Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love (30 page)

Edgar felt as though his heart had been
ripped out. "Maddi, I..." he began.

He stopped when Maddi raised his hand. "No,
Edgar," he said. "I need time to think with my head, not my heart.
I'm not saying goodbye, not yet. I have to go now. Please call me
when your rep lets you know about the comm tap. If she's got you
tapped, call and leave a message; just say 'yes'. That way, I'll
know not to call the authorities if I notice your merc team
following me. Say 'no' if there's no tap. If I haven't contacted
you before this whole thing is over, say 'clear' when it's done. I
hate this, Edgar; I'm so sorry."

"Me too, Maddi," Edgar said. "I'll respect
your wishes, of course," his voice cracked. "Just so you know, if
the mercs are called in, you won't notice them; they won't
interfere with your life in any way. Neither will I if you decide
you're done with me. For what it's worth, Maddi, I'll never forget
you. I'll get your clothes from the laundry center." He left Maddi
in the kitchen, returning a moment later with Maddi's clothes.

"Thanks, Edgar," he said, looking up, a tear
rolling down one cheek.

"You're welcome, Maddi," he replied, forcing
himself to refrain from reaching out to comfort the younger
man.

Maddi dressed quickly and went to the door.
He stopped, just before touching the pad to open the door and
turned back to face Edgar. He took a breath to steady himself
before he spoke, "No matter what, Edgar, I'll never forget you,
either." He turned, palmed the pad and was gone.

As the door whisked shut, Edgar finally lost
the fight against his own tears as they spilled, hot on his
cheeks.

After securing the
apartment, he instructed the HC to hold all calls, including those
from Evans. He headed for the bedroom, calling these instructions
as he went, including the closing of all drapes and the killing of
all active lighting. Try as he might, he couldn't bring his
emotions under control; the last time he'd felt pain this deeply
was when his first and only mate had been killed.

He fell onto the bed, burying his head in the
pillow, sobs wracking his body. That he should be so upset about
possibly losing Maddi surprised him, given their discovery of each
other was so recent. As the CoL were fond of pointing out, though,
emotions were never logical. The last thing he remembered before
sleep finally took him was thinking that maybe, just maybe, the
Children of Logic had the right idea.

A seldom-heard alarm shocked Edgar awake. He
was disoriented for a moment, alone in the dark, the sharp klaxon
blaring. He finally came to his senses, ordered the lights on and
asked the HC to ID the emergency caller and kill the aggravating
alarm. "Comm ID: Barrister Evans; security hold override code:
Omega-omega-six-two-four."

"Open all drapes and tell him to hold one
moment," Edgar said. The HC chimed in compliance and the drapes
slid open on the coming dusk as Edgar went to relieve himself. When
he was finished, he grabbed his robe and headed to the kitchen for
some water. Once he'd taken a few swallows, he sat on the sofa and
ordered the HC to put through Evans' call.

"Mr. Aeternum!" the barrister's normally even
voice showed the concern he obviously felt. The tone immediately
put Edgar on guard. "I'm relieved to hear your voice! What's
happened that you weren't taking my calls? It's not like you,
sir!"

"I'm sorry, Evans," Edgar said, "but I needed
some time alone." He felt his stomach turn, remembering Maddi's
words.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Evans' tone was
starting to worry Edgar.

"Not really, Evans," he said, "but it has
nothing to do with Jarvis. Mr. Bristow and I, ah, had a
disagreement. He spent the night; it was possibly the start of
something good, but when I told him about Miss Jarvis, he asked
questions. 'Does it happen often? What do you do about it?' and
others. He's also Andro, Evans; between that and the fact that this
could've been something serious, I had to tell him. Your name
didn't come up. This is just hitting me harder than I expected. I
realize I shouldn't have blocked you, especially with Jarvis out
there, but I couldn't face anyone. And now, I'm babbling. You have
things to discuss, you don't call for no reason and I'm blathering
on about my personal life." He paused, drank half the glass of
water and continued, "I assume, since you're calling, that my
comm's not tapped?"

Evans waited to be certain Edgar wasn't going
to start talking again. "Frankly, it's worse, sir; much worse,
given what you've just told me." The barrister pressed on before
Edgar could interrupt. "Miss Jarvis isn't simply unbalanced, Mr.
Aeternum. Nor is she really 'Miss Jarvis'. The young lady's true
name is Mariposa Campbell. Miss Campbell is a reformed criminal;
she passed her psy'er treatments, barely. Enough so that they
couldn't sen-depot her; not enough to not relapse. Mr. Aeternum,
she's a first-class psychopath, a master hacker, and a former
military computer specialist.

My apologies, sir, I should have thought to
check this but, despite the mil-grade firewall we put into place,
your HC was compromised. She's been spying on you since her suit
was dismissed; apparently, the clerkship at the bank was a
convenient means for her to find victims to extort. When she found
you, she thought she could retire early. I've taken the liberty of
expunging her from your HC which, no doubt, she's discovered by
now. This was hours ago, sir; it's seven-thirty and I've been
trying to reach you ever since. Forgive me, but I took the liberty
of checking your apartment for vital signs as soon as I regained
control of your HC. When I found you in, I exercised the security
override."

Edgar jumped in before Evans could take
another breath, "Wait! If she had the HC hacked, she had access to
the comm line! We need to get those guards on Maddi and the others!
How..."

Evans cut him off, "I'm afraid that's where
it gets worse, sir. I'm terribly sorry to have to tell you this,
but the team guarding Mr. Bristow was almost in place when someone
matching Miss Campbell's description intercepted him. The team was
too far away to intervene and they lost him in the crowd. The other
teams are in place, but it's my opinion that she has what she wants
and will likely leave the others alone. I've mobilized every
resource I have, sir; we will find him and we will get him back.
You have my word."

Edgar was on his feet immediately. "How the
hell did she take him in the middle of a crowd?"

"They were in the restaurant district, sir.
The team said Mr. Bristow appeared to be stumbling, as though
drunk. She probably hit him with a shot of Trizine and the crowd
thought he was drunk. Sir, I am terribly sorry. I know it's
irrelevant, all of the people on your list are important, but I
feel especially badly about this happening to someone..."

Evans seemed to be at a loss for words. "No
need, Evans," Edgar said, finally reining in his fear; he needed to
think clearly now. "You had no way of knowing. I didn't even know
until last night. I appreciate you telling me and pulling the
trigger on a rescue plan. Obviously, no Altair Security."

"No, sir," replied Evans. "While I admit
their tracking ability is quite good, they're bound by their own
rules. As we both know, that restriction often slows progress."

"I agree, Evans," Edgar responded. "What else
did you discover?" He found shifting the focus to the business end
of the matter helped calm him further.

"Other than what I've told you, sir, not
much, yet. Given her expertise, she's remarkably good at covering
up information," the barrister said. "However, I happen to be
rather good at uncovering information. I expect to have more soon.
At present, everything indicates she's working alone, though.

"Good, Evans," Edgar said. "Keep me informed;
I'll remove the call restriction so you won't have any trouble
reaching me."

"Very good, sir," Evans replied, some
hesitation in his voice, truly an uncommon occurrence.

"What is it, Evans? I have the feeling you're
not telling me something," Edgar said.

"Your feeling is spot-on, sir," Evans
answered. "This is all speculation, of course, but Miss Campbell's
prior criminal activities included sadistic torture of her victims.
I certainly hope she's abandoned that particular interest, but I
have to prepare you for the possibility that we may find Mr.
Bristow in less than optimum health."

Edgar's stomach lurched and he sat down
heavily. "Understood," he said. "My philosophy is to hope for the
best but plan for the worst. If he's injured, I'll assume full
responsibility for his medical expenses; I want the very best,
too."

"As you wish, sir," Evan said. "Perhaps
'hoping for the best' will work."

"Perhaps," Edgar said. "Though in my
experience, it seldom does. I assume you have full access to
Campbell's records?"

"Yes sir," Evans answered.

"I suggest investigating her other
kidnappings, specifically the locations at which she kept her
victims. If they're known, of course."

"They are, sir," Evans said. "May I ask why,
though?"

"Of course," Edgar answered. "She may derive
a perverse thrill from returning to the scene of the crime. Never
mind the fact she was caught, she may view these places as her
territory. Psychopaths believe they're the kings of their own
castles, whether or not reality supports that belief."

"Interesting," was Evans' only response.

"I did a piece on the issue some time ago,"
Edgar said. "It required a fair amount of research."

"Please send it to me," Evans requested. "It
may contain other helpful suggestions."

"Sure thing, Evans," Edgar said. "Is there
anything else I should know?"

"Not at present, sir," Evans said. "I'll call
you the moment I have more."

"Thank you, Evans," Edgar said.

"Of course, sir," the barrister replied. "End
call."

Edgar sat, staring numbly at nothing in
particular. Rousing himself, he instructed the HC to remove the
call block and to send Evans the article on psychopaths. Once done,
he forced himself to eat; a cloudy mind brought on by low blood
sugar wouldn't help find Maddi.

The inability to do anything further was
maddening, but Edgar knew the matter was in the best of hands with
Evans. Still, unable to contain the restless energy brought on by
the whole situation, he put it to the best use he could and began
working on the Ch'oran Crisis piece. Not only did it give him
something to do, it was a great distraction from the scenarios of
Maddi, bloody and hurting, that were running through his mind.

Maddi woke,
consciousness returning slowly, to find himself bound to a bed in a
darkened room. He could hear voices in the next room, engaged in a
heated discussion. One, a woman, seemed to be the person in charge.
The man was doing a fair job of arguing, but seemed to be losing
nonetheless.

"...bring him here! What the hell is the
matter with you, Serina?" the male voice shouted.

"Watch it, Ridgley, unless you want to join
him in there," the female voice was cold, but somehow familiar.

Maddi was still groggy, but he was sure he'd
heard that voice before. Then it hit him: He was on his way home
from dinner at the restaurant where one of his roommates worked and
he felt a sharp jab in his lower back. A moment later, a woman he'd
never seen put her arm through his, leaned in and said, "You'll be
fine, dear; you've just had too much to drink." The next thing he
remembered was waking up here.

The male voice called the woman Serina; the
name of the woman stalking Edgar. Fear shot through Maddi and the
cold hand of panic seized his throat. He pulled on his bonds to no
avail; they were simply too strong. It was then that he also
realized he was naked. As the panic threatened to overwhelm him, he
forced himself to relax and focus on the argument in the next
room.

Maddi didn't recognize the name Ridgely, but
it didn't sound as though the man was too happy to be involved in
whatever was happening. "What, you're gonna tie me up, Serina?
You've already been sucking my accounts dry, now you're gonna what,
suck me dry?"

"Don't flatter yourself, Ridgely. If your
cock is as small as your accounts, trust me, you're safe. Besides,
you're getting something out of our little arrangement, don't
pretend you're not. Or would you rather the authorities know about
your special interests? They tend to frown upon baby-rapers, you
know. I hear it's an automatic trip to the nearest sen-depot. Wanna
go? I can arrange that," she sneered.

"Fuck you," Ridgely spat.

"Now, now Ridgely," Serina's voice held
nothing but contempt. "We both know I'm too old for you. Shit, even
the child in the other room is too old for you. Tell you what; when
I get what I want from his boyfriend, I'll give you back your
pitiful accounts and you can buy all the pre-teen pussy and ass you
want. If you don't piss me off too much. Deal, dipshit?"

"Deal, you crazy bitch. What do you want me
to do?" the fight had gone out of Ridgley's voice.

"Simple," Serina said, "keep your dumbass
opinions to yourself and follow directions. I have to go out now.
He'll be waking soon; make sure he stays put. Those bonds should do
it," she paused, "if you don't fuck up and fall for any tricks
like, 'these cuffs are too tight, can you loosen them, please',"
she said in a sing-song voice, "or other shit only an amateur would
believe. Think you can pull your mind away from your crotch long
enough to do that?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ridgely said, defeated.
"Y'know, your parents must be really proud of you."

"I'm sure they would be," she said sweetly,
"if I hadn't killed them when I was younger. Of course, I made it
look like an accident. Anything else, asshole?"