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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Sept 11, 2001 pre 911

Lambourni had not set forth in the Cathedral. For some time, doubts had filled his mind. Doubts that told him that perhaps the religion of his adopted parents was not the truth and perhaps what Roman Catholicism called Heresy was right,. Sure, he wondered if he did what the Divine wanted, whether he would lose his ability to sense five minutes ahead or whether the Divine would accept him, a Homo Dominant, as a descendant of Adam. And there was that fear that if he did not let the Divine take control, the whole species of Homo Dominants might disappear much as those others in the great Deluge. It was a terrible time for Antonio Waldo Lambourni.. God was putting him through a religious conversion, much like the Hebrews had on leaving Egypt, much like Paul had on the road of Damascus, much like what Constantine had on the eve of that great battle. He was reading his Bible, and another book, trying to find similarities between the goings on of the Old Testament and the happenings to the New Species. He sat on the large stone, leaning back, oblivious to the noise of the sandblaster. Only when it stopped, did he put down his book and looked up.

"The column has been sanded clean, sir," said a man in his twenties. He had light brown hair, and wore the typical Centre uniform.

"Good. We have to inscribe it according to specifications. Were you missed?" asked the lawyer.

"I got those strange kids to do my work. They're one of us."

"The Packrats." Lambourni got up and took something out of his pocket. "I'll have to inform the Council about this matter." It was now five in the morning, time for him to go home. Soon, it would too light to finish the work without detection.

The Centre employee' paled on looking at the object.

"Don't worry. I duplicated this from Lyle's stock. I see you show up in it. If the Packrats are registered, I'll persuade Miss Parker to hand them over to me and I'll have the Centre grounds searched for the bodies."

"Bodies?"

"Yes. The mother and the other infant. There are usually four of us. As for the column, get Michael. He has fine fingers and can handle the laser gun. I want the writing done from the top and you and Ted can raise it. Sorry I can't afford any more right now or Raines'll get suspicious."

"Yes sir."

They had to hide the Column until the ceremony, so just before dawn, the workers poured sand over it, replaced the shrubs. Lambourni had chosen this area well. It was quite hilly, spotted with a few bushes and the experimental tall grass that could stand freezing temperatures. In the distance the Centre spread out with its talon like an evil beast and yet those in the Centre were unable to see more than patches of snow covered grass interspersed with shrubs and bush.

"Where will the column be settled, Advocate?"

"Here. Oh about the brats. How long have they been around?"

"Eight to ten years. Been helping that Angelo," said Ted.

"You mean Angelo's not been helping them? As soon as you get back, prick those kids some place and bring me the sample. But be careful." That last phrase was not needed. Ted was always careful and since he was supposedly with Dora, no one was on the look out for him.

As for Dora, the injection made sure that she would not wake up until ten in the morning, rather unnecessary since she was a night hawk anyway and then he would slip back.

Confident that he had nothing to worry about, the lawyer sat back down and opened his book just to see three figures, a man and a boy suddenly materialize as if by magic. He smiled inwardly. Masking, a skill akin to what the Ninja used, but instead of the power used by the latter, this relied on the tone of the hypnotic voice spoken lower than the natural ear. It took a lot of skill to make one unaware until too late and no Dominant used it unless absolutely necessary. A good Dominant, any Dominant was able to see the person doing the Masking, but right now Lambourni was engrossed in his reading. He got up and introduced the visitors.

"My son, Irish, and their servant have come to see the progress. I gather these are the explosives."

Ethan put a box on the ground. "Plastiques, timing devices, nitro glycerin, dynamite, and everything short of an atomic bomb. All there. Lot of it was around this rather ominous looking door past that one that is an Angel' fan."

"The Inner Sanctum. I hope you made Raines think that it was sealed shut."

Jarod and Miss Parker's half brother opened up a bag and put the stuff on a similar colored rock. "They use it on flyaway doors. Looks like the real stuff."

"Well thanks to Mr. Cox, the inhabitants have enough non Centre food to keep them alive for a time." He got on his coat. "As soon as Miss Parker gets back, I'll make my move."

"It'll have to be after her children are born. That would be in a month or so. She was quite slim. Not much room for advancement," said Ted.

"I think you are quite a bit off, Ted. It's September already and how long has she been away?"

"I have no idea of time."

"You are correct Ted. There is no natural light in the sublevels and you have not had the proper extension of sleep."

"Jarod was gone for a few months at first."

"But this is different. They know what to look for and thanks to Lewiston's information; I've notified some of our species. They used to be with Copeland. Oh by the way, how is Dora treating you?"

"Can't do much now the Centre hired her as prison warden. Other than that, it's rather unflattering. These humans and their rituals, disgusting. I really should kill her. She is unfruitful."

"There was another death in the Centre. I'll give the infants to you and you can pass them off as yours and Dora's offspring. Besides, she's so fat, no one'll notice she wasn't pregnant and I don't want Raines to be suspicious." He went back to his Bible. "Did you ever go to Church, Ted?"

"What's a Church?"

"I guess not. I'll have to investigate that new one in the town. We can't afford any soft messages."

Ted shrugged. He did not know what to make of that and besides he was frustrated at having no one to maintain his name. He rather envied Jarod and Miss Parker, and their children, Frederick, Margaret, the expected ones, and even that older one that had disappeared in the womb of a surrogate mother.

One of the older Pretenders, of the group he suspected held his father, told Ted "the young Miss Parker and the young Jarod were doing more than kissing and she got so sick." Ted was about three at the time and that incident was years ago. He forgot most of it, namely because of that group, two were dead, one had escaped, and the other had been shot by Willie. The New Pretender never found which one was his father. All he knew was that it was not Jarod. .