Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 10

The celebration when she executed the scene again, the way they showed her, was way over-the-top, including full hugs and cheek kisses from the delighted men.

He glanced at Annika. She looked happy, not confused, and certainly not as if she had an ah-hah moment. Erik watched her as the scene progressed, wondering if she was going to see the obvious or she was simply that unaware. When nothing changed, he sighed and fast-forwarded to another scene involving Annika, Bobby, and, ultimately, five other cast members, including the woman who had been the female lead during the first two seasons.

During the course of the lengthy scene, she flubbed her lines once and was out of position once. The director referred her to the script after she blew her lines, and then pointed her toward the preferred position between an actor and a facsimile fence when she was out of place. She was corrected, made to practice, and complimented when she did things correctly.

Other cast members who made similar mistakes were not treated so amicably, nor complimented when they did their jobs correctly.

Annika watched without comment, and Erik moved to another scene in which Annika delivered her line before she reached the mark. The director called for a short break, allowed the cast to head to the snack or restroom, and then solicitously worked with Annika, explaining why she needed to be at the exact mark and having her read her lines again in illustration.

The producer had joined them, and D'Angelo had again placed his hands on her, this time on her shoulders, and was murmuring encouragement.

They were the only ones on the sound stage, yet they were in a tiny huddle, well within what would be considered Annika's private space. She wasn't alarmed; she was smiling and content, like a happy puppy getting attention from her masters. He froze the shot and let her mull what she was seeing.

"If I rewind to day one or two, would you appear to be this comfortable with these three men surrounding you so closely?" he asked quietly.

"You won't find a situation like that early in the week," she replied in a chilly voice. "They were always solicitous, yes. They explained that me not being a professional actress, yet being so critical to the success of the third season, they wanted to help me grow professionally, and do so quickly. They even told me that the streaming service had intended to kill the series after season two but resurrected it because I agreed to be in it."

"So, what do you think you're seeing?" Erik queried, hoping she had gained insights needed.

"All three are very considerate; they stand as close to me as they can, and Bobby puts his hands on me every chance he gets."

"Do the others handle you? By that, I mean do they physically move you from place to place?"

"Yes, and not only do I allow it, I encourage it by smiling and simpering when they pay extra attention to me!"

"And if this was a modeling job rather than acting?"

"I'd have slapped the shit out of Bobby and chewed out the director and producer for unprofessional conduct! What the fuck was I thinking?"

"Let's ignore that, and ask 'what were you feeling?' I've seen you model; you're bright, quick, and assertive. Why not here? We talked about you not needing this job, so why are you so docile and accepting of bad conduct by the three men?"

"I don't know! It seemed like I was living in a dream: things around me were clear and bright, but my mind was kind of slow. Well, not really that - I could remember my lines, but decision making was hard, and whatever people told me or invited me to do, it seemed right to go along rather than make a scene.

"Was that the drugs?" she asked after a moment of consideration.

"I have no idea, but they definitely were giving you something, all day long every day. I'm sure you noticed how careful the server was to ensure you got the water bottle and snacks she had chosen for you."

"I didn't at first, but you made it obvious by spotlighting it over and over. Why do you say you don't know if it was the drugs when you know they were drugging me?"

"Because they were also skillfully manipulating you. They corrected you, and you learned to take corrections. They praised you for accepting their correction, and you beamed at them like a happy Cocker Spaniel. They frequently touched you and you learned to accept their touches.

"These touches were relatively innocuous, but how about those in the limo and clubs? Once you accept touching, stroking, massaging, hugging, and kissing from men who should not be doing any of those things, what's the problem with an open-mouth kiss, a hand on your bare thigh, or a mouth on your breast?"

"Erik, I didn't mean for any of those things to happen, I swear!"

"Annika, before I accept that I must ask, do you accept such conduct on a photo shoot? Is that what I didn't see when you were in the South Pacific? You told me about Aiden being wrapped around you, both of you almost naked, but when the scene ended, did he take the liberties Bobby took?"

It was sinking in. "Of course not! So why did I allow what I allowed on stage, in cars, and in clubs? I don't know! I swear - everything was all bright and fuzzy, warm and happy, and I didn't want to make waves!"

"You need to raise these issues with your medical doctors and your psychiatrist. Somehow, they tapped something in you that you need to become aware of.

"Two more matters, and then we can watch Saturday, or not, as you feel able. I've already seen it."

She flinched, but told him to go ahead. "Were any of the other male, or female, cast members allowed the same liberties?"

"No, not that I remember - why are you asking?"

"To be clear, none of the other very attractive young men or women in the production were allowed to fondle, grope, or kiss you?" She shook her head and frowned.

"Okay. Now explain why you told 'Seal Team Seven' to stay outside the sound studio during shooting and to go back to the hotel at night. I thought we had an agreement, and them being sidelined wasn't it!"

She spent several minutes recollecting and reviewing before attempting to answer. "They were around all the time for several days, and then Cooper and Klein said they were just in the way because the production company was providing security and duties were starting to overlap. I don't remember when that happened, or why I agreed. It just seemed reasonable to me at the time."

"And now?"

"I was an idiot, and I got played!" she replied bitterly.

A nurse tapped lightly on the glass, then opened the door a bit. "Miss Olsson, it's time for your meal, your medications, and your conversation with Dr. Alderson. Mr. Swahn can eat with you if he wishes, but then he needs to give you a couple of hours."

"Will you?" she asked hopefully, "Eat with me, I mean."

"Sure, and I'll wait until your other commitments are completed. There is more you should know."

****

As previously requested, after they ate, Erik sent a highlights file to the good doctor. From their conversations she knew he was usually astute, and, despite the situation, he seemed to have Annika's well-being in mind.

Once that was accomplished, he worked doggedly on his assignment for the development team. The managers were separately advancing each element of the project. While far from a linear strategy, every trial indicated that, like a rock tossed into a still pond, every movement, every nudge of an element affected everything else. Each element needed to achieve the greatest degree of 'completeness' possible before attempting to tie it all together.

Though he knew more would be discovered when AI began making the movements and nudges, humans needed to scheme it out before he began tying the advanced elements together. If he could make it run, even like a sputtering, out-of-tune engine, AI would come into play, and it was quite likely that self-correction would become the initial products of the ongoing interaction.

That was built into the ultimate design, but Erik now believed it might be possible from the start. If he could make the initial connections.

Time flies when you're having fun, and it wasn't until Annika returned that he realized more than three hours had passed. "Long session?" he asked in response to her washed-out expression.

She plopped down in the chair she had abandoned earlier, slumped, looked at him, and said, "It's a good thing you bailed! I am one messed up woman-child!"

Without a hint of his emotions, Erik replied, "That's good to know, I guess, but in reality, that matters primarily to you, because only you can take action.

"Getting back to our agenda for today, there is more for me to show you."

She shook her head. "I don't know how much more I can take. I know you have a lot going on, but is there a way we could get started in the morning? I want them to shoot me full of something that knocks me smooth out so I can sleep for twelve hours! I do not want to see myself getting gangbanged!"

"No, no, this isn't what you think. These are aerial and surface shots of the two building sites in Bastrop County. The first is your new site. Since you've been unavailable, Aila and Aini helped me review the plans against similar startups, and I also contacted Miss Tina for input and guidance. There are some changes, but I feel you will approve once you've reviewed and considered them. Nothing has been constructed yet, but a large construction company is awaiting your approval of the plans. All you have to do is provide the plans.

"Across the road, as you can see, construction at the original site is rocketing along. It should be ready before the due date.

"These are aerial, surface, subsurface, and subterranean compilations of the site that will house SEAM, including production of the module. Yes, it is basically a fire ant mound, with what is showing representing a tiny portion of the whole. That's why the projects were separated. Your actions in Los Angeles were not the only reasons for that decision; those above me made a very persuasive presentation, and we took immediate action so we could maintain both timelines.

"I'm running jamming devices to prevent eavesdropping in here, so I also feel free to share this. Your designer forced the builder of our house to share information we didn't have. Though not an anthill, the house also has subterranean tunnels and rooms, some of which seemed to have been designed for safety in case of attack. One of Bill's teams has mapped them and made certain changes that will make it extremely difficult for anything but a well-armed military force to breach our 'panic rooms.'

"Any thoughts or questions?"

He noticed that the icy blue of her eyes had returned to sky blue, but she just stared at him. After a moment, "You were talking so fast and covering so many photos, I might have misheard something. Did you say, 'our house'?"

"It was our second Christmas present, we're both on the deed, so, yes, our house" he replied cavalierly.

Her head lolled to the right, as it was wont to do when she was in deep thought. "When the government men stopped me and insisted that I sign all the documents, I was under the impression that my relationship with D'Angelo, Cooper, and Klein was responsible for us splitting everything. Was I wrong?"

"Yes and no. That forced me to separate our business holdings, not our personal."

"Erik, stop playing word games with me and just tell me: am I correct in believing that we are no longer engaged?"

"Are you ready to watch Saturday's performance, or do you want to get a good night's sleep? I won't answer your question until we watch the videos and talk about what we see."

Annika couldn't remember what happened Saturday, but she had flickering memories of being naked, with hands all over and in her; of naked men and women, of fucking and sucking and being used, and of blinding lights, excruciating sound, and screeching. She wasn't ready to face those memories on video, so she opted for a very early night, sleeping drugs, and Erik's agreement to return tomorrow morning.

****

When he arrived at ten, she looked more like Annika. The exhausted and unkempt hospital patient he encountered when he arrived the day before had been replaced by a woman who at least resembled the one he fell in love with. She still appeared vulnerable, maybe fearful, but a glimpse of steely resolve could be seen in the blue eyes and the set of her jaw.

Erik didn't look forward to what was to come, but there wasn't another choice; this confrontation was necessary. Even her psychiatrist agreed, though she offered guidance and counsel on how to avoid pushing her back into the black hole she was just climbing out of. Two weeks in a hospital wasn't sufficient time to offset the effects of ten days of drug-aided psychological indoctrination, and her self-loathing and despair weren't expediting her recovery efforts.

"Before we address the elephant herd, I'd like to understand the words of the agent who took my signatures. He said something like, 'Given the nature of Mr. D'Angelo's relationship with foreign interests, and your relationship with him, this has been deemed a matter of national security."

"What does that mean? D'Angelo is a famous actor; what does that have to do with foreign interests? And our - my relationship with him - was professional. We were trying to save the series, and all the jobs that go with it.

"I know what you showed me, but him groping me in a lounge is hardly a relationship. Cooper did much more!"

"Okay, we can start there," Erik replied. "By background, while you are a worldwide phenomenon and acknowledged as one of the hottest women on the planet, the sudden expansion of your role and D'Angelo's sudden acceptance of a role in which the two of you become lovers wasn't directly related to your fame and hotness.

"The production company received a large infusion of cash contingent on those two things: you accepting the part, and D'Angelo becoming your lover, onscreen and off. That investment was well laundered, but our government traced it to the government of a foreign country that is not friendly to the United States. Spy stuff took place, and a plot was uncovered. You can read all about it in a brief I'll send to you, but the fact is, your otherworldly beauty notwithstanding, the plot was about SEAM.

"If motion picture stardom was dangled in your face and you succumbed to the lure, as many before you have, they hoped to compromise you with video records you would never want the public, your family, or me to see. Then they could turn you into a source of information, if not a spy.

"Perhaps pillow talks about the module, perhaps by photographing schema, or by other methods they considered, including video broadcast of the code. Regardless of method, the compromised you would glean information and pass it to them.

"Knowing what I know about the complex and our lives together, none of that would have worked. You can't get anything in or out of there physically or via cyberspace, unless approved at several levels, and I don't talk about code in my sleep, so it was doomed from the start. But, of course, they didn't know that.

"The government agents were originally adamant that you are a security risk due to the lack of judgement in getting romantically and sexually involved with D'Angelo, Cooper, and whomever else. The tox screens following our intrusion into the video vault proved it was more a matter of drug-impaired judgement, so they backed off on that.

"However, they remain concerned because you violated our agreement by reassigning the only security we could trust. Again, questionable - no, bad - judgement! Hopefully that was also impaired judgement, but it happened early enough in this mess that there is doubt."

"I'm going to give permission for you to be in my session with Doctor Alderson after lunch," Annika said with passion. "I want her to hear what you're telling me, and vice versa. There may be factors at play beyond drug-related impairment."

"We have ninety-seven minutes until meds and lunch: are you ready to watch highlights from the Saturday video? It will take at least 80 minutes, if we don't stop."

She closed her eyes, dropped her jaw to her chest, took a deep breath, and then looked him directly in the eyes. "Yes - knowing can't be worse than not knowing!"

'Maybe, maybe not' he thought. They watched the film, and then Annika called the nurse. She took her medications, ordered sandwiches to be brought to them for lunch, and asked that Dr. Alderson join them. When she arrived, Annika explained that she wanted the doctor to see the film from that Saturday, and hear her explanations as they watched.

By all measurements, they did it well. The water and ibuprofen beside the bed for her hangover worked so well it made you wonder what kind of 'hair of the dog' was added. She stayed huddled in bed, still dressed, weeping at the pain and nausea, and the confused, frightening memories being dredged up. Then it kicked in; the pain disappeared, the memory fragments were cordoned off, and she was full of energy. She undressed and ran around the hotel room naked, making coffee and eating a croissant before showering and then slipping into jeans and a sweatshirt.

Annika and Erik were unfazed by her nudity; Dr. Alderson gasped at the body she was seeing, but her eyes never left the 75" screen.

The studio car picked Annika up and whisked her to the sound stage for today's scenes. She changed into costume and waited for the small portion of the cast and crew needed today. "Erik, you aren't going to like these scenes, but I was sure you'd be fine when you saw how innocuous they were in real time. At that point, I realized that we hadn't talked much lately, and couldn't remember talking at all yesterday."

My mind was crystal clear, she claimed. I knew my lines and what my character was to do, yet it was hard to remember details from the past week or so.

She stopped narrating when the leggy French maid joined her and they enjoyed a cup of tea, chatting while the crew set up. Robert Cooper and Michael Klein were next to enter, joining them for tea and teasing that movie stars like Bobby loved to arrive late.

He burst in, grinning and looking the part. Tall, handsome, just a touch of grey along the temples. "You see him, right, how good he looks? Well, at that moment I saw him as the star I'd had a crush on even as a girl. Knowing what was to come, I felt a flutter in my belly, and you can see me wiggling in my chair."

Bobby came directly to her, ignoring all others, complimented her looks and dress generously, and kissed her gently on the lips. "Just getting warmed up," he teased.

"Listen you two: I want this to appear authentic!" Klein directed, "It's easier to cut than to stop and start over, so pretend no one else is here and do what comes naturally. Annika, you will get to be in on the edit, so you don't have to worry about what ends up in the show."

The French maid brought them drinks and departed, closing the door behind her. D'Angelo turned music on and lowered the lights. They set their drinks down and began dancing. He nuzzled her neck and ear, and his hand explored her back and then her butt.

He led her to the oversized sofa and seated her, which was quite a show given the short dress and long legs. They began kissing, then making out. One hand was around her shoulders, the other landed on her knee, then worked its way up her hose, alternately stroking and squeezing. The camera focused on the kiss that had become open mouth, with tongues visible, then on the hand that had slipped the strap of the dress over the shoulder it was caressing.

The hem of the dress rose above the tops of the hose, showing the garter belt, snaps, and bare skin above, just as the top of the dress fell over her breast, exposing aureole and nipple. "Cut!" yelled Klein; they broke apart, and Annika looked lost.