Resolution

by Douglas E Roff

  “But I know that is just a feeling. There are many who wish him harm and I will give my life to prevent any harm from befalling him.”

  Misti asked, “Then why don’t you kill Enzo and Paulo? That would end the danger.”

  “Because my Master must do that to unite the races and fulfill his destiny and the destiny of this planet. Only he can do that. But, Enzo and Paulo are no match for my Master, so unless there is treachery before they meet, the outcome is assured.”

  Alana said, “The destiny of this planet? This is the first I’ve heard of that. I thought that Adam would try to save Earth from Her destruction, but that was it. What else do you know?”

  There was silence. “Of this I cannot speak, not because I don’t wish to share with you, but because it is forbidden.”

  “By who?”

  “It is forbidden. That is all I will say.”

  Misti spoke up. “Are you busy right now?”

  “No, not especially.”

  “Then come touch me, embrace me and let’s get down to business. I for one am wetter than a water park.”

  Niona asked, “May I invite my little one?”

  “What fun would lust be without her? And I will invite Beata. Training my wench is one of my great joys.”

  “Your place or mine?”

  “Mine. I have all the toys.”

  Chapter 53

  One by one Niona met, and dazzled the entire family, and all of the Clan St. James, as well as the hearts and minds of the people of Paraiso, and Nabataea. Adam had abolished titles, including his own, except for the Princess Kendra. All in Paraiso, and the Black Forest wished her to retain it as a tribute to her character and to their love and admiration. The Gens military men were especially fond of the young Princess and, though understanding her to be the wife of the Chosen of Chosen, still regarded her fierce prowess on the battlefield as worthy of great respect and admiration. It didn’t hurt that they also found her extremely beautiful in both human and Gens form. Kendra was often the topic of conversation with the warriors, and none ever turned down an opportunity to spar with one so young and beautiful.

  Niona had established the same link, possibly greater than Kendra’s, though the distinction was minor. The two were said to be best friends, and the women gossiped that they shared not only rooms in adjacent quarters but a bed when the Manti was with another of his wives. The role of Misti and the young Beata in the lives of Niona, and the Princess Kendra, was cloudy, but the four were often seen walking and shopping together, hand in hand.

  Beata, Verna and Lia were wed in the new “Chapel” built for those who chose human weddings with all the formalities and trappings. The ceremony, formal as it was, was a sight to behold. All of Paraiso watched and delighted in the beauty of the moment. It was said that the King of Nabataea was immensely delighted with his role and asked Adam for permission to train others in these duties to formalize them. Chapels sprang up everywhere and weddings were thereafter common. Some were small and informal; others were large and filled with arcane ceremony.

  True to her word, the wedding of the Lady Cia, and the Lady Eene to Adam was unlike any other. Niona held the occasion in the vast gardens and floral nursery that extended for miles in every direction, a floral display seen nowhere else in the Universe. Niona then created a dome overhead to permit sunlight to brighten the occasion. Niona then somehow created a vast floating and slow-moving grandstand, so that hundreds of thousands could attend, and see all the festivities up close, and many came down at various stages to participate in the wedding festivities. The Lady Cia and the Lady Eene, as well as Adam, couldn’t have imagined a more fitting wedding, and the delight and gratitude of all was evident.

  Lady Cia said, “How can we ever thank you? What can we possibly do to share the happiness that you have given us today?”

  Niona looked at the three and said, “There is but one thing. Love me and invite me into your hearts. That is all I will ever need from any whom I love.”

  ***

  Paulo and Enzo were now hard at work, imagining, and re-imagining the vagaries of both the capture of Karen and her family as well as the kidnapping, and murder of Rod, Cindy and whoever else was to accompany them to “rescue” Karen and her clan. The family would be held in an old farmhouse just outside Boston, in a rural and remote area, and only necessary to keep alive as “proof of life”. Other than that, Paulo had informed his brother he could play with the family for a time when they were of no further use, then the pair would have to leave the area.

  Paulo personally inspected many Boston downtown subway entrances carefully to achieve a maximum lethal explosion; he would plant C-4 at choke points to detonate when any of his targets came into range. Paulo hoped that Adam, Cindy and Rod would travel together and follow his instructions to a place where the family was not in fact held but were told by Paulo that they could be found. A live feed would be on Karen at all times, and new directions given as they went from stop to stop. When they arrived at the specific subway chokepoint, the C-4 would be detonated and … boom! No more annoying insects. Paulo would send out a phony press release from ISIS claiming responsibility, then return to Hawaii. But if it turned out Cindy only sent soldiers, the plan to cause havoc in Boston would be abandoned and they would reset. Of course, Karen and her family would die a horrible and painful death, but then who really cared? Certainly not Paulo.

  Adam, and Tar had been busy preparing Adam for mortal combat with Paulo; Enzo was an afterthought in Adam’s mind. Both Niona and Kendra cautioned Adam, on being overconfident, and underestimating Enzo as an opponent. This wasn’t boxing; there were no rules and Enzo would cheat if he had to, as would Paulo, to prevail. Any plan proposed by the brothers would be a damnable lie.

  Adam took the admonition seriously, but still spent most of his time preparing for Paulo. Hecate, who had been busy elsewhere, and had been for some time, finally returned to the City. When she returned, she was happy for the news of Adam’s new wives and asked to meet Niona immediately. Niona and Kendra had insinuated themselves into Adam’s daily training with Tar in Hecate’s absence, and kept Hecate informed of Adam’s progress at all times.

  Hecate, in human form, and Niona met in a beautiful garden in the City.

  “I am very jealous of you Lady Niona, and quite possibly may never forgive you.”

  “But Hecate, what could I have possibly done to offend you?”

  “Offend? Nothing, I said I was jealous, not upset with you in any way. You are wed to the man of my dreams, and I am forbidden to even enter his mind to pleasure him. It’s just not fair!”

  “How shall I make it up to you, my Immortal love?”

  “Join with me tonight and teach me things. Things I wish to learn for another day and time.”

  “But you are to … eliminate my Master when Paulo is finally dead.”

  “I do not wish it so, and I am assured at present that it need not be done immediately after Paulo is dispatched. To do so, I must transform to physical form. Then we may join, if it is still not prohibited. I wish to join with him before the end. But know this. I will not carry out my duty to the Creator. I will not harm Adam.”

  Hecate went silent for a moment, then smiled her delicious smile and asked, “And what’s this ‘Master’ thing anyway?”

  “Nickname. Just a term of endearment.”

  “I love it! Can I call him Master too? Do you mind?”

  “No, but I warn you, he doesn’t favor the term and forbade me to use it. But he relented and given me permission after I pleaded and pleaded with him. I may have faked a little crying too.”

  “Does that work?”

  “It does with him. He’s, so easy it’s almost no fun playing with his mind. He gives in so easily. But, I love him for it; he wishes only my happiness. He isn’t very stern, you know. Not in his nature, I guess.”

  “I do. But if you if you purposefully misbehave, something trivial, he will give you a nice spanking during congress. I hav
e not enjoyed that, but his other lovers, especially Beata, really enjoy the game.”

  “Delicious! I have never had one of these ‘spankings’, but I shall like to try if it pleasures him.”

  “You must pretend to be a ‘bad girl’ for just a moment, and call him ‘daddy’, then he will ‘punish’ you.”

  “I love it! He’s so terribly nice and kind all the time; there are times I wish he would be much stricter and firmer in handling me. But, he trusts me and loves me, so I don’t think I shall ever get what I want. But this spanking thing sounds like fun.”

  Niona paused.

  “Does it hurt? I am in mortal form during congress, after all.”

  “Beata says no, and our Master always asks if he’s hurting her. It’s just play-acting that our, Master enjoys for his entertainment. Each of his wives likes a different ‘punishment’; Misti is the only mate who enjoys harsh punishment for real. But our man needs training too, and he always listens to his wives, about what they want, so tell him what you enjoy. It will actually excite him considerably.”

  “How shall I disobey him? What should I say or do?”

  “Tell him you might be disobedient for ten seconds, then remind him that a good spanking might cure your bad behavior.”

  “Ten seconds? That’s a long time.”

  “You won’t actually be disobedient; just tell him you might be. And be sure to remind him of the punishment, otherwise he will not get the message. Then he will forgive you immediately and ruin your fun.”

  “Do all his wives …?”

  “Yes, except Noki who thinks herself above physical relations any longer. She is wonderful, but not his first choice in the erotic arts.”

  Niona said, “More for us, the way I see it.”

  Hecate was downcast. “Still not fair to me. I’m not even allowed to watch.”

  “I shall endeavor to make it up to you as best I can. I promise.’

  ‘And give me details afterwards?”

  “Yes, my sweet one. I shall share everything with you that is permitted.”

  ***

  On July 6, a Limo appeared at the home of Karen and her family. They were gassed as they entered the Limo, and the doors locked. They were bound and taken to the farmhouse where they were manacled to the wall, each in a different room. Paulo explained that they would be set free after Karen’s cousin did something for him.

  “If she fails in her duty to me, I will turn you over to my brother, who will play with you in a most unpleasant way, then do you great harm. You cannot avoid this predicament, but if your cousin does as she’s asked, I will return you and your family to your home safely.

  A video was set up in Karen’s room and connected to a secure server.

  Paulo then emailed to Cindy and Misti for a conference call, video style. He gave them a time and asked them not to be tardy. Cindy’s cousin, and her family were now his guests, and tardiness would probably cause punishment to someone.

  Perhaps that adorable teenage daughter.

  Chapter 54

  A whole host of top leaders in the City of Light were all gathered in the conference room of the Ops Center. Cindy and Rod, Adam, Tar and Akira, Misti, Niona and Kendra were gathered around the monitor. Alana would track the call from her office, so everyone who needed to be on the call was there or close by.

  Cindy dialed in, a minute early. The screen filled immediately with a picture filled with Karen bound to a chair and gagged. Paulo came into view and took a seat next to Karen.

  “Hi there all, glad you could call in, and do so a few seconds early. Promptness is a quality I understand that humans really appreciate. Quirky, but if that’s what you dig, who am I to complain? But we stray from the main reason for our chat, so why don’t we get down to business.”

  Cindy asked, “What do you want, Paulo? Why have you done this? Karen and her family have done nothing to you. They’re not part of our disputes.”

  “Disputes? Is that what you call them? It’s a bit more than that. Everyone you know, your entire family, and anyone I think you care about are now involved. Let’s get past that whole ‘they’re not involved in this’ absurdity and let me remind you of a few facts.”

  “OK.”

  “Thirty thousand dead in Idaho, two hundred thousand dead in Oregon, six factories destroyed with thousands of dead, not to mention a failed mission in Barrows Bay capturing four hundred Gens Black Shirt military. The common denominator in all this is who? Cindy Suarez. Others too, but it’s now time for pay back. Since I’ve had no real chance getting my mitts on Adam, your ‘brother’, I thought I’d go about this drama a little differently. If I cannot get to you or Rod to force Adam to me, then I thought I’d scoop up your cute cousin, and her innocent family, and see how much you like it, tables turned.”

  “What are you talking about Paulo? I mean this is a war, you stupid fuck. And who started it? Oh yeah, that’s right, that would be you. This charade, though, is just plain old murder for no reason other than we’ve done a better job of staying alive and fighting your factions than you have had fighting us. Even your Immortal friends have abandoned you, so you have no chance, zero, of getting out of this alive. If I were you, I’d surrender to Adam, and be a part of the reconstruction of the planet. Adam will be dead anyway for disobeying the Creator. You get to live, he gets to die. It’s just not going to be you in charge. Don’t you get that yet?”

  “Are you trying to get your cousin killed? Because we can end this now with a bullet in her pretty head. Or maybe a couple of days with Enzo. He is truly certifiable. Then we start on the kids, because they’re a lot more fun to terrify than your brother-in-law.”

  Cindy said, “First you lunatic, you’re going to kill my cousin and her family anyway. There’s no need for this desperate attempt to pretend otherwise.”

  Then, mocking him, she said. “Oh, but maybe if we just suck Paulo’s cock, he’ll be nice to us. Never going to happen. But, most importantly, we have no idea what you want in exchange for releasing my cousin and her family unharmed. Did you not even consider that? Is that how really, really stupid you are? C’mon, Paulo what do you want from us in return? What is it?”

  Paulo was raging inside, while Enzo thought for sure he would have some playthings later that night.

  “Interesting idea, Cindy. How about if we move up the contest between Enzo and Adam, to say, tomorrow night or the next morning. You come to Boston, and I’ll leave a note for the three of you at Will Call at a theatre. Follow the directions to my lair, get there alive, defeat my forces along the way, and you can have your brats back in one piece. That assumes that you can defeat my brother too, which you can’t. But those are my terms. Accept or reject?”

  “Let’s discuss a couple of things first. The family must be physically present in the City, preferably in an upscale hotel. Second, we will need a general description of the general plan, in advance, of the types of paths leading to the secret hotel you want us to take. That’s so we know the general area and you aren’t fucking with us, and my family is dead. Snipers, assassins, bombs and whatever the fuck you wish to try is fine but saying this will take place somewhere in Boston is like saying it will take place somewhere in New England. There must be a payoff for us; you need to keep to your bargain, and I don’t trust you. Besides, you already know where you’re going to die, if you show up of course. And, third, there will always be video running of the entire family, untouched and unharmed, as proof of life.

  Cindy paused.

  “We will need third party verification, of course, because you are a world class liar. Who do you trust enough to be part of the game and who we have no reason to distrust.”

  “Let me think about it and call you back in five.” He clicked off.

  Rod looked at his wife and said, “What the fuck were you thinking. There’s no way he’ll come close to agreeing to any of this and he will kill your cousin and her family anyway. That assumes they’re not already dead, except Karen.”


  Everyone else agreed with Rod except Adam and Niona. Kendra wanted to hear more, and Hecate thought if Paulo accepted the proposition, she could virtually assure the safety of Karen, and the family.

  Hecate said, “I think that Cindy was shaming Paulo into this plan. Rod’s right too though, I think Paulo’s plan all along, until he spoke with Cindy, was to kill Karen and her family just to be cruel. But something Cindy said now makes it imperative for Paulo to kill Cindy. Personally. Adam too, but this was a brilliant idea to save your cousin, Cindy. If it doesn’t work, I’m afraid Rod is correct. Your cousin, and her family, are dead.”

  Kendra asked, “Was that what you had in mind, Cindy?”

  “Yes. Getting there, dodging bullets metaphorically speaking, and getting the family to safety was the only way to save them. I had to make them want to kill me more than they want to kill Karen. If Paulo agrees, we’ll be in Boston tomorrow. Then we implement our plan.”

  “Which is?”

  “I have no idea. I’m hoping Adam, Niona and Hecate will think of something.”

  Hecate said, “If he agrees to Cindy’s terms, or at least just not to kill the family until we get there, I will personally make sure that Karen and her family get to safety. That just leaves Cindy, Rod and Adam as a diversion. Then one other item, killing Enzo if he shows, and we all come home. Your cousin and family included.”

  “I’m coming,” said Kendra.

  “And I,” said Niona.

  Rod said, “Then I’ll fire up the jet, and we depart as soon as we hear from Paulo if it’s a go. Cindy will have to call in the troops to saturate the perimeter of the part of downtown Boston where this fiasco will likely take place; Alana needs to stand by in case we need to fuck with street lights, subway trains or anything else she can do with her magic.”

  Niona said, “I can help coordinate with Alana on the ground in Boston. I’ve already absorbed all of her skills into my mind. I can help her with other data too.”