Chapter
78 An Army of Me
Renee Friese called out from the other
room, “It’s Wallace again calling. He
wants to talk to everyone.”
“Okay, I’ll stay in here…before you guys go
in,” explained Marie, “as far as you know…I never came back, okay. You haven’t seen nor heard from me. Tell them you’re having a problem with the
Mawacky too. He’ll believe you. Now, he won’t care about the fact that I’m
MIA, he’ll still launch the attack on the mountain, or he’ll try to, in any
case. We’ll see about that. Now, go, don’t keep him waiting you don’t
want him to get more paranoid than the poor bastard is already.”
And they left the Egg Room for the
Freezer. Marie stood just behind the
door, listening to the conversation, or at least what she could pick up from
it.
“She never came back,” said Stan.
“Well, that is a pity…for you. I did warn you what would happen, did I
not? Very well, let it be your own
incompetence that dooms you then. How
fitting, really. See you in a few.”
“That fucker!” said Barry.
Marie came into the room.
“Hey, said Stan, the reading show that we
have another Egg coming in, how is that possible?”
“Do we need to move the other Egg?” asked
Jackie.
“No, they’ll just superimpose. No problem.” Answered Marie matter-of-factly.
This caused all eyes to fall upon her in
amazement. “What? I’ve been in the situation before, a few times,
I know how it works. I’m not stupid.”
“Wait,” said Stan, “we’ve got lots of Eggs
coming in. what the…?”
“Back-up” said Marie.
“Barry, get the gun and stand guard.” ordered
Jenkins.
“Not a bad idea, but I’ll recognize the
evil Marie just by looking at her.”
“Hey, wouldn’t the vibration probes destroy
the Toxies in her when she manifests anyway?” asked Stan.
“Well, they didn’t in the universes I went
to. I think she’s able to keep the brain
parasites…what was it you called it, Barry…in a state of quantum
indeterminancy…like I did with the bullets to Wally’s gun…which…makes that
whole gun thing kind of pointless anyway, doesn’t it?” she replied.
“Good point,” said Barry.
“But, we’re probably going to need whatever
fire power we have,” she said.
“Well, you’re looking at” Barry held up the
glock.
“Jesus the other chateaus had AR15s. Gosh you guys. Okay, we’ll just have to do our best. Shit, that does put us at a disadvantage.”
“We’re scientists, Marie, not soldiers,”
chided Jenkins.
“Well, you’re about to be soldiers, or
collateral damage depending on how you want to look at it.”
“Wait,” said Stan, “We have a couple of
rifles that the grad students used for wild boar hunting.”
“Get them,” Marie ordered. “And Dr. Jenkins and Jackie, let’s go greet
the incoming Maries. Barry and Stan man
the Mawacky, Dr. Friese keep on the Freezer.
If everything works out just right, we might just make it through this
morning alive.”
The three of them returned to the Egg Room,
and opened the Egg. Marie looked
carefully at the woman who looked just like her with the surprised expression
reclining in the Egg.
“Hi” said Marie to the Marie in the
Egg. “You got my message. Thanks for coming. Jackie give her a hand please. Hurry up, we’ve got a lot more coming.”
“Hi,” said the other Marie.
And so it went, Marie after Marie climbed
out of the Egg, Marie carefully scrutinized them, making certain none of them
were the evil Marie she had met before.
None were. It was quite the
sight, even for Marie who was getting quite used to bizarre sights. By the time the Eggs stopped arriving
fifty-seven Maries stood about waiting, either in the Egg Room or in the
Freezer, all garbed in their yoke suits.
“Okay,” Marie shouted. “Maries, listen up. Jenkins, Barry, and Stan will tell you where
the vibrational probes are…this is what you’re going to do…”
copyright 2017 Diana Hignutt
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