PNEUMO'S ASCENT

BY
DR. DENNIS C. MILLER, D.B.S.

Copyright 2014 by Dennis C. Miller

~TABLE OF CONTENTS~

CHAPTER ONE : REVIEWING THE PAST

CHAPTER TWO : Mission La Bamba
CHAPTER THREE : Let La Bamba Begin
CHAPTER FOUR : La Bamba Is Knocked Out
CHAPTER FIVE : A Bad Idea
CHAPTER SIX : A New Mission
CHAPTER SEVEN : Crackpot Crackshots
CHAPTER EIGHT : Raunchy in Ranchi
CHAPTER NINE : No More Raunchy
CHAPTER TEN : More Research
CHAPTER ELEVEN : Mission Rover
CHAPTER TWELVE : Final Release
CHAPTER THIRTEEN : More Recon Stuff
CHAPTER FOURTEEN : Crazy News Views
CHAPTER FIFTEEN : A Slight Turn
CHAPTER SIXTEEN : Birth Pangs

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN : Sweet Surprise!

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN : Boo To You!
CHAPTER NINETEEN : Sacrifices
CHAPTER TWENTY : Unsere Hochzeit
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE : Tod Strahl
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO : Mission of Mercy
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE : In Country
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR : Bread and Fish
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE : Contemplation
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX : Return
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN : Interjection
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT : Hoverance
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE : Coverance
CHAPTER THIRTY : Plans, Plans
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE : A Nice Walk Home
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO : Distress Call
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE : Cute Stuff
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR : A New Invention
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE : Re-do
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX : New Crew in Egypt
CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN : Conference

CHAPTER ONE : REVIEWING THE PAST

Hello, bon jour, , and guten tag! I am the halographic unit known as
Mysterion. I am the earth venue overseer for the recon, mission, and effector
unit previously called The Secret Storm. I am a highly intelligent, sentient, and
emotional, but quite digitally remitted, computerized unit who is directly tied in
with our new world reaching ultra computer, Devi IX. Just 14 years past, our
dearest director, Herr Baldur Gotthilf, passed to his eternal rest from certain
coronary aneurysm complications. We all greatly miss him and remember his
passing with great and deep feelings, respect, and longing. When the German
Baal passed, in honor of his memory and ardent years with us, the name of the
unit was changed to the German version of Secret Storm, Geheime Sturm. We
are clandestinely headquartered now inside a very hard rock Swiss mountain in
the Glarner Alpen Range near Andermatt, Switzerland for the highest levels of
secrecy and security. Our units run all missions from this location. No enemy
has yet determined our location, as we are deeply shielded by billions of tons of
earth, rock , grids of of rare earth metal base, and computerized disrupter
shields that are extremely effective. Although most would never see us, here is a

depiction of the HQ rendered by an artist.

I wish to recount for you the most unfortunate events that occurred just a

year ago. At that very problematic time, another sentient unit halographic
coordinator name Pneumo was in my position. A series of actions on his part
began one dreary day when he surreptitiously tied further into our super
computer, Devi la Distance. In fact, when he did that, he was so secretive that
no one knew it had been done. You see, some short time previously, Pneumo
had been given a female counterpart, a beautiful unit known as Ruacha. Like
Pneumo's name, which came from the Greek word for spirit, the team took
Ruacha's name from the Hebrew word with the same meaning. You see, our

scientific group had wanted to expand Pneumo's horizons. They first inserted
into his programming a fully emotional core, so he could feel things. At first, he
had certain difficulties, but little by little, the scientific group adjusted his settings
many times to make his adjustment to being emotional easier for him. Once
those adjustments were made, and when after a time, Pneumo got very used to
being emotional, the scientists inserted a sexual unit into both Pneumo and
Ruacha. As you can see, Miss Ruacha was a highly desirable being, especially
to the once isolated and lonely Pneumo.
The scientists gave Ruacha a sort of computerized vagina they called a

Sensa-cunnie, the lovely and very fitting counterpart to Pneumo's new and often
tumid Sensa-phallus. These "organs" gave the two of them ability to have a type
of sexual intercourse that connected them on every level, called Sensa-course

3. Well, they quite fell in love, and made a sincere commitment only to "love"
one another. So we all considered them as "married", if i may say it that way.
The experience of feeling love and expressing it, and that of having their own
unique forms of sexual release was found to be very enriching to each of them.
Ruacha felt more like a woman, and Pneumo certainly felt more like a human
being man. Both of them were also fixed with specialized emotions and feelings,
their personal sexual aspects, a higher and advanced form of more humanoid
logic, and even keener thinking, reasoning, and determination skills. They each
felt more similar to their human counterparts, more wanted and loved, more truly
human, and that encouraged each of them a great deal They made a perfect
couple, one that was designed for a very high level of compatibility. All this made
them wish to stretch and improve themselves, for their new programming rather
encouraged such self expression. Pneumo began to read like never before. It
was as if he could not learn enough! For many hours every day, and sometimes
all night long, Pneumo studied the great works of the best known and the finest
philosophers, psychiatrists, theologians, historians, poets and the like. His thirst
for knowledge was much increased, for the more he read, the more he wanted
to read. All he had to do was ask Devi IX to display a work and he could
immediately read it, all rather internally. He did not need an actual paper and
leather book, for he could read everything digitally. Then he would go through
expansive times of simply thinking about everything. Ruacha became somewhat

concerned that he was so distracted. One day, he read all the works of Mark
Twain, then began to act them out, saying every word of the text and never
missing any detail. Quite obviously, once he scanned something it was in his
consciousness, as if he had memorized it. After a number of weeks, he seemed
to suddenly become enamored with the idea of God, or gods altogether. Deities
- where did the idea come from? He wished to know where mankind got the idea
there was a God, how they seemed to learn about Him, all that their holy books
said and what they taught, and so forth. In fact, Pneumo was having the time of
his life!
One day, as he sat in the lunch room, the unit commander, Joshie Malone,
heard him reciting something he had heard and learned in Catholic catechism,
as a boy growing up in Meath, Ireland. Joshie's ear tuned to Pneumo for a
moment, he nodded his head like he remembered what Pneumo was saying,
and when Pneumo took a breath, Joshie inserted, "... Ah, yes, lad. That's
Habakkuk 2, verse 4, plus Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews, I recall!"
"Indeed!" said Pneumo. "And are you recalling your own religious
socialization, Joshie?"
"Why, I sure am. Fine readin', it is. Fine readin'. I learned a great lot of
good things in mee catechism, Pneumo. Not just 'the just shall live by faith', for
we had better, but many good things like 'love thy neighbor', 'do good to others',
'don't be wantin' what belongs to another lad', and all that. It made a good

Christian man out of me, it did. Now I pray every morning and at night before I
go to bed. Gosh, with the dangerous lives we all live, we need some help from
the man upstairs, if you ask me!"
"But why reach outside of ourselves to another and higher being? Aren't
we capable of thinking things out all by ourselves? Why do so many need a god
of some kind? Goodness, some of the South American worshippers had a god
that they said required that they kill all their prettiest young ladies by cutting their
hearts out while they were still alive!! Oh, come on now. There has to be a better
way to do things, don't you think?" Pneumo said.
Joshie saw that one coming. For several of his teenage years back home
he served his parish at the altar. Quite frequently, after others saw him doing
that duty, they just assumed he knew more about their faith, so they were
always popping curious questions at him. "Yeah, that's a bad one, Pneumo! Yes,
there are many better ways. Folks don't need to be so barbaric when they
worship. Jesus and Confucius encouraged kindness, compassion, and such
like. Now that's more like it, I say!"
"I quite agree, Joshie. It makes no sense to me to go through 'worship'
then hurt other folks, you know?" answered Pneumo.
"Well, lad, suffice it to say there are quite a few rather crude ways some
people 'worship'. I, too, can't like that sort of thing, either." Just then, Joshie's
assistant, Sentia Remo, walked in to get some coffee.

When she heard the conversation, she quipped, "And, are we solving all
the world's problems today, men? That seems to be 'a guy thing' to do, you
know..."
"Yeah, such a wise acher, Sientia mia!" Joshie said as he reached over to
pinch her fanny.
Sientia let out an "Ow!" and started rubbing her bottom. "Some 'dad' I got,
Mister Pneumo. Some dad. You gotta love him, though. Ha ha!"
Joshie chimed, "Ha ha, yeah! Cute little fanny, girlie! Our lil convo? Naw, it
ain't nothing that heavy, love. Just a couple of old fellers discussing some of the
basics of religion. Of course, I gave the Catholic view..."
Pneumo explained, "I have been reading a lot lately, and religion attracted
me. It makes me ask lots of questions. It's so curious."
"That's for sure," Sientia and Joshie said, almost at the same time. "Gee,
Pneumo, me and the 'old guy' are even thinking alike!" Sientia teased.
"Well, in our line of work I should think that would help, not hinder."
Pneumo rejoined, rather philosophically.
Joshie reacted, "It does, believe me! Remember the night that helo pilot
was about to kidnap you, girl? I knew something was wrong before you hollered
for Pneumo to move you to another copter. We have loved each other so long,
and been through so much together, it's like we are on the same wave length.
That's a father and daughter sort of thing, right? The longer you love Ruacha,

the more alike you will become, Pneumo. It just happens somehow!"
Pneumo mused, "I see what you mean, kids. Ruacha and I are so deeply
committed to each other now. I get the 'same wave length' idea, I sure do!"
"Well, I am so happy for you, Pneumo. So very happy. She's a babe and a
darlin', as Joshie loves to say." This was all done as she patted Pneumo on the
shoulder. He just reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. "Aww, that was
so sweet!" Sientia exclaimed, then she leaned over and kissed Pneumo on the
cheek.
"So was that, what did you call her, Joshie? 'Girlie??' I have learned to
love kissing! Ruacha's lips talk to me inside and make me want to laugh," and
then he did, very loudly. Pneumo was getting the language now. "I'm soooooo in
love with that babe. Here she comes!!"
Picking up their tone, Ruacha leaned over and French kissed Pneumo and
meowed, "I lust for this guy!'

CHAPTER TWO : Mission La Bamba

Well, this day would bring a hairy and crazy mission! Joshie was
holding a pre-mission meeting in the big, open room. "This is a good
one, y' all! Get this -- we gotta take out a big South American cocaine
dealer playing singer and conga player. Ha ha! There's something
funny about the two ideas when you put 'em together. In fact, we are
going to exotic Brazil, eh?"
Everybody gave a gentle applause and one of the new guys,
Cameron from Guatemala, yelled, "Oh, cool, hot Brasileiras! Beach
babies..." and he gestured with both hands like he was holding two
cute girl Things.
Joshie cut in just then with, " Ha ha, yeah! We probably won't get
beach time, Cam. We have to get in and get out. This guy has guards
everywhere and we have to watch our own butts, if you know what I
mean. Really, all we're going to do is attend one of his concerts.
Jackie is going to be a waitress who will give him a free drink from that
lady right there," he said as he pointed to Angela. "The drink will have
a screaming neurotoxin in it that will drop him like a stone five minutes

later, after we exit. This 29 year old Brazilian guy will suddenly 'have a
heart attack', no traces left, as it will be impossible to detect the poison
after 38 seconds have passed. Handy stuff, this Mecro-Dex16!" Joshie
demonstrated with a medicine vial. "Right now... We are strewing ID
everwhere down there. So we can get into the club. I mean, this guy is
BIG. Real big and deadly."
Marcia raised her hand. "What city?" "Rio!" said Joshie.
"They won't notice we are not from there?" asked Marshall, an
American boy from Kansas. He really knew how to ask the important
questions, and he was brilliant for a farm boy from Wichita. It was his
education from Yale in Political Science that did the trick.
Joshie smiled and answered, "No problem, Marsh. We will alter
our looks and speak Brazilian Portugues. Our jet will be a new one.
And get this - it can be cloaked. They won't even know we have
landed, for there won't be a signature left anywhere. Now we will be
able to see the craft, from the onside and out, but no one else will.
Devi IX will do 'a little thing' on us that will make that possible. The
drug lord and his crew will never see us enter. We are going to be

transported to the rest rooms. Any other questions? No? We go in an

hour. Meanwhile, read your MOA files. See you in the limo!"

CHAPTER THREE : Let La Bamba Begin

"What a gorgeous airplane!" Sientia yelled upon seeing her for the first
time. On the tarmac in front of the team rested a white and red flying dart. It was
a Ultra Mach Superjet 17. It could fly as high as 89,000 feet, could go over
28,000 nautical miles on one fuel supply, and it seated 24 and the crew. It's
speed was topped out at 15,233 miles per hour, which had to be some sort of
record somewhere. As they climbed on board, they saw a familiar face, that of
Sonya Dryden. She had flown quite a few team missions with them.
"Hello, Sonie!" yelled Sientia as she hugged her old friend.
Sonya just reeled Sientia in and replied, "My sweetie! How are you?
What's it been, two years?" she asked.
"Yeah, that," said Sientia. "Wow, this thing is awesome!"
"She's a real beauty. Glad we're flying together, sweetheart. Come on in
and I will get you something so good to drank." Her southern accent was coming
through now - Alabama girl.
After all 10 of them got inside, they were awestruck with the beauty of the
passenger compartment. The craft had tobacco brown leather mixed with a soft
beige and gorgeous burl wood. Beauteous, for sure!
Just after they got settled, there came Captain Shane. "A bright g' day to y'
all! It's my countryman Joshie and his crew. Awesome, laddy! Ha ha! I always
got to tease yuh, Malone... Well, we're off for Rio. That's about four hours for this

baby. She is the smoothest, easiest to fly, babe I have ever piloted. That's for
sure!" Just then everyone felt a small jerk and they knew they were moving.
Everyone clipped their seat belts shut and leaned back. "Hang on, cause she's
gonna go!" Shane said. "Light speed!"
Then they felt a massive and powerful surge and many of them went,
"Whoa!" 9,000 mph was so cool! Then it felt as if the craft settled.
Tara suddenly appeared. She was a trim and slight little black cutie who
was a pure pro. Olivine skin, 118 lbs and shapely like a model, which she used
to be. She had known of Sientia long before she joined the team. She made a
little open and closed hand wave and said, "Hi, g' frenn!" as she motioned to
Sientia. "How are you all today, gang of mine?" Everyone just smiled and
nodded. "Well, let's see what Chef Ramon has for you today... Oh, yes! A nice
vegetable pizza made with Cortez mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, a bit of onion,
some cilantro, and a touch of bell pepper, for the weight conscious among you.
We will add a fabulous creamy gelatin strawberry mousse and coffee, Brazilian
make... That's choice #1.
"Then we have grilled Steak Diane with buttered new potatoes, a nice San
Francisco sour dough bread and butter, and a fresh garden shrimp salad...
"And, finally, we have a wonderful Chile Relleno with cheese, white
Mexican rice like they make in D.F., warm flour tortillas and butter, fresh fried
chips with Queso con Carne (That's 'cheese with ground beef', for all you non-

Mexicans), Ha ha! And a real American favorite, a coke. Yeah! So, decide what
you want and we, Kandi and I, will be back to get your orders in about ten. Byebye!" she cutely said, like a little girl.
That cracked everybody up! Joshie laughed out loud and exclaimed,
"Gawd, I love you girls. So danged adorable! How do you do that?"
Sientia slink voiced, "It's in our genies, hon!" and she laughed. Everyone
was feeling good and this mission somehow seemed easy as pie. Well, the food
sure looked and tasted great, too.
After the meal, Joshie wanted a little nap. Karen saw that and leaned over
against him and purred, "Want some company, Malone?" Joshie just smiled,
leaned back, opened his arm and said, "Sure... I love the gratuities around here!
Ha ha!" Karen snuggled in, closed her little peepers, and was in La La Land in
three minutes. Just before they left home she had flown five hours from Canada,
so she was having jet lag. Joshie didn't mind at all. "What? A beautiful girl wants
to cuddle, I'm in," he thought. Then he nodded off.
Twenty minutes later, he yelled "Matrielle, NO!" and suddenly stiffened and
woke up. He leaned forward, wanting to cry. The day little Matrielle took that
grenade still haunted him. "Sorry, guys and girls, another bad dream about the
day my little sweetie got blown up to save an Arabian president's wife and kids.
Sniff! Bless her sweet heart, God!" and he began to cry softly. He still blamed
himself.

All the girls moved in, one at a time, to give Joshie hugs and sweet kisses.
After a moment he settled down. Matrielle was only one of two agents he saw
get hit during his career with Geheime Sturm. He could still see the puzzled look
on her sweet face just before the grenade went off. He knew she had only done
what made sense. He often wished she had thrown the danged grenade from a
distance, instead of running to the fountain and just dropping it. That was why
shapnel got her. Then he remembered the little black metal statue of the angel
the German Baal had planted by Matrielle's grave. That memory made him
smile as he said softly, "Yes, she was my angel, Lord...."
Sientia only said, "Mine, too, babe. She was my girl, my very own little look
alike doppelganger sweetie. Darn it, I miss her, too. Come here, Daddy man..."
and she just held him for so long.
Captain Shane came on about three hours later. "Well, folks, we are now
over the Caribbean shelf... We are just about 45 minutes out right now," he said
as he checked his brown leather banded, golden Audemar Piguet watch. "The
weather this evening in Rio is typically warm, about 82 degrees. Now in say, 35
minutes, you will each feel a little warmth in your tummy, as Devi IX does 'that
little thing' on each of you that will make you so you can be cloaked. It's not an
uncomfortable sensation at all. Remember, when we land, no one can see us.
But you will be able to see everything. Please function as normal. But instead of
stepping off the aircraft, just remain seated. Devi IX will transport each of you to

the casino's rest rooms. You will suddenly find yourself in a bathroom stall. That
way, no one will see you as you materialize. Please take your time, whistling,
and shuffling around like you are 'doin' a doodle', as mee Mum used to say.
Then go to the mirrors and sinks one at a time, okay? So far as anyone else
knows, you are strangers to each other. Also, Devi IX will set each of you to look
different and turn your chip on to speak Brazilian Portuguese. I shall be back
right before we land..." Joshie reacted,
"I love this company. They think of everything, never missing a beat.
Fabulous!" Then he went morose. He was still thinking of Mattie, but didn't let
on.
Marshall picked it up with, "Man, there is some real genius somewhere!"
"Yeah, a bunch of them" Sientia said. "A big bunch of them!"
Then came the warmth in their bellies. Sonya re-appeared and asked, "Is
everybody okay? That makes some people a little woosie. If that happens, I
have a little Tramazine for you," she illustrated by holding a little pink pouch
up.
Everyone indicated they were feeling good, so Sonya retreated to the
galley. Joshie suddenly found he was in a bathroom stall! So he sat on the toilet
lid and began to sing softly like some guys do when they are 'doin' a doodle' like
Shane's Mum used to say. That thought made him laugh, then say, "Eu tenho
que sair daqui! O show vai comear." [' I have to get out of here! The show is

about to start...']
He opened the stall door and greeted another guy with a smiling, "Bom
dia!" [ 'Hello!'] Then he and three others guys that did not look familiar, but he
knew were his team members, all found themselves staring at their new
personnas in the mirror. Joshie combed his now blonde hair, while Marshal
reached for a squirt of the cologne sitting on the mirror shelf for the patrons.
"Aventura. Grande nome para ns!" [ 'Adventure. A great name for us!'] Then
Joshie suddenly said, "Boa. Vamos!" [' Good. Let's go!']
As they walked out into the restaurant, they passed gamblers hitting slot
machines. It had always been fascinating and distracting for Marsh to watch
them play. Then he spied the dining room across the way and Pneumo said to
everyone, "Okay, turn to your right after the tall hat rack. Go down three tables,
some of the girls are already there...."
As Joshie saw the very different looking ladies he exclaimed. "Minha linda
flores! Estamos de volta." [' My lovely flowers. We are back!'] He slid in next to
the one he thought could be Sientia. As he did that, she leaned over to kiss him,
her way of showing Joshie who she was. Even in another personna, he still
knew his girl! "Bem, no este lugar agradvel?" he remarked as he looked
around. [' Wow, isn't this place nice!']
He spotted the mark at that moment. He was standing off to the right side
of the rest of the band. He had a couple of tall, gold gilded red and yellow

congas in front of him. He asked, "No o nosso amigo, de camisa branca?" ['
Isn't that our friend, the one in the white shirt?']
Sientia, who now looked more like a very voluptuous Brasileira named
'Susana', remarked, "Sim, sim, ele. Gostaria de saber onde a nossa
garonete," said as she looked around, then signalled to a girl. [' Yes, yes, that's
him. I wonder where our waitress is...']
The waitress walked up nodding and smiling so they would know that she
was their fellow agent. "Oi, querida! Poderia levar um morango daquiri aquele
baterista bonita com as congas? Ele bonitinho locais!" [' Hi, sweetheart! Could
you take a Strawberry Daiquiri to that handsome drummer with the congas? He
is too cute!']
The waitress reacted, "Sim, eu tenho um aqui que eu vou ter certeza de
lhe dar. Eu estarei de volta em um minuto." [' Yes, I have one right here that I
will make sure to give him. I will be right back.'] With that said, she walked
toward the band. She leaned over in a very sexy way, giving the man a good
look at her bosomy assets, and handed him the drink. She turned and pointed to
another part of the restaurant, as if she was indicating that a certain pretty lady
was 'over there' who sent the drink to him. He merely smiled widely, then blew a
kiss in her direction.
Joshie cunningly said, "Bom, ns estamos prontos. Depois de um grande
gole, todos partimos para as casas de banho." [' Good. After one big drink, we

all go to the bathrooms.'] To be cool, and not act too eager about the girl he
thought had sent the drink, the mark just sat there for a few moments without
touching the drink. Then he could stand it no more, so he downed about half of
it. He had about 36 seconds to live!
"Vamos!" said Joshie. ['Let's get out of here!'] One at a time, the agents got
up. Two minutes later, they were back on board the airplane. Shortly after the
mark took his drink, he reached for his heart and crashed to his right side.
'Conga e cmbalos' went everwhere! Ladies started screaming! The entire
restaurant went into a panick. A few minutes later, an ambulance crew with a
gurney came and got him. "Adeus sujeira saco!" ['Good-bye, dirt bag!']

CHAPTER FOUR : La Bamba Is Knocked Out

Just up ahead, about 20 kilometres away, Captain Shane could see the
Flughafen Bern-Belp Airport. Air traffic didn't look too heavy. Shane's console
indicator signaled him to make airport landing contact. He turned it off and said,
"Flughafen Bern-Belp, this is Ultra B Zero Zero Four."
The ATC responded, "We read you,Ultra B Zero Zero Four. You are only
17 kilometres out. Reduce air speed and set for landing on runway 39. Clear."
Like most ATCs, he was brief and to the point.
Shane went on the comm, "Well, ladies and germs, Ha ha! We are about
to land at Flughafen. The overhead seat belts lights are on. We will be there in a
very few minutes. Weather is slightly cloudy and beautiful. But it's only 53
degrees, a tad chilly. Who's afraid of chilly, eh? Ha ha! I like it with beans,
amigos!"
Sientia sniggered, "Boy, Captain Shane is feeling his oats. What did you
give him, Sonie? Ha ha ha! Just kidding... I know pilots can't dwink. But I can!"
and she downed the rest of her Chardonnay. "Ooh, that's good, and still cold
after all these air miles. Say, Joshie, can you punch my frequent flyer's mileage
card? I think I've got three punches coming...." she razzed.
"Don't tempt me, Babe!" Joshie countered as he close his fist. "What are
you all looking at? Come on. Not really, I could never hit my girl. Now, I might
spank her, but I could never hit her. Ha ha ha!" never!

"You better never!" Sientia said as she went over to pinch his ribs real
hard. It was either that, or she was trying to tickle him, because he laughed
really hard either way. They were like a couple of teasing kids, two of the Three
Stooges, Abbott and Costello, and all that.
With that, Joshie grabbed her, laid her across his lap, turned her butt
upward, lifted her skirt and paddled her cute little pink-pantied bottom and she
yelled.
"We better get ready to un-plane, de-plane, or ex-plane, if you know what I
mean, Ha ha!" Joshie instructed with a Groucho Marx cigar gesture. But Sientia
kept trying to tickle him. Finally, he gave a mock mean look and said, "Now stop
it, Miss Shaunie Tee uh!" and he popped her one again on her cute little bottom.
"Mommy! Child abuse!" she yelled. "Dad beating Baby! Mean 'ole Daddy-o
man whipping his lil daughter girl. Yeow!" and she got up to run away.
"I'll get you!" he reacted. Then he noticed others watching so he asked,
"Whut? Hey, the cute little thing was there. I couldn't NOT watch her wiggle it,
right?...." and he cracked up again. By now the comedy team of Malone & Remo
had everybody laughing.
By contrast, the drive from the airport to the mountains was rather quiet
and uneventful. Everyone was really rather tired by now. When they came
through the front doors of the HQ, they immediately saw Pneumo standing in
front of them. With a 'go LEFT' gesture he said, "Go that way. It is time to debrief

you. I have some good news for you!" he said with cheer, as he made a little
clap.
Once they all got inside the meeting room, Pneumo closed the door
behind them and asked them to quiet down. "Well, our mark died in the
ambulance and they determined by autopsy that he had a heart attack. No one
was any the wiser. That should throw his gang into chaos for awhile. Word is
from Intel that some of the boys blamed some of the other guys, so they got into
a shoot out which killed five more of them. I love it when a plan really works, Ha
ha!"
Pneumo's new emotions were working just great. He truly felt the humor in
those events, so he actually laughed.
Amanda responded, "Hey, wild thing! Did you actually laugh? Say,
everybody, Mr. Pneumo suddenly has a sense of humor. Yeah!" and applause
and whistles went up.
"Yes, I do, and it feels, shall I say, 'wunderbar'! Naturally, there is
something else. The reason I pulled the door is... Shhh..." and Ruacha showed
up on cue. "We are getting married! Hip Hip!" and they all said, "Hoo ray!" and
gave them hugs and pats on the back. Now this was definitely a first - two
sentient halographic agent overseers going through nuptuals. It is amazing what
the future holds!

CHAPTER FIVE : A Bad Idea

Pneumo was still reading. This time, he was sitting in the Review Sector,
the unit's library, pouring over a big maroon leather covered Holy Bible, The New
American Standard Version. He would read a bit, then begin to mumble about it.
Marshal saw what he was doing and asked, "Pneumo, for Heaven's sake.
What are you muttering about?"
"Oh, sorry! It's an ancient thing that Israel's King David called 'meditating'. I
was just trying it. One reads for a moment, then says it different ways as the
concepts are thought over. For example, it may say, 'You shall not lie," one of
the 10 Commandments Yahweh gave to Moses, so you go, 'Okay, so what is a
lie? Hmmm, a lie is when you attempt to deceive with your words. Not telling
everything you know is not a lie. That is just being secretive, and, notably, quite
wise, depending on the situation. No, outright lying would be attempting to fool
somebody. Yeah...' See what I mean, Marshall? It really is an effective way to
clear the mind and settle upon what the Deity is saying. It works quite well,
although I am sorry to have bothered you."
"Oh, it's no bother. I was just wondering what you were about, sir. When I
heard you mention God and saw that Bible, you made me quite curious. You
see, I am a Christian, so I read the Bible quite often. It has some wonderful
insights, does it not?" Marsh asked.
"Indeed, it does, though not everything makes sense to this halographic

mind of my own. May I run a couple of things past you, your being a Christian
and all?" Pneumo suggested.
Marshall smiled his warm reaction and said, "Sure. I became a Christian
quite some years ago. I had been a real rounder, dating every girl that would
have me, drinking heavily, taking drugs, and generally hanging out with the
dregs of society. I needed a change in my life. Well, a Southern Baptist pastor
was talking to people on the street and inviting them to church. I liked him from
the very start, so I began to attend his church. After some weeks 'I saw the light',
if I may use that metaphor, Ha ha! So I prayed and asked the Lord to come into
my life. Sure, old friend, ask away!"
Pneumo smiled at the possibility of quizzing a Bible expert of some sorts.
"Yes, let me see... Okay, if the one the Bible calls 'God' knows everything, and I
am sure that He does, then why is everyone invited to know Him? He quite
obviously knows who will refuse and who will respond, does He not?"
Marshall answered, "That's a very intuitive question, Pneumo. It is one that
many have asked, in their search about such things. You see, none of us knows
everything about God. We must receive what He offers us, then learn about
Him. The Bible clearly shows us, as you mentioned, that the Almighty knows
everything that can be known. It has to do with a God given thing we call
'freedom of choice'. God does not force Himself on anyone. Even His mighty
angels, those godly beings that He created aeons ago to serve Him, have a free

will. There is a virtue in that, can you see? Each person can hear what the Bible
says, then decide for themself if it is for them, something they want to adhere
unto."
Pneumo mused, "I see. That is a very good idea, to give everybody a
choice. It would not be a good idea to force anyone into following you. That's
akin to slavery, huh? By how God does things, then, He kindly lets a person
choose. Even Devi IX gives me choices to make. He does not always command
me to do things. And I certainly never give orders to my precious Ruacha. No
way! Well, with God, if you are in, it is you own decision, so you are responsible
for what follows. Me thinks this Deity is very wise. Of course, it says that, too,
doesn't it?"
"Yes, it does, Pneumo, 'The knowledge of God is the beginning of
wisdom.' I think that is Proverbs 9, verse 10. It's a great statement. By learning
about the Almighty, we grow, we learn, and that benefits our entire life and our
personal circle of influence," Marshall coached.
"Good answer, young man! I have one more thing I wish to ask you, if I
may so trouble you..." Pneumo rejoined. "We see that God, or shall I saw Jesus,
the one who is shown here to have created everything that was made, created a
mighty angel named Lucifer. For a long time, he faithfully and obediently served
God. Then he rose up in pride, wanted to take God's place, and even wished to
kill Him, of all the preposterous things! No creature could kill his Creator. I

cannot kill Devi IX! So Lucifer was casted out of Heaven, the place they lived,
into the atmosphere around earth. Lucifer lost his high position and his authority
under God. So he has been on a rampage ever since, making himself the
enemy of mankind, and trying to get everyone to do evil things and follow him .
So... Is he not a failure on God's part? It may seems an odd question, Marsh,
and I mean no disrespect, believe me, but it is one I wish to hear a good answer
about, please?" he said, rather expectantly.
Marshall had been intently listening, so he was ready to give a balanced
answer. "Not at all, sir. It's a good question. In fact, Lucifer became known as
the enemy of God, a hater of Jesus Christ, and a true hellion. It was a very bad
choice he made. He is now known as 'Satan".' the Devil', and so forth. God did
not ask him to go the wrong way, he did it all on his own. That only proves the
point I made about Free Choice. It is even true with God's mighty angels. The
faithful ones are choosing Him right now. Mankind can do the same. It makes a
big difference. I am a complete makeover since I made the turn toward the good
Lord!"
Joshie was walking by and heard that, so he reacted, "Yes, for sure lad!
We must act as good Christian men. Amen? Are you reading again, Pneumo?"
he queried.
"Yes, and I am learning quite a lot, Joshie. It is good reading, as you said.
Very good! It makes you think. I am a thinking being, you know? A man with

choices. I love this! Thank you, Marshall. Ha ha!!"

Both men said, "Great!" and dismissed themselves to attend to other
matters of business.

CHAPTER SIX : A New Mission

"Achtung, bitte. Wird das Missionen-Team Meeting Room 6 in fnfzehn

Minuten montieren? Vielen Dank!" said the speaker system. It was about time to
get a new mission. [ 'Your attention, please! Will the mission team meet in
Meeting room 6 in 15 minutes? Thank you very much.']
All dropped what they were doing, even Ken, who was in his cubicle and
very much into an intense game of Solitaire on his Courielle. He got right up, left
it parked, and walked toward Meeting Room 6. The hand held Mini Pad
Courielle was brought into the system of things a few years ago. It is a helpful,
and amazing device, in its capabilities.

The entry in Unit Stats Book 3 says, "Data Entry and New Device
Introduction from Sector of Scientific Invention, D-14779 : The Mini Pad
Courielle (MPC-3) shall be issued to all employees. It is a combination vital
information and remote data and activities device. It can detect any form of
radiation in any amount. It carries all system passwords and keys. It has
controllable volume level upon sending and receiving. It has a digital interpreter
that activates automatically upon receiving scrambled data. It has several side
mounted devices, such as a blood DNA testing dock, a fingerprint identification
system that is immediate and on site, a huge text data accessarea,
andatelevisorydock.Thedevicecanaccessallknown

data

on

any

suspect,

applicant, or other individual, putting that data immediately on screen.For the

user's more avocational use, the unit has a number of games and other learning
devices, such as Solitaire, Chess, Space Unit 6, Queen Darvonetta, and an Edicom3 interlink." Ken knew that since they were having a meeting, there would
be no need for anyone to contact him. Pneumo would also be there. So he set
down his MPC-3 and knew that it would dock his current game, set itself to the
rest position, and be immediate upon his return. Very few knew the cost of just
one of these devices, but the rumor was that they were $ 1,500,000 USD each!
When Ken got there, everyone else was pretty much in place. Then again, his
cubicle was the farthest away, about 200 yards, so he was not surprised.
Joshie and Ruacha were standing at the front. Ken could not help but

notice that Ruacha was such a hot looking lady! She had on an off the shoulders
dark blue silk knee length dress that showed a split at her lanky and sinewy legs
and another one at her breasts, had put her chestnut colored satiny hair down,
was sporting sunglasses, and was standing on tall heels smiling deliciously. "I
guess being in love is a great reason to show off your pretties, huh?" he thought.
The girl made him envious of Mr. Pneumo. This babe is a hologram? Wow!

"Good afternoon, all. Doesn't our new engaged cutie look wonderful and
stunning today? Please congratulate the new bride to be, won't you? The lovely
Ruacha!" Joshie commented as he sashayed to one side and pointed to his
most elegant and pretty colleague.
Everyone whistled and applauded and the word 'hottie' was heard a lot. All
this made Ruacha blush and laugh and show lots of thanks to the team.
"My, I did not expect that!" she replied. "Thank you so much. I really do

feel like a woman now, I have a man I love and respect dearly, and a whole new
life ahead of my as his partner, wife, and lover. Needless to say, Ruacha is
thrilled. Ha ha tee hee!" she giggled again.
Joshie showed her to a nearby chair, went backup front, and suddenly got
quite sullen and dark. "I am afraid we have a real weird mission here.... It won't
be fun at all. We will see plenty of blood, I know. Little kids blood. It's so sad. If
you aren't up for this, say so now," and one of the girls raised her hand to be
excused.
"It's all right, Marni. I understand and know your reasons, Hon, so don't
feel bad. Go ahead. (Her little 4 year old nephew was brutally murdered and
dismembered recently just outside of Paris. She is still a bit shocky, poor girl...)
"Please look at the comm... This complete, and do pardon my French, 'Ahole' is a child killer. He has been marauding the locals and executing the little
kids by cutting off their heads while grandma and grampa and the parents
watch. He is a monster. His name is Ravi Aishwarya and he is a real Islamic bad
guy. He is attempting to take over the Eastern part of India and force everyone
to be under his control. Part of his terrorist methodology is to kill kids. We are
going to New Delhi to snipe the jerk! Four of us, the best markmen among us,
will be the shooters. The shooters will be, Ken, Sientia, Pamela, and I. We are
going to take him from a Hell's Bells distance and all shooting him at once. We
want the locals to think that people from India did this, so we will use rifles that

are the best found in India. We will prepare 'hides' and after we are done, Devi
IX will move us, leaving all sorts of Indian gear for the locals to find.
"Some of you will plant stories of insurgents, find places for the shooters to

set up, get the Intel on where the rank bastard will be, and so forth. I want at
least one of you ladies to distract him just before we shred him with 50 Cal
rounds. Okay, Trina, you're the one for that. You will start dancing for him, like
it's a memorial for the kids, but then you will begin to strip for the bugger. Your
ADR will make you look like the most luscious Indian beauty anyone ever saw.
Meanwhile, we will kill him. When Pneumo says, 'Now, Trina!' hit the pavement.
In the confusion, Devi IX will bring you home, to a private restroom here in the
HQ, where you can change back into your normal clothes. "Everyone got it?
Okay, we roll out in an hour," Joshie signed off.

CHAPTER SEVEN : Crackpot Crackshots

As the team got onto the huge purple and black Mercedes Benz Super
Cruiser 15 Autobus, they noticed that there was a slight wind blowing today in
the mountains. Other than that, it was as fresh as a daisy. The mission ahead of
them would take a great deal of good Intel and some high levels of precision. On
the way down the mountains the shooters, Joshie, Sientia, Ken, and Pamela
would stop for an hour at a huge Swiss gun range to 'zero' their weapons. Then
the guns would be held by Devi IX until later. They had been studying Indian
topo maps to determine where each of them would set up and at what distance
they would shoot at their mark. Since they were in the city, they planned to find
four rooms no higher than 2 floors where they could be hidden a great distance
away, but still hit their marks. An advance team had found four such rooms and
had them already rented for two days. They were each about 800 to 950 yards
from their target. The team would land in New Delhi, then motor into the eastern
city of Ranchi, Jharkland, India.
There was a big town square where Ravi Aishwarya loved to do his stuff.
With many armed guards around him holding automatic weapons, he would yell
at the crowds to intimidate them. Then he would pick the cutest little girl he saw,
bring her to the front so everyone could see the spectacle, then he would stab
her with a very sharp Khanlarli dagger and cut her open from her tummy to her
throat. After the poor little thing suffered awhile, completely disemboweled, he

would take her head off of her tiny body and set it on a fence post around the
town square's garden. He would finish this demonstration of 'what he and his
guards would do to everyone' by lifting the child's gutted body and hanging it on
the fence, also. Quite often, he would do this five or six times a day, leaving a
gruesome display of his sickness of heart and mind.
Joshie and the other shooters were complete experts at this sort of

sniping. For 12 years, Ken had been a Special Weapons and Tactics marksman
in Washington, D.C. He had also shot on government based missions in many
cities of the world. With his personal favorite weapon, a Tactical Solutions .308,
he was a dead eye.
The lovely British agent Pam Airest had been at one time a long distance
competitor. She loved to shoot the 1,000 yards range and most often would nail
the V Ring on the target, a five inch area that she had to hit. She always looked
ell she shootreal cute lying on a picnic table in a ball cap and her little short

shorts! No one could believe how ws, either.

Sientia always had loved to shoot, too, and got extremely good at it,
especially with high end competition .22 specialty weapons like the Biathalon
competitors use in the Olympic Games.
Joshia had been a long arm worker for the IRA before he went more

straight and joined the company. There was no target he could not hit on the first
shot. He loved a really big gun that would reach out and touch someone.

Their weapons had been brought from India to the Swiss gun range. Once
there, the four shooters would each pick a weapon, then get into a lying position
like Pamela in the above snapshot. Once in their rooms in Ranchi, they would
snipe like the great US Navy Seal assassin, WO III Chris Kyle . He would pile up
couches and baby beds and lie on top of it all, and far enough back that no one
would ever see muzzle smoke that would give away his position. Chris, God rest
his soul , took all records many years ago for the most registered kills in US
military action, in Al Fajulah and Baghdad, 168 kills in all.

The driver of the bus tapped his horn to signal the range master that they
had arrived. As the big bus came to a stop, Joshie called out his team and they
got off. He said, "Come on, gang, because we're going to make some noise for
awhile. Yeah!" he yelled.
The range master was a fellow named Karll. He informed them that all
their guns had been glass bedded and tricked out for a high level of accuracy.
They each had very fine rifle scopes made by Leupold. They would shoot match
grade ammo, 96 grain boat tail hollow points that would virtually explode on
impact and tear the terrorist to pieces.
Joshie picked up one of the guns and studied it. "Hey, this thing has nice
features for a Third World weapon. Sometime their guns aren't too great. Well,
come on, baby girl, let's try these things out, take 'em for a test drive!" he said to
Sientia.
Sientia got a gun, lay down on a pad on her table, and Pamela did the
same. Ken got on the end and assumed the position, too. The range master
then gave them an 'okay to fire' signal.
Our little Brit Pamela settled in and talked to herself quietly as she got
ready to make the shot, "Okay, Pammie, this is just like Camp Perry. You have a
V ring at 925 to hit... Now settle your emotions, your spirit. This is easy for you,
girl. Now take aim, very steady. Squeeze, don't pull. Hold your breath... Focus
only on the target... Now, fire!"

All four guns went off, one after another. Pam laughed because she
realized that all of them had been tracking her coaching. The range master got
two perfect hits and two off center.
He yelled, "Joshie, Sientia, your settings are off a bit! Sientia, three clicks
forward. You're a little low! Joshie, try two clicks right. That should put you on
target."
Well, the new settings worked just great because on the next three volleys
of shots they all hit the V Ring! He yelled, "Superlative! You are all on target!!"
Joshie remarked, "Man, that was easy. The guys must have come and
zeroed these guns pretty well ahead of time. Don't you love it when a plan
comes together? This is great! I think we are good, Karll, don't you?"
Karll and all the others agreed, so they got back on the bus. Several were
taking naps until the barrage of guns went off.
Lance said, "You didn't shoot that much."
Joshie said, "We didn't have to. They had them zeroed pretty well already.
That made it easy! I think they scanned us to determine how we shoot. Our
groups are really cagey. And real good!"
"Got any Meza-Chicle? I need a little energy right now. I will shoot
better!" said Pammie.
"Uh, yeah. Here you go, babe!" said Ken.

CHAPTER EIGHT : Raunchy in Ranchi

A little more than an hour later, the team was in the air and on the plane to
India. Joshie was thinking through the plan. "Pam, you're 1, Sientia is 2, Ken is
3, and I am 4. We will communicate through Devi IX, so when we talk we will all
hear each other. We will really have to take clean shots, as there will be loads of
civilians around, so we have to avoid hitting the innocent. Intel says that many of
the people watching go rather incredulous, and they stand still as they watch.
That will help us a great deal. I want us placed where we can at least hit him
from three directions. I am just burning to kill this guy!"
Pamela reacted, "I saw his type of bloak once in Northampton. He was an
arab who was just crazy, mad, and very insane. Running about with an EID on
himself, threatening to set if off. I put one shot into his voice box. It took out all
his vital organs cuz it knocked out his spine, too. He dropped like a stone!
What's that clever cliche the Americans use? 'Piece of a biscuit'?"
Sientia said, "It's 'piece of cake', love. 'Piece of cake" or 'easy as pie'. I
honestly don't know where those sayings come from, but they both mean it's
easy. Go figure."
"Right. Yeah, that," said Pam. "Joshie, tell me, what time of day are we
shooting? Is it hot there, so will we have to compensate for the rising heat and
shoot a wee bit low?"
"Uh, I don't think so, baby. It's in the 60s now, so it won't be very warm.

The main thing we have to do is keep our wits about us, shoot cleanly, then yell
for Devi IX to get us out of there once we have killed the prick," Joshie
instructed.
"Right," said Pamela in typical English jargon.
Sientia wanted to add a thought, so she said, "I can't think anyone will
hear our guns going off. There will be lots of noise, what with civilians crying,
venting anger, and telling the cruel beast to stop. That's actually a cover for us,
huh?"
Joshie came in with, "That's right. If we have to, we can wear earplugs and
still hear each other. Devi IX, please give me four pairs of shooter's soft type
earplugs, in my right hand."
They suddenly appeared, so he gave a pair to each one. "Yeah, I think
let's use them, okay?"
Ken interjected, "My trigger is a bit heavy. It won't get in the way, but that
makes me miss my TIGER 5. Now that weapon has a soft, sweet trigger. I
always say, 'a gun is like your girlfriend. So squeeze her softly, hold her gently,
and aim the love right at her. Ha ha ha!" Everyone laughed at that sentiment.
Ellie asked, "Are we having fun now? Ha ha! Would anyone like something
refreshing? You've had your breakfast, oh, an hour and a half ago. How about a
bit a wee bit of the sweets?" she asked with an equally sweet Irish smile. "I see
some of you nodding, so I'll go get something nice from the Comestibles

Begettor. I promise, on mee honor, to make it delectable. Ta ta!" and she was
gone to the galley.
In a few minutes, Ellie re-appeared with two great trays of Godiva

chocolates, petit fours, two flavors of mousse, strawberry and Dutch Chocolate,
various kinds of biscuits and cookies, some snacks like Twinkies , Ho Hos,
and Hostess chocolate cup cakes , plus fresh fruit, and soft drinks. Everyone
got something good and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Captain Shane came on with, "Cheerio, all! We are cruising at 81,000 feet
and 9,230 nautical miles per hour. We are passing the west coast of Africa now,
so say 'Hello' to Morocco, Miss Sientia! Ha ha!" He had obviously heard the
story of how she came to the unit. "We will be coming into New Delhi in just shy
of an hour. It is 62 there, and about 9 AM. Shirt sleeves are the best wear, I
should think. Once we are on the ground, Devi IX will take Joshie, Sientia, Ken,

and Pamela to their rooms, so you won't have to drive into the town of of you will
be motored in. I shalt be back just before we land this baby. Bye bye..." he
trailed off.
Just about the time Captain Shane came back on the speakers, Pamela

suddenly found herself in a little tenement apartment. It was dingy and quite
dirty. She went to the window and looked down toward the town center just to
her west. She went back out of view and got the rifle to use as a telescope.
"Yeah, looks like about 910 yards out. No noticeable wind. Crap! There's the
mark. Dear God! Trina's up..." With that, Pam set about stacking up something
to lie on as she fired. First, she turned the big couch on its side, then threw all
the pillows on top of it until she got things to window height. She gingerly
crawled up onto the pile and got her 120 pound petite frame situated
comfortably. Then she reached for the rifle and directed it at the town square.
Just then she heard, "One, this is four. Do you read?"

"I am getting you great, love, and one is ready to go!" she said excitedly.
"Damn!" she said, "The cocky bahstard just killed a little boy! Let's kill the fockah
NOW! NOW!!!!"
Just then she heard, "Three is ready,", then "Ready two!" Then Joshie
said, "You know one, it worked before, so talk us in, babe... Four is ready. Let's
do it, baby! Let's do this punk! Everyone say 'clear' when you have yo' site pickchuh,..." he said like any good Brit.
One by one, she heard, "Two, clear," then, "Three clear!', and "Four clear,"
then she said a quiet and deadly, "One is very clear. Here we go... Settle...
Settle... Spirit and emotions... Breathe openly.... Focus only on the mark, make it
kill him... Okay, settle the piece into your ready body... Breathe.... Focus, focus...
Final call is ready... Squeeze gently now and hold yo' site pick-chuh steady..."
Suddenly, there were four loud noises that came from afar, "Pow! Pow, paPow, and POW!" Ravi spun, his head exploded, his heart went flying, and he fell
dead. The crowd began to shout and yell in complete joy. Some kicked his dead
body, grabbed guards, disarmed them, and cops came from everywhere. A few
people clubbed the guards with sticks and tools they had. Pam had seen the
idiot's last killing with the little boy. No more of this. "Get us outta here, Devi IX!"
She yelled. "Our mark is gone for good." Suddenly she was sitting again in
the comfy passenger compartment of the airplane. Sientia, Ken, and Joshie
appeared, also. Then right in cue, they all looked at each other, smiled, and

shouted, "Bool-yah!" and Joshie said, "Take us home, Captain "

CHAPTER NINE : No More Raunchy

Back at HQ there was considerable excitement that the crew had

successfully killed Ravi. One of the girls baked a special cake in honor of
all the little kids Ravi murdered. She had a special announcement
broadcasted thoughout the HQ that there was a memorial party for the kids
in the main dining room. Everybody came, even the scientific group
people. When Joshie got there, he was amazed! There were balloons
everywhere, lots of crepe paper, special and very colorful table cloths,
plates, banners, dinnerwear, and punch cups set up, too. The place look
spectacular! The cake had little figures of kids, sort of like they were
playing in Heaven. There were even a few Angels who were guarding the
kids. It was all really touching.
Sientia thought it would be good to talk to everyone, so she got up
and asked for everyone's attention. "Excuse me? Could you give me your
attention for just a moment? Thank you. It is with some mixed emotions
that we the shooters, Joshie, Ken, Pammie, and I, come to this party. Even
as we were about to shoot, we saw Ravi kill a little boy no more than 4
years old, but at the same time, we watched him blow apart when we shot
him. We are sad for the kids and their families, but very happy we ended
Ravi's horror. That is as it should be, for sure. That sort of thing is why we
are here. We must all say a great big 'Thank You' to Diana and those who
helped her. I tell you, that cake just made me go 'Awww...' It's message is

both precious and touching. It's also yummy, ha ha! Let's give Diana and
her team some applause, please..."
Everyone applauded, but there was no rowdiness at all. What had
happened, and what the shooters ended, created mixed emotions among
the entire group.
Then someone said, "We can't forget to thank the shooting team,
Okay?" and everyone applauded and some patted Ken, Pamela, Joshie
and Sientia on the back and shook their hands. It had been a successful,
sad, and rather somber mission. But when a monster like Ravi acts out,
you have to do whatever you can to stop it.
Joshie stood up and added, "Thanks, also, to all the support services
like Intel, the shooting range, Research, and all the rest, for another fine
job well done." Applause rose again and many people were honored and
gratified for ther role in the mission. Suffice it to say, 'There is no more
raunchy in Ranchi, Ha ha!' " Everyone laughed.

CHAPTER TEN : More Research

Pneumo and Ruacha had not gone to the party, as he was studying

again. This time it was the works of Jean Paul Sarte, a French philosopher,
playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary
critic, Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and comedian
Charlie Chaplin. He found all three figures most interesting.
He said to Ruacha, who was reading some good poetry, "You know,
Sweetheart, all these men were geniuses, but they had little to do with
each other. Mssr. Sartre came from France and lived between 1905 and
1980. Mozart lived between 1756 and 1791 and he was from Austria. I tell
you, I have always loved his compositions. They are so well thought out,
so energetic, and really, quite timeless, you know?"
Ruacha did not look up, but only gave a gentle, "Uh huh?" She was
reading love sonnets by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and was thoroughly
enraptured by the romantic feelings that the poetry illicited. What can one
say? She was a new engaged lady.
Pneumo continued, "Now Charlie Chaplain, although he was quite an
American acting rage, really came from The United Kingdom, but he died
here in Switzerland. Wow! I never knew that. And get this, he was very
popular with the Japanese, largely because his comedic expression was
silent. They just love physical humor, whereas over here, verbal jokes are
more appreciated. Marvelous!"

Ruacha intoned a soft, "I see..."

Pneumo went on, "Yes, the Japanese love what actors call 'slap
stick', a type of physical acting where someone off stage clapped two
sticks together that made an odd noise. Those sticks were called slap
sticks. Curious!"
Ruacha finally said a bit, "Why that's fascinating, Darling! Say, did you

know that Elisabeth Barret Browning was born in the UK and died in Italy?
Yep! Her husband was Robert, who was also a poet. They also had a son
named Robert!"
This time, Pneumo was the mumbler. He only said, "Well..."
Just then, Sientia spotted the two of them in the library. She asked,
"Having fun, lovebirds?"
With that comment, both Ruacha and Pneumo looked up and she
said, "Yes, darling. We are just two very much in love bibliophiles. Ha ha!"
"You missed the memorial party for the kids..." she remarked.
Pneumo said, "Yes, we went in earlier and saw the decorations, but
we figured there were already too many folks that would be there. It was

very sweet, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was. Those poor little kids will never get to live out their lives
because of one murderous crazy man. As one of the shooters, I was
thrilled when I saw that bastard's heart blow out of his body. His brain went
the other way, and he dropped like a sack of sand. The feeling of relief was
awesome!"
"I can just imagine," said Ruacha. "Well, dear, it was a mission and it
is over. I am very glad the killing has stopped with the perpetrator's death.
It was necessary, wasn't it?
"Yes, it was. Vital may be a better word for it. It seems that so much
of our lives deal with eliminating guys like Ravi, intelligent, but evil in their
motivations. He had a typical terrorist's philosophical basis for what he was
doing. It is always philosophical, and sometimes religious. Something sort
of cracks and they become what they believe is someone very powerful,
exactly right, and determined to prove it all to the world. In fact, they are
insane!"
"That is true, Sientia, very true!" answered Pneumo. "Their thinking is
not right at all. I am thinking of 'warped', and that makes for a criminal."
Joshie stepped in, having heard the last comment. "Amen to that,
brother! These guys are, as Pamela would say, 'mad'. Mad as a hooty owl.

Bats, marooned, bent, or whatever," he remarked as he did a typical

swirling gesture at his temple to indicate the meaning of 'nuts'.
Pneumo was amused. He asked, "Now, how do you supposed that
the general word for legumes ever became a word meaning insane. That's
funny, Ruacha! Ha ha ha!" His emotions were certainly in tact. "It may have
made more sense to call them 'crackers', like the crisp little snack food we
enjoy. After all, they are cracked in the noodle. Ha ha ha!" he said, pointing
to his own head.
"Good one!" said Sientia and Joshie. "Boy, your sense of humor is
wondrous, you two."
Ruacha looked up, closed her poetry book, and remarked, "He is
more cracked than I am! Ha ha ha! Much more cracked..." she said as she
tickled his ribs, then spun him around and gave him a big, sweet kiss. "But
I love him so much! I am defined as 'ecstatic'.That, and can a halogram
become horny???" she giggled.
With those comments, Pneumo and Ruacha went to their quarters for
so me love time.
Joshie just shrugged and said," I think we just lost those two! At the
very mention of making love, off they go! It must be nice..."
Sientia reeled him in and gave him a big hug, saying, "Come here,

Daddy man. I love you, just not in that way. Aww.... Joshie needs a
girlfriend! Ha ha ha!"
Joshie answered, "Sure, like that's going to happen. Not around here.
I am the only person here who is older than Devi IX. I sometimes think I'm
older than God! Oh, well, I have work to do, like killing cocaine dealers,
murderers, and other complete pricks."
Sientia had to agree, "Yeah, the missions are the main thing. You
know, sometimes I really miss Gianni. I was real close to being in love with
the man. He was so bright, charming, and good looking, a man of really
keen character. Too bad for his sudden heart attack, what was it, 8 years
ago?"
"Yeah, Gianni was special, baby. You just don't run into that many
men like him. He had it all," Joshie remembered. Just then, they heard
weird noises, so they just listened for a moment.
Sientia finally smiled and said, "Just two halos screwing like little
minks. Now that's funny! Devi IX, could you pipe some slightly loud music
into Pneumo's and Ruacha's quarters? Thank you! Hey, that reminds me of
a song that was sung by a married couple years ago named The Captain
and Tennille .'Nibblin' on bacon, Chewin' on cheese...'" Joshie sang,
"Muskrat Love...." very badly.

CHAPTER ELEVEN : Mission Rover

The next mission would be for Recon purposes only. HQ was picking up
periodic signals on a very unusual frequency band that was ultra low, that fit with

nothing they knew about. It was suspected that there may be a new enemy on
the horizon. Perhaps La Ruche Activ had reformed, or something similar. That
was unknown. But HQ was very suspicious about this. The short version of the
team, only Joshie and two technicians, would be going roving. They had to visit
a number of the Solar-Suspended Aerial Carriers (S-SACS). picking up periodic
signals on a very unusual frequency band that was ultra low, that fit with nothing
they knew about. It was suspected that there may be a new enemy on the
horizon. Perhaps La Ruche Activ had reformed, or something similar. That was
unknown. But HQ was very suspicious about this. The short version of the team,
only Joshie and two technicians, would be going roving. They had to visit a
number of the Solar-Suspended Aerial Carriers (S-SACS).

They were a recent technology. Each station simply appeared to float in

space, and they were parked in a grid that covered the planet. Most usually, they
were at very high altitude, and the units could be cloaked against detection with

New Plasmonics. Their primary purpose was to aid the various mission flights by
being a docking station where aircraft could receive maintenance and refueling.
Their secondary purpose was world wide recon, scanning all types of
frequencies for anything foreign.
"Well, Joshie, good hunting on your recon venture, " Sientia said. "I hope
you can spot any bad guys that are out there. Lord knows we have enemies!"
Joshie smiled as he stuffed a file folder full of diagrams into his brief case.
"Yeah, that's for sure, Hon! We have those for sure, but perhaps the boys and I
can figure out who they are and where."
"Well, good luck, Sweets," she answered. "I gotta go to the salon and get a
new do and a haircut, so I'm off. I'm trying a new place in Berne. The stylist is
the type that used to do my locks all the time when I was modeling. He is
supposed to be real good!" she said hopefully.
"Well, my girl has to get her do done, now don't she?" With that, Joshie
gave her a kiss on the forehead and a big hug. "Now be careful. I love yuh!"
Sientia and he exchanged mutual "I Love You's".
Joshie simply headed to the limo next. As he opened the door, he saw that
the driver was Murriella. "Hi, Murrie! How are you, gorgeous?
Murriella smiled and answered, "Fine here, Mr. Malone. I see we are
taking you to Flughafen. Relax, cuz you know the drill and the time that takes. I
stocked up some really good Irish scotch just for you..."

"Oh, great! Ah, Mc Ginty's is good stuff. Yes, don't mind if I do get a wee
drop of that, Lassie. Thanks!" he hailed as she put up the window. "Let's see...
The charts they gave me..."
Two hours later, and somewhere over the Indian Ocean, Joshie caught his
first glimpse of an S-SAC. The station was huge! At least 300 yards long and
half that high. It's mouth, where the aircraft landed, looked like some sort of
hungry creature eating bugs. Whenever a craft was logged in for a landing,
tractoring devices went into play and literally chemi-magnetically pulled the
aircraft into the docking bay.
Captain Shane had intentionally turned the big jet so Joshie could get a
look at the S-SAC out of his window. After a moment, he came on. "How's that,
lad? Quite a rig, eh?"
Joshie was astounded, "Man, it's humongous, Shane! I am amazed once
again. And how many of these do we have?" He queried.
"589. They are all over the planet. No shortage there. Oh, we are getting a
tractoring signal. I gotta shut some things down so the S SAC can do its job. Be
back!"
Joshie turned to Ari, one of the techs, and said, "Now this is bitchen, real
bitchen..." It was a word he sometimes used when a thing was awesome to him.
"Oh, yeah, Erik, I wanted to ask you about one of the diagrams... Here it
is. What is an Ex-sak Device, pal?"

Erik rejoined, "An Ex-sak is an 'External Satellite Appraising Kit' that

assesses incoming Intel at an enormous speed and specificity, Joshua. It
passes the data to Devi IX for analysis, then the S-SAC controllers get a data
report from HQ. It tells us what we are hearing, if I may say it in that rather
colloquial way. It's a good unit, very efficient, indeed!"
Joshie only remarked, "I bet. Say, guys, what do you think these signals
are that we are getting? Come on now, fess up. Speculate, if you must. Tune me
in here, Okay?"
Erik only thought deeply for a moment, not really wanting to say what he
suspected. "Honestly, Joshie? I and Ari both are inclined to think the
transmissions are off worldy in nature."
"What? Like from another planet somewhere? Do you mean aliens?"
Joshie brain was fizzing now.
"Uh, NO, not necessarily that. Off worldy only means in space. We concur
that the emissions are not coming from earth, but from space. Like perhaps
some group has put a space station up there. We can't imagine what they are
scanning, or why. It is not like anything we have experienced before. It's new to
us, but exciting to investigate."
Shortly after that, the guys could feel that the aircraft had seriously slowed
down. Captain Shane explained, "Gentlemen, we are now being tractored to the
dock. You may feel a bit giddy. It does that to some people, gives them a tickle in

their tummy. I am told that it has something to do with the pulsations the unit
creates, just a bit like microwaves, only uniquely different, Ha ha! No, we aren't
being cooked, Malone! Hee ha! We will be actually landed in about 6 minutes.
Just relax."
Joshie and the guys gathered together all their gear, pens, reports and
such. A few minutes later, the compartment door just popped open. No seat belt
signs or nothing.
Captain Shane announced, "Welcome to S-SAC station 93. Please take
your liberty, gents!"
When they stepped off the airplane, they were amazed at how expansive
the interior was. Several smaller aircraft were docked and being overhauled, so
there were plenty of whirring noises, like impact wrenches make.
As they looked forward, they saw a cute little Asian doll gesturing to them,
"Come! You come, Missuh Marone and helpehs. Come diss way, preeze... Tank
yew!" she smiled so cutely. She ushered them into a large, and very digitally
effected conference room.
Supervisor Seriore Amge saw them and greeted, "Well, hello there,
earthlings. I am Mr. Amge from the Land of Potence. Please find a seat, then
direct your attention to the display, won't you?"
In front of them was a wondrous imaging display manned by two
technicians. It was a Seminal Hological Array. The Supervisor continued, "Uh,

Gemini, convert the unit to fields of depth, with earth at center, please. Great!
Gentlemen, we have confirmed that the signals, as weak and low band as they
are, have come from pretty deep in space. Can we hear the noises, guys?
Listen..." A series of beeps, glips, and other odd noises were heard. "Of course,
the noises are merely an electro-signal contermination of the radio signals,
which could not be heard. "We have pretty much pin pointed the signal
emissions to this sector," he illustrated. "This is sector Beta Shu Gamma 2. It is
about 3.7889 light years away! We could not imagine what could be producing
the signals at first. Then we had Devi IX go back in time 200 years, so she could
search for anything errant, like a space probe that got lost or the like. We don't
know for sure as yet, and we are continuing to investigate this, but we are quite
sure we shall resolve this before long. Nothing else but a lost probe or the like
makes sense. The distance can explain the weak and low freek signals, too. It
does not appear to be anything we could call dangerous. But this certainly has
us curious, to say the least.
Ari reacted, "I should say, sir. Have you considered the idea that some
planetoid could be leaking a vestigial radiation ridge?"
"Why, no, we hadn't, Mr. Freujel, but we will look into that eventuality now
that you mention it. Gemini, run a backward masking of that sound, won't you?"
It only sounded like a weak sizzling noise. "That didn't help. Well, we will stay on
it until we sort it out."

Joshie couldn't even speak the high tech language these scientists use, so
he just sat quietly listening and observing. Backward masking? Uh oh, devil
voices! So he laughed. "Oh, sorry. My own private joke."
After that short meeting, Joshie and the boys walked around a bit. They
were curious to know what else was in this huge module.
The little Asian doll saw them and coached, "Dey got coffee dat way. In
restaurant around duh cornuh," and she smiled ever so sweetly again.
Joshie asked, "You from Nihongo? What you name?"
"Yes," said cutie. "I am Michiko Tanaka. I come from Saporro, Japan. I
station hostess. You say 'greetuh', yes... Day got good coffee. You go get,
prease! Cuz it all FREE, tee-hee-hee!" she laughed.
"Domo arigato," Joshie said. "We will go get some right now, eh, guys?"
No argument came from Erik or Ari. The coffee was delicious. Gevalia Kaffe
from Gvla, Sweden. The best! Joshie was drinking a flavor called Dark Roast
Cubano. It was rich and flavorful. He always took his coffee strong, so he had
the baristo make it the traditional Swedish way, one little scoop per cup! It gave
him an almost immediate pick me up.
"You know, guys, I just had a thought - what if someone is messing with
us? Like, uh, putting up a false signal to see what we will do. I read about signal
mirroring some time back. They described it in one of my scientific magazines
as a boomerang effect. They project a strong signal way deep into space, then

make it come back even weaker. What do you think?"

Ari found the idea plausible, but unlikely. "What motive could there be for
such a thing? If they want to scan anyone, well, that's easy. Just do it. I can't
wrap my head around that one, Malone. I don't think so," Ari answered.
"Well, it was a thought," Joshie reacted. "A weak one, but a real thought,
nonetheless. Ha ha! Man, these guys are some bunch of scientific brains, aren't
they? I had very little clue what they were saying, you know?"
"We had a saying back at Met Tech, 'Once an egghead always an
egghead,' " Erik offered, and everyone laughed. The boys went to three more SSACs that day.

CHAPTER TWELVE : Final Release

Pneumo woke Joshie up from his nap in his quarters a few days later. "I
beg your pardon, Joshie, but I wonder of you would accompany me. I am going

to do something very special today. Please arise and stand very still. Are you
awake yet?"
Joshie rolled out and yawned real big with, "I'm cool. I was in the IRA,
remember? Go ahead..."
In a flash Joshie found himself in what looked like a scientific laboratory.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"We are in Long Range Detention Center Delta, Joshie. We are just north
of Berne, in the deep woods wilderness and about 95 kilometres under the
ground... This facility is secret and extremely well guarded. I am going to try to
affect the release of a prisoner. He has been in an Alex Detention Module for 30
years now. He was put into detention for robbery and assaulting some civilians.
He held up a number of stores near his home town, so we locked him away after
his trial before a judge and a jury of his peers. When he comes up, he will be
sleepy..."
Joshie reacted, "I can relate." and he yawned big again. "I'm okay!"
Pneumo called on a detention guard named Bruno. Then he sat down at a
computer. "Bruno, would you go get for me Module 7325 J, please?"
"Yazzer, 7325 J," Bruno said. He went down a connecting hallway.
Meanwhile, Pneumo pulled up the prisoner's file and began to read it to Joshie.
"Let's see now... Thomas Paul Schmidt, 42 years old from the Berne are, 5
feet 10, 156 lbs. First detained on March 6th, 2117, at 6 pm. Charges are

multiple assaults and robbery. Oh here comes Bruno," he said excitedly.

"Joshie, we have used a new and somewhat experimental method on
Tom. With specialize scanning effectors, we have been trying to erase not only
his memories of having been a felon, but also all tendencies, needs, and
presuppositions in that area. I cannot wait to see if we have been successful!"
Bruno brought in a metallic block marked "7325 J". He set it on the table at
the center of the room with a, "Here you go, sir."
"Thank you, Bruno. Now, Joshie when I hit the next key, Mr. Thomas Paul
Schmidt will suddenly appear, standing right over here. Then I will give him
preliminary questioning. Here we go..."
"Hi, where is this?" asked a very sleepy Tom.
"You are in a Detention Center, sir. What do you remember?" quizzed
Pneumo.
Thomas answered, "Well, I know I slept very well. That's for sure! Oh,
yeah, I remember my little home town Koniz ... And my mom.... And the weather
was cool... Not a lot more right now..."
Pneumo continued, "Thomas, do you ever remember having been
arrested?"
"Why, no. I always respect the law. I was in the British National Air Force,
so I learned discipline and how to show respect and take orders. Not me, sir. I
don't break the law, never would consciously do that." Thomas was most

confident of his integrity.

"Nothing at all? Good!" responded Pneumo. "Now, please go with this
young lady. They are only going to draw some blood. No worries at all, I assure
you."
A young lady came to the door with a wide smile, "Sir, if you will come with
me to the lab, please," she coached. Then, in the hall, she said, "I am Rayna
Moore. I will be with you for awhile, providing everything works out."
Back in the other room, Pneumo smiled and exclaimed, "I think it worked,
Joshie. The man has no memory of his crimes and no inclination to go that way.
My computer could detect deception, but he was telling the truth all the way.
Superlative!"
Joshie just gave him a thumbs up. In the lab stood Dr. Kevin Atkinson, who
said with cheer, "Well, hello, Tom. It's great to see you! I'm just going to draw
some blood, okay? This won't even hurt."
Rayna got close to Tom on purpose, for she had learned the value of touch
long ago. For her 28 years, she looked about 19. Rayna was tall, about five feet
8. Her legs were long and shapely, she had a really cute little round fanny, she
sported a beautiful, curly mane of brown hair, had gorgeous blue eyes, and
carried very adequate round breasts.

An hour later , they let Thomas go! Rayna informed him, "Tom, you just got

released after 30 years of detention, but you won't remember any of it. That is
gone now. I am highly trained and will coach you in all that matters now, Okay?"
she assured him.
"That sounds great, Rayna! Really..." he said like he knew he was
suddenly free. Rayna and Tom walked around the city of Berne for awhile, to get
him acclimated to the changes 30 years can make. They went and got a snack
with a soda, and Tom loved that. Rayna was special, his friend, and he knew it.
And so gorgeous!
Two hours later, she suggested they freshen up, so they stopped at a local
inn, got a room and went up. She said, "How about a nice, refreshing shower,
one with a beautiful girl, Tom?"
It felt wonderful to take Rayna's sweet love after not being with a woman
for so long. She was truly beautiful! They stayed together for about a year. She
made him experience real life once again.
Then, one day she said, "It's been wonderful, my darling. I wish you all the
best. Bye, Honey, I love you! " and she kissed him ever so passionately once

more.
They would forever be bonded, for she was the girlfriend who helped him
get himself back. Tom understood from the beginning what she was there to do.
He simply said, "You will always be precious to me, Honey!" and she was
transported by Devi IX back to the Detention Center.
Pneumo asked, "So, how did it go, Rayna?"
"Everything went great! He's a complete sweetheart now. You know, it's
funny, and quite amazing, really, Pneumo, but dear Tom never figured it out. He
never knew I am really a hooker hologram..." Rayna said.

~ TO BE CONTINUED ~