Encompassing

by Richard Lord

  Renfield answers. “What keeps DNA going, changing and evolving? What makes people move sometimes and be still at others? Those two concepts should keep you busy for a while. I take it Solstice hasn’t shown you your work area yet?”

  Illumna looks at her father, surprised and thinks to Solstice, “Why is that, sis”

  Solstice thinks back at her, “You didn’t ask!” Then she points her tongue out at her sister, and Renfield pushes himself into a full standing position and intercedes by putting a guiding hand on Illumna’s shoulder and twisting her in the proper direction. Ironically. It’s literally on the other side of Solstice’s workstation, so they will have to face each other while they work.

  Illumna looks at her Dad, “I get it. We have to learn to work together. You think we’re a pretty good team now, but we need improvement.”

  Solstice looks at Renfield inquisitively as he answers. “Yes. You two do well together but you still don’t accept each other’s differences. You aren’t the same person. If life were good with clones, than that’s the world I’d live in. It’s not. Life is good now. The way it is. With each of you being you.”

  Both of his daughters look at him as he moves his head and clicks out.

  CHAPTER 65

  “There is a difference between what is and what seems to be. What is - is always less drastic than what seems to be.” -- Illumna reciting Adam’s nighttime prayer to his daughters.

  “What’s wrong Brady?”, asks Renfield. He looks down at the knife in Brady’s hand. He considers the risk. He quickly scans Bray’s mind, but he knows Brady has advanced enough to block him and has been for a while.

  “I planted a tracker in you.” Brady begins. Renfield’s face twists with anger, but he holds fast to let Brady continue.

  “It was for my own use. I didn’t sell you out, man. I promise.” Brady continues. Renfield considers much and continues to listen.

  “I had to requisition it, so others knew. So it’s someone on the force and I’ve been thinking that through.” Brady explains.

  Renfield nods and looks down at Brady and comments, “Did you at least get their numbers?”

  Brady looks up at Renfield, “Huh? Oh the girls. Yeah, the one had to go because she had to work in the morning. The other and I hit it off pretty well. She just left a little while ago.”

  Renfield says, “Well now you have to follow up. Women don’t really appreciate not being called later. It makes for a bad start if it leads to a start at all. Got me?”

  “Yeah man, she’s pretty cool. I got ya. But do you know what I am about to do with this knife, Adam?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t know where you put it, so I’m wondering how bad it’s going to hurt.” Renfield responds.

  “Let’s say more than average, but not as much as that!” He points to the hole in Renfield’s side. Renfield looks down and realizes it’s still bleeding. “Ever consider going to a Doctor?” Brady asks.

  Renfield laughs, “So where is it? You’re making me want to brace for this!”

  Faster than Renfield ever imagined Brady to be he stands, cuts through his midsection, not far from the wound that is plaguing him and flicks the knife back out of him as small metal capsule goes flying into the air. Renfield looks at him in shock and yells, “That hurt!”

  “Yeah, I suspect it did. Kind of like you not trusting me hurt a hell of a lot, but I dealt with it, so deal with that, Adam.” He wipes the blade on a towel and then tosses the towel to Renfield. “Apply pressure.” Brady adds.

  “Yeah, thanks, Brady, I think I know the drill by now.” Renfield moves to the bed and lays down. “So neither of us slept and we have another problem.”

  “Yup. I’ve been thinking about it. How quick can you click around, Adam?” Brady asks.

  “Hmm, pretty quick, if I’m not shot and haven’t been stabbed.” Renfield begins listening to Brady’s plan in his head while in too much pain to talk. Then he speaks again. “But where? You do realize that your precious Joey is going to freak all over again and that’s going to set us back?”

  Brady turns around and flicks the credit card over to Renfield. “I know. But you said we have time. What we need to consider right now is funding.” At that place, I figure they don’t have much time. No one’s going to try to do a damned thing given the last show, for a while, but eventually the natives will get restless, ya know? They’ve got someone with them that can keep ALL of us from hearing them. That we need to consider. We have to put together a financial plan and we need to start now! Since you and I both know they can track funds, we have to go off book. I suspect you might know a thing or two about that, Adam. What do you suggest?”

  “Do you have any idea what you’re asking? That means coming up with, let’s say in a week, enough to fund a place big enough and that can draw enough power, in an area fairly populated, so it doesn’t’ draw suspicion. We still have to run Solstice and Illumna’s lab and keep all six of us alive, well fed and healthy!” Renfield doesn’t want to think about the reality, but he points it out to Brady anyway.

  “Well robbing a bank is a really bad idea. What do you have?” Brady asks.

  “What the hell do you have Brady? I understand why you planted the tracker when you had the chance, but it caused this problem and you should man up and figure out some part of the plan to get us out if it while me and the girls still work towards the major goal!”

  “What do you think I’ve been thinking about this whole time? I’ve got nothing, Adam.” Brady replies.

  “My daughters, one being your granddaughter, my wife, your former lover, and my partner through everything, your daughter. Their lives are literally on the line here, man! I’m not being dramatic, I’m pointing out an absolute! You’ve got to think!” Renfield goes into his fast thinking mode and doesn’t move for a long time.

  Brady goes through the list of options but none meet the criteria. He realizes he begins crossing them off as fast as he is thinking them up. Renfield continues to think deeply while listening to Brady’s thoughts and he hears Brady cross off yet another plan. Renfield sits up and yells, “Stop! Go back!”

  Brady looks at him, “It won’t work, it’s trackable.”

  “Yes”, responds Renfield, but years later. By then it won’t matter and we can move the money into other operations that are rock solid.”

  Brady looks at him, “No that’s…” He pauses, thinks to himself for a moment and then waves in a gesture clearly indicating he doesn’t have any idea of his own. “Go on.”

  Renfield leans toward him and says, “Ok, here’s the plan…”

  CHAPTER 66

  “Don’t be so careful what you wish for. Be more careful about what you get.” -- from the book of Illumna

  Illumna and Solstice look at their new lab. Illumna looks excited and she can see the touches that were added specifically for her. Solstice pauses and looks peculiarly at her father and Brady. “How did the two of you get this done in just 5 days without using time?”

  Brady responds, “You’re Dad’s a genius! I’m impressed myself!”

  Renfield jumps in, “Actually, it was Brady’s idea, I just tweaked it.”

  Solstice listens to their minds for a moment but tires of them gushing over each other and walks over to boot her new system. She then looks surprised when she sees all of her data and work is already on the new system. She turns and thinks at her father, “Thank you!”

  Renfield grins. Brady says, “I better go check on Christina and Sara. They’re either elated or their completely angry over having to move again so quickly!”

  Renfield nods to him. And turns to intercept Solstice’s next comment. “Joseph moved now. I know he has to get used to his new body and that it adds stress to that. The environment has changed, yet again, that means you need to re-calibrate the next dosage. I got that. First, I think you should let your sister name him. I don’t find too much humor in Brady referring to him as Joey. However, he’s your creation, Dr. Frankenstein, so if you
want to name him go ahead. But you understand why I am suggesting you let your sister do that grizzly job?”

  She nods and having worked across from her sister for a few days she knows that Illumna is very abrupt, so she doesn’t try to sugar coat it. “Illumna, what do you want to call that thing? She points at the puppy model that is now actively looking around and sniffing everything.

  Illumna looks up, “He looks a bit like a balloon animal, but he does like to sniff things. I would know.” She adds.

  Solstice rolls her eyes at the comment and gestures for her sister to finish the task.

  Illumna looks up at the ceiling and then back at the puppy model then back at the ceiling, clearly indecisive. Then she answers, “Sniffaloon!” Solstice groans and looks over at her father.

  Renfield laughs and replies to Solstice’s look, “Yeah, well we already know she’s bad at naming things!”

  Illumna looks at her father and narrows her eyes, then simply states, “Well, I like it.”

  Renfield responds, “We don’t but now you have to teach Sniffaloon to eat and drink. The IV thing has to end.”

  Solstice considers that. She hadn’t thought about that before. At that moment she realizes she’s more like Illumna than she is like her father. She sees that she and Illumna are far more scientific about things, although her father knows a lot more than both of them put together. He is definitely more emotional than either of them. Then she considers Illumna’s naming thing and thinks to herself, “Am I as emotional as Illumna?”

  Renfield thinks at her, “Of course you are. We’ve all seen you in a tantrum, girl. Your sister expresses her emotions her way, you do it your way. I am surprised you note mine. Most think me pretty cold.”

  Illumna hops into the conversation and thinks to both of them. “Dad, you’re different. Like us.” She announces with pride.

  Renfield chuckles at the thought and thinks back to both of them, “I suppose I am, but I’m damned good at it!”

  Solstice grins and shakes her head. Illumna considers the concept.

  Renfield turns and looks up the stairs as Brady starts down them. Brady looks down the stairs at him. “Did you hear me or hear me?”

  “I’m not sure there’s a distinction really. Both senses work together. Like taste is mostly smell.” Renfield replies.

  “Duly noted.” Brady says as he rounds the corner at the bottom of the staircase. “So pretty much their labs always have to be in a basement, huh?”

  Both girls look up and reply in unison, “It’s cozier.” Solstice adds, “A tad damper and colder, but that keeps us alert.” Illumna nods at the statement.

  Brady looks at them and then back to Renfield and nods his head over to them. Renfield thinks back at him. “Yes, they’re getting more in sync.” Then out loud he says, “So to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?”

  Brady rolls his eyes at Renfield in a ‘you know damned well’ way and Renfield is taken aback as he realizes that’s where Illumna gets the trait, and then realizes how much Illumna has had an effect on her younger sister.

  Solstice turns to him and say, “Unh uh”.

  Illumna smiles and Renfield grins back at both of them.

  Solstice turns to Brady. ”You do realize where he’s about to go?”

  Brady, caught unaware shakes off the thoughts that have him in a temporary coma. He replays what Solstice just said. Concluding the obvious intonation, he looks at Renfield. “Why?”

  Renfield looks at Brady, “It’s been days, Brady. By now they are circling the wagons again. Someone, by now has stopped up to the plate and demanded they reconnoiter our former known haunts. I want to be there when they do so that I can make it uncomfortable enough for them that they have to go back and consider that it’s a pretty bad idea. Maybe even decide to simply leave us alone. Plus, it throws off their scent so the girls and I have time to prepare for the more pressing, next step.”

  Brady considers Renfield’s reasoning. He then looks down at Renfield’s side. He can see the bulge of gauze through Renfield’s shirt. Solstice noting his gaze says, “Brady, he’s not healing like he normally does. I don’t think he’s going to…” Solstice stops her sentence and then continues again, more to the point, “I don’t think he should go.”

  Brady turns to Solstice, “I already gathered that there was a reason you even mentioned it to me. But I understand why he wants to go. If I could do even a quarter of what the three of you could, I’d say I’ll go with him, but I think it might slow him down. It’s because of me he took that shot in the first place. I don’t want either of you going. I’m also not sure he would survive another full onslaught, but I’m guessing the same thing he is. They’ll send reconnaissance only. He thinks he’s got it.” Brady looks over at Renfield.

  Renfield nods and disappears.

  “Grandfather!“ Illumna looks up at Brady angrily and she disappears to, but is back in a few seconds and then looks at Solstice with pleading eyes. “I can’t get that far. Will you help?”

  Solstice looks at her sister. “He’s been alive a long time Illumna. He knows what he’s doing. We might worry about him, but we have to believe in him. Sit down and let’s get this stuff done so we can have lunch.”

  Illumna looks at her sister with shock. “You said yourself he shouldn’t go!”

  “Solstice turns from her screen and looks at Illumna, “But he did. We have a task to complete. Let’s do our part while he does his.”

  Renfield appears and directly to his right is a man dressed in a casual professional way. He uses his elbow. Immediately the man’s nose sprays blood everywhere, but he goes unconscious and Renfield gathers the weapons on the man, then kicks him in the head hard and drags him to another room. He thinks to himself. “That was close. I wasn’t expecting that.” Then he thinks of something Brady said and shuts his mind off from access. Then he thinks to himself again, “I’m getting slow. That was dumb”. He works his way to a window and looks out. One SUV is not one of the ones that was left the last time he was here. That narrows it down in his mind. In basics, that means there is a maximum of four in his home. Then he kicks the first in the head again, really hard, peers out of the window again and sees one of the men crossing his yard. Renfield clicks to his side. Same maneuver. Then he walks over and picks up a melon from his paltry garden and puts it against the man’s head and shoves the gun into the melon. He thinks to himself, “This is going to make a mess.” Then he pulls the trigger and he’s covered in melon and blood. He clicks back to his previous position and kicks the first man in the head even harder. Then he listens. He begins scanning for thoughts. Renfield hears one, in his kitchen. His anger rises and he clicks to his kitchen, grabs a knife off the magnet it’s stuck to, turns and de-throats the man. He pulls the body quickly under the kitchen table and listens again. Renfield hears nothing, but he realizes that if there is a fourth person, it could be the one who can block his ability to hear. Then he audibly hears a creak in his living room. Renfield clicks to his living room, but is met by a gun in his face.

  “Don’t!” The man eyes Renfield. “Put it down.”, says the man in a suit.

  Renfield looks hard at his face and realizes he’s the officer who booked him before he even talked to Brady that day. He clicks back to the upper bedroom. Kicks the first guy in the head one more time and hears in his head, “Stop, Adam! It’s over. Renfield turns slowly to see the man in the suit pointing the gun at him.

  Given few options, he addresses him. “You haven’t pulled that trigger yet, so you want something first.”

  The man nods.

  He clicks to behind him. His accuracy is nothing like Illumna’s and he is too far to strike, so he turns to run and the first bullet strikes him in the back. He stops cold, lays down on the staircase and looks up at the man and comments, “That was risky. What if I died from that?”

  The man looks down at him and smiles. With the gun pointed directly at Renfield’s face he explains, “I’ll find what I nee
d with or without you. I couldn’t care less how you fare in the matter.”

  Renfield realizes the man is being completely honest on that matter. He writhes in pain. All cards played it occurs to him he’s holding a losing hand. He tries to focus and looks up at the man, “Ok, what do you want? It can’t be Brady, I think he just met the girl of his dreams.” He quips.

  The man smiles, “Oh you mean Angela? She works with me. So I highly doubt that.”

  Renfield thinks, “Damn!” Then he realizes, in his pain, he has let his mind open a bit.

  The man smiles at him in satisfaction then adds, “Although she did seem to enjoy her assignment and took it a bit further than requested. So perhaps Brady does have a chance. If he could kiss with rigor mortis.” The man smiles at Renfield again.

  Renfield responds, “You do realize that’s a temporary effect. After that, I’m pretty sure he’ll be good to go.”

  “Let’s find out. Where is Solstice? The original. Not the one who’s living it up as the found lost girl.”

  Renfield thinks to himself again, “Damn!” But the threat to his daughter boosts his mind and he moves quickly, grabs the man’s leg, twists, pushes him down the stairs, clicks on top of him, breaks his wrist, takes his gun and without hesitation he ends the man’s existence. Then Renfield clicks.

  Laying on the floor of the lab, Brady jumps to and hears Renfield utter, “Yeah, I need help! Lung pierced, grab a straw.” Brady looks down at Renfield. He feels the urgency but he doesn’t understand. Illumna clicks to his side and stabs Renfield with a glass pipette. Renfield’s body goes rigid and then relaxes and Brady turns to look at Illumna with an odd stare. Renfield rolls over on his side and looks up at Illumna’s face with a thank you. Illumna nods. Brady still doesn’t understand.

  “Collapsed lung. He needed another way to aspirate. Don’t you know basic first aid?” Illumna mutters.

  “I don’t think that’s basic. But whatever, I get it.” Brady pulls out his knife and looks at Renfield. “This is going to suck. He then stabs him again and digs deep through muscle tissue, feels the bullet and pries it out of Renfield. Renfield in, agony, goes unconscious.