With shaking hands she retrieved the steaming cup of Earl Grey tea from the auto dispenser, and holding it carefully made her way through the living area past the closed drapes, and took a seat. She gently set the cup down, and glanced at the VirtuaScape device. No matter how hard she tried she could not get her insides to stop shaking. She despised using the device, but it was the only way she could see Bradlie. And she had to see her. At least this one last time before their worlds were forever changed. The haunting thought of the bomb laden stuffed animal made her shiver. That bastard, she thought, as she slipped the head band on.
She keyed the device, and the familiar vibrations began. Her stomach turned over as nausea swept over her. Gradually the small bit of light from around the edge of the curtains began to dim, and she slid from consciousness. Blackness surrounded her in the emptiness. She floated helplessly, and fought back the fear that she instinctively felt. Realizing that she was in the interface, she tried to call up the menu, but was unable to make it appear. In fear that she might be somehow trapped in this vacant zone, she tried to active the help menu, but again nothing happened. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. She was breathing hard, nearly panting, when suddenly she felt extremely dizzy. Light flashed before her eyes. Suddenly, she was on her feet, but near falling. She pushed her hands out to steady herself, and again the lights flashed, and flashed once more. She felt a sudden firmness beneath her, and the lights went bright.
A moment passed, her eyes squinting against the brightness. And as they adjusted, she realized where she was. The castle. The window. The cat. Miss Kitty. It was the Princess Tea Party. The tabby lay unconcerned on the window sill, her beautiful sparkling light blue eyes carefully appraising Grace. Grace gasped. What had happened? How did she wind up here? And at this moment?
“Grandma?” Came Bradlie’s voice from behind her. She spun around to see her granddaughter sitting in the chair near the tea set, a scone in one hand, and a silver cup in the other. Pinky up, she noticed.
“Oh, Bradlie, dear! It’s so good to see you!” She rushed to her little princess.
“Look out, Grandma! You’re gonna spill my tea!” Grace pulled back, and hesitated. Then she laughed.
“It’s not real.” Grace said. Bradlie looked at her quizzically, and then smiled.
“Right you are!” She said and tossed her cup towards the fireplace. It landed with bang and a splash inches from the hearth.
“I’ve missed you, little one.” Grace said, pulling Bradlie to her. She inhaled deeply, savoring her scent.
“You’re squishing me, Grandma!” Grace tried to relax her grip, but she just loved this little girl so much, and there was so much on the line, and she was in danger. And sadly, Grace confirmed to herself, there was nothing she could do. Nothing, that is, but love her.
“Oh, Bradlie, dear. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Grandma, but you gotta stop squishing me. I’m a big girl now, but not as big as you.” She said, laughing. Grace pulled back and marveled at her quiet beauty. She looked so much like Sarah when she had been that age. Grace had to fight tears of joy, and those of pain and fear as well. “Hey, Grandma! Thanks for the present! He’s so cool!” Present? Grace wondered. Oh, no.
“The fuzzy bear?” Grace asked, her blood ice water in her veins.
“Bunny Bear, Grandma! He talks and everything. Just like a real person!”
“You have to be careful with him, sweety. Maybe you should get rid of him.”
“Oh, no, Grandma. He’s too cool! Even Mommy thinks he is funny. He tells jokes, and sings songs.” Grace thought of the message Mason had said was sitting in his outbox. All he had to do was blink and that message would be sent, and Bunny Bear would disintegrate everything within a mile radius. But how could she explain that to Bradlie.
“Honey, I heard there was a recall on them, that there was a mistake when they were made. Something really dangerous. You need to tell Mommy to get rid of that thing!” She could not keep the fear out of her voice.
“Don’t be silly, Grandma, he’s-”
“Bradlie, you listen to me! You get rid of that thing right away! You hear me?” Suddenly Grace realized how high she had let her voice go. She could now see a combination of fear, and puzzlement on Bradlie’s face.
“But I just got him, Grandma.” She said quietly, almost at a whisper.
“I know, but you listen to your Grandma.” A soft chime sounded. Grace looked around the room. “What was that?”
“It’s time to go.” Bradlie answered softly.
“But we just got here.”
“Oh, no, Grandma. We’ve been here for a while.” She stood and reached her little arms around Grace’s waist. She squeezed tightly, as Grace bent over to hold her as well. “I love you, Grandma.”
“I love you, too, little one.” Grace said, as suddenly her arms were empty. Darkness washed over her as she fell into nothingness. Disoriented by the sudden changing of circumstances, she floated helplessly in the darkness, until finally she felt the vibrations around her. Her heart ached for her granddaughter. Had her last words to her really been that harsh? But that toy was a time bomb. She had to get rid of it. If she could call or message Sarah, she would have demanded it. But Mason had seen to that. He had cut her off form the world. The entire world...except for these few minutes with Bradlie. Maybe he hadn’t known she still had the device. Slowly she began to feel herself emerging from the VirtuaScape world. She could smell the tea on the table next to her. She could feel the soft warmth of the sun on her face. From behind her closed eyes, she could make out that the room was lightening. She opened her eyes. She sat exactly where she had been when she sat down. Reaching over, she touched her cup. The tea was till warm.
A message appeared in her inbox. It was from Mason. New agent assigned was the subject line. She opened the message. It was short and to the point. The man’s name, Albert Waters, and a picture of him. Then a brief message. Can’t make it up to introduce him, the message said, but he’s a good man. I picked him myself. Shivers ran up her spine. Just as he had said he would, she thought. Now Mason’s man was her jailor, to make sure she stayed in line. She was cut off from the world, with no way to get a message out. She was locked in the room with no way to escape. Her husband would likely win the election in the next week, and then execute millions of citizens just because they were Muslim. Connor was dead. And while her Granddaughter played with a toy rigged with enough explosives to kill her whole family, Mason was having lunch with his mistress. How had it come to this? How had this happened, she thought.
“Today is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice, and be glad in it.” She whispered to herself. But how could the Lord have made a day like this. With so many lives in danger. With so much evil on the threshold of taking over. With her precious Bradlie only a blink of an eye away from sure death. And now, she was alone. She was afraid. And she was trapped. Dear God, help me, she thought. The door bell rang. Startled, she called up the viewscreen from the door’s camera on her smart contact. The camera was still adjusted wrong, the same as it had been when she had first met Connor. Same hotel, same suite.
“Step back!” She yelled. The man stepped back, and she could plainly see his face. This was the same man as the photo in the message mason had sent. He was her new Secret Service agent, but more than that, he was Mason’s man. He would do whatever Mason told him to do, including getting rid of her. He pulled his ID from his coat and showed it to the camera. He said something but she could not hear his words. She watched as he replaced his ID, and then removed something form his pants pocket. In horror she realized that it was a keycard. He was about to open the door. She rushed across the room to the closet, and quickly opened the wall safe. Withdrawing her semi-automatic handgun, she pulled the slide back, cocking the weapon. She spun around just as the door opened.
Chapter 31