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Chapter 57 - After-action Reporting

When they got to the conference room, everyone began speaking at once. Emma immediately took charge.

“We need to settle down, you lot,” she called out. When things quieted, she went on. “Our company first, we need your impressions. Publicity, PR, problem issues that need attending to, all that rot. By seniority, so Henry, you first.”

Stafford nodded, grinning. “Apart from that horrid affair earlier, I couldn’t have wished for a better outcome. Of course we might learn something different from the telly this evening, but I doubt it. Tamara, your stunt was blindin’ brilliant! There were lots of bored faces when I was speaking, but then, that’s what I usually see when I give a speech.”

Laughter.

“Seriously, after Tamara came out and did her act—and then that speech—everyone was hanging on all our words. Even on your demo, Nils, sorry.”

More laughter.

“Tamara, that was extemporaneous, I’m certain. It wasn’t anything like what we discussed you’d say, innit. Although I must say that you did hit all your planned talking points. I was gobsmacked by what you did there and gratified by the response,” Stafford finished.

Amelia raised her hand and Emma nodded to her.

“I must agree. I do acting and have absolutely never seen a better performance, Tamara. And you ad-libbed it all too. Your expressions and gestures were as good as a trained actor as well. All I can say is ‘brava,’ girlfriend.”

Tamara nodded as everyone in the room agreed with Amelia.

“Say, you pulled those quotes off so easily,” Denise commented. “Almost like you had them prepared. How...”

Tamara laughed. “Something Emma does too; she loves to quote famous physicists—others too. Well, I read a lot and have a very retentive memory. Some things I read just resonate with me and references to magic fall into that category. I’m sure you can see why—some of the things I do may seem like magic.”

Denise chuckled ruefully. “They sure do.”

“Very good, Amelia and Denise. Anything else, Henry?” Emma asked.

“Besides the fantastic publicity I think that we’ll get from Tamara’s magic act...”

Laughter.

“...I do believe we have the potential to create an incredible sales and publicity campaign, one based on the magic of science and engineering. I’m going to get our marketing people on that idea and see if we can license some rights from the Harry Potter people. Tamara, can we use quotations from your talk? You know that we videotaped it, right?”

“Oh! You did?” she exclaimed, whereupon everyone in the room began clamoring to get a copy.

“Sure we did. Is it okay?”

She nodded.

Stafford went on, “And the last item is the audience. The composition, that is. There were about 250 in attendance. I was checking in with our PR people to see who all we recognized. A quarter were employees and family. Another quarter were from Cambridge University, other local universities too, mainly science and engineering faculty. Another quarter appeared to be from the business and manufacturing community in the area. This was a typical mix for an event like this. The last group was likely composed of interested citizens and the press. As I mentioned, it went well, judging by the smiles on faces as people left.”

“Excellent summary, Henry; thanks,” Emma said. “Nils, anything to add?”

“First my congratulations to Tamara,” Thomassan said. “It made my dry presentation easier for the audience to tolerate.”

Laughter.

“Henry did an ace job in his summary, but the technical questions and some followup conversations after the formal program gave me some ideas. I want to check with the engineers and with Tamara after I put something concrete together.”

“Thanks, Nils,” Emma said. “Any thought about how the press will react? Some were frustrated when we sent them away from the ... erm ... ‘invasion’ site. Beverly? You have something?”

“Actually I might,” Beverly Norris commented. “I took a seat near the rear where I could watch everyone and also because there was a group of physics faculty from Cambridge nearby and I wanted to get their impressions after the event. There were two telly reporters with their camera people close by and I heard them chatting. Before you began, they were talking about looking into why the bobbies were here, but at the end, all they were saying was only about what a tough editing job this event coverage was going to be because of all the great material. So I reckon that the press treatment will be favorable.”

“Good job, Beverly; thanks. What did the physics group think then?” Emma asked.

Beverly laughed. “They just adored what Tamara did. Several told me that they’re planning to adopt some magic references into their physics lectures; said it should liven up the classes.”

Laughter again.

“Ten points to Gryffindor, Tamara,” Emma joked and the laughing increased. “Actually that’s not a bad idea for me to do as well, in my own classes,” Emma mused and then chuckled. “Anything else? Kevin, Denise, if you have anything, please add it at this point.”

Denise raised her hand and Emma nodded to her.

“You know about my ability for sensing group attitudes,” Denise started and Emma nodded. “So what I noticed and Amelia backs me up—she’s empathic too—was that the entire group was with you almost immediately when you began talking, Emma. Your delivery was compelling and magnetic and the positive group feelings lasted even through Dr Thomassan’s part. So you didn’t do that badly, sir.”

Laughter.

“But when Tamara came on and pulled off that stunt, and then began to talk, the sense from the audience turned to, um, help me, Amelia...”

“It was almost like adulation, Denise, what I feel from audiences after I have a good performance. See, she got a standing ovation as well, right? It wasn’t just the words, either, it was the delivery too.”

Emma nodded. “I believe I felt that as well. Thanks, Denise and Amelia. So based on the reaction of the group that saw our presentation, it appears that we’ll have not only a commercial success but also a PR one as well. And Henry, your magic idea in our marketing plans is brilliant, so definitely get that department onto that idea next week. Anybody have anything else to share? If not, thanks, and I want to meet with my friends privately now.”

When they were alone, Emma said, “I didn’t have a chance to say this before, to all of you, Tamara especially, but my company and I are both in your debt for your gallant defense out there this morning. Andrew, you didn’t see what happened; you just saw the aftermath.”

“I saw six big berks lying on the ground and just four of you?” Andrew said wonderingly.

“Five. Amelia knocked off one first,” Jeremy said proudly.

“But what about those dropped weapons and burned hands... Peter, you’re grinning,” Denise accused him. “Out with it!”

“Saw her do something like it before,” Peter grinned. “Tamara’s got a secret I can’t divulge unless she says okay.”

Tamara nodded to him. “They’re all okay, Well, maybe Andrew isn’t... just kidding!” she said, grinning, as she saw his face fall. “Andrew, you weren’t part of the five musketeers, that’s all, but I know you all can keep a secret—actually it’s a lethal one, so I’m not kidding here, people.”

Tamara’s voice and face had turned dark and steely at her last few phrases as she glared at them and again, those in the room cringed at her forceful intensity.

“Shit, Tamara, I wish you wouldn’t do that!” Kevin complained.

“Just being sure that you all know that I’m deadly serious, okay? Peter, go ahead.”

“Sure, honey. Tamara’s developed a not-weapon gadget that’s top secret; at least the part that the U.S. government knows about, but she’s gone even further with the idea. It’s a not-weapon because it doesn’t kill or wound but it can heat things. Particularly metals and dense plastics, they get very hot. That’s what happened to those Russians’ guns. She spoke about magic before; so you should know that the backpack she carries is a magic kit and somehow she always seems to have the right tools in it to deal with the current problem.”

“But Emma told us that guns, knives, pepper spray—all that—was illegal,” Amelia said.

Tamara chuckled. “Yep, when Emma mentioned that, suddenly my premonition of danger that I had all morning increased, and I got a vision of needing to use that device. So I got on my mobile and looked up the law here. Jeremy’s the legal beagle. Jeremy, are you familiar with the Firearms Act 1968? It actually regulates things besides firearms, things like air guns and pepper spray.”

“Huh. Not when I researched the laws that applied to school nudity. Never ran into a naked kid with a gun that ... erm ... shoots anything, unless, maybe...” he started, grinning, but Amelia slapped him on the arm.

“Nope! Don’t go there!” she admonished him and everyone laughed.

“Good one, Jeremy. Anyway, that firearms law mentions the terms ‘firearm,’ ‘weapon,’ ‘missile,’ ‘barrel,’ ‘rifle,’ ‘gun,’ ‘pistol,’ ... um, and ‘ammunition,’ My device is or has none of those things. It’s like a flashlight but it makes metals and other dense, solid things very hot. The closest provision in that law that could apply is the part that bans stuff like pepper spray. Wait a sec, I’ve got it bookmarked. ... Ah. Here. Prohibited things are, I quote, ‘any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing.’ Okay, the device isn’t a weapon by definition; I looked that word up. A weapon’s a thing used to inflict bodily harm or physical damage. There’s no harm in a body getting warm and heating things up isn’t physical damage. Otherwise things like heating pads and electric heaters would be illegal.

“And electromagnetic waves aren’t noxious ‘other things,’ or else flashlights and cell phones would be illegal, since they discharge electromagnetic energy. No lawbreaking then, right, Amelia?”

“Damn, Tamara, you’re using legal logic just like Kevin taught us, you know,” Jeremy told her. “Take apart a law by using its defined terms.”

“Sure; that’s just logical, right?” Tamara smiled at him. “And Emma? Yes, like I promised, I did turn over my previous device to Dr Tarmson and DARPA, but in my agreement with them, I reserved the right to do further development work using the maser idea and they agreed, provided that I keep them informed. And I do keep them in the loop. This device is related to the maser; it’s a new research direction and one that’s connected to my ideas for wireless power transmission; it’s one of my designs to try to collimate an RF beam. But the beam this produces heats stuff, metals and dense plastics. So, everyone... the device’s small size, its focusing circuitry and antenna, and the masing gas mixture, are secret. I got the idea to use the thing on those Russians from what I did to those thugs from that gas-station incident last year, remember, Peter?”

“Sure,” he answered and then had to relate that story. The others looked at Tamara in awe.

Emma broke in, “I told Andrew right after the affair this morning that Tamara was deadly. She is, in her special way. You all see that? We all probably owe her our lives, actually.”

Amelia excitedly said, “She gave the alert that the guard was a fake too! That wrecked their plan of surprise.”

“Okay, then, I see everyone wants to talk about that horrid mess. So why don’t we take this in order and discuss what we did as individuals,” Emma suggested. “That should allow us to decompress and talk it over.”

“I can start,” Peter said. “I saw him using a cell phone and that didn’t seem right—he had a radio so I thought something was wrong right away. When I felt Tamara tense when that guard called I realized he was an imposter too, and suddenly got a shove toward where that van was pulling in, like I had to get there quickly. Then...”

Tamara interrupted. “Sorry, dear, that was Ogorin, the warrior spirit. That’s how he works. He protected my dad for years before Dad knew about that. Go ahead.”

“Wow, really? Crazy. Then I felt Kevin and Jeremy following me, but before that, I saw Amelia make that awesome move,” he finished.

“Yeah, sweetie, I was gonna help you but you moved so fast, even before it registered on me that he was gonna grab you,” Jeremy said.

“You showed me how to turn a grab into a shoulder throw, honey,” Amelia said. “After I was attacked in school that time, I vowed to never let something like that ever happen again. But that thug felt so evil that I kept hold of his arm when he went over and twisted it as he went down. Ugh, I felt it snap too.”

“The police told me it was a compound fracture,” Emma told her and Amelia shivered.

“Ugh again,” Amelia said. “But Tamara had called for us to run for the building and my feet just went like I couldn’t stop them from running there, but I really wanted to be with Jeremy.”

“You know, I felt that compulsion too—to run for the building,” Emma said. “That was you, right, Tamara? Did you ‘push’ us somehow?”

“I did; sorry, but I was trying to protect you. I didn’t realize that Amelia was so good at hand-to-hand combat,” she laughed. “Peter, what happened near the van?”

“It got messy real fast,” Peter said. “First, the side door slid open and two thugs jumped out but got distracted by the screams from the jerk that Amelia took down, so I thought I could incapacitate one or two before they realized what was happening. I could feel the same intentions coming from Kevin and Jeremy—but from Denise too! That’s when I saw the guns they had pulled out and backed off a ways.”

Jeremy took over. “Yeah, the berks had pulled out some AK47s from the van and they wanted us as a shield to walk to the building door; they were after Emma but they needed the guard to ID her. Apparently that imposter guard had rang them to say that he was going to grab her. I had learned a little Russian from a friend and heard what they said.”

Emma gasped.

“Yeah, I assumed they wanted you as a hostage to get the device plans or something. But they were arguing among themselves about how to find you since you had gone into the building.”

“You speak Russian?” Kevin asked. “When did you learn that?”

“Can’t speak it so well, but a friend in my school orchestra, my co-principal trumpet, is Russian and he’s been teaching me a little. I understand a lot of it, though. I’m good with languages.”

“Damn, that’s cool,” Kevin replied. “When I saw them arguing, I figured that they really had no plan for what they were doing. So I stalled them, using Japanese to make believe that we didn’t understand. That confused them a lot. I was hoping to delay them till help arrived. I think that these jerks were just the muscle; the brains of the operation must have died in that explosion Emma heard about.”

“That was brilliant, your doing that,” Emma complimented him. “Quick thinking.”

Jeremy picked up the story again. “That’s when I noticed that the berk nearest me had begun to juggle his gun and look down at it instead of at us, He put his hand on the top—the receiver? Yeah. And jerked it away. Then he grabbed the grip part and trigger area and gasped, then dropped it.”

“The jerk nearest me got his hands burned too and dropped his gun,” Denise said. “But he had a pistol in his waistband and it looked like it was burning him there ‘cause he began to pull at his belt. I rushed at that one first; he’d be easy to take out since he was pulling at his belt and didn’t see me coming. Kevin had taught me the knifehand strike, it’s the son’nal mok chigi, and I hit him at the junction of his neck and shoulder. I felt the bone break and he gasped and bent forward as I twisted around and did a back kick with my heel into his shin and felt that break; he shouted something and dropped.

“Also, the dude next to him had dropped his gun too, but he bent down to try to pick it up when the this really big hulk facing Jeremy yelled something at him, and he stood up just as I had kicked the first one down. The second one was facing kinda sideways to me and I was behind him, so he didn’t see me. It looked like he was about to double team on Jeremy, who was looking for an opening on the guy in front of him, what a giant he was. That dude in front of me was a perfect target for a side kick into his legs; that would bring him down real fast. That was one of the first kicks Kevin had worked with me on, so I had good training on it and my muscle memory let me drill him good, both feet in a double kick right into his knees. Knees aren’t designed to bend sideways. His did. I definitely broke the knee closer to me and probably the other one too, ‘cause he really screamed when he dropped.”

“Wow, Denise, I felt that one go down but I didn’t see his threat; thanks,” Jeremy told her. “The berk I was facing, I thought from his stance that he might have some martial arts training. But anyway, he was huge; I couldn’t let him grapple me, but it looked like he moved slowly. Big guys are usually slow. I did a feint with a hand strike at his face and that drew his hands up high; then I went into a side drop kick, aiming at his sternum. I got a good shot in and he staggered back, tripped, and went down. Through my street shoes, it felt like I crushed his chest, even though I pulled back at the last second. That’s when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Peter throw his guy. What happened, Peter?”

“He had dropped his gun but I kicked it away from him and it skidded about eight feet away from him. He tried to scramble after it but I tripped him and he stumbled. Then he got up, turned around, and just ran at me; that’s a perfect opening for a seoi-nage shoulder throw and instead of letting the throw pull him to the ground, with his forward momentum, I helped him ram his head into the side of the van. I pushed him really hard ‘cause I wanted him out of the fight. When I looked up for more attackers, I saw all of you guys looking around too—we were the only ones left standing.”

Kevin looked embarrassed. “I almost killed my opponent with my favorite kick, the axe kick. I was aiming for his chest to stun him and knock him down, but he tried dodging my kick and it caught his neck and jaw. It’s a good thing I pulled it when I realized I was wearing street shoes; if I’d done the full move, a strike like that could have severed his spine.”

“Ahhh...” several of his listeners sighed.

“When I saw them drop the guns, I tried to run outside, but Emma stopped me,” Amelia complained, “but I can see now what she was thinking. I did run out there when they were all on the ground, though, and I saw Tamara taking something apart. Your not-weapon, right?”

“Right. Don’t ask ‘cause I won’t tell,” she joked.

“Hey, I noticed surveillance cameras on the sides of the building,” Jeremy said. “Won’t that show Tamara and what she did?”

Tamara shook her head. “Saw them too, but that door is under an overhang on the building there, just enough that by staying close, the two cameras wouldn’t see me.”

“Damn, you noticed all that too with everything else go...” Jeremy started but then Emma’s phone rang.

She answered and got up, went to a corner, and listened for a minute. Then she came back.

“Okay, that was the MI5 inspector and he’s got some loose ends sorted. First, about the guard uniform. One of my guards was ambushed on his way to work this morning and his ID and uniform were taken. He’s okay; he was left tied up in his vehicle in a remote area. I’ll have to change some procedures about wearing uniforms home, looks like. As well, the imposter guard actually had photos of me and our management team on him; they had been taken secretly because the backgrounds were of our labs and hallways. Our engineering tech spy was busier than we knew.”

“Are they getting those Russians to talk?” Andrew asked.

“He said that they were too beat up. You blokes did quite a number on them. The fake guard has the arm fracture plus a broken back and they don’t know if he’ll be able to walk again, He’s been sedated for possible back surgery. The one with the broken jaw; his voice box was damaged too badly for him to talk; his jaw’s a real mess too, they said. The one Jeremy hit has rib fragments embedded in his lungs and is in critical condition in surgery. Peter’s casualty has massive swelling under his skull and is in an induced coma until they do surgery.

“Only Denise’s playmates are in better shape. She played nicer with them—she just broke a few of their bones, but the one whose knees she took out will need extensive surgery and likely knee replacements. They’re also being sedated. And the Russian embassy is disavowing any knowledge. They claim those berks were free-lancing. But there was serious money invested in the equipment in that destroyed warehouse.”

“Did they trace who was leasing it?” Kevin asked.

“He had told me this morning that it was a shell company, negotiated by email, and the records stop there.”

“Is there still a threat?” Andrew wondered.

“They don’t really know. But that gives me a thought; we need to adjust our business model, I think. Instead of selling the units to utilities and industrial users, perhaps we should go to a lease model where we control ownership and access... I’ll get switching to that model organized right away. Okay, you lot, I’ve got to get a few more things done yet today. I’ll see you back at the estate later, good? Kevin, your group is still planning on returning to London tomorrow morning?”

“Right. We all have things to do tomorrow afternoon and everyone has their own plans for next week.”

They returned to Emma’s estate, still talking among themselves about the day’s events. When they arrived at the estate, Tamara told them that she had to have a serious conversation with Kevin’s little group.

“Guys, I hate to be a meanie, but this is very important,” she told them when they were alone. “You know about me now and know about my abilities, such as they are...”

“Right,” Kevin snorted. “Mr Spock, Wonder Woman, and Obi-Wan Kenobi all rolled into one person.”

“Oh jeez, stop the hyperbole; it’s embarrassing,” Tamara said. “A year ago or so I had the same conversation with other friends about people’s supposed super-powers. I pointed out that we all have special skills and what looks like a super-skill might simply be a small improvement over what other people can do. I told them that everyone is special, in their own special way. Sometimes that specialness is easy to see and sometimes you just have to look for it.

“My abilities come from the culture I grew up in, mostly. And they aren’t unique either; my mom and grandmom—especially Grandmom—has or had them too. And others that I know about; Peter’s own grandmom is one. Anyway, back to the topic...”

“But you can control minds, Tamara...” Kevin tried again.

“Not like you’re thinking, Kevin. I can’t make you or anyone else do something that they don’t want to do. I can suggest emotions or strengthen impulses. I can make people receptive to suggestion, but only if the suggestion concerns something that they ordinarily may do. And I can use people’s emotional apparatus to intensify an emotion already present. Lots of people can do that; think of speeches from highly charismatic leaders—how they can mobilize a crowd. Basically it’s the same skill. Amelia does it in her acting; she projects emotions and the audience responds—right, Amelia?”

She gulped. “Is that what I do? It’s like you?”

“Sure. I believe it’s a function in all of our brains and that some people are better at using the ability. Just like some people are good enough to be major-league baseball players while others struggle on a sandlot field.”

They laughed.

“One of my research projects is learning how the brain’s emotional system—it’s called the limbic system—works, and I have a very large group of collaborators for that. I told you about that.”

Everyone nodded.

“Now, back to the issue. You can see what would happen to me if governments got wind of what they think my abilities can do, like what Kevin assumed, right? What would happen?”

“Um ... Tamara would disappear into a deep underground lab to be tested on,” Denise gulped.

“Exactly. So you see why I need to be so careful about not even hinting that such abilities are even possible, let alone the fact that I may seem to use them. You following?”

Mute nods.

“So I have told very few people about this; my parents know, of course. Emma knows the details and so does Peter. And Peter’s grandmom. Peter and his grandmom are very special people, you know. Peter, because we’ve committed to each other, and the other reason is tied to his grandmom’s ancestry. She’s a descendant of an ancient culture which knew how to interact with the spirit world; some of Peter’s relatives still follow those ancient ways although Peter wasn’t brought up in those ways.

“But it seems that those ways have found Peter, much to his surprise—and to his grandmom’s too. It appears that somehow his soul has become linked with the lwa called Damballah Wedo. He’s the creator spirit and father figure and is regarded as benevolent, innocent, and a loving father. I can feel the power in him and so can my mom and his grandmom. How long it takes for Peter to fully feel Damballah’s influence isn’t known. My dad carries the personality and power of another lwa, Ogorin, the warrior and diplomat, and it took him years before he realized how Ogorin’s influence affected his life. In my case, the knowledge of my own personal lwa mentor came very early, mainly because I grew up in the culture and was closely attuned to it.

“And now you four know about me. I sensed very early that I could trust you, the way I could trust Emma. I can sense people’s ability to both be able to keep confidences and also to want to keep them. You four have both the ability and the intention to keep secrets, or else I would have never let you into my confidence.”

“Goddamn, Tamara,” Denise whispered. “Emma is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met, but you’re ... ah ...not just scary, you’re formidable. On the surface, a charming, happy young adult, but inside... brrr. What’s your true nature, exactly? I’m being frank here.”

Tamara laughed. “That’s fine. For my close friends, I can be frank. I like to think of myself as a happy and outgoing person. But I’ve had experiences, my whole family has, that would shake up the most confident of anyone. And I mentioned to you about my mentor, Ayizan Velekete, who’s the anathema of those who would harm people whom she would see protected. I’m a protector, it would appear, and that aspect of my personality seems to show up when those whom I want to protect are threatened. Is that an acceptable answer?”

“Much more than I expected; thanks,” Denise said. “You’re a good person to have on one’s side then.”

“Cripes, yeah,” Jeremy sighed.

“Okay. Now this is difficult for me because I feel a very strong attachment to all of you. Your desire to keep my secret is totally clear to me and I have no doubt that you will. But I do know a bit about psychology and how the mind works in making connections. That’s how memories work, actually—they’re a web of connections of experiences, both semantic and episodic. Someone may not intend to divulge a secret, but a thought about an unrelated topic can bring to mind an association with the subject of the secret, leading to an unintentional revealing of the secret or parts of it. I’m certain that you’ve seen that happen or even had that happened to yourself.”

“Oh sure,” Amelia said. “I’ve had that happen and it’s embarrassing to try to wiggle out of it so I don’t have to explain why I can’t say more.”

“Totally true,” Tamara went on. “So here’s the deal. I can help you so that you won’t accidently spill the beans about me—this isn’t mind control; it’s just an emotional bookmark, let’s say. If that page in your memory starts to open, the bookmark will wiggle and you’ll say, ‘okay, not now,’ and skip that page.”

They all chuckled at the imagery.

“But what can you do?” Kevin asked. “What does that feel like?”

“So okay. If you four are alone and talking—that’s in person, not phone or email or videochat—you can talk freely. Also, this effect fades over time too; it lasts maybe a year before it goes away. But that’s good, because it’s the recent episodic memories that are the most likely culprits for an accidental comment. Here’s how the bookmark feels. It’s a bit different for each person.”

She “pushed” a tiny amount of yellow taste with a bit of light green at them.

They all blinked in surprise and Tamara chuckled.

“Okay, what did you feel?”

“That was weird. Kinda like my wakeup alarm in the morning but it was only an instant,” Amelia said.

Kevin smiled. “It was the feeling I get when first facing an opponent in a sparring match. Get centered. So odd.”

Jeremy nodded, “A bit like Kevin said, but it’s like when my meditation session’s about to end. Like, ‘get ready.’”

“Um, like the butterflies I get when I have to give a speech publically,” Denise shared.

“Okay—you all see that was like a personal alert to you? A ‘pay attention’ message?”

“Ah yeah.” ... “Sure.” ... “Right.” ... “Oh my, yes.”

“That’s how your mind will re-mind you not to turn the page,” Tamara said gently. “Nothing else will change; all your memories will be intact. If you wanted to, you could go on TV and tell the whole world what you learned about me; this little alert won’t stop that. But I sense that you’d never do that.”

They all nodded gravely.

“So are we all okay with it?”

They all spoke. “Yes.” ... “Yeah.” ... “Okay.” ... “I am.”

“Good. Okay. Hey, look, it’s almost time for Emma to return and Andrew and Peter are probably wondering if I killed you all.”

They laughed and Denise asked, “So when are you doing the ... um ... ‘operation’?”

“Oh. It’s done. When you agreed.”

“No shit?” Kevin exclaimed. “Damn, Tamara. I don’t care what you say; you’ve got some kind of super-power there.”

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