Free Madness by Bill Wetterman Page A

heard makes sense.”
    “ What you heard?”
    Loomis sighed. “Sherman and Monroe headed into the Oval Office after some meeting I didn’t have clearance to go to. The last words I heard were, ’I had to promise she could see her son. I don’t like lying.’”
    Peacock grabbed him by the collar and squeezed. “Tell me the truth.”
    “I am.”
    Monroe now topped her list of enemies. Polaris’s words rang harsh in her head. “Trust no one.”
    Peacock flung a metal-based lamp across the room, sending it smashing into the open bathroom door.
    “I can help you,” Loomis said. “Let me loose. I’m not your enemy.”
    As she untied his hands and feet, her brain fired out of control. The emotional soup from Kolb’s infernal instrument mixed with a need to release energy. Instantly, she panted like a caged animal. She could smell Loomis sweat. Like with Pendleton, her body and mind melded and bent toward gratification. She attacked him.
    #
    Polaris studied his monitor as Nyugen, Ursa, and Kolb, examined Peacock’s readouts. “Heart rate is 120,” Nyugen said. “Brainwave readings are unstable and highly erotic, but not harmful for now.
    “What happened?” Kolb asked, going over the data a third time.
    “Her brainwaves say she was communicating to someone. Something was said and she exploded. She either killed, sexually assaulted that person, or both.”
    Ursa shook his head. “I never should have allowed her to be modified. She was a fine agent left as she was, and you’ve turned her into a maniac. Hercules would have been better off letting her be herself. We’re fighting a losing battle anyway.”
    “What do you mean a losing battle?”
    Ursa remained silent.
    “If you were Peacock, what would you do?” Polaris asked.
    “She wants to see her son. She’ll look for a way to reach him,” Kolb said.
    “Interesting,” Polaris responded. “If I were Peacock , I’d find a way to kill you .”
    Kolb paled. “She’s doing neither right now. I’d say she’s sleeping.”
    “I think you’re in denial. What if Polaris is right? What if she wants revenge?” Ursa pointed a finger at Kolb.
    Kolb stiffen ed. Her strut and posture always showed confidence. He’d never seen Kolb unsure of herself until now. Watch your opponent’s body language and actions. That’s what his training told him. Bold mannerisms and decisive action defined confidence. Kolb exhibited neither.
    “If Peacock has any unchangeable characteristic, she’s loyal.” Ursa sat on the edge of a workbench and wrote down names. “Even enraged, she finished her assignment and bought back what she could from Reed’s compound. So who has her loyalty?”
    “She’d protect Magnus, Felicia, and her team at Room 1515,” Polaris said.
    “And she’d protect you,” Ursa added. “On her new team, she speaks highly of John Sherman and Agent Loomis.”
    “What about you?” Polaris asked. “Does she still have loyalty to her old boss?”
    “I don’t know. I’m sure you’re safe unless you try to harm her. I think we should bring Magnus and Felicia here to protect this unit.”
    Kolb crumbled into a chair and put her head in her hands. “I tried to be her friend.”
    Polaris swiveled his wheelchair away from the monitor. “Bullshit. You wanted to be God. But you’re not.”
    #
    Peacock woke and shot into a sitting position. Loomis stood naked, his back to her, pouring coffee. She sighed. A feeling of relief filled her. A feeling she hadn’t experienced since making love to Pendleton. She vaguely remembered being unable to shut down her libido until Loomis slapped her. Of course, he paid for the slap but she slept soundly.
    “Pour me one,” she ordered.
    He practically fainted at the sound of her voice.
    She felt amazingly proud of that fact. “Let’s have a cup or two and figure out how to get what we each want. Just remember, Alan, I could kill you and Sherman regardless of your training.”
    “You almost killed me last