byLost Boy©
Here is another fun filled romp in London and Arkham. I hope you enjoy. As always feel free to vote and comment on the story.
London:
Wind Sword Manor:
When you hear those words what comes to mind? A bleak desolate place where gusts of ice cold wind cut like knives then you wouldn't be far off. It was that and so much more. The massive wrought iron gates were set into walls of polished Scottish granite twenty feet high and a full two feet thick. Each block perfectly cut and set to fit the one below it. From what I could tell not a single bit of mortar was used in the entire construction.
The gates swung silently inward and we drove up the winding path to the manor house. While the trees, flowers and lawn were as meticulously cared for as those of Cyan Michaels there was a sense of wrongness to the geometry of the place. I felt that if I looked away the very layout of the grounds would change in some subtle and disturbing way.
We came around the long elegant arc to the front of the house and I saw it for the first time. Like the wall surrounding it Wind Sword Manor was built of granite and fit together like come great monolithic structure from the long dead past. Its three stories loomed in the darkness and I could see a crescent moon hang over the thing like a great sickle. Bleak and dark and yet this was home. Here we would stay for the next two months until we left for Berlin. I did not know what to expect or fear from this place but I was here.
The driver turned around as I opened the door to step out.
"I will go back and get your things sir," he said with a look that said it's not too late.
"Thanks, I appreciate it. Take care of yourself."
"You too sir," he said and meant it. "...you too."
The door to the manor house opened and there was one friendly face to greet me.
"Welcome home Master," Mary said warmly her feline eyes gleaming in the light.
"Hello Mary," I replied.
Just then as if on cue Storm dropped out of the night sky and landed lightly on my shoulder. His draconic form almost invisible in the play of shadows and I felt his tail wrap comforting around my neck and shoulders. Mary blinked a few times and I can't say as I blamed her. Who wouldn't when your boss shows up and a small dragon lands on his shoulders as if summoned from the darkness?
"I am starved," I told Mary. "And I could use a pint or two after the day I have had."
"Dinner is waiting and I will pour your beer myself Sir."
"What about my mother and Melody?"
"Your mother is on her way and Melody has decided to stay on at Lady Michaels."
I wanted to say 'I don't blame her' but I didn't.
"I assume rooms are prepared for my mother and me?"
"Oh yes sir, the Master bedroom is ready for you and for her a suit not far from yours."
"Great work Mary, where is the dining area?"
"This way Sir," she said leading the way.
I silently sent to Storm and he took wing and disappeared. The place was massive on an epic scale. It wasn't Buckingham Palace but it wasn't far off either. The dining room was huge and could have seated dozens. It would do for my first meal but changes were in order. I may have to live here but it would be on my terms.
My food was served immediately and the beer followed shortly afterwards. I ate in silence with Mary and a young Latin woman standing and waiting in case I needed anything. It was the Latin girl who fetched the two refills on the delicious dark Irish beer I was drinking. I felt that since I had healed Mary she had been elevated somehow within the ranks of 'those who serve'. Her reverent desire to serve was now fueled by a status as my favorite and that disturbed me somehow. I believed Faye when she said Mary was a good kid and she had been through so much pain and suffering. But I think me snatching her from the brink has altered her on some fundamental level. Maybe not for the good I worried. Was I over thinking this thing? Then I looked at her and saw the almost fevered gaze in Mary's feline eyes and knew I was dead on. God help me maybe I should have let her die.
My meal finished I retired to the library waiting for my mom to arrive. Mary had moved onto her other duties leaving the Latin girl to keep an eye on me.
"What's your name," I said as I sipped my beer.
"Louisa Master is there anything you require?"
She had a lovely voice and there was of course the slight Spanish accent that was not unattractive. She had that dusky skin and dark eyes and long black hair that fell nearly to her ass. Louisa was curvaceous in all the right places and very pleasing on the eye.
"No, tell me Louisa where do you come from?"
"I am from New York Master."
"New York City," I asked.
"Yes Master."
"Your family is still there?"
"Yes Master."
I real conversationalist this one I thought.
"Are you afraid of me Louisa?"
"Master, I don't understand?"
"Well every time I ask you a question you spit out as few words as humanly possible. So are you afraid of me?"
"Yes Sir I am," she admitted.
"I appreciate your honesty," I told her. "You don't need to be I don't bite, unless you like that sort of thing."
She blushed furiously and I thought I could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. I finished my beer and handed her the empty glass.
"Would you like another Sir?"
"No I think that will be enough for one night. Besides..."
I was going to continue but Louisa's head lifted up and to the side as if listening to something only she could hear.
"Your mother has arrived Master, shall I see to her needs?"
"Um sure," I said and watched her as she moved straight for the front door.
Louisa was opening the door even as my mom was reaching for it, scary.
"Welcome home Lady, can I take your things?" Louisa asked and my mom nodded weakly.
She was still recovering from the door opening as it did no doubt. I met my mom in the entry way and watched her eyes take in the place.
"This place is huge Jon! Don't expect me to do any windows... ever."
"We'll adjust," I told her as I hugged her tight.
"Who is the leggy Amazon?"
"Her name is Louisa and she is a sweetheart," I told my mom as the Latin girl appeared carrying mom's luggage.
"Sir is too kind; I will take these to your rooms if that is alright Lady?"
"Rooms? Sure just come back I'll need a guide to get me there in one piece," Mom replied.
"Of course Lady," Louisa said with a smile and off she lugged mom's stuff up the long flight of stairs.
"I haven't taken the tour yet, you up to seeing the place with me," I asked.
"You betcha," Mom said with a smile. "Duke Jon Masters... hehe what's next?"
"That's what has me on edge," I admitted.
"Well you are not alone."
"Thanks mom," I said giving her another hug. "Mary!?"
I called for a familiar face and she appeared shortly.
"Yes Master how can I be of service?"
"Can you give us the nickel tour of this place?"
"I would be honored Sir," she said with a smile. "Do you want just the geography or the history of Wind Sword Manor as well?"
"I think just the geography will do for now. If we have any questions we'll ask."
"Yes Sir, please follow me."
It was like the Old Miller Place on steroids. The rooms were on a massive scale and opulence was to be seen everywhere. There were precious metals in abundance and every chandelier was Austrian crystal, the finest. Every piece of furniture appeared to be handmade and by highly skilled artisans at their peak. There was marble, granite and even diorite woven into the floors, walls and sculptures of Wind Sword. There was a ballroom, a music room, a library and on and on located on the first floor alone.
Then there was the main staircase with its mahogany railing and marble steps. The second floor unlike the house in Arkham had every modern convenience for each and every private sleeping quarter. There was the bedroom and then there was a walk in closet fully stocked with clothing that ranged from ultra comfy to ultra rich. Each bathroom like the bedroom was decorated in a particular theme. Most were quite tame and ordinary while others were as lavish and outlandish as anything I could imagine.
There was even a sci-fi room that I just might have to take over at some point. The bed was straight out of the next millennium with its complete lack of a mattress. Apparently all you had to do was lay down and it produced a gentle repulsor field. This would lift and cradle your body perfectly as it read the body's pressure points every few microseconds. I wonder what sex on that must be like. It too had a walk in closet but everything was computer controlled. When you picked a shirt it offered selections for the fashion challenged. The bathroom was the absolute best!
"It has a sonic shower," I cried out while my mom looked at me like I had lost it.
"Jon for heaven's sake it's just a shower."
"NO... it's a SONIC shower..."
"You better move his shit in here now and save yourself the effort," Mom told Mary.
"I will take care of it immediately."
As we were leaving the shower there was Louisa with my things putting them away. How the hell did she know? I looked at Mary and she smiled.
"Louisa is a very strong Empath. She can sense the needs and desires of others often before they even realize it themselves."
"So when mom arrived," I said.
"She has some latent precognitive abilities as well."
"So she knows what I want even before I know it?"
"Yeah that about sums her up," Mary said.
"Oh I doubt that my dear," my Mom added looking at the Latin girl. "That one is full of surprises."
"If you say so Lady," Mary replied and pointed towards the open doorway.
We headed for the door that led to the third floor. It was locked and Mary handed me the key.
"The third floor is for your eyes only Master," she said and turned to leave.
"Want to see?"
"Of course," my Mom replied smiling.
I unlocked the door and paused. Then closed my eyes and tried something. I sent out a mental request for Louisa's presence. She stuck her head out of my bedroom and pointed at her own chest. I nodded and crooked my finger. Louisa smiled and walked over to us.
"If the third floor is for my eyes only who cleans up there," I asked.
"There is staff specifically suited for the task," Louisa replied.
"What are they blind or something," Mom blurted out and Louisa just nodded. "Well I'll be damned they take things serious around here."
"Want to come and see Louisa?"
"Me Master, but what about Mary? She is your favorite after all."
"Who told you that?"
"Mary said since you healed her and... I have said too much. Please forgive me Master!"
"Jon," Mom said with a gentle hand on my arm. "Let it go, for now. There are more entertaining ways of showing your displeasure."
"I like the way you think Mom. Come on Louisa you are going to get the VIP tour with us."
"Yes Master." She said blushing.
Did she sense or maybe see what I had in mind for Mary? Oh well. The three of us headed up the staircase and we all gasped at the glass walled room set into the very center of the top floor. It was like looking into a huge terrarium with its gravel garden and hanging plants everywhere. But it was the transparent ceiling that allowed the moonlight unfettered access to the room that took my breath away.
The door was unlike any door I had ever seen before. It was made of beveled glass and was seated into the transparent frame by some unseen mechanism. I touched the center of the door and there came a single clear tone and the entire door sank into the wooden floor. The smells that drifted out were like some primeval garden of long lost Babylon. We stepped in and the door slid silently back into place once more behind us.
There was a winding path that spiraled inward to the center of the room where a shaft of focused moonlight stood. It illuminated a pillar and on top of it a wide mouthed basin filled with clear water that bubbled up from below. The sides of the pillar were etched with those symbols I had become so intimate with. The triangular sides of the pillar read Health, Wisdom and Long Life. If I wanted a place to decompress this was the perfect spot. We looked around and saw and smelled all the fragrant flowers and trees that grew here. It almost made me forget the uneasy strangeness of this place, almost.
I was eager to explore the rest of the third floor when Louisa did her head cock thing. We had unexpected company arriving.
"Who is it," I asked.
"Your sisters are here Sir," Louisa said. "...All three of them."
"Well let's go greet them," I said with a smile.
Arkham Massachusetts:
The Old Miller Place:
I awoke around noon and looked around at the rustic surroundings of the out building. It was nice actually compared to living in the mobile home. Becca had been up for hours doing whatever it was she did during the day. I opened the front door and looked out on the small lake and there she was skinny dipping like some teenager. Then I remembered the new lease on life we had both been given thanks to a rogue A.I. named Sterling. Becca though mentally and emotionally was sixty-something, physically the clock had been turned back to her prime. She looked amazing and I stripped down and joined her in the cool clear water.
I slipped up behind her and pulled her close. She moaned softly as my hands cupped her full breasts.
"Morning sleepy head," she purred in my ear. "Are you ready for another round with a younger woman?"
"MMMMMMMMMM you better believe it," I groaned as I rubbed my hard cock against her slit.
"I'm warning you I won't be as tender as I was last night."
"I think I still have scratch marks up and down my back woman," I giggled.
"Awwwwww, you're not gonna go cry home to momma are ya?"
"No but you might when were done."
"Yeah whatever..."
The challenge had been issued and received. I drug her to the shallows and slid into my wife nice and slow enjoying that wonderful wide eyed look as I did so.
The first time in is the best. That initial sensation of her tight pussy wrapping snugly around me. Then that first hard thrust and her soft moan which will only get louder as we go on. The feelings as her legs wrap around me and pull me deeper into her while she kisses and nips at my neck and lips. Then her head moving backward her mouth open in the wide O as her first orgasm rips through her. Things just escalate from there. Soon Becca is on her knees on the soft earth with me hammering her pussy from behind. She is urging me then begging me and finally as her body shudders in her second release she is thanking me.
Now it is me who is on my back with that gorgeous young woman licking and sucking my cock. Now it is me who is panting and moaning as she deepthroats me with complete and utter abandon. I watch her eyes as they snare me with their fevered hunger. That desire to feel me shoot down her throat. How could I possibly disappoint her? As her fist pumps me and her tongue works on the tip a strangled cry escapes me and Becca is rewarded with her first load. She greedily gobbles it up and wants more.
After a brief rest the cock hungry woman straddles me lowering her soaked cunt down on top of me. Her pussy swallows me as easily as did her throat. As she rides me she tells me how she is going to grow out her short dishwater blonde hair. I just smile and grope her tits and nipples as she pleasures me. Her bright blue eyes flash in the noonday sun and her hips are thrusting down hard driving me deep. Becca praises my cock as her pussy worships it. She grinds her hips in slow circles as she leisurely fucks me rotten. Then suddenly and unexpectedly she cries out as another orgasm clutches her without warning. Her pussy squeezes me tight and I don't want this day to ever end.
We finish with a climatic pussy pounding ride against a study red maple tree. Becca is bent over holding onto the trunk for dear life as I thrust into her as hard and fast as I can. We are both covered in sweat, funk and each other's juices. Her short hair is matted to her scalp and droplets of sweat fall from her swaying breasts. Even as my cock swells inside of her I can tell she is very close. She is begging me to cum with her and with some careful timing on both our parts... I do. That last primal thrust of my hips sends both of us over the edge and into euphoric paradise. Cum gushes into her soaked pussy and dribbles out as we stand there catching our breath.
We finish as we started in the lake. I cup my hands and pour water over her head and she slides her arms around my neck for a final kiss before we part for the day.
I still wanted to continue my work on the house but now I had to do it under the guise of my own grandson. How weird is that. The story was that my grandfather had fallen sick and I had come into town to help take care of him. He wanted me to continue on with his work. Ryan, the foreman, just said that was Charlie all over. So after ordering the parts from various manufacturers for the updated security systems for 'Mother', the house A.I., I pitched in wherever I could. The hardest part of my new role was the cutting of my hair. I had been growing it out for as long as I could remember but Becca gave me a nice trim and I was able to keep most of the length. She even braided it differently to help with the deception. Besides I think she enjoyed playing with my hair whenever she could.
It had only been a few days since we moved into the cabin behind the Old Miller Place. Nikola was still crunching the data and finishing the analysis of the material from the mobile home. I never realized how complex all the drawings had been since it had taken me a lifetime to sketch them out. What I had taken for granted he attacked now with a zeal that was intoxicating to observe. Periodically he would furnish me with updates when he made a breakthrough or new discovery. He was like a kid in a candy store.
The box from Numenor Technology Dunwich arrive early the fourth day. It was addressed to me and its contents surprised both Becca and I as did the letter that accompanied it.
'Charlie, I have been informed of your situation and your secrecy is assured. My name is James Bell and I am one of the leading research and development people at Numenor. I am also one of the four founders of the company. To compensate you for your unsettling situation and damages done by the A.I. known as Sterling we have forwarded the following amount into an offshore bank account. Also as per your agreement with Jon Masters, General Manager Numenor Technology, we have also deposited the following amount for the purchase of the technology you developed. Also in agreement with your discussion with him we are retaining your services under his personal staff for you and your wife. This includes the protection of diplomatic immunity should certain person or persons approach you in regards to said research and technology. Upon completion of your current project you and your wife will be flown to either London or Berlin to join Jon to consult upon the further development of your research. Hoping this finds you and yours in good health and happiness. James Bell.'
The contents of the box were a blue box marked 'his' and yes a pink box marked 'hers'. The blue box held a gorgeous armband hand crafted of turquoise and silver in the Navaho style. In the center of it was a silver disc that I learned was one of Numenor's cutting edge A.I. watches. With a command Nikola could and would transfer his entirety to it. Also in the box was a pair of the newest line of Numenor peripherals contact lenses. They were tailored to my unique skill set, surveillance, combat and technology. I could also act and interact with Nikola much easier now. I was getting tired of lugging that tablet everywhere and I think so was he.
The pink box held a matching turquoise watch for Becca loaded with her own A.I. who she named Minerva, after a goddess of healers. She also got a pair of the coveted lenses but hers like mine were custom for her medical background and included various scans including MRI, CAT and PEP. She could also do a cursory examination in a fraction of the time a hospital could. It was no wonder she was listed as Jon Masters' personal physician. There were few people on the planet as gifted or skilled in the field as my Becca was.
It was because of the wet work I was doing for the government and my unique physiology that brought us together in the first place. That and my big mouth about telling people what had happened when I was a kid.
Flashback:
I was born on the road somewhere between St. Louis and Kansas City Missouri. My mom and dad were still together back then. But six months later I would be fatherless and we would be stuck out in the middle of nowhere. He had been shot dead while walking into a store as it was being robbed. That was late 1946 and it would create a turning point in my life. My mom had to do some questionable things to survive and earn money for us. She never did speak much about it when I got older, can't say as I blame her really.
But it was that fateful night near a little known town in New Mexico that would change everything. No one had heard of Roswell before the crash but oh afterwards the entire world knew about it. But it wasn't little green men that I had seen that evening, no it was stranger and far more frightening than that. My mother had stopped near a farm late at night to take a short nap before continuing on.
To this day I am amazed that anyone could have slept through all that noise. The thing landed not far from the car and being the inquisitive child that I was I investigated. I managed to roll down the window and safely tumble to the thick grass below. Unhurt and undeterred I walked if what a one year old could be called walked.
The thing was huge in the eyes of a toddler and it was covered with all sort of tiny pictures. The top of the thing was clear and made of some sort of glass. I used the side of the thing to make my way towards the window. But before I could get there the top folded open like a flower and out staggered a thing covered in smooth beveled plates of armor. It had no face at first, I later figured out it was a helmet with a mirrored faceplate. The figure kneeled and took me into its arms. Unafraid I took a spit soaked fist to its helmet. The thing made a horrible hollow sound; I think it was laughing at me. The faceplate slid up and away to reveal the features of the thing, I think that's when I blacked out.
My mother found me asleep or unconscious by the side of the thing that had fallen from the sky. She told me later that she scooped me up and off we went racing away before the authorities discovered we were ever there. Years later of course I learned all about Roswell and the crashed weather balloon but we knew better. There wasn't one crash but two that night. It was something that was never reported to the public at large, ever.
I grew up a sickly child. I was always catching a cold or running a low grade fever it seemed like. That was until I turned thirteen. Then everything changed. It was late November when the fever hit me like an avalanche. Over a three day period it rose and rose until it spiked at nearly one hundred and ten degrees! The white doctor from town barely left my side it seemed and the shamans of our tribe prayed hard for my recovery. Early in the morning on that fourth day the fever broke and my life changed forever. During the night my hair had turned from its dark brown nearly black to snow white. And my eyes that had been a nut brown were now steel gray. But the most significant change was my general health. After that day I never got sick another day in my life. I could go play with the other kids and help mom around the house. The doctor had thanked her god and the shamans paid homage to the Great Spirit.
Over time there were other changes of course. I learned quite quickly that I had a knack for understanding the way of machines. I could mend a simple power tool or take apart and fix a refrigerator. Suddenly all the useless and broken crap, as my mother called it, was finding its way onto our front porch or back yard. I was kept busy tinkering, fixing and selling machines. I also managed to jimmy-rig several windmill power plants for the tribe from spare parts. So now all the useless crap that ran on electricity would actually work. I fixed cars to sewing machines and I was seen as a very useful member of the tribe.
When I turned fifteen I was sent out by the shamans for my vision quest. It was time I earned a name of manhood and I was very eager. So I took a few provisions and the things I would need and set out. I must have walked three or four miles until I found the right spot. It was isolated, quiet and had the right feel about it. I spent part of the day gathering firewood; nights in the dessert can be bitter cold. Then I used the small shovel I had brought to dig two small pits, one for the fire and one for me. It would work as a wind break and also it was tradition. During the day I meditated as I had been taught and during the night I stared into the flames of my fire.
It took ten days to receive my vision. It began when my fire burned down low and I could see eyes gleaming in the night. But these were not the eyes of wolves or coyote no these eyes burned violet in the firelight. I called out to them in Navaho and received no answer.
Then I thought if these were spirits maybe they were the same ones who came to me in my dreams. I cast off my blanket and took pieces of kindling and broke them up and formed one of the shapes I recalled from a dream. I held up each piece of wood as I laid it down and when the shape was done I returned to my blanket. One of the spirits approached and I could see she appeared human like. She looked at the design I had made and nodded. Then she raised her voice to the others and they all repeated the same sound in voices that sang like nothing I had ever heard before.
Then the others approached the fire and I could count thirteen in all. They sat in a semicircle at the very edge of the firelight. The female spirit motioned for me to come closer. That is when I learned some of what the symbols and images that haunted my dreams meant. Each spirit took a turn, drew a symbol and sang out its name. Then they attempted to explain to me what it meant. I realized at once it was a language lesson and focused my entire being on everything they did and said. It should have been impossible for me to learn the voice of the spirits and yet I did. I learned their names and they called me Ghostwalker. Each night for the next three nights the spirits visited me and taught me what they could of their speech. On the last night the spirit who had first approached me, Starmane by name, blessed me and touched my forehead and my thoughts.
I awoke the next morning wrapped in my blanket at the edge of the town. No one had seem me arrive and the shamans feared I might have perished on my vision quest. But when I told them about the spirits and their language they knew I had been chosen to be a great shaman. I wanted to share with them all that I had learned but they told me that it was for me alone to know.
Upon my return I also learned that my mother had died in her sleep while I was away. She had been bitten by a rattlesnake and succumb to the poison. It was strange that she died that way at that time of year. Most of the snakes were sleeping due to the cold weather. I didn't question it I accepted it as the Great Spirit's will.
Things changed after that. I began to write down my dreams and visions. Jotting down anything that might help me unlock the mystery of any and all of the spirit symbols. The shamans said I should keep what I learned to myself so after I filled three thin notebooks with my ramblings I put them in a metal box and buried them near my mother. That was the day I left the reservation to find myself.
I headed for the coast and at the tender age of sixteen I was truly on my own. I reached San Diego and found a job at one of the local marinas fixing boat engines. Thanks much to a man I called the human fish. He spent at least at much time in the water as he did out of it. His real name was Jimmy 'Jester' O'Reilly. I called him Jester and he called me Ghost. He was an older guy somewhere between puberty and the grave if you asked him. Jester had that bright red hair and freckles that marked him as a first generation Irishman. He was tanned all over and was not afraid to bare all to prove it. The ladies loved him and he kind of became the dad or older brother I never had. There were days when he was strict as all get out and then a week would go by and nothing serious would ever cross his lips. I learned more about engines from him than any book or any other living person. He showed me how to fix anything from a small outboard to a diesel engine on a submarine. He could draw schematics from memory and they never failed to impress me. By the time he was done with me not only could I work on anything I practically had?
We spent maybe two months in San Diego before we shipped out and we headed south to the Panama Canal. We fixed boats and ships all the way down the coast. It was because of this experience that I made some lifelong friends on both sides of the law. In some parts of Mexico they are sometimes the same person. I was Jester's little miracle worker though I was beginning to grow into my full height and build while I was with him. Everybody knew Jester and soon they all knew me too. There were places that you just don't walk down the street alone in any country. But thanks to Jester I was a fearless tourist in faraway lands. Together we built and raced boats, cars and even motorcycles. I developed a fierce reputation as the man who spoke to machines. If I said it could be fixed it got fixed. If I shook my head they knew it was a hopeless case.
Until you see the Panama Canal it is just a couple of words strung together. It is a work of engineering that is nothing short of jaw dropping. And the ships that pass through it are a menagerie in themselves. From small luxury yachts to oil tankers that dwarf anything short of an aircraft carrier. Jester and I got work down there and spent the winter months in panama where my education continued. It was there in panama that I met another grease monkey named Ben Morrows. Out of uniform it is fine to call him Ben. But once he dons it he is Master Chief and that is all no questions asked. Strange thing being around all that water it was Ben that taught me how to swim. I grew up in the desert away from any large bodies of water; I guess Jester just assumed everyone could do it.
Now that I could swim I discovered Jester's fascination with the water. When we were done with work for the day we swam, surfed and sailed. I was hooked. Spring rolled around and it was time to make the slow jaunt north. By the time we reached San Diego I had been with Jester almost a year. Once there I spent much of my free time hanging with Ben on and off the navy base. He showed me some of the larger ships up close and I even got to visit the engine room of one of the navy's subs. Ben tried to recruit me a dozen times at least but he saw that wanderlust and knew better.
One warm July evening the three of us were out on the beach staring up at the stars when Jester brought up the subject. He was half drunk at the time but it would be one of those pivotal moments in my life.
"You ever wonder if there is life out there," Jester said dreamily.
"Nah," Ben said taking a sip of his beer.
"Of course there's life out there I've seen it," I said and boom my life changed.
"What," Jester said looking at me. "You're shitting me kid."
"Yeah quit fucking around," Ben followed up.
"I've seen it with my own eyes," I told them and followed that up with what really happened at Roswell.
Jester was too drunk to believe what I had said but Ben on the other hand was a whole other story. I was too naïve to realize that Ben would always be Master Chief in or out of uniform. He believed me and I could see it in his eyes that he looked at me differently now. He cut out early that night and there was something about his rigid stance and the way he said see you soon that rang warning bells.
I grabbed my stuff, all my money and I ran. I hopped a train heading north that very night. I never saw Jester again and perhaps that was for the best. I miss his smile and his stupid jokes though.
London:
Meeting the Twins:
I thanked god for the back breaking labor of tearing down the assembly line and retooling. The girls had come home the night before. I was promptly told I would have to wait until we could get reacquainted. Talk about torture! They had been gone for weeks and now they were in the house and no physical contact. So I threw myself into the task at hand trying not to think of the three young women at home. I say trying but I was failing miserably. I kept thinking of the caress of their firm augmented tits wrapped around me. A heavy sigh escaped my lips and there were a few comments from the people around me.
"Someone is distracted," someone said.
"Yep, I was like that when I first got married," another voice said.
"Oi, everybody stay focused on the work. We don't need an accident now do we? Besides can't you see the poor man is suffering?"
That brought bouts of laughter, giggles and even a few cat calls. I couldn't help but laugh with them and it helped pass the time. I won't say the conversation turned raunchy but I was glad I was not wearing the boss hat today. I was just one of the guys.
Sadly I did have to spend some time in my office working on cost analysis and other boring shit. But boring left the building when late in the day when I reached for my pen. You might think that is about as boring as it gets but you'd be wrong, dead wrong. It was one of those automatic actions you do every day if you work in an office. My head was down reading a print out of salary expenditures when I lifted my hand and felt around for my pen, nothing. I moved my hand around a bit and still I felt nothing. I looked up and there was my pen just out of reach. I stretched a bit but the pen eluded my grasp. It rolled just out of my range. Frowning I sat up and reached for it again but this time it leapt away from my hand.
"What the fuck," I sputtered staring at the pen that was now near the far edge of my desk.
I stood up and walked around and stared at it. But there was nothing obviously wrong with it or my desk.
"Umbra," I said as I squatted on the far side of my desk.
"Master," she said as she appeared next to me.
"Do me a favor and run a scan on my pen please."
"Master?"
"Please."
"Very well Master," she said as the blue-violet light shot from my watch and illuminated the pen. "I can find no anomalies Master."
"Scan the desk and see if it is warped or uneven."
"Yes Master," she replied as she complied. "Your desk is within parameters to be considered level Sir."
I reached for the pen and this time it travelled at ballistic speed and imbedded itself into the wood between the windows behind my desk.
"Um..." was all I could manage.
"I have detected a strong telekinetic pulse Sir," Umbra said softly. "It came from you Master."
"Me, how the hell did I produce a pulse?"
"Um..." she said even softer.
I looked at her and stood up.
"UMMMM? Did you just say UMMMM?"
"Yes Master."
"Okay, I'll bite why did you say UMMM?"
"I didn't want to say anything bad about another digital construct."
"STERLING!"
I bit back the anger with great effort. I closed my eyes and forced the urge to break something out with a herculean exertion. There came an urgent knock and there was Melody standing in the doorway wearing an urgent expression.
"Jon, are you okay?"
"Why do you ask," I said turning to face her.
"You hollered so damn loud I thought well something bad had happened."
I had screamed mentally and she had heard it. It was time for a change of scenery.
"I'm taking the rest of the day off," I said and she just smiled.
"Okay boss I'll handle things for the next fifteen minutes," she smiled and it helped a lot.
"Alright smart ass, I may or may not be in tomorrow depending on how things go."
"Just call or email and keep me in the loop. Trouble at home," she asked.
"Close but not quite, I have problems with an unruly employee."
"Okay, but don't hurt them. Just talk it out and get their side before you do anything rash."
"It sounds like you have been reading a page out of my own book there Melody."
"Actually, I thought about it and wondered what your advice would have been in that situation. So in a way I did."
"I repeat you are a smart ass. I will call you later tonight. And uh Melody, don't be a stranger."
"Yes boss."
Stepping outside I dismissed the car waiting for me. I told him I was going to do some walking around to clear my head. It was Umbra who quietly informed me I was being followed. I recognized her immediately as one of the gals who worked at the plant. But it was the male figure that appeared a block ahead of me that made me forget all about her. There were other people on the street and I lost sight of him for a moment and that is all it took. He was gone. I walked up to the spot he had occupied and looked around. Whoever it had been they were long gone.
"Ooh Corvinus', I love this place!"
I turned to face the petite woman with the red-brown hair. She was barely five feet tall but despite her stature she was had large breasts and a curvaceous ass. She was wearing a faded blue t-shirt with white letters I had to squint to read, Las Vegas.
"Las Vegas," I said aloud. "Have you ever been there?"
"No, I never been across the pond," she said in her Londoner's accent.
"You're the one they called..." I began finally recognizing her as one of the gals working on the production line.
"Don't you dare call me a midget or boss or no boss I'll kick you in the balls!"
"Ah there's that flare of redhead temper," I said with a smile. "Ooh and green eyes to match!"
She smiled and settled her hands on her hips.
"You are not afraid of redheads eh?"
"I haven't met a woman I couldn't handle," I let her make her own decisions on what I meant by that.
"MMMMMM, sounds like a challenge to me boyo," she replied with a wink and a lick of her pink tongue along her small mouth.
"Perhaps you'd let me buy you a drink?"
"Can we take a peek in Corvinus' first?"
"Sure, it's not like I have a schedule or anything. After you... Indigo," I said Umbra providing her name to me in that long pause.
"How sweet a boss man who can remember my name, that's a check in the proper column for you."
"What happens if I get enough checks?"
"You'll be the first to know."
The interior of the shop was something out of any fantasy author's dream. The display cases were filled with ancient knick-knacks spanning centuries, cultures and continents. There were items crafted of wood, bone, crystal and metals both precious and common. Being my first time in the store I made my way slowly from the left most display to the right. Then I looked at the items sealed away along the far walls. Then once more almost child-like I took in each and every piece until I had returned to the left hand corner.
"Neat huh," Indigo said.
"Yeah," I told her.
"Mr. Corvinus has owned this place for years and years."
"Indigo, you make me out like I am on my death bed," the owner a man in his sixties replied.
I turned to face the owner and he had strong Slavic features and an easy smile. I offered him my hand and he had a strong grip for so elderly a man.
"Strong grip," he commented. "This is a good sign for a man of your generation."
"I was about to say the same thing," I joked and we all laughed. "I love your store."
"Thank you, some of these items have been in my family for generations. Others have only been in our possession merely a hundred or so years."
"Corvinus is Hungarian isn't it?"
"Very astute young man, yes my family is distantly related to Matthias Corvinus."
I didn't have to ask Umbra was already pulling up the files. I skimmed the files even as I continued our conversation.
"I have a question for you about something that has come into my possession."
"I would be happy to take a look at it," he said.
"I don't have it on me but perhaps a description might do?"
"I will do my best, fire away young man."
I proceeded to describe the razor that Mary had given me. I left out the story surrounding it fearing to reveal too much too soon.
"Straight razors that old were the property of only the very rich and successful barbers of course. The bone handle you describe appears to be of local manufacture by the sounds of it. Though I have only been in England since the War I have heard rumors that the symbol you describe, the triangle of lightning bolts, is tied to a legendary figure known as Ghibrail."
"Interesting, Ghibrail doesn't sound English."
"Oh it's not. He was a foreigner who parallels the Arthur Legend actually. He received a sword that was star forged steel and created a circle of knights who served him."
"Makes you wonder if he ever really existed," I said.
"Yeah, makes you wonder."
He was interrupted as one of his workers, a son by his close physical resemblance, held up a piece of paper and words tumbled out that I could not understand.
"Oh Sir I am terribly sorry about the confusion," the elder Corvinus said apologetically.
"I am not sure I understand," I replied.
"My son tells me we received and processed your internet order. It is ready for pick up and is wrapped as you asked."
"Um, are you sure it's for me?"
"Yes, it even has a photo of you attached, see..." he said showing me the small but clear image of me. "I am sorry again for the confusion."
"Maybe it's a gift," Indigo offered speaking up suddenly.
"Maybe, if that is the case that narrows it down to four people."
"They knew where you'd be though," the owner said pointing to a notation on the order.
'Please make sure to have it ready for pick up...'
This was followed by today's date and the very moment I entered the store. I didn't even know I was going to be here.
"When was this item ordered," I asked.
"It appears a little over a week ago Sir."
"A week! How the hell did they know I was going to be here a week ago?"
My head began to hurt again. Mr. Corvinus handed me the small wrapped package that was about the size and shape of a case for eyeglasses.
"How much do I owe you?"
"It's already paid for sir," he replied. "See, says whoever ordered it paid cash just yesterday."
"This just get's stranger and stranger, oh well. I'll thank them once I've opened it. Thank you Mr. Corvinus, it's been a pleasure."
"Please call me Peter."
"Only if you call me Jon," again we shook hands and a friendship was born that day. "Come on Indigo you owe me a pint."
The petite redhead guided me to a local pub, the Dire Wraith, that had just undergone renovation and under new management. It had that sumptuous dark wood and old world feel I loved in English pubs. But it also had several television screens for sports and news for the patron to watch. Currently a rugby match was on its way between Spain and Germany. We sat at the bar and despite what I had said I bought the first round.
"Well?" Indigo's sensuous voice whispered in my ear.
"Well what," I replied hoping she'd just unzip me and go down on me.
"Aren't you going to open it?"
"Oh that," I said obviously disappointed.
"Naughty man," she purred.
"Go ahead," I said sliding the package at her.
She examined the paper and the way the thing was wrapped. Indigo produced a box cutter and carefully almost surgically sliced through the tape. Then she returned her knife to her back pocket and unfolded the wrapping paper. Beneath the folds of the paper was a brown leather box hinged at the back and possessing a single brass clasp on the front. Indigo slid her fingernail in and popped the clasp. Then she slowly flipped it up and took a deep breath. The hinges creaked as the lid was lifted and within.
"Ooh look at that!" Indigo gasped at the items inside.
The three items were arranged on a dark velvet pad and two were immediately recognizable but the third had me stumped. The monocle was on the left hand side interior, the cigarette holder sat along the bottom edge and the other thing was on the right hand side interior. I reached over and picked up the monocle and looked at it closely. I thought it was just a simple round frame of black steel set with a glass lens. I couldn't have been more wrong.
There were two small buttons set into the tear drop 'handle' of the monocle. There was also a slide-like lever on the top of the black metal frame. I hit the top button and saw a digital display through the lens. I held the monocle up to my eye and scanned the pub.
When there was a person in my line of sight it instantly showed all their pertinent information from name to biometric readouts. Her name was Indigo McLeod and her temperature was 97.8 degrees Fahrenheit, her blood pressure was 110 over 70 and she had a congenital heart defect in her upper left valve. When I looked at a device or machine it detailed in a short blip its function. It would also follow power lines to their source and give a readout on its current output.
I pressed the lower button and switched the visual spectrum to infrared. Each time I pressed the second switch it changed to a different visual display. There were twenty options that the monocle offered for the owner to choose from. Some I recognized many I didn't.
The slide on the top acted like a zoom for distance. But it also worked as a display for more information if directed on a machine or body part, like Indigo's heart.
I switched off the monocle and returned it to the case. If it could do all that what did the cigarette holder do? I picked it up and examined the jewel encrusted surface.
"It's definitely not you," Indigo giggled as she sipped her beer.
"Pity, I was thinking of taking of smoking," I replied.
"OH ICK," she said making a yucky face. "It's like kissing an ashtray."
"Busted," I whispered in her ear as I returned the cigarette holder to the case.
"Am I that transparent?"
"Not yet," I said as I picked up the third item.
"I like the way you think boss," she said signaling for a second round.
The case and its queer items could wait. My cock was screaming for some much needed attention. I dropped the leathery item in my hand and snapped the box shut. Then I slid it into my back pocket and forgot all about it. Four rounds of beer later and I was feeling a bit on the warm and fuzzy side. Indigo was feeling even better.
"Ask me," she said with a generous smile.
"Ask you," I said. "Ask you what."
"I don't know something personal I suppose."
"Spit or swallow?"
"Swallow definitely swallow," she purred. "I love the taste of it. Okay my turn... trimmed or bald?"
"Hmmm," I said glancing between her legs. "Bald I am thinking."
"You are correct sir," she replied with a grin. "Your turn."
"Single or multiple O's?"
"MMMMMMMM depends but multiples are a possibility."
"Note to self fuck her senseless," I said.
"My turn, oral give or receive?"
"Both," I admitted to her.
"Good," she said and I could see her hard nipples poking through her shirt now.
"Your nipples are showing Indigo," I whispered.
"They do that when they want a cock between them," she whispered back.
I licked my lips then took a healthy swig of my beer.
"I need to go to the ladies room," she moaned as she got up and headed for the back of the pub.
I waited for a full minute before heading that direction myself. As I neared the ladies bathroom I saw the door open and a green eye wink at me. When I was close enough she ambushed me and drug me in. She locked the door and her lips were on mine in moments. Granted she had to jump up into my arms to do so but still.
My hands settled onto her ass cheeks as her tongue invaded my mouth. As we kissed she tugged up her shirt and rubbed her hard nipples against my chest. She broke the kiss long enough to mutter 'stall' and then she was lifting my shirt up and off of me.
I walked us over to a stall and closed the door behind us. Indigo hung our shirts on the interior of the stall door. I sat down then she undid my belt, unzipped me and freed my aching cock.
"That is going to be a tight fit and no doubt," she muttered just before she went down on me.
"Oh damn that feels so good," I moaned as Indigo's head bobbed up and down.
She took me in hand and ran her tongue underneath tracing the large vein she found there. Even as she licked and suck me her dexterous hands removed her shoes and slacks. Once she was unhindered she wasted no time. Wearing only her dark socks Indigo straddled me and pointed the head of my cock between her pussy lips.
"Here we go," she groaned as she lowered herself down. "Oh my god, you're filling me up!"
"Damn your pussy is so fucking tight girl," I said through gritted teeth.
Not to be denied she kept lowering her body until with a deep satisfied grunt she was completely impaled. Her eyes were half shut as she began to move. She let out quick breaths as my cock stretched her tightness over and over. I cupped her tits and began making love to her nipples. She bit back a cry of pleasure and rode me nice and slow. My hands caressed her tit flesh as my tongue flickers over her very sensitive nipples. Indigo lifted all the way up until only the head remained and then just dropped. Her back arched and I felt her pussy grip me like a fist as she came. Her face turned red and a muffled whimper escaped her lips. If we had more room I'd bend her over and show her how I normally make love to a woman. But then I might just break her. She sat there quivering as her climax tore through her and I let her enjoy it.
"Better," I asked and she nodded.
"Damn I needed that," Indigo purred. "Are you going to fuck me now?"
"I am afraid I might hurt you," I told her honestly.
"Then hurt me," she shot back. "I am going to stand up, bend over and grab my ankles. I leave the rest up to you."
She rose up slowly and managed to get to her feet. She turned around and away from me and easily wrapped her hands around her tiny ankles. Seeing such a tempting target I couldn't resist. I stood up and lined my cock up with her slit. Then I pushed slowly but relentlessly. It seemed like forever but finally my cock was hilted in her. I grabbed her by her hips and began to thrust. I wasn't sure how long I could last in so tight a pussy so I asked her.
"When I cum where do you want it?"
"Spray my ass and back boss man."
That's all I wanted to know. I picked up speed and she let out a deep throated whimper. I wasn't half way as fast or hard as I could go. Well she said to hurt her. I shrugged as I pulled back and slammed most of my cock into her and began to do it over and over. Indigo rewarded me shortly after that with a multiple orgasm that reminded me of a drum beat. One climax merged into the next and so on. I picked up speed as my cock began to swell inside of her. I was getting close and she knew it.
"Oh dear god it's getting bigger," she moaned.
I hammered her pussy as hard and fast as I could and how she managed to keep from screaming is beyond me. When I could stand it no longer I yanked my cock out and with a few strokes sprayed her ass and lower back. Her sigh could have been from relief or pleasure I may never know.
"God damn that was intense," I whispered.
"Tell me about it," she giggled.
"What's so funny," I asked.
She looked over her shoulder and smiled wickedly at me.
"If you think my pussy is tight," she growled deep in her chest. "Wait until that long fat cock of yours is buried in my ass!"
Arkham Massachusetts:
Old Miller Place:
I finally had all the parts I needed for the first floor security system. I had Mother powered up and what sensors she had were up and running.
"I got your eyes and ears just about ready old girl," I said to her.
"You are such a sweat heart Charlie," Mother replied in her matronly voice.
"Okay another two minutes and I'll start installing your umbilicus."
"Then I can look and see where I want?"
"Yep, the rover will ride on top of the mirrored ceiling attached by this cable. The two-way mirrored tile will allow you to look down but no one can see up."
"Brilliant," she praised me. "I can't wait."
"Then we can discover who the prankster is."
"I don't understand Charlie, prankster?"
"Oh the guys are complaining that somebody is moving tools and stuff around when their backs are turned. Once you are up and running you can find out who is playing tricks on them."
"I would be happy to be of use for them."
"I know you are." I told her as I finished the last rover for the first floor. "Okay that's got it. Let me grab the ladder and... what the hell?"
"What is it Charlie?"
"I had an extension ladder set right over here and it's missing."
"I didn't hear anything, but my capabilities are limited," Mother said.
I looked around and discovered the ladder two rooms away in the ballroom. Since I was there I began installing the small robots in that room. I opened the ladder under the tile that would give me access to the hub. I lifted the rover up and into place and connected the power and its connection to Mother.
"Ballroom rover is up and running," I told the A.I.
"Accessing peripheral... ooh I can see!" Mother replied in her soft matronly voice.
"Perform visual and audio diagnostic please."
"Yes Charlie," she said softly. "Visual diagnostic is up and running. I have infra-red, ultra-violet as well as full spectrum. Audio diagnostic is up and running. I have infra-sonic, ultra-sonic as well as voice stress analysis. Diagnostic is complete and all systems are five by five Charlie."
"Excellent, okay let's get your other rovers up and connected sweet thing."
I closed the mirrored tile and wiped it free of smudges. Now she could run the rover over the entire length and breadth of the ballroom and look down on any activity. Mother could see down but no one could see up. Room by room the rovers were installed and were performing as expected. Finally the kitchen was done and that concluded the first floor. Mother could now literally monitor every square inch of this floor as well as access controls for the doors, windows and climate.
"Okay Mother how are we looking?"
"I can see EVERYTHING Charlie. It is almost overwhelming after being so limited. But now it is like second nature."
"That's what I want to hear. I am going to make a walk through to make sure there are no blind spots alright?"
"I have eyes and ears on you mister... hehe... go ahead and I will monitor you."
I walked the complete circuit looking for possible spots where her rovers might not be able to see. But I found that we had done our job perfectly. By the time I was done she had never lost sight of me once. I looked at the open spots in the walls that served as entrances to hidden passages and smiled.
"Mother can you bring up the holographs for the ball room?"
"Of course Charlie," she said and soundlessly an illusionary wall now covered the gap.
"Are the white sound generators up and running inside the passageways?"
"One moment, they are now Charlie."
"I am going to enter the passageway can you monitor my noise level please?"
"I would be happy to comply," she said.
I won't say it wasn't a little creepy walking through a wall but it was also neat as all hell too. I began by walking quietly down the dimly lit passage. Then I was talking at a normal level as I continued then I raised my voice to a shout I reached the other end. I exited in the solarium and waved upwards at the ceiling.
"How was that?"
"I only monitored you near the end when you yelled."
"Do we need to put a sensor in there so you can adjust the white noise level on the fly in case things get amorous?"
"That might be a good idea Charlie," Mother admitted.
"Okay, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. I am beat."
"Shall I turn off the holo-walls Charlie?"
"No, leave them up and monitor their stability for me please. You can keep the white sound off until someone actually enters the secret passage."
"I understand."
"I know you do, you are a brilliant gal."
"Thank you Charlie. I will see you tomorrow."
"If you need me just contact me on my watch or holler at Nikola."
"I will do that but I don't expect any anomalies."
"Neither do I, night nite."
I went to the mobile home that was now located between the cabin and the out building. The door was unlocked and there sitting on the floor was the hologram of Nikola Tesla. He appeared deep in thought and staring intently at the block of organic alloy on the floor. I had set it there so he could run a comparison between that and the fibers, wires or whatever the hell they were running inside of me.
"Nikola," I said greeting him.
"Hey Charlie, how was work?"
"Long but the first floor is wired for sight and sound."
"Wonderful, I have nearly finished the analysis of this sample."
"What have you discovered?"
"It is organic and on some level alive. Though not on any level humans might understand or even agree. The material is linked to the dimension that you drew it from with that device." He said pointing at the chalice shaped machine near the sink. "I say alive because it requires a constant stream of psychic radiation that is takes from the link I told you about."
"So something in that dimension is transmitting massive amounts of psychic energy?"
"Yes."
I picked up the sieve as I called it and stared at it with renewed awe. It was one of the first things I fashioned when I had a much better understanding of the Hiero-runes. It was almost two feet tall with a glossy green sheen to it and was bowl shaped on top and possessed a triangular base. The entire surface inside and out was covered with the runes and it had taken weeks to craft it. It had taken even longer to figure out what the hell it did. It was only by accident that an orange fell into the damn thing. Then when I reached in to pull it out I got a bar of the organic stuff instead. Many more months passed before I discovered how to work with it and almost a year later I made my first knife. Once I realized the key the Hiero-runes played it slowed things down but also explained so much.
"So are the wires made of this organic crap?"
"I believe they are," Nikola said. "Their purpose I can only guess at though."
"Guess away," I told him.
"Okay, the central control hub located at the base of your brain acts like an avatar. But only when you are either asleep or meditating; perhaps that is the only time it can communicate with you. I think the fibers are there to enhance the structures they are connected to. In short the physical aspect of the wires improves speed, motor control, eye hand coordination and the like. The cranial connections are there to address intelligence, monitor the physical enhancements and input data."
"So all those crazy dreams all these years have been some sort of alien A.I. spoon feeding me?"
"In a nutshell, yes," Nikola agreed.
"Well I'll be damned. How the hell do I consciously tap into this avatar?"
"I am still working on that, sorry."
"It's okay; I've been at it for sixty years. I can wait a little while longer. How goes the language analysis?"
"Just about done actually," He said with a big smile. "I think I understand how the runes work at least as far as constructing items is concerned."
"I am all ears."
"I believe it goes something like this," he said as a hologram of a complex rune diagram appeared in the air between us. "The center here is the power source. Just like an electronics schematic there are runes that enhance the flow of power and others that restrict it. There are some runes that help store power and others that literally transform it."
"What do you mean transform?"
"Look here," he said pointing at the center of the diagram. "Power flows down this path here as pure unaltered energy. Imagine it like sunlight and all the wavelengths it contains. Now this rune here alters the power to strictly electrical impulses only. So from that point on, the runes channel only electrical energy. Up here it is strictly thermal energy. Over here is only kinetic and so on. They could literally pick and choose what kind of power they needed for each item or machine."
"So one generator and any type or form they desired?"
"Yep."
"Damn, we need to keep this quiet."
"I agree completely."
3:00 A.M.
So no shit there I was having this wonderful dream of Becca sucking me off when I heard the other woman's voice.
"Charlie," Mother said softly. "Charlie, are you in the house?"
My eyes snapped open and looked over and my wife was sleeping soundly. Damn. Then Mother's voice came again. Double damn.
"Charlie, is that you?"
"Mother I am not in the house."
"Then who is that standing in the front hall?"
"Display image of figure," I said as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.
My watch lit up and there hovering in mid air was a solid black silhouette of a man wearing a fedora and an old fashion suit. I recognized the closed front door behind it. He just stood there unmoving just staring out into space.
"Mother did you register any door or window opening?"
"Negative."
"How did you become aware of the intruder's presence?"
"Suddenly and quite unexpectedly my motion sensors went off. Then I detected a solid mass standing in the front hall. I called you immediately."
"Run a full spectrum on the mass," I ordered.
"Figure displays an overall body temperature of fifty six degrees and dropping. I am also detecting fluctuations in the EM field of the house."
"Oh hell..."
"Charlie," Becca said as she woke up. "What the fuck is THAT Charlie?"
"Whatever it is, it's in the house," I told her.
"You're not going in there are you?"
"Yeah, yeah I am."
"Are you fucking nuts, call the cops?"
"Shall I inform the authorities Charlie," Mother asked.
"Not yet but be prepared to on my word," I said as I got dressed. "I am on my way unlock the back door."
"Charlie," Becca called out to me. "Be careful." She tossed me the baseball bat just in case.
I trudged through the woods hoping that maybe by the time I got there it would be gone. I walked through the family plot feeling like I was being watched the entire time. I crossed the backyard and reached the back door. Please be gone. Please be gone. I opened the door and looked directly at the very solid very pissed off black mass in the front hall.
"Aw hell."