by BSmith
“Oh, goody,” Simone said dryly.
Caleb chuckled. “Well, if we’re invisible, I suppose we don’t have to worry about being shot at.”
“Compared to your previous life, Simone, this should be a walk in the park.” Xavier chuckled.
Simone laughed lightly. “True. But, there’s nothing like the real thing. Anything else I need to know?”
“Not at this point. I’ve kept this connection open long enough, too. I’ll let you know if there are any changes.”
“Xavier, one last thing. Amadeo and Olivia went to Rome. Do you know who they were meeting with?”
“When did they go?”
Simone glanced down at her notepad. “June 21.”
“The day of the summer solstice. They might have met with Enlil. I’ll see if Tony knows.”
“Great. Thanks Xavier.”
“No problem. Tell my Dad I said hi.”
“Will do.” Simone pressed the button to end the call, and then looked back at the holograms. “I never thought that, one day, I’d charge into underground military bases to blow them up. My ambition didn’t extend beyond taking control of the black market.”
Caleb smiled. Simone’s goal in life didn’t surprise him, considering what she’d done in previous lives. “Just imagine what you’ll be doing after that.”
Simone laughed and shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t fathom how different the world is going to be after we’re done removing the powers that be.”
“Probably a lot more fun.” Caleb stood up, collecting her empty plate and the trash.
“Thank you.” Simone tracked his movements, caught her mind wandering places it shouldn’t go, and turned her attention back to the hologram. “I’ve never even handled a gun this lifetime.”
“We’ll you’re going to get five months of practice in. Got some time, now? I could take you down to the shooting range.”
“Are you a good shot?”
Caleb slowly grinned. “Madame President, I’m not a good shot, I’m an above excellent shot.”
Caleb’s grin was infectious. Never mind that it was familiar in ways that Simone refused to think about. “Modest, too.”
Caleb walked over to her office door and pulled it open for her, amusement swirling around in his eyes. “Honest. There’s a difference.”
§
July 10, 2012 - 11:21 AM
Alcyone Island
LT Boxing Rings
“You’re getting slow, old man,” Lucien goaded his uncle.
He shouldn’t have spoken so soon.
Christopher pushed off the ropes and came at Lucien hard and fast, a barrage of punches breaking through Lucien’s block and rattling his brain in his skull.
Lucien got stuck in the corner, half grunting and half laughing. “Goddamn! All right, uncle, uncle already!”
Christopher backed off, but not before giving Lucien another strong strike. “They didn’t call me Fangs Out for nothing.” Fangs Out was the term assigned to military pilots who liked flying in attack mode.
Lucien grunted, breathing heavily. “I know everybody on Lil’s side of the family is angry, but I would have thought Kyle’s genes would soften you up a bit.”
Christopher smirked. “That’s a common misconception people had about my dad. He loved a good fight just as much as mom did. He was just a lot more subtle about it. Trust me, you didn’t want to piss off my father, or my mother. Period.”
“And now you make sense.” Lucien chuckled.
Christopher ducked under the ropes and had one of the uniforms help him with his gloves. “I want you to report to the army’s training facility tomorrow morning.”
Lucien followed him and quirked a brow. “Why?”
“Because you’re the point man on an important assignment, Lucien, and you’re lazy and out of shape,” Christopher said, reaching up to pull off his own helmet.
Lucien frowned. “I am not.”
Christopher eyeballed him. “You just got beat by a seventy year old man.”
“That doesn’t count.”
“Hey.” Christopher walked into him and grabbed him by the front of his sweat-soaked shirt, giving him a hard shake. “Get serious. I know you thought, once upon a time, that you were going to skate by with a cushy corporate job, liquor, and women, but the plans have changed.” He lowered his voice. “Out of everyone’s jobs, yours is the most important. And you will not fuck it up.”
Lucien’s jaw tensed. “I’m getting real tired of holding the title of Family Fuck Up I don’t deserve it.”
“You don’t deserve much else, either, and you know that. Time to earn a few things.” Christopher released him, slapping his cheek.
Lucien pursed his lips together. “You ever remember your past lives?”
Christopher shook his head. “No.”
Lucien took a hand towel from one of the ring assistants, then sat down on the edge of the ring. “I used to be able to balance things out pretty well when I was Julian. Wake up with a different woman every morning, go out and make my family a shit load of money, handle it, party half the night away, and do it again the next day. Then Stefano died and everything changed.”
Christopher sat down next to him. “As I’ve heard the story, a lot of things changed when Stefano died.”
“I don’t know if it was things so much as it was us.” Lucien twisted the towel in his hands. “Lil was so different after that. So was Carissa. And it wasn’t just the shock that he was dead. I think we thought that bastard would never die. But learning what he was doing, how big it was, what he was willing to sacrifice even if it was partly for ego…” Lucien just shook his head. “It was crazy.”
Christopher canted his head. “How do you feel about it now?”
Lucien’s brows pinched. “I think I joke around so much because when I stop and think about it all, I don’t know if I’m doing it for the right reasons. What’s the difference between us and the Brotherhood most days? Aren’t we just playing King of the Hill, trying to kick the other guy off? Wouldn’t the world look just like this if we were sitting on top of it?”
“Lucien…” Christopher put his hand on Lucien’s shoulder. “Right or wrong, you know it has to be done, and that’s saying something. We didn’t have to go this route. We could be siding with Olivia and the rest of them, working it from the inside to land our spot at the table of Thirteen. We chose choice over everything else, and that’s what makes us different. If we were sitting on top of the world, I think humanity would still have that option.” Amusement passed over Christopher face. “Even if it’s because we’d be bored if they didn’t have a choice. But so what?”
Lucien chuckled. “Yeah, yeah you make a point.” He was quietly thoughtful for a moment. “Granddad said we needed to love the world we were saving. I don’t know if I do.”
“Do you love your family?”
Lucien nodded. “Without question. Even those two fucking morons that jumped ship. ”That Amadeo and Olivia were working with the Brotherhood still made Lucien so angry that he could barely see straight.
“Then, just maybe, that will be enough.” Christopher slapped him on the back. “That and my General foot in your ass.”
Lucien smirked. “What time tomorrow morning?”
“You will be rudely roused from your home at 4:30 am.” Christopher hopped to his feet
Lucien resisted the urge to groan. “People function at 4:30?”
“It will continue until I am satisfied you are adequately prepared to accomplish your mission.” Christopher set the towel around his neck, loosely gripping both sides.
That was going to be rough. Lucien knew better than to argue, though, and Uncle Christopher had a solid point. If he failed, everything failed, and while they seemed to have the upper hand right now, that could all change. Drawing up straight, he gave Uncle Christopher a sharp salute. “Sir, yes, sir.”
Christopher playfully narrowed his eyes, and both of their cell phones vibrated. Lucien saw th
e message first and whistled. “Important meeting in the conference room. Think that means good or bad news?”
“The way this family works, probably both.”
Chapter 11
"The Light cannot exist alone: it is IN Darkness, within the Darkness from whence it came and into which it returns."
-Tani Jantsang
July 10, 2012 - 1:01 PM
Alcyone Island
Dion Corporation Headquarters
Hi Dad.” Agata stood, walking around her desk to kiss her father’s cheek.
Unlike Nicholas, Agata was not a disappointment. She was not as strong as Dominic would have liked her to be, but Dominic blamed most of that on her mother’s genes. Smiling warmly, he gave her a quick hug. “Do you have time for lunch?”
“Absolutely. I have to run a file Lucien wanted on SVT Securities up to his office and jump on a quick conference call with HR in five minutes, but it shouldn’t take long. Can you wait?”
“Of course I can.” Dominic dropped his gaze to the file folder in her hand. “Why don’t I take that up to Lucien’s office for you?”
“Would you? Thanks.” She kissed his cheek again and handed him in the manila folder.
“I’ll be right back.” Smiling, Dominic stepped out into the hallway. Opportunities to learn more about one’s enemy should never be wasted. Walking over to the elevators, he pulled out his cell phone and called the main office number. “Yes, is Lucien in his office? No, don’t pull him out of his meeting, I’ll call back. Thank you.” Dominic hung up his phone, stepped into the elevator and pressed the appropriate floor number.
As he expected, when he got off the elevator, he saw that the blinds were closed on the conference room windows. Mindful of the cameras in the hallway, he walked nonchalantly to Lucien’s office door and knocked once. Then, he tried the knob. He restrained a smile when he found it unlocked. Typical Lucien, careless to a fault, Dominic thought.
He stepped inside, leaving the door cracked so he could hear approaching footsteps. Dropping the file folder onto Lucien’s desk, Dominic moved behind it and stood in front of Lucien’s laptop. He pushed the mouse, removing the screen saver and prompting the login to appear, asking him for a password. From the inside of his suit jacket, Dominic pulled out what appeared to be a simple USB drive and stuck it into the side of Lucien’s machine. While he was waiting for the program to crack the code, he riffled through Lucien’s desk. Dominic was not surprised to find nothing of importance. It took the hacking program a minute and thirty seconds to crack Lucien’s password. The wait was well worth the information that appeared on the LCD screen. It was a scanned PDF, and the bold header at the top drew Dominic’s eyes immediately.
Project Mannequin.
He quickly skimmed the document, though he didn’t have to go far. The first paragraph discussed patient #666, Kayla Terenzio.
“They know,” Dominic whispered. How much else did they know? More importantly, how did they know? Frowning heavily, Dominic grabbed the mouse and brought up the screen behind the PDF. The SVT Database search result screen appeared, and Dominic caught his breath. It showed a brief summary of where the file Lucien had been reading came from.
The following documents were secured from Joseph Mengele’s home office June 26, 1974.
“How in the world….” Dominic whispered again. He jerked his head up, when the low tones of a voice approaching from the hall caught his attention. He arranged the computer screen the way it was before, and yanked out the USB drive. Tucking it into his pocket, he walked around the desk, moving straight for the door just as it opened and his son, Nicholas, appeared.
Nicholas held his cell phone against his ear and paused mid-sentence when he came face to face with his father. “Hang on a second,” Nicholas said to the caller and frowned at Dominic. “What the hell are you doing in here?”
Dominic’s frown deepened at his son’s tone. The disrespectful little prick, he thought. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I was dropping off a file for Agata before I take her to lunch. Move.”
“You’re doing someone a favor? Take your happy pill today?” Nicholas smirked coldly, but stepped aside so his father could pass.
Ignoring his son, Dominic strode back to the elevators. He would have to cancel lunch with his daughter; there were more important things to do.
§
July 10, 2012 - 2:22 PM
Alcyone Island
Home of Caesar and Kayla
“Yes, sir, three HI-MENs have been deployed, one for each triplet.” Caesar looked down at the small black case in front of him. Inside was what appeared to be a mosquito. It was actually a mechanical spying device that could record audio and video in high definition from 200 feet away. “No, Operation Matrimony is a bust. Victor fucked up and got caught cheating. Yes, sir, I’ve given the order. He’ll be taken out soon… Yes, sir.” Caesar pressed the button to end his phone call. He was standing out on the deck of his and Kayla’s beach house. Kayla was inside, making him a late lunch like a good slave.
He was happy to have learned that, at this point, it didn’t matter what the triplets did; they wouldn’t be able to access what was underneath the ruins at Piedras Negras. The most they could do was cause trouble, but their family had been doing that for a century. It was nothing The Brotherhood couldn’t handle.
Caesar closed the case with the last HI-MEN inside and turned to go into the house, when his cell phone buzzed again. The caller ID said Dominic. Dominic usually called Kayla directly. Quirking a brow, Caesar answered. “Yeah?”
“They know about Kayla,” Dominic said without preamble.
Caesar went very still. “How do they know about Kayla?”
“Somehow they got Joseph Mengele’s private files. I found a document on Lucien’s computer that discusses Project Mannequin and Kayla’s involvement in it. The date it was acquired was June 26, 1974.”
Caesar frowned slowly. “Do they know about you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Fuck. Shit.” Caesar growled and shoved a hand back through his hair. “All right, stay in play. But keep your nose clean and your ears open until you hear back from me.” He ended the call, and walked into the house. He found Kayla in the kitchen. “The triplets know about you.”
Kayla was cutting his sandwich in half when she heard him. Her father—no, not her father, Marcello—must have told them. She finished her task, and then set the knife down on the counter. “How did you find out?”
“Dominic found a file on Lucien’s laptop.” Caesar came closer. “Do you know how they could have gotten it?”
She was obligated to tell him; programmed not to lie to him. She wanted to, except, there really was no point. Releasing a resigned sigh, she looked up at him. “Marcello.”
Caesar’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “And how did Marcello get it?”
Kayla shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Caesar came at her roughly, grabbing her by the arms in a bruising grip. “How do you know that Marcello knew?”
Kayla didn’t flinch, though how tightly he held her was painful. “He wrote me a letter, and Vasco gave it to me after Marcello died. In the letter, Marcello said that he knew where I had come from, and that it didn’t matter, I was his daughter, and he implored me that when the moment came, I would act like it.”
“Oh, you stupid, fucking cunt.” Caesar struck her, hard enough to draw blood. He hit her twice, then shook her so hard her teeth rattled. “Where is the letter?”
Kayla’s face throbbed. She licked the blood from the corner of her mouth. “Gone. I got rid of it.”
Caesar growled and punched her in the stomach, watching her sink back against the counter and gasp for breath. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?!”
Kayla swallowed hard and stared at the floor. “Because… because I believed him, when he called me his daughter. And even though I knew I couldn’t switch sides, I wanted to keep what he said to me, for me.”
