Chapter 10

"This is unprecedented!" Master Sung muttered yet again, as he pored over still another ancient scroll. "In all of history, there is no record of anyone moving instantly through such great distances. There are vague references to warriors seeming to disappear from one place, only to reappear behind their enemy, but there is no evidence that this is any more than the mind-tricks you already know! Tell me again, exactly how this occurred!"

"The five of us were at the Hastings estate in California, Master," Mei replied patiently, "when our newest member was shot while using his body to shield young Stephanie from an assassin's bullet."

"They were across the continent, in Washington, DC," Sun interjected.

"Each of us, for our own reasons," continued Wei, as if she had been speaking all along, "felt a very strong need to be there. Mine, of course, was concern for my daughter's safety."

"Our concern, too, was for the safety of our niece," Jun interposed for herself and her sister.

Darren was a little slower in responding. "I believe my major concern was for Stephanie's safety, as well, though I had grown somewhat attached to young Liam."

"But, if I understand you correctly," Master Sung returned, "the young lady had already been whisked away from the scene in an automobile."

"That is correct," Sun confirmed.

"So why did you not go to the young one, or to her destination?" Master Sung seemed to be asking the question of himself, more than the others, but Darren replied, anyway.

"Because Stephanie wanted us to look out for Liam."

"This is true," Wei said, "but we made no conscious decision to go to him."

"No," Darren mused, "it was more like Stephanie willed us to him!"

"Ah!" the Master's snowy eyebrows rose with his index finger. "So perhaps, as you say, the five of you willed yourselves across the distance, but were guided to your final destination by the young lady!"

Or, perhaps, Stephanie put in from across town, your willingness to be here, as manifested by that same desire, allowed me to bring you here. That's really what it felt like to me.

"My daughter thinks she might have been the driving force to bring us here," Wei said, on Steph's behalf, "and we allowed it by being willing to come."

"This is also possible," Master Sung flung aside the scroll he had been scrutinizing, heedless of its great age, and scrabbled to open another. "It is very perplexing. Go away. I must think upon this at length.

"She says her name is Stella Duras, Mr. Winchell," the guard at the G/WSS security desk said through the intercom, "She's on crutches and appears to have a cast on her leg. She asked to speak to you personally."

"Run her through the screener," Darren told him, "but don't let her into the secured area until I get there. Otherwise, make sure she's comfortable."

"Yes, sir, Mr. Winchell," the guard replied crisply. He wasn't trying to earn brownie points, just following his training.

It took Darren a few moments to wrap up what he was doing, and by the time he reached the first floor screening reception area, Stella was well into a steaming cup of cappuccino.

Before he could speak, she flicked a thumb at the glass walled passage that anyone entering the secured area of the building had to go through.

"That's some setup you've got there!" she said with admiration. "If the DOD and the spook agencies were that good, we freelancers would be out of business! Hell, they even found the deactivated bugs I had hidden on me, and I didn't even know about the two in the cast. The Chinese must have planted them there."

Darren shot a questioning glance at the uniformed young lady in the booth behind the thick, bulletproof glass.

"Six dead bugs, four live," she answered his unspoken question. "The two in the cast were of Chinese origin. The other eight are available on the open market - same design as the one we found on you."

Stella's eyes grew huge.

"Son of a bitch!" she exclaimed. "You knew you were bugged before you ever met with your partners, didn't you? That whole Aberdeen thing was a big red herring!"

Darren smiled but didn't answer directly. "So what brings you to Gemini/Winchell Security Systems, Ms. Duras?"

"I came to see if that offer you made at Po Lin was legit," she answered, struggling awkwardly to her one good foot, "and to bring you some information about the assassination attempt on your wife. I believe CNOOCO is behind it."

"I thought you didn't snitch on former employers." Darren probed.

"I don't sell information gained from them as part of my employment," Stella shrugged as best she could with the crutches, "but this data was acquired after the termination of that employment - while trying to get them to pay me the money they owed me, to be precise."

"We already suspected as much," Darren nodded, "so unless you've got a name to go with this information, it's not much help to us."

"Oh, I've got a name, but you won't be able to get to him," she replied. "The CNOOCO people keep better security on him than we do on the President. He's the guy who's responsible for getting them back to profitability, and he's decided that the way to do that is do destroy Hastings and his company so the world will go back to depending on oil."

"We'll see about that," Darren replied. "We're pretty good at getting to people who are well protected. Meanwhile, why don't you come up and meet the others. I know you've met Mei and Wei, at least to nod at, but you haven't really met Sun and Jun yet."

"I was afraid you'd never ask," Stella smiled, hobbling into the elevator as Darren's pass card opened the door.

The Gemini girls awaited them in one of the 'Executive Offices'.

"Stella Duras, meet the ladies of Gemini," the First Gentleman said as he ushered her into the room. "This is Sun, her sister Jun, Wei and her sister..."

Darren broke off as he felt the spark that seemed to ignite as his guest touched Mei's hand to shake it. The look of wonder and astonishment on their faces would have been enough, even without the link that tied the girls to Darren and each other, but everyone knew that some kind of energy passed between them that was totally unrelated to the chi that bound Darren, Liam, Stephanie and the girls together.

"... uh, her sister Mei."

For the first time since he had met these incredible ladies, he saw one of them unsure of herself. These four had always seemed five or six steps ahead of everyone else, now Mei, usually the most composed of them all, was floundering for what to say. Stella, too, had turned suddenly shy, her eyes downcast, unwilling or unable to release Mei's hand.

Their link was almost frozen for several long moments as each of them tried to digest what was happening. Mei's sister was the first to break the 'silence'.

Sister? Oh my god! she laughed, not unkindly. She's fallen in love!

Mei's mind rebelled at the idea that her carefully controlled world could be disrupted by something so unpredictable even as her heart leaped at the wonderful, unfamiliar sensation.

Without a word, the other three girls slipped quietly out of the room. Darren closed the door as he left.

The fact that their tact gave only the illusion of privacy was lost on Stella, who, embarrassed by her unseemly giddiness, appreciated not having too many witnesses. As for Mei: how could this be happening? She looked and sounded identical to her sister, yet Stella's heart leaped only when Mei touched her hand. What was going on?

To break the awkward silence, she stammered, "Uh, pleased to meet you. "

"Likewise," Mei replied, struggling to regain her composure, "Um, can I get you something? Coffee, Tea? "

"Some tea would be nice," Stella smiled. "Do you mind if I, uh, sit? It's a little awkward on these crutches."

"By all means," Mei replied hastily as she stepped to the sideboard where hot water and coffee were already prepared. "I, er, I had thought that this was to be a group interview, but I guess my partners have more important matters to attend to."

"Look, Mei," Stella said, some of her personality reasserting itself once she had settled into a chair, "I'm not usually one for all this beating around the bush and social graces and all, so let's get right to it, shall we? We both know that something happened there between us, and it was so obvious that even your partners noticed. The question is, what, if anything, do we do about it? I mean I've never fallen for anyone the way I seem to have fallen for you, much less a woman..."

"While I admit to having had... relations with women before," Mei nodded, dropping tea leaves into a cup and adding hot water, "I have never had an emotional attachment to anyone - male or female - so this situation is, shall we say, uncommon, for me, as well."

Uncommon? Wei laughed at her sister. It has never happened in your lifetime, sister! Now what are you going to do?

Please, sister, Mei responded desperately. I need constructive advice, not ridicule! I cannot be this person!

Sure you can, Mei, Darren 'said' gently. Remember what Master Sung told Jun, when he learned that she was in love with me?

But, what do I say? How do I act? Can I trust this person?

I do not know, Auntie, Stephanie joined in warmly, but I do not think it is a chance that one passes by lightly. Perhaps you should simply let nature take its course and see what happens.

Is this a good idea? Wei asked the others, as her sister lost herself in contemplation of the possibility of romance for the first time in her life. CAN we trust this Stella Duras?

Everything our investigation of her tells us is that, while she sells her services to the highest bidder, Jun responded, referring to her computer terminal's display, once bought, she stays bought. She's good enough at what she does, and straight enough with her customers that she gets a lot of repeat business. Even the CIA has used her on occasion. How about it Darren? How does she 'taste' to you?

They all got the sense of the whimsical reply that died without being made explicit, and Darren reddened a bit before replying in a more serious tone. I think she was serious about feeling us out for employment, and her shock was genuine when she and Mei connected. Right now, she's about as confused as Mei is. If this isn't real, it's a pretty good facsimile.