That Which Survives

by Ciana Stone

  “And I’ll never love anyone else,” he replied. Moments later they were both fast asleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Kitaro slammed the door to the study so hard that the priceless Monet hanging above the settee banged against the wall and settled at a slightly off-center angle.

  “He has her!” he shouted and kicked a delicate antique chair.

  “Well, don’t go throwing yourself on your sword,” the woman said in a sarcastic manner. “You don’t know for sure that it was him. And even if it was, just because he has her doesn’t mean he has the information.”

  Kitaro turned on her like an animal and she rose from her chair. “Just listen to me,” her voice took on a placating tone. “We don’t know for sure that he took her. All we know is that she’s pulled another disappearing act. Also we have no way of knowing if she’s remembered. She may not and if so there’s a good chance he doesn’t know any more now than he did. And lastly, there’s no guarantee she will tell him even if she does remember. At this point I’d be surprised if she was willing to trust anyone.”

  His eyes narrowed to mere slits. “And suppose you’re wrong? Suppose she does trust him? If he gains the knowledge we are doomed. Once he has control of the power he will destroy us.”

  She shook her head in disagreement. “You’re forgetting one crucial thing.”

  His eyebrows rose and she smiled. “Konnor Chase. It’d be my bet that if anyone has her it’s him. And so far he’s as blind as she is to the truth. Not only has our adversary been leading him around by the nose for years without telling him why, Slater’s lied to him at every turn. All Konnor knows for sure is that Senna’s the target.”

  Kitaro smiled as he considered the possibilities. “It is at such times that I remember why you are such an asset.”

  A conceited laugh accompanied her saunter across the room to him. “Now all we have to do is find a way to get to Chase. The control you initiated before should still be in place. It’s just a matter of activating it. Once that’s done all we have to do is sit back and wait for him to bring her to us.”

  Kitaro’s eyes lit with maniacal glee. She was right. He still had one ace in the hole, one that no one expected, least of all Konnor Chase.

  The woman looped her arms around his neck and pressed her full breasts against his chest. “Soon we will have everything we’ve dreamed of,” she whispered as she nibbled at his ear lobe. “Absolute power.”

  Her words made a jealous anger rise in him. She had begun to annoy him tremendously thinking that he would share his power with her. He pushed her away as she reached for his belt. “I have no time for this.”

  “Oh, really?” Her voice was high and brittle at the rejection. “Since when?”

  “I have important matters to attend to.” He stepped back from her, looking away so as to hide the disgust he felt for her. “And I believe you have an appointment.”

  She glared at him for a moment then abruptly smiled. It was not a smile of love or friendship or even one of conspiracy—it was the smile of a predator, a shark that has smelled fresh blood. “You’re right but this shouldn’t take long. I’ll be back and when I get here your attitude had better be different. I don’t like being told no.”

  Kitaro nodded slightly and watched her leave with a self-satisfied smile on her face. As soon as she closed the door he picked up the phone. “Is he in?” he asked as soon as the call was answered.

  A moment later he spoke again. “She may have outlived her usefulness. Keep her under close observation and report to me any suspicious activity.”

  Cradling the phone, he looked around with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Now he had only one priority—to get to Konnor Chase and establish control over him. Then when Konnor delivered Senna Laserian into his hands she would watch him die. That would bring him one step closer to ultimate victory over all those who had opposed him. The thought made him tingle with excitement.

  * * * * *

  Myers Park, Charlotte NC

  “There is a gentleman from the University Alumni Association here to see you, Ms. Minora,” the housekeeper announced. “He would not give me his name.”

  Minora turned from the flower arrangement she was working on and frowned slightly at the portly woman. “From the Alumni Association? How interesting. Please, show him to the library, Mrs. Mueller. I will join him there momentarily.”

  Mrs. Mueller nodded and left the room. Minora wheeled her chair down the hall and into one of the restrooms. She took her time washing her hands and making sure her hair was in place before she left the room.

  When she entered the library she didn’t see anyone. It was not until she had reached the middle of the room and heard the door close that she saw who her visitor was. Her face paled and her breath caught.

  “Minora.” Lucas crossed the room to her.

  “Can this be?” She stared at him in amazement. “Lucas, can that really be you?”

  “Yes, it’s me.” He took her hand. “I’m alive.”

  “But-but…” she stuttered. “But how? They said you were killed in the explosion.”

  “That’s what I wanted them to believe. Min, listen, we don’t have time for the whole story right now. We’ve got a lot to do. He has her.”

  “He?” Minora’s face grew almost chalky white. “Please tell me you don’t mean…”

  “I’m afraid I do.” His voice sounded as anxious as his expression appeared. “And…and she knows the truth.”

  “Dear god,” she breathed and gripped his hand tightly. “Lucas, we have to do something. This is the last thing you want to hear but I must tell you. He stole everything—the data you sent me. I wasn’t even aware it was gone until a few months ago. Somehow he managed to replace the originals with clever fakes and as sorry as I am, it was authentic enough to fool me. If he is uses that data there’s a chance he can restore the false memories.”

  Lucas ran his hands back through his hair and blew out his breath. “I know. Damn him to hell! How could I have been so stupid as to trust him?”

  “There was no way you could have known that he would use the device to implant false memories in her mind. Don’t forget, he fooled all of us.”

  Lucas barked a laugh and turned to her. “Indeed he did. That doesn’t say much for us, does it, sister?”

  “It says that we are a family with much love between its members,” she sounded as if she were scolding a child. “Nothing more.”

  “I wish I could agree. But that’s beside the point. Right now we have to take steps to neutralize the damage he’s done before it goes any further.”

  “Unless it already has,” she commented.

  “Don’t even think that!” He sighed heavily. “There is one more thing. His tampering goes beyond just her. The final gate is no longer safe. My controls may have been altered.”

  Minora rose from her chair in a graceful, fluid movement. “Then it is time we set the world to right, isn’t it? This game has gone on long enough and too many innocents have paid the price. It is time to end this battle.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?” he asked as he took her hand. “There’s a strong possibility that none of us may survive.”

  “I’ve always known that.” She pulled her hand away from his and started for the door in a determined, steady stride. “But I’m not ready to admit defeat just yet. We still have a few tricks up our own sleeves. Well, are you just going to stand there or are you coming with me?”

  Lucas chuckled and she arched one eyebrow in question. “It’s good to be fighting by your side again, Min. I’ve missed you.”

  * * * * *

  North Charlotte

  Konnor opened his eyes at the light footfall. Shen stood in the doorway. As soon as Konnor looked at him he motioned for Konnor to come out into the hall.

  Careful not to wake Senna, Konnor moved away from her and slid on his jeans. Shen was standing in the hall when he walked out of the den.

  “It
is no longer safe here,” Shen said quietly. “You must leave quickly.”

  Konnor looked at him for a moment. He wanted to ask about what had happened last night. Senna had called him Kitaro, a name he had never heard either her or Shen mention. He was curious but had promised Senna he would wait until morning for answers. Now it was morning and he was ready to have those answers. “Before we go, will you tell me why she thought you were someone named Kitaro? And how do you know her?”

  “She didn’t explain?”

  “No. She promised to tell me everything this morning.”

  “Then that is what you must do—wait for her to explain. However, her explanations will have to be given somewhere other than here. Our opponent is too close for you to stay.”

  Konnor turned away without another word and entered the den. Senna was curled up on her side, sleeping peacefully. He knelt down and shook her gently.

  After a moment she rolled over on her back and looked at him. “We have to go,” he said.

  “Why?” She sat up and the lap quilt fell away exposing her bare skin.

  “It’s not safe here.”

  She didn’t ask any more but grabbed her clothes and started dressing. “Can we at least have a cup of coffee?” she asked with a yawn.

  “I think there’s time for that,” he smiled and stood up. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled and got up to head for the bathroom.

  After brushing her teeth, washing her face and running a brush through her hair she walked out into the hall. Shen was waiting for her. For a moment she stopped cold. She didn’t quite know how to deal with what she was feeling. The memories of her time with Shen had brought back feelings that were very vivid and fresh. It was almost as if all the years had not passed since that time. In a way it was like the wounds were still new. At the same time, there were new feelings and years of accumulated experience that dulled the pain and added another element of discomfort. She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel. There was just too much to deal with at one time.

  He seemed to sense her uneasiness and smiled gently as he walked to her. Senna felt a stab of sorrow and regret as he took her by the arms and looked into her eyes. “You have not yet spoken to him of that time.”

  “I couldn’t,” she admitted with downcast eyes.

  “Why is that?”

  Her eyes moved to meet his. “I-I guess I’m a coward. I just wanted… Shen, once I tell him…what if he hates me? How can I tell him what happened and expect him to still care for me? How can I make him understand?”

  “Perhaps you are not giving him enough credit. Or could it be that you do not trust in his love for you?”

  She shook her head then moved to lay her head on his shoulder. His arms went around her and for a moment she let herself sink back into the past. “I’m afraid, Shen. More now than I was even back then.”

  “As well you should be.”

  His words made her straighten and look at him. “You must never forget that Kitaro will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Nothing. And that cannot be allowed to happen. No matter what or who must be sacrificed, he cannot succeed. You do understand that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she answered, miserable. “All too well.”

  “You must go.” He stepped back from her.

  “And you? Will I see you again?”

  “Perhaps.”

  Suddenly she didn’t know if she could say goodbye to him. Before she thought about it she stepped forward and put her arms around him. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

  “Because you love him?” he asked in reply.

  She nodded and pulled back so that she could look at him. “I did love you, Shen. I guess part of me still does, but…but it was always him, even when I didn’t know it was.”

  “I have always known that here.” He tapped his forehead then smiled sadly. “If only I could have known it here.” He put his hand over his heart.

  The tears that had been threatening spilled over at his words. She swiped at her eyes and tried to speak but he covered her lips with his fingers. “When the time comes you may awaken the memories with these words—‘no longer bound to the mountain, the mind lifts free, as if on wing. The spell of the tengu has ended’.”

  For a moment Senna frowned in confusion. She had recovered all of her memories and didn’t know what he was talking about. Just as she started to ask him, he looked past her. Konnor stepped out into the hall and Shen cut his eyes to her. For a moment they locked eyes then both of them turned to look at Konnor. “What’s wrong?” He seemed alarmed by the tears on her face.

  “Just saying goodbye,” she replied then changed the subject. “Is that coffee for me?”

  He held out the cup and she hurried to take it. “I think we better get going,” she said after taking a sip.

  Konnor looked past her at Shen who regarded him with an unreadable expression. “What about you?” Konnor asked.

  “Just as you have a path to follow, so too do I. Our paths will cross again. Do what you must and do so cautiously. The way is treacherous.”

  Konnor nodded his head in respect and Shen bowed his head slightly. Then Konnor turned and led Senna from the house. She waited until they were in the car before she said anything.

  “Konnor, before we can do anything we have to talk. There are things you need to know.”

  “So tell me.”

  “Not here.” She looked around. “I think we should head west.”

  “Why west?”

  “You’ll understand after I’ve told you everything.”

  He made no move to put the car in gear and she reached over to take his hand. “This time I know what I’m doing.” She made her words a promise.

  He nodded and started forward. Neither of them spoke for a very long time. She leaned her seat back and closed her eyes. When she opened them she was surprised to find that she had been asleep for almost four hours. “Where are we?”

  “Just across the state line in Tennessee.”

  “Could we find a place to stop for a while, eat and take a shower?”

  “Sure,” he replied after a quizzical look.

  A few minutes later she spotted a sign advertising a motel two exits down. At the appropriate exit he got off the highway. It was less than a mile to the motel. Konnor went into the motel office and returned to the car with a key. Driving the car around to the rear of the motel, he parked and they both got out. Konnor carried the two small bags they had brought with them.

  The room was small but clean, furnished with a double bed, a table and one chair, a television and a bathroom. Konnor tossed the key on the nightstand and set the bags down. “You want to eat or shower first?”

  “I’d rather talk.”

  “All right.”

  She paced back and forth for a few moments, trying to decide how to start.

  “Well?” he asked as he took a seat on the bed.

  She sighed and stopped pacing. “I just don’t know where to begin.”

  “The beginning is always a good place.”

  “Okay, the beginning.” She took a seat beside him. “I guess that would be when Lucas and Andrea were killed in Iraq.”

  “Lucas and Andrea?” His eyebrows rose.

  “Yes, my parents.”

  “I know what their names were. It just sounds odd for you to refer to them like that.”

  “Not for long,” she said softly.

  “Huh?”

  “You’ll understand. Just bear with me. It started with what I told you about Iraq. What I didn’t tell you was that Lucas didn’t die in the explosion.”

  His brows came together in a frown but he didn’t speak. She told him about Lucas taking her to Syria and telling her that Andrea had betrayed them. She also told him about going to South America and meeting her real father, Marcus Laserian.

  “You mean your uncle?” he asked in surprise. “But he was supposed to have died a long time ago, on some expedition to South—”<
br />
  “America,” she finished the sentence for him. “But he didn’t die. He faked his death.”

  “And your father, excuse me, Lucas told you when you got to South America?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why did he take you there?”

  “To work on the prototype.”

  “Prototype?”

  “It’s kind of complicated,” she said with a sigh. “Do you want me to continue or are you ready for a break?”

  “No, please, go on.”

  “Okay.” She closed her eyes and opened herself to the memories.

  Lucas untied the bandana that covered her eyes. She blinked in the artificial light. The blindfold was one of the things she really hated. She didn’t understand why it was necessary but he would not let her accompany him to the project without it.

  In the beginning she had questioned him about it, wanting to know why he was keeping the location of the site secret from her. He explained that it was for her own protection. If she didn’t know where it was, she could not be forced to take anyone to it.

  Senna respected the need for secrecy. Especially now that she knew what Lucas and Marcus were working on. She felt honored to be involved and was glad to have something to occupy herself with. Since discovering that Lucas and Andrea were not her real parents and that Andrea had never really loved her, she had been experiencing times of confusion and depression. When she was there, surrounded by all the equipment and imagining the potential of the project, she could push it from her mind. And yet even that didn’t make her happy. Happiness only came when she was with the man who had been assigned to protect them.

  That was another thing she didn’t understand. Why Lucas had agreed to work with the government. In the past he had expressed a strong mistrust for such agencies and organizations. Why he had decided to bring them in was a mystery. Unless it had something to do with Marcus, her real father. He seemed much closer to the government agent than Lucas.