Chapter 24

Our bus took my newest family to the house while I went to the hotel for to meet Inspector Waters. My eye had seen him loitering around the front of the hotel after being denied entrance. With the family going home I came up behind the man and said, "Good day Inspector. I didn't expect you to come here yourself."

"What? How did you know?"

"I am a detective too. You are wearing the 'London bobby' suit and look like a harried bureaucrat. Reporters and..."

The reporters saw me and almost jumped on me as they started to ask questions. I interrupted right back and said, "Tomorrow I will have a meeting with all the reporters. The wall in front of the hotel will have the time and place noted by six o'clock tonight. Please leave me and the people I helped alone, or you will not be allowed to the meeting. Please enjoy yourselves in this country at your newspaper's expense until you are able to submit your story. Good day till tomorrow then."

"Will you..."

I was in the reporter's face in a second and said, "Are you willing to miss the meeting or do you think I am going to go back on my word now that it has been given? Bother me again and I will ensure that you have difficulty producing children. If you wish to call the local law enforcement you will find that I can indeed get away with it. We are not in Britain now."

The inspector and I walked off without any further harassment. "You have a way with words Sir Shawn. Do you always threaten people that you don't like?"

"Usually I try to appeal to their better side. I have found that this doesn't always work with all people and if you show some the slightest weakness they will never leave you alone. If I tried being nice they would just walk all over me. Don't forget I have been putting up with obnoxious people a lot more than you."

"I don't know about that. I have superiors and most of the people I deal with as a policeman are unsavoury at the very least."

"That means that you are meek and mild to them and the suspected murderers confesses all to you because you threaten to make doilies for them?"

"No but I don't threaten them."

"Inspector, as you said, 'you are a policeman, ' don't start lying to me when you say you don't threaten. You may not say you will strike them but you threaten and use your power to let a suspect know that he has to give you want you want."

"Well, maybe you are right. Where are we going by the way?"

"My new home." I called a taxi and talked of the situation in Britain. We pulled up to the house and I invited the man into the house. The women came and bowed to me and my guest. "Ayana, will you get us some tea with lemon please?"

"Yes mas... yes Shawn."

We sat on the patio out of the sun and Waters said, "You speak the language. I had heard that you spoke a great many."

"Languages like most things come easy to me. My mind sucks them up like a sponge. You are thinking of this home and how I got it. It is easy to see with your eyes wandering all around trying to pick out all the details. The facts will unfold as I tell you the story." The story began with me saying I heard two men at the airport. I was standing in front of a urinal. The men began talking in Arabic. They didn't think a blond haired child would understand their language or their coded speech. They had last minute confirmation about the kidnapping and everything was ready to proceed.

The inspector accepted this crucial piece of fictitious conversation and I went into how I tried to gain the support of the Captain. With two people unconscious I naturally thought of a mutiny and assumed the Captain was part of the plan. I went into some of my karate moves with the result that the plane was only on autopilot. The commotion brought the rest of the rats out from the woodwork and I mentioned how I used apples to subdue some with one even dying as a result.

The fact that I was able to land and even fly the plane was difficult for him to understand. My wallet showed him my pilot's licence from Rhodesia, which helped a lot.

The fighter's destruction I attributed to me startling the pilot into making a fatal error and him crashing as a result. All fighting from then on was just a rehash of what I had done immediately after my family had been killed a year earlier.

Kirsay brought the drinks out and I poured for both of us and asked her to go get two more cups. When she came out I poured her a cup and added sugar and picked her up to drink it in my lap. I continued with the story of the two pronged attack while I had the passengers in a safe place. The results being that the kidnappers were killed and I did the same to most of the others.

The mostly fictitious story continued with me finding out from various captured people that Alem Neh Mebreatu was behind the plot. I explained how I used threats to him to gain his business. The financial assets he now had would allow him to run from the law while I liquidated the property slowly to help the people that needed it.

"Where is Alem Neh Mebreatu now?"

"If you check the flights to the Ivory Coast yesterday, you will find he took two bags of money and left. I doubt if he is there now."

"So this house was his?"

"Yes and he divorced his two wives just before leaving. The children are now fatherless and that is why I wanted to stay a bit longer. I want you to see something else." I set Kirsay down and said, "Honey, please get all the women in the house to come out here for just a moment."

The girl smiled and ran off. "What did you say to the little girl?"

Rather than answer, the door opened and all the woman came out. I introduced every one of the European women by their original name that brought tears to each of them. They started to cry so hard that they had to hold each other for support. I finished with the names of the two Ethiopian wives.

"What is the matter with them?" The inspector asked.

"The Europeans were kidnapped long ago. They are from Finland, Norway, East and West Germany and other countries with beautiful blond women. Inspector, it was only a little over twenty years ago that slavery was supposedly abolished in this country. You see the results of one man's unconcern for the rights of others. He has fathered children and I plan to make sure these people are taken care of. I will give you a list of their names and you can see about repatriation if that is their wish."

"God!" Was all he said.

I spoke in Amharic and told them that the man with me was a police officer and would help them find their parents, their brothers and their sisters. I said the same thing in English and knew that the man would help.

"I have to tie up matters tonight. Mebreatu was a businessman but also a crook. I will be meeting the heads of some of his businesses tonight and explain how things have changed. I would invite you to come but you will not understand the language. There may also be opposition to this change. In this case they will try to remove me and go their own way. Some people will need a physician or perhaps a mortician."

"You are going to kill them?"

"Inspector, your feet are on Ethiopian soil not British. I will do things the local way and you can take your prejudices and preconceived ideas with you when you leave. I work within the morality and customs of where I currently reside."

Fannah, or by her Christian name Ingrid, sat with us as I dismissed the rest. "Fannah tell us of your life before coming to this country."

The girl had not spoken English for a long period of time until just recently. She started slowly and cried and smiled, then cried again as she unloaded many of the things that had been inside her for a long time. I poured her some tea and placed in her hands.

I left the two to talk and I went in to comfort the others. They were still crying and I held them as best I could. The children were upset because their mothers were crying. The children were told in simple terms that they were just thinking of the life they left before coming here.

Ten minutes later the Inspector came in with Fannah. She ran to me and was hugged as with the rest. She had never had any hope of getting home because it had been beaten out of her at an early age.

The women got up and started our meal as I took pen and paper and wrote a page about each blond haired woman. I put enough for the police to find the particulars without giving too much and them wondering where the information came form. I listed the children too so that parents and grandparents would know about grandchildren in advance.

The inspector took the phone and called the information in to London, so that another investigation could be started immediately. Hopefully something would be accomplished for I planned to take all of them to Europe with me and see that they found adequate homes. Otherwise they would have to remain mine.

When he was done I phoned the hotel and reserved a meeting room for ten o'clock in the morning and another at six tomorrow afternoon. I would give the inspector a room but I didn't want him browbeating the group without somebody to protect them. We ate a meal but this time the males ate with the females and children. They were starting to get used to this but it would be difficult for a while yet.

Inspector Waters left in a taxi and I left for my meeting. The sword and some documents went with me. The driver of the car was provided by my new lawyers. He had heard a great deal about me and was afraid.

I carried the sword with me. Many Ethiopians still did the same thing along with their rifles. The steel was imperfect and though it was good, it wasn't great. As I travelled, I thought about the carbon and silicon atoms and shifted them to make the molecules as precise as possible. Finally the molecules were formed into the most neatly aligned crystals possible to give extra strength. Finally, a trail of pure Carbon atoms in the classic tetrahedral structure were placed in a very compact matrix along the edge. Effectively diamond backed steel, it was now was the sharpest sword that I had ever made.

The two lawyers were there ahead of me. We were in a large warehouse used for both legal and illegal business. Chairs had been put out and a raised dais of crates would serve as a stage. Though the meeting was not scheduled for another half an hour some people were already here. They uniformly discounted me as man enough to lead their company or the group as a whole. As idle chit chat I told them of how I had killed some of the people they knew. This time I lied again and said about the guns, explosives, knives, hands and especially my sword that was now sheathed and laid on the head table.

More people came and some mentioned how others would be late. Punctuality was not important here and coming late was a way of showing importance. Many of the people present were just smaller businessmen and not outright crooks. None was an angel though and would do what was needed if they were pushed into it.

Exactly on schedule I started the meeting and explained again who I was. The ones that would come late would be the crooks and the largest businesses that were able to come. The papers were displayed so everyone would know that the business were now in my name.

My statements that the businesses would act within the laws of Ethiopia and within the spirit of the law too brought on a round of derision. This was a handicap that the competitors would not have they said. "That is true. I still want the businesses to be honest. You will get something that none of the others will have though."

"What?" Came from many mouths.

"My brain and my name. I am well known and probably have the best mind for business around. I don't want to grow so big to be the only company for our product or service but I want to be the biggest conglomerate. Ethiopia is growing and the coffee industry is but a start. The people here are intelligent but need training. The population in general needs schools so that your workers are trained enough to make things that other countries can't."

As I talked men came in and were not acknowledged. They sat in the chairs further back. I continued, "There are ways that can double or triple the value of the businesses you manage if you only work with me. I have the right to change my managers but I want the ones I have if they will try."

I had to go into specifics about each business and all the comments revolved around what I could do and not what they could do on their own.

The last group to come in were obviously gangsters and the rest cringed from them. They had come armed, but that was not odd, for they were always ready to fight to protect their interests and their lives.

I continued to chat about ways of maximising profits and dealing with our own companies as a source of supply. Accountants would now have to have a position in the companies but I told them that accountants had no heart and that I needed real men to lead the companies.

From the back of the room amongst the gangsters a voice rang out, "We are not going to follow a child that knows nothing of our business."

I continued till the end of my sentence before turning to the main opposition. "I thought you men would be too frightened to come here tonight, you usually deal with a man that fails to pay back a loan or fails to pay money to you so that the businesses are not hurt. Your work will now change as you are going into the military business and putting all that aggression into a new and profitable venture."

"Like hell we are. Nobody tells us what to do. Even Mebreatu was polite to us."

"Oh dear, I guess I have to do some more work. You boys must have noticed that in the last week your numbers have dropped significantly. I found that some colleagues weren't so cooperative and they had to go. You men may need to go where they went too." They knew roughly what had happened and had come this evening to kill me and keep their business for themselves. "In case you are too stupid to understand what I just said, that means I may have to kill a few of you as well."

Guns came out and pointed at me. The people before me ran to the side in panic and waited only for the blood to flow. My blood. "Put the guns on the floor or some people are going to suffer for this," I said in a quiet voice. Nobody moved and I opened my hand and the sword slid from the sheath and floated to my hand. The blade was now glowing. I had excited the surface silicon at a molecular level and as the electrons fell back they gave off visible light.

"Last chance gentlemen."

Bullets came as their answer so, moving extremely swiftly, I was behind them before they knew what was happening. The ones that had the most to loose and the ones least likely to change were struck by the sword. I worked hard to bisect each with surgical precision. With eight of the twenty three men dead, I put the sword point to the floor and stood as bullets flew at me and never landed. One man broke and ran, then the rest followed. I was among them again and punched and kicked to put them out as a normal man would.

I walked back to the stage and the petrified solicitors hid with my guests. "Regain your seats gentlemen. I am sorry for the demonstration but I knew this would happen. This was another reason why we are not at a carpeted meeting room." The men did not move. "I said, please retake your seats gentlemen." They came this time and sat far back on any chair they could find as long as it was far from me.

"That crew were going to take over the businesses you manage, very soon if I hadn't stopped them. Now let's continue with my talk. Heartless accountants will have to be used." The men hardly heard me for they were looking at the living and the dead on the floor. "Gentlemen, please pay attention to me." They reluctantly turned to face me. "There will be a uniform way all the businesses report. We will pay our full taxes but we will try to find any loophole we can to avoid what we can. This country and our people need the money we will make. I just don't want it going into some corrupt official's pocket or to pay a gangster similar to those ones on the floor."

There was more talk about how to increase the size of the businesses, bringing wealth to all. "There are two more things before we leave tonight. The first is that you will be given a salary and a bonus, based on a percentage of how well your company does. The second is that all of you were cheating Alem Neh Mebreatu and would continue to cheat me. This will stop now. What you have stolen up to yesterday is yours and what you stole today will be put back. What is stolen tomorrow will be taken from your body a piece at a time by me. Is that understood gentlemen?"

They understood this very well. "I would ask if you have more questions but you are all too frightened at the moment. Our next meeting will be in a better location with no unsightly bodies littering the floor. Please pick up the chairs and stack them in the corner. I have to get this mess cleaned up."

They scrambled to obey and one slipped in the blood. I walked to the pile of gangsters and picked up the living two at a time. I walked with them held high and placed then against the wall. A container of water used for drinking was thrown at three and they awoke with groans. The solicitors brought more water at my bidding and the rest were similarly awoken.

"Gentlemen," the men were very passive now and tried to get away. Their eyes travelling to their former commanders that lay in two portions on the floor. "Gentlemen, look at me. I don't think you want me angry at you again. Clean up this mess. Wash the floor. Bullet holes will have to be repaired within a month. There will be no evidence of how foolish you men can be. Tomorrow at six I want you to be at the hotel for another talk. If you are foolish again I will not kill you but cut your legs and arms off. Then I will make sure you remain alive."

I just left with my property and had to get a ride home with one of the petrified solicitors for my own driver had left at the sound of the first shots earlier in the evening.

The women were unaware of where I was and just wanted me with them. They had sent the children off to bed early when they saw me coming. "Fannah, bring the children back out please."

When everybody was present, except the babies, I got the rings I'd made and presented them to each, starting with Ayana. There was an inscription in each with their name and saying they were from me with love and devotion.

I took each woman's hand and placed the ring on her finger and kissed her. Then I told her what it said in each band. They cried and I did a little too because this was as close as we could come to a wedding ring. After I had handed them out to all the women, they were all crying together.

They were surprised when I went to Benyam and gave him a ring and kissed him too. "Yours says that I love you too and I want you to be the best son you can be. The boy cried too and I hugged him again and gave him another kiss and handed him to his mother. The rest of the rings were handed out and each got a kiss and a hug. The mothers of the infants got rings for their children placed in their hands.

That night I told them of what I envisioned their futures to be. Most cried thinking that they would leave me to go to their old countries and their parents. I talked of school and how I demanded that they get at least a minimum requirement. Some were not suitable for higher education but could do with much more than they presently had. To Benyam I said, "I would like you to follow me as a physician and keep the line going in our family. Your sister Meseret has a crafty mind and would make a good solicitor or a fine accountant."

The rest became the centre of attraction for a while as I picked out what I thought they would each be best at. The three babies got the same treatment. Most of my choices were wishful thinking, for a young child's mind was far too mercurial to put a label on.

When I was finished I went to the kitchen and make some warm drink for the children before sending them off to bed. I wanted to make love to their mothers.

The children snickered a little but drank the sweet drink I prepared for them. When they were done I personally put each to bed and tucked them in with a kiss. Benyam at the last enjoyed the attention and the kiss. He liked it even better when I said, "Goodnight son."

I washed and found the women ready. This time we were all in one room and I started with Brihan the woman just younger than Ayana. She got the full treatment and the rest this time were very ready when Brihan had her final climax and fainted.

When the rest were all done I too was satisfied so picked up each of the women and put them to bed, then came back and cleaned up the menstrual blood. All the women had to know they were loved and not just for sex. Most men didn't like this time of month and I was one too, but the situation demanded that it be done and performed with love and compassion.

That night I slept with Brihan. The next morning when I woke up she was trying her best to please me with her mouth. After my orgasm I returned the favour and her cries during orgasm woke up the rest of the house for me. I made breakfast with help this time and again we all sat down to eat. Everybody still wore their rings and admired them at any chance they had.

Ayana was given more money than she knew existed. She was told that this was for the home. She had to write down what she spent the money on when she did it and how much she spent. I had already said that she would be an accountant and this was the start of her training. Each child got an allowance and could spend it or bank it for later. The mothers got money specifically for them and their children to be spent as they chose.

By ten I was at the hotel. It was a hit or miss thing because the women wanted to show me how much they cared. The reporters were let in and had to go directly to the meeting room. I smiled to them and carried my sword that had proved so dramatic the night before. Inspector Waters and some Ethiopian officials were at the meeting too. I started the meeting by addressing the officials by name and then the representative from Scotland Yard.

They were amazed at my perception, but not that much because of all the things that they had heard. I gave them the same story as I'd given to Waters, pausing at certain points to answer questions. Most of the time I had to say that the explanation is coming. The death by an apple was questioned quite strenuously by one man and I had the kitchen bring me one of the fruits and a wooden cutting board. The man was asked to stand against the far wall and hold the board out in front of him. He made a smirk and agreed to the joke. "In front of your stomach please and about eight inches away sir."

"Like this."

"Perfect. Are you ready sir?"

As the word yes came from his mouth the apple flew across the room, struck the board, breaking it in two with the remainder striking the man's suit jacket. He collapsed on the floor as if somebody had struck him viciously there. His fellow journalists picked him up as he slowly regained his breath.

When he looked at me I asked, "Are you satisfied with my explanation now sir?"

"Yes, more than enough," he stammered. The pain made his voice hoarse.

"Then the cleaning staff will clean the applesauce off the walls and we will continue."

When the flying was brought up I showed them my pilots licence and how many hours I had logged flying. The destruction of the fighter was explained when I jumped at a man in the front row and he fell when he instinctively tried to avoid me.

My ability to kill was next brought into question. This time I was lucky that the man asking had a short beard.

"Sir I can prove it without hurting you like one of the other doubters. May I give you a shave? You will not be hurt. If there is even the slightest nick I will give you an hundred pounds and an apology. You must give me a pound if there is no blood lost." The man thought it over like he was being asked an important question by a mythological being.

"Sure." Again as the words left his mouth I brought the sword out from behind my back and slashed five times. He moved after the first and I compensated each time to slice the growth from his face. As his hands came up I stopped and he screamed and fell to the floor. He had even wet himself.

I put the sword away and tried to help him up but he didn't want anything to do with me. The rest of the crowd were the same way and thought me a madman.

"Sir, please feel your face and tell me if you are bleeding."

Everybody looked at the wide eyed man. He didn't move at all and was in shock from the event. Hotel staff took him out to clean him up. I would have to give him an apology later. "Does anyone here believe I am too slow to kill men intent on killing me or kidnapping my friends?"

There was no reply so I regained my old position and carried on to the next point. The reporters had a difficult time but started asking questions again. There was no incredulity this time mostly the questions were just a way of clearing up a point or two.

Alem Neh Mebreatu was finally brought up as the man behind all this and I explained how he had made so many wrongs that I took most of his property. I made it very clear how I was using the proceeds to help the people that he had hurt over the years. I stated how he abandoned his family and I was protecting them and seeing that they recovered from his draconian rule. The passengers too had to be compensated. Both groups needed our support to get through this trying time. I surprised Inspector Waters by introducing him and getting him to talk on the whereabouts of the mastermind.

He stood and mentioned that the man had apparently left the Ivory Coast and nobody was sure of his present location. Police agencies all over the world were now looking for him.

Questions came again and lasted an hour. When the questions came about Alem Neh Mebreatu's family I said in an ominous voice that they were to be left alone. The reporters were getting the hang of it now and asked other questions. When they were running out of steam I called for Marcie, Peter, Rachael, Sofia and for all six stewardesses.

"I have called for some of the stronger people from the plane. I ask you kindly to ask one question at a time and keep them simple. You have five minutes each. They are still under a strain and even this meeting will put a great stress to them. The first person to my right asks the first question and so forth. You screw up and I will get angry. Is that understood?"

They all now understood clearly about my anger.

The people came in and I sat them in chairs and explained what I wanted them to do. "Just tell the truth but remember that you are dealing with a pack of jackals no matter what they sound like, or say." The reporters resented the remark but said nothing about it.

The Ethiopian officials were in the front row and took their turn as well asking questions, like a Crown Attorney, but being very polite. Everybody found out that they only saw the man killed by an apple and the rest had always been cleaned up by me first. Except for three that were shooting at me. Later the conversations between the kidnappers was brought up as they accused each other of not doing what was needed or seeing the correct signs. The lone woman kidnapper was especially pissed that when I came on board everybody was looking at my penis instead of my face, hair and clothing. The reporters got onto that and asked the girls why that was done. Marcie said it was a small diversion but it worked. Everybody laughed at my expense.

Peter piped up out of turn, "I told him about his pants being opened and he turned red and hid his face and wouldn't look at anybody."

Most of the people were shaking their head in understanding and continued with their turn. Eventually the girls were asked what they thought of me. This was what I was dreading. This could have untold repercussions for all our lives. Sofia the most quiet one answered, "Oh I love him. If he was old enough I would tie him up and take him to the church and marry him." This opened a new line of questioning and all the girls even the stewardesses said about the same thing.

Peter said, "I want to be his friend forever. I feel better being with him than anyone else. He even let me drive the tank and shoot it." The tank had never come up in the discussion and that was followed with Peter getting more and more excited as he and his friends drove it to protect the rest at night. The last five minute interval for the last person was over and Peter still talked.

I walked up to him and put my hand on his shoulder, "Everybody needed something to do and they all got important jobs. The boys did an excellent job of protecting us and so did the girls. We had sentries around the clock. Basically I started another army."

The time was up to question the girls and Peter but I went into why I did what I did. Strong, self assured individuals were not the kind to suffer later. My technique was questioned and I used my other army in Rhodesia as a good example. I said how my forces had been tracking General Mobutu's men when they came to Rhodesia for training in an enemy's land.