Serpent's Sacrifice

by Trish Heinrich

  Two smaller portraits sat next to Tony’s, showing toe-headed children on the cusp of adolescence. Pale skinned, with the delicate features of their mother, the boy was older than his sister, and had wanted to follow his parents into the scientific field. Like their father, they were innocent, but unlike him, they weren’t given a chance to see what their lives might hold, what great things they might accomplish.

  Alice wanted to meet the person who could do such a thing to a child, so she could...what? Kill him?

  The thought was disturbing, not least of which because it felt like the right thing to do. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the picture in her mind of Serpent taking a life. It was the one line that Aunt Diana and Mrs. Frost never crossed, the one she couldn’t contemplate. Not when she had to be clear-headed and find Phantasm before anyone else lost someone they loved.

  Alice jumped when a door behind the podium opened. At first, the doorway was blocked by a huge man in a black suit. His height and hair reminded Alice of Baritone from the warehouse, but she shook it off. He was likely dead or in custody. And why would he be here, anyway?

  The man stepped aside and Victoria walked through. Her pale hair was swept back in a simple knot at the base of her neck. Her black dress hit just below her knee and moved like ink in water as she walked with a dancer’s grace to the podium. Her large, dove-gray eyes were red-rimmed and bright, as if she’d been crying for days, and her usually perfect red lips were pale. She scanned the quieting crowd, and her gaze seemed to linger a moment on Alice. The stare sent ice through Alice’s veins, and she wondered why.

  “My friends...” Her voice was soft and yet hard at the same time. “It means so much to see all of you here today. I will not pretend to understand why these things happen. I saw much during the war to make me doubt in the innate goodness of humanity. But...when I met my husband, he helped me believe again. Having him gone...” She looked down, long hands gripping the sides of the podium. When she looked up again, her eyes, usually so full of warmth, had become hard and cold.

  “I want to make it clear that I will be taking over my husband’s business and philanthropic interests, effective immediately. Seeing his dreams come to fruition will be my total purpose, for as long as it takes. Starting with the Science Research and Fellowship Institute on the waterfront. He believed in what science could give humanity, in the hands of the right people. And I do, too. Thank you, all of you, for being here and for your compassion, your support.”

  She left the podium as abruptly as she’d arrived, the guests looking around, unsure whether to applaud or simply walk away. In the end, it was a little bit of both.

  Victoria took a few moments to shake hands with several women and their husbands as she moved toward the balcony. She looked back once at Alice, who felt that same rush of ice as before.

  “You should go to her.” Uncle Logan’s hand was gentle on her arm. “Your aunt meant a lot to Victoria and it might help to speak to you.”

  Alice took a deep breath and walked outside. Humidity hit her like a blow, bringing sweat to her skin in moments. The scent of jasmine was heavy in the air, it’s sweetness like a thick syrup in her nose. The balcony ran along the side of the home, looking down on a large back yard with a badminton net, a swing set, and lounge chairs. Alice swallowed, thinking of the children that wouldn’t be playing there anymore.

  The heat had kept everyone in the house, which Alice now realized was probably why Victoria had chosen to come out here. Alice saw her, standing with her hands clasped behind her, the angle of her elbows perfectly elegant, her feet positioned as if ready to dance. Tears dripped off her pointed chin, though her head was high and her body didn’t shake with even the hint of a sob.

  The slow staccato of Alice’s heels sounded harsh and unpleasant as she slowly walked toward Victoria. Stopping a few inches away, Alice leaned on the railing next to her, not daring to look at the grieving woman.

  “It’s strange,” Victoria said, her voice so quiet Alice had to strain to hear her. “I had forgotten about when Tony had proposed to me, until the newspaper had said it was VE day. Perhaps...so many other things get in the way, and we forget the little moments...little hands...little voices...”

  “I’m so sorry, Victoria,” Alice whispered.

  Victoria didn’t say anything at first and Alice wondered if she’d heard her. But then, Victoria turned to look at her and Alice could swear that, for a mere second, there was a fiery coldness of pure contempt in Victoria’s eyes. And then, it was gone, and all Alice could see was a woman who wanted to scream and sob, but couldn’t, because everyone was watching.

  “Did I ever tell you about my father?” Victoria asked.

  Alice shook her head and frowned at the odd change of subject.

  “He was a brilliant scientist, quiet and gentle. Many of his colleagues before the war were Jewish, or of some other ancestry the Nazi’s hated. I used to sit and listen to them while they smoked and talked of science, dreaming of how it could make the world better.”

  Her gaze became distant, and the gentle smile on her lips faded.

  “But then, the war came, and those men…I was fourteen when I fled my home and volunteered with the SIS. I thought…I don’t know what I thought. That I could save some of them by becoming a spy, I suppose. I had six successful missions before my first failure.”

  “What happened?”

  “We were compromised and captured. When the Nazi’s discovered who I was, they took me to a lab where my father was working for them.” Her voice took on a hard edge. “He told them that I was smart, that I would make a good lab assistant. I assume he thought he was saving me, that I would stay with him. But the Nazi’s weren’t that considerate.”

  She swallowed, her hands tightening until the knuckles turned white.

  “Victoria?” Alice said.

  “The concentration camp they took me to was infamous for its experiments. I wasn’t given quarters with the other prisoners, or given a number, but everything else…I was to assist one of their doctors. When I refused, he made me watch as he tortured a woman. For hours that was all I could do, just sit and watch. Until he handed me a gun and told me that if I didn’t shoot her, he would keep going. I believed him when he said he could make it last for days. So I took the gun, pressed it to her temple and pulled the trigger.”

  “Oh my god,” Alice whispered.

  “After that I did everything he asked and I waited and watched for a chance to escape. The doctor had taken a liking to more than my intellect by this point, and I made use of it. One night, after he’d finished with me, I drugged him, slit his throat and escaped. I didn’t want to be in the field after that, so I applied to the Science Division of the SIS instead and I met Tony.”

  Alice could almost picture it. The delicate young woman, who’d gone through hell and the dashing, gentle stranger. Had he helped her heal? Was he the reason she was able to move past those horrors?

  As if reading her mind, Victoria looked at Alice through the tears in her eyes.

  “He helped me see that there was still good in the world. That my gifts could help protect it, maybe even bring it out in greater ways. After the war, I made myself a promise that I would never shirk from doing what needed to be done to protect the innocent of this world.” She looked away as if she’d said too much. “But, in all the endeavors I encouraged Tony to do for the betterment of mankind, I failed to protect my own family.”

  Alice felt her heart squeeze with sympathy. She reached out a hesitant hand and gently touched Victoria’s shoulder. Her head snapped up, and Alice immediately pulled away.

  “I’m sorry, I just—”

  “It’s alright,” Victoria said, a tight smile on her lips. “I know you only meant to help.”

  “If I could,” Alice said, trying so very hard not to reveal too much. “I would—”

  “Bring the person responsible to justice?”

  Alice nodded.

  “That’s very sweet o
f you,” Victoria said. “But people like this meet justice, eventually, it’s only a matter of time. Now...I’m sorry, but I really want to...”

  “Of course, yes,” Alice said, turning away.

  As she walked, Alice could feel Victoria’s eyes on her back, but when she turned at the doorway and looked back, Victoria was standing with her back to Alice, hands clasped behind, head high.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Early evening sunlight streamed into Mrs. Frost’s private office, fans circulated stale air, and a tray of iced tea sat on the low table, but neither Alice nor Rose was paying attention to the refreshments.

  Rose looked at Alice, and then back at the boxes of information Mrs. Frost had produced about Tony Veran’s Army experiments. She clapped her hands like a child at Christmas and flung the lid off the first box.

  “I thought you’d be interested.” Alice smiled.

  “Interested? Are you kidding? To be able to read scientific notes in Tony Veran’s own handwriting, to see his process, his thoughts...it’s amazing! I can’t believe you’re letting me do this!”

  “Well, besides the fact that I knew you’d love it, I can’t make heads or tails out of the notes. I need an expert.”

  Rose had already opened the very first file in the box and was scanning the notes.

  Alice handed her a glass of tea, but Rose waved it away.

  “How long do you think it will take to decipher all this?”

  Rose didn’t look up. After a minute, Alice waved her hand in front of Rose’s eyes.

  “Hm-m-m?”

  “How long?”

  Rose tore her gaze from the page before answering.

  “Oh, well, it depends. Maybe a few days.”

  Alice nodded and plopped onto the couch. Her thoughts spun and twirled in the silent room. She’d been trying to figure out why Tony Veran would’ve allowed his strength serum to be used by the Syndicate, if indeed it was. By all accounts, he’d been a good man, who had used his wealth and intelligence to make the world better.

  Maybe he threatened to expose the Syndicate? But then, why didn’t Victoria die? Was it just luck that she wasn’t in the house?

  Rose sat down next to her.

  “You seem preoccupied.”

  “I’m surprised you noticed.”

  “Well, your silent scowling is very loud.”

  Alice nudged her playfully and was about to say something when Rose winced, grabbing her side.

  “What happened?”

  Rose sighed. “You remember that protest at Jet City College?”

  Alice stared at Rose. “You were there?”

  “I couldn’t let my friends protest something like that and not show up. I’ve been on the sidelines of all this for so long and I wanted to be a part of it, to change all this.”

  “How did you get hurt?”

  “When the violence started, a couple of the women I was with grabbed me and we ran. I fell and hit my ribs on the curb, broke one of them.”

  “Your dad—”

  “I’ve never seen him so angry. He healed me, and then tried to restrict me to this house, like I’m still thirteen!”

  “He is strangely protective when it comes to you,” Alice said.

  “He says it’s because of my mom, but what does that have to do with protesting discrimination and racism? He should be proud of what I’m doing, not trying to hide me away like some fragile princess!”

  Alice had seen Rose truly angry only a handful of times and each time was always shocked at the passion that burned under her friend’s peaceful exterior.

  “What are you going to do?” Alice asked.

  Rose shrugged.

  “I don’t know. But I’m done hiding away. If he wants me to stay in my lab, he’ll have to lock me in.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  Rose grinned. “Yes, but I’m very good at solving problems.”

  The butler knocked on the door, his voice stiff. “Miss Seymour, a Mr. Mayer is here.”

  “I’ll be right down,” Alice said.

  Rose’s grin widened and her eyebrows waggled.

  “What’s that for?” Alice asked.

  “Marco’s here, huh?”

  Alice felt her stomach drop, as laughter burst from her lips. “Yes, as a friend. One of the theaters is playing Casablanca for this weekend only, and he’s taking me to see it.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Cut it out. It’s not like that between us.”

  “Well...” Rose reached for an iced tea. “If you say so.”

  It’s not.

  A nagging feeling tickled the back of Alices mind.

  Hot humid air rushed at Alice as she stepped out of the movie theater. She could feel her wavy, bobbed hair begin to frizz and her palms become sticky with sweat. She self-consciously rubbed them against her teal-colored, sleeveless shift dress and sighed.

  “I can buy two more tickets, if you want to go back inside,” Marco said, his thin lips twitching into a grin.

  “Don’t tempt me,” she said, nudging him in the side with her shoulder. “I’m glad you didn’t have to work tonight. I’d have hated to miss seeing Casablanca again.”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately.”

  Alice shrugged. “I understand.”

  “Yeah, but I feel like I abandoned you.”

  “I had as much help as I could take, what with Uncle Logan and Lionel barely letting me bathe myself.”

  Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized what she’d said.

  “I don’t mean that they...I just-they were very...um...attentive. Too much so, actually.”

  “You were pretty badly hurt, even after Gerald helped you. I can understand why they would be like that, but they also don’t understand how strong you are. Give them time, they’ll see it.”

  “So, you’re saying you do?” Alice said, her smile teasing. “You were at my beck and call when you were there.”

  He looked down and laughed.

  “Yes, well, I’m not saying I won’t help you when you need it.”

  “Or get me Rocky Road when the craving strikes.”

  “That, too. Speaking of, you want to get some?” He pointed to the bright sign of the ice cream parlor a block away.

  “Do you have to ask?”

  “So, do you like Casablanca better now or when you saw it as a kid?”

  Alice looked up in thought. “I don’t know. I still love it, but...”

  “What?”

  “It’s not as romantic as I remember it.”

  Marco looked at her as if she were insane and opened his mouth to comment, but Alice held up her hands to stop him.

  “When I was a kid, I thought it was so romantic that Rick let her go. But now...I don’t know.”

  “He sacrificed the woman he loved so she could be happy, have a real life.”

  “If he really loved her, he should’ve fought for her.”

  “But you’re missing the point. He loved her enough to know she’d never be truly happy with him.”

  “Why, because her husband was a politician and rich?”

  “O-o-or, maybe because he believed Ilsa loved her husband more than him.”

  “Would you do that? Let the woman you love go on without you?”

  “Absolutely.” His voice held a note of seriousness that seemed deeper than their conversation warranted.

  Alice look up at him with a confused frown, and then saw the sadness in the depths of his dark brown eyes.

  She’d wondered for months if Marco was in love with someone, and the more she was convinced of it, the more jealous she felt. It wasn’t fair, to expect him to be alone just because she didn’t want to share him. She’d gotten the jealousy under a semblance of control lately, or at least she thought she had. Maybe it was the fact that her emotions felt like a raw nerve the last few days, but that green-eyed monster reared its ugly head and she felt its stab like a hot poker in her heart.

  “Whoever
she is,” she said, trying to make her voice playful. “She is very lucky.”

  “What?” Marco said, his voice hesitant.

  “It’s obvious you’re speaking from experience, and whoever she is...she’d be an idiot to let you push her away.”

  “I’m not...these powers, they make it...difficult.”

  “Why? You think the right woman wouldn’t accept you?”

  “No, that’s not it, I just...it’s hard to explain.”

  “If she really loved you—”

  “It’s not a matter of that. I mean...it’s complicated, and besides that, there isn’t anyone, not really.”

  “You don’t want to talk about this, do you?”

  “Nope, I’d rather get ice cream.”

  He smiled down at her, reaching out to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. His fingers brushed her jaw, leaving a cool fire in their wake. Alice shivered, and was surprised to feel desire warming her insides.

  “Well, then,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Let’s go.”

  Though they’d held hands many times before, this time it felt intimate in a way Alice wasn’t sure she was ready to understand.

  They’d only gone a few feet when a loud, annoyed voice from behind stopped them.

  “Well, well, well.”

  Marco dropped Alice’s hand and turned in surprise.

  “Didn’t expect to see you two here,” Lionel said, his face tight with a forced smile.

  The round-faced blond with the feline stare, from the Children’s Home dedication, was draped across Lionel’s arm. Alice nodded at her, but the woman ignored her.

  When Alice turned her attention to Lionel, she was surprised to see how truly annoyed he looked. Was he having a bad date, or did it have something to do with Marco taking her out?

  Alice shook her head at that. Why in the world would Lionel mind that? But the feeling wouldn’t go away, and in fact, grew a little as she saw the distinct light of jealousy in his navy eyes.