This is a work of fiction any similarities between the characters, events, or locations in this story and actual locations, events, or people are purely coincidental.
© 2004 Warlord
Atlantis
By Warlord
I woke from a deep sleep to the sensation of soft kisses. I opened my eyes to find Cynthia leaning over me. I was lying on my back with Aoife cuddled under my left arm. Paige was under my right with her head on my chest. Claire was lying between my legs with her head on my right thigh. Taylor was spooned against Aoife.
Cynthia said, “I hate to disturb you. It’s time to get up.”
When she knew I was awake Cynthia crawled up on the bed to greet the ladies and welcome them with kisses and hugs. Aintzane helped Claire and Paige to their feet next to the bed. Aintzane kissed and hugged them in welcome.
Aintzane leaned down to kiss my unoccupied lips. She said:
“Good morning, Champion.”
“Good morning, Aintzane.”
Cynthia was wearing her favorite Daisy Dukes, cut off so short the pockets hung out. Her top was a tight short blue baby tee. Aintzane had a short jean skirt and a red tube top.
While I kissed Aintzane, I took the opportunity to let my hands wander over her tight body. I slid my hand under her skirt and cupped her ass. In response, she stabbed her tongue into my mouth. Just then, Cynthia noticed us.
Cynthia spoke up. “All right you two. We don’t have time for that now.”
Aintzane and I broke our kiss. We turned toward Cynthia. She was helping Taylor to her feet. During all this Aoife stayed burrowed into my side. I rolled toward her and into her arms. Aoife began to kiss me. Our hands were roving. We lost track of time. We were startled by a loud, piercing whistle. We looked up to see Cynthia with her fingers in her mouth. She was trying to look stern. She was not entirely successful. “Okay, you two, get a room.”
Claire snickered and replied, “I think they HAVE a room.”
“Good point. Sorry to interrupt, but you have a big day. Doctors want to see Champion first thing.”
I answered her, “You know I hate to get up. Having to leave this nice warm bed just makes it worse.”
“The girls are leaving your nice warm bed. You might as well get up.”
With that, I sat up on the edge of the bed. Aoife kissed my shoulder as she crawled past me to get up. As she stood in front of me, I was struck anew by her beauty. She looked magnificent. Wild, untamed, dangerous and sexual - very sexual. I had to look away or I would have been mesmerized. I said, “I have to find my room. I need to clean up and get dressed.”
Cynthia said, “THIS is your room. Your clothes are in the walk-in closet. Your toiletries are in the bathroom. I moved your personal guns into that cabinet in the corner. If we missed anything, we’ll bring it along later.”
I looked around with new interest. The room was fully the size of my house’s living room. The room was so big that the massive four-poster did not seem oversized. There were large windows facing my house. On the backside was a French door opening onto a deck. The table and chairs on the one side balanced the sofa and easy chairs on the other.
Cynthia opened the door to the walk-in. It was as big as a normal bedroom. Then she walked around and swung open the door to the bathroom. I had already seen that. It was huge and beyond fancy in every feature. Cynthia said, “No more excuses. You need to be up and moving.”
Just then Aurelia came to my rescue. She arrived with coffee and orange juice on her silver tray. She said, “I have Champion’s morning coffee.”
Cynthia, looking at me and unable to keep a straight face, said, “You are simply the most spoiled man in the entire world.”
“That’s pretty broad, Cynthia Lolita.”
“I think it’s a very safe bet.”
I replied, “It is my lot in life to be surrounded by the most beautiful and willing women who all wish to spoil me. I would never want to disappoint a woman by refusing.”
Taylor was laughing as she spoke. “You’re letting us spoil you?”
“That’s it.”
Cynthia said, “You ladies will fit in just fine. You understand our champion already.”
She turned to me and asked in a businesslike tone, “Instructions, Champion?”
“Please find our guests a room. New clothes for today. Clean up their mourning clothes. Wizard jewelry and robes for all three. You and Aintzane take them on a tour. I do want them at the planning for my meeting with Dalton.”
As she ushered Taylor, Paige and Claire out of the room Cynthia turned and asked, “Anything else?”
“Yes, no underwear for any of them. They are, after all, my slaves.”
Cynthia paused long enough to stick out her tongue. Then she was gone.
Aurelia was serving coffee and juice on my table. Sometime in the night, the pentagram was removed, along with Claire’s spell book and Paige’s runes. As I was drinking, I turned to Aoife. I said, “As much as I love looking at you naked, you need to be dressed for our meeting.”
“I should return to my own room.”
“Aoife, I am perfectly capable of showering alone. I promise not to drown. Go clean up. Dress in your Harley Biker Babe ensemble. I need Dalton distracted.”
Aoife stepped into my arms. She delivered a searing kiss with her tongue, checking the condition of my tonsils. I was hard as a rock against her belly. Aoife pulled back and made eye contact. She said, “I should be going.”
“Yes, you should – or I will never get dressed.”
Aoife simply flowed out the door with feline grace. I was lost in contemplation of her nude form until Aurelia asked if I would like more juice. That brought me back to my lovely, toga-clad hostess. Barely-toga clad, actually.
“No, Aurelia. That will be all. You owe me a back washing. I will collect it later when we have more time to play.”
Aurelia pouted prettily. She kissed me and took her leave with a saucy flip of the hip.
I headed for the shower. I decided to check in with Grid.
“Good morning, Champion.”
“You have been quiet, Grid.”
“Claire and Paige muted me with their magic.”
“Should I be concerned?”
“No, Champion. I am sure that it was unintentional. With their own jewelry they will limit their output.”
“What did they do?”
“Claire has a gift for healing far beyond any of our age. You have made astonishing progress in one night.”
“And Paige?”
“She tightened their affinity to you. She is a gifted empath and perhaps a seer.”
“Are they enslaved to me, Grid?”
“Yes. You are protecting them by that action.”
“I am?”
“Yes. Even my cursory examination saw many controls and deep, repeated conditioning. Your assumption of mastery is necessary. Your assertion prevents someone else from stepping into the void.”
As I washed and rinsed, I contemplated how boring bathing alone had become. Cynthia was right; I was spoiled. Not that I was going to admit or change.
I had other questions for Grid. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Yes, Champion. Queen Isobel has everyone on full alert. General Ulysses is coordinating defense preparations. You are late for your doctor’s appointment.”
“Clean up?”
“Done. The vehicles and bodies are gone. Michael Brady and his wives are quickly working to inventory the attackers’ effects. The exterior of the house is unblemished. Perun, General Ulysses’s assistant, and his wife Morana are cataloging captured weapons.”
Grid continued, “They are all anxiously awaiting your appearance.”
“I got it. I can take a hint.”
Grid actually snickered. “That was far beyond a hint.”
“Grid, I need to speak with Maeve and Elias. Can you summon them?”
“Certainly, Champion. Immediately.”
I finished my bathroom time quickly with no “lovely” distractions, unfortunately. I walked out, and found Maeve and Elias waiting in the bedroom.
I greeted them, and began discussing my upcoming meeting with Dalton Bixby. I told them, “Dalton will attempt to take control of us. At the very least he will try to glean information from our heads.”
Maeve and Elias nodded agreement. I continued, “I have no idea of Dalton’s power. I need every possible bit of magic to keep our minds shuttered against his intrusion. I want to be able to slap his probe back at him in a painful fashion.”
Elias replied, “We will focus the power of the magical room to form a shield around Aoife, and you, to prevent intrusion.”
Maeve agreed. “My power will join to augment the shield.”
“Cool. I need a signal to alert me. Without my medallion speaking.”
Grid spoke up. “Why must I be silent?”
“I don’t want Dalton to know anything. The medallions are a substantial advantage.”
Elias said, “That is a good point. Why risk it for one meeting? We will make a tingle in your head if you are probed. A squeeze means he is trying to take control.”
“Perfect. If I push with my hand like this –” I demonstrated a pushing with the palm of my hand – “I want his probe stuffed back at him. Can we make it hurt?”
Elias replied, “We have power at our disposal. We can keep him out and we can hurt him. How bad?”
“As I keep pushing I want him to have a very bad migraine headache. When I relax and pull my hand back the headache ends.”
Maeve and Elias nodded. Maeve said, “Seems reasonable.”
“One more thing. When I point and jab like this - “
I demonstrated a horizontal jabbing motion with my pointer finger.
“I want him on his ass! I don’t care if you have to kill him or make his head explode like Scanners.”
Elias asked, “Scanners?”
“A movie. Have Christy buy the DVD.”
Maeve interjected, “That also seems a reasonable request. I think we can overload his nervous system to stun him without killing him.”
Just then Aoife showed up at my open bedroom door. She was dressed in a tight pair of black Levis, with Harley leather chaps. Her Harley ankle-high, spike high-heeled boots with the silver chain accents drew attention to her long, long legs. She was also wearing a black Harley logo tee shirt over her braless tits. Her black Harley leather jacket and Harley sunglasses completed the outfit.
She flipped open the jacket to show me her Colt .45 with the ivory grips, in an upside-down shoulder holster under her left arm, with her ivory handled sheathe knife upside down under her right arm.
“Jesus, love. When I said distracting, I meant HIM!”
Aoife laughed and asked, “If I blow you just before the meeting?”
“No, you just made it worse.”
Elias and Maeve interrupted to bring Aoife up to date on what we discussed. She concurred. Aoife had a simple solution. “If he attempts a probe, I will cut out his heart and stuff it down his throat.”
“That’s better. I’m not distracted now.”
Aoife looked over the tops of her sunglasses. She laughed and said, “Does my Champion need a hug? A kiss? Anything at all?”
I replied, “Yes. All of the above. BUT, I need to dress.”
“Oh, goody. Can I help?”
“No, you sit down. I’ll never get dressed at this rate.”
I turned to Elias. “Thank you Elias. You have much to do. I have kept you far too long.”
He replied, “I am happy to serve. Do not hesitate. You must be prepared for the meeting.”
With that, he took his leave.
I found my Pro Rodeo Wrangler boot cut jeans, and a long sleeved Chambray shirt. I pulled on my comfortable boots. Aoife handed me my .45 Auto. I tucked it in my belt in back, over my right hip. She handed me my ivory handled knife, the twin to hers. I tucked that in my belt in the middle of my back.
I turned to Maeve. “Can you summon Christy to my office?”
“Certainly, Champion. Immediately.”
“By the way. Where IS my office?”
Aoife answered, “Next room.”
She led the way out of my bedroom and into the next room. She swung open the door to reveal a large oak desk with a very nice ergonomic chair behind it. The computer, flat screen monitor, and keyboard were in a cabinet along the wall perpendicular to the desk, accessible by spinning the chair sideways. Three more ergonomic chairs faced the desk. The walk-in closet that was the mirror of the one in my bedroom held file cabinets, shelves, a safe, and a large gun vault.
One corner of the office held a conversation area with leather furniture, including a sofa and three chairs surrounding a coffee table. In the other corner was a small square oak dining table, with four comfortable matching oak chairs. Looking at the desk, I saw my Rolodex and several other personal items, indicating that some care had been taken in the move.
Aoife said, “If we missed or forgot anything, I will fetch it immediately.”
“No, Aoife. It looks fine. If it’s not here, I probably don’t need it.”
I went behind the desk. I sat in the chair, and spent a few minutes adjusting it to my taste. There were a dozen different controls to play with. I stopped, and began making notes on a yellow legal pad. Aoife relaxed. She went to the dining room table, and poured me a cup of coffee. She set the coffee cup on the desk. Then she sat down at the dining room table.
Christy arrived as I completed my third set of notes. Janice was right behind her.
“Hello ladies. I am ready to order some customized vehicles. Will that be a problem?”
Janice replied, “Order them. Christy will arrange an immediate wire transfer before you hang up.”
“These are REALLY expensive!”
Christy answered, “Champion, if they cost a million each and you want a hundred of them, it’s practically petty cash!”
I must have looked shocked. Janice said, “Serious, Champion. Do not worry about money. Order what we need.”
“Cool.”
I picked up the phone and called Premiere Custom Trucks and Trailers. Glenn, the owner, answered the phone. He recognized my voice immediately. “Hey, Poker Dude. What’s up? You enjoying my money? When you coming down to let me win some back?”
“Glenn, I want to let you earn some back. I want you to trick up some trucks for me.”
“That sounds like fun. You need a bid?”
“Glenn, how do you feel about cost plus? I trust you and I like your work.”
“I’m happy to build you a truck and do it cost plus.”
“Actually several trucks.”
“I’ll get my pad.”
“Ready?”
“Shoot.”
“Two GMC 3500 Crew cabs with dual rear wheels. Both with ‘Highwayman’ tow body/service body for fifth wheel trailer towing. Crew cab with four full doors with buckets in front and bench back. Highway electronics includes Onstar, phone, GPS, DVD player, satellite radio, X-box, etc. Full towing package, including two batteries with the eight-cylinder diesel with the five-speed automatic with overdrive. Add a generator and air compressor.”
“Fuel?”
“Add 100 gallon saddle tanks which feed generators as well.”
“With you so far.”
“Trick and tune to your hearts content. I want a custom-custom!”
“Got it!”
“I need two fifth wheel cargo trailers.”
“Okay.”
“Thirty foot trailer, with steel frame and tandem wheels. Heavy loads, so it needs to be solid.”
“Got it.”
“Two more same pick-ups with standard box. Set up with fifth wheel tow kit. Snow plows on these. Have fun with these as well.”
“Okay.”
“Fifth wheel Trailers. Three each. Gooseneck flat bed for hauling equipment. Goose neck for hauling twenty and forty foot shipping containers.”
“Okay.”
“Two Cadillac Escalades. Tricked and tuned.”
“Okay.”
“Have you got all of this, Glenn?”
“Yes, poker buddy but I was wondering --?”
“Have no fear. The next voice you hear will be a person arranging a wire transfer to your bank.”
“Thank you, this is too cool.”
“Hey Glenn, have you got any repos or non-deliveries?”
“Yes, I have a very nice four wheel drive with a flat diamond steel bed body set up as a pipe liner with a Lincoln welder. He ordered it with tig, mig and plasma arc. It has a full oxy-acetylene set up mounted as well. With tool boxes and even a machinist vise.”
“Good, add it to my order. Anything else?”
“Good God, you are giving me a woody!”
“That was certainly more than I needed to know. Just tell me about trucks.”
“H1 HumVee. Full tilt off road. We added compressors, generators, GPS, and even more skid plates. More fuel tanks even a drinking water tank with a filter system. Bigger, more aggressive tires, the entire package. This guy was serious down to the trailer to take this critter to the wilderness.”
“How come it’s still there?”
“Divorce.”
“His loss, my gain. Add it to my order.”
There was a definite quiver as he asked, “Anything else?”
“Yea, any more repos?”
“Last two. A custom tow truck. Designed for large trucks, built on a Peterbilt chassis. The hoist is more of a hydro crane. 360-degree swing and forty-foot stick. Designed to pick up a tractor and the full trailer. Then a custom car transporter with Peterbuilt cab-over chassis and long tilting bed.”
“Never mind the long explanation. I want them as well.”
“Thank you. Good god. They were starting to affect my cash flow.”
“Don’t worry. Just be reasonable and we’ll be fine.”
“Thank you. Poker buddy, can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot?”
“You coming back to play soon?”
“No, likely not for a long time.”
“Sorry to hear that. You were always a gentleman. Not like that asshole Moose!”
“Glenn, I want you to listen carefully. First, you have got to stop wearing that signet ring when you play poker. It is a massive ‘tell’. I always knew when you were bluffing, so does Moose. Second, Moose always picks up his cards and studies them through out the game. He picks them up with his left hand. Now the important fact for you is that he reaches up with his right hand and adjusts his eyeglasses when he sees a really good hand. When Moose has the “nuts” his right hand adjusts his bifocals. Have you got that, Glenn?”
“Thank you. How can I ever repay you?”
“Just do a good job on these trucks. I need the Highwayman with the thirty foot cargo trailer yesterday.”
“I’m on it.”
“Now Christy will give you the info for the wire transfer. Hold on.”
Christy stepped around the desk. Glenn gave her a very rough estimate. Christy made the first wire transfer. While she was busy, I took the opportunity to slide her shorts down to her ankles. Then I rubbed and caressed her ass and legs.
When the call was completed Christy turned around. She kicked one foot loose and then straddled my legs. She leaned in and gave me a kiss. She pulled back and said, “Anything else?”
“Yep, I have two more lists. I want you to order the equipment for delivery to one of the factories at our industrial park. The trucks go there too.”
I handed her the lists. She scanned them quickly. Christy passed the lists to Janice as she went back to kissing me. Janice interrupted, “What’s a ‘lull’?”
“Industrial fork lift. You see them on construction projects.”
“Got it.”
Christy asked, “When?”
“Yesterday, this is honestly a rush.”
Christy and Janice both snickered. Janice said, “They’re all --.”
“Yea, I know. Sorry. Do the best you can.”
Aoife pointedly looked at the clock. I said, “I’m late.”
I stood up and kissed Christy. Then I threw my arms around Janice and kissed
her.
“I love you both. Thank you.”
Aoife took my arm and began moving me toward the door. Christy said, “Get out of here. We have work to do.”
Aoife led me to the stairs. My legs were much better today. I went down with no problems. Aoife remained vigilant to catch me if I stumbled.
We walked into the temporary hospital room that had become a permanent clinic and treatment center. Camelia and Micaela, our twin nurses in their light green scrubs, greeted me warmly as soon as I entered the room.
I quickly had both blondes hugging me. They alternated kissing me. They slowly moved me to the hospital bed. Camelia had me sit on the side of the bed with my feet dangling.
Micaela said, “We’re supposed to undress you for a complete physical today.”
“Okay. Go ahead. Being undressed by two incredibly beautiful women is hardly punishment.”
They both blushed and smiled prettily as my words registered. Aoife walked behind me to collect my knife and pistol. She leaned over and licked my ear. She said, “Did you say you wanted some punishment?”
I turned to see her smirk as I said, “No I said I wanted to punish ill-behaved woman warriors. Do you know any?”
Aoife laughed throatily and stepped back. She returned to her chair against the wall. From her vantage she could watch the room and its doorways. There was a Benelli M4 12 gauge shotgun leaning against the wall, next to her chair.
I stood up, and the twin nurses quickly had me naked. They stayed close to me, taking every opportunity to touch and kiss me. They had me lie back on the bed, as they took my vitals in preparation for my exam.
Doctors Erickson and Harkin entered the room. They were in good spirits despite the past days events or perhaps because of the positive outcome. Dr. Helen Erickson spoke first. “Thank you for a very interesting evening, Champion.”
Dr. Elizabeth Harkin nodded, saying, “Interesting, I think, covers it.”
I asked, “Casualties?”
Helen answered, “Very light. We were extremely lucky. A couple minor glass cuts. One burn from a hot gun barrel. One graze burn from an energy bolt.”
Elizabeth added, “We had to give some tranquilizers and sedatives to some nervous non-combatants.”
Helen laughed. “I took mine first.”
I replied, “Don’t apologize for that. You’re just admitting what we all were feeling.”
I reached up and gave Helen a hug. Elizabeth nodded. She said, “Don’t let him kid you. He was scared shitless. He just gets paid to hide it!”
I laughed and nodded. They began the exam. They were gently removing any bandages.
They prodded and pummeled me as they checked my condition. During it all, I felt warm fingers in contact with my cock and balls. At the end, it was Dr. Harkin who was lightly stroking my hard cock as they conferred in soft tones next to the bed.
My medical team turned back to me wreathed in smiles. Dr. Harkin relinquished her hold on my cock. Camelia immediately replaced her, holding me with a light touch.
Dr. Erickson gave me the good news that my body was completely recovered from the gunshot and the stabbing. There was no nerve or other long-term damage. I could expect some weakness until I exercised the muscles back into shape. My stamina might also need some time to come back to normal. Overall they termed it a remarkable recovery from an uncooperative patient.
I said, “I’m not.”
Elizabeth said, “Don’t even try to say you weren’t a pain in the ass to treat.”
I had to laugh as I said, “Okay. I am, and you four did a great job in making me well.”
Helen said, “With help from the mages of Atlantis. I’m looking forward to more mixing of magic and medicine. Frankly I hope never to see another HMO form as long as I live.”
Dr. Harkin nodded emphatically in agreement. She asked, “Any pain this morning?”
I replied, “No, love, I’m fine.”
She said, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you have any problems. Adhesions or other issues could be painful, especially at night. We don’t know why, but pain is always more prevalent after dark.”
I smiled and said, “Yes, dear. I’ll get help. Promise.”
She smiled and said, “Good. I’m at the planning meeting this morning as well. So if you don’t have any questions, you need to get dressed and get back to work.”
With that Dr. Elizabeth Harkin leaned over and gave me a thorough kiss with her tongue playing deep in my mouth. Dr. Helen Erickson followed that with a kiss of her own. She said, “We’ll finish this at the party tonight, now that you’re well.”
The doctors left the room. Camelia and Micaela quickly had me turned with my feet dangling off the bed. Camelia quickly stepped between my legs. She gracefully bent at the waist and sucked the head of my hardened cock into her mouth. With the stimulation of constant manipulation, I was fully aroused. Her sister Micaela leaned forward to kiss me. Micaela dragged her lips down my body, and sucked my left nipple into her mouth, in time with Camelia’s rhythm sucking me. I quickly spasmed into her mouth, at the same time the blonde twin sisters orgasmed. Micaela and Camelia kissed deeply, sharing my spending back and forth until it was gone.
Camelia and Micaela both kissed me, helping me to my feet. Camelia assisted my dressing, while Micaela continued to kiss me. I was finally ready to go. Aoife restored my .45 Auto and my knife. I was set for my meeting.
I walked out of the Atlantean clinic through the dining room and into the kitchen. Aurelia and Berit, Queen Isobel’s attendants were busy preparing a meal. Blue and Green, my slaves, acted as waitresses serving the people at the large kitchen table.
Aoife and I sat down joining Michael Brady, Kathleen his wife, her sister Eileen and of course Flame. They were taking a break from cataloging the personal effects of our attackers.
The meal was served family style with large plates and bowls of food placed on the table. We took our individual portions from them. A delicious, very filling meal. I made sure that the people responsible were complimented before we left the room. That meant kisses and hugs for all.
Aurelia showed me her newest acquisition, a full size espresso machine. I looked around the counter tops in ‘Aurelia’s’ kitchen, and began to suspect that she had developed a close and loving relationship with the folks at QVC. I bet they recognized her voice when Aurelia called in her order!
Aurelia demonstrated her newest skill by making a large espresso, putting it in an insulated cup for my meeting.
Carrying my cup I left the kitchen and headed for the meeting. Back in the dining room, I found Cynthia, Aintzane, Paige and Claire. Claire and Paige were now dressed in short skirts, with spaghetti strap crop tops.
Cynthia was juggling three shimmering transparent balls about the size of tennis balls. She saw me and tossed them at me as they reached the bottom of her cascade. The balls disappeared with a ‘pop’ about halfway to me. Cynthia said, “Isn’t that cool? Claire is teaching me to juggle.”
I looked at Claire in inquiry. She smiled happily and did a little pass with her right hand. She had four of the shimmering tennis balls between her fingers. She began to toss them and quickly had a fountain of balls. She dropped them abruptly and they popped before reaching the floor.
We applauded. I tried to look serious as I said, “I suspected trouble just as soon as I saw the four of you together. Juggling seems benign.”
They laughed and Cynthia said, “You need a little bit of ‘trouble’ in your life, Champion. At least our kind of trouble.”
Paige smirked and said, “Champion, some of us are obedient and following your instructions.”
With that she flipped up the front of her skirt to display her lack of underwear. Claire reached between her sister’s legs with her right forefinger. After rubbing it at the juncture of Paige’s legs, Claire sucked it into her mouth. All four of the girls regarded me smiling silently after this little display. Aoife was laughing. I said, “The first ten minutes of the meeting are shot to hell while I try to get over THAT!”
Now the four young ladies were giggling. Cynthia said, “Tonight we’ll help you get over THAT.”
Christy appeared to corral us for the meeting.
We entered the large conference room. Christy had modified the room up to her standards. Ergonomic chairs surrounded the rectangular conference table. Dry erase white boards and corkboards covered the walls. A large pull down projection screen on one end had both an overhead and multi-media projector on stands beside it.
Table tents with names were in front of each chair. Yellow legal pads with pens and pencils were at each place. Pitchers of water and glasses were distributed on several silver trays. Coffee and juices were set up on a small adjacent table.
My place was at one end and Queen Isobel was at the other. As I was taking a few moments to get oriented I noticed that Taylor Miles was sitting with Cath. I greeted them both. Taylor was dressed simply in a pair of Levis and a man’s work shirt knotted under her breasts.
Taylor rose gracefully and came to me. She hugged me hard pressing her body against me as if trying to get inside me. She looked up at me and whispered, “Thank you.”
She kissed me softly, released me, and sat down again with Cath. I wasn’t sure exactly what I was being thanked for, but I was certainly willing to be thanked just like that anytime lovely Taylor wanted.
I sat down in my assigned place, and began adjusting controls on my seat. Aoife sat behind my right shoulder. General Ulysses, her father, sat at the table on my right with his paramour Agronna behind him on his right. Both were dressed in urban camouflage.
Ulysses smiled and greeted his daughter warmly. At the other end of the table Queen Isobel, wearing a tailored set of urban camouflage BDU’s, sat down with a wide smile and a kiss blown to me. Enoch, her senior advisor, sat at her right. The rest of the Atlantis kitchen cabinet quickly filled in, with Elias claiming the spot on my immediate left.
Isobel clapped once for attention, and began the meeting with a report from Enoch summarizing the aftermath of the actions against us. Dr. Harkin reported on injuries.
The action quickly moved to Ulysses discussing current readiness and preventing future surprise attacks. Elias was called on to explain efforts to identify possible threats.
I was well pleased. They both had the situation more than adequately covered. I said so. I had a question. “Do you have enough troops to defend us? Is it time to bring a few more out of the electric realm?”
Elias and Ulysses began chatting about how many people would be needed to continue the increased level of readiness and defense. I looked up. Isobel was sitting attentively waiting for a break to reassert control. Enoch cleared his throat and Isobel clapped for attention.
Enoch said, “There is a complicating factor which was not present before. Several of our citizens have decided that they will not leave the electric realm.”
That was quite a little surprise and I asked for an explanation. Enoch continued, “When offered the opportunity to return to flesh and blood, they refused. These citizens told us that they would prefer to live without aging or any of the problems inherent in a corporeal body. This is especially true now that the crystals are in the care of a champion who they are confident will protect their crystal home.”
Cath asked, “Is this widespread?”
Enoch said, “We don’t know. We were surprised by it.”
Isobel said, “It is their right to chose.”
I asked, “Does this affect troop deployment?”
Ulysses answered, “No, there are ample troops of both my and Elias’ command who have asked for release from the crystal home.”
Isobel looked at me, I nodded and she proceeded to say, “Then I direct our protectors to augment our troops slowly, with due consideration of our living arrangements, bringing them and any companions into our family.”
I said, “I just had a really off-the-wall idea. Have we ever contemplated building down instead of up?”
Isobel gestured for me to continue. I said, “Many of our military installations involve extensive underground installations. Have we thought about digging under our two houses down 50, 60 even 100 feet and making chambers and rooms any size that we need for our people, with nobody on the surface the wiser?”
There was an excited buzz as they started to discuss the idea in side conversations around the table. Isobel interrupted to take control again; she said, “Not so far-fetched, Champion. When our homelands were coming under increasing attack because of our wealth and technology, our coastal villages hid their ‘best’ in just such underground chambers, accessible only from hidden entrances.”
Agronna spoke up. “In my home village on our eastern coast, even the open-air market was transferred underground into vast caverns which our magicians had excavated. There were only a few rude huts marking the location of a large prosperous underground community.”
I said, “I had another reason, as well. I want an entry across the road into the drainage area. That is too important to our defense to leave to chance that we can reach that.”
Ulysses nodded as he answered, “Good point, we need additional ‘sally ports.’”
Several of the modern members looked confused. I said, “Think of castles under siege. They had a small entrance called a ‘postern gate’ used to make the counter attacks to disrupt the siege. Those attacks were called a ‘sally,’ so the ‘sally port’ is to keep us from being bottled up by a siege.”
Now there were nods of comprehension around the table. Ulysses smiled at me and nodded his appreciation at my explanation. I continued, “I’d like some action with the northern property of Dr. Erickson if she is in agreement as well, including undermining. High priority to quickly install a teleportation site.”
Elias was writing and nodding as I was speaking.
Janice said, “We need to decide if we wish to retain or sell my former house. All my possessions are Champion’s, and it is his decision.”
I answered, “I don’t wish to move too fast. Let our experts decide if it is a help or hindrance to our defense. If not helpful, we find a realtor, take control, and have her sell it.”
Several at the table hooted and everybody laughed. Cynthia said, “Her, champion? Have we already chosen a realtor with a large breasts?”
I stopped and then I had to laugh. I said, “No, my Lolita, I was just talking, and said the first thing that popped in to my head.”
Taylor said, “We may as well help him pick one because we will need to sell our old Miles home. I don’t intend to spend another second of my life in that hell hole.”
We all made sympathetic noises at that sentiment. Christy spoke for all of us when she told them they were all part of our family and had a place here.
I said, “Speaking of family, I have another note. Identification. How do we get everybody modern ID before the authorities swoop in and create an unsolvable problem.”
Claire said, “You’re just lucky Dalton hasn’t thought to engage the government in his dispute, or you’d be in a world of hurt.”
Janice said, “Everybody needs a birth certificate just to start with, and then a social security card, and maybe a good sprinkling of drivers licenses.”
I said, “Okay, this is just thinking out loud, so don’t think this is chiseled in stone. We are a cult! We worship crystals and we study the wisdom of ancient Atlantis. We dress in robes, share our property, and all live together in a community. We don’t like government or institutions -- we want to be left alone!”
Isobel asked, “Isn’t that just too close to the truth?”
Cynthia said, “No, I think it’s perfect. Just close enough so that any slip or information somebody digs up will support the cover story. That explains any lack of documentation or records, plus we seem wacky. Just another harmless cult filled with mindless people.” She looked around. “Sorry, no offense.”
Enoch said, “None taken. There are many such cults?”
Christy said, “Yes, we just have to be careful to keep the weaponry under cover. That would trigger alarm bells.”
Queen Isobel asked, “Back to identity issues, who is our expert on getting these documents?”
Janice raised her hand and said, “But I will need much magical help. This is a delicate process where I back date documents and put them in closed files of county seats across the state. I need a sneaky mage with the instincts of a burglar.”
Elias gestured to his assistant. “Dalibor is your man. Dalibor and his wife Elisaveta are assigned to this task and no other, with this being highest priority. Use any and all resources.”
Dalibor nodded. He waved at Janice in acknowledgement.
Ulysses said, “That cult story could be useful. I need people outside the house to deal with threats before they reach our doors. If they are in their monk robes, will they support this story?”
Dr. Harkin nodded. “Yes. That would be typical with robes of one kind or another. This would also help Helen and I -- we quit our respective jobs abruptly and there are questions. Joining a cult, especially a ‘healing with crystals’ cult, would look like we overworked ourselves and had a breakdown. People would lose interest with no mystery.”
Cynthia spoke. “That raises another issue, schooling. We need to figure out schools before that attracts the bad guys. Aintzane needs her identification soonest and then all four of us need to pick out a school.”
I asked, “Home schooling?”
She replied, “Maybe, it might be more pain and scrutiny though.”
Isobel interrupted. “Who helps us refine the Cult of Atlantis story?’
Taylor raised her hand. “We will need that cover story quickly. There will be questions for us.”
Cynthia, Enoch, Paige and Claire joined Taylor. Helen and Elizabeth said they would connect as well.
Isobel asked, “Who works with the schooling issue?” Cath and Cynthia raised their hands.
Isobel nodded as she asked, “Anything else?”
I said, “I wish to travel to Nevada soonest to review defenses. We need to talk about teleportation and even an underground Atlantis there as well.”
Cynthia asked, “Who will accompany you to Nevada?”
I answered, “Nobody. We need all of you here to defend our home. Rock stars have entourages! I just want to fly there, visit and fly home.”
Cynthia shook her head, unconvinced, and I did not even have to turn to know that my warrior bodyguard Aoife would have a disapproving look on her face.
I asked, “My Queen, by your leave, Aoife and I need to be excused to keep an appointment with Dalton Bixby.”
There was a brisk little firestorm at my announcement. Cynthia led the faction that wanted me to cancel. Claire wanted me to go and kill Dalton without a meeting. Isobel saw that I was adamant. She stopped discussion, and asked Ulysses if we were at full alert until our return.
He answered, “Yes, my Queen, we will not be surprised.”
Isobel held my eyes as she said, “Then go, and come back to me safely.”
Aoife and I stood up and left the meeting. Cynthia followed us out. I went through the living room, to pick up a jacket from the front hall closet. I grabbed a short, soft leather jacket.
Cynthia joined us in the front hallway. She turned me, pulling my .45 auto out of my belt. She held a Smith and Wesson model 640 stainless steel hammerless Chiefs Special revolver in 357 magnum. She handed me five loose rounds for the first load as she said:
“Those are Silvertip plus P plus loads. It will be vicious when you touch one off but guaranteed to put your target down. Don’t be afraid to ruin your jacket.”
The gun went in my left jacket pocket. A speed loader and my sheath knife went into an inside jacket pocket. Last, she handed me my Buck folder. I dropped it in my right jacket pocket.
Cynthia stood on her tiptoes as she grabbed my head and kissed me. She handed me keys to the pick up and said, “Don’t be stupid, and get your ass back here to me.”
Aoife and I walked out. We climbed into my pick up truck to drive downtown for our meeting. As I was navigating the busy streets heading for the freeway we had a little ‘incident.’
As I pulled up to the busy intersection I was in the left lane, with the left turn lane with an arrow signal next to me. A car stopped in my lane with his left blinker on and blocked me. It was a Cadillac turned into a low rider, complete with narrow tires and their spinning chrome hubcaps.
The passengers were hanging out the windows gesturing at the elderly lady in the left turn lane, intimidating her into making a space. In the process I missed my green light. I turned to Aoife and said, “What’s the point of being the Champion of Atlantis is you can’t punish the rude people of the world?”
Next I contacted Grid and said, “Grid, you see that black Cadillac? I want you to get inside the engine compartment and under the dashboard. Find every control, switch, wire, and electrical component. On my signal I want you to overload and burn out everything.”
There was short pause and Grid announced that she was ready. The left arrow turned green and the line of cars started. The Cadillac was full of laughter at cutting the line so effectively. When that car was fully in the intersection and starting to turn I said:
“Now, Grid.”
The car stopped with a flare of exterior lights. Our signal turned green and as we moved through the intersection I saw a satisfying amount of smoke from their dashboard as they bailed out of their ‘ride.’ I said, “Good job, Grid.”
Aoife asked, “Feeling better?”
At my nod she laughed and subsided into silence. We parked in surface parking lot downtown. Even a powerful wizard can’t fix downtown traffic and parking, there ain’t enough magic in the world!
We walked a block then I led the way through an alley between buildings. We walked slowly, keeping a vigilant posture. We turned right and half a block into the Starbuck’s on the first floor of the office building across from the big merged conglomerate Bank. I ordered a coffee for my warrior and a latte for me. Aoife had picked out a stand up table in the farthest corner. Now came the tough part. We waited.
Aoife touched my arm as Rev. Dalton and Abigayle Bixby entered Starbuck’s. Dalton was impeccably dressed in a suit, with his London Fog Raincoat over his arm. Abigayle, his breathtaking blonde wife, could not have been more inappropriately dressed, especially given the chilly weather outside. She had only a thin spaghetti strap sundress with high heel slip on sandals. If she was eye candy for me it was a failure. I only had eyes for Dalton.
Dalton stepped up and immediately started blustering about the ‘gadget’ he wanted back, and threatened us with grievous bodily harm unless we returned it. Then he said, “You tell Janice that she can’t hide forever.”
It took all of my poker face experience not to react. If he thought we were all with Janice then he had no idea about the whole Atlantis situation. Then he asked, “Where is Janice?”
I replied, “Nervous. You trying to kill her put her off.”
Dalton laughed. He was leaning on the table trying to move into my space. I stood up and balanced on my feet. Aoife was also up straight and covering Abigayle.
I felt the tingle of Dalton’s probe. I pushed forward with my right hand. Dalton grimaced and grabbed the tabletop. I relaxed my hand and reached into my right jacket pocket. Dalton was in pain with his right hand splayed on the tabletop for support.
As the Buck knife came out of my pocket, I hooked my thumbnail in the blade and flipped it open. I rolled the knife so the edge was forward. I brought it down sharply into the front edge of the web of skin between his thumb and forefinger.
Dalton jumped back with his hand held to his mouth sucking on the cut. I said:
“Dalton. Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me.”
Dalton looked daggers at me. I said, “Meeting over. You broke the rules. Get out of my sight. We’re keeping Abigayle.”
Dalton held his handkerchief on the cut as he shrugged into his jacket. He walked out without a backward glance. Aoife softly said, “Too easy.”
“Yes, love, it was. We need to be gone right now.”
I turned to Abigayle and asked, “He gave you up quickly, why?”
She answered, “Leeza, his latest vocalist, is the new love of his life. I have been discarded.”
That was not good news. She was being left with us to die in whatever ambush Dalton had planned for us. We quickly were out the door. I still had my latte. Aoife gestured and I answered, “Four dollars. I’ll be goddamned if I’m leaving it behind.”
Even Abigayle managed a smile at that. We reached the alley entrance and started in.
Grid said, “Stop. We have four people shrouded by amulets.”
I gestured with four fingers to Aoife. She nodded. There was no cover. I pushed Abigayle down by a door set flush in the wall, next to a loading dock with a steel roll up door. The only projection into the alley were the two small rubber stops made from cut up tires bolted to dock frame.
Just a few feet further the alley opened into a cross as the building footprints changed. Grid identified one assailant on each side standing back in that open area with two further down behind the dumpsters.
I drew my revolver, transferring it to my right hand. I made a magic flash/bang ball with my left. Aoife drew her knife. I flipped the ball around the corner. When it triggered with its loud noise and blinding light I stepped around and shot the stunned figure in the mouth. His brains decorated the wall behind him. Aoife drove her knife up under the chin through the soft palate and into the brain of her guy. She grabbed his HK MP-5K as he fell.
The figures behind the dumpsters joined the party. I called for Stick and he bounced into my right hand. I pointed at the one behind the dumpster on the left and said, “Bang.”
Stick blew a hole through both sides of the heavy dumpster and through the figure behind it. His partner stood up. I pointed and said, “Bang.”
His headless corpse was flopping on the ground behind the dumpster on the right. Aoife grabbed Abigayle. I said, “All that noise will draw a crowd. Stick, get that door open. Grid, find the stairway to the roof hatch. We can’t go back to the truck; we need to find alternate transportation. Move it.”