“I think of it as a great snake,” Owen offered.
“So how do we fit into that?” Telia asked.
“The problem was this thing started infecting my organization. I didn’t perceive it myself until the A-bomb. Our guys did that. Dropped it on Japan.” He sighed. “I knew we really fucked up. I started seeing how this snake crept into everything. I see neither of you is grasping the gravity of the situation.”
Matt shrugged, “I really don’t see what you’re driving at, yet.”
Seth said, “OK. I’ll get to my point. Let me point out that the last President who wasn’t an employee was McKinley.”
Telia gasped. “No way.”
Seth gestured to a corner. A man brought a laptop over and put it on the table. He clicked on an icon. A man answered the video chat request, “Hey Barry, say hi to Telia Wells.”
“Hello Telia.” The President said. The color drained from Telia’s face. She shook her head.
“Thanks, later.” he shooed the laptop away. The servant closed it and carried it away. “Anyway, while this organization has never been about puppies and candy, it’s never been this bad, and gets worse every day. I shudder about the possibilities. I tried to reign it in, but really it’s been out of my control for decades. I think it took over.”
Owen said, “So, to use an awful phrase, we plan to get the band back together.”
Seth said, “My plan is to destroy this organization, but more importantly we need to drive the snake that it’s feeding back into the dark.”
Owen said, “This might be extremely hard to believe, but we need to tap into the power of that.” he pointed out the window.
“What?” Matt asked. He didn’t see anything out there.
Owen laughed hilariously and rolled back on the carpet, “the Sun!”
Seth saluted it with a cup, “We cut people off from Him.”
He put a pendulum on the table. “I like this sculpture. I talked with the artist for a week about this. He made it out of titanium. You like the colors? That’s not paint, just from a blow torch oxidizing the metal. The guy’s a genius.” He started it going. The pendulum sped up and slowed down. “There’s actually a pattern to it, but you have to watch a long time to see it repeat.”
“What’s that?” Telia said.
“It’s the opposite of a clock.” he said. “You see, the sun goes up, goes down. That’s a day, not the tick, tick, tick of a watch. Not the 9AM timecard, not the 30 year mortgage, etcetera, and so on. We systematically cut people off from the Sun.” he pointed out the window.
“I haven’t mentioned this, but I pointed my reflector at the Sun, and it was power that I couldn’t channel, understand, or control.” Matt said.
Owen said, “Oh, of course not, who could?”
Seth said, “Nobody--nothing could. You need to be more subtle in your thinking about these things.” he handed him the not-clock. “Like that. Take it and meditate on it.”
Telia said, “what if we don’t do this?”
Seth shrugged, “This is not just another dark ages of limited human possibility--that was bad enough--that’s what got us together last time around. This time it’s BOOM!” he mimicked a mushroom cloud. “End of everything.”
Matt frowned. “My family has already been trying to bring the Sun back in a way.”
Owen nodded, “Yes indeed, but they’re like kids in the park playing ball. This is international league play.”
Seth nodded, “Full fucking contact. So I want to help you out in the transition.”
Telia asked, “How? What do you mean?”
Seth said, “We’re basically going to war with super powers… I mean that word in both senses. It’s full-on, no rules at all. So first things first, to protect your family, we’ll fake your deaths. You’ll have a new identity. You’ll also have full access to my resources. Hell, they’ll be yours.”
Matt said, “This feels very much like a deal with the devil.”
Seth smiled archly. “It is. I don’t deny it, but it’s to save the world. We’ve done it multiple times throughout history. I mean, literally me and you, Matt. Cycles.”
Owen put a hand on Matt’s shoulder, “This is the game.” He shrugged. “They make alliances, break them, shuffle the deck over and over. Cycle after cycle. But we have to play our part.”
Telia said, “We need time to think.”
Seth said, “It’s not like the world will end tomorrow… probably. But, let’s keep things moving. You’ve got a week. Use that to prepare. There’s really no deciding here. I’m not going to bother you again if you decline, but if you do, we’re all fucked. You’ll die, your kids, your friends, pets, everything, poof. It wants that. If you want convincing, we can go see it.”
“No, I believe you.” Matt said. He stood up and helped Telia up. “Well, thanks for your time, I guess.” Matt said.
“I’ll give you a call next week. Go home and get your shit in order. Keep this hush, hush, the fewer people who know the better. It’s really for their safety.” Seth said.
Francis waited for them at the edge of the carpet. They were both slightly delirious and his friendly presence bolstered them a bit. He handed them two gift bags and led them back to the helipad. They boarded the chopper and flew back to Ohio.
“Seth said Ohio--Cleveland is where it all really started. He visited the place multiple times in the 1800s when they really solidified the organization. He was there as early as 1756 on a scouting mission. A french fur trapper took him in a canoe. Incredible, no?”
Matt nodded, “Indeed, totally amazing.”
“So,” Francis traced a circle in the air with his index fingers.
Matt said, “Yup.” He sighed and thought about the farm being dead and barren.
Telia dug through the black gift bag. There was a diamond necklace, a gold cased iPhone and a black credit card. “That’s nice, I guess.” she said. “Thanks.”
“Our pleasure. Just a small token of appreciation for your time. That card has no limit. Buy what you want anywhere. You can get a cash advance of up to one million dollars at a time. If you need more just call the number on the back 24/7.”
Matt dug through his bag. There was a heavy gold Rolex and another phone plus a black credit card. The Rolex just showed the position of the sun in the sky and the position on the solar wheel of the year. It had no hour or minute hand.
Francis pointed at the watch, “That’s literally one of a kind. I commissioned it myself. Also, your card is just like hers. Oh, either of you can call that number any time and get anything you need or want. There’s a password ‘Ragnorok’.” He smiled. “I picked that.”
“That’s fitting.” Matt laughed.
The chopper settled in the field and they climbed out. It flew away and they stood there looking at the setting sun. “Look the watch is right.” Matt said.
Chapter Six
Present Day
“Have you seen Morgan?” Tracy sat next to Chloe in the lunch room.
“I thought he was here this morning. Did you hear about Steve? Maybe they left together.” She said.
“Weirder and weirder.” Tracy sighed.
The PA crackled on, a man’s voice spoke, “Ladies and gentlemen… May I have your attention.... drum roll please.” A snare drum roll started then faded to a persistent hiss. “I am happy to present Miss Pamela Wilcott, last year’s homecoming Queen to announce this year’s homecoming court. Pamela had emailed in a recording. Her bored voice recited the list of names: seven boys and seven girls. Berto and Richard were on the court and so were Tracy and Chloe. The King and Queen would be announced at the game.
“Oh gawd.” Tracy shook her head, but was smiling ear to ear. “They did it, somehow.”
The cafeteria applauded as the court members stood up. Chloe ran around the table and hugged Tracy and kissed her cheek. “Now we have dates to the dance, too!”
Mrs. Rosewater collected all the court into her room and congratulated them an
d walked them through the process. “I’m the homecoming committee chairwoman. There’s a lot for us all to do, but it is simple stuff. There’s a schedule on the desks in front of you. On Friday morning, we’ll do pictures. Girls, wear a red dress and black shoes. Boys a dark suit. For the football players, wear your jersey and dark slacks. We’ll announce the King and Queen at halftime. Congratulations to all of you, what a special group.” she clasped her hands together and wiped a tear away.
Berto and Richard bumped fists. Richard winked hugely at Tracy and Chloe. They giggled. They were excused from classes for the rest of the day and spent time talking to the school newspaper, and a local reporter interviewed them all.
The final bell rang and Chloe and Tracy went out to the lot. “Let’s hope the car is OK.” Chloe said.
“Well, Monica Merchant is on the court, too. She seemed pretty happy.” Tracy said. “I’ve got to say, I’m happy too. Giddy even.”
“Me too.” Chloe said.
Chapter Seven
Morgan was on one side of the enormous bed and Steve was on the other. Marta was napping in the middle and Demetria was in the bathroom.
“Dude, I think we just lived every penthouse forum letter ever written in a single day.” Morgan said.
“The amazing thing is, I don’t think she’s done with us.” Steve said.
Morgan said, “Marta’s hot.” he stroked her hair. “I’d like my own Marta.”
Steve nodded, “No doubt. What a life, right?!” He bent over and kissed Marta’s fleshy butt cheek. She smiled at him over her shoulder and wiggled her hind end.
She said, “I like you boys very much.”
Demetria called her from the bathroom, “Marta can you come bathe me?”
Marta rolled off the bed and straightened her hair then went into the bathroom. Demetria was in a large tub that was on a dais. The room was softly lit through skylights. The boys dozed a while.
Demetria hopped on the bed between them. She was wet and naked. Morgan’s phone buzzed. He checked the text.
“Hey Steve, go have a bath with Marta.” She said. Steve rolled off the bed and padded into the bathroom.
“Oh hey, look at that.” Morgan said as he held up his phone.
Demetria laid her wet haired head on his chest. “Look at what?”
“Oh my friends Tracy and Chloe are on the homecoming court.”
“Court?”
He laughed, “Oh it’s just a dance. We peasants pretend to be royalty sometimes.”
She looked at him and said matter of factly, “You could be royal. Both you and Steve.”
He showed her pictures of Chloe and Tracy. “That’s them.”
Her eyes got big, “Oh my, these two. She put a hand on her chest.”
Steve padded back to the bed. “Your turn.” he pointed back to the bathroom. Morgan went in.
Demetria said, “I absolutely love these girls.”
Steve yawned, “yeah, they’re great people.”
Demetria kissed his cheek. “We will go to this homecoming dance.”
“We?”
“All of us. Me you Morgan and Marta.”
He laughed, “Might be fun.”
“Steve, will you be mine? I’ll ask Morgan when he gets back, too.”
“Seems like I already am. You did some things to me, well, that are illegal in some states.”
“No, it’s more than just this.” she grabbed his penis and balls. “Marta’s my employee, but she’s mine. I love her. She loves me.”
“I don’t want to be an employee.” He said.
She pouted, “Oh not an employee. My consort. It’s like a friend with benefits, but more than a friend. So much more.”
Morgan and Marta returned. “All clean.” she said.
Demetria straddled Steve’s head. She looked at Morgan from underneath her brows. “Morgan, I want us to go to home…..coming. I want you and Steve to be my consorts.” She crawled over to him. “I need you. Together we can do so much.” She embraced him.
“OK, let’s go to homecoming. What does it mean to be your consort?”
“You’ll be mine. I’ll be yours. Marta’s mine.”
“Si.” she nodded and smiled dreamily.
“I like Marta.” Morgan said.
“I like Morgan.” Marta said.
“If you like Marta, we can get you a Marta, two, or three, or fifty.”
“Am I right in thinking this is a real commitment?” Morgan said. “There’s no consort divorce.”
She shook her head no.
“Demetria, I’m seventeen. You’re 4000. It’s a hard choice for me to make. Can I think about it?”
She pouted.
Steve chimed in, “Me too. I can’t think about this here, now.”
Demetria said, “I suppose you’re right. I felt this passion to ask you both when I saw those girls and thought I might lose you. Anyway, I would really like to get to know you better. I want to meet your friends, too.”
Morgan said, “I think they’d like you, too.”
“Take this car,” she tossed them the keys. “Just head down to the garage. Come over any time you like. I’ll call you tomorrow.” She kissed them both. “I’m going to nap with Marta.”
Chapter Eight
The boys got dressed and walked down to the garage. The keys were to an Audi convertible. The driver pulled the car out of the garage and gave the boys an overview.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” Morgan said to the man.
“Sure. Shoot.”
“First off, what’s your name?”
“Mike.”
“OK, Mike, nice to meet you thanks for driving us earlier.”
“No problem.”
“Is this normal? I mean, are there guys coming here all the time and taking cars?” Morgan asked.
Mike looked around to make sure the coast was clear, “Well, no, not really. She’s eccentric, aggressive. I can’t tell you how many times she grabbed my ass or my dick. But she’s actually sort of sweet and loving and careful about the people she lets in. She hates people who fawn over her.”
Morgan nodded, “Thanks, Mike. I’m sure we’ll see you again.”
Mike gave them a very subtle knowing look and opened the car door. Steve said, “I’m driving this beast.”
Mike said, “Oh! wait. Here’s a card. If you get in trouble call me.”
“Nice!” Steve said. He pulled out onto the road. They drove away from the house.
They looked at each other for a few seconds when they came to the next stop sign. They both just screamed and laughed like wild animals. Morgan stomped the floor. He got out of the car and did a little dance.
He sat back down. “I never thought my first sexual experience would be an orgy with a goddess, her hot maid, and my best friend. Whatever inhibitions I had, well, they’re gone. Life is completely fucking ridiculous.”
“No doubt...” Steve said. He sighed. “Man, that was incredible.”
“That Marta, wow.” Morgan said. “Demetria was like if you took all the sexy sexiness of every girl in Chardon and poured it into one person, but there was something about the way Marta loved her that was mesmerizing.”
“It was intense.” Steve nodded. Then he just said, “So...” he left that hanging.
“So what?” Morgan said.
“I mean, how do we follow up on that experience? I mean an orgy every day? Where does it go from there?”
Morgan stroked his chin, “I see your point, but dude, you’re overthinking this.”
Steve nodded, “My brain was off that whole time, and I enjoyed it, but… Man, that might be my one walk on the wild side. I don’t think I even want to go to homecoming, really. What’d that be like?”
Morgan was saddened. “Oh no! Bro. I mean, what are you ever going to do in your life that will be remotely like that. We could be princes!”
Steve shrugged, “I know if we go down that road too far, weird, bad shit’s going to happen. It’s back to nor
mal life for me, well, right after I haul some ass in this bucket.”
“Ah well. I’m more open to the possibilities. I want to find out more about this consort thing.”
Steve opened the Audi up all the way. The 10 cylinders barked and sputtered to a roar. They were pressed back in the leather seats. They both howled in delight.
Chapter Nine
Flashback
Robbie, Dana and Johnny were waiting for Telia and Matt in the house.
“What was that?” Robbie asked.
“We went to New York City.” Matt said. “We met with the Brotherhood’s head--I guess frankly the King of the Western World--Seth Khaszzz...whatever.”
“King?” Robbie said incredulously.
The Chardon Chronicles: Season One -- The Harvest Festival Page 31
