“So that’s why you call him your good luck charm?” Alp asked.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
"Do you believe that? I mean, do you believe that some people are luckier than others?"
James didn't know how to answer that question. Finally, he replied, "Well, yes, kinda. I think there are people like Todd, who are smart, crafty, street-wise, and it's those attributes that people describe as being lucky. I think most lucky people create their luck. I just know that on a mission like this we're going to need every ounce of it."
“He was the one with the dark, shaggy hair?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, he’s cute as well as being all those other things,” Alp replied.
James glanced back at the young girl. “You’re growing up way too fast.”
Alp shrugged. “Yeah, maybe. That’s what we Kindred sisters do.”
“The Sheik will see you now,” Willow said as she entered the waiting room where she’d deposited the Sheik’s two obnoxious guests. “Tao and I will escort you down.”
“Well, it’s about damn time,” Petty answered petulantly. “We’ve been twiddling our thumbs in this hell hole for nearly two hours.”
“Calm down now, Miriam,” Chickowski said as he rose from the lounge chair where he’d been napping. “I’m sure our host is a very busy man.”
“And I’m a busy woman,” Petty answered, “Who has a highly valuable commodity that you said he was interested in acquiring.”
"That's correct," Willow replied as she took a threatening step toward Petty. "And if you'll shut your trap and come this way, I'm sure you can get on with the transaction. This way." She pointed to the door with a knife that had suddenly, almost magically, appeared in her hand.
Petty stepped back a moment, in alarm, before finally composing herself. "Well, yes...this way, Thaddeus. We mustn't keep the Sheik waiting."
The four of them walked through Falcon Lair with Willow leading the way, Chickowski and Petty behind her, and Tao bringing up the rear. Petty gazed around at the palatial surroundings that she'd been informed was a replica of Rudolph's Valentino's Beverly Hills home from the 1920s. Petty prided herself on being somewhat of an aficionado when it came to movie stars of that period, with Valentino being her all-time favorite. She remembered reading that Valentino had decorated his Beverly Hills home with lavish antiques, fine art, and imported European furnishings; much like the estate through which she was now walking. The original Falcon Lair was to be Valentino's and Natacha Rambova's dream home, but unfortunately, Natacha divorced him shortly after they moved into the home. Sadder still, Valentino died from peritonitis less than a year later at the tender age of thirty-one.
Who in the hell is this Sheik fellow they were about to meet? It must be nice to be so wealthy that you could indulge in your enjoyment of an old-time movie star by building a replica of his home. Maybe she could use this common interest to her advantage in some way.
Willow led them through the estate to a side entrance that brought them out to an oasis-like setting of palm trees, fountains, and a waterfall that emptied into a large pool filled with several curvaceous young women scantily dressed in swimwear that was definitely not from the roaring twenties era. Petty gazed around at the scene, her eyes coming to rest on a young man, lying face down on a yellow inflatable raft in the middle of the pool, his tanned, muscular frame accentuated by tight-fitting white trunks.
One of the women closest to him playfully splashed him with water and then pointed to the arriving party. A few words were exchanged in a language that Petty didn't recognize. Within a few seconds, two of the women guided the raft over to the edge of the pool where two others were waiting with towels and a third with a smoothie.
As their host turned around to walk towards them, Petty’s breath caught in her throat. She’d seen dozens of pictures of the real Valentino over the years, but she now realized that none of the black and white images had done him justice; for before her stood the real thing—Valentino in the flesh.
Sedation
NED STUCK HIS HEAD out of the small cell in the lower level of Falcon Lair where it was his turn to sit with the unconscious boy that had his boss so freaked out. He looked first to his brother, Ted, then to Widget sitting across from each other playing cards in the outer room.
“Widg, how about coming to take a look at our prisoner. I think he’s starting to wake up.”
Widget placed his cards faced down. “I better not catch you sneaking a peek at my hand,” he said to Ted as he rose from his chair.
“No worry,” Ted replied with a sly smile. “I’ll be sure you don’t catch me.”
As he walked by, Widget popped him lightly on the head. "Remember, I may have this room bugged with surveillance cameras allowing me to monitor your activity from the other room."
“Yeah, I wouldn’t put that past you,” Ted replied, chuckling. “All for a penny-ante game of poker.”
Widget followed Ned into the other room, fighting once again against the feeling of claustrophobia he felt each time he entered the small, six-by-eight-foot room with no windows and only one small air vent in the far wall. In the center of the room securely tied to a straight back chair sat the teenage boy, his head covered by a black canvas bag. A second identical chair set in the corner next to a small table where one of Ned's comic books lay or, as Ned would correct, a graphic novel.
Widget removed the bag to take a closer look at the boy's face. He placed one hand gently on the boy's neck to check his pulse. He stared at his watch, registering the pulse rate as he simultaneously counted the boy's respirations. Finally, he looked over to Ned.
"Yeah, I think you're right. His pulse and respiration have increased. Maybe we should notify Willow or Tao?"
"Tao told me not to disturb them unless necessary. I don't think he wants to worry Willow anymore than necessary. She's already freaked out by the kid."
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that too. Okay, what would you suggest?”
Ned walked over to his station and picked up the graphic novel and placed it on the chair revealing a small vial and a couple of hypodermic needles and a strand of rubber tubing on the table.
“Tao told me to give him another dose of sedative if he started to awaken.” He pointed to the tape encircling the boy’s left wrist.
“Tao inserted an I. V. catheter before he left just in case.”
“Well then, why haven’t you done it?” Widget asked.
“Because you’re the science wiz-kid, not me. I might kill him with an overdosage.”
“I’m a tech wiz-kid, not a medical one,” Widget replied. “How am I supposed to know how much to give?”
Ned shrugged. “Beats me.”
Widget sighed. Should he risk calling Tao or Willow, or just take an educated guess on the dosage? He remembered Willow berating him recently for not taking enough initiative. This seemed like an excellent opportunity to prove to her that he could be proactive.
"Okay, here's what we'll do," Widget finally said as he straightened his shoulders. "I'll give him a light dose, and we'll monitor his vitals. If I need to, I'll give him a second dose later. That way, we won't give him too much."
“Sounds like a plan,” Ned replied, clearly relieved that he’d not had to make the decision. “Have at it.”
“You know, you’re no help at all,” Widget replied as he removed Mel’s hood. “Help me get this tape off.”
“Are you sure?” Ned asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. It's overkill. Willow is just paranoid, but if this boy dies, the Sheik will have our skins, not hers."
Ned finally conceded and helped remove the tape covering Mel’s mouth, ears and eyes before putting the hood back on.
Widget picked up one of the hypodermics and started to fill it with the amber colored solution in the vial. He raised the syringe towards the light and tapped it gently to dislodge any air bubbles.
He walked back to the boy and inserted the needle into the ru
bber tip of the catheter.
“Remember, not too much,” Ned said anxiously, realizing that if something went wrong, Widget wouldn’t be the only one to suffer Willow’s wrath.
“Okay,” Widget said as he pulled back on the syringe and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a small rivulet of blood come back. “Here goes.”
Tao slowly injected a couple cc's of the liquid, then paused. Within a few seconds, he could see the boy's respiration slowing further. He thought about giving a couple more cc's, but then remembered his original plan. He'd check on the boy later and provide a second dose if needed.
“Okay, that should hold him for a while.” He pulled the syringe out.
Ned started to replace the hood.
“Leave it off for now so we can better monitor his breathing.”
“Okay, if you say so. How long can you keep someone under like this?” Ned asked as he also breathed a sigh of relief.
“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” Widget answered.
“Well, I just thought of something,” Ned said. “Sooner or later we’re going to have to let him wake up.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
"Let's put it this way; you want to clean up after him when he pees in his pants or worse?"
“Hmmm, good point,” Widget replied. “Of course, I could leave that up to you and your brother.”
“No way. That’s where I draw the line.”
“Okay, you’re right. We’ll just have to take a chance and let him wake up after this last dose wears off. We can keep the hood on. Surely with the three of us, we can handle one kid,” Widget said, sounding more confident than he felt.
As the Sheik strolled towards Petty, he took a towel from the leggy, scantily dressed blonde to his left to dry his hair and face. As he pulled the towel away, a broad, handsome smile competed with the mid-morning sun for brightness. Petty was shocked to see that every hair was still in place in the same slick-backed appearance the real Valentino had been famous for, despite this man having ruffled it severely just moments before.
“Ahh, my guests have finally arrived,” the Sheik said as he dropped the towel on the ground and took Petty’s hand in his own, kissing it gently in the old European style.
"Well, actually, we've been here for a couple of hours," Petty muttered, but then to cover the harshness of her words continued. "But no matter. We're here now in your presence, and that is what is important. Charmed to meet you, huh...I'm sorry, I don't know what name I should call you." The man standing before her threw his head back and laughed uproariously for several seconds.
"I know, I know. It can be confusing. Am I ‘the Sheik' as many of my staff like to call me, or am I Rudolph, or perhaps Mr. Valentino? But surely not. After all, he died a horrible death over seventy-five years ago. No, no. None of those will do. Personally, I prefer for most people to call me Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan, or just Sheik Hassan, but you my dear...you may merely call me Hassan, your Latin Lover."
Petty felt herself blush by the words and the kiss on the hand. "Of course, the role he played in his most famous movie," she finally managed to say to cover her embarrassment. Too quickly, Hassan released her hand back to her care as his attention turned to Chickowski, which gave Petty the opportunity to study her host more closely.
Sure enough. He possessed the same chiseled facial features of the original Valentino; the long thin nose, high cheekbones, and thin lips. Petty estimated his height to be six feet, maybe just an inch or so shorter. But was that a looped earring in his left ear? She was sure that although Valentino had occasionally worn earrings for some of the roles he played, he never had one of his own. He was much too concerned about being thought of as effeminate by the press for such an adornment.
“And you must be the esteemed Dr. Chickowski,” Sheik Hassan said as he grasped the doctor’s hand and shook it firmly, “So good to meet you at long last.”
He turned suddenly back to Petty. "I see you've noticed my self-indulgence." He reached up with his left hand and gently grasped the earring. "No, my idol did not wear such in public...only in the movies. But these are different times, so I figured, what the hell. I'm rich enough to get away with it."
Glancing around, it was crystal clear to Petty just how wealthy their host was. It made her hands itch in anticipation of his sharing some of that wealth with her.
“But how...?” Petty left the question hanging, suddenly afraid Hassan would consider it impertinent, but he only laughed once again.
“The wonders of modern science,” he replied before turning and pointing towards an array of tables laid out near the pool covered with an assortment of fresh fruit, nuts, dates and several glass pitchers and bottles of wine, each in their own sweating bucket of ice.
“Please, come. Let’s have some refreshments. We have juice, wine, water of course, and if you don’t see what you want, just let one of my girls know. They’ll be happy to fetch it for you. Come, sit.”
The three of them sat down around one of the smaller tables while Willow and Tao took strategic positions nearby. Apparently, they were still working and had not been invited to socialize with Sheik Hassan.
They'd been seated for only a minute or two, during which Hassan pointed to several items which were immediately brought to him by his lovely entourage. He took a succulent peach from one of the dishes and bit into before leaning forwards towards Petty and Chickowski, peach juice moistening his gorgeous lips.
“Did you bring it? Do you have it with you?” He asked in a soft voice bordering on a whisper. Petty stared at him in silence, caught imagining what it would feel like to lick the juice from those luscious lips, then shook herself back to the present.
“Are you referring to the template?” Petty asked as she accepted a plate of food from one of the women.
“Of course I am,” Hassan replied in a sterner voice with a noticeable edge of irritation. “So, you have it, right?” He said more gently.
“Yes I do,” Petty replied as she reached down between her breasts and brought out a small vial two-thirds filled with blue liquid.
“That’s it?” Hassan asked as he pointed to the vial. “It’s so small.” He reached out his hand, palm open and waited until Petty reluctantly relinquished it to his care.
He turned to Chickowski who was already sweating profusely from the heat and the business suit he’d insisted on wearing. Chickowski stared lasciviously at the tall blonde’s cleavage as she bent over to pour him some wine.
“Do you know how to administer it?”
Dr. Chickowski, startled to find the Sheik attention on him, hesitated with a confused look on his face before quickly nodding.
“Good!” Hassan nearly shouted. Petty jumped at his unexpected exuberance. “I have an ideal specimen for you,” Hassan continued. “I look forward to giving it a try.”
What was that, Petty thought? Give it a try? Ideal specimen? What was he talking about? "Ahh, excuse me, Hassan." She leaned forward and gently placed one hand on his bare knee. She noticed Willow and Tao start to take a step forward, but then stopped at a warning glance from the Sheik. "There is a small matter to take care of first, don't you think?"
“And what would that be, my dear?” Hassan asked, the edge of irritation returning to his voice despite the pleasant smile on his face.
“Our payment,” Petty whispered.
For the third time, the tall, dark-haired man sitting before he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
“Of course, of course,” he finally replied. “But you don’t think I’m stupid enough to buy a pig in a poke, do you? I want to see it in action. Then, I’ll be more than happy to pay your exorbitant asking price. I’m sure you’ll agree that’s only fair,” Hassan said as he removed her hand from his knee and placed it on her own. Petty noticed his grip on her hand was far less gentle than before.
He stared at Petty for several seconds, the fake smile frozen on his face. Finally, he turned to Willow. "Please escort our guests back to their accom
modations."
Hassan then turned his attention away from Petty and over to Chickowski.
“Dr. Chickowski, enjoy the day taking it easy. I’m sure you are tired from the flight and time change. Tomorrow, I’ll show you our state-of-the-art laboratory down in the basement where you will be working. The room off of the lab is where Ayham is staying at the moment. I want you to meet the brave young man.”
“And who is Ayham?” Chickowski asked. “Is he your son?”
"Oh, hell no," Hassan replied with a chuckle. "At least not one that I claim. No, my wife, Zillah, found him for me. He's your first subject. He has volunteered to sample the template."
Dr. Chickowski opened his mouth as though to protest, but Hassan had already discharged the two of them with a wave of his hand.
Willow started to leave, and he drew her aside. He said in a low voice, "After you're through getting these two back to their room, check on the new girls. I want to see them as soon as they're awake. Bring them to my office. I'll take a look at them there."
“Sure thing,” Willow replied.
“And have Tao keep an eye on these two. I don’t want them wandering around, especially not that one,” he said nodding towards Petty. “She’s a real piece of work.”
Tina's Welcome
AFTER DEPOSITING THE doctor and his companion in their room, and leaving Tao to stand guard, Willow checked with the Falcon Lair security guard who'd been assigned to keep an eye on Mimi Rawlins and to monitor the two Kindred sisters while they slept off the sedation. She learned that the sisters had awoken close to the same time and that Mimi had helped them adjust to their situation as positively as possible, explaining that they would shortly be reunited with their other sisters.
Good, Willow thought. She’s doing her part to keep our agreement.
New Earth Page 8
