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Subject: {ASSM} RP <*> Biolab 13, Cycle 01 - Liaya Stevens 1/? - Co-Opted! (FM nosex Fpov)
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Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:10:04 -0400
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Released to the public domain
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FM nosex Fpov

Biolab 13 - Cycle 01
Liaya Stevens
Chapter Two - Co-Opted
---

"Liaya Stevens?"

I turned slightly.  "Yes?"

He held out his hand.  "I'm Nathaniel Tracy from Biolab International.  Your
paper was quite impressive."

I shook his hand and smiled.  "Thank you."

He let go and looked around before speaking again.  I thought I saw something
predatory in his eyes but decided it must have been due to the lighting.  "Is
there some place private where we can talk about your future with my
company?"

His arrogance set my teeth on edge.  "My future with *your* company?  I'm
willing to listen to your offer.  Then I'll consider it along with all the
other offers I've received."

"Miss Stevens.  Those offers are meaningless.  I'm here to tell you that
you've been drafted.  You're working for Biolab International--and will be
directly under me."  His smile was that of a predator who has captured a
particularly tasty victim.

I ignored the fact I'd been drafted.  I'd known it was a possibility but kept
on with my education anyway.  "You'd better be able to prove that."

"I can.  In private."  

He reached for my arm and I shifted it so his hand missed.  "Mr. Tracy.  Just
because I'll be working for you, if you can prove I've been drafted into your
company...  It does NOT give you rights beyond that of being my boss. Presume
otherwise and I will prove you very, very wrong."

He glared at me and then smoothed his face into a smile that didn't hide the
anger in his eyes.  "Someplace private?"

"Not yet."  I looked around and spotted one of the school's security guards.
For once I was glad they were so visible.  "Excuse me.  I'll be right back"
Without waiting for a response I worked my way across the room to my target.

When I got close enough to see who it was I sighed with relief.  It was Jim,
a guard who had become a close friend.

I touched his shoulder lightly to get his attention.  "Jim.  A distressed
damsel needs your help."  I pointed at Mr. Tracy, who nodded when Jim studied
him.  "He says he's from Biolab International, and that I've been drafted
into his company.  The creep says he's my boss, now.  How much of that can
you confirm for me before you take us to a conference room and stay as my
witness?"

Jim didn't make a move other than to glare at the man I had pointed out.  "I
can confirm all of it.  He's also an idiot and I will take great pleasure in
telling him so."  He faced me and gently turned me to face him.  "Lia, I'm
sorry this happened.  I'll make it up to you, somehow.  I promise."  He
kissed me lightly on my lips.

"Jim?  What's going on?"

"Not here."  He linked his arm with mine and urged me in the direction of Mr
Tracy.

When we got close enough James stopped us and studied Mr. Tracy until the man
lifted his chin in a small gesture of defiance.  It came down abruptly when
James spoke with a quiet hatred.   "Nat, I've had it with you.  Get out of
here, now."

"But..."

"No.  Now--or I'll call for an escort and have you forcibly removed."

"You wouldn't!"

Jim straightened and shifted his stance slightly.  "Lieutenant, I gave you an
order, not a request.  I don't want to repeat it."

Nathaniel blanched and visibly controlled his anger.  Jim interrupted him as
his mouth opened.  "Consider your next words carefully--if you want to remain
as overall head of Biolab.  Dr. Stevens will be delivered when she is ready.
Not before.  If you want to override the orders we were given, you can, of
course, call the White House and try to get the authority to do so--after you
leave this campus.  In the meantime Dr. Stevens will be with me." 

Jim nodded politely and gently turned me before we walked away.  I could feel
the man's glare.  When I glanced over my shoulder I noticed he was headed for
the exit.

"James?"

He shook his head and kept us headed for one of the small conference rooms.
After we entered one and closed the door he pointed at the table and chairs.
"Lia.  You might as well sit and relax.  This is going to take awhile to
explain."

I pulled free and turned to face him.  I gave him my best glare and filled my
voice with all the ice I could find.  "Yes.  You do have some explaining to
do--lover-boy."

He winced and moved to a chair.  After he collapsed in it I settled in the
one opposite his and waited.

He leaned back and stared at the ceiling.  "Damn that oversexed asshole.  I
wish..."  He brought his head down so our eyes met as he settled his chin in
his hands.  "In another hour we would have met under more hospitable
conditions, as we arranged, and we would be sitting in this room having this
conversation anyway.  Lieutenant Tracy was NOT supposed to interfere with my
operation.  I am going to have some unkind things to say to the person who
was supposed to keep him away from you during this conference."  

He sighed.  "The man, as you noted, is an oversexed creep, but he is, so far,
the best man to fill his position, which is overall coordinator for the
Biolab Project and the visible CEO of Biolab International.  That also,
unfortunately, makes him your boss when it comes to anything not related to
your part of the project."

"Was 'loving me' part of *your* job?"  He flinched and I kept up my attack.
"What am I to you?  Was fucking me a fringe benefit, a perk you took
advantage of?  Who are you, James--and who gave you the right to totally fuck
up my future."

He glared at me, a glare I recognized.  It was the one he used when I was
being especially exasperating.  "I'm the god-damned man who's kept you in
this country for the last five years--while the other side has kept trying to
kidnap you for *their* version of our project.  I'm Junior Colonel James
Allgheri, government security, assigned to keep one Liaya Stevens alive and
well so she could take over as head of research for Project 13 because of all
of the people in genetech, she's become the one all the experts think might
just succeed in producing the final product--which happens to be a talking
animal that can *communicate* with us humans."  He slammed one of his hands
on the table.  "I also caught 47 different kinds of hell from The Woman
Herself when I let her know I'd managed to fall in love with Lia, the woman.
Damn-it, woman, don't fight me on this.  You can call *her* right now and
plead your case but I already know what's she's going to tell you:  'It's an
undeclared war but it's still a war--and you swore an oath when you asked us
to defer your time of service.  Are you going to serve?  Or do I have find a
hole and bury you in it for the rest of your life?' "

He slumped and put his head in his hands.  "Biolab is about spies, Lia.  The
kinds of spies nobody notices because they can't possibly exist.  We have to
develop our own for two reasons.  To get there first, if possible--and to be
able to tell if anyone else is using them.  Are you with us?"

I sagged as my indignation and anger vanished--to be replaced with
understanding.  "Animal spies.  Animals who can talk and tell their masters
what they've learned."

He brought his head up and I saw tears.  "Lia, we had to let you present your
paper.  I hope we've managed to convince the other side that you're 'just
another student with big dreams'.  If not, there's only one place you can
hope to pursue your dream without having to look over your shoulder and
wonder who your friends are."  He shrugged before he reached for my hand and
held it gently.  "Head of research, Lia.  The best people we have are betting
on you to make the breakthrough."

He looked down at our hands and whispered: "My boss says, quote:  'Take the
lovesick fool with you and you'll have one person at your side who cares for
the person and her needs.  You'll need that in the years to come.' "

Damn.  All my dreams and hopes for any sort of a future were being handed to
me.  But, they had a price I knew I've never know until long after I agreed
to pay it.  Talk about compound interest...  I sighed and held out the flag
of truce.  "Jim?  Are you with me?"

He nodded slowly.  I pulled my hand free, got up and went to make sure the
door was locked.  I also jammed a chair underneath the handle before I turned
back to him.  My hand was shaking as I pointed at the chair at the head of
the table.  "Go.  Sit.  I need to be cuddled."

He hesitated and then quietly moved.  I settled in his lap and sighed.  "You
never said you loved me."

"I was ordered not to.  We security types aren't supposed to love the person
we're guarding.  It clouds our judgment and our superiors are always
wondering who we're ultimately loyal to."

I reached down and played with his intertwined fingers.  I wanted to be head
of my own project.  It was my dream come true--but it was also far too soon.
"James?  Who are you loyal to?"

He ducked.  "I took an oath."

"Is that your final answer?"

He hugged me slightly.  "It's the only answer I can give."

My heart leapt within me but all I did was lean back against his chest.  "I
guess I'm with you.  What happens now?"

"Something you should know.  I'm not part of campus security even though I
wear the uniform.  Now that you've presented your paper, I go where you go."

"A bodyguard?"

"Yes.  Yours."

I sighed an settled myself to think about my future, or at least as little of
it as I had control over.  "OK, Mr. Bodyguard.  Since it's obvious you
already knew what was going to happen, you must have planned ahead.  I'll run
your damned Project 13.  But you get to run the rest of my life.  Satisfied?
Oh, tell your 'boss' that she's a manipulative bitch."

He laughed at my astringent tone.  "I told her that when she refused my
transfer request.  Lia?  Do you want me to be head of security for your
project, too?"

I let some of my exasperation show again.  "James Allgheri, right now all I
want is to be able to start this day over.  How the hell should *I* know what
you should be doing?  I've spent the last five years learning to
micro-manipulate genes.  I've just been handed the answer to my wildest
fantasy and all I can think of is the fact I have to take orders from a jerk
who thinks he's God's special gift to women--if I want to have any sort of a
future in genetech.  *You* tell me what your job title and duties should be."
I stood up and faced him.  "Jim, let's get out of here and go someplace we
can pretend we're just 'Jim and Lia'.  Or is that possible now that I'm head
of Project 13?"

He handed me a new id card.  It had my picture on it, the name of the project
and a stylized head of a wolf as the background.  It also had the words
'Biolab Thirteen - Head of Research' in bold letters that crossed it
diagonally.

I snorted.  "Somebody was pretty damn sure of themselves."

He blushed.  "I was."

His smile turned a bit lopsided.  "Lia, as Project Head, you can do damn near
anything you want as long as you don't offend the great gods of security.
Once you're safely at your new home, we can be 'Jim and Lia' anytime you
want.  I don't think you understand what's going on.  The best people in
genetech are waiting for you to tell them what to do.  All they care about
are results."  He stepped over and gently lifted my head so our eyes met.
"Lia, they've read every scrap of paper that's come out of your lab.  They
want one thing from you.  Your insights.  Give them that and you can do any
damn thing you please, even if it means screwing one of us on the conference
table in the middle of a meeting."

I couldn't stop my giggles.  "Are you *serious*?"

"I am.  These people are *that* dedicated to their work.  So am I."  He let
go, grinned and reached for his comm.  "Alpha Wolf to pack:  We have our
Alpha Bitch.  Scouts to me for escort duty.  The rest of the pack can return
to our home territory."

I stared at him in shock as I saw the implications of his words.  "A wolf
pack?  How secure is this room?"

He froze and the grin left his face.  "Totally."

"What about the rest of the people on the project?  Are they going along?"

"Yes."

"How well do you understand the social dynamics of a wolf pack?"

"Lia?  Is there a point to this?"  When I nodded he went on.  "It was easy
for us to adapt to.  From a military point of view, with its established
lines of authority and promotion from within the ranks for ability, it seemed
to be a natural fit.  My people, especially, haven't had a problem with
adapting to 'thinking like a wolf'."

"They wouldn't have, would they?" I murmured.  I sat on the edge of the table
and watched his face.  "James, I wasn't talking about the military aspects. I
asked how well you understand the *social* aspects of pack behavior.  Who are
the wolves loyal to?"

He frowned.  "The pack, of course.  And then to the Alpha pair."

"Right.  And who is the Alpha pair loyal to?"

He hesitated then shrugged.  "I'm not sure.  To themselves?"

I sighed.  "Their loyalty is to the pack and its survival.  Otherwise they
wouldn't *be* the alpha pair.  It's rare but there are confirmed instances of
packs killing one or both alpha wolves when they were consistently
anti-survival in their actions."

He thought about it and then nodded.  "OK.  I can see that."

"Good.  You wanted my 'insights'.  I'll give you some.  A wolf doesn't give
its loyalty to abstract concepts.  It gives its loyalty to something
tangible, the other wolves in its pack, as long as their behavior benefits
the pack as a unit.   You can't buy that kind of loyalty, you have to earn
it, constantly.  If an alpha wolf has to be replaced--it's replaced by a wolf
who is also a pack member.  In your *professional military opinion*  who are
any wolf spies we create going to be loyal to?  And what about our own
people?  Right now 'thinking like a wolf' is reinforcing the existing chain
of command.  This project is going to last for years, probably decades.  What
is going to happen when someone is added to the project?  What is going to
happen if somebody decides to replace one or both of *us* for political
reasons that have nothing to do with the success or failure of the project?
The humans will accept the changes, I hope.  What about the wolves?  How do
you think *they* are going to react?"

I watched his face as he worked his way to the inevitable conclusions.  I
knew when he finally hit the wall.  His face drained of color and he stared
at me.  "Lia..."  He caught himself and started again.  "In your paper you
mentioned wolves as being ideal.  Were you aware of these problems already?"

I spread my hands in a gesture of helplessness.  "No.  I focused on wolves
because their social structure is so close to ours.  They are also being
reintroduced into the areas they used to live in.  They live closer to nature
than we do and I feel that if we can give them speech they can tell us things
that will help us as we rebuild many of the habitats we've destroyed."  I
couldn't stop my slight smile.  "I wanted to build spies--but my spies would
owe their loyalty to the entire world as part of their awareness of what it
takes for them to survive as a species.  I don't think wolves would make the
kind of spies you need unless we find a way to convince them *our* concepts
are better than anyone else's when it comes to increasing their chances of
survival."

He nodded.  "Do you think there's a way?"

"I don't know.  Let's build some talking wolves, first.  Then we can worry
about all the other problems.  I do think it boils down to the same thing we
humans do."

"Oh?"

"Will we be able to get them to consciously override their instincts and
equate our survival with theirs?"
----

"Community togetherness can lead to a consensus outlook that seeks and destroys any dissident element, no matter how small and really harmless"

Dean R. Koontz - "A Darkness in My Soul" - published June, 1972

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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