LAZARUS CAIN

Jim had Idiot acquire control of one of the Air Force's high resolution imaging satellites. Using the Box to gain physical access to the satellite, he changed the camera to one of his own. John requested that Jim relocate the Flying Dutchman back to Honolulu for safekeeping while he undertook a gambit. John advised Jim that he had hidden his Box for safekeeping on board the Dutchman, but had activated it subject to Idiot's control under level one security. Berthed in Pearl Harbor, the yacht was placed under the tightest security possible. John's Box then relayed the information from the satellite to Antiope's laptop and Idiot through a hyperspace communication link. John's Box and Jim's Box created an intersection "elsewhere" by which a closed loop control system of the camera could be maintained even though Jim was millions of miles away. Through this link other vital fields could be monitored by Idiot. General Armstrong and Antiope were each given access to the satellite video as Idiot modified network-switching logic to allow John to be tracked visually. John informed that under no circumstance should anyone take any course of action to help him. Jim would be the one to take remedial action, and he would be continuously tracking so he would know John's exact whereabouts as soon as he returned to Earth. Jim also assigned to Antiope the responsibility of keeping an eye on John. She was totally amazed by the resolution of the image. Additionally Idiot established a closed circuit link with NORAD. On board each modified missile, the on- board computer would receive vital control signals through a special transceiver that Jim had installed to allow code to be transmitted and received between Idiot and the missile electronics. Idiot would signal ground control its request for missile launch. The watch-stander would notify the weapons officer that the missile had been selected for launch. The weapons officer would then release the missile. Until released, the missile's launch control interface would continuously remind the watch-stander that a launch was being called for. The infernal racket would go away once the missile was away. To spare the men misery, he incorporated a three-minute time delay before the obnoxious sound would start. If no launch command was manually inserted, Idiot would notify Jim, General Armstrong or General Needhymen. Any one of the three would be given the option to release the missile by issuing a backup command. The weapons officer would always try to implement the launch within the quiet period and avoid the noise altogether. The watch-stander would enter into the missile control interface his current alert status code. Base perimeter defenses had to remain absolutely secure in order to deactivate missile readiness to standby. If security breaches were triggered, then the missile would spin up to full readiness, as it awaited the fire control signal. The submarines were programmed a little differently, but Idiot was still capable of activating the command to fire signal from millions of miles away to the submerged missile control center which Antiope commanded. By applying the intersection between the two Box dynamics, distance meant nothing to Idiot's communication signals. Due to the shortcut in space created., Idiot's closed loop circuits could manage automatic control of designated subsystems in spite of the distance.

 

The Flying Dutchman thus became a relay station between Antiope in the submarine and Jim's Box which would be a few light-weeks from Earth. As soon as the tracking system was implemented, John resumed to his girl watching again. As he toured Ft. Lauderdale, he spotted a yacht that he decided to charter. He winked at the women who greeted him as he entered a very exclusive yacht club. He spotted a large yacht going by the name, Aphrodite, and questioned the receptionist about the rates. 

 

She responded that the yacht was not available for charter to the general public. John left and rented a room not far from the club. He noticed that he was followed as he left. Once in the room that he rented, he ripped of his facemask, and made a few phone calls.

 

Two days later, a motel maid discovered some dead bodies in a motel room a few miles up the road from where John was staying. The coroner recognized the symptoms of the death to fit the description of Venetian involvement. As previously instructed, he immediately notified the FBI. Minutes later Jim and John were both notified. 

 

An APB immediately went out for the missing car. Within minutes the car had been spotted. Orders were issued requesting to not engage the occupants of the vehicle. Antiope then commenced to track the vehicle. Idiot flagged the bank accounts associated with the victims. The accounts were ordered to remain valid, and the appropriate bank officers cooperated. When the car stopped and the occupant left the car, Antiope recognized Helen. Understanding Helen's need for cash, she immediately transferred a few dollars to Helen's bank account, and issued a directive requesting US Intelligence to quietly pick Helen up, and be aware of high probability of being followed once the contact was made. Antiope took for granted that Helen had been "tagged" by Isis in some way, and she was using Helen to lure Jim out of hiding. John informed Antiope that he would make contact. Undoubtedly Isis would have him transferred to Artemis. She would have to use her sole remaining portal to do so. Since Isis would be unaware of any remaining satellites, it would be very simple for Antiope to track John from space using the enhanced satellite which had been prepared by Idiot especially for the upcoming task. Jim and John had gone through great lengths to enable their seemingly impossible mission to lure the Canopus out of hiding. John was using himself as bait and he would have to rely on Jim's precise space-time navigational capabilities and split second precision in order to pull of their plan. Isis knew Jim couldn't be two places at once, and would think that he would be incapable of controlling earth's ground defenses, while engaging her fleet. Much depended on this deception and surprise.

 

John went to a local bank and withdrew several hundred thousand dollars cash. The bank officer was a little mistrusting but was surprised with a long distance phone call from a caller from Washington which gave authorization for the withdrawal. Captain McCoy met John at the bank as instructed and was briefed concerning Helen. Captain McCoy dropped John off at the yacht club and then proceeded to intercept Helen.

 

John then went back to try to charter the Aphrodite. Shady herself was in the office that day. With the return of the Amazon Queen the Amazons were coming out of hiding somewhat. She recognized John but gave no outward sign. John understood that he had probably been made, but like Shady he gave no outward indication of being Amazon. He asked her if he could charter the Aphrodite. Shady stated that the Aphrodite was not available for charter without appointment and approval. John flashed some cash her way, and Shady directed that the Aphrodite be refueled and made ready for sea. John identified himself as "Joe Mudd", and signed all the presented documents as such.

 

"Come with me, Mr. Mudd, and I shall show you the boat. Concerning your guests. How many will be in your party? With the flat charter we have agreed to, you are allowed only twenty guests. Any more than that will be twenty thousand per week each.. As you see, I have an all female crew. We have strict rules regarding sex with my crew. 

It is of course forbidden."

 

Joe responded, " I have no guests, and I am the only one in my party. But I do insist on being permitted to have sex, if possible. Are you positive, that arrangements can't be made. With that he slipped Shady another one hundred thousand dollars. Incidentally, I was looking forward to as long a cruise as possible."

 

Shady smiled at him. "I can't promise anything, but I will not evict you from the yacht, like I normally do, if you get too forward with the crew; and if by chance you get lucky....well, I don't run their private lives."

 

Shady was also aware of the deaths caused by Helen. With Isis here there would be no prosecutions against any Amazon as long as it was sanctioned by Isis. She advised Joe that she would have to get clearance from the ship's owner to OK the modified cruise contract. Isis could scarcely believe that John had walked right into Shady's office and was playing ignorant. Isis authorized the cruise and advised Shady that she herself would make rendezvous with the Aphrodite somewhere off Bimini. Shady returned to the front desk and smiled at John again. "The owner has agreed to your proposition. I present you my crew and myself who shall be at your disposal until our contract has been terminated."

 

Joe continued to maintain his masquerade and the Amazons continued to go along with it. They noticed that his briefcase which contained so much money was chained to his wrist. Isis had given specific directions to keep a very close eye on his briefcase, and keep her advised if he did anything unusual with it. The fact that it contained an enormous amount of money prompted her to suspect that it was John's Box in disguise. 

 

Shady reminded Joe that it would be difficult to enjoy himself fully if he had to keep the briefcase chained all the time. She advised him that there were safes on board the Aphrodite that he might consider using. John was reluctant to depart from his briefcase. He thanked Shady, and said he would use the safe when he found the convenience was necessary. He felt better with it on his person. "It is of great value to me," he would say.

 

In the meanwhile, Antiope kept watch from the sky. She spotted John make his way from the rental office to the Aphrodite. Jim had completed the modifications to the Flying Dutchman. He then prepared the Box for deep space operations when Idiot would take him to find the Venetian fleet. Antiope issued a silent red alert as all missiles were spun into readiness. Jim alerted General Armstrong to try to get a confirmation from Helen through Captain McCoy to determine if Isis was indeed back. Captain McCoy was relayed the instructions as he followed her.

 

Towards dusk, the entire crew of the Aphrodite had returned to the yacht and she was cut free of her moorings. From the start of the cruise, Joe was pampered with Amazon attention. Even Shady gave him a great deal of attention. She had slipped him some ambrosia and confirmed that he was indeed not human. She knew it was John and advised her crew of Joe's true identity. With the full knowledge that the queen herself would be making a visit, the crew hyped themselves into a feeling of very high morale. The thrill of an Amazon male being on board also had a profound psychological effect on each crewmember. Isis would allow the crew to use John before he was returned to Artemis. Isis even requested that the crew try to weaken John with the effects of ambrosia before her arrival.

 

Shady was the first to seduce John. He would undress and was really quite good, but he would not lose control of the briefcase, and would always politely intercept each attempt to appropriate it. Hours upon hour, John and the Amazons played the game. The female Amazons were fully aware that he was a male Amazon, and John was fully aware by the effects of the ambrosia that these females were indeed all Amazon. The women continued to call John, Joe; and they still went along with each other's game.

 

John started to feel the effects of the ambrosia. He sensed that Isis would soon make her play. As he weakened the Amazons increased their effort. Finally they managed to get his brief case, and had him bound as they continued to arouse him.