Alien Mine Ch. 13

Sandy took a sip of red wine and sighed in appreciation. "We have to take a sample of this one back to add to our collection," she said, referring to what they called the Drans food preparation equipment, which could exactly reproduce the flavor from a small sample.

"Good idea," Rhys said, enjoying his own wine while they waited for their guest. Rhys Sandy and Kiania had chartered a jet and flown to Israel three days ago. Their stay had been a whirlwind of meetings, tours of factories, and business proposals. 'Miranda Group' was not well known, but there was considerable interest in their substantial investments in select industries (defense). Today had been Industry leaders and intelligence agency members, though the latter were never so crass to say so. The message Isaac had gotten out had probably helped with their reception, though the message received in Israel was not the actual one Isaac had sent out. Bob had intercepted and modified it, leaving just enough information to suggest advanced technology.

One of their meetings today had been with the current Economic Minister, the one they were having dinner with tonight. They had secured a somewhat secluded table with a view of the front door. Mika had selected the restaurant, and it was probably the most expensive one she could find, Rhys thought with a smile, not that it mattered to him. With the world's banks at Amancia's fingertips, he could eat wherever he wanted too, or wherever Mika wanted.

Rhys spared a glance at Kiania, who was at the bar fending off men wanting to buy her drinks. Even dressed down, Kiania stood out; her exotic Brazilin features and long dark hair were impossible to hide. You could not tell it from her dress, but Kiania was very well-armed. "Thank you, yes," Rhys had heard her say to a man offering her a drink.

"Be nice, "Sandy said to her.

"I will, I promise to let him down gently, but it is good cover."

Kiania was sitting with a good view of the room and the door to the kitchen. Multiple drones provided surveillance, and two tiger drones were inside a van parked nearby if serious backup was needed. She had spotted the intelligence agents who were most interested in Rhys and the mysterious Miranda Group. "Should I block their surveillance equipment?" she asked while talking to the man buying her a drink.

"No, Mika will know the agents are here; any serious discussion will take place back at the hotel," Rhys replied

"Your girls are so beautiful," Sandy said, "we tend to stand out in a crowd. Kiania is going to be fending off men all night."

"True," Rhys said, "and you are my most precious work of art." Further conversation had to wait as their guest walked into the restaurant.

Mika Levy did not disappoint. She was a good-looking woman, not beautiful yet, Rhys thought, but she would be. Brown hair, nice cheekbones, and a body in good shape for her age. Everything still looked firm as far as Rhys could tell (boob job Sandy had told him), and she had retained her athletic figure. Tonight she wore a red dress that fell to her knees, hugging her hips before flaring out slightly. The top emphasized her breasts, the heels made her legs look long and sexy.

"I am sure she wishes you were alone right now," Sandy said, Mika's eyes never leaving Rhys.

"Perhaps," Rhys laughed while watching Mika strut in, "but right now, I know how the rabbit feels right before the coyote eats him. "

Mika thought she had never seen a man look so sexy. There was something about Rhys that made her heart speed up like she was a young girl out on a first date. She had been thinking about him all day since the meeting, and now seeing him standing up as she walked to the table, she knew she wanted him. He was dressed in a midnight blue suit that showed off his broad shoulders and chest. The clothes emphasized his blue eyes that looked at her with intelligence and admiration and hunger, she thought. That look in his eyes made her shiver. Not cold, not fear. Anticipation.

Sandy had to admire Mika's confidence, the way she moved, a hip-swinging walk wearing a dress like that with the heels said, I know I look good, and she did.

Rhys was right, Sandy thought; standing as Mika was shown to the table, she had her target in sight. She was focused on Rhys but lost a little of her composure as Sandy took her hand and said hello while looking into her eyes, giving Mika a slight whiff of her pheromones.

Mika had met Sandy earlier today, but something was different. Sandy was dressed conservatively tonight, a high necked dress made of black and green silk, long red hair flung back over her shoulder, with red lips to match. Yet, even dressed conservatively, Sandy couldn't hide her beauty. Some people exuded raw sex appeal from their every pore no matter how they dressed. It might be the way they walked, a flirtatious look from flashing eyes, or lips full enough to make everyone in the room wonder what she could do with them. Sandy had all of it and more. But her sincere smile, the way her eyes said you were the most important person in the room, made it hard to hate her for it. For a moment, Mika felt inadequate, but then the smile in Sandy eyes, the brush of her hair as she kissed the air by her cheek, left her suddenly breathless, and flushed.

Mika gave a brief gasp as a small bust of lust shot through her at Sandy's hug. Then, pulling away, she quickly turned her attention to Rhys. "Good to see you again," Mika said, taking her seat while she regained her composure.

Rhys smiled at her and took her hand after the waiter had left to bring their drinks. "I am happy to see you again, you look lovely tonight, and I look forward to the opportunity to develop a closer working relationship with you and Israel."

"Likewise," she replied, crossing her legs and squirming a little in her chair. She didn't know what it was about this man, but he excited her. From the moment he had touched her hand to introduce himself earlier this afternoon, she was captivated. Gorgeous, sexy, ultra-masculine, whatever it was, Mika was hooked.

She made herself talk and pay attention to the beautiful woman he was with (no ring on her finger), but most of her attention was riveted on Rhys. The conversation was light, but she found herself flirting with him. When dessert came, Rhys began to lightly dance around the subject of future plans. He was careful not to say too much, given that others were listening, but he dropped hints that Mika picked up on between the flirting comments.

His interest in contacts within the government to help guide them through the intricacies of governmental regulation, and his hope that she would be interested in a closer mutually beneficent working relationship, didn't go unnoticed. He wasn't concerned about who might overhear them; it was expected that they would seek help.

Mika was intrigued, to say the least. When she had been approached by the intelligence agency and encouraged to meet with the businessman from the US. She initially had misgivings about becoming involved; her political ambitions grew as the current prime minister's troubles increased. However, the combination of political intrigue and the faint whiff of money convinced her without too much effort. Besides, he was a very handsome-looking man, and it was having an effect on her.

"That really got her going," Sandy observed when Rhys had suggested they would need a consultant. She has been crossing and re-crossing her legs all dinner, "I think if I was not here, she would already be in your lap," Sandy teased.

"Yes, she does seem to be reacting to us."

"The couple next to us as well Sandy laughed; they are about to explode; I bet sex tonight is the best they have had in years. You must be really projecting this evening, or is it the thought of fucking Mika's brains out that is doing it?"

"A little of both, I suppose; I admit she is intriguing, not as beautiful as you, of course, but still sexy."

She is sexy; it will be interesting to see how she responds to another woman. Or two," she said, thinking of Kiania. Sandy wondered what sex would be like with Mika; would she succumb quickly to the pheromones, or would she try and fight it. Sandy suspected it would be the former based on how she looked at Rhys. Then, without realizing it, a single strand of her hair lengthened just enough to touch Mika's arm, ever so lightly. Sandy mentally jerked as a rush of emotions from Mika flooded her senses. Before she could make sense of what was happening, it cut off just as suddenly, and the mark across her hip and abdomen flared with a burning intensity.

"Not now, behave," Rhys commanded, and the single strand of hair withdrew its touch.

Sandy struggled to maintain her composure. What was that, she wondered; I didn't even realize my hair could do that. She had tried to repeat what had happened on the shuttle but had been unable to. Now, without any conscious thought, a piece of hair had lengthened on its own accord and touched Mika. She had wished she could read Mika better; perhaps it had responded to that. Rhys (and Bob) had until now brushed off all her questions, and he had still not said precisely what he had done in her mind the night she had attacked him.

Rhys brought Sandy's attention back to him as Mika agreed to continue the discussions in their hotel suite. As they stood, Sandy could smell Mika's arousal; between her natural desire for him and the pheromones, it was apparent there would be no resistance. Mika was about to have the best sex of her life, but she would pay for it by getting a symbiont. Sandy intended to be an active participant in the process.

Kiania watched them walk out the door with Mika in between them. She had a few more chores before she could join the for the night. She would follow them back to the hotel, then visit Mika's apartment. She would not even have to break in to set up cameras; Thea's newest micro cams were a tenth of the size of a grain of rice. She would just push a small package under the door, and a few self-assembling tiny drones would place the cameras around the apartment and in her clothes. Mika would have absolutely no privacy from now on.

***

Sandy laid on her side, her hand under her head, looking at Rhys over Mika's sleeping form. Her red hair spilled over Mika's breasts, and Rhys held some strands of her hair in his fingers. Sandy could feel every movement of the fingers, almost as if Rhys was touching her scalp.

"Your senses are sharper when your hair touches someone, I can tell," Rhys said.

"Very much so," She replied, her hair moving on its own like a living thing over Mika's sleeping body, caressing it.

Rhys watched as Sandy's hair grew longer, moving in waves, flowing over, teasing the sleeping woman. She looked up at him with a mischievous smile. Rhys felt the strands he was holding begin to move down his body, tickling his stomach, then wrapping gently around his cock and balls.

"Impressive," he said; when we get back to the base, you need to practice, figure out your limits."

"You wouldn't let me before; why the change?"

"Bob and I didn't know for sure what was happening; We wanted to understand how it might be affecting your symbiont."

"You mean you were concerned I might get uppity again," she said with a laugh. "No need to worry about that," she added, running her hands over her necklace.

Rhys leaned over and kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth. Sandy welcomed the kiss, wrapping Rhys with her hair holding him to her. The feeling was exquisite, the strands amplifying Rhys' emotions. She jerked as a burst of pure lust shot into her. Gasping, she pulled her hair away, falling back onto the bed.

"Too much!," she moaned out loud, closing her eyes and letting her body calm down.

"That's what I mean; you need to find your limits. We will practice when we get back."

***

Leslie looked around the meeting table at the other heads of divisions within the CIA. Representatives from NSA, DOD and the Office of National Security were also there. The subject; the event labeled a terrorist attack just north of DC, and events over China last week. The attack On Leslie and Amancia had turned into a mess. As expected, there was too much evidence to sweep under the rug. Apparently, they had not sanitized the site well enough, but then the police had arrived only moments after they left. Shell casings, blood, and a deep glowing hole in the ground had multiple security agencies on high alert. Then Leslie had to erase all video footage that showed her car being chased through DC. That alone was raising all kinds of alarm bells throughout Homeland Security. She knew it would, but there was no choice. Add to that the attack on her home, the family slaughtered, well, she was right in the crosshairs.

Finally, she had been missing last week when satellites detected explosions across central and eastern China that no one could explain. China's military had gone to red alert, as had the US and Russia. She didn't know how much longer they could reasonably control events. There was no way to hide the attack over China, and all three major powers were now on alert. The Presidential election campaign was two years away, but she didn't think they could keep events undercover until then.

Her absence during that time had not gone unnoticed. But there was another problem bothering Leslie even more, she was nauseous, and something smelled bad, really bad.

"Rhys, I feel like I have morning sickness; what's going on," she finally asked. It was the middle of the night where he was, but she thought he was still awake, probably screwing Mika's brains out.

"What do you mean?" he responded.

Rhys sounded in a good mood, as he should since he was in a nice hotel room in Tel Aviv with Sandy, Kiania, and their new recruit. "I feel nauseous, and the room smells like rotten meat."

"Describe where you are, what's is going on," he said with concern in his voice. "Amancia, are you nearby?"

"I am in a large meeting room at Homeland Security; Amancia is outside the building, armored and standing by," Leslie replied, her muscles tensing as she sank into combat mode. The tone of Rhys' voice told her plenty. Everything was tinged red in her vision, and the world slowed as her reflexes sped up measurably. Her hand moved imperceptibly toward one of the weapons she carried, a small but deadly pistol. It would not take out a Trangrod, but it would kill anything in this room, she hoped.

"You may be sensing an Om," Rhys said. "Watch for any communications, or better, can you leave?"

Not without raising more suspicion than I already have," she said, looking calmly around the room and wondering who or what was in the meeting with her.

"Remember the woman with Bao, the one that voice told us was an Om parasite. You may be sensing one. You are probably safe in the meeting but leave as soon as possible, and go directly to the car. Do not stop for private conversations or even go to the restroom. Let me know the second you suspect anything else."

Leslie's body shivered at the command. "Yes, sir," she replied.

"Amancia," Rhys continued, "be prepared. If Leslie is attacked, go and get her. We will deal with any problems but getting her out is your primary job now."

They both knew they were on their own with the shuttle down. Rhys was halfway around the world with only a charter jet to get them back.

Well, shit, thought Leslie, the worst part of it is I have to sit here smelling something that makes me want to puke. It seems unfair to have a biomechanical body capable of tearing the room apart but still get this sick.

She listened and watched, responding when necessary and trying to maintain a low profile. It was the meeting back at CIA headquarters she dreaded. The director had told her in no uncertain terms he expected some answers. Leslie could end up suspended, or worse, depending on how that went. That would have crushed her in the past, but now she almost wished it would happen. Trying to juggle the work for Rhys and the CIA was getting to be a burden, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could pull it off, even with the symbiont. The Om attacks had given her too much visibility.

At least the china project was underway. She had identified a potential target in China, a woman in the interior ministry. Her name was Huan, which meant happiness in Chinese, but the woman was anything but. Bob had investigated her thoroughly, and Leslie knew everything that had ever been written down about her, and everything she had said at work over the last month, and how many times she peed as Rhys said. She and Amancia had been going over the recordings and visuals, and there was nothing pleasant about this woman.

Huan schemed, betrayed, and sabotaged colleagues, bosses, and underlings on the way up. She had a competitor arrested for corruption after "finding" evidence and turning him in herself. She cared not at all what had happened to his family, did not even know, but she is a climber, total ambition. If we clear the way, she can be a senior member of the interior security section. Leslie intended to feed her information about her superiors, dirt, and blackmail material. Haun has a husband, but the poor guy is terrified of her with good reason; he knows she is sleeping around but doesn't dare say anything.

Leslie had already started the ball rolling, sending the first message. If she played this right, Huan would come to them. So now she just had to finish this meeting without throwing up and get back to CIA headquarters in one piece, though it would be nice if she could figure out which one was the Om if, in fact, there was one.

As the meeting was about to end, a representative from the FBI spoke up. "One more thing," he said. We have found four bodies in the area recently, all half-eaten. What's unusual is the marks or lack of marks rather. The best guess based on the remains is that their insides were liquefied before being eaten. So far, they have been homeless people, but given the strange circumstances at the home of one of the CIA agents, I thought I should bring it up.

"Has there been any progress on that?" Leslie asked, feeling even sicker to her stomach. This time it was due to remembering the blood and the smell of the massacred family. They had been avenged, that Om was dead, she was sure, but what new horror had been unleashed on mankind?

Leslie rode back to Langley with the director at his insistence. As soon as they were seated, the inquisition started; at least, that was the way Leslie thought of it.

"God Damnit, he said, you are not being straight with me," he said, turning an angry face toward her. Too much has been going on ever since you got involved with this. Something has been funny from the start, the assignation attempt in a restaurant, the hostage rescue that turned into a mess, and we still don't know anything about the supposed killer robots.

Your involvement with the Rhys Smith, a former officer in the army that no one can find; ditto for the Miranda Group who seems to have a lot of suspicious investments. Not even the NSA or the Justice Department can locate where they are getting their funding. (They would be surprised, Leslie thought). Your own unexplained disappearances at critical times that happen to coincide with the possible abduction of a Chinese Scientist jer boss went on. And now this incident in Maryland. There is evidence of some kind of fight, and we have this large glowing hole in the ground that no one can explain, not to mention the latest incident no one can explain in China again.