We proceeded to the limo and chase cars. The driveway was still warm enough to prevent more icing. Ditto with the walk and stairs. James and I entered the limo along with the driver and one agent. The remainder of them piled into the two chase cars and we were all on our way. The streets, unfortunately, did not share the heating elements which were found in my driveway so they were a bit more treacherous. At least the vehicles weren’t frigid since the heat rising from the driveway heated the undercarriages and, therefore, carried over to a limited degree into and around the three vehicles themselves.

We arrived at our destination going in for a late breakfast/ early lunch. This allowed us rapid seating, fortunately. As we finished our meal just over an hour later I paid with my corporate card. Those of us with a need to relieve the effects of the coffee we had been drinking spent a few minutes in the rest rooms before we departed for the office. There, I turned our smaller conference room over to James for his use conducting his own business. It was the one he had been in before and I wanted to hold our larger room free for other needs. Nicci and I began to tackle our paperwork. Before I left James, he opened up his small suitcase checking to see if he had enough signal to reach the nearest military installation. I kept gathering clues as to how his suitcase worked. Apparently he had enough signal or more than he had back at the house as his face lit up and he began moments later happily working with his people much as if he was actually back in his own offices.

Twenty minutes later Ralph joined Nicci and myself as we continued to work through reports, accepted a new tenant in our latest Western acquisition and fussed with the renovation and alarm details for the three floors we intended to occupy at our East coast building. We fussed with the same problems yesterday concerning our West coast building, too. Oh well.

A thought assailed me, I needed to speak with James about his suitcase. I was thinking that I might like to have one which allowed that kind of capability, allowing me access to my business offices from remote locations, such as client’s offices or board rooms in other cities.

When lunch began to roll around we found we still had a lot of work to do so we ordered lunch in. I didn’t eat much for our late breakfast in anticipation of lunch so I was a bit hungry. As we were finishing our meal I was trying to beg scraps off Nicci’s lunch.

“What is this? You’re the one who is going to have a paid supper. Italian, no less, while I have to make do with leftover chicken tonight.”

“I’ll save some of the salad and the meatballs for you to eat tomorrow, supper’s still five hours away.”

Ralph gave me a gentle poke, “Doesn’t look to me like you’re starving, Lynn. In fact I’d say you could probably handle losing a pound or two,” he grinned broadly.

I cupped my hands around my ears as if trying to better hear, “Did you hear something, Nicci? It was so faint I couldn’t make it out.” I gave him a dirty look and so did Nicci, he got the point.

It was around that time that I realised I hadn’t checked on James in a while, having been too preoccupied with reports from our other ongoing operations. We had one principal who had been difficult throughout the entire detail and whom we had finally handed back to his own company’s security people. He had managed to cause us sufficient problems that we barely broke even on the job. Now that it was over we marked both his name and the company name as one of those with whom we did not intend to do business again. I was of the mind to simply tell them to find someone else the next time they called but reason prevailed and the report was completed with a copy forwarded to them company including our recommendations of two other security companies including the one for which I had worked before starting my own. Thinking about it they would be unlikely to take his crap if they hired them.

In a separate envelope we included a sealed report for the President of the company outlining the reasons we would not accept any future business with them. What they did about their vice-president and future security concerns was no longer our problem.

When I walked into the conference room I discovered it was empty. Checking with reception, she informed me that James and his detail had departed about 1:30. I had no idea where they might have gone so I was off both to visit Phillip and our situation room. The guys would call in their location so “the board” could be updated. That showed the last report to be somewhere in the suburbs at or near a mall. Last report had been made fifteen minutes ago. Afterward the three of us continued our work examining more of the mundane documents necessary to the running of the business. We also paid a number of the bills. The report from our attorneys about our West coast renovation was read and finally understood after a couple of phone calls. Can’t lawyers ever say anything in English? I mean, in the English I can understand?

There would be a bit of a delay while permits for the antenna structures and the planned structural changes to support a helipad were pushed through the city’s planning commission. We needed to address someone’s concern about some birds and mice living somewhere nearby. Now we don’t want to disturb the seagulls or mocking birds, do we? Actually the complaint was for the anticipated noise which might disturb some small animals mating habits in a small state park located about a mile from the building. Something about possible flights over the park or some such thing. I don’t know why we couldn’t just go off in some other direction and circle around if we needed to go in that direction for some reason. Invisible pathways up in the air have always been a bit of a mystery to me. I guess it’s something like what a sniper goes through. You plan your shot for days, you set it up, you squeeze it off only to have a bird fly into the path of the bullet so all bets are off. One surprised bird and one very frustrated sniper who hopefully is able to reacquire and execute the second shot quickly. Some one little thing can upset some very big thing, so we must do what we can to anticipate, protect, and circumvent the little things without harming them.

“Aughh, more paperwork.”

“Lynn ... You knew that when you came in out of the cold.”

“Yes, but I thought I might get to go out and play at least once in a while.”

“No such luck, kid. We gotta protect our Projects Director. You only get to go out on the milk runs now, and then usually for only part of the run. Cheer up, the convention is only a couple of days away and then you get to network and play to your heart’s content for five days.”

“Oh right. I get to go be an attractive ornament waving my hands over computers and software packages about which I know nothing. We don’t even have an exhibit since the convention has nothing to do with physical security or protection.”

Nicci speaks up, “Why don’t we have an exhibit? I mean, it’s a little late now but even computer types could be interested in personal protection or security for corporate assets. Look at Mr. Thompson’s company, they hired us to protect the founder and two of the vice presidents since their loss could have a horrible effect upon the welfare of their company. They said it took them weeks to find someone who referred them to someone who referred them to us. Phillip and Grace are attending the Convention and Phillip is presenting a paper there at one of the symposiums.”

Now that was news to me. I knew they were attending but I didn’t know about the paper. It suddenly dawned on me that I had been focused solely on the physical aspects of security such as perimeter alarms, personal protection and medical intervention, that sort of thing. There are, however, a lot of much softer ways to affect your target, hence our small but mighty computer department. Wow, two whole people.

I suddenly was seeing a need for three or four more people, some really powerful computers and maybe even a forensic science department with emphasis on modern technology.

“Nicci, would you schedule a meeting between Phillip, Grace and myself for some time after the convention has ended? I need them to consider an expansion of their department to include more technology and technological forensics, records access nationwide, crime scene technical systems analysis. I know this is a duplication of other agencies and we seldom have need of it, but I need to talk with them about all the possible ways we might head off a potential problem other than simply a strong physical presence. We also need to consider small exhibits at shows or conventions which don’t pertain to protection and hazardous duties but which might attract clients.”

I thought about the possibilities of considering approaches to intercepting electronic spying or theft of computer data. We could sweep for things like listening devices but we didn’t know enough about sweeping computers for listening and reporting software, if there was such a thing. Just one more thing I needed to talk about with James. Many of the installations were adding microphones to the computer systems and Phillip had said that some day a few might even be connected to low resolution cameras for special applications. I was beginning to consider they might possibly be used for surreptitious corporate spying which would then send the information to some other location via the ARPANET. Phillip kept telling me that “one day we will think nothing of using the ARPANET to send documents, sound and pictures all over the globe.”

That sounded like a fairy tale. Of course so did putting a man in orbit only a few decades ago.

“Phillip and Grace probably have better ideas about this sort of thing but I don’t have enough background to understand it. I’m certain they’ll have ideas, they just need to present them to me in a manner I can understand.”

“Good Luck,” Nicci commented as she finished taking all this down in shorthand. “I’ll type up all you just said as you said it and try to put it into some semblance of order then give it to you to check before I message them. Watch out for Phillip, he’s wanted a one hundred man laboratory and his own little fiefdom for at least the last year.”

I smiled, “That’s part of the reason it has never happened. He’s very good at what he does but his organizational skills for running a department are almost non-existent. Ralph here, for instance, hates doing what he’s doing but he is exceptional at it. We don’t have anyone else who even comes close to his talents.”

I winked at him, “That’s why he’s a tenth partner. You are the same. I’m trying to figure out how to give you a partnership position without losing what you are doing now. It’s almost worked out, Babe, so stick with me a bit longer and you’ll begin to reap some nice benefits. I hope to be able to announce you for New Year’s. You up to that?”

Nicci’s mouth dropped open, “A ... a partner? But I don’t have anything to offer ... I mean ... I’m just me, a little fish.”

“You’ve got a lot, Nicci,” I hugged her, “and I’m setting it up so you, like Ralph, are protected from any lawsuits which might get tossed our way any time in the future. Better pay, bigger expense account, more say in what goes on. You can handle it, you have been for more than a year. The only problem has been how to give you the recognition you deserve.”

Nicci’s eyes were full of tears. We adjourned our meeting on that happy note and I led Nicci out to her desk to find tissues for her.

“You know, Nicci ... This change will not absolve you of continuing to be the unofficial den mother of our pack of wolves,” meaning the agents.

She tried to laugh then began hiccupping, the tears finally ending.
Once I thought she was going to be okay, I returned to my office, coming back a minute later to hand her a small packet of $20 bills which I had pulled from my safe.

“Consider this a bonus, Nicci. There’ll be more at Christmas, but this will help out right away. And go house shopping during the next couple of week ends. You’ve been to my home, find something you like along a similar vein. The company will purchase it if our security checks indicate it can be converted to a safe house. The special filtering of the water, standby or off grid power, heated drive and walks, security fencing and tire shredders, the whole nine yards. The best thing is our lawyers will have it set up so you don’t need to declare it as yearly income. It won’t be compensation. As a shareholder you will be required to have a certain ability to entertain or put up potential clients, when necessary, and to have get together’s or meetings for the employee’s like Ralph and I do throughout the year. Be certain to find a place with a large enclosed yard and enough land, at least ten acres, that we could begin installing wind generators and children’s play sets. The company will handle the changes to the property. Unfortunately, even once you find it you probably won’t get to move in until Summer or maybe Autumn. When we finish, it will be like one of our ‘safe’ houses, but you get to live there. You’re important enough to the company to protect.”

Nicci hugged me ... tight ... “Thanks, Lynn. This is wonderful. I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“You earned it, Nicci. You’ve proven that you can handle everything we throw at you. Well ... As much as I’d like to stay and celebrate with you, I’ve got to get going. I need to track down and retrieve a wayward security detail and a wandering Principal.”

She smiles, “Go get ‘em, Lynn.”

I winked at her as I headed on out to go check our situation board in Phillip’s bailiwick again. As I walked toward the limits of Phillip’s outer sanctum I thought about the need to reign in my spending. If it didn’t slow soon, we would be down to nothing a lot sooner than in five very lean months. The two new property acquisitions on the East and West coasts would be paying for themselves by the end of November, which was good. Also by the end of December we would have completed nine well paying jobs and have banked close to another twelve hundred fifty thousand after all other expenses but that was barely a drop in the wages and expenses we saw every year. This expansion business was a pain in the... With what was already in the bank the additional could see us into March. By then we would hopefully have enough to pay the last installment on our taxes and then we could begin once again to save during the following three months through June, our busiest season after August - September.

I hoped by this time next year to have our employee roster filled out to at least 40 at each of the U.S. locations, 60 would be better. We had fourteen European employees with more being investigated. If they checked out and we hired them all that would give us just over twenty five. Each had received a small stipend as a retainer of sorts giving us the right of first call for their talents as soon as we could re-register them and receive certification for our company. By then we would have at least four point two Mil in the bank which would only be about three months worth of funds after we added the next 60 agents and 20 support personnel. With any luck, we might be able to begin ‘buying down’ on the mortgages for our new buildings by the following year. It might wind up becoming necessary to dip deeply into my own cash reserves before things started to climb up again. My reserves wouldn’t be able to handle more than about two weeks so things needed to pick up a bit. Of course I suppose I could mortgage my rental properties again. Should I begin screaming now?

I continued to hope the European agreements would come through soon. They were a lot more protection minded over there. Here in the US of A, it was a bit more difficult to find well paying work. Only the really big fish took on security and protection details, and they seldom hired out because most of them were into control of their details since they were really just looking for someone to blame rather than having real protection. They’d be better off to hire rent-a-cops. You get what you pay for, babe. You get what you pay for.

I walked into the edge of Phillips sanctum-sanctorum then looked at the board, which was actually a very large map of the region with coloured stick pins in it. I noted the Limo and cars at the city yard appeared to had been moved slightly. With a map this size covering the whole region it was difficult to tell. A check of the information sheets below the board indicated that yes, they had been moved and were in the city lot now so I guess maintenance had been completed.

I sighed, there was another three grand in expenses. It all came at us so fast this time of year. I guess that’s because Winter was our ‘wind-down and prepare for the next onslaught’ time of year. January, on the other hand, was a pick me up. Not as good as our best months, but a good start to each new year. I left again without seeing either Phillip or Grace.

Walking past Nicci, who smiled, then on into my office I collected my purse and mobile which made me look like a lawyer everywhere I went. It wasn’t really too large, a bit bigger than Nicci’s but this was an older model. The weight was the biggest problem. Mine must have weighed close to twenty pounds while Nicci’s was down around ten. Not for the first time did I wish these things were smaller and that we could dial our own phone calls instead of going through a mobile operator. Some sort of communication security might be nice too.

Just before going out I again checked the reports on our cash reserves. Exiting my office I noted Nicci was ready to leave as well. We walked out into the parking lot together.

I was surprised that our assets were a lot better off than I thought they would be, but then I remembered the payments we authorized today hadn’t been deducted from those totals yet. I subtracted them in my head and discovered we were about where I figured we would be for this time of year. I also checked my own assets and found they were greater than I remembered even when I deducted my recent extravagances. Why there must be a whole additional day’s worth of payroll available in my reserves beyond the two weeks I figured on. Don’t panic yet, girl. There’s a saving grace, all of the new real estate is leased out which will be a positive cash flow even with the remodeling costs to accommodate our new tenants. That is, once we made it past the first three months. March would be a major turning point.
Once the permits for the wind generators we hoped to put on the roofs came through and the battery banks went into the basements, we would be able to become about fifty percent energy self-sufficient which would help a lot.

That’s part of what interested some of our tenants. We provided the utilities at no cost to them. All utilities were included in the monthly lease although the lease was slightly lower than others in the area. In many cases where security wasn’t involved, we also provided a leased cleaning service. We cut the bank a little slack since they used their own. Everyone felt like they were getting something for nothing and we had a positive cash flow. Not big, but positive. That’s what it was all about. We weren’t looking for a profit from the leases, just enough to offset the monthly payment to the bank and to pay the various businesses that provided our utilities and so on. The remodeling costs were covered over the first three months of the year after that we would actually make a little money each month which would be tucked away for that proverbial ‘rainy day’.

Nicci climbed into her car and I began to go around the corner toward my own when I suddenly panicked. My mind pulled away from my costs analysis as I began searching for my car. Finally out of the haze I recalled riding in with everyone else in the Limo. Wonderful. I turned back and waved good-bye to Nicci as she drove out of the lot before I trudged back through the snow and slush to get back into the building so I could call for a taxi using the guard/ receptionist’s lobby phone. Well, it was a lot cheaper to use his land-line than it would be to use my mobile and he was convenient, if you didn’t count the snow and slush. Besides, that gave me a reason to go back inside where it was warmer. Fifteen minutes later I was on my way and as the taxi finally approached the gate of my home I opened the gate using the remote I kept in my purse. After paying my fare, plus tip, I carefully walked up the stairs, entered the house with the driver still standing there scratching his head at the lack of appreciable snow on either my driveway or the walks outside the fencing. I ignored him as I turned the key which activated the keypad then entered my code to deactivate my alarm system. Apparently the snow stopped falling before my timer kicked the breaker power back on, so the drive and walk cooled then reheated beginning at four. That meant they were pretty much clear of ice, snow, and runoff by the time I got home. Judging from the rest of the street it looked like the scrapers had come through sometime during the day and pushed most of the slush and snow off the street and onto the sidewalks. The only sidewalk which was clear was the one by my property which the construction company had ripped out and reinstalled with heating elements under it. I hate shoveling snow and never have the time for it.

I peeked out watching the taxi drive back out. Once he was off the property, I pressed the key pad code to close the gate then rearmed the perimeter alarms before I went upstairs to change to something a little more dressy for my date. I went for a skirt and a sweater which would emphasize my curves. Nothing too dressy as I didn’t want to get stray sauces on my nice things. My jewelry clashed so that changed too. I opted to wear some things which were a little more classy than what I would wear to the office, it was a date after all. I put on low heels so if it snowed I would be less likely to participate in a catastrophe then checked to confirm the fur jacket looked good with my outfit. That wasn’t quite as resounding a success. I abandoned my opportunity at warmth and went with one of the blazers, which matched my mix well, setting it aside for now.

Let’s see ... Hair up or down? Ponytail? No! I don’t think so ... down I think ... I’m not happy yet ... French curl? Yes, French curl - chic. Finishing my hair I first checked then spent a little time touching up my make-up. Next I checked my nails discovering I had a broken one. When did that happen? Fifteen minutes later my nails were once again good to go. Looking good, girl. I checked outside noticing a light snow fall so a quick trip to the garage was called for. In the garage I reset the timer for five hours since it had dropped to just under three by now. Half heat would likely be enough to maintain the driveway and the walks if the snow didn’t begin to fall too heavily. The peripheral and house batteries were both up over ninety percent again so just to be cautious, I clicked on the heaters for two of the wind generators and set them into the system again. That would probably be more than enough. Entering the house I noted it was nearly eighteen-thirty so I figured they would be arriving any minute.

Wow, a real date. This was so cool. Moments later the doorbell rang. It had to be the guys since they had a control for the gate and not just any old control would do the job. I check the camera anyway then opened the door to let everyone in. James gave me a bouquet of pink roses and I took the time to put them into a vase with water and ginger ale then we were on our way. Surprise, we didn’t head for the office and Italian.

“I made a reservation. Where are we going?”

“We called and cancelled it, they were just as happy since someone from your office had requested a table so our cancellation left one open. This will be a surprise,” James answers.

About a quarter after seven we pulled up to one of the high priced spreads and the guys opened the door for us. Frank helped me out of the car giving me a big smile.

“Lynn, you should see your face. It’s priceless.”

Wow, not only am I on a date but it’s a complete surprise. I took James’ arm as we walked in.

“If I had known we were coming here, I would have worn something more appropriate,” I whispered to James.

“You look great, Lynn,” he smiles, “In fact you look terrific.”

“Thompson party, seven-thirty,” he said and in less than a minute we were on our way to our tables. James and I sat at a small booth with the guys in booths on either side. Wow, a real date ...

“Wine, Sir?”

“No. Thank-you. We aren’t drinking. Perhaps a little water and coffee.”

“And you, Madam?”

“Water and coffee are fine, thank-you.”

“Of course,” and he was off.

He returned soon with the coffee and menus even as a young man was filling our water glasses, holding them out away from the table then returning them, one at a time. Just as they left our waiter arrived, “Do you need more time?”

“Yes ... Please ... A few minutes,” James smiled.

“Very good,” he was off and we were ‘alone’ once again.

“James, I thought you didn’t know this city.”

“Let your fingers do the walking.”

I smiled at him then began to examine my menu. I really shouldn’t, but I needed the protein so when the waiter returned I order the Filet Mignon ... medium well done. James ordered the lobster.

“Appetizer?”

“No ... I think, perhaps, we will have the house soup, not the chowder.”

“Very good, Sir. I shall return in a few moments.”

After our waiter departed, I asked, “How do you know so much about the food they offer?”

“I read the menu.”

As I only saw him glance at it page by page, it took only a few moments for me to realize he must have a photographic memory. Or, at least, something closely approximating same.

“Something is amusing?” he asked, looking at me.

“No. No, I just put two and two together.”

“About what, may I ask?”

“Your memory. It’s at least partially photographic, isn’t it?”

“To a limited extent, I suppose so. It helps a great deal when I am negotiating. There are areas in which it doesn’t seem to help at all. It’s of great benefit to me when we are comparing tens of thousands of bytes of code or several hundred to a thousand lines. I can quickly review the code in my mind to find the offending area then we go into the code itself to see what has either been incorrectly written, left out entirely, or added in the wrong place. We are able to find our errors rather more quickly than a simple debugging as a result. Normal debugging tools only go so far.”

“Are you able to prepare code which could be used to assist in my business?”

“We can write code for use in just about anything. The problem is realizing exactly what really is needed in order to solve the problem. After that, writing the code is pretty simple if an application can be devised for a situation. Just knowing you have a problem doesn’t automatically present a solution upon which code may be based. The days of Sherlock Holmes capable computers remain quite far away I’m afraid, as are sentient machines. Programs may be written which mimic thought but the programs are not self altering and self teaching. The day that happens, the machines will begin to control us and then eliminate us as unnecessary to the equation.”

“That’s a cheerful thought. You paint a gloomy picture, James.”

“Just reality. If we give machines our own base capacities, then they will, of course, develop along the same lines. We are, after all, predators. When a predator higher on the chain comes into play then we become it’s cattle or flock of sheep. Simple logic.”

“Scary logic.”

“That too. Ah, here’s our soup ... Thank-you.”

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