Crissy Chance

by Douglas E Roff

  They decided on a diversion and a special gadget that cut through the entrance to the locked front door. If it was further barred from the inside, a thin strip of C-4 was pasted to the part of the door with hinges. They would go off simultaneously. Using thermal tech, they knew where the guard was and where the women were. The timing had to be precise to the second, which it was. When the door came down, one man was in and put a bullet in the guard’s head in a split second.

  “Time to go ladies,” he said. “We have lovely tour boats waiting for you, all the luxury that a Zodiac has to offer. Sorry, no dining facilities.”

  The women rushed to the ex-soldier hugging him and crying. Their relief was without bounds and the man asked each if they were injured and could walk. Determining the ladies were in shock, the men took no chances, scooping up the women and carrying them down the back path to the water’s edge. There were three Zodiacs waiting, and they pushed off immediately. It took about twenty minutes to get to the yacht, then they were transferred to the helicopter and flown ashore to a private airfield, loaded aboard a small jet, and flown directly to Amman, Jordan. There they were placed aboard another plane and flown to Paraiso. They were deposited on the plateau and asked to wait for someone to collect them. But they knew how to get home, and as soon as the helicopter took off, they found their entrance and disappeared into the limestone.

  They were in their living room within minutes, exhausted and frightened out of their minds. Misti had the confidence of the ignorant, which was a blessing, but the others were shell shocked and in need of rest. They huddled together in the master bedroom, and only came out for food and water. They were alone and would remain that way until Adam returned.

  As time passed they alternately blessed and cursed Adam for what he had done. Adam for his part would have nothing to say to them. If they were angry, they could leave and the Immortals could fuck off too. He had had it with secrets and threats and what he considered inconstancy and lies, falsehoods and half truths. He would live alone and his women would be wealthy and free, his parents dead and the threat removed.

  With his parents, Crissy and “the fourth” all dead, he could move on with his life. Then he could live out the rest of his life in peace and quiet. He would return to New York City and Kalindra Wright. She was waiting for him to return, working on a secret project and was expecting him home within days, if all went according to plan. Maybe he would go back to work; maybe he would just watch TV for a year, binge watching foreign movies and TV. All he knew was that he was mentally exhausted.

  ***

  Kalindra had been the only one in his clan with any idea of how to locate Edward, et al. She changed her look and moved to New Jersey, and applied for work at a small private securities firm owned by one of Edward and Anna’s shell companies. Certain documents had to be signed by the principals of the firm, which meant if she could infiltrate the organization, she could probably get access codes to the sensitive material only their lawyer would have; that lawyer was Crissy Chance, licensed in New Jersey and New York. That would be next to impossible, and, in any event, was more illegal than what she was doing as a phony securities principal for the Edward-owned firm she now worked for. Her employment contract did not prohibit her from seeing anything, so at worst, if she was caught, she would get fired.

  There was the issue of the name change which she got in New York to match an old friend who had the credentials as a securities principal but was now wealthy and retired. Kalindra would change her name back as soon as her work was done; with the help of a few friends, a few bucks, and a deep client list, she was hired. The firm’s security protocols were surprisingly lax, so within a week, she had the address of Edward and Anna St. James in London, England, as well as several other locations. Since she could not be sure which location they may be hiding at, she sent photographers to all locations posing as tourists until one finally turned up a recent photo of Crissy near Harrod’s. She was followed home and, from there, a local firm was hired to watch the building and monitor traffic in and out. Ownership was cloudy at best, but then one day Kalindra hit the jackpot; Edward, Anna, Crissy and another woman exiting the building together, Edward holding hands with Crissy while Anna had one of her hands on the ass of the other woman. They looked cozy.

  Kalindra had already quit the firm in New Jersey and had an expedited restoration of her previous name. She was back in New York, in her new apartment and lying low. Edward didn’t suspect that Kalindra still worked for Adam; the two had gone to great pains to distance themselves from each other after the sale of the business, the slow death of their relationship was for public consumption only. Kalindra was now linked socially and romantically to a wealthy European businessman and was beyond suspicion with Edward and Anna. She had made overseas trips to London, Paris and Rome and was in the papers making the society sections around the world. None of it was true; all stories were plants.

  Edward and Anna had Kalindra checked out from time to time, anticipating some turn of events, but it never quite panned out for them; they found nothing. Kalindra used a body double frequently, a woman doppelganger who really could have been her sister. The ruse worked, along with Kalindra’s ability to use fake Passports and journey into lesser travelled countries and airports. It meant that she could avoid facial recognition software and troublesome authorities. Small cash payments often expedited routine procedures at immigration and customs.

  Kalindra met Adam at the Hotel Pandora in Prague for a brief meeting; then she would fly back to New York City to preserve her cover while Adam moved on to London to watch the final destruction of his parents’ empire. He wanted to be there at the sad end when not two, but three lives would be tragically lost. It would probably be a faulty gas leak somewhere in the building, but it might just be a robbery and home invasion gone wrong. The three intended victims had much to atone for and he wanted to tape their confessions.

  He also wanted proof, either on disc or on a computer hard drive somewhere in the home, of all their malfeasance. Just as Adam arrived, the four subjects left on a trip to Paris, to an unknown location probably in response to the events in Greece. Crissy suspected Adam right away, but that was shot down as impossible; to assemble a team so quickly and act with such precision barely hours after the three women had been captured was impossible. No, Edward thought it might have been the fortuitous work of pirates or the Triads for his setting up of the killings of their men in Boulder. If so, the Chinese were capable torturers and would probably find Adam and return his women is small parts too. In any event, though robbed of an opportunity to inflict maximum pain on his son, he accepted the invitation of one of his friends to visit his estate outside of Paris and spend a few weeks with a new crop of women from Eastern Europe, Africa and South America that he had recently purchase on the flesh markets of the Dark Web. Edward and his small clan would enjoy the special treats at the home of his friend who would join him later with his wife and two daughters. Then the fun would begin in earnest.

  Adam, though disappointed, returned home to Paraiso. His reunion with the three women was chilly to say the least. They could stay as long as they wanted but were banished from his residence which he occupied alone. The Immortals were recalled but they too suffered the same fate. As Master, his will was for them to not come near the residence or anywhere he was visiting.

  Things were not the same and not a single being in residence was optimistic that things would ever return to normal. The return to the Island had accidently changed Edward’s plans, meaning Adam would have to rewind if they returned to their former residence. Adam had the place staked out but he suspected that somehow at least Anna and Edward were going to disappear; maybe even stage their own deaths leaving Crissy putatively in control and operating freely out of New York City. If so, he’d kill her himself and flush out his parents; this, however, was only conjecture.

  Edward had not found Laura or Gaea yet but that was only a matter of time. Soon enough, he hoped, all their p
roblems would be solved and they would control the Marco Polo Cache. He had no idea what the situation really was; they were all surprised that Misti seemed back to normal. They expected her to be dead or insane.

  ***

  Laura landed at Vancouver International Airport, headed immediately for the rental car section in the parking garage, and rented a four-wheel drive, off road vehicle. She had with her a set of GPS coordinates along the Trans-Canada Highway going to the mountains east of Hope on the way to the Okanogan. At a point close to absolutely nothing was an abandoned Forestry road that lead to nowhere except another set of GPS coordinates. From there, she would walk into the bush of perhaps a mile or so climbing deeper into thin air and the freezing cold. She had cold weather gear and a gun, a hand gun frowned upon by the RCMP, but Laura was on her way to meet up with Gaea and she did not expect a warm welcome.

  Unknown to her, and Gaea’s psycho half brother was in residence too, an unfortunate mistake in identity that Laura made. Nobody wanted to be where he was, so Armand, the survivalist, lived in peace and isolation. He did maintain a Sat phone connection and a set of GPS coordinates that would lead Laura to this place. Laura hoped that Gaea and “her brother” would take her in for a while. She would do whatever she was told so she could just disappear off the grid for a while. Laura would meet Gaea’s brother, but not the one she had in mind.

  Laura didn’t have the Marco Polo Cache and did not know who did. But Edward was certainly convinced that she was in possession of the goods or knew who had them. She might die under torture not revealing a thing; she did not know what he wanted to learn from her, so her death would be senseless. But, once he was convinced that she had nothing of value, Laura would probably be used for other purposes that could only marginally considered entertainment. She might last a week in the final stages, the point where screaming and begging had no effect. She had nothing to trade with Edward; he would already have taken what little remained and he would then begin sharing her with others.

  Life in the mountains with Gaea and Armand would be no picnic either. They would not be happy to see her and would more than likely kill her, strip her and leave her for the carnivores. Laura did not know who Armand was; when Armand was finished using her, she would be no use for Edward. Rumors abounded that her brother Bernard was wealthy and handsome and looked out for his little sis. But he might be watched. Nobody even knew that Gaea had a half-brother, but she did. And Armand was not picky about many things, including who he had carnal relations with. Armand was a mental defective, a throwback to more brutish times. If Gaea was around, he would use her. If Laura wandered into their camp, Armand would quickly set the price for her safety. Money, goods and wealth meant nothing to him. He meant to survive the coming apocalypse but, until then, one could not be too picky about easy prey.

  Before Adam left, Laura had been allowed to flee with money and a new identity. Fionna had attached a bio tracker inside Laura’s body, so only her death and the lack of electrical charge the body generated would defeat Fionna’s measure; Laura and Gaea would be found easily, if together. Then, when the time was right, Adam would offer up the two, either in the flesh or by coordinates. When Edward made his move, so would Adam.

  When Laura arrived at the coordinates, there were several forty-five-foot Con-ex containers hidden amongst the trees and undergrowth. Gaea was not delighted to see Laura, but could guess why she was there.

  “Armand. Look what just wandered into camp,” said Gaea. “I hear she digs anal.”

  Chapter 42

  Adam was up at his regular time the day after he got home, there still being no news of any movement in London. He cursed his luck for missing his opportunity and wasting the valuable efforts of Kalindra’s undercover operation but there was nothing to be done now except wait. Without new news, he went back to work on projects for the St. James Mindwerks back in the States, the company he founded and still worked for. His productivity had been a little low in the past few months and inquiries had been made by the acquiring company, Betcon International Holdings Incorporated, into Adam’s health and state of mind.

  He assured them all was well, with just some family problems as a small distraction. He was back on track and the new software they had been waiting for was not only in the pipeline, it was finished. Their engineers could now proceed to Beta testing and de-bugging for launch. Everybody was happy. That was business.

  On the home front Adam had not spoken to his mates, mortal or Immortal, since his or their return. He continued to sleep alone and keep to himself. One morning, there was a loud knock on his bedroom door, which was never locked, and standing in front of him was his entire clan. The Immortals had done him the courtesy of transforming to physical state so all were on equal terms. Adam wasn’t expecting them, nor was he not expecting them. He was expecting something from them at some unknown future date but not any date in particular. As Hana was the peacemaker, and Eene scared as usual when Adam was angry and cold, Hana stepped forward and Eene stepped back.

  “We would like to talk, if you have time for us. Now. We understand you are angry and feel betrayed again, but we can’t go on this way. We miss you and this cold indifference hurts us every day. Perhaps we will never get back to the way we were but saying nothing gives us no hope for reconciliation. We Immortals can go away if that is your wish, and your mortals can go elsewhere. You have provided well for them; but this isn’t about money, it’s about family. Are we going to continue this experiment or do you wish it to end? We should talk and let everyone have their say. Now, if you wish, or we can wait longer if that is your desire. May we come in?”

  Adam left the door open, not saying a word, but sat up in his bed.

  “If you wish to speak, now is as good a time as any. We can move to the kitchen and I’ll make coffee and breakfast for anyone who wishes. You Immortals can transform to hologram if you’d prefer not to stay in physical form. I appreciate the gesture.”

  They reconvened in the kitchen. The ladies took up seats around the kitchen table, the Immortals now back in more comfortable form and not needing physical chairs to sit on. They watched as Adam started brewing coffee.

  “You said you wanted to talk, so what’s on your mind?”

  Hana asked, “Are you still very agitated with us? Don’t wish to see us or have us around?”

  “No that’s not it. I struggle with the question of ‘us’ every day. Some days I want things the way they were, some days I think I will never find what I want, some days this situation is just one large pain all day long. Unrelenting cold pain. On those days I just try not to think about anything and just work. Today I haven’t decided. I don’t feel awful; I’m just not happy. I feel like I’m treading water between what was and what will be. In the meantime, I’m just sad.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it feels like something just ended and I’m not sure that what comes next is going to be any better or worse.”

  “I think we all feel that way,” said Niona. “We feel like nothing will ever be right unless we want it to be. I don’t know what to say or what to do. I wish I knew what you really felt deep down, even if it’s anger and frustration. At least then I could understand whether you still love us or we’ve lost you forever.”

  “That’s the simple part, I think,” Adam said. “I still love all of you. Very much. I just am not sure what that means. Is it enough for us to move on, or will there always be a lingering doubt. And not just me. I mean for all of us. Will there always be hesitation that something might set you off, or me off. Love aside, I don’t want to always be looking over my shoulder at the past and wondering if it is going to happen again.”

  Fionna asked, “What will happen again? You still think we betrayed you?” Her tone was defiant.

  “Mind your attitude. I’m not in the mood.”

  “Why? To make you feel better, less aggrieved? I think the blame is shared equally. Whatever we did, we did out of love to help you, to help us. You did nothing
.”

  “Really? What did you accomplish with your plotting, other than to blow hot air? A plan? A plan for a plan? Talk about a plan? What was your plan? And what was the next step? I acted, and found out where our enemies were. I had teams ready to go in and take them out. I did this and they should now be dead. But they aren’t because you, Fionna, thought, and still think, you are superior to me, to all mortals because you’re Immortal. You had nothing. Nothing but a desire to act. Rash, impetuous and foolish. And you are not superior to any mortal because you live longer. You just think you are.”

  “We can go anywhere in the Universe, we can heal mortals, we know more than any mortal and we are invincible. We have roamed the Reality for billions of years. We are superior. In every way. It is undeniable.”

  “Then if you are superior in every way, what are you doing here? On this planet? With me and my mortal women?”

  “We are …”

  “No, I asked what you’re doing here. You, Fionna the Immortal, so strong, so powerful. So what? So alone. So cold in your pure knowledge and superiority. Does it eat at you at night that, with all you have, that you feel nothing unless you live among us? It’s a cold and lonely place this Reality of yours, devoid of love and feeling and sensory awareness. And, since you clearly feel that I am beneath you, Immortal, then leave. I have said to each and every one of you that your bond with me lasts only as long as you wish it. Go back to your other Immortals and find the peace you so desperately seek. See if they feel anything either. You’re here because you want to feel something. You want to feel alive, breathing and touching and being touched. You want to love and be loved. That is the fundamental flaw in your argument. You think you should be the head of this family, but you don’t know what family means. You weren’t born and raised and nurtured and loved. You came into being, fully formed and designed to do whatever our Lord commanded.”