- Caroline Everson -

Introducing GeekNerd

Lt. Mitchell looked up at the young man standing before him. The man was young and thin with an acne-filled face. He was wearing broken plastic glasses held together in the middle with tape.

"GeekNerd here to see Gen. Horshac," the man stated.

Lt. Michell buzzed the intercom. "Yes, Lt.?"

"GeekNerd here to see you, Sir."

"Send him in."

Gen. Horshac knew that he was coming, but he didn't like it. As far as he was concerned, civilians had no place on this base. After all, HE was the one in charge, not some civilian. But the Joint Chiefs had overridden him. Maybe he could find some way to get rid of him fast.

GeekNerd entered the General's office. He stood before the desk, not taking a chair until offered. He knew from working with the military in Washington that these guys were all about formalities and pomp and circumstance. Too bad they didn't seem to have any brainpower left to solve problems, but at least it gave him an opportunity. And what an opportunity this was! To finally be able to meet his dream woman, the fantastic incredible Caroline Everson herself! God how he worshipped her!

"So you're GeekNerd, huh? Have a seat."

"Thank you, General."

"From what I've read in your Jacket, it seems you're some kind of whiz kid troubleshooter. So what are you doing here?"

"If you've read my orders, I'm here to help you with Caroline Everson. You seem to be having some difficulty with capturing her."

"And just how do you propose to do that? Nothing that I've tried has so much as put a scratch on her!"

"That's what I"m here for. You're going about it in the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"As an example, let's say you are going to attack her in a field. You have soldiers with you. How would you arm them?"

"M-16s, of course. With teflon-coated, armor-piercing slugs."

"That's exactly my point, General. Let me ask you, have any of your bullets ever done anything at all to Caroline?"

"Well, no."

"Then why do you want to continue to waste ammo on her? Do you honestly believe that she has some sort of Achille's Heel and that you are just one lucky shot away from downing her with your bullets?"

"Well, what do you suggest then?"

"All I'm pointing out, General, is that you are approaching this problem wrong. To put it in your frame of reference, you keep trying a frontal assault. But it's not working. So you should retreat, regroup, and try something different, such as a flanking maneuver. Let's suppose just for argument's sake that Caroline is allergic to Tulips. What would happen if instead of M-16s, that your soldiers were equipped with paint-ball guns and balls which instead of paint, were filled with crushed Tulips?"

"That's nonsense! What could a paint-ball gun possibly do to her that an M-16 couldn't?"

"Think, General! What happens when the paint ball contacts Caroline? She's invulnerable, so the paint ball disintegrates, leaving a cloud of crushed tulips. Caroine breathes it in and goes into a coughing and sneezing fit! Her eyes start watering! Then you see two separate effects."

"What effects?"

"The first is physical. She's so busy sneezing and wheezing that she loses sight of the soldiers. The second takes longer to manifest itself; it's a psycological effect. Nothing you've thrown at her has ever affected her in the least, but now she is definitely feeling the effects! So maybe she starts to think that she's not quite as invulnerable as she thought. And maybe she even starts to FEAR you a bit. She would definitely be shocked and confused.

"And now, while she's confused and distracted, you can confine her in a cage If you're shooting from the front, you can bring in the cage from the rear."

"Cage? What kind of cage could possibly hold her?"

"In this example, a plexiglass cage would be sufficient! You just need to be sure that there is a way to continuously introduce crushed Tulips into the cage! She would wear herself out sneezing and wouldn't have the strength to break out. Of course, this is just an example and not an actual plan. To formulate something, I'll need to know more about her."

"Like what?"

"As much as possible. What is her normal routine? Where does she live? Where does her boyfriend Paul Smith live? What are her favorite foods and beverages?"

"I'll get my people to work on it right away."

"Thank you, General. Do you have an office for me?"

"Yes, Lt. Mitchell will show you." The General rose up and shook GeekNerd's hand.

After GeekNerd left, the General sat and pondered. Maybe this guy actually could help. And he certainly needed the help! But still, if he could make the brass think that it was his ideas and that GeekNerd was just in the way....

GeekNerd meets Sharon

"Come in," GeekNerd said as he heard a knock on his office door.

"Hi, I'm Sharon Horshac."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm GeekNerd. Please have a seat."

Sharon had to admit, the name certainly seemed to fit him. But why would anyone choose that name?

"The General told me that you wanted to see me."

"Yes, I understand that you went to the heavy planet with Caroline Everson. What can you tell me about her?" GeekNerd lights up another cigarette, not the first of the day as evidenced by the overflowing ashtray on his desk.

"Yes, there were four of us altogether. What do you want to know about Caroline?"

"Just tell me a little about how you all got along."

"At first, I didn't know what to think. I mean, the General keeps trying to kill Caroline, but yet he sends her on this mission. And she accepts! But then, I became convinced that she should be there. She was a big help; we couldn't have made it back without her. She also saved my life on the heavy planet."

"She saved your life? Tell me about that."

"I got caught in mud and started sinking. Even with all my strength, I couldn't get out. And there was nothing, no tree branches or anything else on the planet with which to reach me. Caroline came up with the solution; she used Amazon Girl's prone body to reach me just in time before I sank completely!"

"Wow! You must be the best of friends now!"

"Well, not really. We still see each other on occasion, but with the General continuing to hound her..."

"I understand. What have you heard about me?"

"Not much. The General said that you were coming from Washington to assist in killing Caroline."

"That's not true! Caroline is completely invulnerable, therefore there is no way to kill her! All I can do is to trap and confine her. And let me let you in on a little secret, just between the two of us, OK?"

"Tell me first, then I'll decide."

"All right. After I have Caroline confined, I'll give her the option of remaining confined, or going out on a date with me. If she chooses the date, I'll let her out."

"But what will the General say?"

"That's why it's between you and me."

"I don't understand. Why don't you just ask her out?"

GeekNerd took a long puff on his cigarette. "Just look at me! What woman would possibly want to go out with a guy who looks like me?"

Sharon could definitely see his point. Still, this guy was obviously some kind of nut case. She decided to switch tactics.

"What would you want to happen on your date?" she asked.

"Dinner at a nice restaurant, then maybe a walk in the park."

"And later? At your place?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want to get it on with her?"

GeekNerd looked flustered. He butted out one cigarette and immediately lit another one. Then he took a long drag and seemed to calm down somewhat. Finaly he spoke.

"Of course I would love to. But I wouldn't want to subject Caroline to me. Therefore I have devised something that I hope will give her pleasure."

"Whatever are you talking about?"

GeekNerd reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a metallic device that looked like a ball-point pen. He set it down on the desk.

"What? You're going to give her a pen?"

"No, it's not a pen. It's a sonic wave device."

"What does it do?"

"I've heard that Caroline can crush granite in her pussy. If that's the case, then no normal vibrator would work on her. This device sends out sonic waves in all directions. The bounce-back of the waves is sufficiently powerful to keep the device centered in the canal and therefore it could be used by Caroline to pleasure herself. I would show her how it works and make adjustments to the separate wave generator for maximum effect."

"Why haven't I heard anything about this device?"

"It's not available on the market, its experimental. I got this one from the weapons test lab in Los Alamos."

"What was it doing in a weapons test lab?"

"Los Alamos was experimenting with it. Sonic wave generators have been around for a while, but they were too large and weak to be of much practical use. The lab was able to increase the power substantially, enough to blast solid rock. The really interesting thing, however, is that they were able to miniaturize this piece. Originally, the entire assembly was one-piece, but now they have separated the actual wave generator from this piece, which is called a director. As you see the director can be quite small. It attaches to the wave generator with fiber optic cable."

"You said that it can break solid rock?"

"That's right, depending on the control settings of the wave generator. I thought that if her pussy could also break rock, then maybe it would be a good match."

Sharon was intrigued. This nutcase might actually be on to something here! "Would you like a guinea pig?"

"What? Are you offering?"

"Sure. Caroline isn't the only one who can crush granite, you know."

Sharon stood up and walked over to a file cabinet against the wall. "Are you aware of this cabinet?"

"Sure. It's Mil-spec, blast resistant, heavy gauge reinforced steel. A bomb wouldn't even cause a drawer to open."

Sharon casually leaned her elbow on the top of the cabinet. The metal immediately dented and the side started to buckle.

"This cabinet must be quite heavy, then?"

"The floor in this office is made of reinforced concrete, partly for that reason. I would estimate that the empty cabinet weighs at least one ton, but I would have to check the Tech Manual to get an exact weight for you."

"No, that's close enough," Sharon said as she leaned down. She then pushed her fingers through the heavy steel at the bottom of the cabinet. Once she had a good grip, she then stood up, pulling the cabinet up with her with one hand.

"Are you sure about the weght?" Sharon asked. "It feels like more than a ton to me."

GeekNerd's cigarette fell out of his mouth. He stared slack-jawed as Sharon lifted the cabinet above her head with one hand. But more than the cabinet was being lifted; the cabinet was bolted to a four inch thich steel plate that was embedded into the reinforced concrete floor, and the plate and part of the floor was still attached to the cabinet!

"Ouch!" GeekNerd yelped as the dropped cigarette burned his trrousers.

"Are you OK?"

GeekNerd quickly lit another cigarette. Sharon could see that he was smoking like a chimney now at her display of strength. She decided to give him more.

Sharon held the cabinet above her head with just one hand. Then she slammed the cabinet down on top of her head. Her head didn't give, but the cabinet did! It broke in two from the impact, the bottom half remaining held in her one hand, while the top half began falling to the floor. Sharon quickly grabbed the top half of the cabinet with her other hand.

"Now let me show you some REAL strength." Sharon held the two halves of the cabinet above her head and slowly moved her hands together. First there was a space between the two halves. That quickly disappeared as the halves moved together. The halves continued to move, but now there was metal on metal. The file cabinet soon took on the look of an accordion under the relentless force exerted by Sharon. Still she kept compressing the cabinet; soon the entire cabinet fit in the palms of her hands! She fashioned the former cabinet into what looked like a golf ball, then flicked it into a steel trash can. The former cabinet was the size of a golf ball, but it still weighed a ton. Steel trash cans are not built for that kind of weight, and the inevitable happened; the golf ball went straight through the side of the trash can and embedded itself into the reinforced concrete wall!

GeekNerd sat there dumbfounded. Finally he spoke, "God! I didn't think anybody but Caroline could perform such incredible feats!"

"Actually, I was the weakest of the four. But I think that little demonstration proved that I can test that sonic device."

"By all means! Why don't you disrobe while I get the wave generator from the closet?"

GeekNerd set up the wave generator and attached it to the director. He turned it on and made some initial adjustments. Then he turned to Sharon.

Sharon could tell he couldn't believe that a woman was actually exposing herself to him. The guy was obviously a virgin.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"Just relax and ease it into you. As soon as it enters, I'll send sonic waves through it and it will center itself."

Sharon began inserting the director. It began vibrating softly, and she could feel it centering itself in her. Then it began pulsing. She continued to insert if until a wave of pleasure washed over her. "Ungh" she moaned.

GeekNerd was at the controls. "OK, I'm going to start adjusting the amplitude, let me know when it's good for you."

"It's good now," Sharon replied.

"Yeah, but let's make it GREAT!" He continued to adjust the controls.

"There! That's it!"

GeekNerd did the same for the frequency.

By now, Sharon's pussy juices were flowing in a torrent as she experienced one orgasm after another. Never had she had such pleasure! Her pussy spasmed closed and suddenly the sensations from the director stopped.

"What happened? Did you shut it off for did I crush it?"

"Neither. I equipped it with a piezo-electric crystal as a safety device. When you tighten on it too much, the crystal opens the power supply. This way, the director is protected and you can use it again. Eventually, you should recognize how much you can tighten and still have the director in use."

"God that was incredible! Caroline would absolutely LOVE this! Why don't I tell her and then she'll probably give you a date?"

"No! You promised to keep it secret! Besides, there's the matter of Paul Smith to consider."

"Oh, her boyfriend? After you give her this, she'll probably dump that guy!"

"But I don't want her to dump him!"

"What do you mean? Why not? Don't you want to replace him?"

"No, I don't. She loves him. I could never come between them."

"But after you give her this director, she won't need Paul anymore!"

"Of course she will. Paul's more than a live dildo to her! Besides, I'll show Paul how to operate and optimize the wave generator; it'll be something they can use and enjoy together"

There was just no getting through to this guy. Talk about low self-esteem! But he did seem honest; after all, he did have the director. Speaking of which, "Hey, can I get one of these?"

"Tell you what. I'll make one for you, but I won't give it to you quite yet. I may need you to do something for me, it depends on how the plan I'm considering works out. I'll let you know within the week, promise."

GeekNerd meets Sarah

"Come in," GeekNerd responded to the knock at his office door.

The door opened inward, although it was hinged to open outward. The opening caused the sold steel door hinges and frame to break apart, revealing Sharon standing there holding the now useless door in her hand. She casually tossed the door aside, but not casually enough; the door sailed across the office and smashed into the reinforced concrete wall, shattering the door into a million pieces!

"Please, Sharon, I know that you are super strong. Now I've lost my privacy."

"Sorry about that, it's one of the tricks Caroline showed me, always opening doors in the wrong direction."

"Did she show you how to correct it?"

"No, I never asked. What do you suggest?"

GeekNerd took a long drag from his cigarette and then said, "Why don't you select another steel door and bring it over?"

"OK." Sharon then walked across the hallway to another door and ripped it off its hinges.

"What do you want me to do with it?"

"Position it over the frame opening. Then use your strength to soften the hinge and press it into the door."

"What do you mean, soften the hinge?"

"Just rub the hinge between your fingers. If you use enough force, the metal will weaken and start to bend easily. Just be careful not to use too much force, otherwise it will just shear in two."

"OK, the metal is bending easily."

"Good, now press the hinge into the new door. Then rub yuor fingers over the hinge to mash it into the door."

Sharon did this and saw that the hinge was now welded onto the door. "Wow, how did you know that I could do that?"

"It's just simple metallurgical principles."

"Well, I'm impressed. You really do have a lot to offer a girl, you know?"

GeekNerd blushed and lit another cigarette. Sharon watched him closely. How could she get through to this guy that she found him attractive?

"What did you want to see me about? " Sharon asked.

"Take a seat. I've devised a plan to capture Caroline and wanted to get your feedback and cooperation."

Sharon listened to GeekNerd's plan. This guy really was a genius, the plan was brilliant! There was just one problem with it. "I'm not sure Sarah will go along with this, she got quite close to Caroline. I know it's in part because Caroline is the only person stronger than she is. Sarah is also independent, so she won't necessarily just follow orders."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Well, if you show her your wave director and agree to make one for her, she should go along."

"Sure, no problem with that," GeekNerd responded. "Tell you what, how about you invite Sarah to your place and I'll bring yours over and demonstrate. But first, I'd like to confirm Sarah's strength."

"What do you have in mind?"

"You live on base, right? Let's the three of us meet at the target practice range. It's not in use today, so say in one hour?"

"Sounds fine to me. I'll call Sarah and have her meet us there."

One hour later, GeekNerd walked onto the practice range. He saw Sharon with another woman. Sharon make introductions to Sarah.

Sarah looked at GeekNerd. She was totally at a loss, whatever could Sharon possibly see in this guy?

"What would you like us to do?" Sharon asked.

"See that tank over there? It will be used for target practice tomorrow. I've checked it, it is intact and weighs 80 tons. Let's observe it up close."

The three walked over to the tank. "Sharon, why don't you bend the main gun barrel?"

Sharon walked over to the main barrel, reached up, and grasped it with her hands.

"Why don't you use just one hand?", GeekNerd suggested. "And bend it downwards."

Sharon released one of her hands from the barrel. With her other hand still on the barrel, she pulled down. But instead of the barrel bending down, she found herself rising, doing a one-handed pull-up.

"As you can see, your superstrength is useless to bend the barrel. At least in the manner you're attempting."

"But I know I can easily bend this barrel," Sharon pleaded.

"Of course you can. You just have to use a different tactic, that's all."

"A different tactic?" Sharon asked.

"What do you suggest, Sarah?" GeekNerd asked.

"Why don't you have her lift the back of the tank up, then the barrel will hit the ground and bend," Sarah replied.

"Good thought, but it won't work," GeekNerd replied. "You see, the ground is too soft, it will give before the barrel does. The barrel will remain straight and just be driven into the ground. But even if the ground were hard enough, the barrel would bend upwards. I requested that the barrel be bent downwards."

"All right then, why don't you have Sharon jump high into the air; when she lands full speed on the barrel, that will cause it to bend down," Sarah suggested.

"That might work," GeekNerd said. "Or it might not, the barrel might shatter or break from the impact. To ensure that it bends and not breaks, you need to slowly increase the force on it."

"I'm not sure then," Sarah confessed.

GeekNerd then looked at Sharon. "Wrap your legs around the barrel and lay flat on top of it."

Sharon did as GeekNerd requested. "What now?"

"Now reach out with one hand on top of the barrel. Then push down with your hand. If you begin rising, just tighten your abs and legs to keep your body straight."

Sharon did as directed. When she tried to push down with her one hand, her shoulder began to rise. She tightened her abs and returned to a straight position, then tried again. This time, the barrel started giving and bending down. With the barrel now bent down, Sharon jumped off and landed on the ground beside GeekNerd.

"See Sarah, what did I tell you? This guy's terrific!"

Sarah had to admit that the guy certainly seemed to know what he was doing. But terrific?

"OK, Sarah, why don't you bend the barrel into a pretty bow for me?" GeekNerd asked.

"Is this another trick?" Sarah asked.

"No, not at all. If you have problems with leverage, just do what Sharon did," was GeekNerd's reply

Sarah proceeded to tie the barrel into bows. She liked the feel of the thick steel easily deforming in her hands.

"All right, Sharon, go long," GeekNerd called out.

Sharon started running down the field. "OK, Sarah, throw the tank to her."

Sarah reached down under the front of the tank and began raising it up. She slowly walked under the tank until she found the balance point, then raised it straight up over her head. She couldn't resist doing several overhead presses with the 80-ton weight, it felt good to exercise with so much tonnage. Sarah then gauged where Sharon was on the field and gave the tank a mighty heave. She misjudged her strength, however.

Sharon saw the tank heading towards her, but it was well over her head. She ran as fast as she could, trying to get under it. She barely managed to snare the barrel before the tank hit the ground. She quickly got herself into position under it and steadied herself.

"Nice throw." GeekNerd said. "Now, Sharon, throw the tank back to Sarah. If you're too far away, just carry it to a comfortable distance for you."

Sharon carried the tank up the field a ways and then threw it to Sarah. Sarah caught the tank overhead with one hand and continued to hold it there.

"Nice catch, I'm impressed," said GeekNerd. "Just set it back down on the ground."

The three of them then went to Sharon's where GeekNerd demonstrated the wave director to Sarah. As Sharon had predicted, Sarah was definitely impressed and wanted one of her own. GeekNerd agreed to provide her one in exchange for her assistance with his plan, and Sarah agreed. Sarah then left to go home.

Sharon couldn't resist. It had been bugging her ever since this afternoon. "What were you really doing on the practice range today? It wasn't just a test of our strength, was it?"

"No, it wasn't," GeekNerd confessed. "I wanted to see how both of you would handle a problem, and I also wanted to demonstrate to Sarah that I know what I'm talking about."

Sharon asked GeekNerd to stay for dinner, but he declined, saying that it wouldn't be right to have a social encounter with the General's daughter. Much as she hated to admit it, Sharon knew he was right. The General did have a habit of checking in on her, he still thought of her as his little girl.

After GeekNerd left, Sharon was left all alone. But she did have the wave director, though....

Quicksand

"Lt. Mitchell, come in here," barked Gen. Horshac into the intercom.

"Yes Sir," replied Lt. Mitchell as he headed into the General's office. GeekNerd had just left after meeting with the General.

"This is the plan for capturing Caroline Everson," explained the General. "Look it over and see where it needs to be modified. I want to have ammunition to use against this GeekNerd character, and an ill-conceived, unworkable plan would be just the ticket."

"Right away, General."

Lt. Mitchell sullenly sat at his desk. Gen. Horshac arrived at his usual early hour. Lt. Mitchell quickly rose to his feet and smartly saluted.

"Good morning, Sir."

"Good morning, Lt. At ease. Have you reviewed the plan?"

"Yes sir."

"Well?"

"The plan is extremely professional. GeekNerd seems to have all the bases covered. There's even a section discussing what could go wrong and command decision points. I've never seen such a thorough presentation before."

"What are you saying? Do you think the plan will actually work, then?"

"Yes sir, I do."

"Very well, then. I'm placing you in charge. Coordinate with GeekNerd."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

GeekNerd sat in his office. The day was going extremely well, Lt. Mitchell had seemed to be totally on board with his plan. Most of the arrangements had already been made. Now there were just a few more things to take care of, and the trap for Caroline could be sprung! There was a knock on the door, interupting his thoughts.

"Yes, who is it?"

"Sharon and the others."

"Please come in, only this time open the door in the correct manner."

Sharon smiled to herself as she carefully opened the door. Then Sharon, Sarah, and Amazon Girl entered the office to start the brief.

There was the sound of a car driving up. Paul Smith looked out the window at the vehicle with military markings.

"That must be for me," Paul said.

"Enjoy your ride," Caroline Everson replied. "I'll see you after the ceremony."

"I still can't believe it," Paul mused. "To think that Gen. Horshac will give you a metal for your heavy planet adventure. Gen. Horshac!"

"I know what you mean. Washington must be really rubbing his face into it."

After Paul left, Caroline finished dressing. Her ride would be by helicopter, along with the other three ladies. They would make a grand entrance onto the stage, she would be joining Paul later.

The helicopter arrived about a half hour later. Caroline stepped out of Paul's house. Her eyes opened wide, this was not what she was expecting. Instead of a standard helicopter, there was a large heavy-lift copter with an assembly suspended from it that looked like a travel trailer. She walked up to it as a door opened.

"Hi Caroline," Sharon said. "Come on in."

Caroline entered. She greeted Amazon Girl and Sarah. "What is this?" she asked.

"The General thought that we would be more comfortable in here than in a regular helicopter cabin. It's much roomier and quieter," Sharon replied.

There was a large window on the side. Caroline enjoyed the view as the helicopter lifted off and began its journey.

"Hey Sarah, look what the General gave me," Sharon said.

"Wow, are those cigars Cuban?"

"Yes they are, they're from his private stash. Why don't we go into the smoking lounge and try them?"

"Sounds good to me," Sarah said, as both girls got up and left the area.

Shortly afterwards, Amazon Girl excused herself to go to the restroom.

"Want company?" Caroline asked.

"No, this restroom is like the ones on airplanes. There's only room for one," Amazon Girl replied.

Caroline was now alone in the room. She again looked out of the window intently. But then something caught her eye. Hadn't she seen that same thing before? She got up and went closer to the window. Yes she had! And that too! And that too! Her curiousity raised, Caroline closely inspected the window. It seemed like a normal window, but wait! What was that, a wire coming out of the window? She traced the wire across the ceiling, it went into another room. She tried the door, but it was locked. That certainly would be no problem for her! She tightly grabbed the door handled and pulled. Nothing happened! She pulled harder, then harder still, until the handle broke off in her hand. But the door didn't budge at all! "What's going on here," she thought to herself as she drove her hands through the center of the door. The steel easily gave way, revealing a series of heavy steel bars inside the outer door covering. "No wonder it wouldn't open," she thought. Rather than simply bending the bars out of the way, she decided to just look into the room. There was a DVR in the room in "Continuous Loop Play" mode.

Caroline quickly returned to the window and ran her fingernails over it. The "window" instantly shredded into a mass of plastic and electronics, the plasma TV screen now just useless garbage. Caroline stared at it in utter shock, then collected herself. She went to the door to the smoking lounge and tore it open. No one was inside! She the went to the restroom door. Opening it the wrong way, the door and doorframe both collapsed. Again, there was no sign of Amazon Girl! Where had everyone gone? What was going on here? An unexpected thud knocked her off her feet. When she got back up, she noticed what appeared to be sand on the floor. Looking up, it seemed to be coming in through the ceiling!

In the helicopter above the passenger compartment, the three girls gathered together. They had just climbed a rope ladder. The exit had been easy enough; after going to the smoking lounge, Sarah and Sharon had climbed up through a fake ventilation duct. Amazon Girl had gone to the restroom and climbed through the false wall behind the vanity, that put her in the smoking lounge.

The helicopter stopped its forward flight over Deep Well. This was originally constructed as the entrance to what would be an even deeper command and control complex buried over a mile deep. But the end of the Cold War had rendered the C&C bunker obsolete before it had been constructed. Now all that was left was the entrance, the so-called Deep Well. It had been covered before GeekNerd's plan put it to use. Now, it had been half filled with quicksand, and the line of dump trucks on the ground were prepared to dump their loads as well, as soon as the passenger pod was released.

"We're over Deep Well now. Starting to lower the pod," relayed the pilot.

"Very well," Lt. Mitchell responded. "Keep me informed of progress. "

The pod continued to lower until it made contact with the quicksand. A slight thud was heard and felt.

"Pod down. Releasing the hook."

"Sir, we have a problem. The hook won't release!"

Lt. Mitchell was in GeekNerds office. The plan seemed to be going well. Since the General had put him in charge, he was giving all the orders and acknowledgements. GeekNerd seemed content to just monitor developments. Just then, a radio communication indicated a problem. The hook wouldn't release. Well, the plan had anticipated this and the Lt. was ready for it!

"Have Amazon Girl tear off the winch."

GeekNerd suddenly sprang up. "No!" he yelled.

"Winch away, sir," replied the pilot.

"Excellent job. Return to base"

"Return home, yes sir. Over and out."

"What have you done?" screamed GeekNerd.

"What are you going on about?" Lt. Mitchell demanded. "I'm in charge here and I give the orders!"

"Don't you realize what you've done?" insisted GeekNerd.

"Obviously not," replied Lt. Mitchell. "Perhaps you could enlighten me. I've read your presentation and this was one of the potential problems that you identified."

"Yes I identified it, but I didn't give the solution. I said command decision point, and that's me!"

"I am the command decision maker here! Gen. Horshac placed me in charge here!" Lt. Mitchell was practically screaming.

"Calm down," GeekNerd said. He then lit another cigarette and took a drag. "When I write a plan I expect to be in command position as far as the plan. You are in command of the troops and issue the orders. If I need something done, I tell you and you issue the order, understood?"

"Is this just a protocol issue or is there something wrong with my order?" Lt. Mitchell honestly didn't know.

"The far better order would have been to shear the cable."

"What's the difference? Either way, the pod is separated from the helicopter."

"Let me explain it to you..."

Meanwhile, Caroline in the pod looks more closely at the sand. This isn't normal sand, she realizes, but quicksand! She knows she has to get out fast, but how? The best way would appear to be through the roof; if she can tear the roof off, she can climb out that way. It will also put her closer to the surface.

Caroline stands up and looks around. She climbs on top of the vanity in the restroom, it is high enough for her to reach up to the ceiling. She punches her hands through the ceiling and begins to peel it back. Tons of quicksand rain down upon her, indicating that she's punched all the way through the pod.

Caroline pulls herself up through the roof of the pod and stands up. But the quicksand is over her head. Keeping her wits about her, she feels along the top of the pod and finds the winch and attached cable. Realizing what they are, she throws the winch as far up as she can, hoping that the winch will snag on something above and allow her to climb out using the cable.

The Sgt. was directing dump trucks. He wasn't pleased, why were they filling Deep Well at night when he could be at the nearest bar getting plastered? Oh well, that's the military for you.

There was a sudden whizzing noise, followed seconds later by what sounded like an explosion. The Sgt. then noticed the back of the dump truck that was emptying its load jerk up into the air before slamming back down to the ground.

"What's going on here?" the Sgt. asked the truck driver.

"Hell if I know. I was just dumping my load when the truck just jumped on me."

"Could it have been a rock?"

"No, rocks don't feel like that."

The Sgt and the driver walked around to the back of the truck. There, wedged through the bed of the truck, was a winch with attached electric motor!

"Uh, Lt. Miichell, this is the Sgt. We have an unusual event here. There's a winch and cable that came out of Deep Well and lodged into the back of a dump truck. What are your orders?"

"See? What did I tell you?" GeekNerd shouted.

"All right wise guy, what do we do now?" Lt. Mitchell asked.

"Does the Sgt have any way to cut the cable?"

Lt. Mitchell asked, the response was in the negative.

"Where is Paul Smith?" GeekNerd asked.

"His car is just now pulling in to the base."

"Have the driver take him to Deep Well ASAP."

"Are you sure?" Lt. Mitchell asked. "He doesn't know anything about Deep Well."

"Ae you questioning me again, Lt.? I'm trying to salvage what I can out of this - your - mess."

GeekNerd then made several quick phone calls.

"Have the Sgt inform me when Caroline climbs free of Deep Well. And have the Sgt ensure that dump truck stays put!" GeekNerd said between phone calls.

"Caroline just came into view," Lt. Mitchell said.

"Call the driver and get an ETA. Also, have the Sgt hand his radio to Caroline. I want to speak to her."

"ETA 5 minutes," Lt Michell said.

"This is Caroline."

"Hello, Caroline. Please stay where you are, Paul is on his way and will be there in less than 5 minutes. How is your dress? I hope it's not too mussed up?"

"The dress is intact but dirty."

"Don't worry about it. The driver will drop you off at a store on the way where you can pick out a whole new outfit on me, then he'll take you to the Left Arms for dinner on me. Enjoy your evening."

"Wait a minute! Who are you?"

But it was too late, there was no response. Then Paul arrived and the rest of the evening went great.

Fusion chamber

Paul Smith opened the lertter addressed to "Occupant" and examined the contents. "Hey Caroline, listen to this. There's a new restaurant opening in town and we get a free meal there! Are you interested?"

"Free food? What kind of food do they serve?"

Paul looked more closely at the enclosed advertisement. Paul and Caroline decided to visit the restaurant on Friday night.

"You wanted to see me?" queried the man seated across from GeekNerd.

"That's right. I understand you're a magician. How good are you?"

"Presto is the name and magic is my game. Jeez, I'm a poet and don't know it!"

"I have here a glass filled with steel shavings. Can you temporarily turn it into wine, red wine preferred?"

"Sure I can, but it'll only last for 1 hour."

"That'll be fine. Demonstrate, please."

Presto spoke a weird incantation and waved his hands over the glass. Instantly, the steel shavings disappeared and in their place was wine. GeekNerd picked up the glass, swirled it, and sniffed the bouquet. Satisfied with this, he then placed the glass to his lips and took a sip, swirling it around his mouth before spitting it out. "Excellent!" he proclaimed. "Now we'll just wait until it reverts back to steel shavings to confirm the time frame."

Friday night finds GeekNerd behind the restaurant in an unmarked van. Lt. Mitchell is with him, along with several others.

"Team Alpha to command, Paul and Caroline are arriving at the restaurant."

GeekNerd gives the command, "It's time for Team Bravo."

Lt. Mitchell gives the order, "Team Bravo assume your positions and carry out your assignment."

GeekNerd then turns to Presto. "OK, it's time. Do your thing."

Presto turns the glass of metal shavings GeekNerd gives him, into fine Burgundy. GeekNerd then takes the glass of pseudowine and carefully pours it into a wine bottle, but no ordinary bottle this. It actually is split down the middle into two separate compartments. Regular Burgundy is is one section, the psuedo in the other.

"Team Bravo to command, subject neutralized."

GeekNerd then takes the wine bottle in his hand and exits the van. He goes over to the subject, the wine steward for the restaurant, and dons his apron. GeekNerd enters the restaurant and spots Caroline. He goes over to her table.

"Good evening. The owner is honored to have the famous Caroline Everson as a guest tonight and would like to offer you and your date a complimentary glass of your favorite Burgundy."

GeekNerd then pours Paul a glass from the regular wine side and Caroline a glass from the pseudowine side. Both glasses of wine look, smell, and taste exactly the same.

GeekNerd then leaves the restaurant and returns the wine steward's apron to him. He then reenters the van.

"Go all right?" asked Lt. Mitchell.

"Fine. Team Bravo can revive the wine steward now."

Lt. Mitchell gave the order. Then he turned to GeekNerd, "I don't understand. How did you know which glass to spike? Some couples cross their arms and drink from each other's glass."

GeekNerd lit a cigarette and smiled as he replied, "You must know your enemy. Paul and Caroline never do that, her arms are too large."

Lt. Mitchell shook his head. How can the guy be this good?

Caroline and Paul enjoyed their meal. They left the restaurant together and waked to Paul's car.

"Team Alpha to command, Caroline leaving the restaurant."

"Get Team Charlie in position," GeekNerd requested.

As Paul drove out of the parking lot, he noticed the street was blocked in one direction for water main repairs. He hadn't intended going that way, so he thought nothing of it. He went to the next intersection, but there was an accident in the roadway; every direction was blocked except for one. Unusual to have two adjacent streets blocked, but not unheard of. The traffic light changed to red just as he got to the next intersection, so he stopped the car. At least this intersection was clear.

Neither Paul nor Caroline noticed the sniper, dressed all in black, on the rooftop across the street. And neither heard the shot from his rifle, but of course the rifle had a silencer attached. But both noticed that the car suddenly had a flat tire when the light turned green and Paul started to drive off.

"Darn!" Paul said. "Oh well, at least there's an empty parking space behind that trailer truck where I can change the tire."

Paul pulled into the space. He got out and went to get the spare and jack from the trunk. Caroline got out also and asked, "Need any help? You know I could lift the car for you."

"No thanks, I don't want you to dirty up your new dress. Besides, I should be able to handle this on my own."

Paul jacked up the car and took off the wheel cover. He started loosening the lug nuts, but could not get one of them to budge. "Maybe I do need help here after all. This one nut is on here tight."

Caroline came over to asist. Paul stepped away to give her room. But as soon as Caroline bent down to loosen the nut, Paul felt hands around his neck. Someone picked him up and started carrying him down the street. Panicked, he yelled out to Caroline.

Caroline was just starting to try to loosen the nut when she heard Paul scream out. She looked up to see him being carried away. The tire could wait, her boyfriend was in trouble! She immediately started running down the street after him.

Caroline didn't pay any attention to the sidewalk she was running on. Therefore she didn't notice the large steel plate covering part of the walk. But as soon as she stepped on the plate, everything went dark! Her feet left the ground and she was floating in air!

GeekNerd looked on as the fusion chamber floor was bolted to the rest of the box. The power cables from the trailer truck parked in front of Paul's car had already been connected. The helicopter which had lowered the chamber over Caroline still hovered in the air. Once the floor was attached, the helicopter would lift the chamber onto a flat bed trailer truck. The flat bed truck pullled alongside from the side street where it had been parked. The helicopter then ascended with the fusion chamber in tow, then placed the chamber onto the flat bed truck.

GeekNerd spoke to the two truck drivers, "Just remember guys, take it nice and slow to the base. You're not in any hurry. And the two of you are connected together by the power cables. Under no circumstances are you to allow the power cables to come under undue tension. If a traffic light is yellow, stop for it!"

The two trucks left together. Now there were just a few loose ends to tie up. The cars in the fake accident scene at the previous intersection had already been removed. A tow truck soon arrived for Paul's car. It would be taken to a garage to have one lug nut replaced. That would be necessary since the nut had been welded to the stud to ensure Caroline woiuld have to get out of the car and would be distracted while Paul was being taken. GeekNerd lit up another cigarette, it felt great when a plan was working to perfection!

"Comfy, Paul?" GeekNerd asked.

"Where am I?"

"You're my guest for now. You can't escape, so you might as well enjoy your surroundings. You'll notice the bar is fully stocked, and the wide-screen TV can pick up all channels."

"What happened to Caroline?"

"Don't worry about her, she's fine. I'll let you speak to her momentarily."

GeekNerd then turned his attention to Caroline. He couldn't see her, but he could speak to her through a two-way radio.

"Caroline? How are you?"

"Where am I? What happened to Paul? Is he all right?"

"Yes, Paul's fine. I'll let you speak to him momentarily. Right now you are in a fusion chamber."

"A fusion chamber? What's that?"

"It's used for experimental fusion reactors. These reactors operate under plasma conditions similar to those found on the surface of the Sun. No material can stand up to those temperatures. It was an intriguing engineering problem, something akin to devising a chamber to contain you."

"I don't understand. If no material can take the temperature, then how does this thing work?"

"It's reallly quite simple. No material can withstand the plasma, therefore the chamber is set up so that the plasma is always centered and kept away from all the walls."

"But how is that done?"

"You hear that humming? That's electrical power being supplied to electromagnets surrounding the outside of the chamber. The magnets are oriented so that the poles are always repulsing the poles on the opposite side. Luckily, the plasma has magnetic properties."

"But my body's not magnetic?"

"It has a very slight magnetism due to the fact that it's mostly water and water molecules are slightly magnetic. But for you, I had to add metal. Remember that free wine you had last night? Through a magic trick, it was only wine for a short time before it reverted back to what it was originally, steel shavings!"

"So the steel's in my stomach?"

"That's right. And since you're invulnerable, the steel can't leave through your skin. A normal person would be torn apart by the steel being attracted to the magnets, but not you!"

"What do you want?"

"First let me just point out your situation to make it crystal clear to you. You are centered in the fusion chamber, you cannot reach anything, and therefore your superstrength does you no good. You are invulnerable, but that's not helping either; in fact I'm using that to keep you trapped! Of course, you're also in no immediate danger, but I'm sure that you would rather be somewhere else.

"Now, here's the deal. I would like to have a date with you. Grant me that, and I'll let you free."

"And what about Paul?"

"Paul will be set free no matter what you decide. I just have him here so that the two of you can talk about this; I don't want the two of you to keep secrets from one another, that can ruin a relationship."

"I don't trust you, aren't you the same one who tried to bury me in quicksand?"

"Yes, that ws my plan. It got messed up, the winch wasn't supposed to be dropped on the pod."

"It's a good thing that it was. Otherwise, I'd never have gotten out!"

"That's not true! You weren't in the pod long enough for me to speak to you. If you had been, I would have given you a similar offer to this one."

"How could you have rescued me?"

"The aluminum pod had a steel plate bolted to the top. I had a crane with an electromagnet standng by ready to attach to and lift the pod."

"So all you want from me is a date?"

"That's right. Would you like to speak with Paul?"

"Yes that would be great."

Caroline couldn't believe this guy. What sort of pervert would kidnap and trap someone just to get a date? He was a scale of magnitude worse than a rapist! She would never, ever, date him!!!

But what could she do? Hmm, he said the steel shavings in her stomach were keeping her centered. What if she removed them? But how? Of course!

"Caroline, are you all right?" GeekNerd was concerned, he hadn't planned on this!

"Retch!" the sound repeated.

Caroline had her fingers down her throat and was pressing on her stomach in just the right place. The entire meal from last night was now in the chamber in front of her, including the metal shavings. Her body began sinking to the floor of the chamber As soon as she felt the floor, she got up and punched the side of the chamber.

GeekNerd heard a loud bang from inside the chamber. He then saw the ouside of the chamber begin to bulge outwards. He had seen enough to know that Caroline was on her way out! He beat a hasty retreat.

Caroline punched the chamber wall again, forcing her fist all the way through it. She could hear and soon see electical arcing as the magnets shorted out. She easily tore through the chamber. She then watched as the magnets that were still intact, caused the chamber to explode into a billion pieces. Once outside, she spotted Paul in his cell and ripped off the door.

"Let's get out of here," Caroline said. "I'm starving."

"How can you be hungry after the meal you had last night?"

"That meal just didn't stay down," Caroline smiled.

By Lark6019

Rubber Room

Sharon looked at herself in the wall mirror in the hallway as she approached GeekNerd's office. She definitely liked what she saw, and hoped that he would also. Instead of her usual jeans and sweatshirt, she was wearing an extremely short skirt and tube top. She had been dressing sexier for the last few weeks now, but this was by far the most revealing yet. She paused and then knocked on his door.

GeekNerd was sitting at his desk. He kept eyeballing the clock on the wall. It was lunchtime, but he was waiting in the hopes that Sharon would join him again. He didn't know why, but she had been a frequent visitor lately. She seemed to like coming into his office to eat lunch, and then later to enjoy a cigar while he smoked his cigarettes. That must be it, he thought, his office was one of the few places on the base where one could smoke.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in."

He looked up expectantly as Sharon entered. He had hoped it would be her, but still he involuntarily gasped at the vision before him. God she was beautiful! Much more beautiful than he had ever seen her before. But what was different? Ah yes, he thought, it's the outfit; it really showed her off to perfection.

"Glad to see you," he said. He quickly averted his eyes; no one was going to charge him with sexual harrassment!

"Mind if I join you for lunch?" Sharon asked as she sat down on the chair facing his desk.

"By all means, it would be my pleasure," he responded. He tried, but he couldn't help himself staring at those incredible legs as she sat down, that oh so short skirt riding up as she did so. Were those lace panties that she was wearing?

Sharon saw him staring, then averting his eyes and blushing. He cleared his throat and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Oh yes, she thought, this outfit definitely has his attention. But she didn't want him to blow a fuse quite yet, so she said," I'm having a roast beef sub, how about you?"

He looked into her eyes as he replied, "I've got peanut butter and jelly." His gaze lingered, even her eyes were sparkling today!

"I'm famished, let's eat!" There would be more time for teasing him later.

After lunch, Sharon pulled a cigar out of her purse. GeekNerd lit it for her, then lit a cigarette. Sharon leaned back in the chair, giving him a fine view of her almost fully exposed.legs. She could tell by the way he was puffing that he really enjoyed the view, so she crossed and then uncrossed her legs. Then she began flexing her quads. Poor guy, he had one cigarette in his mouth and he was reaching into his pocket for another! She loved it!

Realizing that he already had one lit cigarette in his mouth and that he was trying to light another one, GeekNerd fought to regain control. This was why women hated him, he turned into an idiot around them. There was absolutely nothing about him that was in the least attractive to women and he knew it. Sharon was just teasing him and the more he showed it was having an effect, the more she would do it. It was torture, but it was exquisite! But he had to control the situation. He opened his desk drawer.

That got Sharon's attention. "What have you got for me today?" she asked in eager anticipation. She loved it, this was like Christmas!

GeekNerd carefully lifted the object and placed it on the top of the desk.

"What is it?" Sharon puzzled. She had no clue, it was a one ft square piece of aluminum with a bunch of rubber cones affixed.

GeekNerd smiled. Now he was in control. "Try to pick it up by the cones," he challenged.

"Huh? You know how strong I am!"

"Humor me. I need a good test of this."

"What the heck?" Sharon exclaimed as she put her fingers around one of the cones. The aluminum never moved, her fingers closed completely together but still she couldn't get a grip. It was like trying to grab air!

"Now try to compress the cones towards the desk top."

"I don't understand," Sharon confessed as the cone was compressed, the others rose. "It's like trying to squeeze a half-filled balloon; as soon as you squeeze one part, another part bulges out!"

"Thank you, I needed that tested."

"I still don't know what I tested."

"The cones are made of a special silicone-impregnated sponge rubber-like material. But it's not normal rubber, instead it's made to be directionally dimensionable."

"Excuse me?"

"It gives easily in one direction but not another. When you tried to pick it up, you compressed against the side of the cone. That is the weak direction; it squeezed to nothing and the silicone made it so slick you couldn't get a grip. But when you pressed down on it, you acted on the strong direction. As you pressed down, the force transmitted through the outside layer of material to the other cones, causing them to rise up. It should have taken considerably more force to deform the cone in this direction, also."

"Yes, far more force. But what are you talking about, outside layer?"

"They look like individual cones, but they are actually just like bumps on a single piece. The aluminum is not one sheet, but two, with the rubber in between."

"So it's actually made more like a Welcome mat?"

"Yes, that's a good analogy."

"You said you needed it tested. What are you using it for?"

"That is a piece of the next trap for Caroline. For her, however, it will consist of an entire room."

Sharon was dejected. She had been getting somewhere today, but now he was talking about Caroline again. She had to figure out a way to get her out of his head, before she could have any chance with him.

Caroline was on her daily stroll. She liked to take this route because of the scenery. The flowers were especially beautiful this time of year. One particular clump caught her eye due to their unusual color, so she stopped to take a closer look.

GeekNerd was watching. He had determined that Caroline frequented this area and that she enjoyed the flowers. That is why he had arranged to have these special orchids put here. Now that she was distracted, he gave the order.

Caroline bent over to smell the unusual flowers. Suddenly, the sidewalk she was standing on opened up and she found herself falling. It wasn't a long drop, but even to her, the landing was incredibly soft. She tried to stand up, but it was like she was on oily banana peels, she couldn't get any grip at all! Then everything went dark as a lid was placed on top.

GeekNerd supervised the placement of the lid and the movement of the container. This was a simple operation, this trap was constructed from a normal shipping container. After securing the lid, the container was placed on a truck for shipment to the base.

Suddenly, tiny lights came on in the trap, and Caroline could see again. Although she wasn't sure what it was; there were rubber cones everywhere. It was certainly pillow soft, but so slick she couldn't seem to move anywhere. She tried to rip the cones loose to access the wall, but no matter how hard she squeezed, she couldn't get adequate grip. She also tried pushing the cones with her hands, but as soon as she pushed one, the others rose up; she couldn't maintain position as her waist and legs rose up.

"Good afternoon, Caroline." GeekNerd's voice came over a tiny speaker. "Looks like you're getting frustrated in there."

"You again!" Caroline spat. "What have you got me in now?"

"Can't you tell? It's just a simple rubber room."

"Get me out of here now!"

"Certainly, just agree to have a date with me."

"Never in a million years, you pervert!"

"Now that hurts. Aren't you comfortable in there?"

"Actually, yes I am. I just wish my bed were this soft for Paul. What exact material are you using?"

"Just silicone impregnated sponge rubber. Agree to the date, and I'll make a matress from it for you."

"Is Paul with you?"

"Not yet. I'll have him picked up after work and brought here."

"Don't bother. This stupid trap can't hold me!" Caroline said as she struggled anew. But no matter what she tried, she made no headway. First, she tried again to pull the cones loose, but even though she gripped hard enough that her fingers touched, she still couldn't get enough grip to tear the cone. Next, she tried to bounce by compressing the cones and then releasing, but as she compressed, the elevation of the other cones made it impossible to hold any kind of position. Instead of bouncing, she was tumbling out of control.

"Make it easy on yourself. Agree to the date and you'll be out of there in a second."

"Never!" She redoubled her efforts, but still had no success. Her frustration mounted, she was getting nowhere!

"Caroline, calm down and think!"

"Paul, is that you?"

"Yes, I'm here. Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

Caroline stopped her struggles. Paul was right, she thought, she needed to think about what she could do to escape. But what could she do? The surfaces were so darn slick! Maybe that was the key, what could she do to gain traction? Of course!

GeekNerd watched the screen in fascination as Caroline began milking her breasts. Soon the fluid started dribbling, then turned into a torrent. How could she have so much milk? His fascination turned to utter awe as the milk continued to spew forth. Soon he could see an actual level of milk in the container. She was turning her trap into a pool!

Still the milk kept flowing. This is impossible! GeekNerd thought, as the entire container filled to the top! Oh no! he thought, as the container sides began to buge outwards. She was actually pressurizing it with just her milk. God what a woman! But he knew the container wasn't designed for pressure. Time for a hasty exit.

Paul watched as the container began bulging. There was a horrendous sound as the entire container blew apart as the internal pressure increased. Milk sprayed everywhere, coating the entire room and everything in it, including himself. He licked it off his lips, it was delicious!

Caroline was left standing in the remains of the container. She spotted Paul and walked over to him.

"Too bad you already milked yourself. I was hoping for some homemade ice cream tonight," Paul teased as the two embraced.

"Don't worry, darling. There's always more where that came from," she smiled.

By Lark6019

Nested Chemical Tanks

There was a knock on the door. GeekNerd looked down at his watch and smiled; it was Noon and Sharon was joining him for lunch again. "Come in."

The door opened revealing a stunning vision - Sharon in an incredibly short skirt and tank top.

GeekNerd's mouth fell open. His jaw would have hit the floor except for his desk blocking the path. "Wow."

"You like?"

GeekNerd's lips moved but no sound came out. Sharon smiled; her outfit was having the desired effect. She slowly walked over to the desk and leaned over. She knew that her nipples were standing proud and erect, and they were obvious in the tank top. Her hand fell on the metal electric pencil sharpener; she slowly closed her fingers around it and tore it from the desk. Holding it in front of GeekNerd, she slowly tightened her grip. He looked on slack-jawed as the sharpener turned to putty and oozed out between her fingers.

"Guess you'll be needing a new one," Sharon whispered.

GeekNerd lit a cigarette before responding. "No problem. I love watching you do that."

Sharon bent over further, now her face was only inches away from his. "Is that all you love watching?"

GeekNerd's face was as red as the tip of his cigarette. "I...I..." Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead.

Sharon straightened up and took in a deep breath, thrusting out her chest. The tank top visibly stretched, the material trying its best to contain the twin orbs within.

GeekNerd's cigarette resembled an inferno, he was puffing so hard. It quickly burned down to the filter, which itself started burning. The smell and taste got his attention; he butted it out and immediately lit another. "I love watching beautiful women," he finally said.

"But do you like watching me?"

"Of course! You're the most beautiful of all."

"Even Caroline?" Sharon flexed her bicep as she spoke. She glanced over at the massive peak before returning her gaze to GeekNerd.

"Yes. Even she cannot compare to you."

"Then why don't we have dinner together tonight? You can do more than watch!"

GeekNerd gathered himself before replying. "I enjoy watching. That's enough for me. Besides, if it's action you want, you've got your choice of any of the soldiers on this base. A woman like you can have any man she wants. ANY man. I can't compete with that; there are loads more guys far better than me."

"If that's what you're worried about, have you forgotten the director you gave me? Who better to control it than you?"

“No, I haven’t forgotten. Are you still using it?”

“Sure, all the time! It’s amazing, my trash can used to be filled with worn-out and destroyed dildos, but the director is still going strong!”

“Great! I’ve been working on an enhancement for it, adding a periodicity control.”

“A periodicity control?”

“I still need another few days to complete it. Tell you what, why don’t we have dinner together once it’s done, and then afterwards, I can demonstrate it to you.”

“All right, but I’m going to hold you to it.”

GeekNerd eyed the destroyed pencil sharpener as he replied, “Just as long as you don’t hold me too tightly.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle with you,” Sharon laughed.

After lunch, Sharon further compressed the blob of metal that was the pencil sharpener until it glowed red hot. She lit her cigar and GeekNerd lit his cigarette from the blob.

“I’m glad you came by today,” GeekNerd said. “I need to get your input here.”

“Sure, anything I can do to help.”

“You know that I set a ground rule for my traps for Caroline, that Paul would not be put in danger. But I’ve been thinking that maybe that’s not such a good idea. I mean, if someone were really out to get Caroline, say the General perhaps, they might stumble upon the idea of endangering Paul in order to control Caroline.”

“So what are you saying here? Are you going to put Paul in danger? Isn’t that rather risky? Wouldn’t Caroline get really pissed off and attack you? And she’d certainly never agree to going on a date with you!”

“That’s all quite true. That’s one reason I established that ground rule. But I’m concerned about Paul. Super heroes in comic books all have secret identities. But these aren’t to protect them, but rather to protect their non-super friends from being used as a method of getting to them. But since Caroline has no secret identity, Paul is in danger. And I don’t know if Caroline realizes this.”

“As far as I know, Paul has never been in real danger from someone before. Aren’t you afraid that the General will take your idea and run with it? And if he does, it won’t be under the controlled conditions of your trap!”

“Yes, I am very worried about that. But he might come up with such an idea himself. If I devise a trap in which Paul appears to be in danger, that will give Caroline and Paul something to consider and possibly help protect the both of them in the future.”

“Appears to be in danger? So Paul will actually be safe?”

“Yes, he’ll be fine the whole time. Once Caroline realizes this at the end of the trap, hopefully that will alleviate some of her anger. Plus of course, I have the utmost respect for Paul and would never put him in harm’s way.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“Have you ever wondered how they do segments on TV where the reporter is shown in front of a background? They have the reporter stand in front of a solid green background, then they film him with a special filter on the camera which removes green. So what you’re left with is just the reporter on the film. Then they film the background and overlay the two images. I’ll be doing something similar.”

“Won’t Caroline be able to tell that it’s just a picture of Paul?”

“Hopefully not. If I do it right, the only giveaway would be the lack of shadows, and I’ll try to cover that up with lighting.”

“Don’t even think about lighting up in here!” GeekNerd reprimanded the carpenter. “Remember, Caroline doesn’t smoke, and her sensitive nose would pick up on an unusual odor. We need to be stealthy here.”

“Why are we here?” Lt. Mitchell asked. “Isn’t it awfully risky to be in Caroline’s bedroom when she’s not here?”

“It’s certainly not as risky as being in here when she IS here,” GeekNerd responded. “And we want her to know that she’s not safe anywhere.”

“What are you having those men do with her sliding glass door to the balcony?”

“They’re modifying it to make the doors easily removable. That way, her bed can be pulled out through them.”

“So that’s why the carpenter is installing the wheels on her bed frame?”

“Exactly. And that’s why the railing around the balcony is being modified.”

Lt. Mitchell smiled. This guy really seemed to think of everything!

“Lt. Mitchell, the subject has arrived,” reported the soldier stationed across the street from Caroline’s house.

Lt. Mitchell glanced down at the Master Plan before responding. “Is the subject alone?”

“Affirmative,” came the reply.

“Report back when all lights are off.”

“Roger that.”

“We need to confirm the location of Paul Smith,” GeekNerd said.

“Already done,” Lt. Mitchell replied. “He is at home alone.”

“Is Team Bravo in position?”

“Standing by. Are you ready to have them move in?”

“Not yet,” GeekNerd said. “Let’s allow some more time, in case Caroline decides to call Paul before she retires.”

“Does she normally do that?”

“I haven’t been able to find out. But even if it’s out of character, still it’s something that she might do, and I don’t want to raise any suspicion on her part if he doesn’t answer.”

Lt. Mitchell nodded in agreement. How could this guy consider all the possibilities? Was there nothing he hadn’t taken into account? And yet, none of his traps had worked! What was being overlooked here?

“Sir, the lights are now all off in the subject’s house.”

“OK, you should be clear to have Team Bravo move in,” GeekNerd suggested.

“I’ll give the order,” Lt. Mitchell said.

Since Paul was still up, Team Bravo simply knocked on his door. When he answered, he was immediately taken into custody.

“That was the simple part,” GeekNerd cautioned. “Team Alpha has the tricky part of transporting Caroline. I’ll go to the area to personally supervise. Lt. Mitchell, stay here and hold down this end.”

“OK, I’ll let them know you are coming.”

Caroline was asleep in her bed. Team Alpha was extremely stealthy; she never noticed when the sliding glass doors to her balcony were removed, nor did she notice her bed being pulled out of the room and onto a glass plate. She also was unaware of GeekNerd placing a battery-operated one-cup coffeemaker next to her bed, and of the top of the glass enclosure being secured in position. Finally, she did not notice the helicopter ride to the base; but then again, the pilot was an expert at smooth flights. Indeed, the first thing she noticed was the smell of fresh-brewed coffee in the morning.

In the meantime, Paul was placed into a special cell painted solid green. A camera outside the cell followed his every movement. The camera transmitted to a special 3-D screen. Another screen outside Paul’s cell showed Caroline.

Caroline awoke and stretched. “Good morning, Caroline,” GeekNerd said gently.

Caroline sat bolt upright. “What?!”

“There’s fresh coffee in the pot beside your bed. I made sure it’s your favorite blend. Why don’t you have a cup, then we’ll talk.”

Still unsure of what was going on, Caroline took the suggestion and drank her coffee.

“All right, let me explain your situation,” GeekNerd said calmly. “You can see that you are surrounded by glass. The glass forms an inner tank. This tank is inside another tank. If you look through the wall, you can see Paul in the outer tank. The outer tank contains a colorless gas. Give me just a moment here…”

Caroline looked through the glass wall of her tank and waved to Paul. Seeing her wave to him on the screen, Paul waved back. Caroline changed her position several times as she looked at him and Paul changed his position to match hers. Then she heard a rush of wind. “I’m now filling your inner tank with a different gas,” GeekNerd said. “There is an unusual property of these two gases; when they are separated, they are quite harmless; but when they are combined, they are explosive. The explosion won’t hurt you, of course, but it would kill Paul. Since I don’t want him harmed and I’m sure you don’t either, I would suggest that you be very careful not to break the glass wall separating the two tanks.”

GeekNerd was watching Caroline on his own screen. She appeared fine, but then she gasped and fell off the bed onto the floor, clutching her chest! This shouldn’t be happening! GeekNerd was in a panic! He quickly stopped the gas flow into her tank and began venting it. Then he ran to Paul’s cell and unlocked the door.

“Paul, quick, Caroline is in trouble! Take this sledge hammer and break the glass!”

“What?! What have you done?”

“I…I don’t know. She must be sensitive to the gas. We’ve got to get her out of there!”

“Is this some kind of trick? I don’t trust you!”

“I don’t blame you. Here, take this,” GeekNerd said as he withdrew a pistol from his pocket. “Shoot me if you wish, but save Caroline!”

“Why don’t you save her?”

“I’m doing what I can. I’m venting the gas from her tank. But you should be the one to save her, not me. Now get going!”

“But won’t the tank explode when I break it?”

“No, that’s part of the trap. The outer tank just has air in it. And the gas in the inner tank is not explosive.”

Paul ran from the cell to the tank area. Using the sledge hammer, he broke through the outer tank and then the inner tank. He ran over to Caroline and took her head in his arms. Looking down at her, he was surprised to see a smile on her face. “Are you all right?”

“Of course I am,” Caroline responded. “I was faking it.”

“But why?”

“Come on,” she said as she got up. “We need to talk to GeekNerd.”

GeekNerd was smoking like a chimney as Caroline and Paul walked out of the tanks. “Thank God you’re all right.”

“Of course I’m all right,” Caroline scolded. “Did you really think that anything can hurt me?”

“I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t going to take a chance.”

“Well, I think that’s sweet of you. I guess now I’ve got two men looking out for me,” she said as she gave Paul a kiss on the cheek.

“I don’t understand,” GeekNerd said. “You’re taking this way better than I thought you would.”

“I was prepared for it,” Caroline responded. “Sharon and I had lunch together yesterday, and she filled me in on your plan. I had to confirm what she was saying about Paul being in no danger, that’s why I changed position while I was looking at Paul, or rather should I say, his image in the tank.”

“So you knew Paul was in no danger.”

“Right. What I really wanted to see, was your reaction. And when Paul came into the tank, instead of you, that confirmed the rest of what Sharon was saying.”

“The rest?”

“Sharon is crazy about you! I just think you ARE crazy, but she sees something in you. By sending Paul in to rescue me, you showed me that maybe she’s onto something.”

“Why wouldn’t I send in Paul? He’s your guy.”

“But if you had come in yourself, then you would have been my rescuer. And if I had really needed rescuing, wouldn’t I have been likely to pay you back with a date and more?”

“If you’re going to pay anybody back with ‘more’, it should be Paul.”

“And that’s what Sharon sees in you. I’d like to talk more with you on your concern for Paul’s safety, but for now, I just want to be with Paul.”

“I understand. Talk to you two later.”

By Lark6019

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