As the three climbed the stairs, Willow returned to her seat. The original plans of the G650 had marked this area as a "Crew Rest Area," but the Sheik had customized it as a luxurious private area, which Willow appreciated. She might have to chauffeur these clowns around but that didn't mean she had to mingle with them.
The woman stepped into the plane first where she stopped and gazed around as most people typically did when first entering such a luxuriously designed plane.
“Oh my,” Miriam Petty said. “It’s even nicer on the inside.” Her eyes locked on Willow.
“Hello. Are you by chance Mrs. Brown?”
“What? Who?” Willow said, startled by the question. “Never mind who I am. Identify yourself and your companion.”
“Why I’m Mrs. Miriam Petty,” Miriam replied in a haughty, what-business-is-it-to-you voice, “And my ‘companion’ is the imminent Dr. Thaddeus Chickowski.” She turned to make room for him. Glancing back, she added, “You can take that ridiculous beard off now, don’t you think?”
Chickowski also looked around the cabin, nodding his head. He reminded Willow of one of those silly dolls people used to keep in the back of their cars. He sure didn’t look very ‘imminent’ at the moment. Did he really think that fake beard would fool anyone?
"My men will make you comfortable in the next compartment," Willow said as she motioned towards the rear of the plane as Widget opened the door to the business cabin. She could just make out Ted sitting at the rear. It must be Ned's turn to guard their other passengers in the rearmost compartment, Willow thought. "Our flight should take approximately seventeen hours with a brief stopover in Portugal to refuel.”
“I’m sorry but I didn’t catch your name, Miss,” Miriam tried again.
“Miss-none-of-your-business,” Willow replied.
“Why that certainly isn’t very polite,” Miriam replied with an edge to her voice.
“I’m not paid for my manners,” Willow replied. “I’m paid to get the job done. At the moment that includes getting you to my boss. Now, shut your mouth and do as you’re told.”
She glanced at Tao who stood on the top step just outside the plane. “If she gives you any trouble whatsoever, you have my permission to restrain her in whatever fashion you find most effective...short of dumping her overboard.”
Willow turned back to Petty. “You have a nice flight, now, you’all hear.”
Before Miriam could reply, Chickowski shoved her from behind. “Do what she said. I want to get this damn itchy thing off my face.”
"Your superiors will hear about this; I can assure you," Miriam said as she moved reluctantly towards the business compartment.
Like I give a flying fuck, Willow thought before turning her attention to Tao. She really needed to get some rest. She realized she was growing more ornery the longer she put off resting. "Let them know back there that when the young woman with the short red hair wakes up, I'll want to talk with her up here," she said in a hushed voice. "But make sure the others stay down, especially the boy. ”
“Sure thing,” Tao replied.
Meanwhile, I'm going to get a little shut-eye of my own; Willow thought as she closed her eyes. She was asleep within a few minutes, never noticing their takeoff.
“BOSS...BOSS.”
Willow felt a hand on her shoulder shaking her gently. She shrugged it away, but the voice and shaking continued.
"Boss. Willow, the young woman, she is awake," Tao said a little louder.
Willow opened one eye and looked around the cabin. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost three hours,” Tao replied. “I would have let you sleep longer but you said...”
“Yes, it’s okay,” Willow interrupted as she sat up, stretched and yawned. “I’m feeling much better. Give me a couple of minutes then bring her to me. How about getting me some water in the meantime?”
Tao nodded and handed her the bottle of water he held in his other hand. “Figured you’d be thirsty when you awoke.”
Willow nodded as she took a long draught from the bottle, finishing off half of it. She arose and walked the few steps to the lavatory where she relieved herself, then washed her face. As she did so she considered the situation at hand. She had successfully apprehended three more of the children, including the boy who had already exhibited special and dangerous powers. No telling what powers the other children might possess. Best to keep them out of it until they arrived in Dubai. She’d also picked up the mystery passengers as the Sheik had directed her. Now, there was just one other loose end to tie up. What to do with the young woman who’d been with the children?
She stared at her reflection in the mirror. There was still some puffiness around her eyes, left over from the long hours with no sleep, but all in all she felt much better. She looked a little closer. Were those crow's feet beginning to form at the outer corners of her eyelids?
“I’ve got to get myself out of this line of work,” she whispered to herself as she threw some more water on her face, even though she knew she was locked into her work probably for the rest of her life. The trick would be to make sure her retirement was at least a few more decades away.
She returned to her seat just as the door to the business compartment opened, and Tao pushed the young woman into her cabin.
“According to her driver’s license her name is Mimi Rogers,” Tao said as he pulled down a temporary seat from the wall across from where Willow sat. “Sit,” he instructed the woman. When she hesitated, he pushed her into the seat.
“That’ll be all for now,” Willow said to Tao. “I’ll call you if I need anything.”
Tao glanced first at her then back at Mimi. “You sure you don’t want me...”
“No need,” Willow interrupted. “Mimi and I are just going to get acquainted. Isn’t that right, dear?” As she spoke, Willow reached out and squeezed Mimi’s knee, then kept squeezing until Mimi flinched and then nodded quickly.
"Good," Willow said, as she released her grip on the woman's knee and sat back with a smile on her face. "My name is Willow. I'm in charge here. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to answer them succinctly and honestly. Understand?"
Mimi reached down to rub her leg. Probably have a couple of bruises there, she thought, as she stared back at the woman who'd introduced herself with a most painful squeeze. I'll have to tread lightly with this one. Willow; what an unusual name, but it fits. The slender woman dressed in all black looked to be nearly six feet tall, although it was a little hard to measure since she was sitting down. She wore her jet black hair in a medium length with bangs that threatened to fall in her eyes. Her pale complexion was in sharp contrast to the red lipstick and touch of rouge she appeared to be wearing. Here was a beautiful woman who took her gorgeous looks for granted, no doubt. She was also apparently used to getting her way.
“This is quite a plane you have here,” Mimi started with as pleasant a smile as she could muster, even though her heart was beating out of control. “Is it yours?”
Willow didn't answer at first but just continued to smile back at her for several seconds. Then before Mimi could move, she felt the woman's strong fingers squeezing a new set of bruises on her already sore knee.
Willow continued to squeeze as she stared hard into Mimi’s eyes. “Let’s start again. I ask the questions; you answer them. Got it?”
Mimi nodded quickly as tears formed in her eyes. Damn, no need to be so rough, Mimi thought with a gasp as Willow smiled
“Is your name really Mimi Rogers?” Willow asked, finally relinquishing her hold on the knee.
"Yes, that's right," Mimi answered as she tried to rub some feeling back into her leg.
“Where are you from and what were you doing with the three kids in the back?”
Mimi had to think quickly. She'd only been awake a few minutes when the Asian-looking man had slapped her thoroughly awake and brought her up here. Hardly time to formulate a good cover story, so she figured she'd have to
go with the truth or at least some of the truth.
"I'm originally from the North Carolina mountains; a small town called Foster Flat. Have you ever heard of it?" As Willow began to lean forward with a frown on her face, Mimi quickly added. "Never mind; not important. I moved to Atlanta a few years ago which is where I met Rachael. She's the mother of one of the girls." She nodded her head towards the rear of the plane. "That's how I know them; really only the one girl; Kristin, Rachael's daughter. I don't know the others."
“Go on,” Willow said with a blank look on her face. Sure wouldn’t want to play poker with this broad, Mimi thought.
"Well, that's pretty much it. Rachael had not seen or heard from her daughter in quite a while when Kristin contacted by her. It seems Kristin was in some trouble and needed help. She'd gotten a call from Kristin a few weeks ago. She was concerned for her daughter's safety, so she asked me to do her a favor and bring her daughter home."
“Who do you work for?” Willow asked. As she did so, she glanced down at Mimi’s knee.
"For myself," Mimi answered quickly, as she tried to move her legs as far away from the woman as possible. "I'm a freelance writer. Mostly boring press releases, quarterly reports for businesses, the occasional brochure. All pretty boring stuff but it pays the bills." She'd used those lines before, so the words came out smoothly, and she hoped convincingly. She'd also made it a point to leave her press credentials at home.
Willow continued to stare at her for several seconds with the same poker face before asking the next question. “And how do you know this Rachael woman?”
“I’ve done some freelance work for her. I wouldn’t say we’re friends, but we’ve come to know each other pretty well professionally.”
“But why did she send you to fetch her daughter?” Willow asked. “Why didn’t she do it herself, hire a detective, or someone other than a freelance writer?”
"Well, Rachael is very busy running her ad agency," Mimi replied. "I actually asked her why she wanted me to do it. I tried to convince her that there were others with far more experience than me. She wouldn't hear of it. She said she trusted me and thought her daughter would as well.” Mimi smiled. So far, the questioning was going pretty well.
Willow studied her again before asking, “Tell me, is there any reason you can think of why I shouldn’t just dump you out of this plane as we fly over the Atlantic Ocean. Any reason at all?”
Mimi felt her mouth grow dry and her heart rate accelerate even faster by the sudden turn in the questioning.
"Uh, well for starters, ‘thou shalt not kill' is one of the Ten Commandments." Mimi tried to smile, but she felt it fall flat on her face.
“Not a Christian,” Willow replied. “I couldn’t care less what’s in the Bible.”
“I think it says something similar in the Koran...”
“I care even less about the Koran,” Willow replied. “I’m an atheist.”
Shit, Mimi thought. Just my luck.
“Well, it’s also against the law. You could go to prison for life or even get the death sentence.”
“Sweetie, I’ve lived outside the law for so long, one more murder on my record will hardly even be noticed.”
“Any other reason that I might actually care about?” Willow waited for a reply as Mimi squirmed in her seat. When she didn’t say anything, Willow spoke. “Well, in that case...”
“I could be your inside person,” Mimi blurted out.
“What?” Willow asked. “Explain.”
“The three kids trust me. After all, I’m just another person who you’ve kidnapped. So, if you keep me alive and return me to the back, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. I’ll continue to build their trust. If I hear anything that I think might jeopardize your mission...whatever that is, I’ll be sure to let you know. Promise.”
Willow broke her deadpan look for the first time. “Now, that’s actually an interesting proposal. As a matter of fact, these three are part of a special family. There are others like them that are already in the care of my boss. It might prove useful to have someone like you listening in. Helping us discover more about them.”
"Well, I'm an excellent listener, and I've always had a knack for getting people to open up to me."
Willow nodded slowly as she considered Mimi's proposal. Finally, she sat up straight and bored her gaze into Mimi. "You know there are far worse ways to die than being dropped out of a plane. I'm an expert on death, especially the slow, excruciatingly painful ways of dying. You double-cross me, and I'll be only too happy to give you a demonstration. You understand me?"
"Perfectly," Mimi replied as she finally let herself breathe again. But as Tao escorted her back to the rear of the plane, it began to sink in what she'd done. She'd agreed to become a snitch to save her own life. That might very well include getting Kristin in trouble down the road; the very person she'd been sent to help. While it had seemed like a good deal at the time, she now realized she'd jumped from the frying pan into the fire, as her Uncle Bo used to say.
Healing
THE MORNING AFTER THE organizational meeting, Flip returned to Lionel’s home for a healing session with Alp as they had agreed. As he stood on the porch, he gazed at the line of shrubs in front of the house and the picket fence that separated the yard from the sidewalk. Funny, while he never pictured himself in such a tranquil suburban setting, it seemed to fit perfectly for Lionel who’d always been the quieter, more grounded of the two, despite his wild professional dreams to make a significant difference for all of humanity.
Of course, I had to come along and throw a wrench in those plans, Flip thought. He heard a rustling on the other side of the door, and a moment later it opened.
"Hello," Alp said smiling at him. She wore a pair of old cut-off jeans, and a pink blouse with the shirttails tied together across her midriff. A pair of pink flip-flops completed the ensemble. Flip realized that his daughter was rapidly growing into a young lady despite her being less than four-years-old. He'd often heard other parents talking about how fast children grew up, but this was ridiculous how fast the Kindred were growing.
“Come on in. Lionel and Bridgette left early this morning to run some errands, and they took Damba with them, so we have the place to ourselves, at least for a while.”
Flip entered the living room and looked around, noticing the stack of sheets and blankets at the end of the couch.
“Has someone been sleeping on the couch?” he asked.
"Yeah, Damba slept there last night. I tried to get him to take the spare bedroom, but he insisted I take it instead. I thought we'd have our healing session in there just in case the others returned before we finished."
Flip nodded. “You know I’d be happy to put the two of you up in a hotel. There’s a fairly nice one a few blocks away. Separate rooms, of course.”
Alp chuckled but shook her head. "No thanks. I appreciate the offer, but I like being in the center of the action. Plus I'm enjoying getting to know Dr. Adams and Bridgette. Besides, how would I learn about my father if I didn't have time to hear those stories about you and Dr. Adams' college days?"
Flip groaned at that last remark. “Even more reason for you to move to a hotel,” he said, but then smiled. “All I ask is that, at some point, you give me the opportunity to share my side of those stories. Okay?”
“It’s a deal,” Alp replied chuckling. “Are you ready to step into Alp’s Healing Center?”
“Sure, I guess so,” Flip answered as he followed her into the spare bedroom. The light blue wallpaper with a subtle hint of flowers reminded him of a Monet painting. Alp had turned off all the lights and lit all the candles she could find to create a peaceful setting.
"Take your shoes off and get comfortable over there on the bed," Alp said. "I think the more relaxed the two of us are, the easier this will be. Our bodies are incredibly adept at healing themselves. Whatever gift I have is simply to facilitate and perhaps speed the healing process."
Flip removed his shoes and
loosened his belt. The bed was a little higher than the one on which he'd been sleeping. Getting in a bed always caused problems. His right leg just did not want to cooperate. He leaned over the bed and using his left leg to maneuver around, finally shifted onto the bed. Lying down caused a lot of pain. He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a groan. Alp just looked on with a worried look.
“How’s the room temperature?” Alp asked as she pulled up a straight-back chair and sat down a foot or two from him.
"Good," Flip answered as he adjusted the pillow under his head. "Listen, Alp. I want you to focus on my legs, especially the right one that seems to be giving me the most trouble. However, leave the rest alone, the injured area between the legs." Flip was suddenly embarrassed to be talking about his privates with his daughter.
Alp smiled at his discomfort. “Okay, whatever you say, but I’m curious why you don’t want me to explore that region. You know I won’t need to touch you there...”
“No, I know that,” Flip quickly interjected, feeling his face continue to grow red. “It’s just that...well, I think that part of my anatomy has already caused everyone enough trouble.”
Alp paused for a moment, then said, “Yeah, well that may be true in one sense, but you know I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for that part of you. Neither would Heather, Mia, or the rest of the Kindred.”
“Okay, that’s a good point,” Flip replied. He certainly didn’t want Alp to think he viewed her or her siblings as a mistake.
“We’ll just chat for a few minutes,” Alp said, leaning back in her chair. “Let your body get comfortable, and your heart rate slow to normal.”
Flip nodded, not sure what to talk about, then remembered the conversation from yesterday. “I heard from my former nemesis, yesterday.”
“Who’s that?” Alp asked.
“Chunk Robinson.”
“Really?” Alp answered with a surprised edge to her voice. “He called you?”
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