+1+
Unification Party Chairman Anne Lynne was easy to read. Her MO was to catch her opponents off guard, then hit them where they are vulnerable. Anne sure as hell caught me off guard and that was a hard thing to do. The five silent balaclava masked men who had accompanied her to my small apartment kept me at gunpoint while I put on pants and a t-shirt. Silently the soldiers walked me out the door and downstairs to a sleek black SUV. Anne slides in next to me.
“Take us to New Aeterna City Center”, Anne tells the driver, she pulls out a silk folding fan and looks purposefully out the window, as if me and the balaclavas aren’t there. These guys weren’t kids from Ravi’s organization. They were big compact dudes, maybe mercenaries ? Not French Foreign Legion. Something else. Russian maybe? Either way they flashed those damn white gold bullets at me, and one of them has a gold knife that I keep my eye on.
I was made to use my I.D and security clearance to get us into the residential area of New Aeterna City Center. I needed a plan to get out of this. Anne had them walk us to Sera and Paris’ house. As usual the guardsmen is not out front. Through the glass wall I can see the living room and kitchen is empty. I try the door and it’s locked.
Thank, God.
“It’s locked. I don’t have the key code.” I tell Anne.
“Please”, Anne said snapping up the fan and putting it away, “I know you know it.”
“I don’t live here, lady.”
Sighing Anne picks up a big decorative rock from the front yard.
“Well, dear. It’s like they say. Those who live in glass houses.”
She heaves the stone at the door and the glass splinters . . . but doesn’t break. Still there should have been an alarm or--
Fuck.
I’d turned the alarm off the night of Paris’ suicide attempt and never turned it back on. Anne picked up another stone and threw it at the glass door. With some set determination she hurled a third stone. An impatient Balaclava rams the butt of his gun into the center of the crack until the whole door shatters. He sticks his hand through and opens the door for Anne.
Anne leads four of the Balaclavas and I into Sera’s’ bedroom; following the trail of her uniform, shoes, and socks she’d tossed on the floor. Anne takes a moment to study the bedroom. Her eyes pause at the five foot tall 1947 canvas portrait of Sera on the wall. Anne fingers the velvet red sash Sera had on in the parade, which was now in a wrinkled heap at Anne’s feet along with Sera’s hair extensions and eyelashes.
Sera was knocked out asleep on her bed in just her underwear. A bottle of sleeping pills were on the nightstand, next to a discreet but very expensive looking vibrator.
“Sera”, I shout, then try to duck and get the upper hand, but one of the Balaclava’s rams a gun into the side of my head.
Sera stirred a little and slowly started to blink.
“Le—“ she starts.
“Sera”, I shout, “Run. SERA—“
One of the guys bashes me over the head again and I think about my girls.
Two of the Balaclavas grab Sera and yank her out of bed. One of them throws an arm around her neck and squeezes her windpipe while the second takes her wrist and cuffs them behind her back. Her eyelids are heavy, but she managed to wake herself up and look around the room. Her eyes widened when she saw Anne.
“Time to wake up sleeping beauty”, Anne said dismissively. Anne careful picks up a crystal jewelry box from the dresser, “My my my you’ve certainly done will for yourself Seraphina, dear. I don’t know how I lost touch with you for all those years. All I should have done is find a powerful man and there you’d be right behind him.”
“Well someone has to prop the poor things up”, she says still a little groggy from the sleeping pills.
Anne drops the crystal jewelry box on the floor. She circles Seraphina and shakes her head disapprovingly at Sera's short haircut. Anne tsked at the sight of her nipple ring.
“Sera, you know that intuition we Angels have? The one that we idiotically let men makes us think we could . . . feel true love.”
Ann twisted the wedding bands hanging over Sera’s chest.
“Anne, let me go.” She says calmly, her eyelids still heavy.
“I told Hmjeu that’s what I felt when I saw you and Paris, but that’s not it. I think that intuition just means two people have a destiny, but there is no telling what it is. Though I wager its tragedy in this case.
“Anne—“
“Quiet, dear”, she said yanking on the wedding rings, “You know I heard what you did to those girls in your filthy prison. You really are heartless aren’t you? Torturing the poor things. Things like that are exactly why this monarchy needs to come to an end. You were always a mean little terror Sera and it would be unconscionable for me to let this continue. Giuliani had his way of bringing you down. He failed, of course. And now I have mine. I prefer a more . . . direct approach. Now tell me dear, where is your husband?”
Sera turned her eyes away from Anne.
“I can take you to -“, I start even though I have no idea where he is.
“No”, Anne cut me off, “I want her to tell me.”
Sera was silent
“Where is Paris Prince”, Anne asked again.
Nothing
+2+
One of the Balaclavas throws Sera into the glass wall
in the bedroom, she hits it so hard it cracks and leaves tiny cuts on her nose and
over her eye. He slams her into the glass again and it splinters. Anne made a sound of disapproval. Sera is to shocked to say anything.
“Be subtle, gentlemen.” Anne scolded the Balaclava’s like a school teacher.
The three Balaclavas pulled Sera away from the glass wall and laid her out on the floor, one of them lifted her cuffed hands over her head, while one of the men held her legs down and the third grabbed her jaw, forced her head back and held her mouth open
She didn’t have time to register why he had pliers until he jammed them into her mouth and clamped it around her tooth. When her tooth didn’t come out easily he bared down, forcing her mouth open and putting his knee on her chest. Sera made these muffled sounds out of instinct, her body slightly lifting trying to fight them off. The guy put his whole body into is and tugged until a molar came free
A stream of red blood spilled out of her mouth down her chin, neck and chest setting in the ridges of her tight muscles beneath. She didn’t say anything, she just fought back a curse and stared at Anne. Fuck that.
"Where is he, Seraphina", Anne asked again.
Nothing
Fuck this.
I ducked suddenly again and tried to punch the guy holding me, but he thrust his white gold knife a good 2 inches into my side. After a beat hot blood soaked my shirt. I pulled the knife out and the guy holding me tugged me back up, I kept my hand over the wound and focused on keeping my blood inside my own damn body.
“Where is Paris Prince.”, Anne said again. She gave me a dismissive look for interrupting. Sera didn't answer instead she spit a mouthful of blood at Anne. At that the guy slammed Sera’s head back onto the ground and went for another molar. Sera barely reacted this time, she just held it in. She held everything in as more blood spilled over her lips and starts pooling on the tile.
Paris Prince is not fucking worth that. Paris Prince is not fucking worth this shit.
“Where is he?” Anne demands, she picks up another jewelry box and heaves it into the glass wall. It breaks sprinkling earring and diamonds all over the floor.
“Go to hell”, Sera says coughing
The man pulled out a third tooth, blood was coming like a fucking waterfall. I waited until Sera caught my eye and nodded my head. I hope she read my look.
Tell them. Tell them.
“Sera”, Anne said, “I’m just trying to help you. You were a perfectly . . . decent . . . Angel until Helios came along. You let those men corrupt you and now look at you.”
The man with the pliers shoved Sera’s head back again and pulled out a fourth molar. She spit the blood out and turned to Anne.
“They didn’t change me, I just became who I really was.” She said, but her voice sounded heavier.
“Sera”, Anne said picking up a wedding photo on Paris’ nightstand, “Let’s not make this uncivil. Like you did with those poor girls.”
“I barely touched them—“
Sera’s voice was drowned out by the sound of a power drill,
two of the men held her down while the third one, who'd produced the drill, shoved the machine into her
mouth. There was about five seconds of the drill rotating in silence before I heard her
scream like a fucking banshee, it was piercing and mad me sick to my stomach.
Anne just shook her head regretfully. They guy coolly pulled the drill away and
a jagged premolar fell out of her mouth. She was still screaming even though they weren't touching her.
Sera shut herself up quick and lay there on the floor in shock while the guy changed
the bit on the drill, her mouth and chin were covered in red.
“You fucking cunt”, Sera lisped, “He’s at the Park West Hotel. Room 503.”
“Thank you, dear.” Anne said fetching a white washcloth from the bathroom and sticking into Sera’s mouth, “See that wasn’t so hard. Leon why don’t you escort me and my men?”
“Sure, once I’m done bleeding out.” I said pointing to where one of her henchmen had stabbed me. Some morbid part of me hoped that’d make Sera laugh.
“One of you patch him up please”, Anne said.
One of the Balaclava’s patched up my side with cotton balls and a bandaged, just enough so I could live to make the walk. The worst part was Anne just left Sera there, with her wrist still cuffed behind her and bleeding from her mouth.
Once we were outside I turned to Anne.
“You didn’t need Sera to find Paris. You could have asked anyone.”
She said nothing and just pulled out her fan and started swatting away invisible bugs.
“I know dear. But let’s just consider that punishment for all the terrible things she’s done and gotten away with.”
The Balaclava’s shoved me into the backseat and we headed towards the Park hotel. I turned to Anne, trying to court the human part of her.
“Once I get you to Paris, you have to let me go back and check on Sera.”
“We shall see”, Anne said.
It wasn’t until we got halfway to the Park hotel that I realized why that room number Sera had given was familiar. It was the room Solstice Lecroix was staying in.
Damn.
Sera had lied and probably said the first thing that came to mind. Not that I could figure out why she knew Solstice LeCroix’s hotel room. .I looked around as we drove closer to the hotel, that’s when I noticed Sera’s guardsmen sitting outside the steps of The Capitol. Kid shouldn’t have been there and he looked bored. He didn’t want to be there. Why the hell--
“We should check somewhere else first”, I said to Anne.
“Excuse me”, Anne said
“Sera . . . was confused… I think. Paris is not going to be at the hotel.”
“Well, then it looks like we need to turn around—“
“I can get you to him. Let’s cut the theatrics okay?”
“This better not be a trap”, Anne said closing her fan.
“It’s not “I said. I would get Anne to Paris if it means I could get back to Sera sooner. If I can get back to Sera I can get back to my girls and Aria. I didn’t want to sacrifice my boss, that’s just how it was playing out today.
+3+
I direct the car to the front steps of The Capitol building. Anne gets out the car first and follows me up the steps. Her heels echo around the empty building, she appraises everything she passes. I use my security clearance to get us to the top floor and my retina scan to get us to the observatory floor where Paris’ office is. Two NADF cadets are standing outside of the main door.
If the cadets look confused to see a former resistance member turned New Aeterna captain in his pajamas being escorted by four balaclava covered men with guns and a poshly dressed woman in her forties, I don’t blame them. Too bad Anne orders them to be shot before they can process it.
Inside the office Paris is sitting at his desk with 4 digital maps and a multiple screens with videos of the attack. He has two news channels on and the radio and a few social media feeds. He’s leaning back in the chair, his feet propped up on the desk. His dark hair falls perfectly over his perfectly shaped and angled face. He’d be too damn pretty without those scars.
“Boss”, I say.
He turns his chair and nearly falls out of it when he sees his company.
“A-Anne? Leon? What … who are . . . What’s going on? ”
Anne steps forward and puts away her fan. She holds her hand demurely out to Paris.
“Paris”, Anne says, “It’s been so long. Let me formally re-introduce myself. You probably knew me under that horrendous title of Angel Mother but know I’m simply Anne Lynne, Chairmen of the Unification Party. At your service. “
Paris looks from me to the Balaclavas, then to Anne who had
done a very slight but well-formed curtsy. I didn’t know what his history with
Anne was like. Sera always made it seem like the Angels and Demons had been
acquaintances their whole lives.
“Anne, you literally rained on my parade”, he says and flashes a smile. He was trying to make her laugh what the hell?
Anne smiles politely.
“You were always so charming, Paris. It’s what Hmjeu liked best about you.”
“Anne, how did a nice Angel like you get mixed up with these Unification assholes?”
Anne breathes out her patience, because I guess unpleasant language was over the line for her.
“Well, Paris dear. I wasn’t going to sit around and let a Demon do what Demons do best. Take, pillage. . destroy. Not that anyone seems to realize you are a Demon. I fear I may have to correct them one day. “
“It is a lie of
omission”, Paris says as he makes his way to a cabinet in the corner to fetch two stemless
wine glasses. The glasses shook visibly in his hand but he tries
to stay calm.
Seraphina.
You dumbfuck. Ask about your wife.
“So, I guess I know who orchestrated my assassination attempt”, Paris says casually.
“Oh, that was Giuliani’s mess. As a woman I’m much more strategic.”
“More strategic than blackmailing my wife to kill me. I’ll have to give Giuliani points on that one. Would you like some wine, Anne?”
“Sera”, I say suddenly aware of how . . . woozy I felt, “She. . . Sera.”
The Balaclava next to me rams the butt of his gun into my wound. Anne shakes her head like her phone accidentally went off.
“I prefer tea.” She says to Paris, “As you may know, Ravi has become an invaluable part of the Unification Family. He believes in our ideas and with the right money and the right support he could make today’s incident look like a firework show. Picture this. Central park going up in a plume of fire and smoke. Then maybe the next day a block of those awful chain restaurants. How many terrorist attacks do you think there need to be before people flee New Aeterna? Or revolt? Or rebel or the U.S government unseats you? Or some other government. Five maybe six months?”
Paris looks at the video loop of the attack on the parade while Anne continues to talk. He replaces the wine glasses in the cabinet and takes out two white porcelain tea cups and dispense hot water while she continues to talk.
“People will flee, the country will shut down. Not even the U.S will want it back. New Aeterna will become a sad sorry country for vagrants and criminals. It will be all your fault. You don’t want that do you, Paris ?”
He quietly contemplates this and sets the teacups on a small conference table in the middle of the room. He even takes the time to pulls out a chair for Anne to sit down with him. He sets a marble tea box in the middle of the table. While Anne is calmly stirring sugar into her Roobios he opens his fucked up looking mouth.
“I’m done”, Paris says staring into the tea box, “I’m done. This journey, this thing I’ve done is too much. It’s made me fucking suicidal, I just-- you want us to unify? I’ll unify. I will make advances to appeal PROP1776. I can start on the correspondence now. Congratulations. You won. My time is over. My God I hope I can still thread a needle.”
He says the last part with a tired smile. Even if Paris left New Aeterna word would get out about his corruption. His reputation was about to shatter. History would remember him as a fool.
“No, Paris dear. That’s not in my best interest.” Anne decides.
Paris stares down into his lemon basil green tea.
“Really? Unify or die . . . it’s so easy to understand.”
I wanted to beat him for being such a smart ass.
“Don’t be silly Paris. I haven’t lived this long for my greatest accomplishment to be unifying the 50 states”
“For fucksake New York City is not a state, there are still 50 states. “
“You know what I mean.”
“What do you want, Anne?”
“Paris, tomorrow I want you to nominate me for Prime Minister. We are going to work so well together Paris.”
+++
Solstice LeCroix
All bets were off.
I gave the last 50$ in my name to the nondescript maid to get her to open the hotel door. It was almost criminal how much space you got in a Port Chester Marriott compared to New fucking Aeterna
The hotel room smells like Anne Lynne’s sickeningly sweet perfume and two rolling racks are filled with her blush colored perfectly crafted suits. I grab a really pretty suit and use it to smear the grime of travel off of me. I sit in the desk chair and wait. I’ve got time.
After hanging up with Anne I’d gone up to my hotel room to grab a shower. I got to my floor just in time to see The National Police walk into my hotel room. Someone had sent the police after me and something told me it was probably the vengeful queen herself.
I ran down the stairs to the lobby and spied Venice at the bar. I was all too aware that this was probably the last time I’d see her. I ran out of the hotel and headed straight to Ravi’s apartment. It was quiet uptown, the streets filled with people who had been at the parade. I keep to the shadows and listened for updates. That’s how I overhear about the military raids happening. A bunch of misplaced squatters had set up a makeshift camp off 60th and were swapping stories.
“Fucking tore down my door, man”
“Some of the girls were kind of hot.”
“This military is Just like The General’s. I tell you fuckers.”
“Yeah, man.”
“Yeah”
Shit
I turn and head discreetly back in the opposite direction. I’m suddenly aware of all the unmarked military grade Hummers parked on the street. Ducking into an alley I dial Anne on my cell, this time she doesn’t even greet me when picking up.
“Did I almost walk into a trap, Anne? Ravi’s place it hot. I heard the military and police are out here.”
“There was a military raid and a mass arrest. How undignified. Almost barbaric. ” Anne says.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way to make an introduction.”
“It’s two am.”
“Etiquette demands it, dear.”
“What about Ravi ?"
She sighs and barks an order at someone. I realize I’m on speaker phone.
“He’s with me. I’m not going to let my most important follower get sent to an awful prison.”
“Anne…what about the kids who were arrested
“Expendable”, she said like it was her new favorite word, “Good-bye, Solstice dear—“
“Wait”, I hated how desperate I sounded, “The National Police are looking for me. I think it’s the queen, we’ve traded a few words and if she’s on to me she’ll drag me to her prison. Come on Anne. Help me out.”
She sighs.
“Fine. I’m only doing this because of how loyal you’ve been. Can you get to Port Chester? Its 45 minutes outside the city. In Connecticut.”
I find a 100$ bill in my back pocket and think about that one perilous time I tried to hitchhike.
“I’ll get there.”
Between walking, a gypsy cab, a stolen bicycling and finally hitchhiking I manage to get to Port Chester. Luckily the Port Chester Marriott in a cluster of hotels just off the weigh station exit. It sits comfortably with dressed up budget friendly restaurants. Anne probably wanted me to wait in the lobby for her, but instead I quickly flash my DOJ badge to get a maid to let me into Anne’s hotel room.
I collapse on the double bed and fall asleep. Moments later the door opens and slams shut. I reach for the pocket knife in my bra then stop when I see Anne.
“You certainly made yourself comfortable”, Anne says closing the door behind her.
“Rough night, what can I say. Is this what you and Ravi wanted? People died you know.”
“What do you want from me Solstice? Money? A new identity? I can arrange both.”
Anne sits at the desk that she had placed a huge trifold mirror on.
“I need you to tell me we haven’t fucked everything up”, I say to her reflection, “Those kids who were helping just got rounded up by the military. What the hell Anne? The damn monarchy is cracking down because of your stunt.”
“Fear not. I’ve take care of that. I’ve honestly got things under control.” she smiles at herself, “Now about that new identity.”
“No fucking way.”
“Language.”, she says.
“What about Giuliani? I’m not going back until I know what happened to him. I can’t leave until I get justice for his family. ”
Anne sighs and takes off her prim looking hat, she only looks at me through her mirror.
“Solstice thing are about to change soon. In a few days Paris Prime will announce me for Prime Minister. I can push some of our party goals and open an investigation into Giuliani’s death.”
I freeze
“What?”
“You heard me.”, she says smiling again, “Now are we done here?”
“I think. . . Seraphina did something to him.” I tell her.
“That is probably very likely.” Anne says leaning into her reflection, “She’s very disturbed.”
“I want to interrogate her . . . or get her sent to court martial or extradite her to the U.S. I know she killed him. He’s a U.S General. This is a disgrace against international diplomacy—“
“Solstice, dear. I have a lot on mind and I have to be very careful. I can’t be orchestrating your vendettas at your whim. I’ll get you a hotel room and I just need you to keep a low profile for a few days. Then I’ll see what I can do about getting justice for Giuliani. I just need you to be patient. I promise she will pay for what she’s done.”
“I don’’ think I can wait that long”
She turned back to the mirror and lightly brushed her cheeks and molded her face into a perfect stately smile.
“Patience. Change is coming.”
+++