Box Set #3: The Serenity Deception: [The 4 book 3rd Adventure of Egg and the Hameggattic Sisterhood]

by Robert Iannone

  And one materialized out of thin air. Egg grabbed it, walked over to Sylvia and held it under her nose.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Shut up and breathe.”

  Since she had already planned to take her next breath, Sylvia obliged.

  The mirror fogged.

  Egg tried it with Soo and Spirit and received the same results.

  What she didn’t know, of course, was that Serenity was using avatars . . . made with blood and bones and every other part that the real sisters were made of.

  “What is wrong with you?” Bl’azzz asked Egg.

  “Sorry. Guess I’m a little on edge. For a moment I had the feeling you were all replicas.”

  The other six girls chuckled . . . somewhat mechanically but Egg, again, didn’t seem to notice. “If you are satisfied that we are as real as you, please . . . we are all anxious to hear what happened.”

  In the very, very back of Egg’s mind, the girl was registering the fact that her sisters were no longer using contractions. Phrases like ‘you’re’ became ‘you are’; ‘what’s’ became ‘what is’. Unfortunately, it was a long, twisting path from the back of her mind to the front. Her observation could take hours or days or longer before the proverbial light would come on.

  “Okay. So after humpty the egg fell backward off the wall, I heard the most sickening splat sound . . .”

  *****

  On Serenity’s Ship

  Serenity was monitoring the conversation and was dismayed, distressed and a little horrified. Somehow, in less than a minute, Egg had seen right through her avatars. How could that be? The girl just wasn’t that bright.

  And for one fleeting moment, she felt the icy finger of self-doubt scratch at her mind.

  But as quickly as the feeling came, it left her. She needed a new plan (actually a modification to the existing one) . . . and her prodigious brain provided it within seconds.

  She would let the six sisters she held captive control their own avatars. Obviously, her programming was off – missing some of the nuances of the girls’ personalities. Egg, being overly sensitive to her charges, sensed it . . . even if she didn’t consciously understand the discrepancies.

  So, she would have each girl override any errors in the programming.

  She turned back to the control pads connected to her wheelchair . . .

  . . . and began activating various systems.

  It was a fairly complex set of instructions and would take her spaceship about four hours to complete. She didn’t want to leave Egg alone with the current version of her sisters for fear the girl would actually understand – and not just sense – that there was something amiss. The fix was simple enough . . . and she sent the commands to her avatars.

  *****

  Back in the Room

  “. . . and I turn around and there’s the Queen of Hearts in this silly outfit. It was . . . drum roll please . . . Meggy,” and she stopped, a big grin plastered to her face, waiting for her sisters to react.

  For a second or two, six avatars sat there with polite smiles and said nothing. Egg’s grin turned into a confused scrunch, surprised at their lack of emotion.

  She was about to go a little nuts then it dawned on her. “Okay, you guys. You’re just funning with me, aren’t you? That’s quite an act . . . who gets the credit for thinking it up?” If you don’t assume something bad is going on, then it must be someone having some fun at your expense. Egg was wrong, of course . . . but who could blame her.

  Six sets of eyes blinked, and then Sylvia said, “It was my idea. Did we fool you?”

  “Yeah. Geez, you guys have been acting so weird. Boy, did I ever fall for it. Kudos to everyone but enough is enough, okay?”

  “Absolutely,” replied BreeZee. Then her head jerked back a bit (from the new instructions Serenity just downloaded). You would be hard pressed to know it even happened. The winged girl smiled and yawned. “Sorry to cut off your story, Egg . . . but it has been a long day. Could we get some sleep and then in the morning, you can finish telling us how you beat the Queen? Okay?”

  “BreeZee is correct,” added Sylvia. “Sleep would be greatly appreciated.”

  Egg looked at the others who nodded their agreement. “You’re right. I guess I’m tired too. So, Tee . . . can you wake us all at seven?” She was teasing . . . she knew darn well Sylvia liked to sleep in.

  “I would be happy to,” replied their hostess.

  Egg turned to her best friend with an evil smile on her face waiting for her to explode.

  But there was no explosion. All she got was a “good night” then “Sleep well” and Syl walked to her room and closed the door behind her. The others immediately did the same.

  Still convinced that she was the butt of some prank, Egg shook her head in mild amusement (or was it irritation?) and walked to her room. Anyway, she was tired . . . way too much thinking did that to her. Her brain was one muscle that got far too little exercise.

  *****

  Five hours later on Serenity’s Ship

  All was ready. Serenity’s ship was very automated . . . not only because of her handicap, but as importantly she was a crew of one on a craft designed for a lot more than just cruising around the galaxy. It was a highly sophisticated laboratory that happened to sail between the stars.

  Virtually everything was controlled from the screens mounted on her chair. And as her fingers flew over them, various machinery began to hum and come to life.

  First, she had them move all six sisters from their pods and onto chairs specially designed for their species.

  Then mechanical hands extended from hidden recesses to place a weird looking helmet on each girl . . . again modified to fit the recipient be they human, dragon and serpent.

  And lastly, she commanded the chairs to extend straps that held the occupant immoveable.

  Not taking anything for granted, she rolled over and personally verified that each was properly fitted and restrained. Satisfied, she moved back to her central location and sent a command to the six helmets.

  One by one, the girls began to wake.

  Serenity waited . . . no emotion showing on her half-masked face.

  Though they all came out of their artificially-induced slumber at the same time, each girl took a different amount of time to gather her wits and react.

  Soo was first. “Good grief, where in the wacky world are we?”

  Spirit, Bl’azzz and Aeri’elle said nothing as their eyes tried to take in every detail of their current situation.

  BreeZee groaned loudly as she struggled unsuccessfully to free herself from the straps that held her tight. Wind’dancers loathe being restrained . . . unable to move.

  It was Sylvia that focused everyone’s attention. After looking at her sisters then at the girl in the wheelchair she said, “Serenity, I presume.” The others stopped what they were doing and stared from Syl to the stranger.

  Serenity waited a few seconds before giving a slight nod with her head. “Feminion, it is an honor.”

  “Serenity?” asked three of the girls simultaneously.

  “My guess she’s the one behind all that’s been going on. It was never the big cheese.”

  “Very good. Unemotional and logical. I like that.”

  “Who cares what you like?” squawked Aeri’elle. “Release us this instant.”

  “I can’t do that. At least, not yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I am here to save you . . . and that will require your assistance.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Serenity’s one good eye went wide. “I have never experienced a telepath. Most interesting. Spirit, you and I have much to discuss.”

  “I have nothing to say to you until you release us.”

  “You must trust me. This is all for your own good.”

  Five girls began to talk at once . . . but Sylvia shushed them. “As Egg’s Feminion, and with your approval (she looked at her sisters), I’ll
speak for the Sisterhood.” Everyone nodded their agreement. “Thanks”. She turned towards Serenity and asked, “Tell us why you are doing this . . . and ‘for our own good’ is an insufficient answer. Then tell us what you expect us to do.”

  For a moment, Serenity shocked herself with an unexpected thought. “What if Sylvia, as Egg’s Feminion, automatically became the leader of the sisterhood if Egg was expelled? She had never considered that there might be an established order of succession. Best get clarification since it would require a change in plans.

  “Before I answer your very reasonable questions, might I ask one first?” She didn’t wait for a reply. “Should something happen to Egg, does the leadership of the Hameggattic Sisterhood automatically fall to you . . . her Feminion?”

  “Nothing is going to happened to Egg.”

  “Humor me. Hypothetically, if something did, would you become leader?”

  Sylvia didn’t hesitate with her answer. “Egg is the Hameggattic Sisterhood. Without her, the rest of us would just go home and live out our lives in whatever manner fate has in store for us.”

  Now that was not the answer Serenity was expecting. She looked at the other five girls and asked, “Do you all agree?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  “You bet.”

  “Yes.”

  “As sure as the sun sets in the south.”

  Bl’azzz looked at Soo. “You slap happy sea slug, the sun sets in the west.”

  “My bad. Couldn’t think of words that started with ‘w’. Sorry.”

  Serenity stared at the girls. First, she was aghast that they all felt that way about Egg. And secondly, she had no idea what the serpent and the F’yre Dragon were going on about.

  Ignoring the latter, she immediately came up with the solution for the former. “If I told you Egg’s life depended on your ongoing commitment to the Sisterhood – even if she were gone – would that change your minds?”

  “What are you talking about?” demanded Egg’s best friend.

  “I offer you the following. Commit to the sisterhood, with me as leader, and I will spare Egg’s life.”

  “WHAT?”

  “It’s up to you . . . whether Egg lives or dies.”

  Chapter 5 – 3rd Rock from the Sun

  Berkeley, California

  “Brad,” she yelled. It was after dinner and she was sitting on her bed painting her toenails red when the answer came to her. “Wow, I’m already smarter and classes haven’t even started yet.”

  Her roommate, Mackenzie, looked up from her magazine. “What are you going on about?”

  “Brad . . . my boyfriend.”

  “What about him?’

  “I need to get a message to my grandmother but she’s up in the mountains back home and there’s no phone or internet service. So, I’ll have Brad drive up there and deliver it in person.”

  “Is if far?’

  “Yeah, about six or seven hours.”

  “Yuk. Why don’t you just send a letter by Fed Ex? They deliver anywhere in one day.”

  “Oh my gosh, I didn’t think of that.”

  “Not as smart as you thought, huh?”

  “Shut up.” Ashley was teasing. In the couple of days that she had been at the university, she and her roommate Mackenzie had really hit it off. She found the other girl endlessly fascinating. Mac had a Chinese mother and a Scottish father. He gave her the name but she definitely had her mother’s exotic Asian beauty. It made Ashley feel like an ugly duckling in comparison . . . though she was anything but that.

  “What’s so important anyway?”

  “My parents are planning a surprise visit and that might prove a little awkward.”

  “Why?”

  “My sister . . . um . . . tends to go off on her own. If they don’t find her with my Gram, there’s going to be big trouble.”

  “Your sister is how old?”

  “Thirteen going on thirty.”

  “And your grandmother lets her just leave?”

  “Sounds weird, I know. But there’s more to it.”

  “Like?”

  “Mac, I’m sorry. I promised I wouldn’t tell. She’s my kid sister and like the most amazing person in the universe. I can’t betray her trust. You understand, don’t you?”

  “We Chinese are inscrutable . . . so I do understand. What I don’t get is how much in awe you are of her. What could she possibly have done at such a young age to make you feel like that? For the record; my little brother is the world’s biggest pain.”

  “Let’s just say that on other worlds, she’s considered a hero and a role model.”

  “On other worlds? Girl, I think you’ve been inhaling too much of that nail polish.”

  *****

  The next morning Ashley typed a letter on her laptop and printed it out. She told Mac she would meet her for breakfast, left the dorm room, and headed for the Fed Ex office. It was about a mile away and took her almost twenty minutes to find it.

  She walked up to the counter and a good-looking young man asked if he could help her.

  “I’d like to get this letter delivered tomorrow.”

  “What’s the address?”

  She slid over a piece of paper with the information.

  “Hang on a second,” and the guy type something into his terminal. “Can’t do next day to that address. The best I can do is three days.”

  Ashley gave that some thought and decided it should still beat her parents to the cabin. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  He handed her the appropriate envelope and paperwork and she filled it out. After she paid the fee, she turned to walk out.

  “Um, excuse me.”

  Ashley turned back to the clerk. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “No. Any, not everything’s good. I . . . um . . . I was just . . . I mean . . . um.” He blushed then finished with a mumbled, “Sorry. Never mind.”

  Ashley wasn’t the most worldly young lady, but she did have some experience with men her own age. She assumed he was going to ask for her phone number but got cold feet. She gave him another hard look and decided he was a lot more handsome then she first realized. A little pang of guilt as she thought of Brad made her flinch. But . . . she was in college, and away from home for a reason. It was time to be an independent young woman.

  She walked back to the counter, took one of the forms from a stack and wrote down her name and cell number.

  Without saying a word, she slid it across the counter, turned and left.

  The young man stared at the paper; his eyes wide and twinkling and his mouth curled into a self-satisfied grin. He had almost not accepted this part-time job since he had a full schedule of classes at the university. But he needed the money.

  And now he had a date.

  Life was good.

  As Ashley closed the door, she hesitated for a second. Something was nagging at the back of her mind . . . but she couldn’t quite remember what it was. Oh, well. The guy probably wasn’t going to call anyway.

  What she had seen but only registered subconsciously was the clerk’s name on his ID badge.

  It was Aaron.

  Aaron Mobius.

  *****

  Up in the Mountains

  The Following Morning

  “You’re right on time. The coffee just finished brewing. And Max, would you care for a bowl of milk?”

  “He doesn’t drink milk,” replied Ezra.

  “Really?” Grammy poured a small bowl and placed it at the foot of the table. “Max, who’s right . . . me or that shaggy faced man?”

  Max looked from one to the other then back again . . . apparently trying to decide what was the politically correct thing to do. He finally made his decision. He barked at Ezra - walked over to the bowl and began to lick it dry.

  Grammy gave her friend a smug little smile.

  “He’s just being polite.”

  “Takes after his master, I presume?”

  “I am th
e perfect role model, after all,” responded Ezra with his own grin.

  “See that . . . you’re never too old to learn. Who knew a man could be a role model for a dog?”

  “It takes a special breed of man,” came his droll (think mildly amusing) response.

  Grammy poured a mug of coffee for her guest and leaned over to set it before him. On an impulse that shocked both of them, as she straightened up, she gave him a little kiss on his forehead. “Oh my . . . I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me,” and she turned away so that he wouldn’t see her blush a very scarlet red.

  “Eloise”.

  Grammy didn’t answer . . . she walked to the stove and pretended to be busy with an empty skillet.

  “Eloise,” he repeated more gently.

  She just couldn’t turn around to face him. Worse, she couldn’t think of anything to say. “Oh my, oh my,” she whispered to herself. Then she heard Ezra’s chair scrape back as he stood up. “Please . . . don’t.”

  “Eloise . . . it’s okay. I wish I had had the courage to do that first.”

  With her back still turned to him, she managed to say, “You’re being polite . . . just like Max. I do thank you for that . . . but maybe you should leave.”

  “Sorry, I can’t do that.”

  That got her to swing around and ask, “Why not?”

  “I haven’t finished my coffee, you haven’t made me my breakfast as you promised and we haven’t discussed the fact that . . . that like you, I think I’m falling in love.”

  Grammy’s mouth simply dropped open. For a woman who was Egg’s role model for poise and self-confidence, she was acting more like an awkward teenage girl on a first date.

  Ezra had the good sense not to say anything else . . . he just kept looking at her with his handsome face and boyish grin.

  Grammy took a deep breath, regained her composure and said with as much dignity as she could muster, “Then you best come over here and give me a hug.”

  And he did.

  *****

  Southern California