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Adventures in Swinging Chapter 26- Part Two

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Chapter 26 - Part Two

Date: November 14th

Location: The Samuels Ranch, La Grange, Texas

Time: 1400hrs CST

Ellie walked up to Dave, sitting at his desk, checking the upload. She looked over the big Texan's shoulder, leaned in, and pecked him on the cheek. "How is our girl doing?" she asked.

Dave pushed back from the desk and rubbed his eyes. "Your girl just terminated the second data upload. We have 58 GB in the can. Not too shabby. By the way, Ellie, let me ask you a question. Your next passkey, 'Taggert thought the world of her.' Do you know what that means without any guesswork?"

Ellie shook her head slowly. "Sure I do, Dave. Easy peasy. I will let you know if you promise not to tell Control."

Dave laughed, "Hell yeah. I am all in, girl. I promise my lips are sealed. Carla Jo will never know."

Ellie cocked her head, "Carla Jo?"

Dave said, "Oh hell, let's agree to keep these two bits of information, yours and mine, from Control. It will be a trade secret we share. Carla Jo would be hurt deeply if she knew I let slip with her name."

Ellie nodded, "Deal." She leaned into Dave's ear and whispered, "Captain Taggert was in command of the Starship U.S.S. Repulse, NCC-2544, when he brought Doctor Pulaski to the Enterprise in season two to serve as the Chief Medical Officer."

"You programmed all of that into her?" Dave asked.

Ellie giggled, "No way, too much work. When I designed Evangeline, I devised a way she could convey passkeys we could use to authenticate, encrypt, or decrypt messages or initiate commands. To do that, I gave her instructions describing how we would communicate and the transfer processes we would follow. I instructed her to download all the teleplays for all Star Trek: Original Series and Next Generation episodes. I coded the instructions in C++ and then encrypted it all using Blowfish. The encrypted code was made a part of one of her learning engrams. To a probing computer geek, the encrypted code would be gibberish. It would be seen as fluff and innocuous to anyone coming across it. Evangeline would execute it as though it were part of her parasympathetic sub-system. She wouldn't even realize she had done it. The memories of all the episodes and how to use them when communicating with me would be stored."

"Damn girl, you are such a smart little geek," he said. "You ever gonna give me another chance in the Red Room?"

"Dave, I love you, but you are the biggest man I have ever seen, much less had inside me. You almost split me open with that wonderful manhood God equipped you with. I never got a chance to tell you how wonderfully intense it was, but I was sore for two days." Ellie could see a tinge of disappointment in Dave's face. "However, if Jared has no issue, I would love to open my mouth under you when you pull out from Bunty. We both talked about that, and I would love to swallow you."

Dave smiled, "You are a sweetie, Ellie girl. Would you and Jared like to play tonight? Seth said Heather was joining us here this evening. I know it is soon after what you went through, but you and my Pen have spent a little time together. Pen thought it might be nice if everyone got in some adult rumpus room playtime. I told her I would propose it, but I am sensitive to Annie and Carla Jo being here. I told Pen we might have a bridge too far for this visit. What do you think?"

Ellie nodded, "Dave, I agree with you. Annie being here is just throwing me off. Jared and I never, and I mean ever, want our children to see us naked together, much less at play with others. If hook-ups take place in the future, they will need to be discrete, in bedrooms, and exclude my daughter. I would be traumatized to see Annie naked, screwing away." Ellie shuddered visibly. "I will talk to Jared. I will bet it is a no-go until we complete the mission."

Dave got up from his chair and gave Ellie a big hug. He lifted her up and planted a soft kiss on her lips before gently setting her back down. He smiled and said, "I appreciate you shooting square with me, Ellie. You are a good Mom and a Top Hand. Now, let's see what everyone else is up to. Oh, by the way, we will all practice on the range out back tomorrow. Keep your shooting hand ready."

Ellie smacked at Dave's arm, "I will be in a protected facility surrounded by security. Why do I need to practice."

Dave stopped her, placing his hand square on Ellie's shoulder. "Whoa, Missy," he barked. "You will practice for that one time when the shit hits the fan--that one time when you least expect it. When everything goes to shit, and you find your security detail is wiped out, and it's just you and the bad guys now. I'm serious, Ellie. You are still new to this game. Penelope would roast my nuts if I let you off the hook. If you need a piece shoot, then go see Pen. Nuf said."

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Jared walked down the hallway holding a tablet, trying to read and walk without full situational awareness. He almost ran Ellie over, but Dave intervened.

"Easy pard. You almost wiped out your misses," he cautioned.

"Damn, I am sorry, you two," he quickly apologized. "Dave, Bunty needs to see you in your bedroom. Ellie, Control wants to see you down in the White Room. I am going for a quick dip before tea gets served."

Dave sidestepped past the two quickly.

Ellie looked up into Jared's face. He seemed distracted. Is there something upsetting you, sweetheart?" she asked.

Jared looked at his wife and pulled her close to him. It was a tight hug, one that felt like he needed her comfort or the reassurance of Ellie next to him. After a few seconds, he separated himself, leaned down, and tenderly kissed Ellie. "I will be back from swimming in a few minutes. I promised Bunty I would help her with tea."

Ellie went into the kitchen and saw the pantry door open. She pressed, and the lift opened. She went in and pressed the button labeled 'B.' The doors closed, and the ride down began.

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The overheads in the White Room were almost dimmed to the point of no illumination. When the lift doors opened, Ellie's eyes had to adjust as she stepped into the shadows. Once closed, the whine of the electric motors signaled that the car began its ascent.

"Control?" she said hesitantly. Ellie turned her head, and her ears could just register a faint whimper from the other side of the conference table. Ellie moved with soft steps toward the noise. She could see a form in one of the executive chairs. "Control, what is wrong?"

As Ellie came closer, she could see Control huddled in the chair, her chest heaving as she sobbed almost in a covert way of all things. Ellie turned the chair toward her. Control was in a fetal position. Her legs were drawn up tightly, squeezing her into the chair. She was turned to her right, and her head lay deep against the cushioned leather. Ellie called out, "Hey you, 50 percent illumination." The lights came up. "Damn, it worked," she said in triumph. Control, however, was far from triumph, as she gave Ellie no acknowledgment of her presence.

"Control, what is wrong?" Ellie repeated as she knelt before the chair. She reached for her superior's hand, which clenched a kerchief. Only then did Control look at Ellie. An onslaught of tears and mascara had run down her face. Her nose was red, and her eyes were swollen from despondency.

"What has happened?" Ellie asked probingly.

"She is dead. Ellie, I killed her." Control sobbed as her nose ran. Ellie looked at the sopping wet cloth in the grieving woman's hands. She looked around.

"Never a powder room when you need one." Ellie lamented.

"There is a box of tissues on the ledge, just to the left of the screen," her Boss offered.

Ellie got up, retrieved the Kleenex box, and knelt again. She pulled out two sheets and gently turned Control's head. Tenderly, Ellie wiped the drip from Control's nose and lips. She repeated this with fresh sheets and cleaned as much smeared mascara from her eyes and cheeks as possible.

Control coughed into the kerchief and said, "Angela Bostwick is dead. I just received word from the State Department. Her body was found in an alleyway in Mexico City, emaciated and tortured. Her arms were covered in needle tracks. Her face was bereft of hope. I sent her to her death."

Ellie said softly, "Who found her?"

Control shrugged, "The Federales. Oh, Ellie, I can't do that to your child."

Ellie looked at her, "You have to send her on this mission."

Control was astonished at the response. "Why?"

Ellie's eyes took on a countenance remembering her 'Mamma's' look when rocking her fever-wracked child, "To restore Angela's dignity. To complete a mission Angela didn't get a chance to. Most of all, to avenge her death by denying Geoffrey Crossthwaite what he covets most: power."

Control sniffled, "But I saw the terror in your eyes when you realized what I had done, bringing her on this mission. I can't do that to you."

Ellie put her finger to Control's lips, "You must. Annie is determined, and she is trained. My daughter knows all my habits and quirks. Jared was right. There is no logical alternative. Crossthwaite wants me. Annie will give the team the deception they need to install the Wide Band SATCOM units on Crossthwaite's ship. It's the only way for Evangeline to transfer her consciousness into her new home. This way, you can gain comfort knowing that Angela's sacrifice wasn't in vain."

Control nodded, "Cole is coming to pick me up this evening. Seth has the team for the next week. I am going to take Angela home to her parents. I don't know how I can face them. However, before I leave here, you have an important call to take."

"The President?" Ellie asked.

Control smiled, "I told you. All you have to do is ask, and it shall be yours."

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The grandfather clock rang out its chimes and then filled the foyer with four distinct rings of its bell. Everyone was in the lounge. Bunty was serving chocolate chip and raspberry scones. She had out her infusers and two of her beautiful china teapots. A 12-cup coffee pot had finished brewing Italian Roast. The coffee table was adorned with lace doiles. Bunty had positioned a lazy Susan, a gift from Dave's mother, at the center of the table, with light cream, sugar cubes, and Stevia servers. Two serving platters offered a choice of cucumber or chicken salad finger sandwiches. Dave insisted on protein, so he made a batch of chicken salad for his mom.

Everyone except Seth, who had disappeared, was trying to relax after receiving the news about Angela's death. As Bunty was ready to begin her service, Seth stepped carefully into the lounge. He carried a silver platter from Dave's bar. In it were brandy snifters filled with an amber liquid. Dave did a quick count and noted that there were two more than the number of people present.

Dave had pulled a chair from the dining room table, making room for one additional setting that Bunty had prepared. Seth placed the first snifter on the plate, which one would typically reserve for scones. "Angela," he said, handing everyone a snifter.

"To absent friends," Seth said.

Control stood and lifted her glass, "To Angela."

Everyone else also stood and lifted their glasses, "To Angela."

Folks took tentative sips in salute of the fallen, all sitting down except Control. "I am not big on speeches, tributes, or eulogies. Angela was taken from us by people who have no value for human life. She was a consummate professional with whom I was proud to serve for seven years. I shall miss her terribly." With that, she sat down and chugged the remainder of the Napoleon brandy.

Dave leaned into Seth's ears and whispered, "That is my 80-year-old brandy. Pen's father gave it to me at our wedding."

Seth cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, "Angela was worth that and much more, Dave." Seth took the last snifter and handed it to Control, who accepted it appreciatively. She downed it as Bunty began to serve.

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