“We do. But compensation is demanded, and mine is your promise to stop scaring me. Next time, send me away first.”
***
“That leaves four, Alana, Gaea, Laura and me. I will begin with me. I always do as Alana says or she gets very angry with me and can get … physical, and not in a recreational way. But, more importantly, it did not matter to me. I didn’t know about Edward, Anna, Crissy and the other man, so siding with Adam seemed appropriate as he specifically asked us not to do what we did. So, that’s why I did what I did.
“Laura was not wrong in doing what she did, for trying something, but her disobedience and lack of knowledge about Edward and his nest of vipers makes her untrustworthy. She deceived us, then tried to extort money from Edward. I doubt she was going to share that with you Gaea, but you know her best. Gaea and Laura are made of the same cloth so whoever got to the Edward first would have done the same. No doubt, Gaea, that you would have asked for more money and shared it with Laura; nonetheless you would have fucked the rest of us over just like Laura too.”
Gaea said, “If Laura and I are untrustworthy, then by your own standard, so are you. You knew of Adam’s proscription but left to hide.”
“I agree. If I were Adam, I would not trust me either. And perhaps be a little more of a stern in warning his women in the future. That includes you four invisibles.”
Four heads appeared simultaneously. “Good luck with that.”
“That leaves only Alana McCarthy. You have been my protector and big sister for many years, but that stops now. You have become arrogant and at times cruel toward me, taking what I think and feel as irrelevant. You treat me like a child without consideration of any other opinion or judgment, except your own. You have occasionally sold me for money. I know you did not suspect I was intelligent enough to ever find out, but you have kept me down and completely underestimated my intelligence. We are done.”
“But …”
“But nothing. Don’t deny your part in this. I’ll become angry if you act as though none of this is true.”
Eene turned to Adam.
“But it is also true that Alana is brilliant, though defective, and never to be completely trusted. If she would sell me, she would surely sell you. I suspect part of what Laura did was from the mind factory of Alana McCarthy. But Alana can help you in all aspects of your work; here in Paraiso, and with the Polo mystery.”
“Mystery?”
“Surely you did not believe Laura or your parents? The Cache is gone, missing, and neither Laura nor your Dad know where it is for sure, or how to find it. Someone does, though I suspect that poor soul is probably dead, perhaps inadvertently killed. But evidence exists, either people or things that can help us. We shall endeavor to find those things, then the Cache, then retire to be happy for the rest of our lives. No more dangerous adventures. We shall build this City, carry out this experiment and make babies.
“Are we all agreed?”
“We are!” said all, including the four Immortals, who now huddled around Eene calling her sister and hugging her in mortal form, wishing to feel her touch and kiss her face.
The other two asked, “What of us?”
Eene said confidently, “Alana may stay and help, or go. Whatever you choose. As to you, Gaea, you shall remain a guest until we capture Laura and determine what damage has been done. You will now tell us where she is.”
“I don’t know.”
“Then the cliffs on the plateau and plains below await you. You are but another useless mouth to feed.”
“Wyoming,” said Gaea quickly. “A small abandoned town where she used to work as a graduate student. She’s there. Not sure where exactly it is, but that’s what she told me.”
“Well, that was simple. One more item. Laura and Gaea met Crissy in college. A conference I believe on the intersection of law and archeology. Anna and Edward St. James were featured speakers.”
Adam looked at all his women. “I was never really in charge, was I?”
Eene said, “Though it was nice to feel that way, wasn’t it?”
“You’re not as nice as you appear to be, Eene Birkenstock. And you know much more than meets the naked eye.”
“Lucky you. And, to be fair, I never claimed to be anything at all.”
Eene turned to Adam, “It’s time, is it not?”
“How did you know?”
“You check your watch too frequently for a man, and the three are gone, aboard a nanotech jet. Do it and end your worry. If you prefer, I will press the button for you.”
Eene took the tablet from Adam and pressed the button.
Somewhere over the Mediterranean, the nanotech jet lost electrical power, disintegrated and all three passengers fell fifty thousand feet to their deaths.
“See, I can be of assistance, boyfriend. I believe I am now entitled to an ‘I love you’ and a big hug.”
Chapter 32
In the months that followed the original meeting between Adam and the Tolan’s, now deceased, and Adam and his female entourage, not much new had happened. Gaea remained a guest in the City, free to walk about but unable to visit Labs or have any substantive conversations with any technical personnel. She complained bitterly to Adam that she was a “slave” but, as Adam pointed out, she was not forced to do anything, was fairly and adequately fed and housed and was free to wander the City. He also reminded her of her duplicity and that his alternative to her forced captivity was the “Tolan Solution”; should she decide to take a plane ride, he would be happy to oblige.
At the end of six months, working day and night with Alana, Adam still had no clue where Laura was nor what damage she had caused. He desperately wanted to find her, have Hecate interrogate her, then have on her merrily on her way, or dead. He had lost interest in anything Marco Polo, though the residue of the project mightily concerned him, his women and the object of his philanthropy.
Eene came to him one morning and wondered if the group, mortals along with his Immortals, except for Alana and Gaea, and might they have a “family confab” the next day? She had been thinking about some issues vexing to Adam and Alana, but especially Adam, how they related one to the other, and how things might be shaken up to change their fortunes. Eene wished to get to the core of what she considered the real problems to be regarding future safety and security.
Eene’s goal was to put this entire affair behind her, make safe those she loved, help in whatever way was deemed necessary and free herself from her past. She loved her family, which no longer included either Alana and Gaea. In Paraiso, in the City of Light with mortals and Immortals acting in concert as one, all things were possible.
Adam agreed and the next morning, after breakfast, they all met in Adam’s Study. He too had been thinking and had announcements and ideas to share. He would speak first, then turn over the floor to Eene. The Immortals were in holographic form and had announcements of their own. Those would follow whatever Eene had to say.
***
Adam began, “As you all are aware, we have worked hard and vigorously to discover the whereabouts of Laura and, for that matter, my parents and this fourth man I seek who aids them in hideous ways. I have been unable to find any useful clues to the whereabouts of any of those we pursue, nor the identity of this fourth ghost. I have decided it may be time to abandon our search, concentrating our time and effort on Paraiso and the City. Our work here is far more important than this quest for the Cache of Marco Polo or any inquiry into any historical matter. I am considering putting to you as a family the question of whether we shall continue this endeavor or abandon it. There are loose ends of course; Alana should be set free as shall Eene if she wishes to leave. This was never their struggle though the danger to them now is quite real.”
Eene looked at Adam, on the verge of tears.
“And what would you have me do? Where would you have me go?”
“I would have you stay right here with me as family. You are not a child and I can have no hold on you othe
r than the tethers of love. Were you to leave, I would be heartbroken. I have come to love you and respect you very deeply. But the choice, as in all things between man and woman, must be equal. It is not for me to decide your future. It is yours.”
“I shall never leave you; never. I am bound to you heart and soul and by tethers stronger than those we call love. I shall remain here so long as we are still family and I shall leave this place only when you do too. I shall never abandon you. I am yours now and forever.”
The two embraced, Adam saying he loved Eene with all his heart. What he felt, he felt deeply and found its expression made him feel weak and less manly. His women assured him it could never be the case; his strength, the strength and resolve they saw in him every day, the care for all under his protection and for the welfare of his community was all the strength they ever needed to see.
Yet, men are foolish; Adam was no exception.
When emotional calm was restored, he had one further announcement to make.
“I have married my Immortals according to our Lord’s desire and mine; I do not think they feel that bond as necessary. I have fought them on this, but in the end, what’s done is done. It is my Lord’s will that our family grow and among our Immortals I am permitted many wives with my Lord’s blessing. But the laws of man generally prohibit this; our culture here in Paraiso, does not. As I cannot choose between Misti Suarez or Nocera Lee, I ask that we continue forever our family structure, ignore the laws outside Paraiso and do one of two things. All three of us shall marry, or not at all. I have never asked either Misti or Noki about their desires with respect to me; perhaps in my arrogance I presume too much. Freedom, as we have come to understand it and the few restrictions I have requested, is all I ask in return. When you have decided, we shall discuss what if anything there is for us to do.”
Noki and Misti looked at each other.
Misti spoke for both. “Marriage is an institution neither of us care about; that piece of paper that so concerns you is of no consequence to us.”
“Then it is …”
“No there is more. You are wed to your Immortals and we two mortals have since our childhood wondered about and fantasized about who our husband would be and how beautiful would be our wedding when that day arrived. I have; so too has Noki. It is our decision that we wed, properly, as we shall determine under the new rules we shall establish in Paraiso, which is to say however we wish our marriages to be. There shall be no registers nor licenses, no agreements nor divorces. Paraiso is our home and we shall remain true to our purpose here, happy in the knowledge that you, me, Noki and Eene as mortals have found our home. It is the place where we all belong, where we love and are loved. We are home and this is our family. Your search, Adam Stephen St. James, is formally at an end. We have been sorely tested, yet here we still are.”
There was much laughter and tears and Noki added, “Besides you didn’t think we could allow you to be wed to four Immortals, whose disobedience is well known, when there are at least two more who desire equal status? Pish posh, my love. And we have another who needs you and all of us. Eene is our light and our joy. We could not be happier.”
***
Alana and Gaea entered the room for the discussion with Eene.
Eene began next, “Bait and trap. Bait and trap. Does anyone here, even you Immortals, understand my meaning? I expect not. Adam has already asked us if we should continue our work into the discovery of the Marco Polo Cache. In six months or more we have found nothing. No movement, no clues, not even a single solitary lead from either Alana or especially Gaea as to the exact whereabouts of Laura, or the location of Edward and Anna St. James. This fourth fellow, not a word about him though we have searched far and wide for anyone with the special skills we have need to locate.”
“No offense Adam, my love, but you are asking all the wrong questions and of the wrong people. At least that has come to be my belief. My first conclusion is that none of us will ever be safe until one thing and one thing alone is accomplished and we must use what tools we have at our disposal to accomplish that single task.”
Noki asked, “Find the Marco Polo Cache?”
“No. That is secondary to the real task. I turn to you Adam St. James and ask, what is the single most pressing desire in your life at present? What is it you desire most?”
“Our safety. Our security and peace of mind now and forever. There is nothing in my life that places above my family and this community.”
“What if I said that you were wrong? That what you desire most is not that but something more fundamental than that. Something you contemplate but never discuss, not even among your Immortals? What would you say to that?”
“I would say that you do not know what you are talking about. You are wrong; most certainly wrong.”
“And if I proved you wrong, would you admit it? Say that you are wrong?”
“I would. Freely. And if you have such knowledge and if coming from you, I would believe it.”
“Then answer this. What threatens our love, our peace and our security? Is it the Marco Polo Cache?”
“Yes, of course. At least in part.”
“I say it is not the Cache but the conspiratorial minds behind the search for Laura and the Cache that present the gravest of danger. Because in your denial of those minds, you set off a storm that can only be quenched by the deaths of those you love first, then by yours. You, who are their greatest triumph and their greatest failure. You chose us over them. And they despise you for that. Even had we the Marco Polo Cache in our hands today and gave it over to them together with all your wealth, they would still despise you and kill us, one by one. Do you not understand? Do you not all understand? This Marco Polo thing is nothing compared to the hatred they bear you for not choosing them. A shriveled up, cruel and heatless pair who have found two confederates, one as daughter and one confederate as the means of torture for pleasure. Their pleasure.”
Adam sunk his head. “My life and my love for all of you has brought us here, brought all of you to the edge of ruin and precipice of death. And it is because of me; I bear all responsibility for this trap in which I have placed you. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t worry my love, for I am wickedly clever and have discovered things on my own and thought through the minds of our adversary like a game of chess, always twenty-five moves ahead.”
All were now deeply enthralled in Eene’s story. All now wished to know her mind.
“We must play their game on our terms and draw them out. The greatest threat to our love, peace and security is not the Marco Polo Cache, it is Edward and Anna who threaten us now and will threaten us every day we draw life. We must hunt them down relentlessly and take their heads. One by one, leaving none alive.”
“But how? Have we not tried everything?”
“No, my love, we have not. There is one thing we have not tried nor has Alana, Noki or our Immortals. That is for me to now reveal and I shall do it now. I chastise myself for being so stupid but I defend my own ignorance owing to the belief that technology would find the answer when my mind was all I needed.”
“What?”
“Which of your Hanara kitchen knives would you use to precisely slice tender meat from bone with swift but certain stroke?”
“The seven-inch blade. But what has this to do with …?”
“Noki, will you bring me the set which sits on the kitchen island. Be quick.”
Noki returned in minutes and set the blades down on the table in front of Eene.
“We have looked in the wrong places. Our answer is right here in this room. Isn’t it, Gaea?”
“What tripe do you ask of me, child? I know nothing. I have helped. I have revealed all locations that might be where Laura hides. If you have come up empty, do not look at me.”
“But, Gaea, I do.”
“Misti, luv, will you please bring two pair of your favorite … uh, cuffs. Or some plastic ties. The police brand you enjoy so much.”
“How did you …?”
“Never mind dear. Just bring them and be swift.”
When Misti returned, Eene asked her to cuff Gaea’s ankles to the two legs of her chair in front and bind her wrists behind her back, using the ties to secure the wrist cuffs to the chair back slats.
Gaea screamed at Eene, “What are you doing, you crazy fucking bitch!”
“Now, now, Gaea. We don’t use that word here. Now to work. Adam, have I not mentioned to you on numerous occasion how much I admire Gaea’s tits? Large and perky, upturned with big nipples that get so hard when she masturbates and is excited. Her chest red, engorged with blood; the tell-tale sign of sexual arousal? I believe we have discussed this on occasion, though you have warned me about violating her right to privacy.”
“I have.”
“Then we shall see just how much our Gaea knows about where Laura is. I shall begin by cutting away at the cute top, work my way down to fillet your bra, then the real work shall begin. The first part is just more for me. I love it when my clothes are snipped away. Just the clothes though. I find it erotic and arousing; I don’t know why.”
“No, no, keep her away from me. I don’t know anything. I’ve told you everywhere she’s ever lived.”
“You have, you see, but she is an anthropologist, actually an archeologist and that means she went on digs every summer. She was a good, but not a great student, so she did her initial fieldwork Stateside at smaller digs. Now why don’t you tell us which places and sites she worked each summer. Snip, snip. Time is running out. When your bra is gone I will surgically remove those beautiful nipples. So, what’s it going to be? Breast reduction or information. And if you lie, I begin again. I think I’ll start with the buttons on that silk blouse and go forward slowly. I may have an orgasm or two but that won’t help you, my love.”
Everyone watched in horror as Eene began her work. But by the third button down, Gaea was convinced that Eene was crazy and that Adam would not intervene.
Crissy Chance Page 24