Chapter 1

Falling, always falling. For uncounted ages it had drifted through space and time. Falling, always falling, never resting, but never actually moving either. Only one aspect of it was fixed in one of the many dimensions it existed in. At one time it had been part of something. Something much bigger than it was now. Sometimes it could almost remember what it once was, and then it was all gone again. Falling, always falling forever.

Maximillian Sulivan was driving to Yuma, Arizona. At the moment he was working as a favor to the probate judge as a court appointed estate manager for a Orange County, California estate. As part of the pending estate a pendant had been left to a nephew as a personal bequest, he was the last member of the family that could be identified. It was Max’s job to deliver it to him personally. The pendant was a small Cat’s Eye gem of some nature in a simple German Silver setting. The appraiser the court was using laughed when Max asked how much the setting and gem were worth. It seemed the only silver in German Silver was the name itself. As for the gem, yes it was unusual but not that valuable according to the same appraiser. At the moment the pendant, in it’s small cellophane envelope, was in his inside coat pocket resting over his heart.

Nina Vasquez was one of twenty South American women recruited by a Mexican cartel as undocumented sex workers for a Nevada dude ranch just outside the city of Las Vegas. At the moment she and the others were cargo in a concealed compartment in a refrigerated tractor trailer rig parked among hundreds just like it at a huge truck stop in Arizona. Nina was young, barely nineteen, and was a natural red head, full breasted, narrowed hipped, long legged, deep olive complexion, blue eyed beauty from Vita Cruse, Mexico. Some even said that her family were direct descendants, from the wrong side of the blanket of course, of the original Emperor Maximillian of France who had tried to rule Mexico so many years ago.

Jose, no last name anybody had any faith in, was one of a outlaw biker gang crew of five that intended to hijack a load of drugs coming in from Mexico. The gang’s informer had given them a truck trailer number and description of the Kenworth overhead sleeper rig that was hauling it. They were also told that it would be at the truck stop at 2:00 am.

At 1:00 am all three parties entered the truck stop. Max fueled up and then parked in an out of the way space to get a little sleep before hitting the road again. The truck driver went in to wash-up and shower after parking a little distance from Max. Nina and company were nervously waiting for their next ride. Since they were across the border they would transfer to another ride now.

Jose was still looking for trailer 1177. At approximately 2 am Jose found the trailer, but instead of the cocaine he was expecting he found Nina and the other girls packed in the hiding hole. Jose and his crew were not what you would call the sharpest tools in the shed. In fact some people might call Jose and his gang screw ups. First the trailer he was looking for was 11777 not 1177. Second he should have retreated when the concealed compartment opened to reveal twenty girls that all started screaming when he threatened them with his pistol. Making the whole situation even worse Jose grabbed one of the girls, slapping her and demanding to know where the dope was.

Max awoke to the sounds of women screaming. Any other time he would have investigated the situation before springing up and blundering into the middle of what he now found himself in. Tonight though he was in a strange place and had not gotten any sleep, so he rolled out of his car in a foul mood right into a true hornet’s nest.

By this time the five idiots had the girls out of the tractor trailer, and were slapping them all around, while banishing a motley assortment of Saturday night specials and cheap 9 mm knockoffs. Staggering out of his car Max confronted Jose.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing.” Max shouted before he even tried to size up the situation.

“Butt the fuck out gringo.” Jose rounded on Max with his 45 revolver.

“You can’t be pushing these people around. Get that gun out of my face before I have you arrested.” Max retorted.

“You one crazy fucker Gringo.” Jose, who was high on Meth laughed, and slapped him up side the head with the pistol. Well he would have if Max’s head hadn’t moved before the pistol connected. As it was Max had the gun and hand firmly under his control and was suddenly behind Jose. Exerting pressure to the nerves in the wrist Max caused Jose’s hand to spasm open dropping the gun it held, which Max snatched out of the air as it fell. Bring Jose’s arm up hard behind his back Max forced Jose face first into the ground, only now noticing the other four gang members drawing a bead on him.

“Slow down boys I’m sure that we can work this thing out.” Max managed to get out before all four shot him. The last thing Max remembered thinking was, “isn’t this overkill.” Four idiots with automatic weapons spraying bullets from 15 round clips into Max and the twenty girls standing around him. The only one not killed outright was Jose who was already laying on the ground. Nina’s last thought was, “no good deed goes unpunished,” as she blanked out. Of the twenty one people that had been shot only Max and Nina were fatally wounded, most of the others were just minor flesh wounds, but everybody was down except the gang, who were already running away.

When the Arizona state troopers and paramedics arrived Max and Nina were stone cold dead stiffs. So they were bagged and tagged for the morgue. Two hours latter Max became aware again. In his dream Max was standing in front of this shinning silvery figure and he was being asked if he was satisfied with being dead. Well hell no he wasn’t satisfied being dead he finally answered, but dead is dead, and I know I was hit a dozen times at least. There’s nothing I can do about being dead he answered calmly. Perhaps more calmly than he actually felt.

“But you do not want to stay dead?” He was asked again.

“Hell no! I want to live.” Max answered more calmly than he felt.

“Then begin to heal yourself.” Said the voice simply, and just like that Max could feel something as it began to knit his body back together again. There was a distinct tingling all over his body that he was aware of.

As Max lay there the Voice then asked if there was a relationship between him and the other vessel close to him. What other vessel Max asked. He was shown an image of what he took to be another human body. With a little concentration he could make out that it was female.

<Is she dead too, > Max thought.

<Yes, but as long as it’s electrical charge has not bled off, what you would term it’s spirit remains, it can be repaired. Do you desired it to be repaired.> the Voice patiently explained.

<Sure why not.> and like in a dream Max said sure and lapsed back into a coma.

Arriving at the morgue both Max and Nina were discovered to be alive and breathing and most of the damage to their bodies healed. At first there was talk of malpractice suits, fear, and recrimination by the hospital staff. After all Max was a lawyer, and they would probably be blamed as usual. The doctors and staff of the morgue figured Max and Nina must have been put in those body bags while they were still alive. They reasoned all this as Max and Nina were rushed to the ER.

That was all before Max actually saw the crime scene photos and incident reports. So far the hospital and local law enforcement had managed to keep this double miracle off the front page of every newspaper and talk show in the country. They had done everything they could think of to cover-up what had happened without causing Max and Nina anymore trauma than they had already suffered. Max himself was fine with that, of course Nina was not consulted about any of this as she was an illegal alien.

Two days had gone by and the damage done to their bodies was mostly healed. Multiple slugs had been found in the body bags and nobody had figured out how they got there. By this time ICE had discovered that Nina was undocumented and wanted to deport her. Both Max and the hospital had fought this and so far won the contest.

Max had discovered that they were somehow connected now. He always knew where she was and vaguely felt what she felt. When Max left the hospital it somehow felt right to ask Nina to come too. Nina readily agreed without question, but ICE didn’t. After much argument they finally agreed to release her to Max, if he agreed to take custody of her as an officer of the court. Max reluctantly agreed to help her clean up her lost paper work.

One other minor mystery was what had happened to the pendant’s cat’s eye gem. The setting was still there but the gem was gone from the setting without leaving a trace of it behind. One of the slugs had passed right through the pocket and envelope that contained the pendant. The nephew was told that he could file for the insured value of the gem and was given the German Silver setting that used to contain it.

Nina Vasquez came from an old distinguished Mexican family that was now extinct. Her father, Hector, who had been connected to the government, had been killed along with her mother and grandmother last year in a bombing attack that destroyed most of the family mansion. It left her presumed dead along with them, because she was home for the holidays.

She had been educated at the best schools on the continent, and latter Japan itself. She was the proud child prodigy of a distinguished old Mexican family. Accomplished at the piano, violin, and several woodwind instruments. She had a natural gift for languages. She spoke, read and wrote in English, Latin, Russian, French, Chinese, Mandarin, Japanese and several dialects of them, and could verbally get along in a dozen others including Arabic, the lingua of the largest part of the Arab world. Besides studying the common eastern marital arts, or Bushido, “the way of warriors”) which is loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry in Europe. The “way” originates from the samurai moral codes of honor.

Not only was she fluent in the many unarmed styles, she was also a master of Kenjutsu or Kendo as it is known today. Master of the long bamboo practice swords (shinai) and armour (bogu) that goes along with it. The popular practice of which makes things so interesting at peace protests in Japan. When the police, in their shinny helmets and armour, Plexiglas shields, and long riot sticks square off against the peace loving protesters in their football helmets, padded jackets, garbage can lid shields, and long bamboo protest signs, and proceed to beat the living Hell out of each other until they are all senseless.

She had also competitively fenced under Fédération Internationale d’Escrime (FIE) rules and actually trained for the Olympic Biathlon for one whole year. That event is where you cross country ski and shoot a rifle at each station along the trail. She was also a crack pistol shot and more than proficient with a large number and variety of edged weapons. All this before she was even twenty. Of course she was on her way now to kill the man that had ordered her mother and father killed.

Right now everybody thought she was dead. Dead in the same explosion that had killed everyone else, and that was fine with her. Her father had been killed because he was investigating this very pipeline for smuggling people and drugs across the border. She knew all this because of the packet of information her father had left for her in a deadman drop box addressed to her laptop’s E-mail account. A packet of information only to be delivered if he was unable to check in and reset the code after 96 hours.

Danny Gigliona was the owner/manager of the Palace, one of the less noticeable Vegas casinos, but still on the strip in Vegas. It was almost out of the city limits actually, and had a shady history at best. Rumors continued to circulate that the games were fixed and the drinks contained more than alcohol sometimes, but so far the Gaming Commission had refused to shut him down. All of which smelled of payoffs and nothing new.

Smart people avoided the Palace and the less than smart never went back a second time. In fact the Palace was a money laundering operation for one of the new Colombian Cartel’s drug money. They had bought protection from all the right people at the right time. Not only protection from the locals, but also from the state and federal agencies that were involved. There were also nasty rumors that they were connected to the Russian Mob too, but like Vegas itself, what happened at the Palace stayed at the Palace, as long as it didn’t spill out onto the streets and embarrass the city that is.

Las Vegas is in Nevada and is somewhat unique among the other gambling Mecca’s in the state. Some say it goes back to a connection with Walt Disney and Howard Hughes, both of whom wanted to make it “family friendly”. Ask anybody and they will tell you that prostitution is against the law in Las Vegas. That’s true as far as it goes, but that’s in the city limits of Las Vegas itself. In the State of Nevada it’s both legal and regulated. The Palace was on the edge of that line and definitely not PG13 rated.

Danny G, as he was known to his friends, also owned and operated three fancy brothels in the county outside the city. There was also a forth that used some slick legal tricks to conceal who actually owned it. There were some things that the spoiled American Feminist working girls would not do or put up with now that the Me2 folks had showed up. The damn hoes even had their rights now. Hell the damn prostitutes were a part of the damn union now. Card holding dues paying Teamsters and AFCIO members. So Danny G imported fresh girls up from Mexico and South America to cater to the needs of some of his better, but more kinky abusive fetish enjoying customers.

Danny G tried to look after his employees, after all he expected loyalty form them to be returned, but accidents do happen. It was easier to make the problem go away when the problem didn’t actually exist. Ship it back across the border with a little pocket money and forget it. Everything had been running smoothly until that damn Mexican greaser Vasquez had interfered forcing him to bring in some of his Ex-Shinning Path connections. Bad people who knew how to remove large problems with a larger bomb.

Right now he was tired from dealing with the various public officials to get his battered property back. As it was they would be weeks recovering from the damage the gang bangers had inflicted on them. Nineteen wasn’t bad, but he would have liked to have recovered them all. From what he got from the other girls the missing girl had been shot dead at the truck stop. He was lucky that the girls had been treated by the paramedics on the scene and released without calling in ICE, or transporting any of them to the local hospital.

This consignment was for the Fourth House (that was really it’s name), and Madame Chang. After going through dozens of supposed managers for his specialty house he had finally found her. Well that was a misstatement, she had found him. She was Chinese and old, or should he say ageless. She hardly spoke English, but always got her point across in the broken English she did know. She was from Taiwan and hated the Chinese Communist on the mainland, though there was still a branch of the family there, still plying the family trade she was told. She also hated the Japanese for WW II among other things.

According to her, her and her family had always been the primary managers of one of the many Royal Whore Houses in China. They had always worked for which ever ruling dynasty was in power at the moment. They had done this for countless centuries and generations. In fact she bragged that the House of Chang was eternal. She was only here temporarily because of a family dispute she told Gigliona Gong (Chinese honorific for lord, literally duke). Some day she would receive a royal summons and have to leave, but for now she was his to command. She then laid out her many titles, degrees, and services provided, with all their official chops, wax seals and silk ribbons and tassels. All of which she was very proud of.

A chop is a stamp or seal derived from the wax stamps that have been used for hundreds of years to seal and record things in China. It is typically round and red, very red, with Chinese characters on and around it denoting things. Chops in China are used similarly to signatures on important documents in the US. Rather than signing a document, the Chinese stamp a seal on their documents (the chop). A document with a chop is essentially a binding commitment from the company’s owner or the company’s legal representation. It is very important, and carries a lot of weight.

Danny G soon found out that there was no aspect of running the House, the girls, or clients for that matter, that she didn’t know. In fact from Japanese pillow talk, to the Hindu Kama Sutra, which has ten chapters on stimulation of desire, types of embraces, caressing and kisses, marking with nails, biting and marking with teeth, on copulation (positions), paddling by hand and the corresponding moaning that goes along with it, virile behavior in women, superior coition and oral sex, preludes and conclusions to the game of love. It describes 64 different types of sexual acts. On the other hand she hated the Japanese Geisha, and their teachings, she accused them of being cheats.

Contrary to popular belief there has never been a real matriarchal and matrilineal culture, moon goddess or otherwise. There have been cultures where the men were away at war, or tied up in war, and the women ran the country for extended periods of times. There will always be aspects of society that women excel at, but in general we are a patriarchal world. The reason is mostly biological. Women get pregnant, and while pregnant they are extremely vulnerable for extended periods of time, and the men’s job is to protect them. Of course Sparta took the male thing a little too far, and some Feminist have done the same thing on the female side of things.

In times of war women have their best opportunities to lead and advance in society, especially in this modern age where brute strength alone means very little. Madame Chang came from a culture that assimilated the invader into the culture rather than fighting the inevitable. In time the foreign invader disappeared to just become another good Chinese citizen.

The “three teachings” that mainly influence the Chinese culture are Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, but the Hindu Kama Sutra made it in there eventually. There are six chapters on advice for choosing a lover, choosing a mistress, looking up old lovers, and they have found their way into Chinese culture. There is also advice on making money from sex and how to keep the books. There are also two chapters dealing with improving the physical attractions, arousing weakened sexual powers, and this was all before the little blue pill Vigore was invented.

In Chinese culture female children are mainly unwanted and are commonly sold. In fact state-sponsored slavery is both part of the Chinese social culture and it’s main penal system. There are over a thousand slave labor prisons and forced labor camps known collectively as the Laogai through out China. In fact Laogai in Chinese means labor and reform. According to the 2016 Global Slavery Index, put out by the UN, an estimated 3,388,400 people are enslaved in modern-day China. Think about it, that’s a quarter of the population that is living in slavery. Life is little better in pro-Western Taiwan for female children even today.

Madame Chang had argued that it would be much easier to import beautiful girls directly from China, but was over ruled by Danny G. As it was he was into cocaine, if he followed her advice he would run up against the Chinese herion trade. Even today the Tong existed and was to be avoided. So Madame was forced to acquest to Gigliona Gong‘s order. She would do the best she could with these large ugly Western girls for the Gong’s sake, and with that the Fourth House really began.

There are natural born courtesans and then there is the rest of the world. Any girl is born with the equipment to have sex, any girl can be trained to have sex, but not every girl loves sex. With the techniques that Madame employed to train her girls they loved sex when she got through with them. Best of all they became extremely loyal employees without the need to addict them to herion or other drugs which were a liability to the House. Madame Chang despised the use of opium, herion, or any other addictive drug going back to the Boxer Rebellion and the destruction of the Qing Imperial Dynasty. The last of the great Chinese Dynasties which ended badly for her and her family back in 1911.

Opium had always been used in China as both a medicine and a luxury drug, but it was never a problem until 1770. Having conquered both India and Burma the English needed money to retain control of their rebellious Colonial Colonies. To get that money the English turned to the drug trade. They literally flooded China with opium, causing wide spread addiction. These addictions finally culminated in the Boxer Rebellion which tried to stop the drug trafficking. Madame Chang still blamed the Christian Churches, especially the Church of England for much of that destruction.

With a little tea and some light sedative inducing drugs, herbs really, she was able to trance most of her girls, and the few boys she kept, the first time. With a steady course of hypnosis she soon deepened the trance and intensified all the girls feelings. Long ago it had been found that pleasure intensified too much becomes pain, and the same is true of pain. A little pain at the right time can be arousing, but too much is debilitating. With practice among the girls, and the few boys she kept, her girls soon became enthusiastic experts at all the games of love, even bondage and pseudo rape which brought much honor and money to the House.

During her private sessions Madame emphasized that all good things were derived from her. She controlled when and if they would have another orgasm. She made sure that they knew that they were not being forced to have sex, only allowed to work for Madame Chang because they enjoyed sex so much. She enforced that Madame Chang loved them, took care of them, just as they looked after Madame Chang and the House. Madame Chang continued to run a “Harmonious Household“ just as her ancestors had as far back as anyone could remember.

It was over a hundred years since there was a Chinese Dynasty, or Emperor for that matter, but the House of Chang stood ready to serve as she was serving Gigliona Gong now. True her branch of the family was reduced to just her, since the family had been wiped out over night by a renegade Tong clan because they had refused to pay tribute, but there was president in the past that allowed her to adopt worthy individuals into the family. So far though she had found no one to take the place as head of the household. Though she served Gigliona Gong well, she did not delude herself that he was anything other than an ugly American thug, only interested in Jinquin.

Max’s drive back from Arizona was boring as Hell. Nina just sat in the car and refused to talk. He had barely gotten two words out of her since they left the hospital. When she was given the choice of going with him or ICE she chose him. ICE even insisted that their interpreter explain and witness her release and signature. She did anything he asked and smiled, but that was it. The hospital staff put it down to shock, but Max didn’t know. The documentation she had on her said she was Maria Sanchez from Panama, but she didn’t respond to that name when he called out to her.

Half way home, 9:45 am on the car’s digital clock, Max pulled off to one of the truck stop chains with an all night hamburger joint. He parked outside and asked Maria what she wanted. All he got back was a shrug.

“What do you want? Hamburger, French fries, Coke? Come on you can see what they have and order for yourself.” He directed her. Once again all he got was a shrug. He rolled up the windows and walked around to her side of the car. Finally she got out and he locked up. Taking her hand they entered the cafe part of the truck stop. Max marched them both up to the counter and finally frustrated ordered two whopper burgers, two double orders of French fries, and two vanilla milk shakes. He then dragged her over to a table and sat down. She then mumbled some word that vaguely sounded like rest room and pointed at the stick figure sign giving directions.

“Okay but don’t get lost or stay long, the burgers are due.” Max laughed. Fifteen minutes latter Max finished his burger and was munching on his fries and wondering where Maria was. Finally having to ask one of the cashiers to check the rest room. Sure enough Maria was gone.

“Ok what do I do now.” Max rhetorically asked himself out loud not expecting an answer.

<Call her back.> Something answered him.

<Like I wish!!> He thought back, before thinking to himself, that’s spooky.

<Just close your eyes and imagine her as you last saw her. Ok you’ve got her, now tell her to come back.> It told him.

<Come back!> Max thought as hard as he could.

<No! No! I won’t.> A very feminine reply came back, and he could sense that she was now running.

<You have to.> Max thought.

<No you can’t make me.> She thought back.

<Make her freeze.> The voice suggested.

<Freeze.> Max reinforced.

<You can’t be doing this to me.> She cried.

<Come back and discuss it with me before you run away. I only want to help.> Max thought.

<Ok I’ll come back, but only to talk.> She stated.

<Ok your released. Please come back.> Max pleaded with her.

Fifteen minutes latter she showed back up at the table.

“Okay what are you some kind of warlock or something. Going to take my immortal soul or something.” She sneered.

“What are you talking about.” Max asked.

“Oh it’s perfectly normal to be using mental telepathy and taking over other peoples bodies asshole.” She all but screamed.

“You don’t have to shout.” Max pointed out.

“I would be screaming, if I could asshole. I just can’t.” She replied.

<At this moment I am suppressing, as best I can, all of your “Fight or Flight” emotions to this situation. You need to look at this thing calmly, and no your not crazy. You exist in 3 dimensions which are expressed in a 4th dimension over time. So you are 4 dimensional beings. I’m a 5th dimensional being and there are 5 other dimensions I can partially manipulate, making this a 10 dimension universe.> It paused to let that sink in.

<I am not a natural being. I was created by another 4 dimensional race much like yours millennium ago. They are all dead now and I was cast adrift on the dimensional tides of the universe. The cats eye gem you had was merely one aspect of me that was captured on this plane of existence. When the bullet hit me I went through both of you. I was designed to bond upon contact with blood. Luckily your blood is not too dissembler to my original owner’s. In fact you are not too dissembler to my original owner. I guess that supports the old theory about design and function.> he paused again to, I guess, allow us to ask questions.

“So how did you make me come back?” She asked.

< I didn’t ... you decided to come back on your own.> it answered.

“Hell no I didn’t.” She hissed.

<Well I suggested he freeze you true, and I did lock all your leg muscles true, but I didn’t make you return. You did that on your own Nina Vasquez.> it put in.

<That’s her real name Max and she is on her way to kill the murders of her family in Las Vegas, Nevada. She’s got no plans after that.>

“Do you think she can do it?” Max asked out loud.

<Oh Nina is quite accomplished in the arts of killing things.> the voice laughed.

Suddenly Max knew everything about Nina. Things that she had probably even forgotten. She wasn’t good she was deadly, and he had no doubt that she had the training to kill, but was that enough. As Max knew from personal experience there are many bullets fired in war, but few are fatal. Cold blooded murder requires a mind set all it’s own, which thankfully most civilized people don’t have.

“So your just going to go down this pipeline until you find who’s running it and then your going to kill who ever that is Nina.” Max asked.

“Yes.” Nina answered.

“And you think that does anything about the drugs or the girls.” Max questioned.

“I don’t give a damn about that! I just want to kill the person responsible for killing my family.” She bluntly stated.

“And that’s your plan.” Max asked.

“As much of a plan as I need.” She sneered.

“This will not do. No this just will not do at all. For better or worse you are a part of me now. Can’t you feel it. I certainly can. We will trace this pipeline of yours and find out who gave the order and have our revenge, but it ain’t going to be no suicide run. As somebody once said, “the best revenge is living well.” I intend to live a long time.” Max chuckled.