Flash 01: Out Of The Blue

"So, he's got video. Big deal. It doesn't mean anything. Even if he filed for divorce, he could never use it against you. Now that he knows, we don't need to hide it from him anymore."

"I told you, Chad. I'm finished. No more. I love my husband and I owe it to him to make things right. I may end up divorced, but that's a chance I'm willing to take."

"The Board isn't going to be happy, Ginger," he said. "And there's the matter of your falsified report."

"You mean the report YOU falsified," she said angrily. "I was able to recover my original from the cloud backup. I've replaced the report you filed with that one. I've also spoken with an attorney and I'm told I have a very good case against you."

"You would go to the authorities, even though you would be exposed as a whore?" he asked.

"Yes, Chad," she said. "I told you, I'm done. No more. You'll need to find another whore for the Board and your clients."

"This will destroy your career here," he said.

"I don't care. In fact, I'm giving you my two week notice. I'll wrap up what I'm doing and transition my replacement. Then I'm gone. And if you threaten me or my husband, so help me God, I'll go straight to the police," she said. He nodded his head when she finished.

"Well, Ginger, I hate to see you go. You had a good run here and would've gone far. Good luck in your future endeavors," he said with a smirk. She turned and stormed out of his office. I fast-forwarded the video and saw where she had called me, then continued fast-forwarding until I got close to the crash.

It was here that I saw her put her foot on the brakes, only to find they weren't working. Frantic, she kept pumping the brake pedal, but to no avail. She pulled on the emergency brake, but that did no good, either. She saw the red light, and the truck coming into the intersection and tried to steer away from it, but the steering wheel was locked. The video ended when her car T-boned the large truck.

Angry, I turned from the screen, closed my eyes and slowly counted to ten, hoping that would keep me from destroying something else in the house. I finally calmed down and opened my eyes. I could only imagine the terror she must've felt, knowing that her life was close to being over.

I had a pretty good idea what had happened. Chad apparently decided to tie up loose ends by taking Ginger out, making it look like an accident. But I didn't have concrete proof -- at least not yet.

Of course, none of this let Ginger off the hook. Even if Chad had drugged or blackmailed her into a life as a whore, she could've -- no, SHOULD HAVE -- come straight to me with it. Together, we could probably have done something to put a stop to it before it started. But she didn't. Now, she's paying the price. And there was no way I was going to live with her as a knowing cuckold. The fly in the ointment, however, is the fact that she's now in a coma.

I decided to keep my wedding promise to Ginger -- at least the "in sickness and in health" part. Whatever I decided to do could wait until after she comes out of her coma and recovers from the accident. But Wheeler? Something had to be done about him, no question about it.

I wondered about approaching Detective Black with what I knew, but rejected that out of hand. What was I going to say? 'Oh, detective, I have videos from my wife's memories...' Yeah, right. That would get me a one-way trip straight to the funny farm, I thought.

There was always the possibility the detective would eventually figure it out. But as screwed up as the legal system is, there was also a very good chance Wheeler would walk away free as a bird. It was clear that I would have to be the one to deal with him. But how? I grabbed the book, popped open a beer and sat on the couch.

When I opened the book, I found another section had been translated into English. This part dealt with self defense. I smiled as I turned the pages. I couldn't wait to see what was possible. I read for a couple hours, my curiosity more than piqued. Eventually, I felt myself getting extremely tired, so I grabbed a pillow and a blanket and crashed on the couch.

The next morning, I woke up, showered in the master bathroom, dressed and sat at my computer to check my emails and catch up on the news. I had to be at Drew's office in the afternoon to go over the agreement, so that meant I could swing by Ginger's work this morning. I would then go see Drew and stop by to visit Ginger on my way home.

I got to the building where she worked and headed up to the 17^th floor. The company she worked for occupied the top three floors of the building and I knew she worked on the 16^th floor. Chad's office was on the top floor. I walked into his suite as though I owned the place. His receptionist, an attractive redhead, looked up when I came in.

Chad was standing directly behind her. Both of them exhibited the same anaglyph effect I had seen with Ginger, but the effect was so pronounced with Chad that it was a bit difficult to tell which of the overlapping figures was really him.

"Yes, sir, what can I do for you?" the woman asked.

"Where are your manners, Lisa?" Chad chided. "This is Cameron Drake, Ginger's husband." I had never personally met the man so I was a bit surprised he knew who I was. He stepped around the desk and extended a hand. "I've seen your picture on her desk and she talks about you a lot," he said with a smirk. "So, this is the cuck," I heard him say in his mind. "What the fuck is the deal with his eyes, anyway?"

I nodded my head and took his hand. I felt the spark as we made contact, and could tell he felt it as well. Then I felt the tingle in my head as his memories were downloaded into my brain. When the download had completed a few seconds later, I released his hand.

"I suppose you're here to explain why Ginger isn't at work this morning," he said.

"Yes," I said. "She was in an accident last night and she's in the hospital in a coma."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "I'll have to stop by sometime and see her."

"I've instructed the hospital that only close family members are allowed to see her," I said.

"Oh? Is there a problem with me seeing her?" he asked.

"As her medical proxy, it's my decision," I said. "I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone else."

"I see," he said. "Do they suspect foul play or something?"

"It hasn't been ruled out," I told them. I saw his face change slightly. "Her airbags didn't deploy for some reason."

"Interesting," he said. "Fucking Antonio screwed up," I heard him say in his mind. "I'll have to kick his ass for that. He swore it would be handled."

"I thought so," I said. I heard him swear in his mind, then: "I'll have to get Antonio to watch this guy. The last thing I need is a pissed-off husband coming after me. And there's something about this guy..."

"Well, I hope she gets better soon," he finally said with a smirk.

"As do I," I told him. "I suppose I should speak to your HR manager. Can you tell me where the HR office is, please?"

"Two floors down, take a right when you get off the elevator and follow the signs," Lisa said.

"Thank you," I said.

"I trust you'll keep us in the loop," Chad said.

"I will," I said. "Good day."

"Take care, and I hope Ginger gets well soon," he said. I nodded my head.

"Me too," I said before leaving the office.

"Did you see his eyes?" I heard Lisa ask Chad after I was in the hall. "What's up with that?"

"I don't know," Chad said. "Kinda freaky if you ask me." I smiled to myself as I made my way to the elevator. I followed Lisa's directions and found the HR office. I stepped in and asked to speak to the HR manager. A somewhat older woman came out and introduced herself.

"I'm Georgia Hamilton, the HR manager. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Cameron Drake. I'm Ginger Drake's husband. I came by to inform you that she's in the hospital and may be there for a while," I said.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Drake. Please, step into my office," she said. I followed her and sat down in a chair across from the desk from hers. "So, how long will she be in the hospital?"

"I don't know, Mrs. Hamilton," I said, seeing her wedding ring. "She was in an accident after leaving work yesterday and she's in a coma. There's no telling how long she'll be out."

"That's horrible," she said. I saw her pull up Ginger's file on her computer. "And what may we do for you?"

"I came by to inform you. I just want to make sure there won't be any problems with her employment or her insurance coverage," I said.

"Well, I can't get into specifics, but I assure you she has accrued quite a bit of sick time. She still has her vacation, so her employment status won't be a problem. If she's still in the hospital after using that time up, we can put her on a paid leave of absence for medical reasons. Her insurance coverage will remain in effect. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it," I said.

"Which hospital is she in?" Georgia asked.

"Mercy General," I said.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to do a little something for her, maybe get everyone to pitch in for some flowers or something," she said. "We think the world of Ginger here."

"No, I don't mind," I said.

"Please let us know how she's doing, Mr. Drake," Georgia said. I could tell she was genuinely concerned, so I smiled as I nodded my head.

"I will. Thank you for your time," I said. I left and stopped at a diner to eat before my meeting with Drew. When I got to his office, I was escorted right in. He stood and shook my hand before we sat down to business.

"Good to see you back on your feet," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay," I told him.

"You look a bit... different than the last time I saw you," he said.

"I feel different," I said.

"So, how are things going?" he asked. I told him about Ginger's accident and her current condition. "I'm sorry to hear that she's in the hospital," he said. "I take it you want to put a hold on things until she's back on her feet."

"I think that's the best course of action right now," I said. "And there's the possibility I'll probably go for the divorce when she recovers."

"I see," he said. "You learned something since we spoke last?"

"I have," I said. "And it's worse than I initially thought."

"And there's no way past it?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said.

"Alright, well let me know what you decide, Mr. Drake," he said. "I'll keep this agreement in your file and we'll revisit things when she recovers."

"Thank you, Mr. Henson," I said. I left his office and headed for Mercy General to see Ginger.

"How is she?" I asked the nurse when I got to the ICU.

"Her condition hasn't changed," the nurse said. "We're going to be moving her to another ward in a couple days. You can go in and see her if you want."

"Thank you," I said. I went into Ginger's room and sat down next to her. I took her hand in mine and wondered if there was anything going on in her head. When I clasped her hand, there was no spark and I tried to detect any thoughts that might be running around in her mind, but couldn't. I leaned in close and spoke to her, but didn't know if anything would get through to her.

"Ginger, I'm pretty certain Chad was behind your accident. I think he wanted you dead. I'll deal with that. I know he had something on you, and I know he used you. I don't know the extent of what he did, yet, but I will find out. I wish to God you had come to me with this when it first happened. Why didn't you trust me enough to talk to me about this? There was no need for you to prostitute yourself."

I didn't expect an answer but listened for anything that might indicate that what I said registered with her on some level. I heard nothing and after a few minutes, I gave her a kiss on her forehead and stood up.

"I'll stop by and see you later, Ginger," I said. "Get well." I left her room and headed home, feeling both anger and sorrow. Anger at Chad and yes, at Ginger as well. Sorrow, primarily for what Ginger had done to our marriage, but also for seeing her in a coma. Yes, I wanted her to pay, but not with her life.

I got home and immediately went to my computer, where I downloaded Chad's memories. I grabbed a cup of coffee as the application processed what had been in my mind. When it was finished, I selected the day of Ginger's accident and fast-forwarded to the point just after she walked out of his office. When the door closed behind Ginger, he pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

"Antonio, Wheeler here. Ginger's flying the coop... Yes, can you make it look like an accident? Good. You know what she drives. Make it happen... Don't worry, I'll make sure you get a good bonus... Don't worry about the Board. I'll take care of that. You just do what you gotta do... The husband? We'll deal with him later, but only if he gets suspicious. Just make sure she doesn't walk away from the accident, you hear me? Just get it done," he said before ending the call.

I had an idea and changed the perspective to "First Person," then replayed the video. This time, I saw the number Chad dialed and made a note of it. I also heard Antonio's side of the conversation, confirming his role in Ginger's "accident."

I now knew the truth. Chad intended for Ginger to die in that accident. Antonio successfully sabotaged her car, fully expecting her to die in the crash, and he almost succeeded. And it appeared the company's Board of Directors -- or at least some of the members -- sanctioned Chad's actions.

Worse yet, I remembered Chad saying he would have this Antonio guy watching me. Was I next on his hit list? I knew I couldn't very well see Chad every day to download his memories, but I couldn't think of any way to get more information short of hiring a private investigator. Maybe there was an answer in the book those two men left me, I thought.

I grabbed the book, warmed up my coffee and sat down on the couch in the living room to read. I noticed that more of the book had automatically translated itself since the last time I opened it. I spent some time in the manual, and by dinnertime I learned that once I had established a mental link with someone, I no longer needed to be in physical contact to keep track of the target. I couldn't download the memory remotely, but I could watch and listen.

I decided to give that a try and followed the directions in the manual. Sure enough, I was able to make contact with Chad, and was able to see what he saw and hear what he heard, almost as if I was him. At that particular moment, he was in a small bar, talking to a burly man with short curly hair.

"Boss, I did what you said," the man explained. "When they pulled her out of the wreckage I thought she was dead." Apparently, this was Antonio.

"Alright, Antonio," Chad said, confirming my suspicions. "I hear ya. It's alright. She's in a coma in Mercy General right now."

"Maybe we should go in and finish it, eh, boss?" Antonio said.

"No, her husband has left instructions that only family can see her," Chad said. "She's not going anywhere. I do want you to keep tabs on him, though. Something about him really bugs the shit outta me. Here's a picture of him." He handed Antonio the picture Ginger kept on her desk. "The only difference is his eyes. They're a strange shade of blue and they have two gold spots in them. You can't miss him."

"So this is the wimpy cuck. We gonna take him out as well, boss?" Antonio asked as he took the picture.

"Not yet. Not unless he gets too close to the truth. And don't underestimate him. I have a really bad feeling about him. I can't explain it, but something tells me he's no wimp," Chad said.

"Yeah, sure, boss," Antonio said with a smirk. "But he is a cuck, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he is. Still, you be extra careful," Chad said.

"Okay, boss, I'll get one of the guys to watch him with me. And if he gets too froggy, ol' Betsy here can take care of him," he said, patting his jacket where he kept a pistol in a shoulder harness. Chad shook his head.

"No gunplay, Antonio," he said. "The last thing I want are the cops coming down on us."

"Whatever you say, boss," Antonio said with a smile.

"Go on, get outta here, ya bum," Chad said, smiling. "You got work to do."

"On it, boss," he said as he got up. Chad took a drink from his beer and focused on a leggy blonde sitting at another table by herself. I ended the connection and thought about what had just transpired. I considered calling Detective Black, but again, what was I gonna say? "Oh, I found out about this by mentally linking with Chad's brain?" Yeah, right.

I warmed up the rest of Mom's meatloaf and a can of green beans, then sat down to eat, thinking about my options. At least now I know what Antonio looks like and could keep an eye out for him. But what do I do if he makes a move on me? Would he actually try to break into my house, or sabotage my car?

I also considered letting someone know of my secret, but there were only two people, well actually three, people I trusted enough with something like this -- Bill and my parents. The only problem was, letting them know at this point could put them all in danger from Chad's goons, and I wasn't prepared to do that. So, I dismissed that notion, at least for now. I had already thought about calling the police, but again, that would require me to tell them how I know what I know.

I could just sit here and wait for them to move against me, but I dismissed that idea as well. No, I decided, I would have to take control of the situation and move against them first. Perhaps the book could give me some ideas.

After I ate, I sat back down with the manual and read further. The more I read, the more I learned about what I was capable of doing. I also learned that I could gauge the thoughts of the person's memory by using the headset the two men left me as I watched the video. As I read, ideas began coming to me. When I finished reading what had been translated, I went back to my computer and started going through Chad's and Ginger's memories, this time with the headset in place.

I didn't look at a whole lot, but I learned that Chad had organized several gangbangs for Ginger, and from the way she responded, she seemed to enjoy herself. Toward the end, she even looked forward to being made airtight -- with cocks in all of her holes at once. And she never gave any thought to what I might think. That explained her attitude toward me.

I noticed that Antonio and some of his goons had participated in a few of them. There were some others there as well that I thought I recognized.

I paused the video and brought up the site for Ginger's company. I looked through the biographies on the site and hit pay dirt. As I suspected, some of those screwing Ginger were members of the Board of Directors. I made note of that, and continued reviewing the memories, skipping through the worse to keep my temper under control. As it was, I had to stop several times and count to ten to keep my head from exploding.

From what I could tell, Chad initially used drugs and blackmail to get Ginger's cooperation, but as time went on, he no longer needed to coerce her, as she became a willing participant, even putting me down as her lovers jackhammered their cocks into her more than willing pussy.

By the time I finished watching, it was just after 10:00 pm. My anger was about to boil over and I knew I had to take action, and I knew I had to do it right away. I went back through Chad's memory files and found what I was looking for -- his private cell phone number. I dialed the number and heard it ring. To my surprise, he answered it after the second ring.

"Hello? Who is this?" he asked angrily. I knew he was in a parking lot of an upscale nightclub with Lisa.

"Cameron Drake," I said.