2: Tears of a Clown

Persephone slammed the lid shut on the chamber and it silently went about its task. She monitored a screen.

"She was barely alive. Ruptured kidney, broken ribs, concussion, reproductive damage, bruised heart, punctured lung. What happened, Hero Lincoln?"

"I don't understand everything. It was her husband and now I'm going back to kill him." I went back into the antechamber and headed to the portal. Nothing happened. "Fuck!" I yelled. "Computer, let me through the portal."

"Lincoln. Lincoln, my darling. You can't go back through the portal until you've been to Chaos. You know the rules. The computer can't just override them," Persephone said softly as she stroked my back.

"But he could get hold of Cadence!" I yelled. "I need to go back and stop him."

"It makes no difference, Lincoln. No matter how much or how little time you spend here, you will re-enter your world exactly fifteen minutes from when you left. It is always that way. Come, my love. We must get Lisa Caretaker healed and get you pulled together. We need a strategy and direction for how to approach your enemy. Then we need to select a mission, get you trained for it, and execute it. When you have given the damsel her reward, you and Lisa will return to Earth to right the wrongs there."

I sighed. She was right of course. Time on Crossroads and Time on Chaos were unpredictable. I could be gone weeks on Earth and spend weeks with Persephone then arrive on Chaos the day after I last left. On the other hand, we'd rushed back after our first mission and nearly two years had passed on Chaos. Only the time that would pass on Earth was fixed. I'd tried to comprehend how other heroes compared to my timeline, but became hopelessly lost in the process. It had to do with the prohibition of heroes working together. That had once been bent when a number of heroes needed to be in one place in order to fight the slavers, but then those heroes seemed to part and rejoin their own timelines again. The only ones constant were the hero and his companions. Since the companions traveled on the same ticket as the hero, their time was the same.

I'd begun to believe that Crossroads itself was suspended in time—or perhaps outside of time. It was the only way it seemed to make sense to have it act as a central clearinghouse for the three planets. I'd have to see if I could get the computer to test my theory somehow.

It gave me a headache.

"Of course. I'm sorry, Sephie. It's just that the past day has been strange. And now I am worried about Cadence. Lisa and I didn't plan to come back until Cadence could come with us. Last night two men came to our door to tell us that a man I'd only ever heard of had died and handed Lisa a letter. This morning, Lisa sent Cadence on a quest she said you helped design and told me she was divorcing her husband and her vows were completed. When I got home this evening, her husband and two goons were beating the crap out of her and demanding to know where Cadence was and where the will was," I complained.

"We'll figure it out." Seph kissed me on the cheek. For the first time, I realized she was still naked and a bit damp.

"Did I interrupt your shower?" I asked as I gently stroked her soft skin.

"When you were here last, Lisa introduced me to the idea of a hot soaking bath. Why did I never think of getting in water unless it was to swim? Would you care to join me? Lisa will not be out of the chamber for four more hours."

"Won't the water be cold by now?"

"Computer, restore water temperature to 100° Fahrenheit in the tub."

"Yes, Caretaker Persephone." I followed Seph to the tub and we sank into its depths. She distracted me from my funk, and long before the chamber chimed, I sank into Seph's depths as well.

Physically, Lisa was healed. Emotionally, she was a wreck. Mentally, I just wasn't sure she was all there. She'd just been beaten on Earth more violently than we'd seen on Chaos. And by someone she knew—been intimate with—even if she didn't trust him

Seph and I took turns feeding her, bathing her, and grooming her, before finally giving up and sandwiching her between us in bed. Lisa lay there, motionless. I think she slept.

In the morning, I slipped out of bed and left Lisa with Seph. I figured a woman's touch might be more positive than mine. When I had finished in the bathroom and went into the main area, a table was set with breakfast for me. Apparently Seph had left instructions.

I ate, silently, and alone. I didn't really taste the food, though I'm sure the computer did a great job. At home, I'd listen to Cadence and Lisa as they prepared for their day. I'd read the newspaper and get ready to train in one or more of my disciplines. In the afternoon, I'd go to my job at the game store.

Home.

My life had changed in the past year. From being confined to wheelchair with no feeling from my chest down, I'd become fit and capable. I had both Cadence and Persephone as lovers. Lisa and I were intimate on Crossroads and Chaos, even though we didn't have intercourse. And I'd fathered three children. I should say I sired them. Bred their mothers. I'd never be a father to them. I didn't even know if any had actually been born yet. I'd spent much more time on Chaos and Crossroads than I had on Earth.

And now, on Earth, a goon squad was between me and finding Cadence to protect her. I would have to take Lisa back with me into their ambush. We could both be killed as we stepped out of the wardrobe into my bedroom.

Not that we could get back to Earth. We couldn't return to Earth until we'd been to Chaos, rescued a damsel, and got her pregnant. Then we had to move fast.

I sighed.

"Hero Lincoln, would you care to train? Persephone Caretaker has left instructions that you should have access to the gym, the archery range, and the weapons room. Alternatively, I have your cards and associated magic paraphernalia. Should Persephone Caretaker be unavailable when you are hungry, simply say so and a meal will be served."

"Thank you, Computer. I suppose I should do something. I'll start in the gym and get a workout."

I went through the open door and spent the next hour lifting and running. After that, I headed for the archery range. I alternated between activities that required steadiness and control with those that required action and speed. Back to tumbling mats. On to knife throwing. Then to martial arts katas, a good combination of both control and action. I headed to the shower and then to lunch. The bedroom was empty, but I didn't see Seph and Lisa in any of the rooms I walked through.

When I got to the table, Sephie joined me.

"Lisa is asleep. Oh, Lincoln, it's all caught up with her. She has deprived herself all these years for the sake of her daughter and then her husband tried to kill her. It wasn't a case of just beating her. He actually wanted her dead. I don't understand it, but he stands to gain something if she is out of the way," Sephie said. "She loves you, Lincoln. She just needs to get through this rough patch."

"I love her, Sephie. I always have. But you know I love you, too, don't you?"

"Oh yes, my hero. And when we have eaten, I will show you how much I love you."

We made love the rest of the day. Lisa joined us for dinner. She was quiet, but some life showed in her eyes. At night, Seph and I held her between us.

"Exercise is a powerful antidepressant, Lisa," Seph said as we went into the gym. "Let's start with something you don't have to focus too hard on. We'll run." And run we did. The treadmill in the gym was much different than what I'd encountered in other health clubs. For one thing, it had no side bars or rails to hold onto. It was just the platform. Even that was different. It was curved and slightly sloped up in front. The device was not electric, but worked strictly on the basis of gravity. We started walking, but as soon as we were used to the motion of the treadmill, we picked up speed to a jog and eventually to a gentle run. It was a great machine.

Crossroads has slightly lower gravity than Earth, but within the heroes' quarters—including the gym—the gravity was Earth-norm. Computer would gradually increase our workout level over the next few weeks as we built ourselves up to go to Chaos.

And Seph was right. Exercise helped work Lisa out of her depression, though she refused to reveal any details of her vows or what set Wilson off. Lisa threw herself into the aerobic workouts and was fast becoming a dangerous woman when we started weapons practice. We each took turns in the healing chamber before the end of the first week.

"We need a mission," Lisa said firmly. "I need to go kill someone."

"Lisa Caretaker," Seph said softly. "Our job is to take care of Hero Lincoln. You travel with him as his caretaker, not as an adventurer. The portal won't even let you through if you go with that intent."

"I know!" Lisa barked. She looked at me and there was such longing in her eyes that I reached out to her. Lisa came to me and I held her. "I just need to be doing something worthwhile. There are times when I feel so helpless."

"I love you, Lisa. Cadence loves you. Persephone loves you. I know that isn't a balm that soothes away all those feelings of helplessness. But it's a place to start building. God knows, I felt helpless for enough years. I felt like I was a burden to everyone around me. But you got me through that. We'll get you through this."

"I would make love to you right now if we had had a chance to talk to Cadence," Lisa said. "You know I can't have sex with you before we've talked to her."

"Yes. It's one thing to agree theoretically to a situation when you know it is unlikely to ever occur. It is another to face the reality that it will happen. But Lisa, let Seph and me love you like we can."

Lisa yielded to us and Seph gave me a brilliant smile over Lisa's shoulder. We took her to the shower and lavished our love upon her. Lisa responded with a kind of intensity that bordered on desperation. She clutched me to her and kissed me while Seph dove between her legs. Her orgasms were almost as fast and intense as a Cassandran damsel's. She ate Seph as Seph sucked me. When I fucked Seph, Lisa rode her face. When we were beyond even the stage of contemplating another restorative, Lisa scooted down toward our waists and held my cock in her mouth, softly nursing as she went to sleep.