by Author X

Standing there over "her" sleeping mother, the new Laura looked exactly like the Laura who had entered the room only a few minutes before.

She checked her look in her mother's dresser's mirror. Running her hands over the seams and straighten out the pads in her body suit. Things didn't need to be prefect, she only had to pass the casual inspection her body guards would give her when she returned to the other room. If she generally appeared to be Laura and sounded like Laura, the thugs in the other room would not even chance to think different.

The thugs were use to following her around, they were her protection against kidnapping or other attack. They were constantly watching the crowd for unusual people or happenings. They were looking for the bolt out of the crowd or the ambush. Watching her while she was out was real work.

At her mother's house they were use to watching the street and the rear approaches, while waiting for her to finish her visit. This was the "gravy train", ie the easy assignment. Half of her assignments could watch sports or movies on TV, while the other half sat out front or in back.

The overly muscled thugs and the guns they were packing would be a force to be reckoned with, if someone ever tried to take Laura by force. It was calculated that it would take a group of more than four, and that kind of group would be easy to detect as they moved in for an attack.

The thugs that made up her husband's security force were macho guys and were ready to fight any group that attacked them. Most had done work for other physical security forces, however none were equipped for the attack that had just happened.

This attack had been the complete opposite of the attack they were looking for. The attack had been spread out over hours, was designed to appear as if an attack had not even taken place.

The thugs out side would see exactly what they expected to see. Laura had come with them to visit her mother and she would leave with them afterwards. Everything would continue to appear as they would expect.

Laura took one last look at her mother.

"I'm going now mother.", she said opening the bedroom door.

She started down the hall. This time she had Laura's 30 year spring in her stride. Her dress flowed over her new curves as she moved and she showed them off as well as the real Laura had.

"I'm ready to go." She said when she got to the living room where two of her thugs were playing cards.

"Yes, ma.", Rick the head of today's security team responded.

She continued to the front door, the men of her team jumping into action as she went.

The driver of the limo started the engine when she opened the front door. There was a flash of light, a red fire ball and then a huge thunderous roar as the car exploded.

The attack on Laura had happened. The thugs pulled her back into the house and moved to the windows. This could be the beginning of a continued attack. A quick call on the radio got a back up car moving.

"Ma we will be leaving out the back door now. Please come with us.", Rick said

"I am not leaving without my mother. When you get her out of here I will leave, but not until."

"O.K. Ma. Well get your mother out with us, but we have to leave now." he answered waving one of the team to get her mother.

In a minute or so the back up car had arrived and Laura, her mother, and the rest of her security team quickly moved out the back door. Meeting the car in the back alley, they were gone in another minute.

As they moved away from her mothers house Rick began to breath easier. The attack had been a car bomb and not a continued attack. The normal precaution of starting the car before the principal got there had paid off this time. The hired driver was probably dead, but he was just a two-bit hood. The only thing Carlos would care about was that Laura was safe. He looked over at Laura sitting there comforting her mother, the attack had failed, Laura was still safe.

Laura looked back at him, he looked away, he was not ready to answer her questions. The new Laura was in, she was Laura. Her security team had performed just as she had expected and they would now protect her as if she was their own Laura.

 Continued in King of Industry 4