Darker Shade of Pale - HER FREEDOM

by Serra, Mandi Rei

  "That's a Saiga. Less than ten pounds. This here is my Vera Barrett," he held aloft the huge fucking gun. "This is thirty-two pounds."

  "Are they legal?"

  "As long as they have a ten-round clip, yep. Any larger and it's heavily frowned upon in California."

  "Are we in frowny territory?"

  He laughed. "Completely, utterly, totally. Thirty round capacity suits my needs. Don't have to reload as often."

  "But it'll take longer to reload."

  "True, but if one takes out the target first, the need to reload is reduced."

  "Point taken, Gun Guru."

  With a metal box about the size of two stacked bricks in one hand, and his 'Vera' in the other, Tyb led me out of the room and down the corridor to yet another door. It revealed a set of stairs, which we climbed in silence. At the top, yet another door. That lead us to the top of the tree house. Ragged columns of concrete rose around us, gaving the appearance of a stump rotted and darkened by age. "Up here, you can get a damn good view of the property." Kinda hard to tell, being that dawn had yet to make its approach this morning. Must be four-thirty. All was quiet in the land, with the exception of a lonely owl hooting every so often. No moon tonight, just the shimmering of stars overhead.

  "Did you hear that?" Tyb whispered.

  "No. What was it?" I asked back, just as quiet.

  "Sticks breaking. Listen."

  And so I did, straining my ears to hear whatever put Tyb on alert.

  I didn't hear what set him off, but I did see a light in the distance. "What's that?" In the darkness I pointed, but it did no good. Vague outline of an extended index finger at best.

  "Hold on, I'll be right back." Tyb leaned his gun against the wall and went back down the stairs at a quick pace. He returned shortly, carrying what looked kinda like binoculars. He handed me a pair. "Here, night vision."

  I slipped the night vision goggles on over my head. Tyb turned them on and everything took on a green cast. "Do not look at the light. It'll blind you. Look above the light and see the face. Left hand side of the goggles has a dial. Turn it forward to zoom in."

  "It's a woman. Not Zamara."

  "Fuck. It's Aisha." Tyb's voice softened as he realized who it was.

  "How did she get out of jail?"

  "I don't know. But if she's infected with the Virteria Serum, she's dangerous. She cannot be trusted."

  "On the bright side, she attacked Christos. That's got to count for something." Too bad she didn't rip his head off. That would have been awesome.

  "That's because she's dangerous. She wouldn't bite the hand that's been feeding her… but now, that's not so certain." Deep resignation sat heavy in Tyb's voice.

  I leaned my gun next to Vera and gave Tyb a hug. "I'm sorry shit is sucking right now." I brought this upon him. That didn't sit well.

  Tyb placed a kiss to the top of my head and said, "Shit was bound to happen sometime. Just do not trust Aisha. Do not get close to her."

  Sarcastically, I asked, "Want me to keep a gun pointing at her at all times, too?"

  If Tyb used sarcasm, it didn't register with me. "Probably a prudent idea."

  "It's your sister!" But if it came down to it, whose life would he preserve?

  "If it were Haytham, I'd be saying the same thing. They both are dangerous, Haytham more so now."

  The light in the distance neared. "What do we do? Let her go up to the house and think we're there? Call her out when she gets here? What's the plan, captain?"

  "I wish I fucking knew."

  Chapter Nineteen

  Aisha trudged her way to the tree house. Tyb kept his gun aimed at her the entire time. Finally, when she crossed through the meadow, she arrived at the foot of the tree house. Made me wonder if it was her plan to sneak onto the property without Tyb knowing. "Hey you two! Let me in."

  She could see us? She wasn't wearing any sort of image enhancing device that I could see. Tyb called down, "What are you doing here, Aisha?"

  "Came to see my big brother. And use that room you have set aside for me. I, uh, broke up with my boyfriend."

  "Who bailed you out of jail?"

  "You knew about that? Mom and Dad. All I had to do was tell them I broke up with him and was going to see you… they arranged it all."

  "They've missed you."

  "Yeah, I know. So you gonna let me in or are you planning on the bears and mountain lions to off me?"

  "Aisha, I know you are not safe to be around. If I were to let you in, there will be at least one gun pointed at you at all times. I cannot trust you."

  "Well, that's not exactly the homecoming I remember…"

  "Little Sister, I can see you twinkling in the night. I'm not even wearing night vision. There is something not right with you and its Haytham's fault. I heard you took a bite out of him, so now he's going glitter alongside you."

  "Know what happens if I bite him again? Your little home away from reality will exist no longer. That can be arranged, ya know."

  "Since when do you channel Don Corleone?"

  "Since my brother's been acting like a suspicious douche. Just a heads up, Haytham is coming this way. He doesn't know how to get here like me, but he'll follow my trail and be here, probably in a couple hours. He's no good without a GPS telling him where to go."

  I spoke up. "So Morgan isn't with him to guide the way?"

  "No, he's still stuck in the cold. Fucking Siberia is cold. But the fossils laying around were a nice bonus."

  Tyb spoke up again. "Are you really split from Haytham? No pulling my chain, Aisha."

  "He and I had a big disagreement. Major, as in me taking a knife to his junk." Aisha's bubbly demeanor seemed at odds with how I pictured her. That's what I get for making assumptions.

  After a moment, Tyb spoke. "Give me a couple minutes and I'll open the house. Just… don't do anything stupid. That's not a phone call I want to make to Mom and Dad."

  "Aye aye, captain. I can save you the trip. You gotta see what I can do now." Aisha took a few steps backward before running at full speed—no, faster than full speed- toward the treehouse. Somehow, she ran up the side and jumped up high at the last moment to vault over the cement battlements, joining Tyb and I. "Taadaaa!" She took a bow, and her hair tumbled over her shoulders like a cape for a moment before she stood back up.

  "What the fuck did you just do?" Tyb took a step back and leveled Vera at Aisha.

  "Yeah, one of the things that kinda pissed me off about Christos, was that I got turned into a super-solider guinea pig. It's not that big of a deal." With a shrug of her shoulders, Aisha offered half a smile. "It is what it is."

  "It's a very big deal, Aisha. Why would you let him do that? Mara said you consented, signed a waver or some shit."

  "Mara only got half the story. I'm dying, Tyb. My neuropathy had gotten to the point where I couldn't function. I asked him if there was anything he could do. Turns out glittering skin, running up walls, thermo vision and the ability to make huge jumps are side effects. I don't feel pain any more, yay perk. But the whole wanting to gorge on blood… yeah. Not my cup of tea. Oh, and don't worry. I took out a couple deer before I got here, so I'm not so hungry right now." She smiled again.

  Curious, I asked, "Wasn't the serum a part of a government project?"

  She faced her brother while she spoke, her eyes never leaving Tyb's rifle. "Yeah, my 'cure' got parlayed as a weapon when the full scope of side effects made itself known."

  I asked another question. "Why did he blow up the Berkeley lab?"

  Aisha turned to me and spoke; her demeanor less bubbly. "Because he was angry. He didn't like his wife trying to play his game. So he rage quit."

  Just like that, the epic temper tantrum that hobbled a state with fallout. Nice.

  Tyb's voice was low. "Why are you here, Aisha?"

  "Because I want your help in taking Christos out. He's fucking mental. And I know you hate his guts."

  Tyb scoffed. "You were with him for years and you
just now notice he's batshit crazy?"

  "Yeah, well in all fairness, some reality checks take a little longer to cash than others. I was young and dumb, once. Just like you, Tyb. Do you want my help or not? Make up your mind; I'm getting tired of your inquisition. Oh, and who are you?" She addressed me.

  "Sorry, Sis. But you've been gone for years, with a man you know tried killing me, and now you're back… I'll level with you. I'm suspicious."

  "I'm Izzy."

  "Yeah, hi Izzy. You know, you look a lot like Selesta Haytham. Fancy that, here in the backwoods. Didn't know you finally found someone, Tyb."

  "You look a lot like Scarlet Johansson," I replied. And she really did, except her hair was a bit darker. Then again, wee hours of morning before dawn makes deciphering colors a bit on the difficult side. Aisha's heart-shaped face held two large eyes framed by trimmed brows. Her nose possessed an aquiline line, and her mouth, a perfect cupid's bow. I felt disorientated. Never thought I'd meet my husband's mistress. Didn't know how to act, so I'd just keep my mouth shut.

  Tyb spoke up the moment Aisha opened her mouth to speak to me again. "Izzy and I have been exclusive how long now? A year?" I don't know why exactly he lied other than his distrust of Aisha, but I'd play his game.

  "One year, two months and four days since we first spoke in that bar down the hill about animal husbandry. He swept me off my feet at the mention of goat groping and chasing flighty chickens."

  "See? A woman after my own heart." Tyb wrapped an arm around me.

  With oddly glowing eyes, Aisha stared me down. "Really. That long, eh? Didn't know barfly's were your style, Tov."

  "Didn't know whack-ass nutjobs were your style, until it was too late, that is. What was it about him that made you tell everyone to fuck off so you could go live your little dream with his version of kinky fuckery?"

  "Because I liked the pain. Made dealing with the neuropathy easier when I felt the hurt in other places. But I don't expect you to understand, just don't fuckin' judge, okay?" Suddenly she whirled around and peered between the tree-battlements, out into the forest next to the meadow. I could see her eyes glinting a bright lime green in the dark. It was unnatural and very unsettling. But not as unsettling as her next words. "He's coming."

  Chapter Twenty

  Tyb peered into the darkness with his night vision goggles, scanning the hills around us. "I don't see him, Aisha. How do you know he's close?"

  "I can smell his cologne. No. 4711 is a very singular scent." Aisha pointed across the meadow and up the hill. "He's on the other side of that ridge."

  Incredulous, I asked, "How can you smell him from here?"

  Aisha turned her glowing eyes onto me. "Same reason I can see in the dark and jump really high. Because I'm special and you are not." She punctuated with a grin. "The serum didn't do anything for hearing, though."

  "You can keep your special. I've got enough problems for now." I'd tell her she could keep Christos, too, but even she doesn't want him anymore.

  "Fine, I will. And I won't even share. So there. Ha ha."

  I found it hard to believe Zamara and Aisha were siblings, let alone twins. Day and night. Tyb spoke. "I want to know why you tried cutting Haytham, Little Sister."

  She put her arms on hips and cocked an attitude. "Why is it any of your business, Big Brother?"

  "Because I'm your favorite brother and I can't protect you if I don't have the whole story."

  "You're my only brother, so that doesn't count. Don't protect me, Tybas Malcolm Dougherty. I am waaaay beyond your help. Was long ago, but just didn't know it."

  "A- Do not call me by my full name, you are not Mom or Dad. B- If you are beyond help, why are you here?"

  "To finish what Christ started seventeen years ago."

  I jerked my rifle up and leveled at her. Didn't give Tyb a chance to respond. "Haytham tried killing Tyb back then. You here to finish that?" My finger moved the gun's safety to OFF. Tyb protected me. I'll protect him, even if it means shooting his glow-in-the-dark sister.

  Aisha threw her head back and laughed. "No, silly mortal. You know how in chess, one player moves, then the other? Consider the clock broken for Tyb's move. Once upon a time, I loved Christos Haytham with every fiber of my being. I'd jump off a bridge if he said it'd make him happy… but then things change. He refused to marry me when I asked him a couple years back. Said at first he wanted to focus on his career. Ok, cool. Then he said I'm good enough to fuck, but not marry. Didn't want to ruin our relationship, didn't want that pressure. Didn't want to shackle himself to me because I can't have kids. And if I could, they'd be like me… a bloodthirsty freak because of that fucking serum. So he wooed some kid fresh out of college. Enchanted her enough to allow him to slip a ring on her finger, poor kid. She was the first chick who told him she didn't want to sign up for his BDSM fetish club … and so he married her. Bet she didn't know what lay ahead. That ring was a legal contract, he said. She signed the marriage license and that was just the same as signing his contract for sexy times. She didn't stand a chance."

  I spoke, "I heard she and her bodyguard went over a cliff. It was all over the radio."

  "Yeah. Christos was really upset. There went his reproduction plan. He's worse than a fucking Nazi with purity and shit. But I think it's a lie. I know if I were her, the first thing I'd want to do when I found out about the real him would to get the hell away. Maybe that's what she did. Anyhow, some crazy bitch sent Christos a text for a porn website. He freaked the fuck out because it's a private number. He said it was Ana, taking revenge and how he couldn't allow her, or people pretending to be her make a fool of him."

  Tyb spoke low, I guess to gauge her reaction. "Zamara was her bodyguard."

  By the predawn light, I saw Aisha's face crumble at the realization her sister reportedly went over the cliff. "Have…have they found her?"

  "Zamara is alive and well. She's been up here a couple times in the past month. Did Mara see you at the jail? She said she was heading your way to see you. In fact, she was the one who let me know you were arrested."

  Aisha shook her head. "No, didn't see her. Maybe she'll come up here again. God, I missed her. She still married to Harry?"

  "Hell no, they divorced years ago. She's happy flying single."

  "I could learn a few things from her." Aisha spoke quietly.

  Tyb nodded. "Yeah, we all can."

  I took my eyes off the siblings and focused on the area Aisha gestured to earlier. "I think I can see him." Glowing green eyes were in the distance.

  "If you can see him, he can see you, Izzy." Aisha's tone was that of a patient teacher explaining calculus to kindergarteners.

  Tyb turned his head and watched Christos walk down the hill toward the meadow. "Aisha, you said you wanted to help take him out? Got any ideas?"

  "Yeah I do. You won't like it, though. I'll channel my inner non-pedophilic Aunt MaryAnne."

  "That means jackshit to me."

  "MaryAnne seduced and abused him when he was 15. I had a very enlightening conversation with her the other week and I think I found the key to getting my way with him. I want to do this, Tyb."

  "You haven't told me anything, Aisha."

  "Fine, you want to know? Here." She reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a golfball sized hunk of something wrapped in plastic and handed it over to Tyb. "There you go. That's my idea."

  He held it up and asked, "What's this? Putty? Going to sculpt him?"

  "That's C-4, smartass. I'm gonna make him a buttplug. It'll be plug and play and boom. I even snatched a detonator, too."

  Tyb almost dropped the explosive. "You're going to shove high explosives in his ass?"

  With a wicked gleam, Aisha smiled. "That's the idea. Fucker will be fucked. Comeuppance. I…I should have walked away from him when he got married. Instead, I waited on the sideline, hoping he'd tell me it was a mistake; that it was me he should have married. But that never happened. Then she disappeared. And no matter what, he'd still n
ever marry me. He'd still take his anger out on me as the price of him making the serum for me. I signed a lifetime long contract, that I was his. I'm ready to end that contract and keep him from being him. When he found out Selesta died, he told me all sorts of stuff he'd do to her. It wasn't sexy, it wasn't fun—at least not to her. He tortured that poor woman and called it getting kinky. I didn't do anything. I knew I could take the pain, but she didn't sign up for that. She wanted to just be married to that mask he wore. Mask fell off and she was left with a monster."

  I spoke up, touched by what she said. "If he's that way, I doubt there was anything you could do to change him."

  Her intense green eyes peered into my soul and said, "If you were me, what would you do? Let him rampage and inflict himself on others? He's already fucked Cali up enough that he ran to fucking Siberia to be safe while the high-intensity fallout settled elsewhere. Someone will have to kill him to stop him. I'm a fucking scientific vampire-zombie hybrid. Let's face it, I gotta die too before my implant completely fails. I'm as much a danger to people as he is."

  Her words, true, and made me wonder just how much of a danger is she to Tyb?

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Aisha didn't continue the conversation. Christos had now reached the far edge of the meadow. She turned and leapt from the tree house's top to the middle of the field in a silent, single bound.

  "Holy shit. Your sister has moves."

  "Yeah, I know. And it scares the shit out of me."

  Aisha now approached Christos. For a bit, quiet. Their words didn't carry to our ears until Christos demanded in a loud voice, "I want to know who those people are."

  She responded just as loud. "That's my cousin, Brian, and his wife, Misha. I've imposed on them and so I'm going to see my parents."

  Christos bellowed, "Don't you dare yell at me!"