Chapter 1: Genesis of Shadow, Part 1
Dale Connors was a 'normal' kid growing up, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that her family was wealthy. How wealthy, she actually didn't know. Truth be told, she didn't really care... as long as her college and living expenses were paid.
Not only were they paid, but she actually lived a very nice existence; she had a private condo in a secure complex near the college, she had a nice car that was parked in an attached garage. Her father had spared no expense when it came to her safety, even to the point of paying for the education of her roommate and bodyguard.
Sarah Rogers had been Dale's roommate for the last 6 years. Dale's first roommate had asked to be replaced after the first two years. Dale and the girl just couldn't get along. However, Sarah was Dale's best (and pretty much only) friend. Sarah shared Dale's insatiable desire to learn about the world around her. Now that Dale was working toward her doctorate, Sarah had worked hard to make sure she could become Dale's research assistant.
One other thing Sarah had done for Dale was to introduce her to other people. Dale was not so much shy as simply far less interested in people as she was in studying. Sarah had convinced her that there was more to the world than books and theorems. Dale had grudgingly found herself in agreement with her friend. She found that interaction with other people, while still not one of her favorite occupations, gave her studies more color and helped her to understand more of what she was actually learning, if only in an abstract way.
What surprised Dale the most about Sarah's friends was that Dale was studying physics; how could human interaction help her with the study of physics? She had no answer for that, only the result. She filed the question away for later consideration. She had no worry about forgetting it though, since she had what was known as photographic recall. She knew that, like everything she had ever read or done, the information would be available to her later on.
Sarah always seemed in awe of the girl, and Dale couldn't understand why. High school had taught her the painful lesson of the price of intellect. She felt that she wasn't really bad looking, if a little on the short side. She had long, silky dark brown hair that she had to put in a ponytail, since it hung down to her tight butt. She felt her boobs were too big for her frame though; it just wasn't right for someone that was only five feet tall to have 'C' cup breasts; it made her feel comical looking. However she was proud of her almost elfin features: big brown eyes, small petite mouth, and pert nose. Except for her big boobs, she almost fancied herself as looking like a pixie.
Dale was in very good shape since she used exercise as a way to think through her problems. There was many a night that she had gotten kicked out of the pool while she was working through a problem for her research. Sarah was also in good shape but preferred jogging to swimming, and was slowly bringing her friend around to her way of thinking. Sarah was a typical girl-next-door/cheerleader type, with wavy strawberry blonde hair and a really nice figure. Dale felt that she and Sarah had gotten each other's boobs. Sarah had smallish 'B' cup breasts that would have looked perfect on Dale. As it was, with Sarah's long legs and her cheerleader's build, she almost looked flat-chested.
Though the two young women were very close, something about Sarah was beginning to bother Dale. Sarah had never, not even once, gone out on a date the whole time she and Dale had lived together. Dale thought it was most unusual for someone as beautiful as Sarah to never go out with anyone. A few guys had even asked Dale out, but she had refused, claiming that she didn't want to get distracted from her studies, but mostly because she felt that they were either men that Sarah had rejected, or had been asked by Sarah to approach Dale. The guys that had asked her seemed to be really nervous even talking to the small woman, and usually beat a hasty retreat as soon as Dale had turned them down.
However, that still hadn't explained why Sarah herself wasn't going out on dates. Finally, near the end of their research, Dale turned to her friend.
"Well, that should give me enough materiel to finalize the cohesion factors. Now, all I need to do is get it all written up. Why don't you give John and the others a call and go out? I'll be staying home for the next week or two getting my dissertation ready, and since you got your finals out of the way last month, you should be able to go out and have some fun now. I know I've been a real ogre to work with, but I want you to know that I couldn't have done this without you. Thank you, Sarah."
A strange look passed over the blonde's face, a look that Dale couldn't read. "Nah, I don't think so. I think I'll just go home with you, and take a nice long, hot bath. Besides, someone has to be around to remind you to eat and sleep!" The woman winked at Dale. "You know how focused you get. Do you think that we will ever be able to test out your theory in a practical application?"
Dale realized Sarah was about to deflect her from the question again, which, given Dale's single-mindedness was usually pretty easy to do. Dale, however, realized what she was doing this time. "I'm sure we'll get that chance. But you are once again trying to distract me from the topic. Sarah, I've known you for six years now, and I have never once seen you go out on a date. In fact, I honestly can't remember you ever going out with anyone. Sweetie, you're a very smart, and very beautiful woman, do you want to end up like me, a nerdy, single woman that will die a virgin? Don't you want to know what it feels like to be in love?"
Sarah looked like she was about to cry, but managed to keep it in. "I know what it feels like to be in love. I'm pretty sure the only person I want to go out with will be busy this weekend. I really don't want to talk about this right now, Dale. I just want to go home."
"I'm sorry, Sarah. You know I love you, right? I'm just concerned about you. What do you say we pick up a couple of sub sandwiches on our way home? That bath you mentioned earlier is starting to sound pretty good."
"Dale look, let me worry about my love life, okay? I have a plan to get the person's attention, but the time isn't right yet. You just focus on your dissertation, and I'll make sure you eat and go to bed when you should." She chuckled; "We both know how single-minded you can get."
"Deal! But I still think you're getting the short end of the stick here." Dale returned the woman's smile as they locked up the lab and left.
True to her word, Sarah made sure Dale ate before starting work, stopped for lunch, and quit to eat supper, take a bath, and get to sleep at a semi-decent hour of the night.
One Friday evening, when Dale told her that she should be finished in another day or two, Sarah informed her that she had to go home to take care of some family business over the weekend.
"I've fixed up a couple of meals for you, so all you need to do is stick them in the microwave for a minute or two. I've also set up my computer to ring an alarm to break you out of your trance to eat and go to bed," Sarah teased Dale. "I should be back on Sunday, with any luck, before lunch."
"I didn't know you had to go! Is everything alright?" Dale asked, somewhat alarmed at the fact that she hadn't heard Sarah talking to her mother on the phone.
"Everything is fine, Dale. It's just my mother feeling her mortality again. In spite of the fact that she is as healthy as the rest of us, she wants all of us kids to come home this weekend to help rewrite her will... again." She sighed, "I just wish she would stop to think how all this will writing and stuff makes us feel. I mean, we don't want her to die, but she seems obsessed with reminding us of it every time we talk to her."
"Oh honey! I'm sorry. But she is your mother, so you have to humor her. At least you know she is really okay."
"Yeah, and we will. Anyway, since I am really supposed to be your body guard here, I want you to promise that you'll be safe and not take any risks." Sarah was too cute to look stern, but she tried anyway.
Laughing, Dale answered, "I doubt I'll even leave the house. Like I said, I'm almost finished, but I don't know if I'll have this done by the time you get back. Besides, by the letter of your contract, I am only your responsibility during the week; since this is the weekend, don't worry about me. Monday, we can go turn this in to Dr. Evans, then go celebrate someplace."
Sarah got a huge smile on her face. "You know I'm supposed to report your progress to your father. You want me to call him while I'm gone?"
Dale's father's predilection for spoiling her academic surprises had always been an irritation to her. Luckily, Sarah had confessed to being the rat early on in their relationship, allowing them to collaborate on what could be told to Dale's father and still allow Dale some surprise.
Dale sighed, "I suppose, so you don't get into trouble. But don't tell him what our findings are. I want to surprise him with those face to face. Just tell him that I'm finishing up, and will be able to come home next week."
Sarah got serious for a moment. "Dale, I don't know if you've stopped to think about this, but what you've discovered is pretty important. If this university didn't protect the student's discoveries like they do, I would have insisted on you going to a patent lawyer before turning in your dissertation. I know your father will insist on it as soon as he learns of this.
"That being said, I think it would be best if you swore Dr. Evens to secrecy before turning in your dissertation. I also don't think it would be a good idea to tell anyone about this, especially over a telephone."
Dale looked stunned. "What do you mean; it's really only a new type of fabric. What could be so dangerous about that?"
"Dale," Sarah said a little frustrated, "Yes, it's a new fabric. But it's a fabric that is completely bullet proof and lightweight, and if my suspicions are correct, I bet it's invisible to ground surveillance radar and infrared sensors too. Just imagine what would happen if a terrorist group got hold of this stuff. Dale, our own military would kill to make sure this 'fabric' doesn't fall into the wrong hands."
"Well, okay, if you think it's that important, I won't tell anyone. But why didn't you mention the sensor blocking aspects during testing? I would really like to have explored that area more. Maybe we should go back..."
Sarah interrupted the emerging scientist in her friend. "Hold it, Dale. You got what you needed for your thesis. We can explore my suspicions later, in a more secure place. Please trust me on this; finish up your dissertation, and then we'll tell your father about what you've discovered. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to set you up some place a lot safer to experiment and test out theories."
"Okay, okay..." Dale held up her hands in surrender. "I'll wait. But I want to be on our way home as soon as we get this thing turned in Monday."
Sarah smiled; "Okay, when I get back, we'll pack up our computers and clothes and head out. The moving company can get the rest. Just please make sure you don't leave any written notes around. Now, let's get to bed. I have an early day tomorrow, and you need to finish your work."
The weekend was a quiet one for Dale. She didn't really notice her missing friend until the alarm went off to remind her to eat. But after the meal, she soon lost herself back into her task, only to rediscover her quiet apartment once again when the alarm rang out the end of her day.
Dale was excited. She had just finished the long paper; the computer system would automatically back up her work to the secure hard drive in Sarah's computer while she slept. Tomorrow morning, she would burn the work onto an encrypted crystal drive to be delivered to her advisor.
She ate her dinner, took a long hot bath, and went to bed. She once again listened to the quiet apartment and missed her friend and roommate. She pulled one of her pillows to her chest and held it tightly, wishing, not for the first time, that it were Sarah she was holding.
Having forgotten to set an alarm, Dale awoke much later than she had intended. It was almost ten o'clock in the morning, but she wasn't too upset; the rest had been welcome, filled with tender dreams of soft skin and wavy, strawberry blonde hair.
Dale rose and, not bothering to dress, went to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of cereal before sitting down to burn the disks for her advisor.
With her empty breakfast bowl sitting on top of the envelope with the crystal drive in it, Dale heard the front door open. Hearing Sarah come home, Dale triggered the DOD secure erase program that the blonde had gotten her to remove her notes and the paper from her computer.
Without looking back at her friend, Dale said, "The computers will be ready to go in just a sec. Then all I'll have to do is pack and we'll be ready to go. Did everything go okay with your Mom?"
"My mother has been dead for years. But I would like to thank you for storing all your research on the computer system. Now we only need to take it instead of you as well", a man's voice said behind her.
Dale jumped and spun around to face the intruders. Just before the man's fist connected with her temple, she noticed that there were three. As the world started to go black, she remembered seeing a very angry Sarah rushing into the room.
The first thing Dale remembered hearing was the beeping of a heart monitor as she slowly regained awareness. Very slowly she also became aware of voices; hundreds of them as if she was in a crowded room full of talking people. She could hear Sarah and her father, as well as hundreds of others she didn't recognize. She tried to focus on what Sarah was saying since she would know what was going on. But the effort only produced a throbbing headache.
She tried to open her eyes but was only greeted by total blackness. She would have lifted her hand to move the bandages so she could see, but her arms didn't want to move.
Dale felt rather than heard the approach of someone. A nurse, one of the voices in her head seemed to get louder as the woman approached, but Dale still couldn't understand what she was saying. Then as if shouting into a bullhorn next to her head, the voice of the nurse pounded into Dale's overstressed skull.
"Don't try to move, honey. We have your arms restrained so you can't pull out the IVs. Are you in pain?"
"Too loud," Dale managed to croak out. "Head... throbbing."
Much quieter, though still loud to Dale's sensitive ears, the nurse replied, "Okay sweetheart, I can give you something for the pain. But I need to ask you some questions first. I'll try to keep them quiet and short. You've sustained a head injury. We need to make sure you can feel and move your legs, arms and the rest of your body."
Dale wiggled her toes and briefly moved each leg. She then wiggled her fingers and moved her arms as much as she could. She tried to move her head from side to side, but only moaned in pain when she tried.
"That's okay, dear. The injury was to the base of your skull. The simple fact that you can feel the pain is answer enough for us. Now what about your senses?"
"Can't see," Dale answered, starting to panic, and tears ran from her eyes. "Blind?"
"Can you open your eyes? I didn't see you try."
Dale tried to open her eyes again, but had the same result as before, except this time, the nurse drew in a sharp breath and Dale heard a soft, "Oh my god!" slightly louder than the rest of the voices.
"What?" Dale croaked.
"Ms. Connors, I need to go get the doctor. Please try to relax until I get back."
Dale tried to grab the nurse as she left but with her hands still tied down, the nurse made a clear getaway. Dale groaned in frustration and tried to fight the nausea that was developing because of the headache.
Luckily, the doctor must have been close by, because the nurse was back in short order with the doctor and her father in tow. Dale was wondering why Sarah hadn't come as well. Then she realized that, although no one had spoken, she knew exactly who had come into her room. How? She couldn't find the answer before the doctor spoke very softly.
"Dale, Nurse Willis said you are very sensitive to noise right now, so I will try to speak softly. Your father and the nurse are both here as well, though we asked him not to speak until we can see if this is causing you any harm."
"Water?" Dale croaked again.
She heard some rustling but also knew that the nurse was pouring water into a cup and adding a straw. She knew the nurse was leaning forward to put the straw to her lips.
"Just a sip at a time, Dale. If you start to feel sick, stop drinking," the nurse said.
Dale drew the cool liquid into her mouth and slowly swallowed. She felt as if the water was like liquid energy, re-energizing her depleted tissues as it moved down to her stomach.
"Feeling better?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, thank you. Now, what's wrong with my eyes, and can you please release my hands?" She groaned softly, "And my head is killing me."
"I imagine it is. That was some hit you took." As he spoke, the nurse was removing the restraints on her wrists. "We'll give you something for the pain in a moment, but the nurse wanted me to look at your eyes. Maybe then I'll be able to answer your question. So could you please open your eyes again, so I can examine them?"
Dale once again opened her eyes; having them open seemed to hurt, and had been adding to the pain in her head, so she had been holding them closed.
She had been so focused on the actions of the doctor and nurse that she had forgotten about her dad. Once the doctor had started to lean forward, she felt her father looking down at the other occupant in the room.
Other occupant?
Sarah?
Sarah was hurt!
"Sarah!" Dale called and tried to sit up, narrowly missing the doctor who had been leaning forward.
Strong hands quickly restrained her and pushed her back into the bed. "Dale, take it easy! Your friend is right here; she is sleeping at the moment. She was hurt as well, and has been sleeping since her surgery. She's doing fine, now set back and let me examine your eyes. She'll still be here when we're finished. Please relax."
Dale was anxious about her friend; it wasn't until that moment that she realized how much she loved the tall blonde. Her father might not understand, but at that moment, she really didn't give a damn. Sarah, her precious Sarah, was hurt. Surgery?
"Why did she need surgery? What happened to her?" Dale asked.
"Miss Rogers had been shot and had lost a lot of blood by the time she arrived here. We almost lost her, but she is a very strong young woman and pulled through the surgery. We managed to get the bullet out and repair the damage to her lung; we'll have to wait and see if the damage to her spine will heal. Now, I'll be happy to answer all of your questions once we have finished with you, so please lie still and let me examine you!" His voice had risen with his frustration, and Dale winced in pain. "I'm sorry, Dale," he sighed, "I didn't mean to lose my temper."
"Its okay, Doctor. I was being a pain in the ass. Let's get this over with so I can find out what's wrong with my eyes."
Dale opened her eyes again, and the doctor leaned forward. "What the... ?" He pulled his penlight out of a pocket in his smock and shined it into her eyes.
A blinding shaft of pure, excruciating pain shot through Dale's head and she screamed. She brought her arms up and shoved the doctor away as hard as she could and tried to cover her eyes.
"Easy Dale! Take it easy! You're going to rip your IV's out! Just tell me what hurt you so much," the nurse said.
Dale allowed herself to be calmed. But the pain was now pounding her skull. "Too much!" She gasped. "Too much pain."
"She's hyper-sensitive to light," The doctor said. "Nurse, draw the curtains, and shut off the lights. This much illumination may be further damaging her eyes. I don't understand what's causing this, but we need to find out or she could be permanently blind."
For the first time, Dale's father spoke. "But what about the noise she keeps complaining about; how can she be hyper-sensitive to sound as well?"
"Mr. Connors, even with everything we know about the human brain, there is still a lot we don't know. I can understand her having vision problems, considering the location of the damage, but the rest of this has me completely stymied. We'll need to do a couple more tests to make sure there isn't any new hemorrhaging and possibly a brain scan to try to find out how her brain is working now. We can compare that to those of a normal female her age and hopefully get a general idea of what's going on. Until we can get those tests done, I'm recommending that she get special glasses that will block out light. We can cover her ears to limit the noise too. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go order the tests. The nurse will sedate her for now, to give the pain a chance to go away, but she'll need to be awake for most of these tests."
"Okay, but no exploratory surgery. I don't want my little girl to be a lab rat. I don't want anyone cutting into her head unless it's absolutely necessary to save her life."
While the doctor and her father had been talking the nurse had closed the blinds and shut off the lights, making the room almost totally dark. Then, with a small light on over the sink, she injected a sedative into Dale's IV.
Dale sighed as she felt the fast acting drug slowly pushing her back to sleep. "Thank you, Karen," she managed to say just as the pain and her surroundings once again went away.
The nurse simply stood there with her mouth hanging open. How had the young woman known her name?
Dale stood looking down at her body. A pool of blood was forming under her head from where it had hit the corner of the coffee table when she fell. She looked up in time to see Sarah burst into the room, a flying kick connecting firmly with the neck of the man that just hit her. Dale could hear the loud crack as the man's neck broke and his body was thrown head first into her computer monitor, causing it to explode in a shower of crystalline fragments.
Sarah had spun and was almost on the second man as he was struggling to draw a weapon. She batted his hand away and threw an open handed punch hard into the lower center of the man's chest. Sarah was spinning a kick at the third man when a loud bang broke the relative silence in which Dale had been watching. She never knew Sarah could be so efficient in the dispatch of three armed men.
She saw Sarah falter a moment but resume her attack and soon the last man was also dead on the floor. Sarah slowly started to collapse beside him. She was fighting to crawl back to Dale's body, the fear on her face as clear as the tears that flowed from her eyes. The watching Dale tried to move to help her love, but found she was frozen to the spot. She watched horrified as beautiful Sarah fell face down to the floor. In her hand she held a cell phone. She slowly punched a button and a few moments later she weakly said, "Code omega, hurry." Then she collapsed and Dale's vision faded to black.
Dale?
"Dale?"
"Sarah? Is that you? Are you awake?" Dale asked. She knew they where alone in the room, at least for now. Dale's sensitivity to noise had abated mostly, but she could still hear better than she ever could before. However, her sensitivity to light had gotten worse. The prognosis was that she would be permanently blind. The part that had all the specialists baffled was that her eyes had turned completely black. Because of her sensitivity, no one could examine them without causing extreme pain to Dale, so CAT scans and MRIs had been used to examine her eyes. Though those tests had hurt as well, it didn't cause the amount of pain shining a light into her eyes caused. However, the tests still left the doctors guessing about what was going on.
The part that had Dale confused was that she could actually see... after a fashion. The closest explanation to what she was 'seeing' was like in that old movie 'Daredevil'. It was almost like she could see sound, but that wasn't quite right either, because she could see all the time, even if there was no noise. It was weird, and more than a little scary, so she had kept her mouth shut about it. She hadn't even told her father.
But that wasn't the only weird thing. She had figured out that the constant noise she had been hearing wasn't people talking, it had been people thinking. She realized the danger in confessing this when she heard the doctor thinking that he could make millions if he could only examine the portion of her brain to see for himself exactly what was going on. It quickly became clear to her that if she admitted to any of her discoveries, that doctor would quietly arrange an accident, so he could examine her. She discovered that while not all the doctors she could read in the hospital where as greedy or unethical as the one she had, every one of them would feel duty-bound to report the amazing abilities Dale had discovered. That would quickly bring government investigators and she would end up, as her father had said, a lab rat. Suddenly, she felt very alone, and very vulnerable.
"Yes, I'm awake. Finally we are awake at the same time. If I didn't know better, I would have begun to think they were trying to keep us from being awake at the same time. I'm still pretty sore, but that's not important, how are you feeling?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, you know, I can't complain..." They shared a chuckle, "I guess I can't see but at least I'm alive."
"I know, Dale. They... they told me you were blind. I'm so sorry, I tried to stop them; I just wasn't fast enough. I tried..." Sarah started crying. "I couldn't stop them in time."
"Sarah, listen to me. Sarah! You did stop them in time! They were going to kill me. The man that hit me told me that just before he hit me. Sarah, you saved my life! Do you understand, you did stop them. That's all that matters." Dale tried to reason with her.
"But you're blind! I never should have left you. I should have told Mother to wait a week longer. If I had been there you wouldn't have been hurt!" Sarah tried to explain.
Dale's father took that minute to enter the room. "Sarah, you saved my daughter's life. You went well above and beyond the job for which I hired you. Yes, as a result of the attack she has lost her sight, but because of your actions, she is still alive. That's what matters."
"But, Mr. Connors! I should have been there!"
"Sarah, you were there! You saved Dale's life, and considering the discussion we had last weekend, I think you can call me either Dad, or Ben. My gratitude to you for the life of my daughter will never end. So please don't feel guilty simply because she was harmed. By our agreement, you didn't have to be there at all.
"Now, the police have been dealt with for the most part, though they still want to speak to both of you very much. Have no worries on that score Sarah, I have my entire legal department on standby, and three of the best criminal lawyers in the country waiting for that interview. They would like to see you before the police come in, so they can be familiar with the circumstances. I had the security team secure the envelope with your crystal, as well as both of the computer systems, though Dale's needs work. My lawyers are ready to talk to you whenever you two are ready. Just give the word, and we can start getting the bullshit taken care of."
Dale heaved a sigh, "Daddy, you know I've never been one for the business part of things. I have no clue where to start on this. Would you please stick around and control all this for us?"
Ben looked at Sarah who was nodding at him. "Sure honey. Who do you want to see first?"
"Well," Dale said, "I would like you to find out if my advisor, Dr. Evans, could stop by so I can give him those two disks. I'll want one of your patent lawyers here for that. The school protects students' discoveries, but it would save time if he were here."
"I'm already working on that, sweetheart. Dr. Evans will be here after lunch. I'll make sure Don Silvers will also be here. I must say, when Sarah told me you were on to something, it really got my curiosity going. Care to fill me in?"
"Sir, er, Ben," Sarah cut in before Dale could answer. "Before that discussion takes place, I think you should have this room swept for bugs and make sure there are guards outside the room. I'm not sure I could respond very well at the moment."
Ben chuckled. "Sarah, there is an entire squad of my special security here. There are always two men outside the room, and two two-man patrols walking around the hospital. I overheard one of the cops asking another if the president was here being treated." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and held it up. It beeped and a green LED came on. "The bright boys in research built this for me as a gift for giving them that huge bonus last Christmas. I never have to worry about listening devices again."
"Good. I really need to talk to both of you. I don't want anyone to know about this without my knowledge," Dale said. "Daddy, could you please have the guards refuse entry to this room for a few minutes?"
Ben looked at his daughter curiously, but complied. "Sure honey, just a sec." And he stepped out for a moment.
"Dale?" Sarah asked.
"It's really very important. It's also pretty weird, but just remember, I am still me, okay?"
"Sure, you know I trust you," Sarah said as Ben returned to the room.
"Okay honey, the room is as secure as we can make it, now what's this about?"
"Well, there are actually three things I want to tell both of you." She took a deep breath. "First, Sarah, we have lived together for six years. You are my best friend, my protector, and my confidant. I don't know how you feel about such things, but I realized this weekend, that I am in love with you. Though we had never done anything more than hug each other; I had always wished for more. I've always been attracted to you, but was afraid to approach you after what happened with my last roommate."
"Oh, Dale! I've been in love with you since the first month! I was afraid you would be put off if I ever tried anything with you! That's why I never dated! I was already in love - with you!"
"I love you, Sarah. I hope you'll consider being a part of my life. I know we can't get married, but if we could I would ask you," Dale said.
"I love you too, Dale! I would gladly be your wife. For as long as we live!" Sarah replied, her joy clear in her voice.
"Well, it's about time you two figured that out. At least Sarah finally admitted it to me this weekend, though I must admit I've know about it for the last few years," Ben said. "Dale, your mother would be very happy for both of you, I know I am. Though, I must admit, I'll miss not having any grandchildren to spoil."
"Who said we can't have children?" Dale asked. "I know Sarah likes boys too, and I'm sure not adverse to them. We might find someone we can agree on. It's just one of those things we'll have to talk about when we're ready. At the moment, I think I would have a hard time sharing her with anyone."
Sarah spoke up, "Me too. I've waited six years for this. I really only want to spend more time with Dale."
"Well, your relationship really isn't any of my business." He chuckled, "I really don't need any details getting me all excited. It's not good for my heart you know."
"Daddy!" Dale exclaimed.
"What? You are both very beautiful woman. Just because one of you is my daughter, doesn't mean you are any less beautiful. Now, you said there were some other things you wanted to talk to us about."
"This is going to sound pretty weird, but I'm not really blind. I can see, but it's like I can see the energy around an object. You and Sarah have a strong glow, while the wall, ceiling, and floors only have a dull glow to them. I think I can see better than before, because I can see through walls and the floor if I concentrate."
That hit on the head really messed her up. The doctors told me just this morning that her eyes are completely non-functional. I better get her a psychiatrist as soon as possible, the next thing you know, she's gonna tell me she can read thoughts like some character in a story.
Ben's thought almost masked Sarah's, but Dale heard it anyway.
Oh no! Please god, don't let her be crazy! Not now!
"Will you two calm down! I am not crazy, and yes, Daddy, I can read thoughts like some character in a story! That's the reason I wanted to talk to both of you in private! If the doctors ever found out about this I would be on a table with my head cut open so fast it would amaze you. My wonderful neurosurgeon is already thinking about how much money he could get if he could examine my brain, just so he could submit his findings to the scientific community. I can and will prove what I'm telling you, but I need you two to protect me. Now watch."
Dale swung her feet out of the bed. The nurses had removed her IV's the day before since she was awake enough to feed and care for herself. She stood and as her father stood to come to her assistance, she shook her head at him and gestured for him to sit back down. Dale then walked over to the sink in the room, got a small glass of water, and took it to Sarah in her bed, stepping around her father in the process. After Sarah took an astounded sip of the water, Dale took the glass and set it on the stand beside her bed, then leaned in and kissed her love on the lips. She stood again, and walked back to her bed.
After sitting back down, she asked them, "Now, do you at least believe that I can see?"
"I believe you, love. I'm sorry I thought you were crazy. That's amazing, though! But how much of what I think can you actually read?" Sarah asked.
Dale knew her father was wondering the exact same thing. He was worried that she would read his very un-fatherly thoughts about...
Dale ignored her father's thoughts to answer Sarah. "I can read everything if I am concentrating on you. I'm still trying to train my mind to ignore or shut out what I don't want to hear. When I first woke up, the sound in my head was unbearable: so many voices, all talking at once. But I have learned how to shut most of them out. If someone is closer to me, it's like their thoughts are stronger, and I have to actively push them out of my head. But when someone is concentrating their thoughts on me, like Daddy is, I can't block them at all."
Dale had said that so her father would know that she could see his thoughts. He had been concentrating on exactly what she was saying, and raising the possible advantages as well as disadvantages to this ability. When Dale explained how she was hearing these, he immediately shifted over to the annual stock report for the investment division of his corporation.
"That is exactly the right thing to do, Daddy. Until I can learn to better control this thing that is exactly what will help me to ignore what you're thinking. You don't always have to do it, but only when you are having thoughts you don't want me to see."
At her explanation a brief flash of Dale and Sarah in a very intimate embrace passed through his mind. He quickly shifted his thoughts back to the investment report.
"Dale, honey. This is..." Ben sighed, "This is a lot to deal with.
Of course we'll help you in any way we can. As for your doctor, I know
of a different, better doctor, one I went to college with. I'll give
her a call, and see if she can take your case. I think she's
trustworthy. The last I heard she was doing research in a lab back
east. I'll give her a call. What about your nurses? Do you know if any
of them would harm you?"
"No, Daddy. Karen... uh, I mean Nurse Willis, dotes on me like she's my
mother. The rest are basically good people just helping others. They
really don't have any concerns about fame and fortune."
"Okay, the doctors want to keep you in here for a few more days, and Sarah will need more time as well, so I'll see if I can pry Sam away from her research to come out here.
"Now that's taken care of, you still have lawyers, cops and one scared teacher to deal with. Who do you want to see first?" Ben asked.
"Dale, I know you want to get your dissertation turned in, but can we get the police taken care of first?" Sarah asked. "I'm kinda nervous about them."
"I was thinking the same thing, actually. I'm surprised that you could keep them at bay this long, Daddy."
Ben grinned; "Actually, the doctor and your nurse have been doing a very good job of putting them off. Then our lawyers stepped in and... well, they had to wait. They didn't like it, and I think they are about ready to get a court order to interview you, but since you are going to be seeing them shortly, I think they will be mollified. Now, I'll call the lawyers in, and we can get started on this." He stood to go to the door.
"Daddy, wait a sec." Dale said. She got up, put a robe on, and slid a chair over to Sarah's bed, sat down and took her lover's hand. "This way, they can't gang up on either of us."
"Smart girl. Now, are you two ready?" Ben asked.
They both nodded and he opened the door to let in the first of the crowd of visitors waiting to see them.
Dr. Samantha Rivers was on her way to see her two new patients. That quack Dr. Mathers had actually been about to insist on exploratory surgery to examine the optical nerve. The man had no compassion at all and was bordering on the unethical.
Mathers may have been a quack, Sam really did appreciate the chance to get out of the lab for a while. Though she loved her research, it was becoming more paperwork and administration than anything else. She rarely even stepped into a lab anymore. So, When Ben called and told her what had happened to Dale, she immediately told her supervisor that she needed to take an emergency sabbatical. Dale was far too important to her to let some asshole try to poke around in her head. Ben did tell her that Dale didn't know anything about the relationship they had in the past. Basically, Dale would have no idea who Sam was. That had hurt Sam a great deal, but she did understand why he hadn't told the girl. However, she was convinced that Dale should be told as soon as they could. To wait any longer would only hurt Dale more if she ever found out the truth.
She had not met the two young women yet, but she had seen Ben. He had been in the limo that picked her up at the airport. Ben had told her about Dale's case and the fear that she had expressed over the doctor she had. Ben also told her of the other young woman, (he had called her his daughter in law), that had a spinal injury but seemed to be healing nicely with no sign of paralysis.
From the looks of things, the only reason that the two women were still in the damn hospital was that the asshole Mathers was trying to get her to submit to more testing. Sarah could just as easily be at the Connors' home and still receive her physical therapy. Dale needed to get out of the hospital so she could start to get used to being blind. Well, Sam was here now, and Ben had officially named her as the attending physician, so these two would be on their way home as soon as Sam could talk to them.
"Excuse me, Miss. Can I see some Identification, please?" A big hulk of a man had stopped her right outside of her patient's room. Even though Ben did tell her that he had assigned security to his daughter because of the attack, it still took her by surprise.
She hastily pulled out the identification badge that Ben had gotten her, and handed it to the guard. She stood there waiting while the guard called in for verification. These guys certainly knew their business. Security at her lab back east hadn't been this tight.
The guard handed her ID back to her. "There you go, Doctor. Sorry about that."
"No problem, sir. You have your job to do too. By the way, is Dr. Mathers still on the access list?"
The guard asked the person on the other end of the radio. "Yes Ma'am, he is."
"Please remove him immediately. I believe he is a danger to my patients and don't want him anywhere near either of them," She said.
"Yes Ma'am, I'll let them know immediately."
"Thank you. With any luck, we'll all be leaving here today, so it's probably a moot point, but I suspect that Mathers will try to stop us somehow."
"We'll be watching for him, Doctor. He won't get past us."
Sam winked at him, patted the big man's shoulder and entered the room. She was a bit surprised to find both patients in one bed, cuddling. It was obvious these two women were very much in love.
"Good morning, ladies. I am Dr. Samantha Rivers, but I would feel better if you simply called me Sam."
The brown haired girl sat up and grabbed the black-out glasses from the bed table and put them on. "Hello, I am Dale Connors and this is my... wife, Sarah Rogers-Connors." She smiled shyly at the blonde woman next to her. "I must say, that I am very glad to see you. I had the horrible feeling that Dr. Mathers was going to hurt Sarah or me."
"Well, I'm sure not going to let that happen. I've looked over both of your charts, and I've spoken to your father, Dale. I think I can make a case for you both to be released from here. How would you like to go home?"
"That would be wonderful, Doc... er, Sam. But I'm scheduled for physical therapy so I can learn to use my legs again. I don't think the signals are making it from my brain to my legs and back. But I do think you should get Dale out of here. The longer she stays here, the more danger she'll be in from that crazy doctor. Uh, no offence," Sarah said, blushing.
Sam smiled at the pretty women. "The only offence I could take would be from you calling him 'doctor' and since he still holds that title, at least for now, there is no offence taken. But, back to the matter at hand. I have it on very good authority that you will continue your physical therapy as soon as you are settled into the Connors residence. Ben has already made arrangements to have you both transported to his estate as soon as you are ready to travel. I only need to clear you with the hospital administration. So what do you say?"
"God, I am dying for some real food for once, and a bigger bed would be nice. Honey, I love snuggling with you, but this bed is just too small for us to sleep together. Let's get the hell outta here before they change their minds?" Sarah asked Dale.
Turning back to Sam, Dale asked, "Could you send a Nurse Karen Willis in to give us a hand, please? We should be ready to go soon, but I don't want my butt hanging out the back when we leave the hospital."
"Sure; I expect Mathers will try to stop us, so if you see him, don't worry; I've already taken care of his access to you. My next stop is the hospital administrator's office. I'll call Ben and let him know that I am getting you released so he can send your ride. I'll be back after I get done in the admin's office," Sam told them and left.
Dale leaned over and kissed Sarah softly on the lips. "Finally, we're going home, love."
"Yes we are, and while I am thankful that this doctor got us out of here, I can't help wondering if she is any better than Mathers."
"I read her while she was here, love. She has a wonderful nature, and if I didn't know better, I'd say she was very much in love with my father. Yes, I think she would be curious if I tell her about my sight and telepathy, but she simply isn't the sort that would kill me just to examine my brain. She has an honest and caring soul, and a real good dose of horniness. She kept trying to focus on what we were talking about, but scenes of her and Dad, or either of us or both kept flashing through her mind. It wasn't anything dirty, or perverse, she is just very lonely, and very, very horny."
A soft knock on the door and a smiling Karen was there to help her two favorite patients get dressed to leave.
"Nurse! Call security! Excuse me, where do you think you are taking these patients? Nurse Willis what's going on here?" Dr. Mathers demanded. He was standing in front of the security detail that was accompanying the two women to the elevators. He had just figured out that he would have to induce an embolism in the Connors girl. These idiots simply didn't understand the needs of medical science. Yes, the patient would die, but so many more could be saved! Besides, he honestly believed that girl could see! Yes, he had read the CAT scans, he had seen the seemingly inactive optic nerves, he even pondered over the mutated portions of the girl's eyes, but that only argued further for dissection! This girl could hold the key to the next step in human evolution!
"Doctor Mathers, as the attending physician to these two women, I have deemed them sufficiently recovered to allow their release. Since I will be continuing their treatment and care at their place of residence, and there is a question as to their security here, I have ordered them released. Further, I have filed formal charges against you with the hospital administrator, questioning your handling of their cases. He has agreed to further report my findings to the state board of health with the recommendation that your medical license be suspended pending a formal investigation. Now, if you do not wish to add further criminal charges to the list, please move aside." Sam delivered the speech in a coolly professional manner. The two large security guards simply stood, looking down at the greasy little man.
He slowly stepped aside, "But... but... I'm the Chief of Staff! You can't do this to me!"
Unseen by the distraught doctor, the stocky form of the administrator had walked quietly up behind him, a uniformed hospital security guard beside him. "Oh yes she can, Dr. Mathers. On behalf of the board of trustees, I must ask you to please leave the hospital grounds immediately. Your medical license, as well as your tenure here, are suspended without pay pending a formal hearing and an investigation by the state board of health."
That said, the man turned to the security guard, and nodded. The guard took Mathers by the arm and walked him to the elevator.
The girls' procession passed by Dr. Mathers as the administrator began talking to him. Dale was in a wheel chair and carrying her white cane and Sarah was on a rolling gurney. When they all climbed into the elevator Dale almost blew it by asking Sam why she had pushed the button for the top floor. As it was, she did ask once the car started moving.
"Uhm, Sam? Why are we going up?"
Sam and the guards chuckled, "Your father got an unassigned Connors Aerospace Air Ambulance sent to pick you up. I guess it's good to be the king, huh?"
"Oh! Do you know what model he had sent? I thought he mentioned they had finally gotten the whisperjets to work. He said something about the military trying to declare them a secret or something."
"I don't know, Dale, He only told me to have you two on the roof at a certain time. He also said you would love it."
"Do you mean that weird-assed helicopter/jet hybrid he saw on that old movie? He actually tried to build the damn thing?" Sarah asked.
"Yep. The movie starred one of his favorite actors, Arnold Schwartzi..."
"Yeah, that big guy. You know, one of our guards here looks an awful lot like him." Sarah interrupted.
"Really, is he any relation to you?" Dale asked, assuming the guard would answer.
"He was my grandfather, Miss Connors." The guard answered.
"Wow, I heard he passed away a few years back. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you. We do miss him. You know, we had a huge argument over what to write on his grave marker. But we finally settled on the one phrase that everyone still remembers him by..."
Dale smiled, "'I'll be back'. God, I bet he hated that line."
"At first he did, but I think he came to see it as simply his part of history. Even this many years after that movie was released, people still know that one phrase. He felt that he really did make a difference, even if it was a small one."
"That's all any of us can hope for. It feels like we're here."
"We need to cross over to the ER elevator here; that one will take us up one more floor to the roof landing pad," Sam explained.
Once out on the roof, Dale almost blew it again, as she looked at the sleek, low-slung craft. Connors Aerospace had indeed completed a working design for the whisperjet. Overall it had the look of a helicopter, but the longer tail, the missing tail rotor, the wider, larger body, and the extra wide main rotor blades quickly ended that illusion. This was something more than any chopper ever built.
Since this was the air ambulance version, the main door was lower to the ground, and had something like a wheelchair lift on the port side, except this one was large enough for a wheeled gurney. Dale stood as the air nurse came forward to help Karen with Sarah's gurney. Sam helped Dale climb into the craft. One of the security guards told Sam that he would return the wheelchair on his way back to the control center.
Once Dale was strapped into the seat, she waited patiently, trying very hard not to comment on the plush comfort of the main cabin. Sarah was being secured behind the first row of seats. What surprised Dale was that instead of climbing out, Karen simply took a seat next to the air nurse, and fastened her seatbelt. Sam had sat next to Dale filling out the only row of seats except the empty co-pilot's seat. When the doors finally closed and sealed, there was no engine noise at all. Dale didn't notice the strange look that Sam was giving her, but she did hear the woman's thoughts, because they were very concentrated on Dale at the moment.
For a woman who has only recently lost her sight, she sure is doing well. Unless she actually can see, but that would be impossible. I saw the results of the CAT scan myself. But her reactions are not those of a blind person. She reacts like she knows exactly what's happening around her. Come to think of it, I didn't even need to guide her into the plane, she knew exactly when and where to step. Though she didn't say anything, she did react to Karen taking a seat. Maybe she was counting the seatbelts being fastened, but somehow, I don't think so, I think I will have to have a talk with this woman as soon as I can.
The pilot turned in his chair to smile back at the women. "Ladies, welcome aboard Connors Aerospace Air Ambulance. Our flight time to Eagle's Ridge is only twenty-one minutes so I will ask you to please keep your seatbelts fastened. My name is Captain Paul Rappela. I am the senior test pilot for Connors Aerospace, but Mr. Connors asked if I would mind taking the day off to give you folks a ride. So please sit back and enjoy the experience. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Oh Pappy! You don't need to be so stuffy! The only person you don't know is Dr. Sam Rivers; Sam, this is Pappy, one of Daddy's oldest and closest friends. He says he is only the senior test pilot, but he is also co-owner of Connors Aerospace. He started the company with Daddy," Dale said.
Pappy chuckled, "Actually lil'pint, I already know Sam. We attended the same college. It's nice to see you again. Ben said he conned you into coming out. I was hoping to see you while you were here."
"Pappy has called me lil'pint for as long as I can remember. If he ever called me by name, I don't think I would know who he was talking to!" Dale quipped.
Sam chuckled, "Lil'pint, huh? I'm doin' good, Pappy. I'm glad to see you are still going strong. When I first met Pappy, I thought he was one of Ben's professors. I was very sorry to hear about..."
Pappy quickly shook his head to cut off Sam's words, then nodded toward Dale and again shook his head no.
The silence would have stretched out, but Dale quickly said, "Well, Pappy? Are you going to start this bad mother up, or are we going to sit here all day?"
Pappy's laugh filled the cabin. "I never shut it off! This little sweetheart is actually perfectly named. She barely makes a sound until we go supersonic, though it is still just a bit rough during transition. But to answer your question, I'm waiting for clearance. Cheyenne control seems to want to give me a lot of free airspace. Since the military is still trying to get their hands on this bird, it shows up as an experimental helo on their radar screens. You should have heard them bitch when I asked them to treat me the same as a private jet. I think, when I get back, I'll have the bright boys put in a jet transponder." He paused a moment, then turned back to the controls as he spoke into the mike at his mouth. "Roger, Cheyenne Control. Connors Air X one-four-five-two is lifting off. Will advise on reaching two-five-zero-zero on heading three-four degrees."
He looked up as the main rotor quickly started spinning. Far sooner than a normal helicopter could have lifted, Pappy was leveling off at twenty five hundred feet and speeding away from the city. There was still very little noise in the cabin. "Coming up on transition, folks. Hold on." He then spoke into the mike again, "Cheyenne Control, request high altitude corridor according to my flight plan."
Pappy then flipped a switch so the flight controller could be heard in the cabin. "Roger, CAX one-four-five-two. You are clear to one-five thousand. We'd still like to know just what you're flyin' out there."
"Sorry control, that's classified. Climbing to angels one-five and increasing speed to six-five-zero. We're outta here."
Pappy then flipped three switches on his control panel and held the control yoke with both hands. The craft started to shudder and nosed down slightly as the main rotors suddenly stopped and slid back into a locking position. A loud 'thunk' was heard in the cabin, followed by the women being pressed slightly harder into the seat as the craft accelerated. Pappy pulled back on the yoke and they climbed up through the light cloud cover. A soft thud was heard as the small craft leveled out. "Cheyenne Control, CAX one-four-five-two is at angels one-five. We are on course and will be leaving your airspace in zero-five minutes."
"Affirmative, one-four-five-two. When you come back this way, we all want a ride in that thing. You are clear to return to Cheyenne Mountain control. Have a good day."
Pappy changed the radio then spoke again. "Cheyenne Mountain, this is Connors Air X one-four-five-two at one-five thousand and speed six-five zero. We are entering your airspace."
"We see you one-four-five-two. Welcome back," came from the speaker.
Pappy shut off the speaker at that point, and grinned back at his passengers.
"Pappy, this thing is so quiet, I don't think even commercial jets are this quiet." Dale said.
"They aren't," Pappy answered. "It was an unexpected side effect of the type of engines we are using. This thing runs on compressed hydrogen. In addition to being the quietest aircraft on the planet, it's also the most fuel-efficient and has the highest payload capacity of its class. That's why the military has all but taken the whole project over. Your father threatened to take the project overseas if they tried to take it away completely. They tried the 'national security' angle, but Ben was having none of it. He told a senate subcommittee that this project held a good portion of Connors Air future in it, and he wouldn't tolerate it being taken away from our company. They threatened to arrest him, and seize the company and all its assets. He told them to go ahead, but if they did the plans for this craft, and a whole bunch of other inventions would be on hundreds of public web servers within minutes. It was a blast to watch."
They all talked about the government and its efforts to take the project away from Connors Air for a few minutes, then it was time to land.
The change back into a helicopter was rougher than the transition
into a jet, since they had to shed speed as the craft changed profile.
Pappy waited for the last minute to do this and simply floated the
craft down to a landing behind the mansion at Eagle's Ridge. Dale was
finally home.