The Diaries of Ayesha

There are times when seemingly unrelated things do have a connection.

This concept forms the basis of Chaos theory. A butterfly farts in Brazil and it causes snow in Scotland.
But what do a Prime Minister of a Mideastern country, a televangelist with presidential ambitions, and a truck hijacking in India have in common?

I found out.

"Michael, come into my office please." the intercom had chirped only a few days before.

I walked into Minx's office and waited as she finished making notes on a legal pad before turning her attention to me. "Sit down." she said shortly. I sat and waited for her to tell me what she wanted.

"I will be leaving for Paris this evening and then to Beirut." she said.

"But you just got back from a trip a few days ago. Can't someone else go?" I suggested. "I'm getting tired of eating alone."

She shook her head tiredly.

"No, I'm the only one qualified to do this. As to eating alone, don't you mean sleeping alone?" she teased.

"Well admittedly, sleeping in the bed is nice, but I'd rather have you in it."

"Michael..." she warned.

"I know, I know. Pets are not allowed on the furniture," I said with a sigh. "I'll go home and get packed then."

"No, Michael. You won't be coming with me this time either. I want you to go to the Rancho with Miriam and Susan for now."

I was a bit surprised by that command.

The Rancho was the home of the Mother of Many and where new Daughters of Ay'esha were taught.

I received my first training as a slave there, and had only returned there once before.

"What about work?" I asked.

She looked up at me with an intensity that I had never seen in her before, a fierceness that defied description in her manner.

"You will go to the Rancho and you will follow the orders of your superiors once you arrive. You will not return to the City until I give you permission. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes Mistress!" I said kneeling before her quickly.

She stepped around the desk and took my head in her hands.

"You have been a wonderful slave Michael, and whatever happens I want you to know how much I love you," she said softly.

"I love you too Mistress. I always will." I said honestly.

"Then go. Don't look back, just go home and wait for Susan and Miriam to pick you up," she ordered and turned away to look out the window at the lights of the City.

I got to my feet and walked out, the last vision I had of her being her reflection in the window, strong and beautiful, even though she must have known even then what was in store for her.

The next night after a deliberately confusing route, I was delivered to the Rancho and escorted to the living quarters Minx used when she stayed there.

"Minx lets me use her rooms when she's gone." Susan said. "But Michael, as long as you are here, you will have to behave as a slave. You will be kept naked, and you will not speak without being spoken to. You have no special privileges here."

I nodded and stripped, kneeling before her naked to be collared.

Susan nodded at Miriam, and a collar was brought to her and she fastened it around my neck.

"Please tell the Mother of Many that I wish an audience with her to discuss the current crisis. Tell her that Michael is with me as well." Susan instructed Miriam.

"Yes Mistress," Miriam said and scampered off to deliver the message.

"This may take some time. Why don't you get some sleep?" Susan suggested.

"I don't think I can sleep Mistress. Something is very wrong." I said, suppressing a yawn.

She caught it and rolled her chair to the cabinet that held my sleeping things, and took them out.

"Slave, make your bed and lie down. I will awaken you when it is time." she ordered gently.

I started to refuse and then reminded myself that I would be dishonoring my Mistress if I did.

I was not in Kansas anymore.

I lay down in my blankets and tried to sleep as Susan lit the bedside candles and dimmed the lights of the room.

"Will you want me to assist you to bed Mistress?" I asked from my nest at the foot of the bed.

"No Michael, I'm going to sit for awhile. Miriam can assist me when it's time." she refused softly.

"Thank you Mistress. Goodnight." I said and lay back down.

I awoke with Miriam's hand across my mouth stifling any sound I might make.

"Quietly Master. Come with me." she whispered into my ear.

I got to my feet and saw Susan sleeping quietly in the bed, then followed Miriam into the kitchen and out into the courtyard I had first seen years ago.

Above us the stars burned brightly and a warm wind blew through the enclosure. The fountain trickled softly in a counterpoint to the noise of the night wind through the trees.

Miriam knelt before the bench surrounding the fountain and indicated I should sit.

"I have news of our Mistress," she said softly.

"Tell me." I said gripping her arms tightly.

Miriam looked into my eyes and I saw the pain and fear and knew it for my own.

"She and Lydia went into Lebanon two days ago to try and locate a package of some kind. They have not reported back in since." she replied.

"What in the hell was she doing with Lydia!" I hissed

I released her arms and looked at the naked stars above us and wordlessly prayed to the Goddess that watches over all to protect them.

"I couldn't find out. I bribed the communications officer to learn as much as I did." she continued.

"Bribed?" I asked concerned.

Even in the dim light from the windows of the surrounding rooms, I could see her blush slightly.

"I have promised to make love to her tonight. The Mother of Many will not see you now. I informed Mistress Susan of her decision, but I could not let you sleep without telling you what I discovered."

Impulsively, I kissed her for the first time.

She melted into my arms and I felt her touch me and caress me, not as a slave to my desires, but as a lover.

When we broke the kiss, she smiled and then rose to her feet.

"I must go now Master," she said. "But I will return to your side in the morning."

"I wish you didn't have to do this." I mused.

"Master, I would prostitute myself for our Mistress. As would you. Sleep well Master Michael." she said and slipped away into the darkness.

I returned to my nest, my head spinning in confusion.

I understood why Anna would be reluctant to see me; She knew how I felt about Minx, and knew that if Minx were in danger, I would be angry.

I had sworn to obey her and I usually did, but I still didn't understand at the time why Minx and Lydia would be working together.

It would be a long night I was sure.

Miriam returned in the morning, somewhat disheveled, but still awake enough to help me make breakfast for Susan and assist her in her morning duties.

Susan permitted us to sit at the table with her, and made sure I'd had my second cup of coffee before giving me the bad news.

"Anna says she doesn't have the time to see you right now, but wants you to remain here. She may have use for you later." Susan said firmly.

"Yes Mistress. I assume I'm confined to quarters for the duration." I said bowing my head in submission.

"Yes. You may amuse yourself as you please, but you are required to stay in these rooms until called for."

I looked around the rooms in which I had spent many happy hours and sighed.

It just wasn't the same without the knowledge that Minx was coming back to them.

Susan finished her breakfast and ordered Miriam to get some sleep, and then rolled her chair out of the room towards places unknown to me.

I watched Miriam sleep and listened to the music collection I had stored there long ago, listening to pieces I hadn't listened to for many months.

And as I listened, I thought about the world, and how the period after our last vacation had seemed idyllic.

It was the calm before the gathering storm I suppose.

Susan returned for lunch and after lunch, she escorted me into the courtyard, sat down on the bench and lit a cigarette.

I knew she was spazzing at that point, because that was the only time she ever smoked.

"Mistress, may I be of assistance?" I asked, kneeling at her feet.

She looked down at me and then away again.

"You know I can't tell you anything," she said staring at the horizon.

"I know. And the Mother of Many won't tell me anything." I said ruefully.

I was rewarded with a gentle swat on the head.

"Are you questioning her wisdom, slave?" Susan prodded.

"NO, Mistress!" I responded.

"Liar." she laughed. "But I'm questioning it too."

Our moment of rebellion was broken by the arrival of the Mother of Many's assistant.

"Anna requires the presence of M-5 in the Chamber of the Matriarchs." Yoni announced crisply.

In deference to my bad leg I was led, walking upright on a leash, to the Chamber of Matriarchs, the room where I had first been introduced to the mysteries of Ay'esha.

Yoni closed the door behind me as I knelt before Anna as she sat in her chair on the dais.

"Look upon me Michael." she said wearily.

I looked up and saw her face exhausted and drawn from strain. She looked as if she had not slept or eaten in days.

"Mother, may I offer you my service?" I asked concerned.

She motioned for me to approach her and indicated I should sit at her feet.

"The service I require from you now is most difficult. I want you to stay here," she said.

"I don't understand." I said confused.

"Your Mistress is in grave peril but your presence here is required. I need your assistance in managing a situation." she explained.

I wanted to ask about Minx and then reminded myself that I owed Anna the same loyalty I showed to her.

"If my service will help, then I will serve." I said formally.

She closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"You have always been a problem child Michael, but I see why Minx chose you as her final slave. I will have Yoni brief you and introduce you to other members of the group you will be working with." she said.

She opened her eyes and I saw the tiredness lift from them for a moment as she pressed a button to signal Yoni to return.

"Get him dressed and brief him Yoni, then take him to the situation room. Make sure that he understands his function and that the other members of the team know who and what he is." Anna instructed.

"Yes Mother." she said and led me from the room before I could say anything or even thank Anna.

Yoni led me to a storeroom and plucking a jumpsuit from a shelf, threw it to me.

"Get dressed." she said abruptly.

I slipped into it and pulled a set of soft boots from an adjacent shelf and tugged them on, then stood up.

Yoni took the leash again and led me to a small office equipped with a computer and a VCR/TV combo.

"I'll keep this simple for you." Yoni said. "We have reason to believe that a group of religious fanatics have acquired a nuclear weapon and plan to detonate it in the Mideast."

I just looked at her dumbly. Nuclear weapons?

"Who?" I stammered.

"We have a few clues as to who, but no hard evidence. Watch the monitor."

She pressed the PLAY button on the VCR.

The first images were of a CNN news report about a certain politician from a prominent Middle Eastern country meeting with the President.

I knew the man's policies were not the most understanding of the political realities about his country, and indeed he had reneged on a number of promises made by the previous administration causing dissention in and out of his own government.

"The Prime Minister made a stop before his meeting with the President and that's what attracted our attention." Yoni said as the tape changed and showed footage of the presidential campaign of a conservative church leader who broadcast his programs on most of the TV stations in the country.

"I've seen this guy. I call him the Right Reverend." I said watching the images. "He's kind of a nut case in some ways."

"But a very powerful one with connections at many levels of the government, including the Speaker of the House." Yoni corrected, stopping the tape at that point.

"So what's the connection?" I asked.

Yoni waved the question away.

"We are attempting to determine if a weapon is indeed missing and gather enough information to arrest the people involved."

"And what is my function?" I asked.

"You are to provide opinions as requested. You are not in charge and you will not make decisions. Questions?"

"How do you know that this isn't just a hoax?" I insisted.

Yoni looked at the ceiling and counted to ten in what sounded like Hindustani before speaking to me again.

"Please contain your impatience, and come with me." she said unsnapping my leash and walking out the door leaving me to follow in her wake.

I followed her to an oak paneled situation room where a group of women were working and Yoni introduced me to the team leader.

Actually I didn't need an introduction at all.

It was Isis Khambatta of Kali.

"Michael, nice to see you." she said holding out a hand. "If I'd know you were coming, I would have offered you a ride."

I shook it carefully, wary of her, considering our past history

"I had forgotten you knew each other." Yoni said in annoyed tones.

"Oh yes, we've dealt with each other. In fact the first time wasn't that far from here." Isis explained. "Now Michael, kneel before me and I'll bring you up to date."

I reluctantly knelt and listened to her. It didn't take very long to bring me up to speed as there wasn't a lot to tell me that Yoni hadn't.

"Our offices in New Delhi were contacted in regards to shipping some type of radioactive material to Beirut. When we asked for more details, the price we were offered to ship the goods doubled. The office contacted Lydia instantly for instructions. ", Isis explained.

"So you actually transported the stuff for them?" I asked appalled.

"Before we could make the final arrangements, our contact with the people was killed in a hit and run accident."

"Accident accident, or one of those kind of accidents?" I asked suspiciously.

"We still aren't sure ourselves. Our plan was, quite honestly to hijack the weapon or material, and sell it to the United States. They'd pay good money to keep it out of the hands of terrorists."

"You people do have a lovely moral sense don't you." Yoni sneered.

"Despite our reputation, we'd rather have a world to rule rather than a pile of radioactive debris." Isis rebuked. " Anyway, we weren't able to make direct contact again, so it was necessary to send someone to investigate using the limited information we did have.

"When we discovered the possible involvement of the Prime Minister, Lydia decided to contact Anna."

"And what was her reaction?" I asked curiously.

"I should think the fact that you and I are here would answer that question. She felt that if there were an involvement, we would be best served by working together against a common threat.

"Anna assigned your Mistress as Lydia's partner as a sign of good faith. They got to Beirut and the last report was they were following a lead in a camp outside of the city. That was two days ago."

"Where does the Right Reverend come in?" I asked.

"The who? Oh, I see." she laughed. "The Right Reverend has a little secret of his own. Let's just say he has a thing for young submissives and the urge to cleanse them of their sins the old fashioned way every second Monday."

"Why am I not surprised? Blackmail is your stock in trade," I sighed remembering pictures of a bank official that she had once taken.

" Call it gathering information that may be useful under a bizarre set of circumstances. In any case he's been a little lax in what he carries in his briefcase, and one of our people found a draft of a sermon about the destruction of Israel written as if it had already happened."

"Wishful thinking on his part perhaps." I commented.

"Perhaps, but our contact also found some phone numbers and a date and time in his diary." Isis replied.

"Escort services?" I asked innocently.

She smirked at the joke before continuing.

"The numbers were for an office in the Indian government that is in charge of nuclear materials and there was also a number that when we traced it, goes to a private line in the Prime Minister's office."

"How did you manage to do that?"

"Let's just call them the Three Blind Mice. They're very good at that sort of thing."

"What was the date and time?"

"Six in the morning on Christmas."

Merry fucking ho, ho, ho. I thought about the timing. It couldn't be planned for a better day. Members of the major religions would all be in Jerusalem on that day.

"How do I know that Kali isn't just setting the Right Reverend up?" I prodded.

Isis stood mutely, her eyes alone showing her anger.

"I know you don't have any reason to trust us, but in this case I expect you to put your suspicions aside," she said finally.

"What about sending a second team?" I asked.

"Not yet. We're waiting for more information from an agent that may narrow the search down."

" So, what am I needed for?" I asked finally.

She looked at me with an amused expression.

"Cannon fodder, if necessary." she smirked.

"Excuse me, I've said this before and I'll say it again. I'm not stupid, I'm not expendable, and I'm not going." I replied without humor.

She laughed.

"I'm only kidding. Right now we need you as an analyst to wade through the raw intelligence reports."

She indicated the computers ringing the room and the projection units flashing maps and what looked like satellite views.

"We're scanning all the news services, shipping data and Internet news traffic for the Middle East," Yoni inserted. "We have a tap to the NRO and CIA systems that give us real time pictures from the spy satellites. We can tap NORAD and - "

"And we're collecting rumors in coffee shops, bars and whorehouses in that area," Isis continued. " After all, years ago the best place to collect gossip was the servants hall. Kali just continues the tradition. Ay'esha is too high tech sometimes, relying on electronics more than field agents. We do things the old fashioned way and sometimes with better results," Isis said scornfully as Yoni stiffened at the insult and walked away.

I shook my head.

"So why an alliance at all?" I said.

"You have better connections inside the governments of the world, we have better underworld contacts. If we work together, we both get what we want."

"Tell me something honestly. Is Kali really interested in stopping them?" I prodded.

"If you really don't think that we are, then why are you helping?" she countered.

"Because my Mistress is out there with my worst enemy, and I'd like to see her again. If there are any fuck ups, any tricks, any double crosses, I will kill you and as many of your people as I can locate." I said softly so that only she would hear me.

"I understand that. But this is not the time or place." Isis replied just as softly.

"Only a fool fights in a burning house." I replied.

"Right."

"Where do I start?" I said stoutly.

Anna had informed the IAEA people in Geneva of the missing material through her channels, although the Indian government denied officially that there was anything missing at all.

I knew that most of the multinational agencies would be carrying out their own efforts to locate the materials, so all I needed to do was piggyback my search efforts onto theirs.

The real trick would be staying out of the way of the CIA and it's counterparts.

Not that they were much of a threat really. After all they didn't even know that India had the bomb to begin with.

I turned my attention to the problem at hand: If I were radioactive, how would I travel undetected across multiple borders?

" Quite a five pipe problem." as Sherlock Holmes would have said.

In my case it was the fifth beer stein full of mocha java and four hours before the obvious answer exposed itself to the prying fingers of my mind.

"Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream." I mused.

Don't try and hide it. Label it something else.

The components could be disguised easily enough. Only the radioactive material would be a problem to hide.

"Isis!" I called from my workstation. "I think I've got it."

She hurried over followed by Yoni.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your people smuggle drugs on a regular basis. Have you ever put an illegal shipment inside a legal one?" I asked.

"Of course. But you can't do it very often because they get suspicious." she said.

"If you had a container marked radioactive, would you open it to look inside?"

"Of course not." she said.

"And without a chemical analysis, you wouldn't be able to tell one material from another anyway." I continued.

"I wouldn't think so." Yoni agreed.

"So if someone shipped a canister marked Cobalt-60 to a hospital, how could you tell what was really inside?"

Isis's eyes lit up in understanding.

"Medical supplies. Radioactives for therapy." she gushed.

"Exactly. Have the IAEA and the customs agencies start checking on shipments of radioactive material for medical purposes." I said.

Isis dashed to one phone while Yoni dashed to another and both of them started talking excitedly to the party on the other end.

I closed my eyes tired, despite the caffeine surging through my body urging it onwards.

I dropped the pad at my station and wandered into the bathroom to relieve myself of the used coffee and get some momentary peace and quiet after the noise of the situation room.

Nuclear weapons. Goddess what a nightmare!

Hiroshima.

Burnt bodies destroyed cities, death and disease.

All Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in a single package composed of 2.2 kilograms of radioactive material.

Why would anybody like the Right Reverend even get involved in nuclear terrorism?

I finished my duties and returned to the situation room and sat down again to look at the latest reports on the computer.

I pulled up every piece of data on the 'Net concerning the Right Reverend, newsgroups, his web site, everything I could find.

I was already aware of his politics, mine being more liberal and his being somewhat to the right of Hermann Goering.

What I hadn't paid a lot of attention to was his rhetoric.

In almost every sermon he spoke of the prophecies of the end of the world at the end of the century. With each new sermon he became more insistent that unless the prophecy was fulfilled, Christ would not return for the Second Coming.

Whoa, time for a Prozac prescription for the Right Reverend.

OK, that gave me some kind of reason for his involvement, but the Prime Minister of the target country?

I remembered the old story of the frog and the scorpion.

A scorpion called to a frog on a riverbank and asked for help in crossing the water.

"No, because if I carry you you'll sting me and I'll die." the frog replied

"That would be foolish. I'd drown myself. I won't sting you."

The frog thought for a moment and agreed.

True to his word the scorpion controlled himself until a point half way across when his instincts became too strong and plunged the stinger into the frog killing him.

"Why?" the frog groaned with his last breath. "You'll die too."

And the scorpion said before the waters enveloped him: "This is the Middle East."

"Any word yet?" I asked.

She shook her head and reached for the phone ringing on her desk.

"Go." she snapped into the phone.

She rapidly jotted notes on a pad then hang up.

"You might have been right about the shipping method. A container of radioactive material was shipped from New Delhi to Beirut for delivery to a hospital." she said.

"And?" I prompted.

"And what? That's all I know so far."

I turned and walked away before I could say something I might regret later.

Isis smirked as I threw myself down in my chair obviously annoyed.

"Are you sure you picked the right side?" she asked.

The look I gave her could probably have cut diamonds, but she ignored it easily.

"I may not approve of the way this operation is being carried out, but I am going to do it their way." I said through gritted teeth.

"You know, I was very serious when I offered you a better deal by joining Kali." she continued.

"And I was just as serious when I told you no.", I said turning back towards my workstation ignoring her.

Miriam arrived a few minutes later to escort me to back to Susan's quarters for dinner.

Susan was already at the table when I arrived and I quickly stripped and knelt, grateful to shed the responsibility of the job for a little while.

"I hope your meeting was productive Michael," she said motioning for me to rise and sit at the table.

"At least I have something to do now to distract me." I said honestly.

"I would hardly call what you're doing a distraction. I was told you made a valuable contribution today." she chided.

"Anybody else could have thought of it, I just did it first." I said as Miriam served a bowl of chicken soup to me.

"It cut the search down quite a bit. Now we can focus on one location."

"What do you mean ' we' paleface? I'm stuck here using my amazing computer brain, and Minx is out in the field actually doing something." I complained.

"Because this is where you belong right now." Susan reminded. "The Mother of Many didn't even need to let you help at all. And as to working with Yoni, she isn't the easiest person to get along with, but she is very good at what she does."

"Mistress, with all due respect, she and I have a rapport problem. She sees me as a useless male troublemaker." I said formally.

Susan's expression changed to one of annoyance.

"Michael, you are male, you are a troublemaker, but useless is not correct. Remember your place here. You are here to serve, not command." she said sharply.

She was right of course and I needed to check my ego at the door when I went to work for Yoni.

The real world job had placed me in a position where decisions had to be made quickly and correctly and I had to wield authority to implement Minx's decisions at the Bank.

But off the job I had lost my ability to submit properly.

Even in the field with Minx I had not always deferred to her authority at times, and while the results had been good, they probably would have been better.

I felt ashamed at that moment. If my pride had stayed in check, I might be with Minx right now instead of sitting behind a desk half a world away.

"No, you wouldn't." Susan said as if she was reading my mind. "You'd still be here because your talents are needed here."

"I wish you wouldn't do that." I groused.

"Remember, you got me into this, so you have to live with it ... slave." she teased.

"Yes Mistress." I said with a look to the heavens.

Susan escorted me back to the situation room along with Miriam in time to be handed a copy of the latest reports from Lebanon.

"It doesn't look good." Isis said as I read the report.

The hospital reported that the suspect container had arrived two days earlier and had been secured in the radiology department vault. "Had been" was the active verb clause, because when it was time to install the material in the treatment machine, the canister was missing.

"I don't understand. The stuff was radioactive, I mean it would kill anybody who touched it." Susan said reading the report.

I shook my head.

"That's a myth. If it were really Cobalt-60 in the canister, they'd be dead on the spot. But plutonium is stable enough to be handled with a pair of rubber gloves. We need someone in Beirut to check out the hospital. Someone there may be involved and that would give us a lead." I suggested.

From an overhead speaker came the voice of the Mother of Many.

"Do you have an update for me Yoni?" she asked.

"Yes, Mother. We suspect the materials were shipped to a hospital in Beirut and then stolen from there." she replied as if to the air.

"Yoni, inform Mei Ling that I expect her in Beirut by tomorrow to direct the search for the device." she said.

"And what of my Mistress?" I called.

"Our first priority is to find the people and the device." was the tired reply.

I knew she was right, but I didn't have to like it. At least I trusted Mei Ling to do the job correctly.

I went to sleep that night dreaming of my loving Mistress interspersed with nightmares about mushroom clouds and burning cities.

I awoke to Miriam shaking me.

"What?" I blurted as she released my arm.

"You're wanted in the situation room right away," she said, helping me to my feet.

I didn't bother to dress and dashed after her.

"Mei Ling just reported in from the hospital. An IAEA team flew in from weapons inspections in Iraq and started an investigation at the scene." Isis said ignoring my lack of dress.

"And?" I said anxiously.

"They found residue of plutonium in the storage vault. They're still working on the chemical analysis, but I think they'll find it was produced in an Indian reactor."

"We're running out of time to handle this quietly." I said.

"The security on this isn't very tight. The hospital filed a report with the local police about the theft." Isis replied.

"What about news coverage?" Susan asked wheeling up to the group.

"So far nothing, but the first reporter that flips through the police reports will have it all over the place in five minutes." Yoni added.

"I don't think so." I said as a thought occurred to me. "The newspapers are government controlled. A newspaper story isn't very likely."

"Good point." Isis conceded.

I turned my full attention to Yoni.

"How closely are we working with the IAEA. Are we just feeding them bits of data, or are they aware of who Mei Ling represents?" I asked.

"Mei Ling has a set of credentials identifying herself as a doctor with the UN mission in Beirut. That and her personality are all that are required." Yoni replied.

I looked at the clock and shook my head.

"We've got to bear in mind that they're almost half a day ahead of us timewise. That gives us half a day less to find the bomb." I noted.

"There isn't much we can do about that." Susan replied.

"No, but we need to change sleeping schedules for the duty team. We need the best people awake on Beirut time, not local time." I suggested with a yawn.

"Just because you're too lazy to keep up.. ", Yoni started to say.

I exploded and slammed my fist on the desk.

"You know, I've taken about all the shit I'm going to take from you! My Mistress is out there somewhere, possibly sitting on an atomic bomb, and you accuse me of being lazy?! Pull your head out of your ass and look around the room. Everybody is dragging and because of it we're going to make mistakes, possibly fatal ones." I raged.

"Michael, heel!" Susan snapped.

I dropped to my knees at her side with hot angry tears running down my face.

"I have never been abused by a slave before, and I'm not going to allow it now. Get him out of here." Yoni commanded.

I followed Susan on all fours until I reached the corridor and then knelt again.

"Would you care to justify that performance for me?" she asked her tone bordering on anger.

"I'm tired of being treated like an idiot by her. If she doesn't want me involved, then she can tell Anna to have me removed. I'll go." I fumed.

"And you think you showed her you weren't?" Susan demanded.

"Mistress, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm frustrated. I think I know more about dealing with this sort of situation than she does at least where the people are concerned." I said regaining my temper.

Isis came out of the room and looked down at me.

"I think you owe her an apology," she said.

"I owe HER an apology?" I spat.

"Yes, you do slave. You're tired and worried and I understand that. But she and I have been on this longer than you have. We haven't slept much either, and I'm sure she honestly didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Isis continued.

I closed my eyes and sighed.

One of the things a slave has to do is consider the feelings of their Mistress, even if they don't seem to have any consideration of ours.

A good slave should never be abused. Punished yes, corrected yes. But a Mistress who abuses a slave isn't a Mistress who deserves to be served.

They were right. I had behaved badly and embarrassed my Mistress.

"I don't think she'll accept it." I stalled.

"Find out." Susan ordered and pointed towards the door as Isis opened it.

I crawled back into the room with my head down prodded along gently by Isis slapping my ass.

I stopped when I saw Yoni's shoes and remained bowed.

"This slave has something to say to you." Susan said, "Go ahead."

"I'm sorry I lost my temper at you Mistress. I took something personally that wasn't meant to be so. Please forgive me and punish me as you see fit. I dishonored my Mistress by my actions." I said with a catch in my throat.

"Look up slave." Yoni commanded.

I looked up to see her red rimmed eyes.

"You were disrespectful to me, but I was no less so to you. I haven't given you as much credit for your abilities as you deserve. If you think you have a better way to do things, please tell me," she said with a bit less frost on her words than normal.

"Thank you Mistress for trusting me. I know I haven't always shown I can be." I said humbly.

"Then get up and show me what you think is a better way." she invited.

I explained my idea, based on the way NASA manages a space flight. Three teams with a supervisor who is in overall charge, the teams being comprised of the senior people on the main shift and less experienced people on the other two, but qualified supervisors on all shifts.

"You see, either you or Isis can manage and make decisions and make use of the information. If the data is bad, you have the experience to work around it." I assayed.

"That would leave us one person short." Isis said looking at the proposed list of people I had written down.

"I was thinking that Susan could take a shift, if the Mother of Many approves." I suggested.

"Do you want to?" Yoni asked her.

"If you think I can, of course." Susan agreed.

"All right then. I'll take this shift, Isis takes second shift, Susan takes the third." Yoni said decisively.

"What about Michael?" Susan asked.

"He'll be on call for all shifts. If we need him, we wake him up or whatever. But keep a muzzle handy. It would seem he bites when he's tired." Yoni said determined to get the last word.

"Melatonin!" I said as a thought bounced across the rubber sheet of my tired mind.

"What?" Isis asked.

"Melatonin. People use it to adjust for jet lag. Start putting people on it to prepare for the shift in sleeping habits. That way they'll be alert." I explained.

"I'll see to it." Susan said and wheeled her chair from the room.

Miriam entered the room at that point and advised Isis that she was wanted in Anna's chambers.

The two of them left together, leaving me with Yoni and the other two women in the room.

"I think I need some food. Would you care to join me?" Yoni offered genially.

"I would be honored to join you Mistress." I said kneeling again before her.

As we sat in the dining hall, I listened to her talk about her service with Ay'esha.

"I came to Ay'esha after I left my family in India to go to college in England." she explained as she sipped a cup of tea.

I ate my chicken and listened attentively to her words.

"I was attending classes at Oxford and was invited to have dinner with a group of young ladies from the Institute. I had no idea who they were at the time, but was pleased to have some company for a change.

"At dinner the subject of politics came up and one of the girls suggested that perhaps women could do the job better than men. I disagreed and pointed out that in my home country Gandhi might have been a saint, but his daughter was not.

"By the time dinner was over I'd defended my views and had a good time at doing it, but I still hadn't realized how deep my feelings were on this subject."

"What happened then?" I asked fascinated.

"Nothing. I went back to my room and didn't really think about it until I returned home to India and realized that my country was spending money on weapons and armies and ignoring the needs of the people.

"I couldn't get a good job despite my qualifications because I was a woman. For the first time I understood what place a woman held in my country. So I returned to England and sought out one of the girls from the dinner party."

"And you joined Ay'esha." I summarized.

"I tried to. And failed. She told me I didn't have the right attitude to be a Daughter of Ay'esha." she corrected.

"Then how did you get here?" I asked confused.

"I got a job in a bank. I didn't know at the time it was the bank that your Mistress has an interest in. I worked my way up and when your Mistress came to England for a visit she recognized me from that dinner party. She went to Dr. Ruth and asked that I be brought in on her recommendation. Dr. Ruth agreed and after training Anna decided I would be the perfect aide to her." she said with pride.

"I always knew you were good, I just didn't know how good," I admitted.

"Pardon my towering immodesty, but I am very good, " she said.

"I just hope I can be useful to you," I said looking down.

"I expect you will be, if you can focus on the big picture. Your Mistress is expendable if it prevents World War Three," she said firmly.

I looked her in the eye.

"Not in my opinion," I replied.

"That's your heart talking. You know I'm right."

I kept silent, knowing she was, but hating the fact.

The discussion was interrupted by the arrival of a messenger requesting our presence in the situation room.

We arrived as Mei Ling's image appeared on the large monitor mounted on one wall. Behind her I could see a number of UN trucks and a half a dozen men in HazMat suits wandering about.

"Michael, your theory is now a fact. The material is from an Indian reactor and is plutonium," she announced. "The IAEA team has started a search of the area and is enlisting the assistance of the local authorities."

"If that's supposed to make me happy, you're wrong," I replied. "Any sign of Mistress Minx and Lydia?"

"Not yet."

"What are your intentions?" Yoni asked.

"I'm going to assist the IAEA teams as much as I can, and then go underground to find Lydia and Minx," was the calm, self-assured reply. "They checked into the Inter-Continental Hotel, but they haven't been seen since checking in. The concierge tells me they asked about renting a jeep. I haven't searched the room yet, but I will."

"Mei Ling, make sure you check in with our office in Beirut. You may need some help, and I want them to know who you are," Isis suggested.

"Will do."

The image dissolved to snow and then was replaced by the logo of a major news broadcasting company that a Daughter of Ay'esha has an interest in.

"And that would seem to be that," Yoni announced. "Michael, get some rest. I suspect we'll need you again soon enough."

"I'll take him back to his quarters," Isis said suddenly.

She attached a leash and led me out of the room, but instead of back to Minx's rooms she led me outside into the fields surrounding the rancho.

When we reached a large apple tree she attached the leash to it and sat down, patting the ground next to her.

"Sit!"

I sat down, keeping a wary eye on her.

"How would you like to leave here and help in a more direct way?" she offered looking at me.

"You know I'd like to, but I can't. I have my orders. The Mistress wants me to stay here"

"And if disobeying those orders meant a better chance of seeing her again?" she pressed.

I looked up into the overhanging branches and pointed at a ripening apple.

"Do you see that apple? I'll bet it was one like that the serpent tempted Eve with," I replied evenly.

Isis laughed.

"I see. You know the difference between good and evil already, so it doesn't really apply. I'm offering you a chance to get right at the heart of this problem, a shot at the Right Reverend himself."

"How so?" I said, interested in spite of my mistrust.

"He's having a major televised revival meeting and I was thinking if you and Susan were to attend, you could persuade him to, well confess his sins, or be exposed on national television as a pervert."

I shook my head.

"You still don't get it. We're the good guys. We can't blackmail people," I explained.

"And you still don't understand that he and his people don't give a fuck about fair play or anything else. If he and his people aren't stopped by any means possible, then we might all wind up dead," Isis argued.

"So, why don't your people do it?" I retorted.

"Credibility. You are a decent upright outstanding citizen. And we're criminals. Who's going to listen to us?"

She had a point. Ay'esha did have a better image than Kali.

"Look I want the little slime bag probably more that you do, but he's the least of our problem. Finding and neutralizing the bomb is a hell of a lot more important than putting the finger on the Right Reverend," I objected.

"Your Mistress might wind up dead. Tell me that doesn't concern you," she challenged.

"Fuck you! "I snapped bitterly. "Do you really think I want to lose her? Don't you think I've lost enough people I've loved? Shit, even though Lydia hates my guts, I don't want to see her dead either. And don't tell me the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. I probably know that better than you do."

She shrugged and untied the leash.

"Sleep on it Michael," she said and led me back to Minx's rooms.

I slept on it that night and awoke to find Miriam cuddled against me. I started to roll away and she held me tight against her and I heard a muffled sob.

I rolled towards her and held her head against my chest as she wept, thinking of the times I had held my beloved and the times that Minx had held me.

"I'm so sorry Master," she said. "I don't mean to cry."

"I know. You're worried about her too and while I can help at least a little, you can't do anything at all to help," I said softly.

"Or can you?" I thought.

"Miriam, can you leave here if you want to?" I asked.

"Well yes. I mean I could if it was important enough. Why?" she asked.

"Just an idea. Something that Isis said," I comforted.

"Don't trust her Michael, please?" she said concerned.

"Michael is it?" I teased. "Don't worry I don't trust her any farther than I can comfortably spit a rat."

"Bleah."

"Exactly."

The door opened at that point and Susan wheeled herself in and stopped short of where we were laying.

"Miriam, breakfast now," she said sharply.

Miriam rolled to her feet and hurried to the kitchen while Susan looked down at me coldly.

"Michael, I doubt that Minx would approve of you sleeping with Miriam right now," she said.

I wasn't quite sure how to respond to that accusation so I decided to say nothing at all except "Yes Mistress."

"Get your bed things put away. It's been a long night for me and as soon as I eat, I'm going to sleep. You will report to Yoni for assignment right now."

"Yes Mistress. Will you be escorting me?" I asked as I folded the bedclothes.

"No, Miriam will as soon as she puts me to bed. Then again on the other hand I don't want you two together right now. I'll have someone come and get you," she said correcting herself.

"Yes Mistress. And is there anything else I can do for you this morning? Hang from the ceiling and drip green perhaps?" I said sweetly.

"Michael I do not need to tell you you're insolent, you know damned well you are and deliberately so."

"Yes Mistress. And may I point out that you have jumped to a very large conclusion. Miriam and I slept together. Note the word sleep. Sex is not anywhere on my list of interests right now and I should think you know me well enough to know that," I said as calmly as I could.

"Do I know you that well? I'm beginning to wonder," she retorted.

"Mistress, I did not have sex with him," Miriam said, startling us both." I had sex with the communications officer the first night we were here and that was so I could find out what was going on."

Susan swiveled her chair to face Miriam who was calmly setting the table.

"You did what?" she said.

Miriam looked her in the eye and repeated herself.

"I slept with the communications officer so I could find out what was going on with my Mistress. I was scared last night so I crawled in with him and went to sleep."

Susan looked at her and then back at me, a slow blush creeping up her face.

"Been awhile since anybody made love to you?" I said twisting the knife a little." You know that either of us would if you asked us."

"Well with you marrying Minx, I didn't feel right about it," she finally said.

"That explains me. How does that explain Miriam? You've made love together before and I know it."

The blush intensified.

"I haven't felt like I could. I know she's been taking care of your house and Minx's."

Miriam smiled at her.

"I'm never too busy to make love to a friend Mistress. Perhaps after Michael goes to work we might do that?"

I looked up at the ceiling.

"I never get to watch," I pouted.

"What? Never?" Miriam said slyly.

"Well, hardly ever," I confessed.

That started me blushing and the two women laughing.

When I reported to Yoni that morning I was handed a stack of reports and was told to read them and note anything that caught my attention.

"These are the raw news reports from the Mideast, AP, Reuters, MS-NBC, CNN, the lot. When you finish with those, I have the raw reports from CIA and Interpol as well as the reports from our agents and Kali's in the field," she said.

"Anything at all on the material yet?" I asked, skimming the first page.

Yoni shook her head.

"The IAEA is trying to pick up the trail now. So far they haven't directly asked for assistance from the US Government, and we've intercepted the routine reports from the IAEA to the UN. We do not need to have anybody who may be working for the conspirators tipped off."

"When the Feds do find out there's going to be hell to pay. Even if we stop the plot, if anything leaks out it may start a war anyway," I said sourly.

"Now you're finally beginning to understand the full magnitude of the problem. We have to stop it and make sure that nobody ever finds out. Even the people involved will never be quite sure what happened. At least not officially," she said smugly.

"So even if we find the bomb and stop the plan, we can't move against the Right Reverend or anybody else. Shit."

"Time for that later Michael," she reassured me.

"Do we have anybody at Los Alamos or Lawrence Livermore?" I asked flipping pages rapidly, not seeing anything that caught my attention.

"I'm not sure. Why?" she asked as I started on the next set of reports.

"We need to get a NEST team into the area, but without anybody thinking it's more than an exercise. If we had their equipment we could have a C130 fly over the area with a radiation detector and narrow the area down."

"How would you explain the flight?" she asked.

"Hell I don't know. Paint the thing to look like Santa's sleigh maybe. Fake a Red Cross flight with medical supplies. Something like that."

"I'll suggest that to Anna. Perhaps we can do something like that," she said making a note on a pad.

"Thank you Mistress. If you'll excuse me please?" I asked.

"Go."

The reports didn't give me much more to work on that I didn't know already. What was missing though was a report from Mei Ling on what if anything she found at the hotel.

I picked up the phone at my workstation and buzzed the communications office.

"This is Michael. Have there been any reports from Mei Ling?"

"Negative. Her last report was she was going to the hotel to check on the room Minx and Lydia were in."

I looked at the clock. Almost twelve hours since her last report.

"Nothing since the video transmission?"

"Negative."

"Thank you." I hung up and then walked to Yoni's desk.

"Mistress, I think we have a problem. Mei Ling has not checked in for almost twelve hours."

She looked at me quizzically.

"I am aware of that Michael, thank you. I expect her to contact us very soon."

I didn't say anything, just went back to my desk to fidget in relative privacy.

Lunch came and went and I stayed at my station, scanning the 'Net for news reports or anything that might show the location of the material or Minx and Lydia.

I was still waiting when Isis arrived to relieve Yoni on duty and as soon as she left Isis called me over.

"Now that she's gone, tell me what's really happening," she invited.

"Nothing in the news or intel reports. Mei Ling still hasn't checked in either," I said reaching for my coffee and a sandwich that Miriam had brought me.

"Very well," she said coldly and walked back to her station.

I wondered what I'd done to upset her and then turned back to my work.

A few minutes later the phone chirped and she directed me to come to her desk.

"Yes Mistress."

"An ambulance was seen leaving the hospital about the time the material may have been stolen. And Mei Ling was seen entering the Inter-Continental Hotel a few hours ago. I'm having additional inquires made. Discreetly of course," Isis said referring to a notepad in her hand.

"Of course," I said with only a hint of sarcasm in my tone.

"We can be very discreet when we need to be. The Inter-Continental Hotel is considered neutral territory by everybody from Hamas to Shin Bet. If anything the hotel will cooperate just to make sure that their neutrality isn't compromised," Isis explained.

"And of course you didn't bother to give your contacts to Yoni did you?" I asked.

"She never asked."

"That is probably one of the most chicken shit answers I've ever heard in my life. Not that I haven't used it myself, but you could have saved a lot of time for all of us," I complained.

"Michael, she doesn't trust me any more than you do, in fact probably less than you do. I offered my contacts to her and she said she didn't need them."

I shook my head looking at the clock on the wall.

"Would you please call Susan and ask if she can come in now?"

When Susan arrived a few minutes later I excused myself and we went out into the gardens for some privacy. I explained my concerns and misgivings about the situation as she sat and listened without comment.

"And what do you think I should do?" she asked when I had finished.

"I think you need to talk to Anna and suggest you take over the team," I said." I know it's asking a lot, but Yoni and Isis will not trust each other enough to cooperate. The one thing to be said about Isis is she's been an honorable enemy and hasn't tried to kill me yet. Bribe me yes, but not kill me," I offered.

"That's hardly a sterling recommendation Michael, but I see your point. The time has come for us to cast aside our personal differences and bury the hatchet," she agreed.

"And we both know who has the hatchet," I winked.

"Oh yeah," she nodded.

I was somewhat surprised that the Mother of Many agreed to see us as quickly as she did until we were ushered into her private quarters and I found an old friend with her: Dr. Ruth.

"Michael, Susan," she greeted us solemnly at the door." I hope this is important enough to disturb her."

I looked at Anna and saw the change in her skin tone, the gray in her face increasing as she tried to breathe.

"She's dying isn't she," I asked softly.

"Yes, Michael. The strain of the last few months and now this has taken it's toll. She's not a young woman anymore and I have doubts that her heart will take much more."

I stood there silently thinking in many ways that Anna had been more of a mother to me than my own. I remembered when my beloved wife had died calling my mother to tell her.

"I don't have any money so I can't help you," were the first words out of her mouth.

No expression of sympathy, just her own concern that I might need money.

"We need to talk to her. The situation has become tenser and it's essential to have a neutral party take command of the mission. I'm too involved and I can't command the mission because I'm male and Yoni and Isis don't trust each other despite Anna's orders to cooperate," I said focusing on the problem at hand.

"And you want Susan to take charge, is that it?" Dr. Ruth said quietly.

"Yes Mistress," I said.

"Very well," she said and turned to Susan." I'm declaring Anna medically unfit for command. You are now the Mother of Many."

Susan blinked.

"Wait a minute, I don't want the job. I can't do what Anna does. I don't even believe in everything that Ay'esha stands for," Susan protested in a low voice.

"Susan you must do this," Anna's voice said weakly causing us all to look at her.

"Anna, you are supposed to be sleeping," Dr. Ruth protested moving to her bedside.

Anna looked at Susan and I and a ghost of a smile crossed her face.

"My children need me Ruth. Susan, you must do this even if you don't want to. There is another who would serve in my place if she were here, but she is not. When she returns, Goddess willing, you may give her command, but we need you now. We have given you a gift, and have brought to justice those who harmed you. Will you not assist us in our moment of need?"

Susan reached for Anna's hand and clasped it for a moment.

"I'll try Mother. I may fail, but I'll do my best."

"My ring, child. Take it and wear it. It is the proof of your power," Anna said.

Susan slipped the gold and ruby ring, the sigil of the Mother of Many, from Anna's hand and slipped it onto her finger.

"Just get well for all our sakes," she said.

"That is up to the Goddess my child. Michael, serve her as you would serve your Mistress and I. Do her bidding and help her to understand what she does not. You have served for many years and as a mentor she could do far worse. Guide her, but do not interfere. Trust in her judgement," Anna instructed and closed her eyes.

"I shall," I said and impulsively kissed her frail cheek.

"Go on you two," Dr. Ruth said and ushered us towards the door. "I have a patient to care for and you have a world to save."

I turned back and looked at Anna, knowing it might be the last time I saw her alive.

When we entered the situation room Isis and Yoni were clustered together at a table studying a map and arguing with each other.

"The data clearly indicates that the ambulance went to the east according to my sources. If they are trying to hide anything, then it's likely they're in the Bekaa Valley," Isis was saying.

"And that is the most obvious place for them to be. Why are you assuming they're stupid?" Yoni snapped.

I looked at Susan who shrugged as the other women in the room studiously ignored the debate.

"Ladies," I said trying to get their attention.

They continued the debate, each exchange becoming more bitter.

"Hey old guys!" Susan said loudly to my surprise.

They turned and looked up in anger.

"I have news for both of you. I am now in command of this operation," Susan said rolling her chair up to the table.

"What?" Yoni snapped.

Susan didn't say anything, just showed the ring.

"You can't be," Yoni stuttered.

Isis stepped to my side and asked quietly what it meant.

"You will show your respect to the new Mother of Many," I said softly.

Isis let out a soft whistle and Susan snapped her head around to face her.

"Is there a problem Isis?" Susan said sharply.

"No ma'am," she said and to my surprise knelt and kissed the ring.

Yoni not wanting to be one-upped followed suit and then rose.

"Now that that's settled, I expect a briefing. Michael, you may attend and take notes. Do not comment until I give you permission," Susan said firmly.

The briefing was short and direct. Isis's contacts had identified a possible suspect last seen heading towards the east and the Bekaa Valley a no-mans land where the government of Lebanon exercised little control over the outlying regions. Just about every terrorist organization has a camp of some kind and it was on the State Departments PLACES TO AVOID LIST as well as Fielding's Dangerfinder Guide.

"And you consider this source good?" Susan said.

"Yes. I'd stake my life on it," Isis replied.

"It's not your life involved here. It's the lives of Minx and Lydia and a lot of other people."

"How do we know we can trust her?" Yoni said in hostile tones.

"Because she knows she's dead if she fucks things up," I said tossing my notebook on the table.

"How dare you..." Yoni started to say before Isis cut her off.

"You haven't seen him when he's determined. Susan, would you say he's bluffing?" Isis said.

Susan shook her head and pointed at me with her pen.

"You were not given permission to speak Michael. And yes, I believe he would. One of his less endearing traits, but understandable in this case," Susan confirmed.

"Well I'm not planning on dying, so I'd better be right about everything," Isis summarized.

"Enlightened self interest," Yoni said brutally.

"Yes."

Susan rapped the table sharply

"Enough. Isis I want you to concentrate your search in the Bekaa Valley. Yoni, I want Mei Ling or another agent in the area to proceed to some central point in that area. I also want to know what other options we have both covert and overt. I want that briefing privately in my quarters," she commanded.

"Mistress?" I said raising my hand like a schoolboy.

"Yes Michael, did you have something to say, or did you wish to leave the room?"

"Mistress, Isis had a suggestion she presented to me earlier that might be of interest to you as well," I said looking at Isis.

"Susan, I'd rather not discuss it in front of the children," she demurred looking at Yoni.

"I see. After I finish with Yoni, then you and I can speak privately as well," Susan decided. "Michael, you will stay here. Isis, you have the watch."

With that she spun the chair around and wheeled out with Yoni trailing behind her.

"She doesn't waste much time does she?" Isis said settling back into the chair at the controller's position.

"Nope. But in the words of Han Solo, you'd better be right about this." I said walking back to my workstation.

While we were waiting Mei Ling checked in from the hotel and Isis put it on the speakerphone.

"Minx and Lydia checked in and the last anybody saw them they were meeting with a couple of people from a Christian youth group," she said.

"Which one, do you know? " I asked.

"The Christian Involvement Alliance. They left with them four days ago and haven't been seen in the hotel since."

"Foul play or infiltration?" Isis prompted.

"My gut tells me infiltration at this point. Their cover was as American tourists interested in relics. There are a number of Roman and Christian ruins in the area and it seemed the best approach," Mei Ling said as the phone crackled from interference. "I'll check in with your office here for orders."

"I have new orders for you already. You're to go to some central location in the Bekaa Valley and await further instructions. I'll have someone from my group join you as well as someone from yours. We have reason to believe the material is somewhere in that area," Isis instructed.

"I'll need a conformation of that," Mei Ling said doubtfully.

"Mistress, these orders are confirmed," I said after looking at Isis." Please be careful. Hong Kong was a picnic compared to where you're going."

"Michael, it won't be the first time my life has been in danger. I'm a big girl. You just do what you're told and leaving the spying to us," she reminded.

She hung up without a further word.

Susan wheeled herself back into the room followed by a somewhat chastened Yoni and indicated it was time for her meeting with Isis. Yoni sat at the controller's desk and listened to the replay of the conversation with Mei Ling, frowning at the last part.

"Michael, you must remember to stay detached while doing this work. Your personal feelings are of little consequence," she reminded.

"Mistress, the day I don't have feelings is the day I'm dead. You know that I can make the hard decisions, you've read my file. But Mei Ling and Minx are my family, the only family I have left. Let me deal with it in my own way please," I said quietly.

"As you wish. You're relieved of duty. Go back to your quarters and wait until you're called for," she instructed.

"I'd rather stay here."

"I said you were relieved of duty. Do I have to have you removed from the room?" she repeated.

"Without escort?" I asked.

She looked at me with a slight sneer.

"It seems that the new Mother of Many wants a few changes made. As her pet, you may travel unescorted from your quarters to the dining hall to here and into the courtyard as well. Stray from those paths and you will be shot," she said sweetly.

"And you'll pull the trigger," I suggested.

"With great pleasure."

I returned to Minx's rooms and fixed a small meal for myself not knowing where Miriam was and knowing that Susan was probably not going to return anytime soon.

It was almost midnight and I was starting to nod off in my chair when Miriam appeared looking very rushed and apprehensive.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, but Isis and Susan wanted to talk to me," she said grabbing her travel bag and throwing clothes into it.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I can't tell you," she said turning away quickly.

"Susan decided to use Isis' plan didn't she," I said getting up and grasping her shoulder.

"Michael, please," she said twisting away and picking up another stack of clothes.

I took them from her and knelt before her and grasped her hands.

"Mistress, please, tell me the truth," I pleaded.

She sighed.

"Yes damn you. Oh Michael, I'm scared and excited at the same time. I've never done anything like this before and so much depends on me," she said.

"I know what you're feeling Mistress. No matter how much I think I understand, I still get nervous and uncertain whenever I'm called to serve Ay'esha. I'm always afraid I'll screw up and I haven't yet. I guess its stage fright," I said reassuringly.

"But the show must go on," Miriam said with a little smile.

"Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends," I said rising and kissing her softly.

She held me for a moment and then finished her packing as I sat on the bed and waited for her.

When she was done she picked up her bags and then looked around the room.

"I'll see you when I get back," she said bravely.

I took her hand and looked into her soft brown eyes.

"And if not, we'll meet where there are no shadows," I replied.

A quick kiss on the cheek and she was gone leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Chapter 29 Sections 1 to 10

Prologue to Eve of Destruction
Everybody Wants To Rule The World
The Bomb Run
We'll Meet Again
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life
It's Slinky
There's got to be a morning after
Burning Bridges
American Pie