Alter-Self - Chapter 5a

 Cameron let the tears fall once the conversation was over. He stared at his phone, falling forward into his bed and soaking the comforter. Once the tears slowed, he forced his limbs to move and took a shower, washing away the pain. At the end, he dialed Shawn’s number.

“Hey man, I need another favor.”

“You’re racking up the bill,” Shawn joked.

“Is there a way to get a message to a man like Clement? I mean, directly to him, not just to his people.”

“There’s a way to accomplish anything, but you’re asking for some serious hacking. My guess is that they have a lot of walls between the outside and him.”

“Can you do it?”

“Fifty thousand says yes.”

“I don’t have that much.”

“Installments, then?”

“Can I get the best friend discount?”

“I’m putting my job on the line if I do something like this. Injecting anything into someone else’s network is illegal.”

“I’m not asking you to inject something into his system. I’m asking you to send an email that goes to him and no one else.”

“Oh.” Shawn paused. “Oh, yeah, I can do that.”

“Untraceable?”

“A little more difficult, but definitely not impossible.”

Cameron felt his first relief of the day. “Okay, tell me what you need from me?”

“Just what you want to say in the email.”

“I’ll have it to you in a few minutes.”

“No, that’s traceable. Give it to me verbally.”

“Uh, okay. How about ‘Mr. Clement,’” He’d never told Shawn everything. With his sister as a sounding board, there hadn’t been a need. “There is no reason for hostility. Let him go. I have no qualms with you, aside from you firing him. Let’s work this out.”

“That’s nicely cryptic. I hope you’re not in over your head; is this some sort of hostage situation? Do we need to include contact information? I can get a burner phone or fake an email address.”

“No, he’ll know how to get in touch with me.” Is this how spies felt? If so, Cameron was glad he’d never gone into espionage. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing I’m involved in directly. I’m just trying to help out a friend. Thanks Shawn.”

“I’ll try to get this in his box tonight, but depending on their tech level, it might take a little longer.”

“Whatever it takes, I still appreciate your help. Want to come over to dinner next week? Misty will be there.”

“Count me in.” Shawn grinned through the phone.

Cameron threw off the blanket and hurried to dress. He was late. Instead of his usual perusal of the condo, he made it to his lab with single-minded determination. The day passed slowly, dragging toward the end like a loaded down turtle. When the clock finally hit five, he stowed his gear and worked his way back out into the cool evening air. Cold, actually. The biting wind tore into his jacket and forced him to stop for a moment to zip and button everything in place. Anxiety found him at a coffee shop down the street. He logged in to the internet cafe’s computer and pulled up his email, surfing through a few sites to pass the time, then moved on to travel sites.

His phone vibrated just as he started plunking in the Tucson airport and made him jump. He searched the area for spies subconsciously while he pulled the phone out. Seeing ‘Bonita’ on the screen made his palms sweat.

“Hello?”

“Peter was fired?”

“Yeah. The new owner of the company is the same guy I almost got sued by.”

“You were almost sued?”

“Right, yeah, that was the day after you asked me to leave, so I never had the chance to tell you.”

“What have you gotten my poor Peter into?”

“Nothing. It was all a matter of circumstance. I was in the wrong place and angered the wrong people. Are you and Teresa safe?”

“Is my Peter okay?”

My Peter. “Are you softening toward me?” he teased, his volume dropping as he realized a few eyes darted his way.

“No, but I still love him and to think of something happening is distracting me.”

“Did you just get home from work?” He glanced at his watch, realizing the stupidity of the question. “No, it’s closer to bedtime there, isn’t it?”

“No. Dinner.” The silence stretched between them.

“I think I might be coming down, depending on how things go. I’d like to meet you, if that’s alright.”

“No. You are a devil.”

“Do you really believe that?” They both knew the answer. “I’ll let you know when I get there. Tell Teresa her papa loves her. He will never stop loving her.”

“Why? Why do you care so much? She’s not yours, I’m not yours.”

“You know that’s not true. She was a bebita in your belly when we met. I have always thought of her as mine, from the moment I fell in love with you. Have I not treated her that way? I know I wasn’t the man you expected when we married. I realize that I didn’t live up to your mother’s expectations, but I was changing.”

“Only because the devil took over his life, and look where that got him? He bargained with the fire and now he’s burning.”

“I did no such thing! Dejes decir eso. I’ve told you a million times that I’m not the devil. There are others like me, others like this. The man who kidnapped Peter is one.”

“Evil. You’re not proving your point.”

“You’re still talking to me,” he challenged. “You know the truth, but you’re being obstinate. Quítalo.”

More eyes roamed his way, assessing his mixed speech. Cameron forced his tone to soften. “Te amo. You know I love you. In this body or in that, we’re the same man.”

“Do you have a wife there? A girlfriend?”

Cameron would have laughed, except he knew how sensitive the subject was for her. “Is it fair to ask that? Peter has only one heart, and he’s given it all to you.”

“If you’re the same man, then that’s your heart too,” she challenged.

“True enough.” He sighed. “And we’re both broken at the loss.”

The silence stretched again for a minute, so Cameron finished typing in his search and stared at the fees. “I better go. It’s getting late here, and I still haven’t eaten dinner.”

“I made carnitas for dinner, with Mexican rice.”

“You’re making me drool. That’s cruel.” He couldn’t help the smile. She was drawing out the conversation. “Teresa hates Mexican rice.”

“She misses you. She asked me to make it.”

He felt another stab of longing in his chest, like a mini heart attack. “I miss you. So much.” He finally gasped out. “Two months I’ve slept on a couch working and hoping. You have no idea how much I miss you. I need you, Celina.”

“Did you mean what you wrote?”

“In my letters?” He nodded stupidly toward the computer screen, fighting his throat to spit out the words. “Every word. You’re my angel. You saved me.”

Call waiting beeped in, interrupting the moment. He almost ignored it, but it was Shawn’s number. “Mi amor, I have to go. Can I call you again?”

“Why do you have to go?”

“I have another call and I can’t ignore it. I’ll call you again tonight if I can.”

He switched over the call on the third ring. “What’s up?”

“I got a reply.” Shawn seemed spooked. “I tunneled through three countries and broke into their server through a phishing email, but they replied to my personal email.”

Cameron couldn’t quite grasp the significance of that, but he could tell it was bad. “What’d they say?”

“That’s all that matters to you? Do you realize the resources they have to be able to track me down in less than a day?”

“The same resources you do?”

“Ten times what I do.” He huffed into the phone. “You’re messing with a dangerous beast here, Cam, and it’s going to eat you alive. Get out now. Leave be whatever’s going on. Turn it over to the FBI or the police if this really is a kidnapping. Whatever you gotta do, do it and cut ties.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that, but I understand your point. What did they say?”

“No deal.”

“That’s it? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Your guess is probably better than mine.”

Call waiting beeped over again, an Arizona number, and Cameron felt sick dread. “Thanks man. I gotta go, but thanks. Don’t worry, your part in this is done.”

He clicked over to the new line timidly. “Yes?”

“Hello Cameron. How has your day been?”

“Not so good, and yours?”

“A little full, actually, but such is life, right? It’s like I never have any rest anymore.”

“I know the feeling.” Cameron logged out of the computer and headed for the door, glad he’d already paid the tab. “Look, I have no desire to get involved in anything you’ve got going on. I just want to live a simple life. Let him go and I swear you’ll never hear from either of us again.”

“We don’t believe you.”

“Is that the royal we, or are we talking about more dual lifers?”

“I’d like to meet you, in person.”

“Why? Why not just release us and let us go? There’s no reason this needs to get any worse.”

“You have a sister. Misty, is that right?”

“You leave her out of this.” Cameron’s anger rose, piquing to instant rage.

“Hey, calm down. Look, I realize we overreacted, just a little, with Peter, but there’s no reason, as you say, that this needs to get any worse. You have my book, I have your sister, well, and you, so just come on down to Arizona and we’ll take care of all of this.”

Cameron bit his lip. He’d lost total control. “You want your book? I can give that to you. I have no problem giving that back to you. Just let my sister go.”

“You don’t get it. People like us hold the true power of this world.”

All the others were crazy. He’d never found a dual lifer that wasn’t. “Of course, yeah, and I don’t have a problem with that. I didn’t understand about any of this when I took your book. I’ll give it back, just release us. Let us go in peace, and I swear we’ll never bother you again.”

“You can be part of this.”

“No, I’m good, really. I just want to get clear.”

“Cameron,” the voice cajoled, “you’re thinking in black and white here. We got off on the wrong foot, twice over, but let’s start anew.” Jerry shifted on the other end of the line. “Hi Cameron, I’m Jerry Wormheimer, and I’ve got a proposition for you that will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams.”

“I don’t need to be rich. I’m just a simple man.”

“But you want to see your families happy, right? Your sister’s book. She’d been trying to publish for what, ten years? I can help with that. Or Peter. How many years have you struggled to just make enough to feed your family? And now you’ve lost your job. I can fix that.”

“I’m sure that you could.” Cameron’s pace quickened and his blood pressure rose again. “I have no doubt that your connections are very strong and very great, but I’m okay with a simple life. My sister can forge her way alone, and we’ll manage.”

“Do you have a hard time separating the two lives? You sister seems to know about your other life. Does your wife know? Makes it hard, doesn’t it? One life always seems to sacrifice to the other. We’ve figured out a way to make it easier.”

“Oh?” The man had his interest.

“Does your wife know?”

“I’m not really all that trusting of you, actually, so I don’t know that I want to discuss any of this with you at the moment.”

“Cameron, make a wise choice. We’re offering you the world. Take the offer. We’ll see you in a few hours.”

The call ended with Cameron still protesting. He stared at the phone in horror. Jerry wasn’t taking no for an answer.

He turned his steps without thought and entered the nearest store. Grabbing a prepaid phone from the hanging shelf by the register, he slapped a wad of cash onto the counter, still distracted and anxious, and then dialed Shawn’s number again.

His friend answered on the first ring. “Let me guess, it’s gotten worse.”

“Do you have a contact at the FBI that can handle X-files type cases?”

“Nope, but I have a few regular agent contacts who do real casework.”

“That’ll do.” Cameron scribbled down the phone number on the back of the receipt, ignoring the cashier’s lifted brows. Grabbing his new phone, he hurried from the store, tearing off the plastic as he moved. When he had the phone free and activated, he dialed the number Shawn had given and waited impatiently for the call to connect.

“You’ve reached the desk of Agent Smalls. Leave me a message and I’ll call back as soon as I can.”

The beep followed, and Cameron floundered. “Hi, this is Cameron. I need some help and I think you’re the agency to help me, but I’m not sure. If you can call me back as soon as possible, this is a potential life and death situation. Oh, and I got your number from a mutual friend, Shawn.”

He hung up after the melodramatic message, wishing he had even a few moments to plan out what he wanted to say. He was moving too fast, running before his feet, and it was going to kill him. He needed to think.

The doorman opened the door at his approach, but Cameron hardly noticed, heading immediately to his elevator. At his penthouse, he slipped in his card and hurried to the bedroom to pull out a suitcase. Not going was not an option, but how and what he’d do once he got there was under his control, at least for now.

Still pulling out clothes, he dialed his sister’s number.

It answered on the first ring. “That took a while. She’s a little insulted that you didn’t call her right away.”

Cameron froze and swallowed hard. He forced out the words, trying for nonchalance. “My head’s a little busy. Can I speak to her?”

“Not now, no, but by the time you get here, I’m sure she’ll be available.”

“Did you hurt her?” Cameron’s fist clenched.

“Just stop delaying.”

The call ended again and Cameron didn’t wait for it to stop flashing before he dialed his mother. “Ma?”

“Oh Cameron! What a surprise. I’ve been meaning to call you. Are you coming to dinner next week? Miles and I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” Cameron thought about that statement and realized it was far from true. This life hadn’t been busy at all. From work to home, and very little else. Jerry was right. This life had given in to the other.

He continued to ponder that after giving his mother a vague warning to be careful of strangers and assuring her that there was nothing to worry about, he’d just had a few prank calls that made him nervous and he wanted to check on her. She accepted this and assured him she was fine.

Stuffing his clothes unceremoniously into the suitcase, he followed them with toiletries and shut it. One hand paged through the list of potential flights for the one that would get him there quickly and he purchased his tickets while changing into jeans and a t-shirt. Good thing today was payday.

He stuffed the bent pages of his copy of Jerry’s book into the suitcase as an afterthought and grabbed a charger for his phone. Cameron surveyed the room for anything else he might need, but nothing came to mind.

One crazy cab ride later, he stood at the check-in counter of the airport and tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk.

“I’m sorry, sir, but the flight leaves in fifty minutes. You have to check in more than an hour before your flight.”

“That’s ridiculous. I stood in line for at least ten minutes.” He waved toward the line behind him. “Please. My sister is in critical condition. I need to get there to see her.”

The woman behind the counter froze and looked at his frantic expression. “Of course. Give me a moment.” She fiddled with her computer and handed his phone with his information back to him. “Keep your ID out for the security checks and have a great flight.”

He wanted to kiss her. “Thank you. You have no idea how much. Thank you.” He hurried toward the terminal and boarded twenty minutes later. Once settled, he finally had a moment to think and plan. By touch-down, he had at least a vague outline of his next move.

* * *

Peter woke slowly, trying not to move or alert anyone to his new status. He heard the clink of metal rattling and the squeal of the gate to his cage opening. “Rise and shine. We know you’re awake.”

“Is that the royal we?” He opened his eyes and shifted his bulk. He had to remember that quick movement wasn’t this body’s forte.

“Still not funny.” Jerry glared at him. “Well, now that you’re here, we thought we’d let you see your sister, as promised.”

Misty came, locked between two burly men, eyes wide with nervous fear. She took in Peter’s face and looked toward Jerry.

He pulled down the gag, and she immediately gasped in a huge breath. “What’s going on? Who are you people? Why are you doing this?”

The men tossed her in while Jerry stared on.

“As soon as he gets here, we’ll have a conversation.”

“Wait.” Peter hurried to help Misty rise. “Can you please explain to me why you can’t just leave us alone?”

“Because you know too much. Your options are to join us, or find a new life.”

“You know a lot more than I do.” Peter finished helping Misty up and let her go as she yanked away from him. “And joining you? What does that entail?”

“Let’s have this conversation tomorrow, when we’re all fresh and present.”

“Is Ronald coming, too?”

“Why would he need to be here?” Jerry smiled as he shut the cage door, locking it back into place with a thick chain.

Peter waited for the rest of them to follow him from the room before he turned toward Misty. “Hey sis. You okay? Did they hurt you?”

“Sis?” She stared at him in horror. “Cameron? No way! What have they done to you?” She tentatively reached for his battered and bruised face.

Peter felt the minor aches and soreness of his injuries from the previous day’s beating, but he hadn’t considered them much. “Is it bad?”

“Bad? You look like a bloodied mess! Nice to meet you, the other you, by the way.”

Peter gave her a wry smile. Of all the people in the world, he’d chosen the right one for his confidant. She accepted the oddity with little more than a purse of her lips. “You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

“In theory, yes, but writers rarely experience the bad stuff we write about physically, and that’s for good reason.”

“Have they said anything to you?”

“I was unconscious for most of it. Black suits in a car across the street from mom’s, and they were watching the house. I tried calling the police, and as soon as I hung up, I got a call. The man said you’d collapsed and asked if you had a medical history of hallucinations. I’m sorry, bro, but I said yes.”

“Really? After all this time, you still didn’t believe me?”

“I believed you, sort of, but it’s a bit of a hard stretch, and even if it was true, how was I supposed to explain that to a doctor?”

“How’d they nab you?”

“I tried to come to your aid. After the phone call where you said they kidnapped the other you, I was a little worried, like maybe they’d done something to you that made you collapse. I didn’t even think twice as I left the house. I didn’t remember about the black suits until they hit me with chloroform.”

“Dang. I’m sorry, sis.”

She settled herself against the wall. “I’ve got to say that I never imagined you to look like this. I guess I sort of assumed you’d look just like you, only in a different life. A doppelgänger sort of thing.”

“Is it disappointing?”

“No, just fascinating.” She grinned at him. “Disconcerting. You’re a lot older than the other you.”

“I’m still trying to grasp the connection, or even why this happens. Is it some sort of fantasy power, like the books you read? Magic?”

“If it’s magic,” she grinned, “you got the short end of the stick.”

“Thanks sis.” He glared at her lightly, then pushed up onto his knees and dropped forward into a pushup.

“You’re seriously exercising right now?”

“My trainers will kill me if I miss a day.” He pushed up again. “Besides…what else am I going to do?”

She shrugged.

Sometime near what would have been midnight, Peter forced himself to lay down. His body felt awake, but the waiting was killing him. Closing his eyes, Peter worked through a few exercises Cameron’s mother taught him when he was a child. Focusing on his breathing, he forced it to slow as he imagined the waves of energy within each breath.

A phone buzzed beside his ear, incessant, and Cameron opened his eyes feeling both exaltation at his success and dread at the call’s source.

Fumbling in the dark, he considered turning on the light to his lamp but decided against it. Jerry had known exactly when he fell asleep, so that meant there was a spy nearby.

He finally found the burner phone and pressed a few buttons until the buzzing stopped.

“Hello?

“Is this Cameron Smiedt?”

“Yes.” The voice sounded formal. Cameron sat up on his bed. “Who is this?”

“This is Agent Burns. Agent Smalls passed along your message. Wise choice getting a new phone if you’re worried about other people. Fill me in on your problem, exactly.”

“I think I found out something I shouldn’t have, and the rest is too crazy to be believable, but suffice it to say that my sister and a good friend of mine are locked up in a cell right now, and they’re using that double-edged sword to get me to come.”

“Explain that last part, please?”

“They’re promising me the world; that they’ll fulfill all of my wishes, but at the same time they’re holding her hostage, and my friend as well. I’m in over my head and I need some help.”

“May I ask why they’re so interested in you?”

Cameron shrugged into the darkness of the hotel room. “I don’t honestly know. What I know is big, but all I want is to be left alone.”

“Alright, I think I have most of the facts, but can you also explain the ‘too crazy to be believable’?”

“Are you much of a fantasy reader? Or Sci-fi?”

“Both, actually.”

Cameron sighed. “Well, I had an accident about three months ago, and ever since that moment, it’s like I’ve been living two lives. What I found out, accidentally, is another man who is also living two lives. I think he’s afraid I’m going to expose him and that’s why he’s doing this.”

“Pretty unbelievable.”

“Like I said, but the kidnapping is real. Will you help me save them?”

“I’ll see what I can do. Is the other hostage the other you?”

The man’s stoic acceptance of his story had started a tickle, and his question confirmed it. Well, at least the man believed him. “Yes.”

“Don’t go near them then.”

“What about my sister?”

“Delay them. I’ll call you back shortly. If you can control it, switch over and stay awake as long as you can to get information. Call me again if you find out anything important. Oh, and buy time. Give me the name of one of his identities.”

“Uh.” Cameron hesitated. This last piece would end his claims to staying out of it and not causing problems for the guy. “Ronald Clement.”

The agent grunted. “Jerry’s pretty ruthless, kid. He was just a scientist until Ronald woke up, but since then Ronald uses that life to do all sorts of dirty deeds. You picked the wrong Duoconscientum to figure it out on.”

“Duoconscientum? Is that what we’re called? Dual awareness. Long name though, maybe shorten it to ducons, or duocons. That sounds more superhero-y.”

Burns didn’t laugh. “So why didn’t you take him up on his offer?”

“Ha. I’ve seen Aladdin. Ultimate power comes at a price, and fulfilling all of my dreams would require a huge tradeoff. I’m happy with my life. Sure, I’d love to have it all, but I’ll work for it in whatever life I’m in.”

“Good man,” the voice said. “Keep them distracted and I’ll get you both out of there.”

“Will you explain this to me once it’s over? How did we get linked, and why?”

“The how is easy. Which one of you is older?”

“He is.”

“Here comes the sci-fi. Do you believe in reincarnation? Rebirth? The wheel?”

“I—No.”

“Well, you should. You linked with him the moment you were born; the same moment his previous link died.”

Cameron wasn’t sure what to respond to that, so he remained silent.

“Our minds are like tethers, pulling us across the distance of time. One jumps forward, then the other leapfrogs. If only one of you dies, the leapfrogging continues indefinitely. If you both jump at the same time, that’s a problem. There’s no tether to pull your mind back; you’d be lost.”

“That’s crazy. I haven’t been linked with him my whole life. It just happened.”

“No, you just became aware of it. Subconscious; dreams; the fact that you only use a small part of your brain’s capability. Scientists are only now realizing the why. A few, like you and me, we’re aware of both sides and walk the fine line between wasting a life and using it wisely. Sounds like you’re on the right path. I’ll do my best to keep you there.”

“This is crazy.”

“Rule number 1 about being a Duocon—don’t let anyone know your other side. Rule number two—don’t let anyone else get involved; don’t let family or friends know what you know. They can’t handle it.”

“Too late on both counts.”

“Well, use these lifetimes as a precautionary tale for the rest of eternity.” Burns clucked his tongue. “I don’t envy you for the next forty years.”

“No way. It’s going to be like this forever from now on?”

“No. Not necessarily. When the new baby is born, you could end whichever life is still left living and then the two babies will grow up just like everyone else, with no awareness of each other.”

Suicide. That just didn’t sound great, but neither did living in the consciousness of a baby. “No wonder they all go insane.”

“Not all of us. Not yet, at least. Keep ‘um busy for me, friend, and we’ll be able to help each other out.”

Cameron continued to stare into the darkness, the phone still in his hand.

When his regular phone vibrated, he jumped, swore, and searched until he found it. Only one person would call in the middle of the night.

“Cameron? Stop wasting time and come out. Playing in the dark and trying a sneak attack isn’t going to work.”

“I’m not playing around. I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Well, Peter won’t have that problem. We’ve made sure of that.”

“What have you done?”

“He won’t wake up until we’re ready for him to wake up, so I suggest you hurry over so we can figure out a plan.”

“How does that work? I mean, I’m awake for sixteen hours, and so is he, so that’s way more than twenty-four.”

“Exactly why he now has a needle in his veins to keep him asleep.”

Ohhhh. The realization dawned. “That’s why you had notes in your journal about what times you needed to be asleep! It was your method for corroborating yourself if you ever needed to.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you talk out loud more than you should? Get over here in the next hour or I’ll start cutting apart your sister.”

The next call came while he pulled his shirt over his head. He grabbed for it, realizing too late that it was the regular phone, not the burner. “Hello?”

“You said Peter was in trouble?” Ce’s strain came through loud and clear. “All of his friends have called me in the last few hours wondering what happened to him. You said you’d call back. I tried this number twice, and you didn’t answer. I haven’t slept all night and I’m supposed to be at work, but I can’t even think straight. Is Peter alright?”

“He’s okay. I’m taking care of it, Ce. No te preocupes. Just go to work and forget about it. I’ll head over to your place as soon as I’ve got him free. I need to go now, though, so I’ll call again when I can.”

“Mi amor!” She cut in before he could hang up. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please stay safe.”

“It’s not that grave of an issue,” he lied. “We’ll be home soon.”

Her concern buoyed him; the guilty sort of encouragement that gives strength even when he understood that she was afraid. For him. She still loved him.

Cameron slipped on his shoes, tying them tight, and grabbed the motel key from his nightstand. After checking his wallet for cash, he exited the room. He pulled his rental onto Tucson Blvd and crossed over on the old highway. The road was so familiar, and so foreign at the same time. He pulled to a stop outside the guardhouse and waited patiently while Kenneth moved toward him. “Hello, can I help you?”

“Yeah, I’m here to see Jerry.”

“Mr. Wormheimer doesn’t work this late. You’ll have to come back during regular business hours.”

“He just called me. Can you please double check?”

Kenneth’s mouth curled down into a frown, but he lifted the radio, anyway. “Hey, George, I’ve got a guy out here saying that he’s supposed to meet Mr. Wormheimer tonight. Have you seen him on campus?”

“Yeah, his lights are on. I’ll page over for you. Hold on.”

Kenneth straightened while they waited, and Cameron tapped his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel. Kenneth watched the fingers for a moment, then leaned in again. “That rhythm you tap, where’d you learn it?”

“Ah, it’s my favorite song.” Cameron grinned, about ready to add a reminder from the piano recital for his son, then caught himself and looked away. It was Peter’s favorite song.

“That’s funny. I know another guy who taps out that song whenever he’s impatient. Small world.”

“Yeah, tiny.”

“Kenneth.” The speaker crackled to life. “Mr. Wormheimer said to let him in.”

“Okay.” Kenneth gave Cameron a once-over before lifting the gate.

Chapter 5                                Chapter 6