F B R 4

By W. H. Beswick

In the not too distant future cosmetic surgery had become the biggest business in the country. Everyone wants to be young and beautiful. Those whose refuse have become the minority unable to get good jobs. They have been slowly pushed out of main society. Ageless Beauty is the biggest and best in the business. The huge company is close to having procedures become totally painless and leaving no scars. Sadly FBR4 escapes and threatens everything the new society had created.
The head of the company sends out Danielle the head of security to hunt her down. Danielle is brilliant but also a sociopath.
FBR4 turns out to not only be smarter than her creator thought but more than capable of defending herself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. H. Beswick
• Release date: Aug 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311838735

W. H. Beswick

Lives in Corvallis Oregon

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The room is filled with that familiar sound we have all heard on the TV or at the movies: the sound of a machine pumping life giving air to someone, or in this case, two somebodies. The walls are very soft orange, decorated with murals of young beautiful people.

All looking happy.

Dr. Angela Watershaw dressed in black scrubs with a logo. It is a fancy script of an A and B. She is wearing a mask over the lower part of her face. But not even this can hide her beautiful, wrinkle free face. She is stooped over one of the patients. There is another patient behind her.

Both patients have chrome like helmets with tiny probes and blinking lights. Black visors cover their top of their faces. Black masks with air hoses covers the rest of the patient’s faces.

Kelly, a young woman dressed in identical scrubs, stands at a table behind the patients. A small bank of machines with blinking lights and monitors are set up around the tables. Two monitors show what looks like two images of human brains. Kelly is watching the screens while typing away on a keyboard.

Scan FBR5, Watershaw snapped without looking back.

Kelly adjusts one of the monitors and taps a keyboard on a computer. Scanning. Zero A.L. My God, you've done it.

Calm down. Scan FBR4.

Kelly makes more adjustments. A.L. is already at 30%.

"Thirty? We took it off the medication two weeks ago. Thirty even with the B.W...

It came out of the tube six months ago. Could that be a factor?

So did number 5. It shows no A.L. So the combination of A.D. and a full B.W. can give us a zero A.L. Do a TPT pre-scan on 5?

Kelly makes some adjustments on a machine with dozens of buttons and dials. TPT program is stable. It is safe for a full download.

Do a pre-scan on four.

Kelly makes some more adjustments.

TPT is breaking up...this is interesting. Memory is holding.

Watershaw looks back and goes back to the machines. She pushes Kelly aside and takes over the machine. That is impossible with a full B.W.

Dr. Watershaw, if I didn't know better, I would think the TPT program was merging with FBR4.

It is, the doctor mutters, still watching the monitor. She almost rubs her face but stops herself.

Oh my God, this means...

I know what it means. Watershaw snaps, looking over at one of the patients. Total merger of the two selves, creating a whole new self.

Maybe we could avoid this with the introduction of the A.D.

We have to be sure, the doctor said. Put FBR4 in the cooler. I want to run some more tests.

Shall we prep FBR5 for full TPT?

We'll keep it under observation until morning to see if it stays stable. We'll do the full TPT then. I'll be in my office, Watershaw said, pulling off her mask and cap revealing her stunningly beautiful face and freeing her long red hair. She walks over to the tables and studies them. We are close.

Closer than we have ever been, Kelly said, pulling off her mask and cap. Another beautiful face with curly brown hair. The young lady pushes back the curls from her face.

Sorry, you got the long curls? Watershaw asked, watching. We could change them back.

No, I like them.

That is the important thing.

CHAPTER 2

Watershaw, still in her scrubs, sits in a huge chair behind a black glass desk in a huge triangle shaped office. It has an amazing view of the city. Several brightly lit skyscrapers can be seen. The other furnishings are an odd mixture of old and very modern. The doctor is watching a computer screen filled with all kinds of data. Kelly is now wearing a burgundy business suit with a vest. It fits her nice shaped body. Her hair is pinned up into a tight bun. She walks into the office and stops in front of the desk.

I've changed my mind, Watershaw said, looking up from the computer. Have Danielle take FBR4 to disposal.

I thought we were going to run...

FBR4 is in the cooler and her A.L. is at 50%. It has taken 80% of the TPT program memory. Evolving at this rate makes it too dangerous.

Evolving into what?

I don't know and I don't want to know, the doctor said, looking back at the screen. Call Danielle.

Danielle? Kelly said, looking a little nervous. Doctor, I could take it over.

No, have Danielle take care of it.

Ah, ahem, she has already left.

Danielle appears to be making her own hours, Watershaw said, looking annoyed.

Well, she has always been more of a free agent. Considering the work she does.

She scares you?

She scares everyone.

Good. That is why she is here. FBR4 is dangerous. More dangerous than you realize. I want Danielle there just in case.

CHAPTER 3

A beautiful blonde smiles. The face is on a TV screen that almost covers one wall. The rest of the room is shrouded in darkness.

We will get right back to our Dee Dee Andes retrospective in a moment. I would like to take a moment to talk about her use of black and white in a day when color was the order of the day.

A phone beeps.

Mute.

The TV goes mute.

Phone pickup. I am busy.

You're needed, Kelly said, sounding nervous.

What part of busy don't you understand?

You're watching the Dee Dee Andes thing again. You must have it memorized by now.

I have very few pleasures in this life. Allow me to enjoy this one.

This is important.

It is always a matter of life and death with the good doctor.

Danielle, if you don't go, she'll call you, herself.

And this is supposed to scare me? Phone off. Mute off.

The sound on the TV comes on.

CHAPTER 4

A handsome man with a good build in a crisp black uniform with the words, AGELESS BEAUTY printed on the back. He stands on the loading dock, checking over a sleek looking van with no windows. He turns from the van and looks out at the pouring rain. He shakes his head at the streets that are becoming flowing rivers. The dock worker watches two men load a gurney with a black rubber bag into the van. He closes the door and punches in a code into the van’s key pad. A red light blinks on. The worker walks out into the rain, using his clipboard as an umbrella. He taps on the window. It rolls down, revealing Clay, a very good looking man with a big smile.

Okay Clay, you are loaded. Now take it easy on those back roads. You have an important load. All right?

You got it boss. Slow and easy. Why can’t I just go straight through the city?

Orders from the top. Don’t stop. Hey, I am not kidding. You're being watched by her highness.

They both look over at a figure standing like a statue in the rain. A long raincoat with the hood up makes her look like she should be holding a machete. She is standing beside an ultra-modern sports car. She just stands like a statue in the pouring rain.

Oh crap, what she doing here?

Making sure you get to where you are going. Actually, she doesn’t give a damn about you. It's what you're carrying she cares about. Now get moving.

Does she really care about anything? Clay mutters and rolls up the window. The van pulls out. The woman jumps into the car and follows it down the driveway.

This is so stupid, Clay said, trying to see through the rain pounding down on his windshield. The windshield wipers flip