by Doug Welch
Chapter 35
Rodger
Kitty had fretted by Rodger’s side through the trip back to the boats and then Corsica.
After stabilizing him, Elizabeth had decided to sedate him for the trip so Kitty hadn’t been able to talk to him.
Upon admission to the Corsica hospital, the blunt force trauma of the bullets that had impacted his chest and the damage to his leg had been explained away as injuries caused by a ski boat accident. Kitty doubted that an experienced doctor would have bought that lame explanation, she suspected Paris’ involvement. However, it covered Rodger as far as the Bureau was concerned and that was fine by her.
He’d been rushed into surgery to repair his leg. The bullet had shattered his femur and nicked the femoral artery causing him to almost bleed out. Rodger would likely need more surgery after he returned to The States to be able to walk again, but he was alive and that was all she cared about.
She waited with Paris outside Rodger’s room for the doctor to complete his examination. Now that he was conscious and alert she needed to talk to him but she dreaded the conversation.
“The man almost gave his life to protect you, Kitty,” Paris said. “I watched you. You could barely hold it together after he was hit.”
Kitty relived the knife-like pain that had paralyzed her after seeing her lover bleeding at her feet. And the anguish hadn’t abated the whole time, through the mission and the trip back. It had been her fault for dragging him into this in the first place. She should have never fallen in love with him because the misery of almost losing him was too agonizing.
She returned her attention to Paris. “I need you to back me up, Paris. You’re right. I need to consummate this or end it. There’s no in-between. But if it comes to ending it I don’t think I have the courage. You’ll have to do it for me.”
“It might not come to that, Kitty. Rodger may surprise you,” Paris said.
Kitty hoped Paris was right but she didn’t have any confidence. Until she’d joined The Family, life had been a series of disappointments. She’d come to expect that people would let her down and had developed a hard shell to keep them away. Rodger was the first man she’d actually let into her heart and in a few moments she might lose him.
The doctor emerged from the room and spoke in broken English. “You can see patient now.”
Kitty drew in a deep breath and walked into the room. Rodger smiled when he saw her. She moved to the side of his bed and looked at him. He was still a little pale from the operation and a cast covered his entire leg.
Sitting on the side of his bed, she picked up his hand and held it. “Did I tell you that you could take a bullet for me, Rodger? What were you thinking?”
He winced in pain. She jumped up but still kept hold of his hand.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he replied.
“Well, it wasn’t and I think you deserve punishment for your dumb decision,” Kitty said. “Therefore I’ve decided to marry you and make you miserable for the rest of your life.”
Rodgers eyes flew wide open. “Really? You’re not kidding?” He struggled to rise, but she pushed him back.
“No, Rodger I’m totally serious but we have to settle a few things first.” Kitty said.
“I thought there was a catch,” he said. “I’d be surprised, knowing you, if there wasn’t. Lay it on me. I’m man enough to take it.”
“The one condition is total and complete honesty,” Kitty said.
“Not a problem,” Rodger replied. “You wanna know how many times I cheated on a test in college? I have an ex-girl friend. You’ll need to know about her. Shall I go back to my teenage years? My life’s an open book to you, Kitty. I have nothing to hide.”
Kitty sobered. “Well I do, Rodger. I have a lot of big things to hide. You may change your mind after you hear about them.”
“I doubt it,” Rodger said. “No matter what your life was before I met you, I trust you. That’s all that matters. You’re special. You might have been an axe murderer or a drug dealer before but that’s not what you are now. I feel it inside. I’ve never been more convinced of anything in my life.”
Kitty drew a deep breath and let it out. “You’re right about me being special, Rodger, but it’s not what you might think. I’m a Shadow, a member of a species that is different from normal people. I can do things that normal humans can’t.”
Rodger looked skeptical. “There are doctors for that, Kitty. Mental illness is not uncommon, but you don’t act crazy. We’ll just have to keep it from the Bureau.”
“Rodger, I’m not suffering from mental illness, I’m serious,” Kitty said. “I can keep normal people from seeing me although I might be standing right in front of them.”
“Delusions can be treated, Kitty although you don’t seem delusional. We can fix that. I’ll support you every step of the way.
Kitty blew a breath out in frustration. “I’ll prove it to you. Watch me disappear.” she became invisible.
Rodger stared at her. “Well? I’m waiting.”
“You can still see me?” she asked.
“Well you’ve looked better, but yes,” Rodger replied. “See? It’s as I said, delusions. We’ll get the best doctors.”
Kitty clenched her teeth, grinding them. “Goddamned Shadows are screwing everybody,” she muttered.
“What’s that?” Rodger asked. “I didn’t hear it.”
“You can still see me,” she said.
“Yeah and the sight has made me wonder what you’re up to,” Rodger said.
“You’re not by any chance adopted are you?” Kitty asked.
Rodger shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“I think your parents have got a lot of explaining to do,” Kitty said.
“Come again?” Rodger asked. “What have my parents to do with this?”
“Never mind,” Kitty said. “Use that button to call the nurse. Once she comes, ask her where I am.”
“You’re right here,” Rodger said.
“Just do it, Rodger.”
Rodger shrugged and pressed the button.
After a few minutes the nurse walked in. “Ce que vous besoin, Monsieur?” she said.
“Avez-vous vu mademoiselle Trudeau?” Rodger asked.
“Non monsieur, je trouve qu'elle?” she replied.
“Lorsque vous voyez, il a,r, veuillez lui dire que je veux lui parler,” Rodger said.
The nurse left the room.
Kitty looked at him, expecting some sort of reaction. “Well, what did she say?”
“I asked her where you were. She said she didn’t know but she’d find you,” Rodger replied.
“I was standing right beside her, Rodger. Why couldn’t she see me?” Kitty asked.
“Maybe she didn’t know who you were?” Rodger asked.
“Call her again, Rodger,” she ordered.
“I don’t want to pester her,” he said.
“Again, Rodger. Do it. I need you to see her reaction,” Kitty responded.
Reluctantly he pressed the button one more time. In a few seconds the nurse re-entered the room. Seeing Kitty, her eyes widened. “Mademoiselle Trudeau est ici.” she said, pointing to Kitty.
“Oui. Je voulais que vous le sachiez, vous n'auriez pas sa recherche,” Rodger said.
The nurse nodded and left the room
“What did you say to her?” Kitty asked.
“I told her to stop looking for you.” Rodger paused and seemed to be deep in thought. Looking up at her, he said, “Okay we can discuss this later. What’s it got to do with marriage?”
“You’ll have to keep it secret from the Bureau, Rodger. No one can know about it, not even your parents,” Kitty replied.
“Been there. Done that,” Rodger said. “What happens if I refuse?”
Helpless to respond, Kitty looked to Paris.
He stepped forward. “One moment you’ll want to marry Kitty and the next she’ll be your FBI partner, nothing more and
nothing less. You’ll forget about love and go on as before.”
Rodger gulped. “You can do that?”
“Yes I can and a lot more than that.” He gestured to Kitty. “So can she, but in your case she refused to even consider it. So I guess it’s up to me. I can alter your mind and make you believe you didn’t love her. The ball’s in your court. If it helps, I can guarantee you that Kitty will not stop loving you even if you refuse. I’ve sensed it.”
“Hell,” Rodger replied, “I keep Bureau secrets so why not my wife’s? Count me in. What do I have to do, cut my wrists and swear in blood?”
“Dumb ass,” Kitty exploded and swatted him on the arm. “What the hell do you think we are, barbarians?” She pointed to Paris. “He’ll make sure you can’t reveal anything but you have to volunteer. We can’t force you. You’ll have to accept a mental block to prevent you from blurting something out inadvertently. It can’t be done without your consent. Once you do, Rodger, there’s no going back, no time-outs, you’ll be stuck with me forever.”
Rodger laughed. “Are you joking? I can’t imagine a better fate. Bring it–bring it on!”
Chapter 36
Doctor Cramer
“You’ll have to decide sometime, Audrey. He is your daughter’s biological father,” Paris said.
They walked along the shoreline observing a glorious sunrise paint the clouds and water in shades of rose and orange. The tide washed the rocky coast with the swish of foaming water and sea birds screamed and dove, fishing for dinner.
“He raped me, Paris. He left me with an incestuous child and I’m supposed to forgive him?” She leaned over and picked up a jagged rock, angrily hurling it into the sea.
“You were both victims, Audrey. Neither of you had control over what happened. As for incest? The lines on that are so blurry they’re practically non-existent. Biologically it’s incest, legally, it’s not. You both were born of completely separate parents. No court in the world would rule it was incest. All I’m asking you to do, is consider it, okay? It wasn’t his fault and it certainly wasn’t yours.”
Paris stopped walking. “We need to get back to the house. Cramer’s due to arrive this morning and I think we all need to hear what he has to say.”
They reversed direction and walked back to the villa. Upon entering, Paris noticed Caesar eating breakfast in the dining room and joined him, pouring a cup of coffee from a waiting urn.
“Has Doctor Cramer arrived?” he asked as he sat at the table.
Caesar wiped his lips with a napkin before replying. “He’s in one of the bedrooms getting his children settled.”
“Did you tell him we’re leaving tomorrow?” Paris asked.
Caesar nodded. “He’s paranoid that the Borgia House will snag him. He’s reluctant to leave the bedroom.”
“I doubt it,” Paris said. “The Borgias will be so busy with damage control they won’t have time for much else. Did Tom tell you how much money he looted from them?” Caesar shook his head.
“Nearly a half of a trillion Euros,” Paris said. “There’ll be a lot of ecstatic charities around the world this week. I don’t think we’ll need to worry about the Borgias. Without their money they’re like a toothless tiger, a lot of roaring but no bite.”
“So where do we go from here?” Caesar asked.
“It depends upon what Cramer has to say,” Paris replied.
“He could be lying,” Caesar said. “He’s made a lot of promises but he may know nothing.”
“I think with three Adepts in the room we’ll be able to determine that,” Paris said. “Get everyone together. We’ll meet in the common room and hear what he has to say. I’ll go and fetch the good doctor.”
Paris made his way down the hallway. Pausing at the door to the room he’d designated for Cramer, he knocked. The door opened and Cramer barred the threshold. Paris could see two young girls sitting on the side of the bed. “Are your daughters comfortable?” Paris asked.
Cramer glanced back at them and then faced Paris. “They’re confused now but once we’re back in The States I think they’ll recover.”
“They’ll be safe here for awhile,” Paris said. “Tomorrow we’re leaving. Do you feel like joining us? We have a few questions for you.”
Cramer’s face held a resigned look. “Does it matter what I feel?” He looked back at the upturned faces of his daughters. “I suppose I should be grateful but it hasn’t registered yet.”
“Your family will be welcome in Kentucky,” Paris said. “You can do anything you want when we get back home, but I can’t guarantee your safety if you move out of the state. It’s your call, we won’t stop you.”
“Give me a few minutes with my kids,” Cramer said. “Then I’ll join you.”
After waiting for him to emerge, Paris led Cramer to the common room of the villa. Alex and Caesar sat side by side on the couch along with Elizabeth and Kitty. Tom and Dani sat with Bernardo on a matching half-couch. Two more chairs had been added for Audrey and Brian but they sat on opposite sides of the room. An armchair had been reserved for Doctor Cramer. Paris took the only vacant space left, the arm of the couch beside Elizabeth.
Cramer scanned the faces of Paris, Alex, Kitty, Brian and Audrey before speaking. “Intellectually, I knew this from the reports I’ve read, but to see you all in this room together...” He shook his head. “It’s amazing. You have to be five of the most unique people in the world.”
“Cut the fluff, doctor,” Alex said. “We all want to know how we got here. So ditch all the embroidery and tell us what you know.”
Cramer shrugged. “Much of what I know, I learned from reading reports and making a lot of educated guesses. Most of what I’m about to tell you is based upon some theories. I believe they’re correct, but there’s no concrete proof. At least none that I can produce.”
“How do we know you’re not bullshitting us?” Kitty asked. “That this is not some kind of Borgia misinformation?”
“After I agreed to do the research for the Borgia House, I demanded access to their records, as little as they were,” Doctor Cramer replied. “I told them I couldn’t recreate what happened to produce you and your siblings without details of what went on before. I imagine Doctor Fox,” he nodded to Elizabeth, “can verify what I’m about to say.”
“I think we need to let him speak without interruption,” Paris said. “We can ask questions later.” He scanned the room, looking for objections. “Go ahead, Doctor.”
Cramer leaned forward and laced his hands under his chin. “This all started at the beginning of the nineteen eighties. To understand why, you need to understand what the Shadows were worried about. All of the Shadow Houses had been alarmed at the decline of their birthrate. It had become a crisis. Some estimates were that they might become extinct as a species at the end of the twenty first century.
“None were more worried than the Borgia House. You see, the Borgias never let go of their feudal beginnings. They kept the power concentrated in a very few hands and there was much inbreeding. They were obsessed with racial purity, considering normal human beings as beneath them, so they refused to consider swelling their ranks by intermarrying with people they referred to as Normals.
“It was at that time, the beginning of the eighties, that the Borgias received a visit from a stranger, a powerful Adept who said he was a doctor. He promised them he held the answer to their problem. He said he knew of a way to create fertile offspring from the Borgia elite.”
“Who?” Alex asked. “What was his name?”
“I’ll get to that later,” Cramer replied. “It’s a fascinating subject by itself.” He paused. “May I continue?”
Alex looked about to speak again but at a look from Paris, subsided. “Go ahead.”
“Anyway, the man said he possessed a powerful drug, one that could produce duplicates of a Borgia female and result in live births, offspring who would be fertile.”
“The House was skeptical. It was the beginning of the biote
chnology revolution and no one knew where that might lead, but at his insistence they decided to give it a try. The House wasn’t allowed to select the female. He insisted on doing that.”
He pointed to Brian. “It was your mother Brian.” Cramer looked around the room. “In fact she was the genetic mother of all of you.”
Chapter 37
More than Twins
Elizabeth looked around at the stunned faces of her Family. She couldn’t get her mind around the possibilities inherent in Doctor Cramer’s claim. Either he was the biggest con artist she’d ever encountered, or something outside her training and experience had occurred, something beyond rational explanation.
She interrupted. “I assume you have evidence to support your claims?”
“No,” he replied. “All of it is locked up, some at the compound and some located elsewhere. It’s in the Borgias computers however. If you can break into them, you should be able to verify it.”
Elizabeth noticed Paris gesture to Tom Bradley. Tom rose from the love seat and at a whispered word from Paris, hurried from the room.
“What did this drug do?” Elizabeth asked. “Can you at least answer that?”
“That I can do with a fair amount of confidence,” Cramer responded. “One of the reports contains an eyewitness account by an assistant. The Borgias were suspicious and they spied on the doctor trying to discover his secret. The assistant fertilized a treated human egg cell and watched what happened. I can provide the technical details to you later, Doctor Fox, but for the benefit of the laymen in the room, the drug circumvented almost all of the normal reproductive process except for fertilization. And only selected chromosomes were exchanged during the fertilization process. It’s not true cloning but it’s close.”
“What’s my mother got to do with it?” Brian asked. “I know she looked like me and my brother but she never mentioned any of this.”
“Your mother was the egg cell donor,” Cramer replied. “The so-called doctor harvested several of her eggs and treated them. Then he implanted them in two women, one was your mother, Rebecca and the other was the Succubus, the one you all call Sybil. To make sure fertilization occurred, each of them were implanted with multiple eggs. That’s why some of you were born twins.”
