Cisco learns that there are benefits to his new job while Ronin goes back to Sateda. Carter has an encounter with the leader of the Genii, and invites him to dinner...
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Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes
Chapter Three
Interior-Infirmary
0620 Hours
"Samuels to Cisco."
"Go ahead." He said quietly as he tapped his headset.
"Can you meet me in the colonel's suite?" She asked.
"Five minutes?"
"That's fine, I'll have coffee ready."
He stood up, and saw that Tammy was looking at him.
"You're a light sleeper." He said. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." She smiled. "Who was that?"
"Samuels. She wants to talk to me."
She nodded, her eyes closing.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be back later."
She smiled, but didn't say anything.
Interior-Kitchen
0630 Hours
"Get some coffee, and have a seat, they need a few more minutes to finish getting your suite ready." Andi said, not turning around.
He noticed that she had a tablet on the table in front of her, and there were pictures of the living room and kitchen on it. He waved his arm, and saw himself doing it on the tablet.
"It's a live feed, we use it to monitor Sam. Or we used to, we don't need it that much anymore." Samuels said. "They both wear a bracelet that we monitor them with too."
"Could those bracelets be modified to send out a distress signal, or to track them?" He asked as he sat down across the table from her.
She shook her head. "The range on them is only about two hundred feet. It's a medical device. Sam has a subcutaneous transponder, I guess we could get Tammy one."
"Since she's already in the infirmary, could we do that today?" He asked.
"It might be a little soon for that." She said. "She may not be up to it."
"She's feeling better. I just came from there."
"When did you go down there?"
"I was there all night."
She looked at him, then nodded.
"I check the video system here in the suite, the conference room, and anywhere they go that has a video feed." She said. "I use it to track Sam's progress as my patient, and also to make a historical record as foreign minister."
She got up and refilled her coffee cup, then came back and sat down.
"They withhold information from both Jennifer and I, but they know that we check the video. They don't object, or else Tammy would have shut it down. She set the system up."
He nodded, and waited for her to continue.
"I understand that your first loyalty is going to be to them, and that you're going to have to withhold information from me at their request. But I need you to share information about their state of mind, and their health with us. We can talk to Sam about that later, I doubt if she'll object."
"My job is to protect the royal family, and that means more than just keeping them alive." He said. "Would you agree with that?"
She nodded.
"I'll need to speak to Ronin and the queens to see what that includes. But I agree, I doubt if they'll object to us sharing medical information with you."
She nodded again, looking at him.
"Let's go down and take a look at your suite." She said as she stood up. "I gave you the one I used to live in. It's got a rustic decor, I think you'll like it.
Interior-Kitchen
0745 Hours
"Carter to Cisco."
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"Where are you?"
"Right here." He said as he stepped into the kitchen.
"Neat trick." She laughed. "I like the outfit."
He was wearing a light brown Atlantian style suit with a soft, cream-colored shirt.
"I don't like the cut of the jacket. No collar."
"Take it off." She said. "I want to see what you have on under there."
He slipped the jacket off, revealing twin shoulder holsters, each with a large automatic pistol.
"Turn around."
He turned, and she could see the two small pistols clipped inside the waistband of his pants.
"Now lift the pants legs."
He drew up the legs of his pants. He had another pistol strapped to one ankle, and his bowie knife strapped to the other.
"What else do you have? I know there's more." She said.
He pulled a small knife from one sleeve, then held his other arm out, and a small pistol appeared in his hand.
Ronin smiled. "What about the knife under your collar, and the one strapped inside your left leg?"
"Those are carved bone, won't show up on a metal detector." Cisco said.
"So another knife, or a bomb isn't going to pop out of your shoe? We've seen it all?"
"You never see it all." He said as he reached up and slipped a thin piece of wire from under the collar of his shirt.
"What's that for?" She asked.
"Garrote."
"And you're going to pack all that hardware around all the time?" She asked.
"No. But at least one guard per team will carry most of it. The other one will have a small automatic weapon." He said. "I like the Mac10. But if we can find more of Ronin's gun, we can use those."