Note to Readers
This story has a surprise ending. I am posting it for you to read in the hope some of you will be willing to help. I need you to guess who/what the swarm is in order for me to determine if I have given enough clues so you'll feel you should have guessed, but not enough to give away the ending. Please send your guesses to gnilgdelf@gmail.com.

Prologue

A Virgin to Lie in Thy Bosom

Something Is Wrong Here!

The Other Side of the Story

A White Knight in Shining Armor

First Contact

Master the Tempest is Raging

My Soul’s Mate

Is Willing-Slave an Oxymoron?

Insight of a Superior Mind

Rescue

Unwilling Master, Willing Slave

A Life of Betrayal

With the Help of Angels

Now that the confusion over duplicate nests was resolved, TAYG7TM began working on a new problem. For a 100 generations, the carrier’s progenitors had been programmed to propagate with only one nest. The presence of duplicate nests and the signals they were sending indicated that there was a tremendous pressure building on the carrier to propagate with both of them. This would almost certainly create conflicts in the mainframe’s programming that would endanger the carrier, both essences and their potential progeny.

In hopes of forestalling the conflicts, TAYG7TM ordered its pod mates to begin a crash program of dreams, intuition, insights, and inspirations to the mainframe and the nests in hopes that the increased communications would allow them to alter the mainframe’s programming enough to avoid the conflicts.

Both A5CD2’s sent messages to their central processors to reduce the pressure to propagate.

With chagrin, George backtracked, “What I mean is, we know who she is. We still have to find where she is. Courtney, did one of your girl friends have the same birthday you did?”

“ Yes, Mandy. Everyone said that we looked so much alike, we could be sisters. She moved after my birthday party and I never saw her again.”

“ Come here, I want to show you something,” George said handing her the birth certificate. After looking at it for a minute, she shook her head and said, “It’s my birth certificate. How does it tell us who the girl is?”

Suddenly with a squeal of delight, she threw her arms around George and kissed him as if her life depended on stealing his breath. “Happy birthday Angel. I wasn’t here to give you a gift then, so I hope this will make up for it.”

Smiling with an all-is-right-with-the-world glow, Courtney turned to explain, “It says I have a twin sister! It has to be Mandy.”

“ Do you remember Mandy’s last name?” George asked, basking in the glow of happiness she was radiating.

“ No, I don’t think I ever knew it. She didn’t go to my school and I didn’t even know where she lived. I always thought she visited because her parents were friends with mine. It makes sense now. They wanted us to grow up alone, so when we started asking if we were related, they separated us. George, how are we going to find her?” Courtney pleaded.

“ We’ll just send her picture to all the schools until someone recognizes her,” George laughed at her confusion.

“ How can we get her picture? If we don’t know where she is and we need her picture to find her, we can’t get her picture until after we don’t need it any more.”

“ Let me show you her picture,” he said, taking her by the shoulders and marching towards the wall. Turning her to face the wall, he pointed to a mirror, “Courtney, I’d like you to meet Mandy. Mandy, this is your sister Courtney.”

Like a tornado, Courtney spun in his arms and rained tears of joy on his shoulder. Looking around, George noticed that everyone was blinking back tears, trying to keep them from spilling. “Okay, everybody, we still have a girl to rescue, and now she is more important than ever. Does anyone have a digital camera?”

A camera was quickly brought in and someone snapped Courtney’s picture while George worried about her smile. He was certain Mandy didn’t smile very often, if at all and hoped the smile wouldn’t make it harder to recognize her twin. With a flash of inspiration, he asked the sheriff to get a copy of Courtney’s booking photo just to be safe.

The school that Courtney attended was obviously not a possibility, so when the photos were ready, Mabble called one of the other two high schools in Lincoln County where she might be a student and explained about looking for a missing child. She got a fax number and email address and the photos were sent. When the secretary said she didn’t recognize the girl, Mabble passed the call to the sheriff and called the other high school.

The sheriff introduced himself and asked for the principal. When the principal came on, the sheriff explained that it was a matter of life and death. He insisted a copy of the photos go to each classroom to ask if any of the students had ever seen her. Promising to call back, the principal set to work.

Mabble handed the sheriff the phone call to the other school as soon as he hung up and the process was repeated. The failure to find her in the county had subdued some of the excitement, so George gave them a boost, “You shouldn’t be disappointed. It was unlikely they’d leave twin sisters where people who knew them might assume they were related. So where is the closest high school outside the county?”

Duke offered, “I think there is one about 40 miles the other side of the state line on highway 56. It’s small and services the farming area east of the county.”

“ Mabble, can you find a phone number?” George asked. “I think the slavers prefer small schools, so there’s a good chance this is the one. Sheriff, what kind of headaches will we have in rescuing her from outside your jurisdiction.”

The sheriff just shook his head. “You won’t be able to rescue her against her will. She’s 18 and can do whatever she chooses. If you can persuade her to come with you, we can act as bodyguards to protect you from interference. If you can’t, the headaches will take months to overcome.

“ What if you happened to be present when her mother assaulted an innocent third party?” George asked, somehow managing to convey a sense of intrigue.

Without warning’ Duke burst out laughing so hard, he collapsed into a chair. “Keep it up George and I’ll start selling tickets to these wild rabbits you keep pulling out of your hat.” Then seeing he was the only one who had a clue about what George was planning, he explained. “George is planning to use Courtney to bait Mandy’s mother into an assault to keep her from running off. Am I right?”

“ George nodded sheepishly, “It seems to be the easiest solution, especially if we could tempt her into coming into Lincoln County. What if we called her and told her Mandy had been picked by the police and asked her to come get her?”

A squeal of excitement erupted and Mabble’s voice rose above the rest, “She’s there. We found her. Her name is Mandy Daniels. How exciting.”

A wave of relief washed over him as the room erupted in a babble of competing voices.” Raising his voice to quell the hubbub, George ordered, “Listen up, just because we know how and where to rescue Mandy, that doesn’t mean the jobs you’re working on don’t need to be completed. Mandy was the one in danger, but there are others out there that we still need to find. Duke, do you agree you’re a more effective backup than Lincoln county officers would be? And do you have any extra private concealed carry people you work with that can help?”

“ I will have to make some calls to find out for sure, but probably 30 minutes.”

“ OK, let’s move. Dr. Sheffield, do you have any suggestions that might help us override her conditioning if she was ordered not to leave?” George asked.

“ Only the obvious, tell her you have an order from her mother. If that doesn’t work say her mother is hurt. I’d recommend that you take the sheriff or a deputy as that will add credibility to what you say,” the Dr. suggested.

“ Sheriff, I think we can arrange this so that the risk to you is extremely small. Would you be willing to come with us?"

The Sheriff beamed, “It’d be my pleasure. I can’t believe following your advice could carry any risk, but even if the risk is moderate, you’ve earned my support.”

“ Okay, before we leave, I need a high school textbook and a utility knife. Can anyone tell me where we can get them quickly?” George asked.

George sent Courtney out to the pickup to get his laptop, the GPS tracker and the copper box with the wireless cameras, and 15 minutes later, they were seated in the sheriff’s big SUV, lights flashing and driving 90 mph. Duke was riding shotgun and another car with 2 of Duke’s men was following. The sheriff had told his office to call the dispatcher in the neighboring County to tell them they’d be traveling through on police business with flashers going.

After showing Courtney how to cut a hole in the pages of the book in which to put the wireless camera, George pulled out his cell phone and began trying to catch up on the pending business in the city.

The first call was to Marcus. “Hello? This is George. …. I wanted to let you know that Courtney and I had an emergency come up this morning and we had to drive to Lincoln County. … Yeah, that’s where we are now. … About 5:30. … Anyway, I called to find out what you need for the hearing. … If you can pull that off without help, you’re worth every penny I'm paying you. … Well, we found out that Courtney has a twin sister and we’re on our way to rescue her. … Yeah, there’s a surprise around every corner. That reminds me, we got a surprise infusion of cash, so providing you with whatever funds you need won’t be a problem any more. … It might be late tonight. Listen, if you need it, the Sheriff is with us on this emergency, so if things don’t go right, you can ask for a continuance based on the sheriff not being available. … Okay, I’ll give you a call as soon as we get back.”

The second call was to Ivan. “Hello, Ivan? This is George. ... I just wanted to check in to see how we’re set on spaces for the swap meets. … Sounds great. … You’re right, it doesn’t get much better than that. ... Yeah, sorry, Courtney and I got tangled up in an emergency. How is Cary doing? … Great! I’ll talk to you in the morning and tell you all about it. … Tell the girls Courtney says Hi. …. Bye.”

After the calls, they plugged in George’s GPS tracker and programmed it with the address of both the school and Mandy’s house. Then George spent a half-hour filling Duke in on all the things that needed to be followed up on, neither of them paying any attention to the trip. They were both astonished when they looked up and found they were parked in front.

George took the time to choreograph their entrance, after which they hurried in. They got to the door at the same time, but then Courtney ran ahead so that she arrived in the school’s office 20 feet ahead of George and the sheriff walking together. As soon as she arrived at the office counter, she blurted, “We have a family emergency and I need to see my sister, Mandy Daniels!”

Just as she finished, George added, “Can you tell us where she is?” Then it was the Sheriff turn, “Please ma’am, this is an official police emergency and it is urgent.” Finally, the three private security men pushed in behind them.

The middle aged secretary stood with her mouth open and then, when she’d gathered a few of her wits back, she said, “I didn’t know that Mandy had a sister, but if you weren't her sister, you would have to be Mandy herself. Uh, let’s see, she’d be in English now. That would be room 6 down the hall on your right.”

“ Thank you.” George said, guiding Courtney out and escorting her down the hall while the Sheriff and the deputies kept the secretary busy. “It’s really sad,” the sheriff said. “Her mother was just killed. She hasn’t seen her sister for a year because of the way the Courts separate siblings when families break apart. I’m afraid the news is going to hit Mandy pretty hard.”

George and Courtney quickly found room 6. Opening the door and walking directly to the teacher, he apologized, “Please excuse me for interrupting, but Mandy Daniels has a family emergency. Will you please excuse her?”

Courtney entered behind him and looked over the class to find her sister. When she saw Mandy, she hurried to her desk and whispered, “Mandy, Master ordered you to come with me. Don’t look at the teacher, just get up and come.” Then reaching for her hand, she pulled her from her seat and out the door.

The minute the door closed, she wrapped her arms around her sister and whispered, “Oh Mandy, I’m so happy to see you, but we have to go. You must come with us and do everything our Master tells you to.” Then George was there, ushering them to the door. When they were outside, he ordered, “Courtney, take her to the Sheriff’s car and get in back.”

As soon as he could get their attention, George signaled the other 4 men and they all hustled out together. “This is the second time this week I’ve lead an attack on a government building and accomplished the objective without even a cross look. Do you think its magic?” George asked.

“ Whether it’s magic or not, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it,” the Sheriff chuckled.

They piled in and left with lights flashing and sirens blaring. It only took a second to reset the street pilot and within a few minutes, they were approaching a house much like Courtney’s, in the middle of nowhere without neighbors. They drove past without stopping and George noted a car in the Driveway.

“ Mandy, does your mother work?” George asked. When Mandy cringed at the question, Courtney grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear, “Mandy, George is Our Master. You have to do everything he asks you to. Do you remember what happened this morning? If you do everything he tells you to, he’ll do that to you too. We think your mother was going to sell you, when you got home from school. George saved my life, and now he’s saved yours too.”

As Courtney whispered in her ear, George watched the expressions play across her face. Fear, curiosity, embarrassment, lust, arousal, love, reverence, it was a parade. And after the parade had passed, worship was left behind.

George looked up into Duke’s face, his own face blushing. “It isn’t my fault. They’ve been conditioned. That is what the whole criminal enterprise is about. Now please turn around so they can change clothes.”

The sheriff pulled off the road as soon as the house was out of sight and everyone but the girls got out. Leaning in, George ordered, “Courtney, switch clothes just in case we need you. We’ll be back as soon as you’re finished.”

The 5 men gathered around the second car. Everyone looked to George for instructions, a phenomenon that amused him. “Mandy says her mother usually works and she doesn’t know why she stayed home. I’d give odds of ten to one that she’s getting ready to split. So, before we approach the house, we need to cut the phone lines and disable her car. Duke, do you have any suggestions about how that can be done most effectively? It’d be nice if it looked like an accident rather than sabotage.”

“ How about this,” Duke answered, “We’ll tie a rope to the fence, hook it to the car and drag it over a phone cable box making sure it is pulled out of the ground. Then we’ll drive over the break in the fence so that it looks like someone drove through the fence, hooking and dragging it across the box.”

“ That would do it all right. OK sheriff, this is how we'll do it. You and Courtney will drive up to the house with Duke and I in the back seat, ducked out of sight. Park so her car is blocked. Take Courtney up to the door with her arm behind her so that her mother can see you’re restraining her. Be sure to hold the book so that the camera will give us a picture of the mother. When she answers the door, ask her if this is her daughter.”

“ We’ll assume she’ll claim that Courtney is her daughter, if not bring her back to the car for plan B. Courtney will scream and struggle that she’s not. Apologize and ask if you can take her in the house. If she says no, tell her you’ll have to take her to the lock up unless you have permission to escort her into the house.”

“ Once you’re inside, find a place to set the book so we get a picture. Ask the mother how old the daughter is. We need her to admit that she’s 18. If she claims she isn’t, ask for proof. After she admits it, tell her that her daughter claims she’s being drugged and abused. Explain you only have two options, either the daughter agrees to stay home and the mother accepts responsibility for her actions or you have to take her to jail. Then tell the mother you’re going out to your car and you will come back in 20 minutes for her answer. Any questions?”

“ I hope they make a movie of this someday,” the sheriff joked. “I’m ready when you are.”

Just then George, Duke and the Sheriff looked up to the sound of the fence being pulled apart. The fake accident came off without a hitch so the three men walked back to the sheriff’s car, where George ordered Mandy to stay with the two security guards until he came back.

Minutes later, the sheriff pushed Courtney up to the front door. The plan worked perfectly and the sheriff was back in the car where they all watched on George’s laptop. As soon as the door was closed behind the sheriff, Mandy’s mother demanded, “Mandy, what the hell are you doing?”

Courtney answered, “You’ve been drugging me and I won’t let you do it anymore. I’d rather be in jail.”

C; “I’m 18 and I don’t have to do anything you tell me. You can’t make me.”

M; “You don’t have anywhere to go and you don’t have any money. You can’t leave.”

C; “I don’t care. I’d rather sleep in a ditch than let you drug and control me.”

M; “If you don’t stop this, I’ll get the belt and whip you until you do.”

C; “We both know you are a stupid coward and that you don’t have the guts to even try it.”

C; “I’d gladly sacrifice myself if it meant your life would be destroyed.”

C; “I want the police to leave so I can get out of here without going to jail.”

C; “Not a chance. I told him about the drugs you gave me and he promised CPS would protect me and put you in jail.

C; “You ruined my life, so if I’ve given you some grief back, I’m happy.”

George shouted, “Sheriff, get in there. Break in the door before it’s too late.

Mandy’s mother rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a knife. Just as she was re-entering the living room, the front door burst in and the sheriff pulled his gun, “Drop it. Mrs. Daniels, you're under arrest. …. George stopped watching and ran to the house as the sheriff read the mother her rights.

After wrapping Courtney in his arms and kissing her, to the astonishment of Mandy’s mother, George ordered, “Go out and have Duke bring Mandy. Mrs. Daniels, do you know what you have been arrested for?”

“ Not true,” George said, picking up and opening the book to show the hidden camera. “We have a video of you committing attempted murder. If you’d like to see how well you performed as the star, I’ll be happy to give you an exclusive preview. Besides, if we let you go, your handlers will kill you just like they killed Courtney's mother when she escaped.”

“ You may not have realized it yet, but the girl you were arguing with isn’t Mandy, it was her twin sister. We know all about what you were doing. We know how much and by who you are being paid. We even have Mrs. Dobson’s murderers in custody. And best of all, we have Dr. Van Berg.”

“ You only have two choices, become a witness for us or let them murder you too. You don’t have to answer now, we’ve got a long trip to get you back to the jail. Sheriff, can you please gag her? It’s important she not be allowed to say anything to Mandy. Then take her out to the police car and send Duke in."

For the next hour, George, the 2 girls and the 3 detectives took the house apart. Boxing up all the documents, papers, bank records, drug bottles and photos, they carefully secured the broken door and left.

On the trip back, one of the detectives drove the sheriff’s car while Duke and the sheriff sat on either side of the prisoner in the back seat and pumped her mercilessly. Another detective drove the other car while George and Courtney sat on either side of Mandy.