

"Since that is a non security item, I can film it piece meal. Just set up and let you ride by a couple of places then get you arriving at the restaurant. Just a few shots of the two of you inside should be fine."

"You haven't seen Cheryl in her riding outfit yet," I said smiling.

110 Last day of freedom..

By the end of the day Mike would have my apartment, and me wired for pictures and sound. I needed to explain everything to Cheryl. Hopefully, Lois and the others would have nothing compromising to say to me, or me to them. Cheryl on the other hand might get outed by accident. If that happened, it would be difficult for me to cover.

Since I had Cheryl on my mind the night before, I hadn't slept well at all. When she arrived I tried to find the right time to explain. I waited until the bikes were parked outside, and we were seated at at table inside of Hardee's before I began my explanation. It was hard for me to concentrate with her wearing that very tight thermal top and tight jeans. In just three days she had gone from a well fitting soft knit tee shirt, to a tight thermal top like mine. I had nothing to put in my top compared to Cheryl, whose top runeth over.

She was showing off her body and who could blame her. The top was so full that no one took their eyes off her. She obviously enjoyed the attention any woman would have. If I had her body, I would be doing the exact same thing or much worse.

"You have obviously been shopping," I observed.

"Yes I have. Do you like my outfit? We sorta match," she said.

"Honey there is no way we are ever going to match. You could wear a flour bag and be gorgeous and I could wear a Paris gown and look like a pig. But yes I love the outfit on you. Mine is pure function, but on you it just glam as hell."

"Why thank you Maxine, Even if I did have to force the compliment from you, I appreciate it." Cheryl said.

"You should be able to tell how I feel about you from the way I look at you, You should also be able to tell from the smile I wear, when men look at you the way they do. I think you are beautiful and I'm proud to be in your company." The little speech would help her self image, I hoped.

"I know, I just needed to hear you say it one time." she smiled at me and I almost melted. I was going to have a problem, but we needed to work things out quickly.

"Cheryl, starting sometime today they are going to have me and my apartment wired for sound and pictures. People will be following me, and maybe even you, with a camera and listening to all our conversations. They are going to be looking for things to make a good TV show. Those are things you might want to keep off TV. So be careful what you say and when you say it. Always think before you speak, or do anything you might regret seeing on TV. Trust me you have to be very aware. I went through all this a few months back." I said it then waited to see if she would tell me anything,

"When I signed the release I read it very carefully. I even had Johnathan's lawyer read it. He was very careful to explain it all to me. I am pretty good at keeping secrets." she informed me.

After eighteen years inside, she would be damn good at keeping secrets. "Okay, I just wanted you to know this would be your last chance to speak freely. After this morning just be aware." I said.

She got very serious and a hardness came into her eyes as she said, "Maxine, I am always aware."

After she made that announcement she returned to having her breakfast with a smile. The smile was for her audience. The group of men who were fascinated by her long blond hair and her big boobs. I couldn't say that I blamed them a bit.

"Now, I want to have easier access to my bike. How are we going to manage that?" It was the most assertive thing I had heard her say.

"I will have to give it some thought," I answered. I could not give her any control at all. I knew that for sure.

"Right now Johnathan's driver comes over from Tryon twice a week to drive me around. I would like to change that to an on call status. So it's important that I arrange my own transportation. I don't really want the hassle of a car, so I need access to the bike all the time."

"I have a rule about things stored outside the apartment, but maybe I can figure something out."

"Maybe I should go back and get the bike with the removable engine?" she asked.

"You don't want to store that engine inside your apartment. They smell of gasoline. Actually all you guys need storage, I should have thought of that when I converted the place. Let me do some research and I'll figure out something. In the meantime get your self a good lock and a bike cover. You can store it on the side of your apartment. Park all the way back by the fence in the rear corner. You can get a little protection from the winds back there. We can get you a small sealed container to keep a quart or so of premix gasoline under the cover as well."

"Very cool, so are you ready to go walk?" she asked smiling. She obviously felt that she had won a round. I could tell I needed to be careful not to let her take control. It was another good reason not to become her lover.

We were about half way through our first lap, when she asked, "Where did you get your trailer, I want one of those."

"The preacher's bike shop can make you one for about a hundred bucks," I suggested.

"Very good, I will give him a call when we get back. I bet he can find me the right kind of bike cover as well." she said.

"He most likely has one in stock." I agreed.

We were sitting on a bench sharing the last of the coffee before we started the ride for home, when she asked, "When did you find out?"

I looked at her and wanted to ask, find out what, but I knew better. I wouldn't want her to play games with me. "One of my friends told me yesterday. Not all of it by any means, just the cold on paper facts."

"Anything you need to ask?" she suggested.

"Not really, but if you need to talk feel free." I replied.

"I don't need to talk about any of it," she replied convincingly.

"Then don't," I advised her. "Just remember we are going to be wired after today. Try to be careful these TV guys are not idiots. Even if that Gwen chick might act like a moron."

"I get the impression she feels the same about you," Cheryl said with a chuckle.

When I got back to the apartments, Mike was ready to start work. The first things he wanted to do was to explain how everything worked.

"Mike I don't give a crap how it works. Just tell me what I need to do to be safe." I explained.

"Okay just a quick over view. I tapped into your security feed for the outside shots of the place, if I need them. I am going to install a couple of wireless cameras in your apartment. Be sure to close your bathroom door when you need privacy. I can't see the shower, but if you walk around, there might be some reflections or something." he admitted.

"So, do you have a good shot of my bed, in case I get lucky sometime during the next six months?" I asked.

"Yes, but we promised no x rated video. I will fade to black somewhere along the line. Of course I will see it, but I promise I will destroy the footage."

"I have more than your word for it. If that footage shows up anywhere, I'm gonna have your ass, and you know it." I said.

"Yeah I know it," he replied grinning.

"If these cameras are wireless, how do I know they won't get picked up by some hacker?" I asked.

"They will only transmit 50 feet. The hacker would have to have my encryption codes and be parked inside that area to do it. That's way too sophisticated for a random hack and if he tried we would notice him parked that close. Of course, nothing compromising goes on line. It's a direct camera feed to my control room in the apartment over there." He said it waving toward unit six where he was staying.

"I'm going to trust you here, but like I said before, you better be right."

"This is for you as well," he said handing me not so small plastic capsule. It was a little bigger even than those red caps they use to stuff worm medicine down large dog's throats.

"And what do I do with that?" I asked.

"Its a microphone and transmitter," he said. "It will transmit about 100 feet. It is encrypted as well. Not much chance anyone can find the frequency, then figure out the encryption software, and be parked within a hundred feet without us knowing it."

"So where do I carry it?" I asked.

"That's the beauty of it. You can carry it anywhere you like. Anywhere it will fit that is." He saw the look I gave him, then added. "In your purse, in a pocket, it's a little big for your ear and you probably won't be able to swallow it easily, but any other orifice would work."

"You mean shove it up my ass?" I asked.

"It would depend on how much chance you felt there might be of a search," he suggested.

"Well, I have had bigger things up my ass and other places as well." I said.

"I was pretty sure of that," Mike said with a smile.

"Just get to it, and for now I'll carry it in my the pocket of my jeans." I said sliding the over sized capsule in my front pocket along with my keys.

Mike installed the cameras in just over an hour. Since everyone was supposed to know that they were on TV, he made only a token attempt to hide them. Well, those in the heat of passion might not know. If they wouldn't sign the release, Mike would just scramble their pixels for them. He also added a cutoff for the surveillance camera inside the apartment. It would somehow know when I was home and go to fuzz. Then go back to broadcasting, when I left. I had no idea how that worked, nor did I care. I assumed that it had something to do with the capsule, but I didn't ask.

He and Gwen couldn't film me 24 hours a day, but they could be there often enough to be pests. Even worse, they needed to be entertained. I couldn't be just my usual stay at home old lady self, I had to actually go out and do things, even when I wasn't working for Swamp Thing.

"By the way," Mike said as he was ready to leave my apartment. "We have hired two more camera people for this gig. They won't be working the whole time but they will drop in now and then to shoot the secondary characters for a day or two at a time.

"So their lives will be in turmoil as well as mine?' Mike nodded. "Good," I said with a grin. No free lunches, I thought.

Everything was done and I was on the air by three in the afternoon. Then things went back to more or less normal. At least as normal as possible with a 500 pound gorilla in the room.

Cheryl came over after she was sure Mike had gone. "Maxine, I need the bike. I am going to the bike shop for a trailer and cover." she said smiling at me. Since she was dressed to ride, her assets were hidden from view for at least a while longer.

"Sure come on back and I'll let you in the storeroom." I suggested as I led the way to the back of door of my apartment. Once we were in the storage room, I leaned very close and whispered in her ear. We are on the air audio, but so far no cam in the storeroom."

She nodded. Ten minutes later the bike roared into life and she was gone.

111

Since I had to entertain the TV clowns, I decided that we needed a trip to The Cop Out. I had no idea which of the two clowns was on duty that evening, but I was pretty sure I would know soon enough.

"Hi," I said into the phone. "This is Maxine."

"Yes, I recognized your voice. So what can I do for you?" Cheryl asked.

"I thought I would go to the Cop Out club for a drink after dinner tonight. Would you like to come along and meet some local public servants."

"Cops," You are kidding?" she asked.

"Cops, Emts, firemen, and a nurse or two," I suggested. "And this isn't a date or anything. You just seem like you could use a little time out." I knew for a fact that Mike or Gwen was listening so they had been informed of my intentions as well.

"So, it isn't a date, but we are going together?" she asked.

"Exactly," I replied.

"So what about dinner?" she asked.

"Well sometimes I stop by the pizza and pasta pit for take out. I usually get enough to treat the place. I try to stay on the good side of everyone there. I never know when I will need one of them. I also never know which of them I will need."

"You really are serious aren't you?" she asked.

"Oh yes, so are you interested?" I asked.