Crissy Chance

by Douglas E Roff

  Adam left the room and went to his Lab. He drew the blinds and locked the door.

  No one was surprised. It had in fact been discussed and decided the previous evening. They had lied to him and were, in fact, trying to coerce him.

  Nobody cared.

  Except one.

  ***

  She appeared to him in the Lab but said nothing. She remained in holographic form and lay down on the couch, simulating that she was taking a nap. Except Immortals didn’t nap. She was just there in case he did want to talk. Eene dropped by later and knocked, but Adam didn’t answer. Saying ‘go away’ or some such thing meant he was angry about something but would talk about it. No response meant go away, and I mean, go away. I have nothing to say to you until I cool down.

  “He’s really pissed,” said Eene when she returned to the kitchen. “I think Hana’s in with him but they aren’t talking. How often does he get this way?”

  “Never. This is very bad,” said Misti.

  Kendra said, “I don’t care. We need to contact the Institute, family and the cops and say Adam is looking to have a chat with his folks, that he heard they were worried about him. This will assure the cops that all is well and that maybe his Mom and Dad are overreacting. But I suspect some cops are in on this thing with Adam’s parents. We need to get Alana checking all major law enforcement databases for who worked with Edward and Anna and where they have their money stashed overseas. Then we need to get some press out on the internet that Adam is in seclusion working on humanitarian innovations but it’s too soon to discuss in detail. Get the nerds, geeks and conspiracy theorists in action. We need to ghost write something for a Journal or Mag that all the tech-heads read. Finally, we need to have direct contact with the agencies that might do something to help Edward and Anna arrange a conference call with Adam. Reassure them that Adam isn’t crazy.”

  “He is right now.”

  “And if he’d done this same thing to us, how would we all feel?”

  “Point taken.”

  “Noki, go talk to Laura and find out when she wants to go and how much money she needs, documents, passport, that kind of stuff. “

  “We need multiple tracking devices on Laura that can’t be detected. Who does that besides Adam?”

  “I’ll do it,” said Fionna. “I have Immortal tech. No one will find it and it cannot be removed. We’ll know exactly where she is.”

  “If Alana or Laura get actionable leads on where Edward is, the Immortals need to go there and check it out. Otherwise, we need to convince Laura and Edward/Anna that they need to meet and talk everything out. Then we arrive ahead of time in secret and kill them all. The Marco Polo stuff is now dead. Not a priority; we just kill the four.”

  ***

  For the next several days, Adam remained held up in his Lab speaking to no one. He got up each morning, showered and dressed for the day, then went to the kitchen where he made a pot of coffee then departed for his Lab. Hana was still lounging in his Lab, saying nothing, but still keeping watch on him and hoping the ice was melting. It was not.

  Adam asked Hana politely not to remain with him in the Lab. His work did not concern her and she was a distraction. He did not speak with any anger in his voice; nonetheless, it hurt Hana that Adam may have felt she was not welcome to spend time with him, even if she was silent and did not interrupt.

  Adam, on the other hand, felt “once bitten, twice shy”. He saw Hana’s presence as spying on him and his mood, and did not feel the joy of her company as he usually did. He received some resistance from her but he reminded her who she served.

  “Leave now and do not return until I tell you to do so. I am very busy.”

  He slept alone and had nothing to say to anyone. He did call Alana several times and invited her to his Lab for discussions on some topic of concern, but she was sworn to secrecy. He warned her he had just about had enough of secret planning behind his back, and if she shared any of their conversations, she should pack and leave immediately. She would be on her own with no support from him.

  On the fourth day, Alana was in Adam’s Lab most of the day; by dinnertime, he asked Eene to come down to his Lab for a chat after dinner. He did not say what the meeting was about, but he mentioned that Alana would be joining them. This was not a confab; she was to meet him around ten and she should come alone and not discuss anything with anybody else.

  After dinner, which Adam did not prepare, Eene was in her room by herself counting the minutes. She was alarmed and a little scared about what Adam was up to; he had not been his usual self and she feared he may be planning something rash.

  At eight, she was in a planning session with the ladies and excused herself to visit Adam just before ten. She mentioned she was going down to the Lab to check on Adam and would be back quickly. When she arrived, Alana was already present and three backpacks were on one of the tables.

  “We’re leaving right now. I have a plane fueled and ready to go, and we won’t be back for a while. You don’t need to pack; we’ll pick up what we need along the way. Alana and I have equipment and we’ll need your help.”

  “Shouldn’t we say something to the rest of the family. They should know we’re leaving and where we’re going. I’m not comfortable with leaving unannounced and in secret.”

  “You should have thought of that before. It’s a little late for you to require me to get permission about what I need to announce and to whom. Either you’re coming with us, or not. Which is it?”

  “I can’t Adam. I just can’t. We all promised to stick together and if I go with you and Alana, I’d be breaking my promise. It’s not right and I won’t do something this uncomfortable. I’m sorry but you two should go. I won’t say anything.”

  Eene’s phone rang. It was Fionna, now in mortal form, asking what was going on. Adam could hear her voice clearly.

  “Did you tell them you were coming down to meet with me?”

  “Yes. I said I’d be gone for a few minutes; we’re in a planning session.”

  “After I asked you not to say a thing?”

  “It was harmless. I said I would be right back.”

  “And you shall.”

  “Alana, are you ready to roll?”

  “No. I’m not. You said Eene would be coming, and now she’s not. That was the deal.”

  “There was no such deal; I said I’d ask her and I thought she would come. I was wrong. You know I need you. Are you in or out?”

  “Out. This was not my understanding. If Eene stays, then I stay.”

  Adam sat down, thinking.

  “I understand. But it changes nothing. I have all the equipment I need, so I guess it’s just me.”

  “Sorry,” said Alana cautiously. “I can’t help you if Eene won’t.”

  “I get it. And I appreciate your loyalty to her. But I’ll send a jet. Pack your shit and be gone in the morning. Apparently, I don’t really need you, or for that matter, any of you. Eene, give my regards to the Immortals and tell them to leave. As their Master, I no longer require their services. You, Noki and Misti should go wherever you feel safe, just not here. I have serious issues and cannot trust any of you, even after all we’ve been through. Eene, I don’t even know what to say. I expected so much more from you.”

  With that he left, climbing into the elevator to the surface where his jet awaited him. He was on board and wheels up within minutes. He was long gone by the time Eene and Alana met up with the ladies in the Study. Their cell phones suddenly failed to work and they couldn’t get from the Lab below to the residence above fast enough.

  Eene explained the situation. Adam was gone.

  Chapter 40

  Fionna was furious, as were all the women. No wonder he had sequestered himself away in his Lab, no contact with anyone. This was his revenge and he would now go it alone.

  Niona said, “We cannot let this change in plans, with Adam leaving, interrupt our planning. We can get some of Adam’s men from Seattle to help us. We need boots on the
ground and, if Adam’s not there, we still need some muscle. And we need you Alana to keep up on the work you were doing. You must know where everyone and everything is.”

  “I don’t. And I’ve been fired. I’m to leave in the morning. Adam made it clear if I was here when he got back, the consequences would be dire. I know him well enough to know I’m not hanging around. If I’m not on that plane in the morning, he’ll know. I’m sorry, but I’m outta here. Eene has more for all of you, but since it does not affect me, you can deal with this however you want.”

  Niona looked at Eene.

  “Eene? What is she talking about.”

  Adam has told me to tell all you Immortals to go home. He’s discharged all of you. You are to leave immediately. There will be no more planning, nor more executing.”

  Noki said, “Then I countermand that order. You are invited to stay.”

  Eene looked at Misti and Noki. “We are to leave too. He wants none of us here when he returns. He thinks the family experiment has failed again. He thinks we ignored him, left him out of everything and took over. Marginalized him. Betrayed his trust in us again. Especially me. I said I would not mention that I was going to see him, then I did. I don’t know why. He was calm but very angry. He was not our Adam. I’m not sure he’ll ever come back here. Noki’s dream is dead without him, and Adam is gone.”

  Everyone fell back in their seats, groaning over these events.

  The Immortals knew they could not simply ignore Adams commands; disobedience to their Master this time would not go over well. They would have to leave and go back to the Immortal realm. If their Lord asked why they had returned, they would say only that Adam had commanded it and that they obeyed his command. They had no exact idea why, which was completely accurate.

  As for Eene Misti and Noki, they had no intention of leaving the City, no matter what Adam said. It was their home, and if he wanted them out when he returned, he could tell them to their faces. But they were not going to leave the safety of Paraiso just because Adam said so. They had money, lots of money, and could go anywhere. But to do so would require travel documents which could be tracked and passed on to Edward and Anna.

  The Immortals departed, leaving only four in residence. The plane arrived for Alana the next morning and one of the pilots came down to inform the remaining three that they had ten days to vacate the residence. He informed Eene that Adam has set up a trust account for her; she would never want for money but she was to leave and never return. As for Noki and Misti, he left notes saying this betrayal would be the last he would suffer at their hands for the rest of his life. This time they had gone too far and their lives were now their own. They had lots of money at their disposal and he suggested they just disappear. He provided each with true and false identities; they could travel freely unless facial recognition was involved. He suggested private travel.

  Eene cried for a week. Misti and Noki steeled themselves against the pain of loneliness they would all experience. In the end, the three decided that the Island retreat was probably safe now and decided to return quietly until Adam came to his senses, which he would. Eventually. They knew the place and had been happy there. Misti was unaware of what had happened once before to her on that Island, and Eene and Noki did not wish to bring the subject up.

  They should have.

  Within days after arriving at the Island, men showed up, broke into the residence and captured the three.

  The men, Russian mercenaries, had ideas about how to entertain themselves while they waited for instructions, but their leader said the women were to remain untouched and unsullied. He warned them that the penalty for breaking this rule was death. The Russian in charge had worked with Edward before and knew that an order was an order. And, never to fuck with Edward St. James.

  Edward and Anna would send a boat to collect the women within days. Until then, the captives were confined to the residence, and the men, save one, were to stay outside. Only their leader was permitted inside and he was to keep his distance. These women were gold to Edward, Anna and Crissy; that Francesca could now spend some additional quality time with Misti provided ample opportunity for some of the best sex the four had had in months.

  When Francesca and Anna were done with the three, Edward would send the three back to Adam in parts.

  This was bad. Adam found out about the situation within hours of their capture through satellite telemetry. He could not believe how stupid they were for returning to the Island but he could not let them fall into Edward’s hands.

  He turned to Octavio and the twins. “How do we extract them before they take them wherever they’re going. What’s the plan for getting to them before they’re off the Island?”

  “I’ll send in teams; we have two on the way to Turkey, but they’re still in the air over Greece. All ex-Navy Seals. We’ll be on the Island within hours and they’ll be back in our hands pretty quickly after that.”

  “Can we get them in quiet and stealthy? I don’t want them going through Customs and Immigration. No passport alerts to dear old dad.”

  “We have a way to drop them into the water near a yacht that is already on its way toward the Island. I have a copter on the way too, so the whole scenario was amazingly lucky; I don’t expect any issues. Could have been a lot messier. Now it will be surgical.”

  “I’m going to call my father once we confirm the team is on the Island and in place. How many hostiles are there?”

  “Four, as far as I can tell. Minimum surveillance team. They caught the girls by surprise. Our team will have eight; their four are divided, three outside and one inside. The three outside are in a triangular formation to watch for any approach. We’ll go in after dark, as I see no air or water craft in the area approaching the Island. If anything shows up on the screen, the teams will go in fast and hot by helicopter. They’re staging right now on the yacht, which has a helipad. I have two other teams of four on the way from two different directions; one Israeli and one from Cypress. Nobody will get there faster than we will.”

  “Good. Stay in touch by Sat phone. I found dear old mom and dad and am on the way there now.”

  “Where?”

  “London.”

  “We’re not coming?”

  “Not necessary for now. Your priority is the women; I’ll use James and Raul for London. When this part is over, come to London. James says he already has Edward’s building covered and under watch. The rats are not getting away this time. You make sure the women get free, and I’ll worry about the others. Actually, I’ll wait to call my parents until our team has eliminated the four on the Island. I want confirmation they are dead and the girls are off the Island. When I call, it will be to make sure they are in their building when we need them to be.”

  “Roger that.”

  ***

  Noki and Eene were terrified about the stupidity of their choice. The blamed themselves, Adam and his parents for what was now a dire situation and well on its way to getting worse. They knew what Edward and his psycho family had done to Misti; they expected worse this time. None of them would be going home. They had heard the men talking about them beforehand and, had Edward not protected them, their situation on the Island would also have been much worse. Luckily, for the time being, they were safe from what could have been a painful and extremely abusive number of days. Edward had no idea that Adam had been watching the island too and would be able to put together an emergency extraction team so fast; even Adam knew he caught a break. Octavio and his men were now a global enterprise; nonetheless he was fortunate; the team on its way to Turkey could have just as easily been on its way to Indonesia.

  Misti, for her part, was calm. She had no recollection of what had happened the last time on the Island and was confidant that, although they had made a terrible blunder, Adam would show up as he always had. Her belief in him was so strong that she chided Eene and Noki for their unwarranted panic.

  “He’s coming. I know it. He’ll be here soon and then we’ll al
l go home. He will say he’s sorry and all will be forgiven. Then we will all return to normal. And the Immortals will be back home too. He knows we love him and the family will survive this.”

  Eene and Noki thought Misti was soft in the head. Nobody was on their way; they’d be lucky to survive the next forty-eight hours, much less any longer. And if they did, in Edwards hands, they’d wish they were dead.

  “He’ll be here tonight at the latest. As soon as it gets dark, those guards will be dead and we’ll be on our way home. Try not to worry. I promise you, we’re safe.”

  Eene started crying, knowing what was going to happen next to her. Noki tried to think of a way to escape or hide but the men had sealed all the doors and exits, and cut the power. The ladies were going nowhere, and their inside guard did not look like a guy who cared much about how he treated women.

  “Edward has sent a message that if you try anything, and I catch you, I can do with you as I please. So, I suggest unless you want a very bad experience, you sit still and shut up.”

  Misti started to say something and was immediately backhanded hard and brutally, then pulled up by her hair.

  “I said shut up. Next time, I tie you up and work you over. Nod if we understand each other.”

  They all nodded and sat in silence.

  Fucking Russians, thought Noki. She had dealt with them in her past life. Cruel and psycho, some of the worst the planet had to offer. If she ever got free, they had better hope they were long gone and far away. Her vendetta would be what they intended for her.

  It would not be pleasant.

  Chapter 41

  The ex-Seals landed just after darkness fell. They had come in by water, had night vision gear, and were well armed for silent operations; the outside men would be dead quickly and silently; the glint of the ex-Seals knives would not be seen until the blood was draining from the carotid arteries of the hostiles’ throats. They had several access points to enter the residence, knowing that only one man was inside but he would probably kill hostages knowing his life expectancy was short.