“Yes. This place is too isolated for us and, regrettably, though your ends are altruistic, it has no chance of ever succeeding. Anything we could contribute would be negligible and, in the end, useless. We wish to retire and enjoy our golden years at home in America.”
“I am supportive of your decision and the reasons for it. This experiment is not for everyone. I have made ready a jet that will take you home, along with Bitsie if she so chooses. I would speak with your daughter afterward privately to discuss matters that do not concern you.”
Phil said, “All matters about my daughter concern me, including your relationship. Marjorie and I will always have input in your affairs. That is our way; if you are to be a part of this family, I am the patriarch. You’ll have to accept that.”
Kendra said to the other Immortals, “This isn’t good. Anyone willing to bet an hour of your time with husband that Tolan does not leave the room alive?”
The Immortals were silent except for Fionna. “Is this not this Tolan’s right as patriarch to intervene in the affairs of his unmarried daughter as he sees fit?”
“No,” said Hecate. “It is not. Quite the opposite. Conjugal matters on Earth are between the man and woman only. The couple may ask advice but others may not interfere.”
Adam continued, “Before I speak to Bitsie, I must ask you and Marjorie to return Bitsie’s computer and to relinquish the formulas and data that have been inscribed on your bodies. It is odd in this heat that you are both covered in clothing from head to toe, as if winter were a upon us. Phil you will be taken to the sports facility by my men and scrubbed. Marjorie, you will be taken to the Matron’s Hall for similar bathing. Do not worry, the chemicals used are mild and harmless.”
Marjorie said, “We shall do no such thing. You have no right to detain us and, as far as our possessions go, they go with us.”
Phil said, “There is nothing on Bitsie’s computer and we have no markings on our body. Now, step aside and let us prepare to get out of here.”
“Stay put or I will surely lose my temper and harm you. Sit down.”
Bitsie looked at her parents, then at Adam.
“Have you lost your mind? What are you talking about. Release my parents immediately!”
Adam looked at Bitsie. “Did you know? Did you help them?”
“With what?”
Adam grabbed Phil by the throat and lifted him off the ground against the wall with one arm.”
Kendra said, “Here we go. He knows. Was that what you discovered, Hecate?”
“Sadly, yes. Not what I wanted to discover. I thought Adam might have a chance finding what he was searching for. But, he did not in this case. Only more betrayal. And more to come.”
Adam ripped off Phil’s shirt containing formulas, equations and other data inscribed in indelible, black ink dyes. This data covered his shaved chest, back, arms, legs and just about every square inch of his body, arranged by topic and research area. Adam threw a choking Phil to the ground.
“I would not dishonor you in this way, Mrs. Tolan, but for the record please tell your daughter if you have similar markings on your body and participated in the attempted theft of our intellectual property. Did you?”
“I shall not submit to a search and you have no right to ask any questions of me or Phil.”
Adam took Bitsie’s computer and attached to a console. Up popped data and video evidence of the research that had been downloaded and photographed. If the computer was not allowed to leave, Phil and Marjorie’s backup plan was to duplicate the most saleable processes on their bodies, then sell the technology to private industry for billions. They would also sell the location of the City to the highest bidder, who they now knew to be Adam’s parents and their lawyer, Crissy Chance.
Adam turned once again to Bitsie. “What did you know about this?”
“Nothing. Nothing I swear. We talked about the tech and its value on the open market but that was all.”
“And selling me out to my parents over the location of Paraiso?”
“No. I would never do that. I would do anything to make amends for the disgraceful way we acted. We were wrong; I was wrong. I still believe, as does my father, that this is a waste of your time, talent and resources but it is your project and I would wish to stay and help.”
“I can make you and your parents forget the experience here but nothing from before arriving here. Not the Marco Polo project, which almost cost the lives of five women plus one more who is in hiding, in fear of her life. I have told you everything as a prospective husband should, but you called me liar and fraud. You didn’t even attempt to defend me. I thought, at long last, I had found the life, the woman and the family I had always dreamed of. I did not.”
“What does this mean? For us?”
“Our relationship is ended and we shall go back to the things the way they were before all this happened. I never wish to see you or your parents again. Far from me being a dishonorable liar and fraud it turns out it was your mother and father who fit those gloves.”
Bitsie said, cold and frustrated, “Father was right; you are not a man, but a facsimile of a man. You fear ghost and phantasms; you invent danger. You are not a man but a child in a man’s body. I’ll leave with my parents.”
“Then report to the Matron’s Hall for examination, though I hold no belief you were involved in their plot. I hold you guiltless in their conspiracy. But as to all the knowledge you possess, you shall have your memories wiped, including the matter concerning Marco Polo.”
“I will not consent to such a procedure nor shall my parents. It is knowledge we possess and you can do nothing to stop what we say or do. We shall leave together. If you wish to buy our silence, make an offer. Be prepared to pay handsomely for the effrontery we have suffered here today at your hands.”
“Goodbye Bitsie. I wish you and your parents well. You will leave right now.”
Bitsie, Phil and Marjorie Tolan boarded the nanotech jet, pilotless for their flight to San Diego. They sat alone in the passenger compartment, discussing what they would do next, what offers they would entertain for their silence and how often they would up the ante for the indefinite future. If a satisfactory number was not offered and accepted then the Tolan’s agreed among themselves to contact Edward and Anna St. James through their own lawyers to negotiate the exact coordinates of Adam’s new home.
Kendra said, “Not good. Will he do it?”
Hecate, Hana and Fionna looked at each other in sadness.
Fionna said, “Yes. This will destroy him a little more, piece by piece, but he loves us more than he loves any others. He will speak to his mortals first to delay the inevitable but, when that is done, he will wait, then act. That is the meaning of the book about which he spoke to me.”
“The book? That thing he believes makes the human condition both joyous and cruel. What have you learned?”
“The word is ‘choice’. He chooses to love unconditionally and yet he also chooses to be cruel. That is mankind. I never realized just how difficult mortality is under these conditions of being.”
“He shall need us tonight.”
Fionna said, “I shall need my sisters tonight too. I never truly understood husband during all our lives together but understanding his burdens is knowledge I wish I had sought. I understand better the totality of his pain and anguish, his angst at betrayal, his sadness in bearing for others what they cannot not bear themselves. The things he has done with his mortal wife Misti and the joy that Nocera feels for them. They understood. I did not; I may never fully comprehend how he can love us so much and bear such intolerable weight. Such things are best left to Immortals who can withstand the onslaught of emotions without feeling them. Most mortals would be crushed, but this mortal, our husband is not. I shall endeavor to be kinder to him in the knowledge that all things bear on his soul every day and the weight of his decisions and choices are a part of who he is.”
Hana said, “Let’s listen in on his talk with his mo
rtals. I much desire to see what he does with them.”
Chapter 31
Adam contemplated what he might say to the five women assembled in his Study, just on the other side of the door he faced. With a high level of trepidation, he opened the door and walked in. Noki was seated next to Misti, now almost recovered in body and mind, while Alana was seated next to the very quiet Eene, who looked terrified at Adam as he came in and looked around. Gaea was seated alone, her counterpart hiding in some part of the world even Alana and Adam could not find, though daily they made a concerted effort to do so.
Adam was not sure what to say and jostled in his mind whether he was most angry at Laura for having hatched and carried out the plot, or Misti and Noki for having gone along with it. Had not his instructions been clear about the dangers of the attempt? Had not those very dangers befallen them. Most of all on Misti?
Misti looked up at her mate and said, “You are angry with us?” Misti was uncomfortable; she knew Adam was upset, but had no recollection of why.
“What would possess all of you, every single one of you to betray my wishes. Even those whom I hold most dear. Did you think your knowledge superior to mine in this matter? That I did not know the corruption in the mind of the three who have hunted us and almost killed us? And that you would follow the lead of Laura who would sell us all out for a price?”
Gaea said, “What do you mean? She would never have done that. For what reason? She was trying to help.”
“Help? She had five million reasons for betrayal; she made an idiotic phone call, easily traced whether by design or foolhardy, I shall never know. But I can assure you that on the day we meet I shall personally squeeze the life out of her as recompense for her betrayal which was planned and fulsome. Now I wish to know which parts each of you played in this debacle. Gaea and Alana were immediately enraged and shouted at Adam that he had no right to decide anything, much less their fates.
“Eene, you are free to go. I bear you no grudge and have no wish to frighten you any more than you already are. You are blameless, so I would ask you to go to your room and wait. We shall talk calmly and decide together what you should do next. But I think remaining here is your best option for safety sake.”
Alana and Gaea both said, “We shall leave. What you decide among your mates is private.”
“You will sit down and speak when spoken to. I am in no mood for your bravado when you have caused so much harm. Speak of it and I shall put you on a pilotless jet bound for the depths of the Atlantic right now.”
Both women ignored Adam and began to walk toward the door.
Kendra said, “Oh shit. This is going from bad to worse. I have heard that voice and seen those eyes. These women are no match for him.”
Adam moved toward the two women as Misti and Noki looked on, horrified.
“You are strangers to me and I care not a wit for what you think or what you wish.”
“We are your prisoners? You lord over us now and threaten us with what?”
Adam grabbed both women by the throats and raised them up off the ground against the wall.
“You will sit down and shut up. When I speak to you, you may reply. Say another word and I will drag you by your hair to the edge of the plateau and throw you over myself. That is if I don’t choke the life out of one or both of you right now. I said I wanted answers and you will, by God, supply them. Am I clear?”
He dropped them both to the floor and walked away, as they fell to the ground, gasped for air and tried to regain their senses. Misti and Noki were terrified, never having seen Adam so angry and so willing to injure and mistreat a woman. Misti feared she would be next, while Noki remained calm. Whatever Adam was up to, beating up women was not the object. She would discern his motivations when she spoke to him privately.
***
Eene, who had not left though terrified, approached Adam, and said, “I am not a young lady, I am a woman and would ask permission from you in your role as scary tyrant to remain here in this room and offer advice.”
“If it is your wish, then stay,” Adam said calmly.
“Why? Why would you allow me to stay and offer counsel?”
“Because I know you and among the two vipers in this room, not counting Misti and Noki, I believe you are an innocent.”
“And yet you know I have lost my innocence.”
“That is man-made bullshit. Losing one’s ‘innocence’ and being an “innocent” are vastly different. You are kind and beautiful, yet worldly. You will speak your mind and without rancor or fear of me as tyrant.”
“Meaning?”
“As long as you wish, you are welcome to stay. I shall provide for you and protect you.”
“Why?”
“It will be my great fortune to have an innocent in my household and, should you one day choose it, become part of our family.”
“Forgive me Adam but I have heard all this from men before. Men are liars and deceivers and seek only to use me to satisfy their carnal desires. You are likely no different in the long run. Your attack on Alana and Gaea right now show a different, more brutal side of you. You’re no different than the men who have abused me with zeal in the past.”
“I shall prove you wrong.”
Hecate appeared. “Join us.”
Hecate joined Eene with Adam, showed him his true nature and the work that Adam did as a co-founder of OT.
“Is this trickery or truth.”
“A leap of faith.”
“Then I shall choose to believe you and, in return, offer advice. But you will first make me unconditional promises.”
“Which are?”
“You will love me always and tell me so every day.”
“Done.”
“You shall hold hands and hug me whenever I desire it.”
“Agreed.”
“You will put up with my bratty ways and love me for them, not in spite of them.”
“If I must.”
“You must. Do you swear?”
“I do.”
“Then let’s talk.”
***
Eene started, “Now as I understand it you are quite upset with the women assembled here, some with justification and others not so much, I might add. Before you unleash your famous temper, which we have all just witnessed, on Alana, Gaea, and finally Misti and Noki, we should examine two factors. First is Laura, who we shall get to last, and the other is … you.”
“Me? What I have I done here that merits reproach? I was the one who warned of actions and reactions.”
“Yes,” said Eene, “and in a transactional world, one in which, by the way, we do not live, you would be entitled to your pique. Your mortal mates might deserve some form of recreational punishment, a mere taste of what they might experience one day if you’re are wild with rage. But not this day.”
“I don’t follow.”
“No doubt too nuanced for you when angered. It is a weakness of yours and you should work on that. Perhaps Hana could fix you up in that regard as she has Misti and Noki.”
“Is this correct, Hana?”
A voice said. “Yes.”
“You are all here,” asked Adam. “Spying?”
Eene said, “Case in point. Spying, no. Observing, yes. Especially your wife Fionna who wishes only to understand you better so that she may love you more. But that lesson is for another day.”
Hecate and Kendra smiled, “I like this girl. I wish she was one of us.”
“Now, your own foolishness and ill temperament aside, which must be considered in context, we should examine less what your women did, myself included, but why.”
“It was betrayal; it’s explanation means naught. It is only the act and consequence that matter.”
“Then leaving your women behind on the Island alone, with Laura possibly in league with Edward, Anna and Crissy, that was a wise decision? You claim to love Noki and Misti.”
Adam thought for a moment.
“It was unwise but not the caus
e of what followed.”
“True. But it led to a consequence, though unintended, did it not?”
“It did.”
“And you are wholly blameless, is that your position?”
“I cannot be wholly blameless, in fairness. I am wishing I had not delighted in your strength and wit. It seems I have much to learn from you, which bruises me in the wrong place. My ego.”
“Progress, boyfriend, progress.”
“Now on the matter of your conduct, and the broader context thereof, have you broken your own rules for the protection of your women?”
“I have.”
“With perfect and intended results?”
“Seldom.”
“Good, Part A is settled. Now Part B. Why do you think your mates assented to this scheme of Laura’s which, by the way, was without knowledge of Laura’s whole scheme, including the five million?”
“I have no idea. What reason can you give for it?”
“The obvious, of course, though the decision, I will admit, was idiotic. Even I bailed ASAP while the rest did not. In fairness, I knew how you would react, success or failure. I believe when we agreed to what you asked of us, we should not have acted otherwise without telling you. Maybe we should have spoken up sooner.”
“Yes. Perhaps so.” Adams’s ire was quickly dissipating into the need to apologize. At least as to Noki and Misti.
“Then what is left over for their motivation, in your opinion?”
“Concern that it might work, and if it did, I would no longer be at risk. At least not for this.”
“See, for a man, you can be intelligent. Occasionally. You may apologize when ready. Now for instance.”
The two ladies were in tears, tears of joy, for what Eene had said was true. They doubted Adam would understand that their motivations were wholly separate from those of the others.
“I am sorry I ever doubted you. I should have known that, no matter the reason, it was my safety and security that would have been the only reason for the actions you took. I am ashamed of my conduct toward you. Please forgive me.”
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