Patsy Murray

by Douglas E Roff

  Adam advanced on Francois as the girls cut Janelle down, laying her on her belly.

  Adam said, “I told you what I would do to you if I ever saw you again near Janelle again.” Adam caught the whiplash in mid-air, took the thinner end and placed it around Francois’s neck. In minutes it was over, and Francois lay dead on the floor.

  Celeste was panicked. “He is with a local crime organization. They will come here now and kill us all.”

  “What is it called?”

  “La Nuit.”

  “Linette, please fetch these oils and lotions and, if you don’t have them, call this number and say ‘4876’ and order them along with a doctor named Raphael. Give him instructions on how to get here and warn the guards at the gate that he is on his way; another van will be coming with a driver named Clement.”

  Adam stepped outside and made several calls. By the next morning, every member of “La Nuit” was dead.

  In her bed, with Celeste and Linette at her bedside, Adam promised no one would ever harm her or her girls again. La Nuit was no more, and Francois had died at Adam’s own hands.

  “No more fear and no more pain, Janelle. Only rest and healing.”

  Janelle cried. Cried for the first time in years, according to Linette. The girls and Adam took terrific care of Janelle; Adam stayed for a year on and off. There was never any sex between them; not with Janelle anyway, but Linette and Celeste otherwise took good care of Dr. St. James.

  When Janelle was well, Adam left returned to New York. Adam begged Janelle to work for him in industrial counter-espionage and give up her former life.

  She declined.

  Six months later, she was found dead, her body dumped by the side of the road. She had failed in her assignment to another criminal organization. Adam hunted down and killed the entire leadership of that organization. The men who had raped Janelle before her death were brought to Thailand where they were skinned alive by specialists Adam knew and mutilated while still breathing. Morphine and a scalpel were required items for longevity under constant pain and duress.

  He taped the whole process as a warning to other gangs about what to expect when crossing Adam St. James.

  Janelle left half of her sizeable estate to Adam and one quarter each, in trust, to Celeste and Linette. Adam’s half was contingent on him caring for her girls for the rest of their lives. Adam didn’t need Janelle’s money; it was merely the means to establish the compact between them. He transferred his half to the girls, in trust, sold the apartment in Paris and the huge Estate. Too many good, and bad, memories there for all concerned.

  The girls wished to stay in Paris, so Adam and the girls went on a home shopping spree that lasted months. They had a new, but smaller estate, a creek running through it and a Manor house they could share and invite guests to whenever they felt the need. They gardened and learned to cook.

  Adam was their only guest, and he visited often.

  The girls were always surrounded by guards and never left their home alone.

  ***

  “They’re coming with us. I will recreate their environment on Hana’s world. They will never know they even left. Paris will be an illusion, but one that will be up-to-date and full of all the small things that might bring them joy. I will visit them more often, but they will take no notice of it. Nothing will change, and they will be forever happy.”

  Chapter 36

  When the history was complete, the only person who even looked like they had a question or cared, was Ryu. She squirmed in her seat, a dead giveaway that she was about to say something she knew better than to press.

  “Couple of questions,’ she said. “Just for clarification, so I understand.”

  “I really, really wish you wouldn’t?”

  “Wouldn’t what?”

  “Ask the questions.”

  “How do you know …”

  “Look around. Who understands my mind better than you? I don’t mean what’s in it; I mean how it works?”

  “Hana maybe. Patsy. But your point is that it’s me, and you want me not to ask some questions you haven’t heard me ask yet, without knowing what they are?”

  “Correct.”

  “Like?”

  “Why didn’t I sleep with Janelle, which, to be an ass, is probably obvious to everyone but you. Why have I babysat two grown women and why are they coming with us?”

  “OK. You’re right.”

  “One, I would have seen the handiwork on Janelle, which she wanted to show me when the time was right. She thought she loved me and one day I might love her. I wasn’t alarmed or even slightly bothered by the results of her torture or her profession. Plus, I killed a lot of people for her. She wasn’t sure how I felt after just a few months, but this was different, I was different; she thought I would understand her, help her to be better.”

  “OK. The Bobbsey twins?”

  “That’s mean and cruel and beneath you. Should we start with your deficiencies? We certainly have examined mine in sufficient detail. Maybe a cute name for you? How about your looks, your insecurities, your need for approval? Shall we start there and work our way up or down?”

  “That’s mean and proves what all women already know: men can’t be trusted and will fuck you over.”

  Niona said, “Sit down, Ryu. He’s right. It’s a two-way street to be kind; you can’t get it and not give it. What you said was mean.”

  “Sorry. I guess.”

  “Never mind, Ryu. If you guess and don’t know, then no answer will be good enough for you, because you are just as cruel as I am.” Adam stood as if to walk away.

  Zoia said, “I want to know. We all do.”

  “Janelle took care of Celeste and Linette since they were children. Not well educated, slightly autistic, though in good ways, but unable to fully care for themselves. Janelle was their friend, their mother, father, sister, and brother. They could do music and art but had trouble with grocery shopping and tying their shoes. Janelle did all that for them. They were rich, Janelle saw to that, but they would be fleeced and on the streets in no time. Janelle needed someone she could trust. At the last minute, she made me their guardian as she had been for many years. The money was an unnecessary inducement. That’s why I gave it all to the girls.”

  Adam continued.

  “Why come with us now? Because they are still mine to care for. I will watch over them. Protect them, at least as much as I can now. They’re sweet and kind and no trouble. They love their gardens and their shopping. They will always have both.”

  Ryu protested, “I say things like this to everyone. Now I’m the bad guy all of a sudden for an innocent comment?”

  “No, you do it with your equals who know you and can fight back. Watching you and Zoia go at it and be snarky with each other, that’s stand-up comedy. But punching down at two women you don’t know is not funny, and you’re better than that.”

  “How was I supposed to know what affected them. They sounded normal.”

  Ryu paused for a moment and asked, “Are you mad at me?”

  “No, I love you as much now as ever before. But you guys said no more secrets and let’s be honest. I’m trying. So should you.”

  “You still think I’m pretty, smart and funny.”

  “No. I know you are. If the others weren’t here, I’d say you are my favorite. But you know how jealous they get.”

  “We’ll keep it just between us then. A little corporal tonight?”

  “Who’s turn?”

  “Mine I think.”

  “Take turns?”

  “Even better!”

  ***

  Adam began, “Now we need to move on to the plan I have devised, who’s involved and the order in which we are going to do things. Most of you won’t care about most things; some you might. Starting with the things we’ll need last, and right away, we go to our Professionals. We must continue to work on the domes, but without raising suspicion. Nothing
about our work must seem to be different to either Liara or the Lord, both of whom are in a war to use us, but in different ways. But when we finally leave after all this is over, we will need to build things, and that’s where our four lovely ladies come in.

  “First materials. I have planned basic machinery and what it will do. Our current materials design is all wrong for much of it. Ryu needs to reconfigure our sizes and shapes, as that will involve energy consumption, energy usage, battery design, backup systems and the like. Right now, it’s one size fits all, and that isn’t good enough. It has to be better, more precise, based on function.

  “Ryu, honey, sweetie pie, you know I love you the most, so don’t be mad.”

  “Hurt, but not mad.”

  “Parinda, you are in charge of construction and design, so the materials management goes to both you and Ryu to develop better materials based on function. Not one size fits all, but a material design based on what the machine does. Materials that face the surface should be made to convert sunlight into electrical energy, thus reducing or eliminating the need for an external power source. Size matters sometimes, not others. I will show you plans. I have also designed a method of rotating nanites in and out and exchanging nanites that are failing like skin replacing skin. This has to be built into the materials design.

  “Software and AI drive everything, including power, power sources, and function. If I screw this up, the rest doesn’t matter.

  “That brings us to Zoia, who hates me right now, but engineering is critical. Things have to be designed with the right materials, but then they have to be built and do what they are supposed to do. That will be Zoia and me. Sorry, but that’s how this has all worked out for now. It’s you and me, so expect us to disagree.”

  “I don’t hate you. You annoy me. There will be tangible rewards and punishments depending on who’s right and who’s wrong. Agreed?”

  “Like who’s on top and who’s on the bottom, or worse?”

  “Let’s talk when the kids aren’t around.”

  “Finally, there’s Janaia, who also hates me, but is also extremely important to our mission.”

  “Like”

  “Figuring out the ‘cosmological constant.’ No, just kidding. Certainly not that, although it would be cool. I mean things like power consumption, shorting issues, meltdown issues: magnetic strength and weakness, powering up and down and a whole host of stuff like that. Thermodynamics, a whole bunch of words I don’t remember and can’t pronounce, and ideas I don’t know, or have even been invented yet, at least in our world. So, a lot of guesswork. But I did write them down for you.”

  “Good of you.”

  “Don’t be mad.”

  “I’m not, but last time you were in a hurry, we didn’t get quality stuff. If you aren't into QC, I might not be either.”

  “I’m very sorry. We will only end when you say we’re finished. Fair?”

  “For now. I have other demands. We can discuss privately later.”

  Adam continued, “Niona’s central role should be obvious. She’s the only being with a Sari who can kill Liara and, as it turns out, other pesky and evil Immortals. We may need her special skills later.”

  Niona said, “You have a special Jeweled Blade, and I now have two Blades, but I don’t know why.”

  “It shall become apparent later. But only one, the original Blade, the Sari, can kill Liara. I think that was intentional. You wait, our Lord will ask for the original Sari back. Say you gave it away or lost it or gave it to me. He cannot have it. If he retrieves it, he can control Liara, not us. We must control her, and through her, him.”

  “That brings us to created Immortals. Liara wants lots of them, but not like the Lord’s. Most Immortals follow orders, that’s it. A tiny small number are like Fionna and Niona; they have other qualities. The qualities the Lord and Liara want are the abilities to be Immortal and fight as well as think, lead and react. Again, like Fionna and Niona. There are hardly any of these Immortals and maybe only two right now. They are, after all, a danger to our Lord too. Having any of them around is dangerous. So, for time immemorial, there was always only a handful, and they were treated extremely well. He gives them latitude the others don't get.”

  Niona said, “Shall I also need the Sarii to kill Fionna, Hecate, and Kendra one day if necessary. Not just Liara.”

  “I’m sorry, but yes. This new race of Immortals we create cannot fall into the hands of our Lord or Liara. We’ve seen what happens when they give in to their licentious and malicious natures. We, not they, must control these new Immortals.

  Adam continued, “Right now, I am the only source of the exact DNA needed to create these Immortals, which is why the Lord wants me close, and the only reason Liara still wants me alive. They both agree I’m important to keep alive, but only until they can find, if they can, replacement DNA equal to mine.

  Patsy will eliminate most of Liara’s sources of funding based on information she now has. She will then use Liara’s global genealogical data to find others who are genetically linked to me or who have identical genetic makeup in crucial genetic markers.”

  Zoria said, “So you’re not going to fuck every female Immortal personally?”

  “I wish I could, but sadly no. I do like a challenge, though.”

  Adam continued, “Hana will prepare our new world, and we will begin to propagate our new species. She will teach our warriors the Way and the Balance and make sure we don’t create the seeds of future wars. I will bring in geneticists for this problem, though I will tell them nothing of the real purpose of their research.”

  “A chosen few and I will go to our Lord, have us all made Immortal, be given the Immortals we require, and the control over the group who betrayed me. I have plans for them. I will ask for other things in exchange for bringing Liara and Hanta to him alive. I will tell him I know where they are and how to capture them with Niona’s help.

  “I will then go alone to visit Liara and Hanta and convince them to surrender and end this foolish war.”

  “They will never do what you ask.”

  “They will. They’re coming with us after surgery by our Lord’s best doctors. What Liara did to me once a long time ago, I will now do to Liara and Hanta. They will be kept in a particular place, and I will visit them every day. If our project fails, I will kill them. Torii will be reconstructed and placed with the other traitors, who will be my sole responsibility.

  “Liara and Hanta will be our captives, the Lord will have peace in his realm, we shall control the new Immortals, and this Universe, as it exists currently, will be ours. I shall retire, we shall all be Immortal except those who wish eternal peace, and there will be peace throughout our corner of the RealVerse.”

  “Questions?”

  “You actually think this can work.”

  “I do.”

  “Then I say we have voluminous sex tonight, in fact starting right now, then begin in the morning after breakfast. We have enormous tasks ahead of us.”

  “We do.”

  “By the way, do you know where Liara and Hanta really are?”

  “Nope. But I think I do. Liara wants me to find her.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s obvious. She still loves me.”

  Chapter 37

  “It is good to have you back, Adam St. James, coming as you have with Niona the Huntress and Lia, your newly indentured servant. I assume that Lia had served you well in all respects and that the presence of Niona has caused a ripple with Liara and her minion Hanta.”

  “I am honored to be back with you Lord, and I have brought exceedingly good news, at least I hope it is so. I have sent out Niona, Patsy Murray, Nocera Lee, and my mortal guards to trap and draw out Liara. It has not been as effective as we had hoped, but I believe I now have ascertained sufficient knowledge to lead to me to the whereabouts of Liara and Hanta. I expect to deliver the two of them to you directly within the month bound and in mint condit
ion. You may use them for your pleasure after that.”

  “Excellent tidings my most favored of my Cyclical Immortals. I expect, in return, you have some requests to ask as favors, a few of which I can already guess.”

  “Yes, oh Lord. I have several, none of which shall burden you in any way and some that shall unburden you greatly.”

  “Speak then, and your requests shall be granted.”

  “First, I have long wished full Immortality as befits my new station, and with that honor, I shall bring my chosen subordinates who shall be indentured to me for eternity. Along with them, I shall send my mortal family and guards to mortal peace, as they grow weary of their Cyclical existence to which they have been bound. I do this out of love for them as I do for you, oh Lord.”

  “Granted.” All the names in Adam’s mind were instantly made Immortal.

  “As to those who betrayed me on the Five Islands …”

  The Lord said, “You wish them returned and reduced in rank to Cyclical Immortal, including Hecate, Fionna, and Kendra?”

  “Yes Master, it is my wish. I shall deal with them individually as pets and slaves if your need for them has waned.”

  “It has. They are yours. Where shall I deliver them?”

  “To the sealed room beneath Island Three in the Five Islands, locked and in the specially outfitted apartments I have prepared for them. I wish to deal with them one by one, especially Fionna, with whom I shall take a great deal of time and pleasure. I wish them all to heal quickly, so please ingrain that in their physical selves.”

  “Granted and transported. You bear me no ill will for corrupting them?”

  “None. We all serve at your pleasure and obey your will, Lord. I have discovered in Lia that she’s one of a very small number of imperfect Immortal females I greatly wish to be transferred to me and indentured as an Immortal.”

  “Why not destroy them?”

  “They are needed for experimentation, and I do not wish to use the perfect specimens you give to me for that purpose. My scientists agree that they are perfect subject matters for my tests. I can do as I please with them and repair all damage at will. They are remarkably useful for experimentation in sexual gratification, a gift I hope to present to you within the year. A surprise.”