A Wish the Heart Makes: Fornever in Blue Genes

by Tigger

Chapter 25: Confrontation: Mandy é Mandy

The insertion team made it to the High Security Lab building
without being challenged and without having to take down any
other unfriendly.

"According to Florence, the main door opens only after a
retinal scan proves the person outside is authorized access. 
There is a security checkpoint just inside the door with at
most two guards.  Are you ready, team leader?"

"As we planned it, Ma'am.  Let's get it done.  Two, Point,
take your positions."

The Mandy-Leader moved up to the door and activated the
retinal scanner.  Two seconds later, the pneumatically
controlled door slid open.

Before the door was fully open, the woman called "Point" dove
to the floor, blocking the door open with her body while she
searched the interior for a target.  Above her, the woman
called "Two" spun into the opening and fired her silenced
dart-gun at one guard just as Point found the other with her
own shot.  Number One followed Two into the room while the
still prone Point covered them.

"Clear," the team leader reported, whereupon the Leader
herself stepped inside.  "One more checkpoint, Ma'am, and then
the last door which is both finger print and retinal scan
code-locked."

"Proceed with the plan, team leader," she ordered.

The team moved off, leaving the Leader to bring up the rear. 
*Dorcus is an excellent tactician,* she thought as she
considered the team leader. *Too bad she will to die tonight. 
Donovan is simply too good at what she does, and it wouldn't
be believable if she didn't take a few of her attackers to
hell with her.*

~------------~

Teri took a deep breath as she pressed the hypo-sprayer to
Morag's bared arm.  This was the final step - there was no
turning back from here.  She'd be absolutely alone -
untrusted, hated and hunted to the death by both sides in this
secret war.  Yet, if she didn't do it, Morag would die.

That decided it.  She pressed the activator and the device
hissed.  Seconds later, oddly familiar eyes in a completely
unfamiliar face fluttered open and shut, then snapped open.  

Teri pressed her hand to Morag's mouth.  "Hush," she
whispered.  "I've managed to get the guards out of the
immediate area, but a male voice will be too unusual not to be
investigated."  Morag's eyes went even wider, and Teri nodded
her understanding.  "Yes, it worked - on you, at least.  You
are fully male."

"Why are you doing this?" Morag managed to get out.

"Because it didn't work on someone else.  She died, and they
would likely use you as a lab rat trying to figure out why.  I
. . . I can't let them do that to you.  Now, enough talk.  I
need you to get into this body bag.  I am going to wheel you
out of here on that gurney to an air car I've got waiting."

"Why should I trust you?  You betrayed us.  You most likely
will just throw that body bag and me into a disposal unit."

"Because if you don't trust me, Morag MacPherson, you will die
anyway, and likely quite painfully and brutally.  At least
with me, you have a semblance of a chance.  And you might have
a chance to help Mandy."

"Mandy?" Morag snarled, his hand snapping up to grab Teri's
chin.

"The Leader has turned himself into a duplicate of Mandy.  She
and an attack team have left for the compound to kill Mandy
and Donovan so that the Leader can take over BioCybernetics."

Morag stared at the woman for a long time, and then began
stepping into the body bag.  A dizzy weakness whirled about
him and he reeled drunkenly.  Teri caught him and helped him
onto the rolling stretcher.  "You're going to be weak, just
like Mandy was.  And your body is now taller and differently
distributed so your balance will be off.  Be careful when you
move."  She reached into her pocket and handed a blaster to
Morag, grip first.  "If you don't hear me call you by name
first, shoot whoever starts to undo that zipper.  Both our
lives may depend on it.  Now, act dead."

It wasn't all that hard to do, Morag thought as the zipper
closed over his head.  She hadn't felt this weak since she'd
stupidly caught the flu because she'd always hated hypo's. 
*And just what, Morag MacPherson, are ye gonna tae do even if
ya manage tae get back ta the company?*