Scenarios of how they could get to her.
Hours later found him leaning back in his chair, his feet on the desk and his fingers interlaced on the back of his neck, his eyes staring intently at the now dark screen. Abruptly he stood up, grabbed the small holoscreen off the desk, and strode out of the apartment and to Aelia's rooms. He went straight to the balcony. It was late, or early, one could say, and the sun wasn't even considering waking up anytime soon, yet she was here, sitting outside, her eyes closed. Exploring, he thought. What she was doing now, he knew, she didn't need a database for, or the stories of those around her, the Keeper, the old Protector. She was learning about herself and her people, spanning this world they were living in, their past and present, her way.
He approached her and sat down on the sofa beside her, put his feet up on the low table before them, and leaned back comfortably, as she had. She opened her eyes, turned her head to him and smiled. Saying nothing, he put the holoscreen on the sofa between them, and the images came up, one after the other, slowly, lazily. She turned her eyes to them and sat up, her expression gradually showing what he wanted it to.
“What's that?” she asked.
“Serena Cottage. Home,” he answered.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Adam stood at the very point from which the first image he had seen of this place was taken. Here winter was promising an early arrival, but he wasn't worried, they would have the place ready by then. And anyway, indications that winter would soon arrive here were not what he was looking at. It was the sheer beauty of the place. The endlessness of it. The images he had seen did not do this place justice.
He tuned in to the sound of Rolly speaking in his earpiece. Good, the techs they had brought had communications up and ready. He didn't want to use the existing infrastructure, since Rolly said it was too outdated and might be susceptible to eavesdropping. And Adam was not about to take the chance of anyone—anyone—knowing the reason they were looking around. Not until this place was as secure as he wanted it to be.
He turned and walked toward the cottage. It was indeed perfectly suitable for what Aelia and he needed, but it needed work. It wasn't that it was in bad shape, it was well maintained and was originally built very well by these people who had also built the fortress that was Aeterna. It looked like a stone cottage, but Adam knew that if a bomb exploded outside it, it would barely be scathed. In fact, that was one of the parameters he had checked for it. Inside, though, it had been designed to suit the tastes of Ahir and his wife, and later the Keeper's, and had last been used some years back. So it needed to be refurbished. The kitchen and bathrooms needed to be replaced, and all rooms needed to be redone, all according to Aelia's and his tastes. And that was after the new security measures were installed. But once it was ready . . . He nodded appreciatively.
The only thing he didn't like and had immediately instructed be changed was the absence of direct access between the two wings Aelia and him would be occupying. To get from his rooms to Aelia's he would need to go from the niche outside his bedroom half a level down to the common space, cross it, and then go up the stairs half a level to her rooms, which would take time and leave too much chance for outside interference. What he asked the architect he had brought with him to do was to add to the cottage a secure access corridor that would connect the two wings at the level their rooms were on. He trusted the Firsts' peripheral security, it would ensure they would be safe in this property. But he was the Protector, and most of all he trusted his connection to the Light and his own role in her safety. And he wanted to be able to get to Aelia quickly in an emergency.
Rolly was waiting for him just outside the living room that opened to the lake. The techs had been given their instructions, and would remain here to carry them out, as would the architect, while Rolly and he would go back to Aeterna. The sun would be setting soon and they'd arrived well before dawn, to canvass the property. Adam planned to return here after the security measures were installed and the house was renovated, before it was furnished, and again once it was ready for Aelia and him to move in, to ensure it was as secure as he was determined for it to be. In the meantime, he would oversee the progress of the work from Aeterna, while Rolly and Ahir would be the ones traveling here. He wanted to minimize the time he spent away from Aeterna, from the woman he was there to protect.
He took one last look around and nodded to Rolly, and they proceeded without a word into the cottage. They crossed it to a section of the far wall behind the kitchen that shimmered and then faded away as they approached it, revealing an elevator. They entered it and it slid down silently, taking them to the underground complex. Moments later the four-by-four they were in was on its way to the airfield, not far from the village, where Aeterna’s jet was awaiting them.
They skirted the village and drove directly to the airfield. The jet stood ready on the runway, a security detail from Aeterna beside it, although the satellite watching the area indicated that all was safe. For security reasons, this jet could not be identified as being Aeterna's, nor would the organization be able to track it, thanks to the technologies that the jet, which only looked like other human-made private aircraft, actually held. As for the Firsts in the village, they knew it was one of theirs because of how it registered at the airfield's control systems, and they knew it originated in Italy. Which might have led to speculation except that Ahir himself had cleared the visit with the head of the village, so they knew it most likely had to do with Aeterna.
This would still not disclose who was on this jet. But Ahir knew, as did Adam, that because in the past Ahir had used the cottage for the Keeper, the Firsts in the village would assume that it was the Keeper it was now being renovated for. It made sense. With the Light back, and not yet knowing Aelia's plan, only recently shared with the Council, they would assume that the Keeper might be retiring to her chosen sanctuary, perhaps with the old Protector. Good, Adam thought. That's what he wanted. He didn't mind anyone thinking the Keeper was the one who was going to live there. She wasn't a target, and she was someone the villagers were more used to having around. By the time they figured out who the new residents really were, the cottage and the area immediately around it would be secure to his satisfaction.
The SUV approached the aircraft, and Adam embarked, alone. The vehicle with Rolly in it turned around and headed for the village. At Adam's request, he was going to speak to the head of the village, to clear the next steps with her and thank her for her help. While there, Rolly encountered enough Firsts to realize that they were in fact quite sure that the cottage’s resident would indeed once again be the Keeper, and were happy about being chosen as her place of retirement. Rolly left them pleased. Ahir was right, these were good people, the right people to have around the First. She might not like it, She who was as protective of those around Her as they were of Her, but, Rolly thought, these were the type of people who would rush to protect Her without hesitation.
Adam was busy at work when Rolly embarked and closed the door behind him, signaling the crew that they were ready to take off. He didn't indicate that he noticed they were in the air, instead continuing to analyze all he'd seen this past day. They spent the flight discussing possibilities, and by the time they got out of the car at Aeterna's great house they were ready to send back the right people with whatever equipment would be needed. Serena, the lakeside cottage, was officially chosen.
Adam stopped listening to Rolly as soon as they walked into the control center and he saw Aelia up at the supervisor's station, intent on a holoscreen. He watched her. She was focused, listening to the supervisor, asking the occasional question. She didn't look at him, but he knew that she was aware he was there.
“Adam?”
He turned his attention back to Rolly. “Yes. You were saying?”
They resumed their conversation, setting the final details of what was now their major focus, Serena. Rolly then left, but Adam remained where he was and continued to watch Aelia. She straightened up an
d looked at him, a question in her eyes. He nodded, and she came toward him.
“We're moving forward with it,” he told her as they walked up to the main house.
“What's it like?” she asked.
“Perfect,” he answered, finding himself smiling, now that he knew the place was indeed all he'd hoped it would be.
“So what now? Can I see it?”
“Not until it's secure. You'll leave Aeterna for an equally secure place, no less.” His tone was quiet but left no place for an argument. He would not compromise on her safety. He continued, knowing that she understood. “In the meantime, our transport is also being prepared, so travel will be both secure and flexible.”
“Our transport?”
“Our jet.”
“Our what?”
“Our jet. We can't keep using Aeterna's official jet or even its secondaries, they need them and we need one that will be at our disposal at all times. A secure aircraft,” he explained. “It’ll stand at the airfield not far from Serena, in its own hangar, and the aircrew will live in the village.”
“When did all that happen?”
“About five minutes after you declared that you were leaving Aeterna.”
She shook her head in disbelief. It just might take longer than she thought to get used to this.
“Anyway, initial security at Serena should be up in no time, and then the builders will be able to start on the cottage. The architect should have the plans ready in the next day or so, and we'll need to approve them immediately, and then we can decide on the furnishings.” He indicated the great house around them. “Here we had everything prepared for us, there it would be best if we decided ourselves.”
She looked at him skeptically, and he laughed. “Neora said she'll have Aeterna's decorators, the ones who did our rooms here, sit with us. That should make it easier. So, all in all, we should be able to move to Serena in a matter of weeks.”
She said nothing for a long while, and he glanced at her.
“It has to be done. We need to be both safe and comfortable there.”
“No, yes, I know,” she said, and he looked at her, concerned. She was that Aelia again, the Aelia he was sent after what now seemed like ages ago.
“Hey.” He touched her arm gently.
“My apartment, it's still . . .” she began and stopped.
“I know,” he said softly, realizing where her mind was.
“And I want to talk to Stan, too. I need to explain. Before we leave.”
And obtain closure for that part of her life, he thought. “Come on,” he said, leading her. “Let’s talk.”
He chose the privacy of her balcony under gently clouded skies to tell her. He recounted everything he knew about what happened since they left her apartment—with Benjamin's body in it—that night. “You should know that Aeterna has never stopped following the situation there,” he said. “From the moment you and I arrived here, Ahir has had people monitor for anything that might be mentioned about either of us by the police, in the media, and anywhere or by anyone else for that matter. We know that your disappearance was handed to the FBI, and it has no clue where you had disappeared to, or who the man who took you was. The Firsts have people in the right places there and they’ve ensured that the case’s priority would be reduced, which really isn’t difficult considering the FBI’s workload and the fact that no one has been pushing them to work any faster. The only one who had shown that kind of concern about you was Stan, but he had now obviously let the matter go, since he knows you’re all right and doesn’t want to inadvertently lead them to you.”
Adam paused. “The media was even simpler. They lost interest in the story because there was nothing new to report. Even Stan's connection to it, because of his abduction, died down almost immediately after he returned because he refused to cooperate, and there was nothing new to build a real story on.”
“What about Stan?”
“He did exactly what I instructed him to do. He denied knowing who took him and why he was released, and claimed he didn’t see the faces of his abductors—and he did so publicly, as I told him to do, so that the organization would not believe him a danger to them. And he never told anyone that he was in fact rescued, or that he saw you.” Aelia frowned and he added, “Yes, we’re watching him. But it’s only a precaution. Once they’re sure he won’t say anything, I’ve no doubt the organization would leave him alone, keeping in mind my warning to them to do just that. And the FBI knows something is fishy, between your disappearance and his abduction, but the fact is that he has committed no crime, and they’re willing to consider him a victim in whatever is going on. Someone who’s involved in this only because of his connection to you.”
“Aelia of that life needs to disappear for good,” Aelia said after some time, her voice so quiet it was barely more than a whisper.
Adam turned to face her. He waited, saying nothing, until finally she met his eyes. The words he now spoke were factual, but his tone was sensitive to what they would mean to her. “After you showed yourself to the Firsts as the Light I prepared a file for you that imitates what is done in the witness protection program, along with clear instructions as to how to implement it. Including how to deal with the media and with local police, your colleagues, neighbors, the doorman in your building, the guy who does your dry cleaning, everyone. I gave this information to our people at the federal level, to be applied at my order, which would be if the situation there got out of control or if you decided to take your place as the First and not go back to your previous life.” He paused. “The day you spoke to the Council I instructed our people to implement it. As of some hours ago, implementation was complete. Aelia of that life no longer exists.”
“Witness protection program,” she repeated, the shock clear in her voice.
“Yes. That way you never need to go back, talk to the police, the media, anyone. With the media, there was the concern that the story of the woman who had disappeared under rather extreme circumstances and who, after quite some time, still has not been found, would be picked up again at some point unless its resolved. But this way, if they think you’re an innocent party who got entangled in something she wasn't supposed to and had to leave her life and the people she cared about behind for her own protection, they would talk a bit, maybe run a marginal story, and let it go. No questions asked. And since you've been living pretty much under the radar as it is, if you ever turn up somewhere they're not likely to recognize you and put two and two together. They ran a photo of you the first couple of days after the incident in your apartment, and that's it. It will not be shown again, our people took care of that.” Something dark passed across his expression. “I've made quite a few people disappear this way, hid them from the organization. And nobody is as relentless as them.”
Aelia said nothing and turned back toward the peaceful horizon she had learned to find solace in, her eyes far away. Adam took a step closer. Close enough for her to know he was there. Close enough for her to know she was not alone.
The physical meeting with Stan Shell could not be, for obvious reasons, but there was another way to do it. The next afternoon, morning in the United States, Aelia stood in Adam's work niche off his living room, leaning on his desk, her head lowered, arms crossed on her chest. Only Adam was in the room with her, casually leaning against the wall where he would not be seen by the man with whom a secure remote connection was now being established by the supervisor in Aeterna's control center. He was watching Aelia with concern he already knew there was no need to bother trying to hide from her. He wanted to be here with her for this, the virtual meeting with her old friend, a good man who had brought her into his family and had stood by her no matter what. What she would tell him could lead to her losing him. Or maybe not. But either way it would put a final wall between who she used to be and who she was now.
The screen came to life, and the man on the other end of the connection squinted. “Hello? Aelia? You there? I could never get the
hang of these things. Do you hear me?” Stan Shell fell silent as Aelia's image appeared on his computer screen. She was standing by herself in a comfortable-looking room, and when she raised her head to look at him he smiled, his heart so much lighter. She was fine, she looked so very well, he thought. But there was something different about her. He'd already seen that when she came to help him with that man after he was captured, but it was only now that he could look at her at leisure and try to figure it out.
In her eyes he saw what he had always seen, a soberness, the kind that came from having been through too much, seen too much. But there was also an air of strength about her. A confidence. A certainty, that too. He frowned. That was new. The first time he'd seen her, when she'd come to convince him to let her enroll as an undergraduate in the college where he was dean of students, she’d been determined, and that determination had never left her. But there was also an uncertainty there, uncertainty and the sadness that tends to accompany it. As if something in her was missing, as if she didn’t quite belong. Whatever it was, it was gone now. Wherever she was, she was safe. She was . . .
Home. She was home. In that place she was in now—and in her own skin. Yes, that was it. He frowned. She looked at him, saying nothing yet saying it all. And all of a sudden he became aware of something inside him, a gentle feeling that washed through him, filled him. It had a subtle force to it, a quality he could not quite put a finger on, and it was telling him—
She was telling him. His Aelia. And he understood.
Beside the wall Adam frowned and straightened up. He was wrong. She wasn't speaking, she'd chosen a different way to explain. Her way. And the man on the other end of this encounter somehow understood.
When she spoke, it was simple. “Thank you, my only friend.”
Stan Shell smiled. With blurry eyes, he pointed at the screen in admonishment. “You keep safe, you hear? And you come to me if you need me.”
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