Chapter 4

I spent the night delving into Nora’s brain, while she slept. In the morning I found I was beginning to understand how the mind worked. During breakfast I discovered I could also almost understand the German spoken around me.

Rebecca wanted to know if we could go to the Opera. Both Nora and I looked at each other, and I decided to bite the bullet.

“The Opera was not fun last time.”

“Oh, you went already,” she said, disappointed.

“Yes, and it cost me millions of dollars.”

“Are you joking?”

“No, Nora, show her your photos,” I said.

She shared the pictures of her at the Opera with her jewelry. So I explained the story, “I was visiting a jewelers shop around the corner, and asked about pink diamonds.” I began, and ended with, “when we got back to the hotel, our room had been broken into, and the three safes removed, the necklace and earrings were inside.”

“That’s why you have security?”

“Why did you think I had security?”

“I thought it came with the hotel room, this is the equivalent of the presidential suite after all!”

“No, this is all new since then.”

“Uncle Adam, you can’t stay here. You have to go back to the States!”

“Calm down Rebecca. I have security, and they got everything. What more could they get now?”

“Uncle please.”

“No, my son will be here next week. Then we might come back. Speaking of which, everything is arranged still at the consulate?”

“Yes all taken care of, he will show his ID, and they will issue him an American passport.” She paused for a moment, “what is his name?”

“My son, is my son until he gets a good proper name.”

Nora giggled, “He won’t let either of us use it, says it’s the worst possible name his mother could have given him.”

“You met this mystery man?” asked Rebecca in surprise.

“Oh yes, very handsome, very much like his father. They even talk similarly, it’s uncanny.”

“You’ll have to tell me all about this later.” she told Nora.

“Of course,” Nora responded.

We were beginning to run out of the top rated museums, but we still had a couple that were old castles, we spent the day exploring them and their art and armor collections. After a very nice dinner at a local restaurant we went to the casino. I enjoyed playing with both girls bookending me. At about midnight we decided to finally leave. As I stepped out of the casino to the waiting car, a bullet hit me.

I dropped to the ground. It had caught me low, just under my heart, but into the liver. I tried to get up, but security pushed the girls back into the casino, and covered me. There was no second shot.

I started undoing all the changes the power had brought to my body. It resisted, not wanting me to be weak, but I forced it through, trying to convey the idea of pretending to be weak, so I could hunt my attacker. My power seemed to like that idea, and the changes happened rapidly.

The ambulance took me to the hospital, where the doctor was shocked I hadn’t bled out. I forced my body into unconsciousness, but kept my mind awake. My senses let me follow the procedure, as the doctors struggled to close the wound, and I struggled to keep my body from healing in front of their eyes.

Finally they closed up, and I was wheeled into intensive care. I stayed apparently unconscious, as it was taking all my attention to keep my body from healing itself. I had absorbed the pain medications they had given me, to keep my mind clear and focused, but cut off signals from below the neck so I wouldn’t feel the pain.

Monday I got visitors, first Rebecca who silently held my hand. Then Nora, who quietly whispered, “Master, I’m standing between you and the security camera. No one else is here.”

I opened my eyes, and smiled, and her smile met mine. “The plan remains the same, I’ll die of a stroke in a few days. Get the paperwork from the bank, get the hotels booked. Stay in the suite. Both it and security are paid for, with you and Rebecca as part of my covered group, don’t let them go.”

“Yes Master.” she paused a moment, “I love you Master.” Then she stepped away, and I went back to being ‘unconscious’. Two days later I was stable enough to get a private room. I don’t know what I was paying for this, but it was a very nice room, too nice to be unconscious in. Maybe that was the plan, make the person wake up to appreciate the room.

The days I laid there, appreciating the room, I carefully reviewed my life. I had been such an ass, not being sensible when I flashed my wealth, and diamonds. The lost diamonds were easily replaceable, but I couldn’t understand the murder attempt. The robbery made sense, sort of.

I could see why they robbed and killed the Sweiss family after I left. If they had done it while I was there, I wouldn’t have cooperated with a kidnapping attempt as easily, knowing I was dead as soon as they got what they wanted.

The timing was tight, but I could see Haener taking the big diamond then chasing me, leaving a crew behind to clean up. They must have already been there, just waiting for my exit. George hadn’t been driving very fast on the way back.

Rebecca visited me every morning, to give me a verbal report, as the doctor had suggested the sound of a friendly voice. She was badgering the police and everybody else she could find to get answers, and wanted someone to pay. She had not fired security, only because Nora pleaded on their behalf. Interestingly she learned that Alice Haeners fingerprints were found on my diamond, and at the Sweiss house. She was wanted, vigorously, for questioning, but was missing, presumed to have fled the country.

Thursday night I learned she wasn’t gone when she stepped into the room I was in. My senses went to high alert. There was no one else in the room, and no one outside. She approached and pulled a needle from her hand bag. My power flowed out, instantly healing my wounds. I needed meat to create my doppelganger body, and it had just served itself on a platter.

The steel hospital door kindly sealed itself shut. A sound wall surrounded the room. “Hello Alice, came to finish the job?” I asked.

She froze for just a moment, then rushed at me, wielding the needle like a dagger. My power caught her, and held her in the air, immobile, at my mercy. I had left my mercy in my other pants.

My power finished toughening me up, and regressing my age to about 20. It sung with pleasure, and release, as I took a deep breath. Ah, youth is truly wasted on the young.