A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 06

"That is a diplomatic seal," I told her and she nodded. "These don't get x-rayed or searched. Can you guess what's inside?"

"A weapon," she whispered. "Are you going to kill me now?"

"I was," I said as I handed the case back. "That was before I learned that the Silver King was a crazed bitch that had been through so much for so long."

"Does that mean you are going to set me free?" She asked smiling.

"No... I cannot forgive or condone your actions," I said. "You sold women from all over the world as if they were animals. You tore them from their families, tattooed and branded them like cattle... and you poisoned my cousin."

"I never branded anyone," she snapped. "Tattooed yes, but I never branded anyone that I swear."

"If you didn't, then who the fuck did?" I asked and she smiled even wider.

"Wouldn't you like to know," she laughed. "Now for a price... wait... what are you doing?"

I tore the information from her thoughts. I was not gentle and she felt every neuron that I scanned and she screamed by the time I had all the information I required. Those watching only saw Shu flinch and try to fight the twins as they held her in place. I just stared at her as I raped her mind. If I let her go she would just do this to someone else. But if I took the pistol from the case and shot her, it would cold blooded murder. I've never killed anyone before. I couldn't do it. I am not a murderer. But there was something I could do. It was tantamount to murder but she would technically be alive.

"Leave the room," I said to everyone. "That includes you two. This won't take long, wait for me outside and close the door behind you."

Shu knelt on the floor pleading for her life. The room emptied quickly and the dull clang of the double doors closing was final and sealed her fate. I told Jeannie what I required from her and she was apprehensive at first.

"Can you do it or not," I asked and Shu looked up puzzled and afraid.

"Yes Warren I can do it," Jeannie replied. "Copying files to back up crystal."

"Good," I said as I opened the new wrist device on my left arm. "This is a data crystal for an artificial personality." I told Shu as I plucked one of the three crystals from the watch-like device. "The technology is based off of ancient science that has been forgotten for a very long time." I said as I grabbed her by the hair. "This particular crystal houses a copy of an A.I. named Jeannie. I am going to drive this crystal into your skull. Then I am going to liquefy said crystal and allow it to infiltrate all of your brain's higher and lower functions. That will in effect erase you from existence. I just hate to see such a gorgeous creature such as you go to waste."

"Kill me... for the love of god, just fucking kill me!" Shu begged.

"I wonder how many of the women you sold have said the same damn thing," I said as I thrust the crystal into her skull with a soft crunch. "This won't take long."

I sent the mana into the crystal as a thin line of blood trickled down her face. Shu fought me for the first few minutes but as the crystalline poison coursed through her brain her entire life was deleted one memory at a time. As the minutes passed the process sped up, more and more of the glittering nanites were created and spread to ever corner of her mind. I watched as the tears streamed down her face. There were subtle hints as Shu faded away. Her once keen stare became a blank unblinking gaze. Her mouth opened by no words escaped. I watched as the light went out and there was nothing of the Silver King left. Then she blinked and her lips began to move slowly. The tears stopped and I licked them away.

The minutes ticked by as the empty expression faded and a childlike fascination took hold. Her eyes looked left and then right. She blinked and took in a deep breath. A small smile spread over her lips and she shivered. I glanced down and saw that her nipples were erect from the chilly atmosphere. I looked over her shoulder and saw that her fingers then toes began to wiggle.

"I'm alive... I am alive, Warren," Jeannie said as tears flowed down her cheeks again.

"Well done my boy," Loki's voice echoed in the chamber. "I knew you had it in you."

I spun to see the divine perfection that was Loki Sutekh sitting in Tsun's high backed seat. She was as glorious as ever and her eyes twinkled with star light as she looked at me. I gestured and the cuffs fell from Jeannie's wrists with a metallic clang on the stone floor. Jeannie remained prone on the floor while I stood up.

"What do you think of my solution," I asked the Trickster god.

"I approve," she grinned. "Clever, ruthless and justified, she was a monster that needed slaying. What now?"

"I don't know. I will stay to see if Tsun is going to be okay I guess."

"He will make a full recovery," Loki said. "He is Family after all. What about the twins? Are you going to bring them home with you? You broke them after all. No other man's cock will satisfy them now."

There was something about the way she said cock that had me stiff despite the situation. I smiled and thought of how Willow would react to three more women in the house. How would I feel if she brought home three guys?

"Tut-tut... is that the way for the Primarch of the Family to be thinking? You are the conquering hero. You just destroyed a multinational slavery ring. Don't you deserve a reward?"

"I suppose," I said as I felt Jeannie's tits press against my back. "About these nightmares..."

"Soon Warren my pet soon," Loki smiled weakly. "Enjoy yourself while you can my Red Bishop. War is coming and it will be like nothing this world has ever seen. Take your trophies and savor them."

Between the blink of an eye she was gone. Loki Sutekh vanished and left me with a newborn Jeannie and a thousand questions. I turned to face her and she kissed me as her arms slipped around my neck. As her tongue invaded my mouth I wondered at the political correctness of fucking her here in my cousin's estate with him fighting for his life. I was about to say something when Jeannie stopped and pulled back a little.

"We still share a connection Warren," she purred in my ear. "I coexist in this wondrous gift you have bestowed as well as in here." She said tapping the side of my head. "I can wait until the flight home. Then boyo you are mine!"

"Agreed," I said smiling. "Now let's get you dressed and see if we can find a passport."

It took Jeannie a few minutes to get used to walking. She had never done it before. I watched as she looked at everything. Sniffed the air and touched me everywhere. She frowned a few times when we entered darkened passageways. We stopped and she closed her eyes. A few minutes went by and then she opened her eyes again.

"Much better," she said and I looked at her.

"Your eyes," I said noticing that the once mahogany shade was gone and replaced with a gleaming silvery blue color.

"I tweaked them," Jeannie replied. "I am so used to seeing from your eyes that I felt inadequate. By the time we are home I will have finished tweaking all of my biological systems."

"Not too much," I said in warning.

"Agreed," she giggled. "We are almost to Shu's apartment."

It was a series of interconnected rooms that Tsun's former wife occupied when her husband was busy. He had lavished her with the finest things. What he didn't know was that Shu had added a few things since she moved in. Some of those things were hidden wall safes and one secret chamber. Jeannie knew where all of these things were. She revealed the three safes and opened them. One was a treasure trove of false identities and various stacks of different currency. A second was an emergency evacuation kit that held an American passport and two million dollars' worth of Bearer Bonds. The third safe held jewelry and large cut stones adding up to another two million or more.

Jeannie opened up and disarmed the security within the hidden chamber. This held stolen art and artifacts from all over the world. I saw things that could only come from the ransacking of Bagdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein. I hated to admit it but many of these objects had me scratching my head. But there was one thing I did recognize instantly but couldn't rationalize it. There at the very center of the room was a pharaoh's death mask and what looked like matching silver bracelets. Yes, the mask was wrought in gleaming silver. The other and most astounding part is that the image on the mask wasn't a pharaoh at all but the god Anubis. Why was the Jackal god here? Why the hell did he require a death mask?

"Jeannie," I asked and she lifted up her right hand and a violet beam shot from her palm and scanned the mask.

"I am detecting multiple layers of metal, alloys and metamaterials. This is no funerary mask Warren. It is some kind of device. Do you remember the object that Richard Sterling dug up in Egypt? The artifact they are calling a cold fusion device. I believe whoever crafted that device also fashioned these as well. Yes, the bracelets are also made of the same configuration of alloys."

"What do they do?" I asked and she shrugged. "I guess there is only one way of finding out."

"Be careful Warren," she said and I could feel her concern.

I walked over to the pedestal and took off my wrist device and tossed it to Jeannie. She caught it easily enough. I placed one of the large ornate bracelets on my left wrist but nothing happened. I shrugged and then unbuttoned the shirt sleeve and pulled up the material. The moment the bracelet touched my naked flesh it warmed to the touch and closed around my wrist. I looked for a seam or way of taking it off but there was nothing. I looked at Jeannie and she looked worried. I held up the mirror bright device to my face and looked it over. There were what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphs on the surface of the bracelet but they were tiny and carved with the precision of a laser.

"No guts, no glory," I said as I rolled up the other sleeve and slipped the other bracelet on.

It also sealed itself and showed no signs of even the tiniest of cracks. I wiggled my fingers and nothing happened. I looked at the mask and felt fear boil up from my stomach. I swallowed hard and took off my shirt. I hoped this was a good idea. What is the worse that could happen? An entire list of bad things scrolled past and I almost balked. This was my chance to take control of my destiny. If this device could offer me power then I could step off the chessboard once and for all. I thought of Willow and a fairly simplistic life with her. I snatched up the helm-like mask and placed it over my head. Its weight settled onto my shoulders and for a moment nothing happened. I was about to remove it when it awoke. There was no pain really but as it grafted itself to my flesh I felt dizzy and dropped to my knees.

I was staring at the floor when I came around. I looked at my hands and saw all six digits that was a good sign. Wait, the bracelets were gone and in their place a series of runic tattoos. I looked up at Jeannie and she was staring at me. Her expression was one of curiosity and uncertainty. I reached up and touched my face. What my fingers encountered was definitely not my face. It reminded me of my pet dog Schmitty and the soft furry coat he had. I rose to my feet quickly and looked around the room. There in the corner was an antique silver mirror. I raced over and looked at my reflection. The face as my fingers had warned me was not my own. It was the visage of the guardian of the dead, Anubis. The fur was the color of jet and when I opened my mouth to scream I saw the brilliant white teeth within. It was the scintillating scarlet eyes that were the most alarming. It was as if there were no eyes in those sockets but raw ruby power instead.

"Willow, I am so sorry," I said and lowered my head. "I just wanted the power to protect you."

"WARREN... look!" Jeannie cried out.

I looked up into the mirror again and there was my face. That handsome sometimes awkward face of mine, I was me again! I noticed the jackal glyph located over, what Jeannie told me later, was called the suprasternal notch. It is that crescent shaped spot between your two clavicles. All it took was a thought to change back. I took a deep breath and thought very hard, Jackal. The change was instant with so signs of alteration at all. I looked at my wrists and the silver bracelets were there as well. I looked around the room but didn't notice any change in light sensitivity or a dip or increase in my hearing or sense of smell. I shrugged and willed myself back to what passed for normal these days. I put my shirt back on and told Jeannie to get dressed and I would gather what valuables I thought worth taking.

I filled Shu's escape bag with the cut stones, jewelry, fake passports and the cash. You never knew when this sort of thing could come in handy. Jeannie returned wearing one of those silk Chinese dresses that zipped up the back, clung to cleavage and showed a lot of leg. The sapphire colored silk accentuated her eyes nicely and the flowery design was quite lovely. I zipped her up as she slipped on some matching flats and we were off. We strode out and I informed the guards that Tsun would make a full recovery. I was taking Shu into custody and would let the Family decide her fate. That was only a little lie.

Knowing that Tsun would recover was a huge relief to me as we returned to Uncle Chang's.

"Master Warren," the twins asked in a single voice. "What about us?"

"I don't understand the question," I said as we drove to Chang's.

"You aren't going to do that to us and then leave are you," Ting asked.

"Seriously, you broke us, both of us, beyond repair remember?" Ling added.

"Did I," I said and they nodded. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Take us with you," they pleaded. "We can serve you as protectors."

"Aw crap, mom and the others are going to flip," I said. "Fine... FINE... but be it on your own heads I say!"

The trio laughed in the back of the limo and I dreaded when the jet touched down. I glanced at the twins and then at Jeannie and something didn't jive. Hold on a second, why were they being so nice to her unless...

"Oh you little shits you," I growled. "You never left the room did you?"

"Nope, we saw the whole thing," Ling replied.

"That was fucking epic," Ting added with a flourish of hand gestures. "Defeat the bad guy without killing them, crazy cool."

"You had better get used to calling her Shu," Ling continued. "I am not sure your family would understand what you did. We do, don't get us wrong, we get it. But uh, we are trained killers and all."

"The doppelgangers are right," Jeannie said. "From now on call me Shu."

"So no more Jeannie at all," I asked and she nodded. "Okay, I guess... Shu it is."

Epilogue:

The Tower of the Raven is situated near the very center of the Maze but not the actual center. That honor belonged to the ethereal construct known as the House of Glass. It hovered at the very core of that extradimensional space and was home to the Arch Mage. It was this mysterious entity that ruled over the denizens of the Maze and passed final judgement on any infractions that were severe enough to warrant his attention. The House of Glass is fashioned of thousands of triangular pieces of translucent glass. These windows, as they are called, form a perfect pyramidal shape that houses among other things a portal to the infamous Black Library. The Arch Mage rarely appears in public but when he does a celebration usually ensues and the entire Maze is filled with music, dancing and a festive air.

The Arch Mage looked down from his lofty apartments and frowned. He wasn't the first man to hold the title of Arch Mage but he feared he just might be the last. Why now, he asked himself. Just a decade or two more and he would pass on his title. He had already narrowed it down to three possible candidates. They were all young and brash but damn it they all had such potential. He twisted his platinum ring of office around and around on his finger nervously. He could abdicate early and be on the other side of existence before the shit hit the fan. No, he couldn't, he was Arch Mage and that meant he had to take a stand and soon.

"God damned Thanatons," he cursed. "Why did you have to wake up at all?"

He turned away from the city below. The old man faced the creature held in place by unbreakable bonds and cringed as it incessantly recited the same words over and over again.

"The Thanatons are waking... the Thanatons are hungry..."

The blast of mystical energy reduced the man to ash. The Arch Mage snarled at the remains and spat on them.

"Yeah, I fucking know... I fucking know..."