Monsters - Chapter 22 – The Salesman – Part 2 of 2

Monsters

By Karen Singer

Chapter 22 – The Salesman – Part 2 of 2

Carol and Susan watched the monitors for a few minutes, but both of them had seen Janice working many times before.  It would be several hours before Janice would declare the man ready for interrogation.  As they were leaving the barn, they were met by one of the maids. 

“A Mr. Liu has arrived asking to see you and Miss Carol,” the maid told Susan.

“The new motorcycle helmets,” Carol guessed with a smile.

In the entranceway of the house, they found Mr. Liu.  Carol had met him several times over the years when she ordered her special riding suits.  “Ah.  Miss Susan and Miss Carol,” Liu said with a small bow.  “It is good to see you both again.”

“Did you bring me another of those helmets?” Carol asked, seeing that he had nothing with him.

“Actually,” he said with a smile.  “I have a van outside that is full of different models.  I thought perhaps you might want to consider some new options?”

“I just want something as good as the one that saved my life,” Carol told him.

“Carol,” Susan interjected.  “We’ve got several hours before your mother even takes a break.  Why not see what he has to offer.”

Carol shrugged.  “Why not?”

Liu and two of the maids brought in box after box of motorcycle helmets and stacked them in the large living room.  Like the salesman that he was, Liu happily started pulling each of them out and explaining what was available.  The ones he started with were the more typical colorful motorcycle helmets that they sold in stores.  Carols old helmets had no speakers or communication gear in them at all.  Most of the new ones that he had brought with him were loaded with it.

“Now this model,” he said as he held up a shiny helmet in metallic red, links up with your cellphone.  You just tell your phone what playlist you want to hear.  The built-in headphones are some of the very best you will ever hear.  So good, you won’t want to listen to your music any other way.”

“I’m not much for listening to music when I ride,” Carol told him.  “That’s kind of my thinking time.  But if you have one that links to my phone so I can use a voice command to make a phone call, I guess that would be handy.”

“Absolutely!  Most of them will do that.  This model is especially good for that.”

“Okay,” Carol agreed.  “That might be okay…if it’s just as bullet proof as my last helmet.”  She thought for a moment.  “But you know what would be really good?”

“What?” Liu asked eagerly.

“If I could get a helmet that amplified the sound around me, outside the helmet, so I could hear better, and then also let me talk on the phone if I had to.”

Liu beamed.  “Now we are moving away from these standard production models to the experimental ones we are trying to develop for the military.  We have a number of features we have been trying to incorporate.”

Carol leaned forward.  “Let’s see.”

Liu put away the helmet he had been showing her and hunted through the boxes.  “Ah.  Here,” he said as he pulled the box out.  The helmet he pulled out of it wasn’t shiny at all.  It was dull black.  “We can of course give them whatever custom colors you want.  But this one is experimental still and not in production.”  He handed the helmet to Carol.  “Remember what I said about the last helmet linking with your phone so you can use voice commands, this one does that too.  But if you’ll look here,” he said as he turned the helmet upside down and pointed at some buttons along the bottom inside.  “These are the volume controls for the four microphones located on the outside of the helmet.”  He turned the helmet and pointed them out.  One on the right at the very bottom, one on the left, one at the very back, and one in the front,” he said as he pointed the final one out located just above the visor.  Three hundred and sixty degrees of hearing, amplified to whatever you need, and all of it synchronized so you can easily determine which direction the sound is coming from.  This button inside raises the volume and the one next to it lowers it.”

  Carol smiled.  “Now that could be useful.  What are all these other buttons in here though?”

“Ah!” Liu said with a smile.  “We have only begun to show you what this helmet can do.  This button controls a short-range radio system that will work with any of these same helmets.  I’m afraid the range is only about one kilometer, but it is encrypted so it is very doubtful that anyone would be able to understand what is said, if they even have the equipment to pick up that signal.”

“But you have to have one of these same helmets for it to work?” Carol asked.

“The radio is configured to only work with these helmets,” Liu confirmed.  “The circuit boards that control it are necessarily very tiny.”

“Okay.  If Brandy and I go for a ride, then I guess that could be good too.  Anything else?”

Liu looked seriously at Carol.  “In the last few years, we have created many riding suits for you.  All of them custom made to conceal as many weapons as possible.  In fact, later, I would like to discuss some…upgrades that our people have come up with.  But our researchers have added one more interesting feature to this helmet that I think you might be interested in.”

“What?” Carol asked, now noticing the thick secondary and much smaller shield that Liu was fingering.

“Night vision,” Liu told her.  “It’s based on our same military technology, but it is built in as a second visor you can pull down instead of the primary one.  Of course, it’s not as good as the standard military models, but we are quite proud of how well it works, and to look at it, no one would ever think that’s what it actually is.  I’m afraid that it does use a good bit of power and the helmet needs to be plugged in to charge the batteries more often, but when fully charged, you should have between thirty and sixty minutes of night-vision available to you.  I fear that in the daytime, demonstrating it would be difficult.”

“Okay, that could be useful too,” Carol conceded.  She sighed.  “But the bottom line for me is the protection.  How strong is it.  The last one saved my life and my friend’s life.”

Mr. Liu smiled.  “Ah.  Of course.  These helmets we’re talking about now are better than the ones you had before…that I would like to take back with me,” he added.  “Our research department wants to examine them.”

“That’s fine” Carol told him.  “So long as these are equally as good.”

“Not only are they as good.  These are better.”  He handed the helmet to her.  “Does that helmet feel any heavier to you than your last one?”

“No,” Carol admitted as she held it up in her hands to test the weight.  If anything, it might be a bit lighter.”

“Correct!” Liu pronounced.  “That’s because we’ve been experimenting with carbon fiber.  The strongest, lightest material out there.  We’ve incorporated layers of that into the design making the basic helmets much lighter.  The one you’re holding now contains the night vision electronics along with other things that add weight.  But the end result is a stronger helmet, with more options.”

Carol held the helmet up and bounced it in her hands again, feeling the weight.  “Perfect!” she declared.  She looked up at him.  “But what I was really hoping for, was something to protect me from a gas attack.  I’ve got one target out there that seems to love using it.”

Liu quickly smiled.  “Gas attack?  Perhaps I can help with that as well.  Not with these helmets, but with one of the enhancements to the riding suits we’ve created for you.”

“You built a gas mask into a riding suit?”

“Sort of.  Yes!” Liu told her happily.  “Unfortunately, I don’t have one of new suits with me, as its all still experimental.  But I could have one flown over immediately and I can show it to you tomorrow.  There are a number of enhancements our people have dreamed up, just for you, Miss Carol.  You have been a very good customer in the past and I’m afraid that the things you’ve asked for have, let’s say, piqued our research department’s interest.  Carbon fiber along with another layer of Kevlar.  Lighter weight with increased flexibility.  More pockets for weapons and ammunition.  A Bluetooth system to connect to your electronics.  The built-in gas protection system.  And believe it or not, a minor variation on night vision goggles that will also protect your eyes in the event of a gas attack.”

Carol starred at him for a moment.  “A month ago, I wouldn’t have been interested.  But now, I want to see all of it.”

“I’ll have my people finish the protype we’ve been working on and ship it right out.  I think I can have it here for your approval sometime late tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait,” Carol told him.

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

He hung up the phone, stared ahead for a few moments, then laughed out loud.  But the laugh ended as more troubling thoughts intruded.  He picked up his phone again and called.  “Billy.  Come talk.  I’m going to need you to contact Colonel Houghton again.”

Two minutes later, his door opened, and a man walked in.  “What’s up, boss?” Billy asked.

“Stupid Beastman just called.  Claims they just found ten of his men shot dead and another two are missing.”

“Beastman?  We didn’t send Houghton after anyone from his organization.”

“No.  But he’s blaming us.”

“How about his two missing guys?  They probably did it.”

“No.  I’m pretty sure they didn’t, and I’m also pretty sure I know who did.”

“Who?”

“The other girl.  The one everyone usually calls Death.”

Billy laughed.  “Sure.”

“Don’t laugh!  If she’s half the killer the stories claim she is, she’ll be a major problem.  She already is a major problem.  That’s why I ordered her killed.  And don’t get me started about her mother.  Just thinking about her gives me the creeps.  Any luck finding where she is yet?”

“Not a clue.  Nothing.  And as for those two women, we thought they were dead.  Direct head shots for each.”

“And yet, it seems they both lived.  Unacceptable!”

“Blame Houghton, not me.”

“Don’t worry.  I do blame him.  But now Beastman has fucked up royally.  The stupid prick captured the Salvatori girl instead of just killing her.  My guess is he’s hauled her off to the training center.”

“Training center?”

“Don’t worry about it.  What I’m worried about, is that I saw the way those two were together, Savatori and Death.  They had a thing for each other.  And because of it, I have no doubt that the other one, Death, will stop at nothing to find her lover.  And somehow she’s figured out that Beastman probably took her.”

“So you think she killed Beastman’s men?”

“I’m sure of it.”

“So what do you want me to do?”

“Talk to Houghton.  My guess is she’ll probably keep going after Beastman’s men and killing them until she gets what she wants.  Tell him to work out some way to put an end to her – for real this time!  And show me the damn proof!”

“Got you boss.  I’m on it.”

“Good.”

“How about Lozano?  Any luck yet?”

“Shit!  The damn Mexican has completely disappeared, along with just about his entire organization…or what’s left of it.  My guess is that he’s hiding out in Mexico somewhere.  But the bigger problem is the drugs.  We still have no clue how he was getting them into the country, let alone into the city.  And now the pipeline has dried up completely.  If we don’t fix it soon, Heroin is going to get scarce!”

“So what do we do?”

“I’m still working on it.  Your job right now is to ride Houghton’s ass.  And make sure he gets the damn job done this time!”

--- §§§§§§§§§§ ---

Janice Stokely walked wearily back into the mansion.  She was tired and worn out.  She found Susan and Carol in the living room.  Carol had a new motorcycle helmet on the floor next to her chair.  “There you are,” Janice said happily as she joined them and practically fell into the chair.

“All done, Mom?”

“With the first round,” she said.  “I’ve just turned him over to Susan’s interrogators.  After that, I told them that I wanted him to sit and keep watching a video I selected for him.”

“What kind of video?” Carol asked.

Janice smiled.  “That’s a surprise!”

Carol smiled, knowing her mother’s wicked ways.  “What’s next?” she asked.

Janice sighed happily.  Now I rest for a few minutes, and then I’ll start in on the second one.”

“Right,” Carol replied.  “I think, after dinner, I’m going to go back out and look some more.  If I find anything, I’ll bring you someone to play with for tomorrow.”

Janice smiled.  “Good!  Actually, this time, because of what I want to try when Susan’s people are done with them, I’m looking to find several more men.  Maybe as many as possible.  Usually I only get to play with one.  This time I’m thinking of something different.”

Carol chuckled.  “I’ll do what I can.”  She turned to Susan.  “Better have your people standing by to pick up whoever I find.”

“They already are,” Susan told her.

“Oh, and your interrogators…  When they question the men about Brandy, the men don’t seem to know her by that name.  Tell them to use Retribution instead.”

“Retribution?”

“It’s kind of her nickname.  Like Death is for me.”