Young Offender, Part 58:
"I'm going to hate going back," Jet griped in English as he sat on one of the wood trunks with Francoise's knick-knacks in it. Albert poked his head out of Francoise's closet.
"Would you get back to work?" He tossed a glittered, silk skirt and a matching leotard at him. Jet caught them and went over to her bed where several garment bags lay.
He held up the outfit and said, "Dames! What do they need all these frilly... fru-fru... clothes for?"
"They like to look attractive to men. It's all apart of their mystery," Albert answered from somewhere deep in her closet. He reappeared and tossed a red velvet outfit with cream colored sleeves and gold trim. Jet caught it and proceeded to put the outfits in bags. "These are being returned to her dance troupe, so make sure they're neat."
Albert emerged with a box jammed full of shoes. Jet whistled. "You gotta be kiddin'?"
"Well, we've stayed put for a long time. We're all bound to start collecting things again. Besides..." Albert gave Jet a smirk, "...I didn't complain when we packed up all your comic books."
"Yeah, yeah... I know. I didn't think I had so many," Jet admitted, sheepishly. "So, I'm sorry you had to give Gertrude back."
"I knew that was coming when I quit. She'll be happier staying in the mountains."
"I'm glad you're quitting, too. It feels like we have a world of possibilities in front of us. You realize we can do anything we want? We're free to roam."
Albert nodded. "Freedom is certainly something none of us take for granted. It's not absolute in our case. We still have Francoise, Ivan, and our loyal doctors to consider. Also, any hotbeds that may contain political conflicts that could have been started by the Black Ghost need to be avoided. Start getting her sheets and pillows together, will you? Then, we have to meet the purchaser of the chalet by noon."
Jet groaned and flopped on Francoise's frilly, pink pillows. "Albert, I hate dealing with stuff for squares."
"If you mean adult stuff, no need in complaining. We both signed the lease."
"Yeah, that was before the Black Ghost laid low, and we were afraid only one of us could be left to take care of Frannie and Ivan."
"I know. I still think it's a good idea for us to spread out our interests, like the bank accounts, until the Black Ghost is gone. I don't want to leave you three without if..."
"Shut up, Albert! I ain't letting you get all bummed out. Especially, since it's just the two of us for a while. We can enjoy ourselves some without a ton of people that can listen in."
"Fine! We'll take in that new art exhibit downtown and a Mozart concert tonight." Jet groaned, causing Albert to laugh. "You had something else in mind?"
"Yeah, one thing."
"I though you may. You've been rather disciplined."
Jet gave a nettled expression. "It certainly helps having a bunch of old men crawling under foot, and I still think Ivan's going to kick my ass and then drown me in the nearest ocean when he finds out."
"We'll be on the Mediterranean, which is a sea," Albert corrected, smirking at Jet's nasty sneer.
"Oh great! You too! A geography expert who cares what type of water I get drowned in! Ivan just had to inform me it was a channel not an ocean he tossed me in. Now here you go, it'll be a sea, not an ocean. You guys need to cool it with the Poindexter act!"
"Are you finished?" Albert asked, placidly taping the last box of Francoise's things from her closet closed.
"Yeah."
"Well, I'll call the purchaser and delay him until tomorrow morning over breakfast. I hope you find your way to the loft by then," Albert hinted. Albert's jaw dropped open seeing Jet disappear with a high-pitched, metallic whine of his acceleration device. Albert poked his head out of Francoise's bedroom door and looked up to see Jet dangling playfully over the loft's rail.
"You're slow, old man," he called downstairs.
"And you're a cheater. I'll be up their to punish you shortly," Albert teased before launching himself up the stairs.
Ann started awake at the soft voice in her head. She quickly slid out of her bed, threw her robe over her shoulders, and crept out of her bedroom. She listened to make sure both Gamos were in deep sleep in their room before she quietly left.
It wasn't long before she found herself in the deep, dark underground vaults on Ghost Island. She found her way by the dim, track floor lighting. She ended up kneeling in front of five, silver cryogenic chambers. It was the one in the middle, her father's, she moved closest too.
/Ann, it's me./
/Where have you been, Ivan? You promised you come and get me./She projected back, shocked to hear from him suddenly after ten years of silence.
/I've been in cryogenic sleep, like your father, for all these years. I'm so sorry. It couldn't be helped. I was dying./
/Katharina warned me, you'd die twice./
/This was once, when is the next? I need to know!/
/She didn't tell me, but she said the second time... would make you so powerful... and potentially dangerous./
/When?/ he insisted.
/She didn't tell me much. She said one day that 003 would see her mortality. She will then embrace someone she shouldn't. He will betray all eight of you to the Black Ghost; that will be the time when you cannot bear to see your reflection any longer. All she said was that she loved you so much, and she wanted you to influence mankind in a positive direction, not be cruel like she had been. She loved you very much./
/Eight? There will be more of us?/
/Yes, but there will be more than that created. She told me there will be fourteen Double Zero Cyborgs in all. She wouldn't tell me any other details./
/That's bad news./
/Ivan, please come and get me and my father soon. I'm begging you./ Tears started rolling down her checks at his long silence that had created such a profound loneliness.
/I can't. I've been warned you need to stay with my mother./ Anger flared in her heart. She projected her emotions towards Ivan. She could feel him flinch mentally; he was still shaky on using empathy even after all this time. /I'm too weak to come and get you, anyway. Please be patient with me./
She heard soft steps and hushed voices. /I must go! People are coming!/
She felt his mind withdraw and then she darted behind the cryogenic chambers. She peeked around the edge of the Oaf's chambers to see Gaia and Uranus wheeling in more cryogenic chambers.
"I'm glad we're back home. We need to take care to not get banished again," Gaia said.
"I know. Wheel our new children over to that corner and we'll get some rest."
Ann watched them push the cryogenic chambers across the room. When they were busy with hooking up the chambers to a computer, she darted out of the room. She ran all the way back to the Gamos' apartment and crept back in quietly.
It wasn't long before she was back in her bed, rubbing at her moist cheeks. She tried to quell her anger at Ivan. If Mrs Gamo woke up, she'd be able to tell she had spoken with Ivan. As mad as she was, Ivan was still her only hope of escape. She had to shield her thoughts about Ivan or Mrs Gamo would pursue him.
"We're home," Jet called out from the villa's parlor. Minutes later, Ivan walked down the stairs. At the same time, a disgruntled Albert came in lugging two suitcases.
"You could have helped me, Jet," Albert suggested, with a pointed edge to his voice.
Jet waved off Albert and turned to Ivan. "So where is Frannie? We got three big boxes of clothes."
"She went to town... And..." Ivan's eye flashed bright blue. His face slowly went from a pleasant smile into a look of fury. "You... you... hypocrite! You lying hypocrite! After all this time I've protected what I knew about you!"
Jet felt the blood rush from his face. He knew Ivan had figured out him and Albert instantly. "Wait a minute! It's not like that! And what do you mean, you've been protecting me?"
"I knew a long time ago how you were interested in Jean-Paul, but I never told anyone! Then when I loved Francoise you told me to abandon that thought for the good of our group. Then what do you do? You then pursue a relationship with Albert? Hypocrite!"
The sound of Albert dropping the suitcases startled Jet. "This is a private matter between me and Jet. You really should respect our minds' privacy," Albert insisted calmly.
"No! It involves me! It involves Francoise, too!"
Ivan's blue eye glowed again. Jet flew threw the air and was slammed into a wall with a loud thud. "Ivan! Stop that," Albert ordered, glaring at Ivan. "He gave you the best advice at the time! Things have changed over time. You can't hold a grudge over Francoise's affections."
"I can't?" Ivan asked as Jet grasped at his throat, pinned against the wall. Ivan's attitude cooled, and Jet tumbled to the floor, gasping for air. "No, I guess things have changed."
Jet got to his feet and shook his head. "I'm sorry about how things worked out, but I'm happy. Please don't begrudge me and Albert. If I could change things for you I would, but Francoise is her own person."
Ivan gave a jerky nod. "Fine, but you should tell Francoise."
"No! Not yet," Jet babbled. "I just not ready to let people know. Please, just keep it a secret a little longer."
Ivan shook his head in disapproval. "I'll not say anything. But secrets destroy group dynamics, too."
With that, Ivan turned and ran back upstairs. Jet turned to Albert and pointed after Ivan. "I told you so."
"You were right. This wasn't how I wanted things." Albert suddenly chuckled and then asked, "Jean-Paul?"
Heat rose to Jet's face as he clenched his fists. "Don't mention that again!"
Albert gave a slight shrug, wearing a devilish smirk. "He certainly is a handsome sort of fellow."
"I told you to not mention that again! Not another word!" With that, Jet picked up the suitcases and marched off to their shared room in the cellar, Albert's hearty laughter following him.
To be continued.