“Claire?” It was Marcus’ voice calling to her. She was never so glad to hear his deep, reassuring words in her life. “Are you alright?” She looked in the direction of his voice as her eyes became accustomed to the blackness all around.
“Yeah, I’m fine, I think. Where the hell are we?” She slowly sat up placing her hand on her forehead. A wave of naseau overcame her and she thought she was going to be sick for a moment. When she recovered and wiped the cold sweat from her brow she looked to see the outline of Marcus a few feet away. She started to move toward him when a clanging sound and a weight pulled her back. Her feet were shackled to heavy chains! She got as close as she could to him which was about two feet away.
“We’re in the catacombs!” It was Taylor’s voice coming from her left. She turned to see that he too was imprisoned like herself.
“Oh no. She got you too?” Claire’s voice was full of despair.
“Yeah. She charged me with those two crazy monsters she calls her children. Can you believe she named them Isis and Osiris? What a crazy bitch!” His voice was filled with bitterness and not a little fear.
“Are you talking about me behind my back?” Celine’s velvet voice reached out to them from the dark caverns. Soon they saw a small light from a little distance. It was coming out of one of the tunnels leading to this little room. Claire was frightened for the first time realizing that no one would ever be able to find them in this dungeon below Paris. Celine emerged wearing a dramatic black cloak with a hood. The two creatures were behind her. “That’s not very nice Taylor. Somehow I expected more from you.” She laughed, obviously enjoying their predicament.
“Oh just get it over with and kill us already. I’m starting to get bored.” Taylor murmured back to her.
“Get used to it. I have no intention of killing you.” She made a gesture to the two cat like figures behind her and they approached carrying a large pitcher each. They placed the pitchers within reach of the prisoners and then retreated back behind Celine.
“Celine. What are you up to?” Marcus asked her in his most civilized voice. The one thing he didn’t want to do was piss her off. They could not afford her anger.
“Oh Marcus. I thought you would have it all figured out by now. Don’t you see? It’s karma my dear, you’re soaking in it.” She laughed at herself. “Your punishment is going to be what my punishment was. I was trapped underneath the earth for centuries before you released me. All I had to live on were my thoughts of revenge and this water.” She pointed to the pitchers filled to the point of overflowing. “Well, my revenge is at hand and I think that it is perfectly fitting that you are all going to know what hell I went through all those years in darkness.” She moved in close to Marcus and held his chin in her perfect hand covered in rings of emeralds and diamonds. “My poor darling. You never did understand any of this, but you’ve made your choice and you came so very close to upsetting my plans which I have to say impressed me. We could have been wonderful together.” She stared into his eyes looking for something that was no longer there. She leaned in and whispered so only he could hear. “We were something once.: She kissed him tenderly on his forehead before continuing. “Now you will suffer the same fate as the others. I would let you go, but I just can’t trust you darling.” She let go of his face and failed to see the look of hatred emanating from him.
“Your plan is flawed Celine.” Taylor spoke up now and Cleine glanced over in his direction.
“My plan is perfect Taylor. Once I get my hands on Sasha my revenge on you will be particularly amusing. I want to see the look on your face as I torture your little girlfriend. I think it will give me great pleasure.”
“Sahsa’s gone. You’ll never see her again. She was the smart one when she decided to walk away from all this madness.” Celine had moved on him silently and her face was very close to his and Taylor took this opportunity to spit in the face of evil.
“Taylor don’t!” Marcus yelled. There would be no chance at saving anything if they were all dead. At least Frankie and Sasha were still out there. All was not lost and Marcus knew they would have to play their cards very carefully. If anyone could find them in the miles of labrynths known as the catacombs, it would be Frankie. Osiris moved in swiftly and silently and raked his claws over Taylor’s face. He did not scream but simply stared at Osiris with an angry look of defiance as the blood ran down his face.
“Enough!” Celine screamed and the echoe traveled through the long tunnels creating the eeriest of effects. “Maybe after a hundred years or so you will learn some manners.” Celine turned to leave.
“Your plan still has a hole in it Miss D’Aumont.” Celine snapped around to address Taylor again. She was wiping the spittle from her face with a dark green, silk handkerchief.
“Oh really? Would you care to elaborate Mr. Hamilton?” She was placating him. She knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with her plans.
“I’ve sent information to my offices in D.C. , including the stolen files with all your unique biological techniques and results. If I don’t access the information by tomorrow it will be sent automatically to every newspaper in the country as well as the United States government. I must say it is pretty revealing data. I doubt you’ll even be able to sell so much as a tub of cold cream after this hits the press.” Taylor watched her carefully.
“Do you really think anyone is going to believe your insane story? In this day and age?” She was beginning to tire of this banter.
“Well, let’s see.” Taylor said calmly. “First, I disappear on an assignment and then an article about the dangerous and illegal genetic manipulation you’ve been conducting arrives along with the data about the addicting qualitites of your water. What do you think is going to happen? I can see the headline now. ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Catchy don’t you think?”
“You have no proof to back up your ridiculous story. Nobody will believe it. They’ll think you left your job for some French girl and wrote a fictional article as an unfunny joke to your employer.” She was starting to get frustrated now. He could hear it in her voice.
“Oh I have so much proof Celine. You know we have all the data from your hard drive. I sent all that along with my article. Also, I snapped a few pics of your lab and I think one of your precious children might be in the photo.” He was enjoying playing with her mind and planting doubt despite the fact that he was chained to a wall far below the city streets. He wanted to strike back at her in any way he could.
“Oh Taylor. Be realistic. Your company is not going to risk a lawsuit against my empire. Besides, I have an insurance policy.” This time it was Celine who was enjoying herself. “Your colleague who couldn’t go on this assignment works for me. She’ll make sure no one ever sees your scandalous information. I pay her very well.” She headed down one of the tunnels. “I am weary of all this talk. You are just being desperate and I must say, it is most unseemly.” Osiris and Isis looked back at Claire as they were leaving. She focused her thoughts on the wild plains of Argentina and the flowing waterfalls of Brazil. She was trying to get them to imagine a different existence as she could feel their boredom and frustration with all this human drama. Claire saw them as they really were and they were truly unique and beautiful. They belonged in the wild like she did and if they got out of here alive she was going to find a way to get them away from the world of man where they would be dissected like frogs in a biology class. They weren’t really evil like Celine. They were just helpless victims, as they all were at the moment.
“Taylor, did you really send that article?” Marcus was very serious now that the others had gone.
“You bet your ass I did. I needed an insurance policy of my own just in case something like this happened. I mean, I know it won’t save us, but it might stop her. At least that’s something.” He leaned back and wiped his bloody face with his sleeve. Already the wounds were beginning to heal. He reached for the water and drank until he felt his strength returning to him.
Celi
ne and her children walked through the maze back to the secret doorway to the pool of Locium. The two creatures were silent but shared the same thoughts. The images of the vast wilderness full of wild creatures had stirred them in a way nothing else could. Already they were beginning to feel confined in the big house full of luxury. They loved the garden, but it was only a small taste of the world beyond the city. A world they could not move through without attracting attention from the humans. They both found themselves daydreaming about running about the measureless plains in search of food and lolling about in the rushing waters of the Amazon. Why had Claire sent them such images? What was she trying to tell them? They kept silent and continued to follow Celine. Like all children, they had their own secrets that they would never share with their mother.
Once inside Celine dismissed them to their beloved park. She knew they couldn’t stand being pent up in a fine house with luxurious things that meant nothing to them. One day they would understand just how important this final battle was. She locked the door to the mysterious painted tunnel leading to the waters and wondered how much of her files had they actually stolen. She could not take the publicity Taylor had just threatened and she called Washington leaving a message with an answering service. She would have to stop the article from coming out, but she wasn’t too worried about it. In this modern world people no longer believed in such things. People were rational and enlightened. They watched their myths and legends on the big screen where magic was made real every day. A respectable company would never publish such a thing. She was very sure of herself as always and after making her call on the ivory and gold phone she went up to her room to change yet again. Tonight she wanted to wear something very feminine and frilly. Now that she had her captives she was feeling optimistic. It wouldn’t be long before Frankie returned and if she knew Sasha at all, she knew that the woman would not be able to stay away. She wouldn’t be able to live without Taylor. She never could before so there was no reason to believe she’d behave any differently now. Celine would be ready.
Outside on the street Frankie pulled his baseball cap far down over his eyes. He could see the house from the street where it looked like it was only a simple, one story home with tall windows shuttered in blue gray wood that seemed as old as the house itself. It was really quite a lovely neighborhood when there where no monsters running about. He assessed the situation and knew that the easiest way in would be through the top. He knew that structure inside and out for when the Germans had occupied Paris he could sneak in and out day after day without being seen. He remembered the small attic window that only a child, or Frankie could fit through. There was only one of Celine’s thugs guarding the door outside dressed as a valet. He looked uncomfortable in the tailored clothing that looked like it would rip if he moved too quickly. His bulky frame and blonde hair looked so out of place with his attire. Frankie laughed and thought he looked like a Viking in evening wear. A car pulled up and the man reached down to open the rear door. This was Frankie’s chance. He ran as fast asw he could and jumped up onto the garden wall with the grace of an acrobat and nimbly ran across the thin edge like a balance beam. Gaining momentum he leapt up into the air where his hands catught hold of the gargoyle on the corner of the roof. It brought back so many memories of that time during the war and he smiled when he thought of all the lives that he and Marcus had saved while Celine was busy having dinner with the German officers. He swung his little torso onto the ledge of the oval window and within seconds he had the portal opened and was inside before anyone had a chance to notice anything at all.
The attic looked the same. It was filled with things from long ago; a silent testament to the many lives they had all lived. He never looked through these things that belonged to the past. He liked the present and the past only gave him an irresistible desire to turn back the clock and bring back his loved ones from the grave. He could see their faces and hear the whispered voices of the ghost we call Nostalgia. He moved through the boxes until he found what he was looking for. There was a small wooden door that opened up to a shaft that ran the entire length of the chimney. Long ago he learned that dhe could climb up and down to any floor undetected within the very walls of the house. In the years of the occupation he had used the secret passageways to hide and learn intelligence from the Nazis. Mostly he had done it to be a nuisance and to listen in on secret conversations that were not meant for others to hear. This time he needed to listen to everything he could to find out what was happening. He carefully scaled the side of the chimney and moved downward from one level to the next. Finally he was behind the large black fireplace in the grand room. He could hear the clinking of glasses and silverware. It sounded like Celine had a guest. He coul barely make out her voice and could get enough to hear her bragging about her new product line. L’eau Jeunesse. He could tell her companion was a male from the deep baritone voice that engaged Celine in conversation. It sounded like Celine was offering the man a share in stock and was making a convincing argument. It was a business dinner! Typical Celine to kill someone for breakfast and have a business dinner as usual the same day. Frankie climbed back up one floor and headed to the kitchen. There was a dumbwaiter going up all four stories from the basement and he had learned very early that he could squeeze himself into the small shaft and enter the kitchen. Deciding to go for it, he pushed his small body through the door frame and peaked his head out. There was ono one in the room. Almost immediately Virginie came in from the other room carrying a few empty plates and her eyes grew large with amazement at the sight of a sooty and disheveled Frankie. She put a finger to her lips instructing him not to speak. She then motioned for him to wait as she gathered two more plates heaping with roast beef and steamed apples and left to serve her new mistress. Frankie didn’t know Virginie was still in the house. She was in the gravest of danger and he was very anxious until she returned. This could all be a trap, it certainly wasn’t unprecedented. His guard was up but then the way Virginie looked at him told him that they were on the same side. It was the same silent look of the Resistance movement so long ago. The look of fellow conspirators willing to risk everything to regain a lost freedom. She grabbed Frankie’s hand and pulled him with her into the enormous steel walk in freezer. After closing the doors she finally spoke and among the frozen carcasses and hundreds of boxes of the world’s most exquisite delicacies she began to tell him what had occurred in the house while he was gone.
“We must be very careful.” She whispered. “She has two..I don’t know, monsters who can hear everything.” She was freezing but continued as quickly as she could get the words out. “She said she would kill Marcus if I do anything but she has promised me a job if I obey her every whim. She had me send everyone else away. I think I can handle her for a little longer at least.” Virginie was so glad to see Frankie that she could not stop the tears of relief that froze almost instantly on her cheeks. Frankie wiped at them with his insipid smile and assured her that everything was going to be alright. He kissed her on the forehead and kept her head close as he whispered oh so quietly back to her.
“You must be careful. Do not anger her no matter what you do, and if you find her getting agitated you have to calm her down. Your life depends on this. No matter what horrors you may see you must pretend that nothing at all is out of the ordinary. She likes her servants to keep their eyes to the ground and she loves efficiency.” At this Virginie smiled.
“I got that figured out within five minutes of meeting that hideous woman! She has killed the old doctor. The two beasts buried him in the garden out there.” Now the fear was creeping back into the maid. And she couldn’t tell if her trembling was from the cold any longer.
“Do you know have any idea where the others are?” Frankie hoped and prayed that she did.
“I do not Mr. LeVoyer. I am sorry. All I know is that they disappear behind the hidden door once in a while. They always come back before too long. Perhaps she had them locked up in there.” She wished that she could tell h
im more, but there was nothing. She panicked. “I have to get back. What can I do?”
“Stay alive long enough to escape.” He did not want to scare the poor thing anymore than she already was but he had to be truthful.
“I can’t do that! She said if I tried anything that she would kill Marcus and I cannot be responsible for that. He has taken care of me and my family for most of my life. You don’t understand! I must stay.” She looked as if she were going to cry again. Frankie held her close to him to warm her up and comfort her. Her little frame was shaking violently now and he wished there was some way he could convince her to leave this house of nightmares.
“I do understand Virginie. I really do.” He smiled kindly at her. “Do nothing out of the ordinary. We are going to take care of the rest. You just keep up the act for as long a little while longer.” He winked at her. “I’ve brought reinforcements. Now go” He pushed the dazed Virginie back out into the kitchen where she had to gather her thoughts about what course was next. Frankie appeared behind her with a large metal bow filled with whipping cream. Virginie took it from him and turned to place it on the brushed aluminum table in the center of the large room filled with black and white tile. When she turned back to say something to Frankie he was no longer in sight. She stirred the cream until she remembered what it was she was doing before the Calvary had arrived.
Just a few blocks away in the hotel Sasha sat on the floor with her legs crossed. She was breating deeply and slowly in the tiny rooom. The weapons all lay out on the bed and she was hoping to take as many of them as she could in just a few hours. She kept thinking of the old man in the store in Chinatown. He looked familiar the moment she saw him. It was something in his eyes. Maybe there was a part of a person that always remains the same no matter how many times they come back. She was trying to quiet her mind. She had connected with Taylor before in a dream and was hoping somehow to recreate the connection. So far there was nothing but the voices in her head all screaming for attention. The words of her old master returned to her again and again.
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