15.

Naomi was surprised when the social worker turned up again. Nicole had told her the creature's visits would be irregular, but it had been here only three days ago! And what was worse, this time it insisted on synching with all ten Trixies, one by one, using a different box each time. Naomi just knew the creature was up to something. But at least one of her team members and one of the comp crew had watched every step of the process (Naomi herself stood several consecutive shifts), and not a one of them had seen anything suspicious.

"Morgan, this just doesn't seem possible. Are you sure they checked every plug in every box?"

"And every bit of code they could access, Ma'am," sighed the department manager. Morgan Willett had been with GlobeNet since Naomi's grandfather's time, but she still refused to call her boss by her first name. "Of course, I can't guarantee you that we found all the code, and we still can't decipher most of what we found."

"Understood," Naomi sighed. "It's just so frustrating. I know we're missing something."

"We probably are, Ma'am. But we'll keep trying. No one's giving up on this thing."

"Thanks, Morgan. I know you're doing your best." She slipped out of Willett's office and paused in the hallway, staring back through the glass of the main R&D room. Fourteen experienced comp techs, all hunched over their individual units, some still dredging code from the Trixies' boxes via networking cables that ran the length of the building. Most of the crew, however, had returned to their regularly scheduled duties. After all, Naomi did have a corporation to run.

Fourteen men and women - fifteen, counting Morgan behind her - and not a one of them had a clue what the social worker was up to. It just didn't make sense.

Absentmindedly Naomi reached into her pocket and ran her fingers along its contents. A flat screen, rubbery buttons, plastic casing. Naomi froze as she realized what she held. Could it be that--? No. No, that was ridiculous. The comp crew showed no signs of recycling. Well, no obvious signs, anyway. But were there less obvious signs - never publicized but still, perhaps, evident to a brain scanner?

Surreptitiously Naomi pulled the device from her pocket. She cocked it at hip level, aimed it at her forehead and pressed the power button. "All functions within normal range," she read, and breathed a sigh of relief. What would she have done if she'd found signs of tampering in herself?

Trembling just a little, she kept the scanner at waist level and aimed it at the nearest comp tech, a redhead named Deakins. "Forebrain activity 83%," scrolled the readout. "Hindbrain activity 92%, emotional development 60%, autonomic development 100%, electrical activity 98%."

It had to be the glass, thought Naomi. Working hard to look casual, she strolled to the open doorway and aimed the scanner again. "Forebrain activity 86%," read Zabriskie's results. "Hindbrain activity 92%, emotional development 65%, autonomic development 97%, electrical activity 98%."

"Oh fuck," breathed Naomi.

"Something wrong?"

Naomi whirled to find Morgan standing almost at her shoulder. "Forebrain activity 84%," the readout dutifully reported. "Hindbrain activity 93%...."

"That can't be right." Morgan drew the scanner from Naomi's numb fingers. "Your scanner must be malfunctioning, Ma'am. Let me see if I can fix it." She popped open the back of the case with a thumbnail, momentarily screening it with her hand in the process. And what else did she do in those hidden moments, with that nice sharp nail of hers?

"See? said Morgan. "Here's your problem, Ma'am. This wire's loose. Come with me into the shop and I'll tighten it up. It'll just take a second."

Naomi's glance darted toward the R&D room, noting that several of the comp techs had risen from their chairs. They were watching her. And was it just her imagination, or did their faces seem unnaturally still? "Oh, that's all right," she said, suppressing a nervous laugh. "I don't need it right this second. Tell you what, um, Morgan. Why don't you hold onto it, and I'll come back and get it later?" With backup.

Morgan regarded her levelly, while a couple of comp techs eased toward the door.

Ohshitohshitohshit, what am I going to do? The entire comp crew's been recycled!

"Really," said Naomi, backing slowly away, "there's no rush. I'd rather you all concentrate on the box code. If I need a scanner between now and tomorrow - and I'm sure I won't - I'll just borrow one from one my team members."

Willett cocked her head and smiled as though puzzled. "But Ma'am-"

But Ma'am had reached the door at the end of the hall now, and practically flung herself through the opening. Three dozen heads popped up from their cubicles in surprise.

In cross-section, the Warren Building was shaped like an asterisk, with the R&D room occupying the same space in F-Wing as the storage room in A-Wing: both were at the far end of their spokes. But while A-Wing was divided into a broad hall and spacious offices, the front half of F-Wing was an open rectangle with a maze of cubes in the center and tiny offices along the walls. This was Customer Service, the department that dealt most frequently with the public. If anyone at GlobeNet was ripe for recycling, thought Naomi, it was this group. She stared back at all those wide, unblinking eyes and imagined them fixed on spirals whirling inside their monitors. She imagined their lips moving silently in tune with the voices in their earphones. Tucked away in their cubicles, who would see them or save them as they fell to Argenti's spell?

Why hadn't she thought of it before? Naomi had been almost fanatical about pre-screening the Trixies and preparing A-Wing to receive them. But what had she done to beef up the other wings' defenses? She'd trusted the usual security methods to hold here, but obviously they hadn't. The entire comp crew was lost, even Morgan (And didn't that rip her heart to shreds?). She had no right to hope Customer Service would be different. But she had to get past them now, in order to escape.

Naomi leaned against the door she'd come through, wishing she could lock it behind her. But the doorknobs in F-Wing had old-fashioned button locks, left over from her father's day, and Naomi's keys lay back in her office. She might be able to brace the handle for a while, but what was the use? If the CS department had been subverted, they'd be on her at the first sign of panic. Her only hope was to let go, run for all she was worth, and hope like hell the CS'ers were free.

Naomi cast her eyes around the room, looking for the best route of escape. Wait! There was Kari Tomlinson, wending her way between cubes with a stack of papers in her hands. Oh, thank goodness. Now Naomi had an excuse for running.

"Kari!" she shouted, releasing the doorknob and sprinting toward the intern. "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!"

Kari gaped, then blushed, just as Naomi had known she would. Tomlinson was the type of person who took any raised voice as criticism. No doubt she was wondering what she'd done wrong. Unfortunately, Naomi had to play directly to those fears. "Dammit, Kari," she snapped, "get over here!" Even as she spoke she'd reached the girl, and grabbing her arm, she dragged her into the nearest empty cube.

"Ms. Warren!" squeaked the intern. Naomi shook her head and pulled her down, slapping a hand over her mouth. She leaned in close. "The comp crew's been recycled," she hissed, breathing directly into Kari's ear. "Customer Service too, maybe. We have to get out of here now!"

Kari blinked, tensed, nodded; and Naomi let go of her mouth. Good girl, she thought. She leaned carefully out of the cube and peered back toward the Computer department. Damn, Morgan was already on her way, and she had Garrison and Heyward with her. They moved with a studied calm, which might mean the CS'ers were free and they didn't want to alarm them. Then again, it might be a side effect of their subversion. Naomi knew she had to assume the worst.

She cast a glance toward the opposite door, the one leading back to the building's hub. If she and Kari could just make it that far, they could sprint back to A-Wing and warn the others. Or, hell, they could just dive into the elevator and clear out of the building. Leave the cleanup work to the police. Unfortunately, buttonholing the intern had slung them far off to the side, and now she was further from the door than she'd been before. "We'll have to run for it," Naomi said.

But even as her muscles tensed, the hub door opened and two guardians stepped through. Chang and Williams. Their eyes were bright, their faces calm, and both fingered something hidden in their pockets.

16.

The guardians peered over the cubicles, locking glances with the comp crew in back. Then their heads turned in unison toward Naomi. They started forward.

Oh, fuck, not the guardians too! Who do I trust if I can't even trust them? Terrified, suspicious, she turned back to Kari, who gazed at her with wide, honest eyes that said absolutely nothing. Morgan had looked the same way, right before Naomi scanned her. But now Morgan had the scanner, and how could Naomi test Kari?

Maybe she should just let the girl go and take her chances alone. But if Kari was still free and Naomi left her here with the zombies....Damn it! There had to be some other way to spot a recyclee.

The intern licked her lips.

Naomi stared at the nervous pink tongue. Oh! That was it! But she'd have to be quick about it. She darted forward, plunging her tongue deep into Kari's mouth.

"Mmmpf!" the girl protested. She dropped her paperwork and flapped her hands uselessly against Naomi's back. But a moment later her hands grew still, and Naomi felt the girl's hips slide closer to her own. Kari, I never knew! In other circumstances this would have been a happy realization, but Naomi couldn't spare the time to explore. She already had what she'd come for: the taste of the intern's mouth. It was peppermint, not spice, so Kari was still a free woman.

Naomi pulled back quickly, shot one last look at their pursuers, and gave up all hope of reaching the hub. "Bertram's office," she hissed, and Kari nodded. Blushing be damned, the kid had a good head on her shoulders. Naomi grabbed her hand, and together they darted toward the one empty office on the nearest wall.

David Bertram had quit GlobeNet two weeks ago and his position had yet to be filled. The door was still open and the women barreled through, then slammed it closed behind them. Naomi thumbed the lock and collapsed against the frame, shuddering.

"Ms. Warren," said Kari, fidgeting beside her, "are you trying to seduce me?"

"What?!" Naomi launched herself away from the door, turned, stared, at last managed a chuckle. "No. Sorry, kid. You're a sweetheart, but I'm love with someone else."

"Then why did you-" Kari broke off with a blush.

"Kiss you? They took my scanner, Kari. It was the only other way I could be sure you weren't subverted."

"I don't - oh, the taste of the residue, right?"

Naomi grinned. "Kari, my friend, you are way overdue for a raise." The squeak of a twisting doorknob brought her back to seriousness. "I just hope I'll have the chance to give it to you. That lock won't help for long; the guardians have duplicates for all the keys on this floor." Her eyes fell on Bertram's phone, still perched atop his empty desk. "We have to get help. Outside help." She snatched up the receiver, breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the dial tone, and began punching buttons.

Click. The phone went dead.

"Fuck!" Naomi toggled the buttons, but nothing happened. "I should have been quicker; they've just cut the line."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault, Kari. I-" she broke off, staring at the doorknob. The button was trembling, on the verge of popping out. "Punch it!" she shrieked.

Kari obeyed instantly, the locking mechanism squealing protest as it fought against her grip. But she kept her thumb pressed tight against it and stared up at Naomi. "Is there anything here we can use to jam the lock? A nail file? Paper clip? Safety pin?"

Naomi glanced around the office, bare now of everything except the phone and David's old computer (Computer! Hold that thought!). She scrambled behind the desk, yanked open a drawer, and crowed in triumph. "Paper clips! Lots of them!" She snatched up a handful and raced back to the door, where she unfolded one and tried to shove it into the space between button and doorknob. After several attempts - and several errant pokes at Kari's thumb - she managed to force it in, but they both knew it wouldn't hold long.

Naomi jammed a couple more clips in place between the lock and the doorframe, then scrambled back to the computer.

"Ms. Warren, are you sure you should-?"

"Naomi, please. You've more than earned that right."

"Naomi. Are you sure you should try that now? I mean, you said the comp crew had been taken over. They might be able to use the computer against us."

"That's a chance I'm prepared to take. If they haven't thought of disabling the network yet, we might be able to send an SOS. It's not much to hope for, I know."

They both jumped at a sudden knocking. "Ma'am?" came Morgan's voice from the other side of the door. "Ma'am? You need to come out now. The guardians have evacuated the wing."

"Evacuated?" Kari mouthed, but neither of them replied aloud.

Naomi turned back to the holo-menu and tried the e-mail program. Ding, up popped the dreaded warning: network offline.

"Ma'am?" Morgan knocked again. "We're really concerned about you and Ms. Tomlinson. We're afraid you might have been subverted. That's why we evacuated the Customer Service department, you see. We didn't want to risk exposing them to whatever has affected you."

Damn, they really weren't subverted. Naomi hung her held in silence.

"Ms. Tomlinson?" Morgan tried. "Ms. Tomlinson, can you hear me? I'm sure you've noticed how erratically Ms. Warren is behaving. That kiss may have been her attempt to inject a drug into your system. Ms. Tomlinson, we want to help you. Please open the door so we can get you the help you need."

Naomi's eyes locked on Kari's, silently pleading, but Kari pressed her lips together and shook her head. Don't worry; I'm not that stupid.

Ping! The paper clip sprang out of the lock and Kari whirled back to the door, pressing the button until her thumb turned white.

Naomi rushed up and reinserted the clip. "We can't go on like this," she whispered. "We have to get help."

"Could we stomp on the floor? Maybe someone below will hear us."

"Not likely; this place is pretty well soundproofed." Naomi turned reluctantly to the window. "I think that's our only option."

"What?! We're 233 floors up!"

"I didn't mean we should jump." Naomi managed a smile as she crossed the room. "Just attract some attention." A few grunts and bangs forced the window open, and she leaned out carefully. "Maybe I'll start by throwing out a ch-"

There was a soft fwip. Naomi lurched back into the room, clawing her neck; and as she spun around, Kari saw a dart buried just beneath her chin. A dart made of three parallel cylinders.

17.

Naomi pulled the syringe from her neck and stared at it, horrified. "No!" she moaned. Her eyes tracked up to Kari's. "It's not supposed to-" But already she was losing her train of thought. Her gaze slipped south and he shoulders slumped.

Behind her, Kari could see out the window to A-Wing. Which office had the shot come from? There! She caught the flash of a scope as the sniper shifted position.

Kari dropped to her knees just in time to miss the second dart, which thunked into the door overhead and bounced off into her lap. She stared at the thing, buzzing like a crushed insect as it spewed venom out across her skirt. She lifted it gingerly with her free hand and tossed it onto the floor, then smashed it with her heel.

Meanwhile, Naomi slumped against the desk, shaking her head and panting. Had she even noticed the second shot? And would she notice-?

Fright stung Kari into action. "Naomi!" she screamed and the CEO looked up with dulling eyes. "Close the window!"

Kari, thumb still pressed against the door lock, couldn't move; and she wouldn't risk a trip to the window in any case. But Naomi's drugging had made her the perfect shield. They had no need to shoot her again, and they couldn't see Kari behind her.

Oh, but look how quickly Naomi obeyed: not a trace of fear or indecision. A hot pang spread through Kari's stomach.

She hand no time to analyze the sensation. She'd been more than happy to leave the reins to her boss, when Naomi had been able to lead. But Kari had to take charge now or surrender them both. She stared at Naomi, leaning glassy-eyed against the wall. The CEO was deep in the drugs' grip now, but drugs alone couldn't subvert her. Recyclees required stimuli - visual, auditory, tactile. Now, what was available to the people on the other side of the door?

Thump, whisper, thump. There was her answer: a deep, atonal throb that buzzed in her ears and rattled around her bones. They must have set the speakers right outside Bertram's door. "Naomi!" shrieked Kari. "Cover your ears!"

Naomi's eyes jerked into focus for a moment, then began to drift again.

"Cover your ears!" Kari shouted again. "Now, dammit!"

The CEO's hands fluttered toward her head, even as her thighs began to slide along the wall. But it was too late. The music had her, would have had her even if she'd succeeded in blocking the sound. Vibrations spread through every surface, forcing her body to dance to their rhythm. Her mouth fell open and her eyes rolled up in her head.

Kari watched helplessly as Naomi's hands flew to her waist, ripping wide her slacks and tumbling them around her feet. She didn't bother to step out of them, but stabbed her fingers deep beneath her panties (shell pink, surprisingly demure) and frigged herself with a passion that belied her slack face.

"Naomi, no!" screamed Kari, but she knew it was useless. Her boss was no longer her boss. She was a puppet dancing in time to someone else's music; Kari couldn't even reach her to still her strings. Nor did she dare call Naomi to her. Not now. Kari could make no sense of the music, but for Naomi, it was full of meaning. It was already teaching her who and what she would be. Argenti's pawn. Kari's enemy.

The room darkened - They've got control of the lights now, the intern thought - and the computer sprang to life. The whites of Naomi's eyes glittered, reflecting a swirl of bright colors. Then slowly her pupils descended. She sank to the floor, one hand still at her cunt, the other beneath her blouse, and stared in slack fascination.

Dammit, thought Kari, I knew we shouldn't have started that thing. But there was no help for it now. In the darkened office, the colors flickered and flashed like a laser show. Even undrugged, Kari felt herself half falling under the spell. It was so tempting to give in, to sink down on that soft-carpeted floor and join Naomi in ecstasy. No more fears; they'd be protected. No more worries; Nicole would handle them all. No more decisions; those were for Mistress alone.

No! Kari shook her head and, when that failed to completely clear her thoughts, slapped herself hard on each cheek. Don't give in, girl. That's what they want you to do. But she would in the end, wouldn't she? What other way out of this trap was there?

Naomi was crawling toward her now, a gleam of idiot slyness in her eye. "Kaaaa-riiii," she crooned. "Come play with me, Kari. I know you want to."

"No, Naomi! Stay away!"

"Pretty Kari. Pretty, plump Kari. Curvy-all-over Kari. Come and play with me, pretty, curvy Kari."

"No!"

But Naomi was on her now, fingers tickling beneath the elastic of her skirt, sliding it down. Kari was horrified to find herself dampening. "No, Naomi!" She tried to push her away with knees and her free hand, but she couldn't bring herself to actually strike her. After all, Naomi was still her boss - in title if not in circumstance. And it wasn't like Kari had any chance of resisting, not in the long run. Mistress had won already.

No! Kari's knee clipped Naomi under the chin, knocking her backwards onto the floor. She looked stunned and, for a moment, horrified and desperate. Her eyes widened and her fists clenched as she made one last effort to resist the programming. She drummed them against the floor, but soon she was drumming in time with the beat, and then her face relaxed into a sexy smile.

"Kaaaa-riiii," she sang again. "Bad little Kari. Be good little Kari. Come and play." She tugged on the skirt that pooled at Kari's feet, forcing Kari to step out of it or be knocked off her feet.

Naomi pressed herself against Kari's legs and pulled herself upward, inch by inch. "That's right, Kari. Good little Kari. Come and play, Kari. Play with Naomi and her Mistress." Her arms had squeezed Kari's legs together, but her tongue found its way in between.

Warm, slick tingles all along her inner thighs. Kari shuddered and, almost unconsciously, began to bend her knees. The gap between her legs widened and Naomi's tongue crawled higher. Meanwhile, her hands slipped up over Kari's ass and found the top of her panties. She began to draw them down.

Oh! There! Naomi had found her clit! Bracing herself against the door, Kari thrust her cunt full into Naomi's face. The older woman delved deep, sucking, licking, kneading, massaging, blowing sweet warm breath across every slick inch and then plunging in, time and time again. Kari slid to the floor.

She barely even noticed when Morgan opened the door.