by Dan Glover
The castle beneath the waves of Lake Baikal where her family lived during the time of ice was placed near a fissure in the earth where warm waters emanated keeping them safe during the winter and allowing abundant plant and animal life to thrive.
"Of course I remember it, my sweet Lily. That is why I fell in love with my castle. You will love Orchardton Hall. It seems as if it was made for us."
Lauren pulled out a postcard. She handed it first to Lily who examined the picture before gently giving it over to Natalia.
"It is enormous, lovely Lauren!"
"My castle has a hundred and eighty five rooms, my precious Natalia, at least the ones that I've counted. There may be more. Perhaps when we arrive we shall go exploring."
"What do you think, darling Natalia? Shall we go live in a castle in Scotland?"
"Only if we can all live happily ever after, my sweet Lily... as long as we are together I do not care where we are. And don't worry... I will not be kicking and screaming."
Giggling, she leaned over and picked a thumbtack out of the wall to pin the postcard to where they could all gaze upon it and dream of the time they would spend together there.
Chapter 38—King
Ginger was not cooperating.
It should have been so easy, at least according to Marilyn. The woman apparently had the notion that the girls of the People were all slow-witted denizens of the castle willing to do whatever they were told. Ginger was fast proving the woman wrong.
Kirk planned on using the girl to lure Lady Lauren and Natalia into the dungeon under the castle. Marilyn instructed him how to lock and bar the door from the outside so they would be trapped and yet still offer the safety to the People their presence provided.
Ginger was one of Drummond's many daughters. Before he took up with Marilyn, Kirk once had eyes for her. He thought she was still young and pliable enough to do his bidding without too much coercion. But now she was refusing to go down into the depths of the dungeon.
"Why do I have to go down there all alone, Kirk? I want someone to come with me. I'll only go if you go first."
"Iiiit's a game we're playing, Ggginger. Iiii need you to go down there and ccccall out like you're hurt."
He hoped his stuttering would lend a sense of equanimity to their intercourse... he had taken it up voluntarily years ago but over time discovered he could not stop it.
They stood at the top of a set of steps cut out of living stone leading down into blackness. Honestly, the dungeon had always given Kirk the creeps too. But he had to get Ginger down those steps, one way or another.
"Push her if you have to, Kirk. This is important to your plans. If I'm going to do my part, you have to be ready to do yours."
He heard Marilyn's words in his ear as if she was standing right next to him.
"Please do me a ffffavor and gggggo down the stairs, Ginger. This is important to mmme."
"No way, Kirk... not by myself... if you come with me I'll go."
"Okay, hhhhave it your wwwway."
He shoved Ginger hard, perhaps too hard. Her screams echoed in the darkness and then stopped just as quickly. He heard a distant crack at the bottom of the stairs as if someone had hit a coconut with a hammer.
Running up the steps from the sub-basements into the eye-dimming daylight he found Lady Lauren and Natalia in the rose garden trimming dead wood from the vines. He was not a good liar but being out of breath from his run up the multiple staircases seemed to lend a sincerity to his words they might not otherwise possess.
"Oh, tttthere you are! Pleeeease hurry! Gggginger has had an accident. Wwwwe were going down into the cellar when she slipped and fffffell. I think she's hurt quite bbbbadly."
Rushing down through the four sub-basements they reached the stone stairway leading into the dungeon. Kirk used a flashlight to lead the way. At the bottom they came across the crumpled unconscious body of Ginger. A pool of blood gathered around her head as her right leg bent unnaturally behind her back.
As Natalia and Lauren knelt by the girl's body Kirk set the flashlight upon a step before retreating silently back up the stairs. At the top he shut the door securing it with an enormous timber that he grunted under while lifting in place.
The plan had worked to perfection. At first Kirk thought Ginger was dead but just before he left the women alone in the dungeon he noticed she was still breathing. It made him feel better that he hadn't killed the girl even though he knew she was hurt badly and needed assistance she would not receive in the depths of the castle.
It was her choice.
He reasoned that if she went down the stairs willingly he wouldn’t have had to push her. She brought it on herself. Marilyn had made him promise to get Lauren and Natalia locked in the dungeon in any way he could. He knew he wasn’t the brightest man in the world but he did keep his promises.
A sense of elation washed over him. All his life Kirk had been mocked for his dim wits and ungainly body but now he had succeeded in trapping the witches in their own cellar. From now on he would rule the castle. Marilyn might have ideas that she was in charge but as king he would soon knock some sense into the woman. He remembered how daddy put momma in her place and momma was a whole lot meaner than Marilyn.
He fancied himself as more than a king. He would be an emperor. If anyone dared to make fun of his stuttering he would have them thrown into the dungeon along with the witches. He would take his pick of women instead of having to settle. His reign would last a million years, no, a billion. Songs would be sung of his exploits.
He walked outside to await Marilyn's return.
Chapter 39—Worries
The train ride was a sluggish one.
The scenery crawled past the window so slowly Karen found she had to make a conscious effort to mark any movement at all. Hector was in another one of his foul moods that seemed uninterrupted ever since they left Moscow on the Trans Siberian Railroad.
Marilyn contacted her by phone two days ago. Apparently the chief financial officer back at CDC headquarters was asking a lot of questions about why Hector and Karen had been gone so long and about what they were doing in Russia.
Karen remembered the man: Maxwell Corrigan, a short fat man with an over inflated sense of self worth who was always sticking his piggish nose in where it did not belong. She had heretofore paid him little mind but now things might be getting serious, at least according to Marilyn.
"Corrigan is demanding I tell him the reason for your and Dr. Ramirez's trip to Russia. He is threatening to withdraw all monetary support unless I do. But I don’t know how much to reveal to him, Karen, and what to withhold. Tell me and I'll do what you say."
"Tell him we are on a follow-up mission to further investigate the Lake Baikal parasitic infections from seven years ago. Make sure he knows that Dr. Ramirez will have his sack if he even thinks of cutting us off. We're in a crucial stage of discovery right now. Lives are at stake. Make sure he knows that."
"He's not going to listen to me. You need to call him, Karen. Or better yet, have Dr. Ramirez do it."
"I'll see what I can do. Thanks, Marilyn. I appreciate the heads up."
"He is going over the phone records, Karen. I think he found something. He wants to see me first thing in the morning. I bet it's about your calls here to me."
"Look... that's nothing to be concerned about, Marilyn. Just tell that bastard the truth... we are working on an important case and I need you to do some research for me that I cannot manage in the field."
"I know he will want to know why you are calling and not Dr. Ramirez."
"Dr. Ramirez suffered an unfortunate accident. He was mugged at the railroad depot in Moscow. I've had to fill in for him."
"That could work, Karen. Thanks. But there's more... Corrigan went to the compound where we've been doing our research work."
"But the guards were instructed not to let anyone inside..."
"Corrigan fired them all and then he called in a locksmith."
"Do you ha
ve any idea what he found?"
"So far, nothing of any real importance since all our computer files are encrypted. He carried out an armload of journals which I assume he took from our offices. Is there anything of value in them?"
"No. No one else can read my shorthand except for you. You aren’t going to help that asshole, are you Marilyn?"
"Come on, Karen... you know better to ask me that."
Karen felt horrible. She should have never suspected Marilyn would ever assist Corrigan.
"I can make sure the hard drives on our computers disappear, Karen. Should I do that for us?"
"God, yes... thank you for that, Marilyn. I really don’t know what I would do without you. Keep that data safe, please. I don’t think you have to worry about Dr. Ramirez's computers, however. He isn’t privy to the work that we've been doing for the last few years. Let Corrigan have those hard drives. But keep ours safe."
"I've already taken the liberty of removing our computers when I heard Corrigan making such a fuss over your trip to Russia. I suspected he might be plotting this for some time. Do you think this vendetta stops with him?"
"Absolutely not... he is an errand boy for the Prime Minister... everyone knows that. But he can cause a lot of trouble if he isn't kept on a leash."
"Do you really think we still need the specimen to complete our work, Karen?"
She didn’t want to lie to Marilyn... they'd been through too much together over the past seven years... but the truth would break her heart.
"You know I love you Marilyn... right?"
"Why are you telling me this? Why now? What is this trip really about?"
"Promise you won't think less of me?"
Karen and Marilyn carried on a torrid affair from the moment they met. She told herself that she was bisexual but in her heart Karen knew she loved women and only women. The sight of a man did nothing for her. Hector badgered her into a moan once or twice a month but the rest of her nights were filled with Marilyn.
But now visions of Lily had infiltrated her dreams and pilfered all her desires. Lily was model-gorgeous while Marilyn was a homely thing with bulges where there shouldn’t be bulges and dirty blonde hair that bristled in all directions and breasts that drooped like overripe bananas.
"You're in love with someone else... is that it, Karen? Just tell me. I'm woman enough to take it."
"Hector asked me to marry him, Marilyn."
"You're kidding me, right? Hector?"
"I'm sure he has an ulterior motive. He suspects we're up to something... that we're withholding vital information on our research. I think this is his way of lulling me into a false sense of security."
"What did you say?"
"I told him I need to think about it. Jesus Christ, Marilyn... the thought of being married to that man gives me the willies. At the same time though, I think I need to placate him, at least until..."
"Until what?"
"I need to find Lily. I need Hector's help to do that."
"You're in love with her."
"Don't say it like that, Marilyn. That is not what this is all about."
"Tell me then... what is it about?"
"You know what it's about... the same thing it's been about for the last seven years: immortality. We have the chance to discover the fountain of youth, Marilyn... me and you, together. We can rewrite every medical book ever written."
"Hector knows nothing of this?"
"Of course not... no one knows what we've been working on. All our work depends on me tracking down Lily once again. She is the key to everything. I need you to help to hold off Corrigan."
"How can I do that, Karen? Any ideas are appreciated."
"You say he's been in our laboratory?"
"Yes he has."
"Well, Marilyn... what if he accidentally exposed himself to Lake Baikal syndrome? If something like that were to happen, why... the powers that be might see fit to recall Hector right away... we'd be solving two problems at once."
"Are you asking me to do what I think you're asking me to do?"
"I'm asking for help. If that little runt ruins all our work with his meddling it will be a disaster for all of humanity. Think of it, Marilyn... no more disease, no more death."
"And that is worth killing for?"
"You're right. Disregard what I said. If Corrigan cuts us off we'll just have to forget all our plans, all our dreams. I don’t want to place you in any danger, Marilyn. We'll figure something else out."
She knew she had planted a seed that would take root quickly. Her skill in psychology made it too easy to manipulate others around her... almost second nature. She felt a momentary pang of guilt knowing full well that Marilyn would carry out her request post haste. Still, that little twerp should have never stuck his nose into something so profound and earth shattering.
A day later Karen feigned surprise when Hector broke the news of emerging problems back in the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control in England.
"I don't understand how something like this could have happened, Karen. You remember Maxwell Corrigan... that little guy who was hitting on you at the last Christmas party?"
"I think I remember him, yes... fat little bald man... why?"
"He's disappeared. I just received word. They've searched everywhere for him. He vanished without a trace."
"How did this happen? Are we dealing with terrorism?"
"Hell... anything is possible at this point. We need to get back as soon as possible."
"No way, Hector. We're too close to Lake Baikal now."
"I've been ordered back by the Prime Minister himself. I have to go."
"You go then... I'll continue on."
"Things are out of control, Karen. There's been an outbreak of Lake Baikal syndrome at a hospital just outside of London. We're both needed back home."
"No... you're needed, Hector. I have to get to Lake Baikal. All our work is in jeopardy if we don’t retrieve our specimen. You know that as well as I do."
"I don’t like it, Karen."
"What is there to like? Look... you can catch a prop plane in Irkutsk. We'll be pulling into the station in a few hours. Fly back to Moscow, board an airliner to England, and straighten things out there. Before you know it, you'll be on your way back to Lake Baikal. I'll wait for you before I act on anything."
"Christ I need a drink."
"Allow me, Hector... the usual?"
"Yes... do you have to ask me that every damn time?"
Returning with two drinks from the bar in the dining car Karen set them down on the table. Without a word Hector picked one up to down it in a gulp before reaching for the second one.
"I've been thinking, Hector."
"Well, are you going to tell me about it or do I have to try and guess?"
"Yes, I'll marry you."
"Wait... for just a second I thought I heard you say that you'll marry me."
"You heard right, you big monkey. As soon as we get back to England I want the biggest, grandest wedding in history. Now, let me get us some more drinks so we can celebrate properly."
Chapter 40—Trapped
He knew better than to trust that crazy woman.
The relief of finding his son safe and sound overwhelmed his vigilance around Marilyn. He believed she was in the isolation chamber right alongside Maon. It wasn’t until the door slammed shut behind them that Nate realized what had happened. Karen must have read his thoughts.
"She planned this all along."
Karen sobbed the words in the dark. Nate turned on a flashlight he carried in his pocket at all times but he knew the batteries wouldn't last long. The air suddenly felt stuffy. Karen must have noticed it too.
"When the generator goes down the ventilation system stops working... Marilyn must have turned it off on her way out."
"How much time do we have before the air is used up, Karen?"
"With the four of us, Nate, we might have two hours, maybe less."
Nate walked around the
perimeter of the room shining his light up and down as he went.
"Is there any way we can break through the Plexiglas, Karen?"
"It's one inch thick bulletproof glass. The manufacturer claims it is unbreakable."
"What is this in the floor here?"
"That is the ventilation shaft."
"Where does it go?"
"It runs beneath this room and into the negative pressure room. There was always an outflow of air from the isolation chamber to avoid airborne contagious diseases."
"How big is it, Karen?"
"It's less than a thirty centimeters in diameter. There's no way any of us will fit into it."
"Maon is small enough."
"You can't be serious. He's only two years old. There must be another way."
Lily sounded incredulous at the thought of sending their son through the tiny air shaft as Nate wished he could afford the same luxury.
"The air is already getting heavy with carbon dioxide, my lovely Lily. We may not have a choice."
"I can do it, daddy. Let me try, mom. I can do it."
Nate brushed a lock of dark hair from his son's shining face, hugged him tight for a moment, and then gave him the flashlight.
"The grate isn’t screwed down in this room so I doubt it will be in the negative pressure room either. But if it is, you might have to break out, Maon. Use the flashlight if you have to. Once you're in the other room, go out the door and look for the keys. Where will they be, Karen?"
"An extra set is always kept under the desk outside the door. Pull out the bottom drawer on the left. The key will be taped underneath."
"Do you understand what Karen is saying, Maon?"
"Yes, daddy... I can do it."
"Nate! Don’t let our son go down into that shaft! Tell him, Karen... tell him that there might be a drop off in there. Maon might fall."
"Trust me, Lady Lily... there isn’t a drop off. The shaft goes under the floor directly into the negative pressure room. We had it installed when..."
"When I was brought here... is that what you were going to say?"