Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love (29 page)

"I couldn't agree more if I tried," Edgar
said, giving Maddi a squeeze. "As far as I know though, I'm real,"
he crossed his eyes having succeeded in stopping his tears.

Maddi giggled at the gesture, the sadness
draining away and his own tears coming to an end. "Well," he said,
"as far as I know, I'm real, too. I s'pose we could pinch each
other and find out," he stuck his out his tongue and winked at
Edgar, picking up the shift in mood.

"Hmmm... I think," Edgar said with a giggle
of his own, "that if this is a dream, I prefer not to wake up."

"Deal!" Maddi said, "Me, either." He lifted
himself off of Edgar's chest and wiped away Edgar's last tears.
Edgar returned the favor. "Enough tears, even if they be tears of
joy," Maddi announced. "We have a whole day ahead of us and, if
this weekend is any indication, a chance at a beautiful life," he
smiled down at Edgar, who himself was beaming at Maddi's words.
"It's a grand and glorious thing that we found each other; for
that, I will always be grateful, no matter where this," he grabbed
Edgar's hand and squeezed, "goes. Always," he repeated.

Edgar's smile grew as he returned the squeeze
and said, "You and me both, Maddi. I'm not rushing us, but," he
paused, looking into Maddi's shining eyes, "I have a feeling that
this," he raised their joined hands, "is the start of something
wonderful. And I, for one, am all in, both feet first as
usual."

Maddi's smile was so bright, it could've
chased away the rain outside as he said, "Damn the torpedoes, full
speed ahead!"

Edgar shook his head in amazement at Maddi
knowing the supposed quote by Admiral Farragut, given that it
preceded Edgar by two hundred years. "Will you ever cease to
surprise me?" he laughed.

"I sure as hell hope not," Maddi said falling
atop Edgar and kissing him deeply. Soon their hands began wandering
and desire for each other chased away any uncertainty of what the
future might bring.

CHAPTER 19

The pair finally entered the kitchen, once
again freshly showered, a couple hours later. Edgar served more
coffee and asked Maddi about breakfast. "How do you like your eggs,
handsome?"

Maddi set down his steaming cup of coffee
and, with a sly grin said, "Over easy. Just like you." He ducked as
a hand towel whizzed by his head.

"Brat!" Edgar laughed. "As I recall, I got no
arguments flippin' you over a bit ago."

"What am I, stupid?" Maddi laughed. "I know
better than to say no when I really mean 'fuck me silly'!" He took
a sip of coffee and continued, "Why don't we just order out? Do you
really feel like cooking?"

Edgar's expression turned serious. "Normally,
I'd say that's a fine idea, Maddi. Unfortunately, things aren't
exactly normal for me right now." Maddi's concerned expression
tugged at Edgar's heart. "I found out recently that I have a
stalker. She was supposed to be offworld by now, but she never
showed up to catch her transport. I have people checking into it
and I'm waiting for their report; in the meantime, no unnecessary
risks, like admitting unknowns into the building. I should've said
something earlier, I know, but there's a chance she's got my comm
line tapped and once you got here... Well, let's just say I was
happily distracted."

Maddi smiled wanly at that last sentence, but
his eyes still showed his concern. "You really think she could be a
threat, Edgar?"

"There's a possibility, yes," he answered. "I
have the best of the best looking into the matter. It started as a
frivolous lawsuit and when my barrister took care of it, she got
upset. There's a chance she's just pissed off and hiding; her other
option was a clerk position on Tyranus 6, so she may have decided
going off the grid was better than going there. If my comm's not
tapped, she likely won't know about you, Maddi. I've seen proof
that she knows my usual routine, but you haven't been a part of
that."

"Up until now, I hope," Maddi
interjected.

"Of course!" Edgar responded, pulling the
younger man in for a hug. "Trust me, Maddi, you are definitely part
of my routine now." He pulled back, holding Maddi at arm's length,
hands on the boy's shoulders. "I also want you to know that if she
does have my comm tapped and knows about you, you will be
protected; everyone I've spoken to since this started will be under
security protection, paid for by me. I'm not talking average
event-type security, either; these are highly-trained
military-level mercenaries."

"Wow!" Maddi exclaimed softly. "Thanks,
Edgar; I'm glad to be a part of your routine and to have you as
part of mine. But mercenary security? Do I want to know about
this?"

"Probably not," Edgar's expression was grim.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know, though. It's only fair. I
thought a bit about cancelling our date until this stalker thing
was over, but I was afraid you might think I was making it up. I'm
sorry for not telling you and I'm doubly sorry for potentially
dragging you into this mess."

"Don't worry about it, Edgar," Maddi replied.
"I appreciate it, but if I have to deal with a crazed lunatic in
order to be with you, I will, because you're worth it to me.
Obviously, it'd be nice if she just disappeared from your life, but
sometimes things don't work that way. I can't say I'm not
concerned, and maybe a little scared, but life doesn't come with
guarantees. Count me in, man!"

Edgar smiled, "Thank you, Maddi; I appreciate
it. Not only did I want to avoid giving you the wrong idea, but I
have to admit," he paused, "part of me just really wanted to see
you."

"I'm not complaining," Maddi smiled, too. "If
you had cancelled, I just might have thought it was an excuse, I
was so nervous and unsure about whether I had a chance with you. I
guess it turned out alright in the end."

"I think so, too," Edgar said. "And this
stalker business won't be forever, either. I kinda have firsthand
experience with this sort of thing."

Maddi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're
saying this isn't your first stalker?" he asked.

"Nope. Nor is it my second," Edgar answered.
"Sadly, it comes with the territory of having wealth."

"Ah," replied Maddi. "So I can expect this
say, every other month?"

Edgar chuckled. "No, it doesn't happen that
often. In reality, it's every other week." He yelped as Maddi
playfully slapped his ass.

"Now who's being a brat?" Maddi laughed.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," Edgar laughed.
"It seemed like we needed a little levity."

"Yeah, I can see that," Maddi said. "So,
what, uh, happened to these other stalkers?"

Edgar smiled, but it was a cold expression.
"Do you really want to know?" he asked.

Maddi's brow furrowed. "I'm not so sure, now,
Edgar. You're kinda scaring me, I gotta admit."

Edgar's face went blank. "I'm sorry, Maddi;
that's the last thing I want to do. If you ask me, I'm honor-bound
by the Code to answer you honestly. I'll tell you upfront that it's
seldom a happy ending for them."

Maddi backed away from Edgar, his face
showing more fear than concern. "How unhappy, Edgar?" he asked, his
voice flat.

"You won't like that answer," Edgar said. "If
you really want to know..."

"I don't want to know, Edgar, but something
tells me I need to know," Maddi replied.

"Okay," Edgar said, leaning against the
kitchen counter. He took a deep breath, preparing himself to give
this wonderful man horrible news. Code or not, he decided he'd only
give information for this lifetime. "To date, this is my fourth
stalker. Jarvis was supposed to catch a shuttle to Tyranus 6, like
I told you. This was not her idea; my representative, along with
her employer, my bank, encouraged her to go. Her other options were
likely worse that a dead-end job on a backwater colony. I don't
actually have the details on what they might have been, but I have
a good guess."

"Such as?" Maddi interrupted.

"It's entirely likely that her alternative
was a trip to Dissa. I assume you know what that means?" Edgar
said.

"I do," Maddi replied. "She got to pick
between a rough life on a new colony world or being a sex slave
until it finally killed her. Dissa indentures tend not to retire,
from what I've heard."

"Correct on all points," Edgar replied, voice
devoid of all feeling. "Shall I continue?"

"Please do," Maddi answered.

"Fine," Edgar said. "My first stalker became
a Dissa indenture. He tracked me for weeks before making a move.
That move included spiking my drink with a dose of Trizine at
Maxi's. Of course, I didn't know it was him when I accepted the
drink. I woke up tied to his bed; I convinced him I'd go along with
him willingly and, after two days, he finally released me. Not
before," Edgar paused, "enjoying himself. Fortunately for me, he
had pretty vanilla tastes.

When he finally untied me, I beat the shit
out of him. Martial arts, remember? Then I had my rep ship him to
Dissa, one way trip. You probably want to know why I didn't contact
Altair Security. I don't like public scrutiny that much; I
especially hate it when that comes with psy'ers, as a lie detector
exam would've been necessary." He paused again, giving Maddi a
chance to absorb this information.

"My second stalker was less organized. He
basically camped out in Gridley Park, watching Highland House.
Every time I left, he tailed me. He finally screwed up the courage
to approach me. I advised him that I had no interest in him and
that he'd be wise to go away. He didn't take my advice. Instead, he
chose to hack my HC, a rare accomplishment indeed. That's why I
have a near military-grade firewall now. Of course, I didn't know
this until he showed up in my apartment one night.

He said we were meant to be together and that
if he couldn't have me, no one else ever would. Then he pulled out
a mini-gun and shot me. Lucky for me, he was a lousy aim; instead
of a kill shot, he got my left shoulder. Hurt like hell, it did. I
knocked him out before he had a chance to take another shot. Again,
I chose to avoid scrutiny, for personal reasons. My rep made sure I
got discreet medical attention and my uninvited guest
disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Maddi asked.

"My rep assured me it was painless and looked
like a suicide," Edgar answered, afraid of Maddi's reaction.

Maddi was silent, a conflicted look on his
face. Edgar continued, "My third stalker was actually a one-time
bedmate with a questionable grip on reality. Thirty-seven calls on
the best day, pubic scenes on the worst," Edgar stopped.

"And?" Maddi prompted, a hint of disgust in
his voice. "Did you have him killed, too, or just enslaved?"

Edgar bore the words, and the tone with which
they were delivered, silently. Inside, he felt them like body
blows, knowing he had no defense without exposing his secret. He
answered Maddi, "He was sent offworld, to Xanser. I'm told he
actually did commit suicide. Xanser isn't a bad colony; it's
established and he was sent with enough credits to last him a
lifetime. He was just really unstable and believed he couldn't live
without me; so he didn't."

"You couldn't have had your
rep
,"
Maddi said it as though it was the vilest curse, "arrange psy'er
help for him? Obviously, you cared enough to fund him for
life."

"We discussed it," Edgar answered. "I was
told he failed the psy exam my rep arranged. It was the colony or a
sen-depot. I've been inside one, on assignment. If you haven't, let
me tell you, they're nothing like their PR campaigns make them
look. It may sound cruel, but I thought it was a better life than
sitting in a coma," a small touch of anger slipped into his voice.
He honestly believed it was a better option.

"What about Jarvis?" Maddi asked. "She going
to Xanser once you find her? It doesn't sound like you feel too
sorry for her, Edgar."

Edgar took a calming breath. He wanted Maddi
to understand, yet he couldn't fully explain. Getting angry wasn't
going to solve anything; of course, Maddi couldn't possibly know
what it was like facing such threats dozens of times over the last
four centuries. He wanted so badly for Maddi to stay, but he had a
feeling he was on the verge of losing the happiness he'd only just
discovered.

He let out the breath slowly before
responding. "If she's as much of a threat as we believe she may be,
Serina Jarvis won't leave Earth. If she's not, we'll see." It
wasn't perfect, but he knew a change of mind on Jarvis' death
sentence was still possible.

Maddi slowly shook his head. "This is too
much to process, Edgar. You're basically telling me you're above
the law and have had at least one person killed! How am I supposed
to react? I'm working to become a healer; how can I handle this
disregard for life? There are systems in place to handle this
stuff, Edgar, whether you want scrutiny or not. What have you got
to hide that's more important than someone's life?"

Edgar looked at the floor. Short of telling
Maddi of his immortality, he had no reply. Maddi, sensing that
Edgar was holding back, said, "Well? Anything?"

"Maddi," Edgar began, "I know you don't
understand and I don't blame you for being upset. I wish it was
different, but sometimes life isn't always black and white; there
are shades of grey, especially once you reach a certain status. I
don't like it, honestly, but despite my efforts at just living and
letting others live, to some people I have a big target on my back.
Is it an excuse? No, but it's the best I can do right now. Please
understand," he said. Adding to the pain that he might lose Maddi,
the fact that he was now violating the Code hurt, too.

"I'm not sure I can understand, Edgar. This
is so far removed from my life. I'm so sorry, but I need some time
to think. It's like that cruel joke from earlier! Being with you
feels so right and I don't want to walk away from it. I just don't
know..." Maddi hung his head, sadness replacing anger.