She pointed and asked, "What's that?"
"The subway," Andrews answered. "The city closed it after the Dry Clouds appeared. They were having some sort of problems with it, so they abandoned it and built the hover train system."
"Oh, didn't know that." She scanned the area, keeping in mind the layout. "All right, let's see the rest of the house."
They went back in, and Andrews took her to the living room and motioned up. "You've seen this part of the house. The second floor has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and there are two sets of stairs leading up, this one and the one in the kitchen. All the windows in this house have shielded screens. It's like having tank armor. No one will be getting in through them." He walked past the shot up couch and TV to a hallway. "Down here is Ms. Odin's..."
"I been meaning to ask," Kat interrupted. "Ms. Odin, is she married?"
"Yes, she kept her maiden name. Her husband is on the Light Side of the planet right now on business. Ms. Odin thought it best not to tell him about the problem with Valhalla, so he doesn't know the danger she's in." He continued, "As I was saying, down here is Ms. Odin's office and the next room down is her lab. The room across from there is another bathroom." He opened the door to each of them.
"Why did you become a bodyguard?" Kat asked. "And how did you get this assignment? Someone else was working the day I went to the funeral."
"I started out as a lawyer, but wasn't making enough for my family," he answered. "Plus, I wanted to do something that would fulfill my sense of duty, and your right, another bodyguard started out with Johnson and Daniels. I got this assignment the other day when he fell ill."
"You have a family?"
"Yes, three kids. You want to see them?" Andrews removed a wallet and showed her several pictures of a boy and two girls. "They are Matthew, Karen, and Beth."
Kat couldn't get past the idea that he had children. "Why would you do a job like this if you have kids? What if you get killed?"
"Isis Corporation has an excellent death benefit. My children and wife will be taken care of."
"That's not what I meant. They won't have you anymore. Nothing can replace you."
"You're right about that, but there's nothing I wouldn't do for my children, so that they have the best possible life."
Johnson walked down the hall and ordered, "Andrews take over for Daniels. He's watching the children."
He nodded. "I'm on it."
Katharine's view...
I watch as he leaves. Andrews said there's nothing he wouldn't do for his children, but did that include dying?
Chapter Thirty-five
R.G. And The Delivery Man
3:27 P.M...
Hellenistic Sector, Residential Vicinage...
Nexus Apartments...
Apartment G...
A delivery boy rang the door bell; the lanky teen held a bag of Chinese take-out.
Zax answered the door. "Good, you're here." He took the bag and handed the teen a white plastic card with no markings. "Put five credits on there for yourself."
The teen nodded, removed a H.H.C. with the restaurant logo on it, and swiped the card. "All done. Here's your receipt."
"Thanks." Zax took it and the card and started for the kitchen. "Door lock." The door whooshed shut, then he placed the bag on the black marble counter, removed a box of tomato-beef, a box of rice, and a fork. Zax went to the wall between his apartment and H, sat at a table he'd placed there, and watched the Second Station's monitors; the First Station was set up in the master bedroom. He put a mouthful of rice and beef in his mouth and chewed. Ten minutes went by, and Zax was bored out of his mind because no one was home. Three of the monitors showed a view of the apartment: they were of the living room, kitchen, and the small round table. The other two monitors showed the outside hallway from two different angles. Someone walked down the hall, stopped at Apartment H, and rang the doorbell.
Zax had seen this person before, so he grabbed a red binder from the table and flipped through it till he came across the page he was looking for. Here she was, and her name was Cerberus. Zax set his food down, grabbed his cell, and dialed a number. "Delivery Man here, let me speak with R.G." There was a long pause.
"Yes," R.G. replied in a distorted voice. "What do you have to report?"
"One of the people in the red binder has showed up at Kimberly's apartment."
"So soon? Which one?" R.G. asked.
"Cerberus."
"This is not good. Cerberus has arrived much too early. I can't believe the Council activated Cerberus." R.G. sighed. "Can't change the past, so... I want you to get as much footage on Cerberus as you can."
"Right, I will." He activated the recording machine. "What else do you want me to do?"
"Nothing. For now, record what you see. Let's hope Kimberly and Katharine can deal with her. She will be another test they must over come."
"Test?" Zax questioned.
"Yes, they'll have many; it's their destiny." R.G. paused and added, "Be careful Delivery Man, and don't let the two know you are watching them. They're very important to the future of the world."
Zax wished R.G. would tell him about the future world that the two were supposed to help forge. R.G. continued to keep him in the dark, so he asked, "Are you ever going to tell me what you know of their destiny?"
"In time, Delivery Man... in time, I will. First, we must make sure they are the ones. It could be that only one of them is meant for this destiny, so we must make sure." R.G. paused. "Thank you for the update. I want you to continue your surveillance of Kimberly and Katharine. Good bye."
Zax set down his cell, turned his attention back to the monitors, and saw Cerberus ring the bell a second time. She waited a bit and then left. Maybe Cerberus was another Council experiment. Zax picked up the fork and food as his thoughts went back to the conversation he had with R.G.
Zax's view...
Is it a trust thing? Is that why R.G. didn't tell me everything there is to know or is it something else?
* * *
3:30 P.M...
Hellenistic Sector, Business Vicinage...
Mr. Griffin threw a file on his desk. "Nothing. No more information on my youngest daughter." He turned in his chair and studied his reflection in one of the huge windows and then commanded the lights, "Dim."
Claviger and his new clerks were going through the Archive records but so far, they hadn't found anything. He leaned forward, placed his elbows on the desk, and rested his chin on his folded hands, and the glow from his computer showed on his face. He wondered it the Vice President had an alternative motive for sending the files over.
He dialed a number on the phone and then said, "Ms. Direct, please meet me out front. I'll be going out."
The Vice President had been the Chairman when he was known as Janus and Head of Security for this office, and they never did see eye to eye. One could say they had a rivalry. Have might be a better word. He stood and made his way to the door, wondering if the Vice President knew anything about his second daughter. The one file in the Archive stated that Theresa was present during the First Cross-Gate Event, and that she was eighteen days pregnant; it also stated the study of the child could be valuable to the Second Trial. Mr. Griffin turned the knob and walked into the hall. He had found no other information on the First Cross-Gate Event or the Second Trial. He closed the door and headed down the hall. The second file stated that Theresa went into labor early, and that the baby was delivered in good health. The Vice President at that time decided to take the child away from them and study the effects of the First Cross-Gate Event on their girl's development. Theresa cried in his arms for hours when they told them the baby had died.
Mr. Griffin's view...
How could they do that to us? What right did they have in taking our little girl away?
End Mr. Griffin's view...
He arrived at his secretary's desk, and Cathy was
gone. She had gone down to the cafeteria to eat dinner, so he grabbed a scribble pad and wrote a note for her to reschedule his evening appointments and that he would be out. Mr. Griffin walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby. The file stated the Vice President decided to take the child away and over thirty years ago, the Vice President would have been Mottie Masterdom, but he no longer works for the corporation. Mr. Griffin exited the elevator, made his way out the lobby, went down the stairs to the sidewalk, and there his limo waited.
His female driver exited the vehicle and opened the back door for him. "Chairman."
"Ms. Direct, the Second Branch Office."
"Yes, Chairman." She shut the door and rushed around to the driver's seat.
"Ms. Direct..."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Step on it. I'm in a bit of a hurry."
* * *
4:01 P.M...
Hellenistic Sector, Enterprise Vicinage...
Sphinx Corporation Second Branch Office...
Mr. Griffin walked into the Vice President's office that smelled of tobacco. It wasn't NicPhake but real tobacco. The layout of the office was similar to his own.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Vice President."
"It was no problem, always happy to see you Janus." Mr. Horus' black hair was slicked back, and he wore a light blue business suit and his thin face was rat-like.
Mr. Griffin could never get past staring at the man's pointed nose and rodent like teeth. "I haven't gone by that name in years."
"True, but I am very fond of it." Mr. Horus held up a wooden box. "Cigar, Janus?"
Mr. Griffin gestured no with his hand. "I don't smoke." He then asked, "If we are using fond names, should I then call you the Chairman?"
Mr. Horus scowled as he cut off the end of the roll with a cigar snip. "What brings you to the Second Branch Office?"
"The files you sent over with Orthos. I was wondering if you had anymore."
"No." Mr. Horus lit up his cigar with a match. "I sent over all that I had." He puffed on the roll. "Why?" He arched a thin black eyebrow. "Was there anything in particular you were looking for?"
Mr. Griffin paused, wondering if he should mention it. Knowledge was power, and he could be giving him quite a bit of it. Hesitant, he asked, "Do you know anything about the First Cross-Gate Event or the Second Trial?"
Mr. Horus' mouth curled into a rat smirk. "First Cross-Gate Event and the Second Trial... Why are you wondering about them?"
Mr. Griffin glowered and then replied, "In the files you sent over, Theresa is mentioned present at the First Cross-Gate Event."
"And?" Mr. Horus urged, smiling all the more.
Mr. Griffin glowered again. "And the file states my second daughter survived and that she was taken in hopes the study of her development would shed some light before the Second Trial."
Mr. Horus crossed his legs. "You got all that from the files I sent over?"
"No, I do have other sources. Now... What about my questions?"
"All I have heard are rumors. The First Cross-Gate Event is an Ultra-black Project, and the Second Trial is part of it." Mr. Horus puffed on the cigar and blew smoke up. "I know nothing else."
Mr. Griffin didn't believe him, and he said, "I have wasted your time and mine."
"Maybe not." Mr. Horus laid the cigar on an ash tray. "I'll contact the President, see if Mrs. Victoria Masterdom has any files she can send over from the Main Branch Office."
"Thank you." Mr. Griffin stood and headed for the door.
Mr. Horus picked up the cigar and flicked the ash. "Janus."
Mr. Griffin gritted his teeth at the name, calmed himself, and turned.
Satisfied he could still get a reaction from his once Head of Security, Mr. Horus said, "I think you should be more concerned with the First Trial than the Second. Push your investigation in that direction. You might find out more."
Mr. Griffin's view...
I nod and leave. The Vice President is up to something. He had these files for years, so why bring the information to my attention now?
Chapter Thirty-six
Draven And Salandra
4:15 P.M...
Nile Sector, Commorance Vicinage...
Ms. Odin's kitchen...
Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Melissa anxiously tapped her spoon on the counter as she stared at her barely touched coffee and watched the impact tremors ripple across the light brown liquid. Bonnie leaned her head on her mother's shoulder as Melissa cradled the little girl in her arm. Johnson moved from leaning on the back counter to Melissa's side and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Ms. Odin, maybe you should send the children up to the little girl's room," Johnson suggested then he yelled, "Andrews... Daniels... Come in here."
She peered at him as if she didn't hear him and then glanced at the kitchen clock. "You're right. It's getting late." She looked to the droopy eyed Bonnie. "All right, time for bed. You too Chad. We have a big day tomorrow."
She stood and handed Bonnie to Daniels; he had walked into the room followed by Andrews.
Chad complained, "Awe... We were just in bed. Can't I stay up another hour?"
Melissa tried not to get too upset. "No, please don't argue." Her face showed stress and fatigue. "I need both of you to stay in Bonnie's room. I need to know you're safe, so please... Don't argue."
Ashamed of his griping, Chad bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."
"It's okay." She took him in her arms and hugged him as if she were hugging her own brother. "Everything will be okay." After a few minutes, Melissa released him and started, "Daniels, please will you..."
"I'll do it." Kat stepped forward, wanting to help and wanting to leave the gloom and doom. "I can put them to bed." Something had to be done about Melissa; she was on the verge of cracking. "Kimberly," she started. "Make Melissa some tea. Chamomile if she has it." Maybe tea would break the bleak atmosphere, and she told Melissa, "It'll help you relax." She placed a hand on Melissa's hand which rested on the counter. "Don't worry. If I have any problems, Chad can help me."
Melissa looked to him, and he nodded, so Melissa said, "All right, but do call me if you have any problems."
"I will." Kat took Bonnie from Daniel's arms and headed for the door leading to the second floor. She started to pass Kim.
"Do I look like a maid?" Kim muttered.
Kat didn't answer her, she only smirked. "I'd like a cup too. Don't forget the honey."
Kimberly's view...
That woman's giving me orders like I'm some waitress. I'll take her order, and I'll whip up a plate of bad-asp and go Closer on everyone in this room, so that woman better not test me!
End Kimberly's view...
"You look very flustered," Kat commented as she paused beside Kim. "Maybe you should have some tea too. Melissa, you do have honey, right?"
"What?" Melissa had returned to staring at her coffee. "Honey. Yes, it's up in the cupboard." She pointed to one in the upper corner. "That one."
Kat felt like she should say something to encourage Melissa, but she couldn't come up with one word of comfort. Sometimes she felt so useless. Kat carried the yawning little girl up the stairs behind Chad.
Sometime passed after Kat and the children had left, and everyone in the kitchen fell awkwardly quiet.
"I see none of you are much for small talk," Kim muttered as she glanced at the three men standing around like statues and then she asked Melissa, "Do you have a kettle?"
"No," she answered. "But I do have a small pot, and it's under the sink." Melissa picked up her spoon and started her repetitious tapping again.
Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink.
Kimberly's view...
How did this happen? How did I end up being a maid to my Mark? How did that woman finagle me into this frustrating situation?
I roll my eyes and walk over to the sink
. I'll get back at that woman for this. Maybe I'll make her do all my laundry, sweep the floor, wash the windows, and do the dishes when we get back to the apartment, and then we'll see how she likes being ordered around.
Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink. Tink.
I glare at Melissa from the corner of my eye as if she's challenging me with her needling rapping. I force myself to stay on task, and I find the pot. I squeeze its handle as if I'm strangling Melissa's neck.
For the love of Zeus! Someone better make her stop that insanely annoying noise; it's driving me crazy! I grit my teeth, controlling my killer impulses. I don't know what I'll do if Melissa doesn't stop.
I fill the pot with water and set it on the burner as the sight of it causes more angry thoughts to fill my head. And what's up with Katharine? Is she obsessed with tea or something? It seems to me it's her answer for every problem we have.
I quietly mock her, "Let's make tea; oh, can I have some tea. I'd really like a cup of tea. For Ares' sake! She needs to go to a TDA meeting and hang out with all those other Tea Drinkers Anonymous losers; that's her, the little tea lush." I finish my ranting and ask, "Melissa, where are the bags?"
"Over there."
"Thanks," I tell her as I move to a canister Melissa has directed me to.
Why did that woman tell me to serve Melissa Chamomile as if I didn't know what type to serve? Who does that woman think she is? Does she think I'm some novice?
I rifle through the small square envelopes in the canister. Hades! What are these? I look a second time; they're all the same cheap brand. I remove a small square envelope, open it, remove the bag, and examine the very tiny leaves within. Who in Hades calls this tea? I might as well be drinking from a bag that has already steeped in three cups. I can't believe this is all she has! Is Melissa insane? I might as well go into her back yard and snip some weeds into clippings and brew them. For the love of Zeus! I'm going to die here! I grip the counter. I'm going to die here if I don't get some real tea!