Night Games Pt. 07

"Hotel, downtown, speeding all around. The AK-47's got the power in its barrel

to MOVE any mutha that gets in the way. Just another power machine on the freeway.

Riding with me is my MC homeboy. Knowing the rules ain't part of his program.

Finding the right way around this map might be pretty hard cause he's fucked on crack.

G -- GRAND THEFT AUTO! You gotta make a mark and move where you want to.

T -- THEFT! Determination! To steal what you can and run from the nation.

A -- HEY! What do you say? We automate the sequence and speed for my getaway.

Take it to the edge, there's nowhere to hide. And call up the boy, let's go for a joyride."

-Da Shootas, "Joyride" (Theme from the original "Grand Theft Auto.")

*

Helena Parker hid in one of the many conversation alcoves that dotted the halls of Castle Finzione while two palace guards passed. When they rounded the corner, she hefted the duffel bag she carried over her shoulder, being careful to keep the contents from clinking, and crept her way through the castle, heading for the Old War Room.

What had she been thinking? Getting engaged to a king. Ok, his official title was Count, but that was out of tradition. He was the ruler of this country and held absolute authority. He might as well be a king.

For the first time in her life, she hated what she was doing. How many times had she selected some rich asshole at a club, used her looks to get invited back to his place, used the Thing put him to sleep, and made off with whatever struck her fancy? That's how she and Julie had done things for two years as they partied their way across Europe. Before they'd had their fight and Julie left and she came here with Vincenzo. And why shouldn't she take a few things on the way out? Sometimes we all need something that presently belongs to someone else.

This felt different. Vincenzo was a good man who'd endured far too much badness in his life. He reminded her of both Troy and Propappou in so many ways. And now, the second woman in his long life that he'd loved enough to propose to was about to run off with his country's national treasures. It had been nothing to do the Thing to the guards on the vault. Vincenzo had told her that the tiara and scepter would be hers soon. She was just taking them a little early. And if the Count's crown also happened to fit in the bag, why not complete the collection? Helen was certain they were insured. And if not, Vincenzo was rich and the country was prosperous. They could afford to get new crown jewels.

She chuckled to herself about the idea again. "Contessa Helena de San Finzione." She'd practiced writing what was probably now not going to be her new name for days. And every time, she felt like a fraud. Partially because she'd felt like one since Vincenzo brought her to San Finzione almost six months ago, but also because the last time she'd practiced writing a new name, the name she'd been practicing had been Helena Medina. And that brought back memories of never getting to be her and left her feeling just as bad about herself as it did then. Lying and stealing had been always the way of Helen Parker's life. It was who she was. She and Vincenzo had talked about it. She'd known nothing else before meeting him. Why would she change once they put a tiara on her head?

But again, like Troy and Propappou, somehow it felt wrong to lie to Vincenzo. And she couldn't keep up the lie all the way to the altar and onto the throne next to his. True, she hadn't done the Thing to him except in bed a few times, and that felt a little weird to her for some reason. Then she figured that it was because of all the things that reminded her of Propappou, making what she was doing now doubly wrong. And somehow a little painful.

Helen crossed the Grand Ballroom. The Old War Room was close by. Once in there, she could use that tunnel Vincenzo and Maria showed her to get out with her loot. Fuck, Maria. Helen thought of the young girl, barely a teenager, and how happy she'd been to share this family secret with the woman who was going to be her new Great-Grandmama. Maria loved how Helena made her Great-Grandpapa smile like she'd never seen before and had been excited to welcome her into La Familia Royale de San Finzione. Another heart she'd be breaking, but it was necessary. Helen was a criminal, not a queen. She'd have done something like this eventually. Better to do it before the two of them get too attached.

She reached the doors to the room. She liked this room and knew the doors scraped the floor whenever they were opened. She'd found it charming. Helen looked around to make certain no one was coming before doing so. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her. That was when she noticed that the lights in the room were on.

An antique conference table dominated the room. The table that the San Finziones of Old sat around to plot the deaths of their enemies. Seated at the head of the table, dressed in his custom-tailored, emerald green, royal silk pajamas; was Count Vincenzo Ramon de San Finzione. He looked her in the eyes. Helen saw no sign of the anger she'd have expected if his presence hadn't caught her by surprise.

"Helena, Fiamma Mia." The Count said to her. "I noticed you were out of bed."

Helen was stunned. She considered using the Thing to make him sleep or forget that he'd seen her but found herself unable to do that to Vincenzo.

"Hey, yeah." She said, trying to think up a decent lie for what she was doing. "I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd go for a walk; try to get a feel for just how big the castle is."

"And you got dressed." He remarked. "Perhaps you wanted to go out into the city. And you didn't want to wake Scappa at this hour, so you decided to use the secret entrance." Vincenzo sighed. "I used to entertain such thoughts. Put on different clothes, go to the Taverna, have a drink with The People and hear what they really think of me and the job I do for them. Sadly, I am too recognizable. I suppose that can happen when your face used to be on your country's money. Gone are the days when a ruler could rub dirt on his face, don on a moth-eaten cloak, pose as a beggar, and walk amongst the... heh... 'common folk.'"

Helen took the seat at the foot of the table, carefully setting the bag down at her feet and still holding onto the straps. Vincenzo continued.

"Maybe you needed a walk out there to calm your nerves. We are to be married in two weeks. I can only imagine the pressure on you. To go from the life you have led to being here with us; myself and Maria. I have been Count Vincenzo de San Finzione since the age of eleven. Before that, I was Lord Vincenzo. I have never known anything but this and neither has Maria. It must be overwhelming for Helena Parker of Anchorage, Alaska to enter into this world at her age."

Helen took out a cigarette. For once, Vincenzo didn't give her that raised eyebrow of mild disapproval that her smoking usually elicited. He didn't smoke, but his father had, so ash trays were kept on the table. Vincenzo slid one down to Helen, who caught it. She lit the cigarette, took a drag, and set it in the tray.

"Well, isn't every woman overwhelmed before her wedding? I mean, the planners are taking care of most things, but they still want my approval on so much STUFF! I spent four hours today looking at floral arrangements."

"You will be Contessa. And it is your special day." He told her. "Your opinions mean a great deal."

She picked up her smoke and inhaled.

"I can't think of a single situation in my life where my opinions on napkin rings mattered, but all of a sudden, they did today. People actually stood there and waited while I looked at and pondered filigree. And my choice MEANT SOMETHING to them! Who wouldn't be overwhelmed?"

"You have a lot more to deal with than those other women." Vincenzo countered. "They do not have to get married on television. They will not be conveyed to the event through the streets in the Royal Carriage while The People cheer them on. Nor do they have their ceremony in a packed cathedral with Heads of State in attendance. If there are two things I can understand about what you are going through, Helena, they are pressure and making difficult choices."

He got up and walked down to her end of the table, taking the seat at the corner closest to Helen.

"How do you handle it all?" She asked. "How do you live every day, Vincenzo, with the knowledge that every decision you make is going to be scrutinized and talked about on the news and written into history books?"

"I remember those facts. And I try to make the decisions the best ones that I can."

"I'm not exactly known for my great decision-making skills. The Anchorage Police Department can tell you about that."

He smiled.

"Perhaps not. But you have good instincts, and those are just as important for the task of leading. Some of those instincts are criminal ones, but those can prove quite valuable, too. I know that, given what life has taught you, one of the instincts you possess is to run from things that overwhelm you. It has gotten you far. And it has allowed you to escape the things that have scared you all your life. If you feared something and chose to run now, you could. I am an old man; I would be unable to catch you. And if I could, you could use that Thing that you do and stop me."

Helen looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You're not that old. And I could never do that to you, Vincenzo. I..." She looked back up at him. "I love you."

"And I love you, Fiamma Mia." He replied, reaching out and touching her right hand. She was still hanging onto the straps of the bag with her left. "And Maria loves you. She has lost everyone too, so I trust her feelings. I know that you have wanted a real familia all your life. And I know that the one you wanted was denied you. It saddens me that you have no guests coming to the wedding, but I understand why you have not invited the three people you would." He brushed aside the ash tray and leaned forward with his elbow on the table. "I hope that you know that you have found a familia here, Helena. With me. With Maria. A familia that has been lacking you just as much as I know you have been lacking it." He leaned closer and kissed her. "We love you, Helena. I hope you do not think that is something to run from."

The straps slipped from her hand.

"No, Vincenzo." She answered. "No, it isn't. I don't just worry that I'll let the two of you down. I worry that I'll let this whole country down. I've been here five months and you know the things they say about me already."

"The San Finziones of Old would have brushed it all off as peasant gossip. They are simply worried about change. The People have seen only me when they look up the hill to this castle since I lost Sofia." He fought back a tear and continued. "And after her, I felt that I was destined to walk it alone until Maria grows up and has children. And making San Finzione into what it is today cost me everyone along the way."

Helen tried once more to not get jealous of Contessa Sofia de San Finzione. Jealous of a woman who'd died fourteen years before she was born. Of a woman whose loss crushed her fiancé so that he'd poured everything he was into providing for his People; ignoring his children and grandchildren and letting them fall prey to the drugs and fast lifestyle that Grandpapa Count's money and status provided them. A woman whose great-granddaughter was the sole survivor of her line. And now that little girl loved Helen too. And she had been about to walk away from her and her great-grandfather.

Helena casually shoved the bag under the table with her foot. She couldn't let Vincenzo see tears. Let him see on her face what she'd been planning before. She stood up and embraced the man she would marry soon.

"It hasn't cost you everyone." She told him. "I'm going to show you that Count Vincenzo Ramon de San Finzione is not alone in this world."

His lips met hers. Somewhere nearby, a grandfather clock struck one.

"Nor is Contessa Helena de San Finzione. It is late. And you have more decisions to make in the morning. Come back to bed, beloved."

He stood and offered his hand. She took it and followed him to the door of the passage that would lead back to their bedroom. As the wall opened, she stopped and turned.

"Go ahead without me." She told him, starting back into the room. "I'll be up in a minute. There's something I need to do first."

The Count gently tugged her arm.

"I shall have someone return them to the vault, Helena. Let's get some sleep."

Helena followed him up the stairs. She would never figure out how he knew what was in the bag.

* * *

The Sun shone through the open balcony doors into the bedroom of the castle. It cast it's beam across the marbled floor, onto the Persian rug, across the king-sized bed, and onto the face of Contessa Helena de San Finzione. She opened one eye slightly and the light entered it as well.

Helen gently moved Troy Equals' arm off her. She became aware of another arm draped over her from behind and its owner's body pressed against her back, then looked past Troy and noticed the head of hair on the other side of him. The body to which the hair belonged was also connected to a third arm which was draped over Troy. The hair started at the roots as a dirty blonde and changed shades as one followed it down, ending in a buttery blonde. One might assume she'd dyed her hair various stages of blonde and let it grow out, but Helen knew that coloration to be natural, and the reason one of her husband's little names for her was Sunflower. Helen looked at the face-down sleeping form of Julie Equals and smiled. That meant that the previous arm draped over her could only belong to one other person.

Helen moved the arm and felt the person it belonged to stir behind her. Careful not to wake anyone else, she turned around to face Susan Bailey and welcome her with a kiss.

"Hey, Girl." Susan told her.

"Hey, Other Girl." Helen replied. Because it was a ten-hour flight via SST from Seattle to San Finzione, the scenario of Susan and Julie arriving in the middle of the night, finding her and Troy asleep in each other's arms, crawling into bed with them, and going to sleep themselves was not a new one. When Helen came to visit them in Seattle, she often did the same thing. She motioned with her head at Troy and Julie sleeping behind her. "Wanna let these two get some rest?"

Susan looked over Helen's shoulder at them.

"They've been apart three whole days. We'd better."

Susan slid out of bed first so Helen could do the same. Helen texted Jeanne to bring coffee and croissants for two to the Study so the other two could sleep and that she was in the mood for French coffee this morning. Helen and Susan put on robes, then took the secret passage out of the room.

"Julie said something about a stolen diamond." Susan told her once they were in the Study.

"There's more to it." Helen said, lighting her first smoke of the day. "But I'll go into detail when Julie's up, so I don't have to repeat it all again for her. For now, this business has occupied my every waking thought since it started. So, I'd like to take a moment to just have this smoke and be happy that you're here."

Helen sat on one of several couches in the room. Susan took a seat next to her and held her hand. The two sat in silence for a few moments while Helen smoked. Their relationship had gotten off to a difficult start, and Helen knew that it was entirely her fault. She was grateful that Susan had forgiven her and that they were where they are now. Susan knew that was what she was probably thinking about and said nothing. They sat there and simply enjoyed each other's company until Jeanne brought in the croissants and coffee.

"Seems like we picked a bad time to come early." Susan commented, taking one of hers and slowly peeling off the top layer off the middle before popping it into her mouth.

"Oh, no, far from it." Helen answered. She was finishing her smoke before starting in on food. "As it's turned out, I've ended up needing Troy's help on this and Mander's in town; he's gotten involved."

"Well, you know I'm going to do what I can to help. And with Troy and I involved, you know you get Julie too. How can the other three people in the world who can control minds help you, Helen?"

A weight lifted off Helen to hear Susan ask that. A side-effect of the ability to control minds was the confidence that came with it. The knowledge that you had the upper hand in all your dealings with others. Properly channeled into something that one is passionate about, that confidence can cause them to excel at it. Troy had always held a deep interest in the workings of money and how it steered the world, so he became an economist. Julie always had natural artistic talent, so she became an artist. Helen had a passion for languages and had learned every one that she could. Susan had a desire to help others, and it seemed that she could do anything when she was helping someone. Helen knew that Susan would be on board for whatever she needed, but it was comforting to hear her say it.

"I have a meeting in an hour with all the government people to find out what everyone's

learned." Helen answered, putting out her smoke and starting in on the croissants. "If you wouldn't mind calling a couple people for me while that meeting's going on, I'd like to have another afterwards with all of you. Thankfully, Balozi, that's the President of Uongo's name, is doing some sightseeing today, so I'm not needed for that."

"Looking in on the boys is my first priority, of course." Susan commented. Helen accepted this. She and Julie loved her sons too and were Other Mommy and Also Mommy to them. Susan was also Vincenzo II's godmother and Julie was Byroni's. "But then, yes. Erm..." Susan ermed. "I only know a few people in San Finzione."

"Those are the ones I want you to call. The people I'm up against have a team. I figure I'm going to need mine too. Mander and I can handle the crime and violence angle, but there are things I'm going to need the rest of you for."

"Well, you'd better get ready for that meeting." Susan told Helen as she finished her croissant. "You know, there's also the matter of your birthday to discuss."

"Oh, that's not until after the signing. And I don't want to make a big deal out of it." Helen replied.

"La Contessa's Birthday is literally a national holiday, Helen; there's a parade and everything. It's a big deal whether you want it to be or not."

"Oh, I know I can't get out of the parade thing. And a part of me doesn't want to because Vincenzo loved them so much. It was where he got to 'see The People happy and free.' I'd just rather spend the day with all of you."

"Then let's get this thing found quick so you've got time to do both on the day."

Susan stood up. Helen ate the last bite and they returned to the bedroom. As they approached the hidden door in the fireplace column, moaning and grunting could be heard coming from the room on the other side. They stopped. Helen turned and smiled at Susan, who was smiling back.

"Guess they're up."

"Do we have time to go join them?" Susan asked.

"You do." Helen answered. "I've got Contessaing stuff to get started on."

With a sigh, Susan opened the door and they entered the room to say good morning to the Equals.

* * *

Franz Hauber entered the Ministry of Science with a new disguise and a freshly forged authorization to take out the large Ground-Penetrating Radar unit that Alice would need to find the secret entrance into Castle Finzione.

Gordon Walker and Alice Mei were waiting at a loading dock in a parked Piaggio Ape, ready to load the machine onto the flat bed of the three-wheeled vehicle and drive away. Alice sat at the driver's seat and kept her head down because, although Oscar Dodge had provided her with another change of appearance, she was still worried about being recognized from yesterday.