Mistress A-0002

M en were stupid. They were quick to act, most often driven by emotions to conquer instead of using logical sense to decipher situations. Elec was no different. He and his men had probably stood over his desk all day, dissecting my entire medical chart, looking for a needle in a haystack so he could nail my ass to the wall. They wouldn’t find it. Convenience, maybe even destiny, itself, was on my side. Yes, I had an abortion during the time I mentioned. No, it was not from Elec.

He wouldn’t know that though. No one knew the truth. The one-night stand was just that. A quick fuck for a woman having a boring trip. Pathetic. The act wasn’t even worth a payout at the time, not that I ever needed it. I did learn from the mistake. Well, mostly. I grew careful. Guarded. That had ended auction night, but my slip-up did have benefits. After all, it was saving me now. The entire situation might actually work in my favor. Elec…grovel at my feet for a change? Perhaps…lose some of his anger?”

I took in the unconscious crow strapped to the table, losing myself even more in my thoughts. Had it not been for Jett’s impatience pulling me from my satisfying recollections of having watched Braddock smash in his slave’s face, I might have found myself missing the entire procedure. How beautifully poetic that I got him to open the door after I left Elec. Maybe his slave was even dead by now. She’d been so bloody. So…broken and weak when I had to rush out. If only I could have stayed and watched him finish her.

“Wait.” My hand came up. “You never want to go through the corner of the eye, Jett. From what we’re working on today, you want to insert the tip of the orbitoclast under the lid here, above the eye. From there you can ease the instrument to the back of the socket. After you get it in, you’ll angle in the direction of whichever area you wish to target. Have you chosen from the numbers I gave you? Do you remember them?”

“Yes. They’re numbers eight through fourteen. They’re parts of the brain.”

“Not just parts. They’re scientifically mapped out areas. Each will cause a different reaction in the crow.”

“That’s what I meant.”

My lips tightened as he kept his focus on the victim.

“Have you chosen a number?”

“Well…” He paused, looking up. “Ten, I suppose. It’s in the front and the easiest.”

“And what will ten do?”

Hesitation. “Memory. It’ll make him forget stuff.”

Stuff. I breathed out, calming the slight annoyance.

“Correct. Areas nine and ten will affect memory, but more importantly, recent memory.”

“Fourteen sounds way cooler. I could make him rage.”

At Jett’s pout, my arms crossed over my chest. Typical inpatient male. All aggression and no sense.

“Here’s the hammer. Go above the eye and break the socket bone. Not too hard. You’ve said you’ve done this before. I want to see.”

“I suck at this. Grandfather…” Jett beamed. “I’ve been watching his tapes. He’s phenomenal. I’m going to be just like him someday.”

I doubted that, but I stayed quiet as Jett placed the hammer down and used his thumb to lift the crow’s eyelid. With a calm I wasn’t aware he had, he eased the tip of the orbitoclast through the socket, leading the metal rod back until the sharp tip connected with bone.

“There we go,” I said quietly, narrowing my eyes and moving closer.

Jett picked up the hammer, slightly angling the thin tool he held to align with the area he was aiming for.

“Remember, there’s no way to know that you’ve crossed into another area. You’re going in blind. Be sure not to?—”

The hammer hit the end of the orbitoclast and Jett smiled, looking over at me as he broke through bone.

“Perfect.” I laughed. “That didn’t seem too hard for you. You said you’ve done this three times?”

“I’ve been practicing on my current slave.”

“The one you calmed?”

He smiled bigger, looking between me and the crow as he angled and began scraping the brain in micromovements.

“She’s not calm anymore, Mother. She’s dead. That’s why I’ve been practicing on her.”

“Oh.” I stood, not able to say more before my phone rang. Looking down at the number, I held in my smile. Was he ready to apologize? Was this about Braddock? It could take hours for him to come to after an episode. Maybe an entire day.

“It’s the Main Master. I have to take this.”

“But…you’ll miss my work.”

“You’re doing great. It won’t take me long.”

“But…”

I was already walking to the door, pushing it open as I hit the button.

“Main Master.”

Elec’s throat cleared. “I read the file and talked to medical.” A pause. “I apologize for my actions.” Another pause. “You have to know I’d never?—”

“Stop. You don’t have to explain yourself. I know you wouldn’t hurt me, Elec. You thought I was the love of your life. You miss her.”

“Miss her? That is such an insignificant way to describe what I feel for Vivia. Every second is full of suffering . Every ounce of my body and soul mourns for a completion that I’ll never know again. Her smell. Her touch. Her voice. It’s agonizing. It’s…infuriating to know I’m the cause of my own pain.”

He got quiet and my eyes rolled as I shook my head.

“It is known that grief is the most physically painful emotion one can feel. I understand that. Do you see now why I can’t be your doctor anymore? For you to feel this so strongly after all our sessions. Over a decade of them.” I stopped. “Your love for her exceeds my skill. I’m not even sure you should be put under again. Therapy, sure, but you won’t be honest with your new doctor. We both know that, but I can’t worry about that anymore. I’m going to have to trust that you’ll take responsibility and do what you need to cope with the pain. I think it’s time to step back from you completely and let you lead like you were meant to.”

Silence. It had me shifting as I watched Jett poke around at the man’s brain through the window.

“I appreciate your honesty, and you’re right. Your safety comes first. I’m grateful for everything that you’ve done.”

“Grateful, but not trusting. I hear the caution in your tone. Elec, you have to know; I couldn’t stand lying to you. You have to see that I didn’t have a choice. You were so unstable at the beginning, and we were training you for such an important role. To become a Main Master, we were both under enormous pressure. I didn’t mind facing the consequences, but I just felt the truth would only set you back. Please, don’t be mad at me. I did what I thought was best for both of us.”

“You made all the right choices, Melissa. I’m not mad at you for what you felt you had to do. Disappointed in the way you handled it, yes. Hurt that you couldn’t be honest with me…yeah. But not mad.”

My bottom lip stuck out, and I couldn’t deny there was a tinge of sadness.

“I miss the way we used to be. I miss the experiments and the planning. I miss the way we were together. We used to have fun. We used to laugh.”

“…Those were good days.”

“I’m down at the lab now. Jett has shown interest in our field. He’s actually performing one of your first lessons. You could come and give him some pointers.”

Elec sighed. “I wish I could. You know how much I loved our lessons. Unfortunately, I’m headed to see a Master. He believes his slave is suffocating him in his sleep. Being as he killed her on auction night, I think he’s going to have to be evaluated.”

“Is there any history of drug or alcohol abuse?”

“None.”

“What about his biomarkers?”

“That was one of the first things I checked.”

“Oh.” My lips twisted. “Do you want me to come up? I can meet you there.”

“It’s okay. Spend time with your son. I’m sure Jett is enjoying his lessons.”

I took in the way Jett was angling his hand. Too high. Too deep.

“From what I see in that room, the crow is better off dead. Hmm. What about dinner?”

“Hold that door.” Footsteps increased as Elec paused through what I could only assume was a swift but stomping walk. “Dinner. I’m busy tonight.”

“The longer we wait to meet, the more distant we’ll become. We share too much history. Our positions here will suffer. Being in each other’s presence will become harder than it already is. I refuse to allow us to become awkward around each other.”

“I agree. We don’t want that. How about tomorrow? I have some things to take care of tonight, but tomorrow evening works.”

“Tomorrow is perfect.” I smiled. “I’ll bring Jett. We can tell him about the fun we used to have. I’m sure he’ll like that.”

“Even better. I’ll see you both at The Six. Oh…and Melissa, about what you did a few days ago during breakfast with Jett. Master Blessing’s injuries I’ll excuse. Is there a reason you killed Master Seventeen-thirty-four? Wasn’t Foster Corewell one of your lovers?”

Sadness vanished. Defensive annoyance kicked in making heat crawl up the back of my neck. Maybe I should have known Elec would find out eventually, but I didn’t expect him to call me out on it.

“He wasn’t a part of the circle. His death doesn’t matter. Besides, Foster had a big mouth. He was beginning to make threats he shouldn’t have. Damage control. It was necessary.”

“I had business dealings with Mr. Corewell on the outside. As Main Master, I need to know your intentions. I need to make moves before you act. Don’t let this happen again without discussing it with me first. Nineteen is waving me over. I guess something’s happened. I have to go.”

The line went dead. For seconds I stared ahead, getting control of the anger. I forced a smile as I headed back through the door. At the hardness on my son’s face, I knew he had been listening.

“So, dinner, huh?”

“I thought you wanted to learn?”

“I do.”

“Then clear your schedule tomorrow evening and drop the attitude. If you want to be the best, you’ll learn from the best. Grandfather was great, but you obviously haven’t gotten to Elec’s tapes.” I stopped next to Jett’s side, easing the orbitoclast from his grip so that I had control. “When you do, you’ll see why I chose him for his position. Science is a sadist’s dream. No one in this field likes to talk about that.” I reached over, pushing the medicine in through the IV to awaken the crow. When I met Jett’s stare, he shifted nervously, lowering his gaze to the slave’s face. “Elec embraced his true nature from the very beginning. I was immediately intrigued by his personality, and I had every right to be. Even before my lessons, Elec wore the best mask I’ve ever seen. I always knew what was inside. There’s only one time he takes it off and exposes what’s truly within. Right here,” I whispered. “It’s the deadness. The detachment. This is his true love.”

The crow sucked in a deep breath, his eyes opening but rolling through his disorientation. His body was already involuntarily flopping from the brain damage, and a deep monotone sound began humming through the room.

“I spent an entire summer watching Elec remove areas of the brain to test his theories. He even once manipulated the section associated with taste just to see if the man could describe what he ate for lunch.

“Could he?”

“The taste, yes. What he ate for the meal, no.”

“I don’t understand. What did he eat?”

“Half of area ten.” The crow thrashed underneath as I used my weight and thrust the sharp tip as far as I could go. The body tensed, and air gushed out in a whoosh. The crow went lax against the restraints. “He said it was delicious but couldn’t remember what it was. He raved about the taste. He even asked for more. Elec obliged.” Jett’s eyes were wide as he looked at me. “Well. Good lesson for today. You failed to alter your area without significant damage, but you can try again tomorrow. I’ll walk you out.”

“We can’t try again now?”

At my gesture to the door, Jett headed forward.

“Tomorrow. I have a late session I have to take care of, so no dinner together tonight. I’m sure you’re relieved.”

“Actually, I was hoping you’d teach me more tricks.”

Doctors and scientists smiled as we exited, and I nodded to the guard ahead who was at the doors me and Jett were walking towards.

“Are you not learning tricks from grandfather’s tapes?”

“Not the kind I’m curious about.” He lowered his voice, moving his face closer to mine. “What do you know about the code words that shut down the slaves?”

My brow creased. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Is there a universal word that works on all of them? Like a secret snap or clap or something you use?”

“Messing with another Master’s slave is a fast way to get yourself killed. You know the rules.”

Jett’s lips parted and his brow drew in as if he were offended. “I’m not talking about doing it, Mother. I’m not stupid. I was asking if it can be done.”

“Done, yes. Will I speak anymore about it, no. Code words are for the protection of the Masters, Mistresses, and Couples here. That’s why the guards are the only ones with access.”

“The guards?”

We got to the end of the hall, and I stopped outside the elevator, pushing the button to take us up.

“Not just any guard, of course. The lead guards. The ones who are in control of the tablets. They take their responsibility very seriously. They have to.”

“I know about the tablets,” Jett groaned. “They carry those things around everywhere. Yes, they have the individual code words, but I’m more interested in a universal word to control them all. You said one exists. Does Elec ever use it?”

The doors opened and I narrowed my stare as Jett and I stepped onto the elevator. For seconds I didn’t speak as I watched him. And he noticed my studious gaze. It made him fidget as we climbed higher into the building.

“Elec can control all of them if he wishes. With one word. With many. Why are you so interested in this? What are you up to?”

Jett shrugged it off as if it weren’t a big deal.

“I just want to know what I’ll be capable of when the day comes.”

“What day?”

“The day the Gardens becomes mine. I told you, Mother, I’m meant for this. I have a lot to learn. I know that. Just wait and see. Someday I will stand on that auction stage, and everyone will be looking up to me like they do to him. They’ll want to be like me . And they’ll never live up to it. As Main Master and a LaRoe, I’ll rule this underground. When the time comes, I’ll be so powerful, not even Elec will be able to stop me.”