Finding Sanctuary

Chapter 9

Although Klara had been watching closely she saw nothing amiss until the end when Jason fell over unconscious and Myra slumped into unconsciousness as well. She asked Paris to watch over them and went to get her mom and And\'ril. She found them still with aayla and briefly explained. Then they all hurried to Myra\'s side. Ann studied the two unconscious figures. She turned to Klara and Paris, \"There was no sign of foul play?\"
\"No he was doing what he said, concentrating the sunlight and pouring it into her. She was recharging fast and seemingly enjoying it. At first he seemed to be concentrating hard but then he seemed to get the hang of it because he no longer seemed to struggle but the sunlight continued to pour into her and she stored it until she was back up to full. After that he stopped and just fell over. She just sighed and seemed to sleep. I don\'t know. He could be just exhausted but why isn\'t she awake? She is obviously recharged.\" Klara said in a rush.
Paris added, \"I did not see him do anything to harm her and he did save her earlier, if not from death then at least great harm. The weapon the kidnapper pointed at her would indeed have harmed her and might have killed her covered in gold paint as she was. For what my opinion is worth I think he was honestly trying to help here and an accident happened. I don\'t what could have happened though.\"
Ann stepped between the two and kneeling she laid a hand on her daughter\'s shoulder, \"Honey wake up. Are you alright?\"
\"Yes mom. I\'m fine.\" It would have been reassuring except that both Myra and Jason said it and at the same time.
Ann gasped, \"Klara! How many minds do you sense inside the two of them?\"
\"Two, but connected in some way. They both scan the same now too, like identical mind twins or something.\"
Ann considered, \"Aayla said something about a Diaboli ceremony she had been considering. She confessed that she tricked Myra into enhancing him and apparently was also considering some sort of Diaboli ceremony in the hopes of binding him to her to help further her plans. I don\'t know how almost killing him in the throws of Ples\'tathy figured in her plans but I think we should get her out here to see if she knows what this is or maybe wants to to confess to a booby trap or two.\" And\'ril walked off to get Aayla while Ann sat silently wondering where she had gone wrong with her eldest daughter.
A few minutes passed quietly then And\'ril came back up the hill prodding Aayla in front of him.
Ann turned to her, \"Aayla what was that ceremony you mentioned? The diaboli equivalent of a wedding?\"
\"You mean the Ceremony of Ultimate Commitment? Why do you ask?\" She looked at the two stretched out unconscious and naked on top of the hill. \"Have they...,\" her voice and her mind reached out to perceive for herself. She discovered that both of them now had the automatic defenses she had overcome in jason\'s mind during his enhancement. As she overcame them again she saw that the two were not truly unconscious, it was just that their minds were so busy assimilating new data and memories that neither was much aware of the outside world. She tried to sneak closer, maybe get a glimpse of what memories they were sharing, as it seemed like a lot and that made her curious, but as soon as she got close enough the two banded together to throw her back into her own head and layer more defenses against intrusion. As she blinked and reoriented on the physical world she noticed everyone was looking at her. \"Well it certainly seems like the ceremony but I can\'t say for certain because he had only sketchy info on it himself. I got into his mind during his enhancement so I know all that he did on the subject but all I can tell you is that I think so.\"
\"You got into his mind during enhancement?\" several voices exclaimed.
Aayla smiled, she loved surprising them with the extent of her abilities. \"Yes, you know I\'m the best at mind reading and his defenses were scattered by the process. He was telling the truth. He was also falling in love with Myra. I found out he is to Diaboli what she is to Primes. He is an Atlantean Diaboli, the strongest clan. From my latest glimpse before they threw me out I saw that they are now each equally Prime and Diaboli, or rather Ancient One and Atlantean. I am sure this was an accident probably caused by the silly wench trying to be as \"normal\" as possible. I bet she refused to take orgone to heal and he offered some weird diaboli \"magic\" in its place right?\" She looked at Klara and apparently read enough on her face to confirm her guess. \"I knew it! You\'d think a backfire would have fucked them both up or at least stop her from recharging but no, she\'s too damn lucky for that! She\'s fully recharged from the look of her and nothing is wrong with either one of them that time won\'t cure and when she\'s fully back among us she\'ll have all his abilities. Still won\'t be able fly worth a damn though.\"
She was ranting now and she knew it but kept on going, \"I had plans for that power but fat chance of that now. Imagine the cultures I could fix if I had his powers as well as my own. All Myra will do with them is go on her stupid patrol and save kittens stuck in trees or something nauseating like that.\" She wound down and looked around at the ring of disapproving faces, \"Well if you don\'t need for anything I still need to repair my house so I\'ll be going.\" With a final contemptous glance she turned and walked slowly back down the hill muttering to herself.
Paris looked up and asked, \"What are we going to tell Ben?\"
Klara replied, \"We should let Myra explain.\"
Paris pointed, \"I don\'t think we have time. I can see him on his way back with that bikini she asked him to get and the contraption as well.\"
\"Oh shit. Is it too late to be called to Rostran for an emergency? Those problems I have some idea how to solve.\"
\"Double shit. Look who is rising to meet him. She\'ll get to him first too.\"
Ann turned and looked and took off into the air. \"Protect your sister. I\'ll be back.\"
The two of them watched Ann soar up into the air to talk to Ben and Aayla. Paris wondered if Ben would attack Jason. Klara wondered how upset Ben would be. He shouldn\'t be upset at all because other men had been part of the genetic scheme from the beginning just like him sleeping with her and Myra and Aayla was, but still he might be. Klara was also curious about this bond that Jason and her sister now shared. However it was now clear to her from watching Ben\'s body language that he certainly was upset, however irrational that might be. In fact, she thought, zooming in on his face with her superior eyesight, it would be accurate to say he was wrathful. So the first order of business would be safeguarding Jason from Ben\'s wrath. She moved to pick the dazed man up. Paris saw this and moved to help her sister place Jason securely over her shoulders.
\"Should we get Myra away too? You know him better than I, will he strike at Myra in his jealousy?\"
\"I don\'t think so but better safe than sorry. Bring her along and at the least not having her in front of him should make it easier for mom to calm him down.\"
\"Yeah,\" said Paris lifting Myra onto her shoulders, \"as long as dear sister Aayla keeps her mouth shut and what are the chances of that happening?\"
\"Slim and none.\" Klara said grimacing at the thought of how callous and manipulative her sister has grown. \"This will help though. C\'mon I know a good place to stash them until they are all the way with us again.\"
Klara took off and Paris followed each effortlessly soaring through the clear air and experiencing no trouble carrying their burdens aloft.
Paris followed her older sister through the air. As she did she congratulated herself on staying out of the whole crazy scheme. Mom grew up in a lab and And\'ril on a battlefield, she told herself. So its no wonder they have strange ideas of family. Not to mention the fact that mom was raised by a single male geneticist. She noticed they were heading towards a large lake.
\"You have a place here?\" Paris asked Klara.
\"Yes. Its secluded, peaceful and nobody knew about it. They\'ll be safe here til I can get back to Ben and convince him to be reasonable.\"
Paris nodded and said, \"Yeah, I\'m still worried about those kidnappers who set a trap for her but I think she\'ll be fine once she adjusts. She\'s more than Supremis now. Those guys are in for a nasty shock the next time they meet her. She might be safer than we are.\"
Klara giggled, \"Well we are more than Supremis ourselves Paris so I doubt we need to worry but I agree about them and we do still need to find out where such low rent thugs got such high tech guns.\"
\"Yeah.\" Paris nodded.
They flew in silence for awhile then Klara pointed, \"There! that my hideaway. I built it myself and stocked it from several different towns.\"
Paris saw an on an island in the middle of the lake a stone castle made of blocks carved from a nearby cliff by her sister\'s powerful hands and mortared with local concrete. \"You built yourself a castle?\"
\"Yeah. If you want to live in a surf shack thats fine for you but I love my castle.\"
\"Fair enough. Lets get them inside so yuou can go back and lend mom a hand. They landed by the front doors and Klara led her sister in to her Sanctum Sanctorum. They tucked Myra and Jason into the same bed and then tiptoed away. In the library Paris poured herself a brandy and selected a book.
\"You go help mom with Ben and I\'ll stay here and watch over them.\"
\"Are you sure you don\'t mind?\"
\"Not as long as you don\'t mind me helping myself.\"
Klara smiled at her sister. \"Not at all. Thanks millions for your help. See you soon. I hope all this will be over by then.\" Klara took off and Paris shook her head as she made her way back to the bedroom with her book and her drink. This genetic scheme might fly with Velorians, although even they would have trouble with it, but from what I\'ve seen of Terrans convoincing them will be nothing but trouble. She sat down in an armchair near the bed and sipped the brandy. Still I imagine Klara can convince Ben, she\'s good at that and eventually he\'ll either be ok with it or leave. She grinned, or maybe he\'ll convince her monogamy is a good thing. I doubt that but we\'ll see. She put the brandy and setlled in to read while waiting for Myra and Jason to snap out of it.