Immortal Beauty (29 page)

“Ah Marcus how lovely to see you again.” Celine breezed into the café wearing large Chanel sunglasses and a wispy chartreuse scarf which fluttered in the wind giving her the appearance of a movie star from old Hollywood. “It’s been far too long.” He rose from the chair and kissed her on both cheeks. Anyone watching them would have guessed that they were a rich and worldly couple vacationing in Paris. She was dressed in a dark blue dress which was the wrong color for her hair but somehow the effect was magnanimous and he in his Charcoal gray Armani suit looked like George Clooney from the movies. They looked charming and radiant and in love. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

“Celine you look radiant. But then again you always do.” He smiled and held out her chair as she sat down with a distinctive poise that belonged to her alone.

“Oh Marcus! You know that flattery is everything to me. I could drink it in all day long.” The brightly painted lips smiled too widely at him. Behind that smile lay a tempest that was just seething to be released. He could feel it being this close to her. She was using all her energy to contain her rage for they both knew what would happen if she lost control in such a public place. He could feel the power emanating from her in a pulse of heat that throbbed menacingly.

“So how have you been?” He smiled disingenuously at her perfectly made up face. After all these years his heart still gave a little start when he saw just how beautiful she really was. If only that beauty were more than skin deep she could have really been something but her looks were simply a mask that hid the most hideous soul he had ever encountered.

“Oh you know, busy with my company. But I’m sure you know all about it after stealing my files.” She signaled for the waiter to bring her a coffee as well and looked at Marcus’s cup. “Do you want another?” He nodded in the affirmative and she ordered two with her fingers. They both waited for the little cups to be delivered to their table and the waiter was out of range before they really talked.

“Do you like the encryption program I installed?” She lifted the cup to her lips. “I hope it didn’t crash all your computers.”

“Oh it was very clever Celine. We weren’t able to get anything out of it before it shut down my entire network.” He was too nervous to drink his coffee. He didn’t want her to see him falter in any way because after all these years and all this hatred he still cared about what she thought of him. That was part of her danger. Evil can be pretty and seductive too.

“Liar. You must know by now that you can’t lie to me. You’re awful at it..always have been. I don’t care what you think you know. It is totally irrelevant. It’s a shame you had to break our agreement by sending your nasty little spy to my office. Just remember it was you who broke the peace and it will be you who is responsible for what follows.” She smiled casually as if they were discussing the weather.

“Believe what you will Celine. It doesn’t matter to me either so I’m just going to bottom line it here.” He felt calm enough to raise the cup of coffee and took a slow sip before he continued. “What do you want?” His smile matched her own.

“You know what I want. I want you to leave me alone.” She continued the false smile and moved closer to his face so she could whisper. “I want you to call back your little friends and quit spying on me. You have no right to decide what I get to do with my life.” She paused for a minute to check her rising anger. She was so close to losing it and that was something she could not afford to do. “I own a multi billion dollar company. I am somebody important in this modern world and I can’t have you interfering and passing judgment on me every time you think I’m doing something immoral. Haven’t you learned by now that morals are nothing more than geographically and temporally ordained ideas that change like the weather? Your morals are from another age.” She was close enough to kiss him now and for a quick second he wished that she would. “They have no function here in the twenty first century.” She finished her coffee. “You who sit in that drafty old mansion and pretend that nothing has changed. You are becoming pathetic. Obsolete.” Her eyebrow arched and she watched to see what he would do. She loved nothing more than to goad this calm and temperate man into a rage that matched her own. He only smiled and spoke in a very careful tone.

“My morals are simple Celine. You knew what they were back then and you know what they are now. Are we really going to have this argument for the five millionth time? If that’s what we are doing here then I must dismiss myself as I have a score of things I need to do before the banks close.” He rose to leave her and saw that he had achieved his goal of pissing her off. She was losing her grip and he saw the little cups dancing on the table all by themselves. “Careful Celine. What would the world think if it found out that the president of Celgen was really an ancient monster loosed upon the world?” That did it. First one and then the other cup shattered into powder. Two or three people noticed the bizarre event and started talking amongst themselves nervously. Celine ignored them and focused on her companion.

“Marcus you think you know me. You think you know how to push my buttons and control me. That has always been your biggest mistake. It’s why you always lose and you are going to lose yet again this time around.” She was no longer smiling.

“Oh Celine. I do know you. That is why I had to spy on you. You simply can’t be trusted.” He sat back down cautiously and this time whispered so quietly even Celine had to struggle to hear him. “Tell me. Why are you experimenting with Chimeras? Are you going to create your own race of monsters so you won’t feel so ugly inside?” No one had ever called Celine ugly before and this obviously upset her. She became like a mistress scorned.

“How dare you? Once you loved me completely and totally. You never wavered in that love until you developed some warped sense of wrong and right which is really your way of justifying what has happened to you. You are far too weak for immortality. If I hadn’t needed you back then I would have never chosen such a small and timid man as yourself.” She looked like she was going to cry as she wiped the remains of the ceramic cups from the table with her blue glove. “There was a time when I would have done anything to be with you. That time is over Marcus. If for one second I believed that you could love me again as I am then I would give up everything but I know this will never happen. You break my heart Marcus.” She reached into her petite designer clutch and removed a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.

“Oh save it for opening night Celine! This has nothing to do with our feelings. It had to do with innocent lives. Lives like Ellen..how is she by the way? Still alive?” He saw the mask tremble a bit before she regained composure.

“Oh you mean the Ellen that you abducted and had drugged? That Ellen?” She glared at him openly. “She’s a little strained from what you did to her but she’ll survive. She’s at my apartment right now recuperating if you want to kidnap her again. Here I’ll just give you the key.” She reached into the little bag again and pulled out a small set of keys on a diamond keychain holder in the shape of a C. “What exactly did you give her? She’s acting like a slug and I need her to be on her game for my new launch. Where were your morals then Marcus?” She was now enjoying this. Sparring with Marcus was like nectar to Celine.

“My doctor gave her a mild sedative for her nerves if you must know. And the only reason I ‘kidnapped’ her was to save her life. Is she really at your apartment?” He made a grab for her keys and her hand flew backwards away from his reach. “I knew it!”

“How little you know Marcus. Ellen is far more valuable to me alive. You have no idea what you are doing. Do you?” She put the cloth back into her bag as her emotional moment was passing. Marcus continued to watch her for any signs that might betray her true intentions.

“Once again Celine. What do you want? You know I will never stop watching you and your activities. I know you’ve been using your supply and according to our agreement I cannot give you any more than I already do which is more than you need. I know that you will soon run out and you don’t get another shipment until next year. I know that you will do anything in your power to get the water and I know that right now you are hatching a plan to take back the house and the spring and as long as I am alive that will never happen.” This time it was Marcus who was getting angry. All this going around in circles was beginning to tire him and he had so many other things to attend to. He had to get Taylor back from Celine’s grasp. The last report from Frankie said that he was still in Orleans at the Celgen lab. God only knows what she was doing to him there.

“Oh Marcus. “ Celine laughed all false and condescending. Her perfect mask was back in place. “I’m going to let you in on a little secret so maybe you will finally back off. This is my last effort to renew our truce.” She was enjoying herself now. “This year my scientists have found a way to replicate the water. I don’t need your little spring anymore. In fact, I don’t want it so you can let go of any foolish ideas that I’m going to sneak up in the middle of the night and stage an ambush. I’m finished with you Marcus. I don’t need you anymore. Do you get that? We are through.” She rose from the table and he got up out of courtesy. His mind was reeling with what she had just told him.

“But Celine you never answered my questions about the chimeras.” He dared to grasp her arm and the physical contact with her actually made him feel weak. He could not deny that there was still something chemical between them.

“It’s for research for the beauty products. Everyone is doing it. Do your homework Marcus and stop making a fool of yourself. We mix different species DNA together to come up with advanced proteins and such. It has nothing to do with monsters. It’s just business that’s all.” She removed his hand from her and looked briefly away from him. She was lying. Whenever she lied to him she could not look him straight in the eye. When you know someone for two hundred and fifty years it’s hard to deceive them but he had never told her this so she had no idea he could read her so well.

“Then why are you accelerating the growth rate?” He wanted to keep her there for a little while longer now that they weren’t actually fighting.

“To get the product more quickly. Think it through darling..think it through. If I can accelerate the Chimeras it gives me an edge on my competition. You realize of course that this is highly classified and you are the only person in the world I would tell this to. I am trusting you and your morals not to betray my confidence.”

“Who would I tell? I have no interest in your little company. I only wanted to make sure that you don’t hurt the others. Promise me that you will leave them alone and let them live out normal lives this time. Tell me that your revenge is finished.” He was pleading now and didn’t care one bit. People’s lives were at stake. Celine lowered her sunglasses and stared at him for a minute before responding. Of course he was thinking of them. He always did. Why would she expect him to ever stop thinking of them? It was her ego and her vanity that wished just for once he would think only of her but she knew this was impossible. Looking away toward the Louvre she answered in a whisper.

“My revenge is long over Marcus. I only want to live in this age as a free woman. You can have the others. What do I care?” She replaced the dark glasses and the famous smile appeared out of nowhere.

“Then give me Taylor back. If what you say is true you have to let him go. I know you have him in Orleans.” Celine laughed out loud throwing her head back.

“Check your resources Marcus. His little girlfriend picked him up just a little while ago. They’re probably back in Paris by now. God you’re so paranoid!” They were leaving the café now and she wrapped her arm in his to continue the illusion that they were nothing more than another couple in love in Paris. “Really Marcus. Half of the time you don’t know what you’re talking about and all of this endless speculation could get you into trouble. Look at what almost happened. We were almost in conflict again and you know how ugly that gets. Let’s renew our truce and call it a day. Shall we? I have a meeting with the department heads in about half an hour. Come now and give me a kiss and tell me there will be peace between us. The truce has done me well and I feel alive again for the first time in many years.” She wrapped her arms around him in an intimate embrace and he could feel the heat rising from her supple body. He still wanted her after all this time and he still couldn’t let go of his feelings for her. He hugged her back and told her softly.

“A truce my love. I’ll call off my spies and leave you alone if that’s what you really want.”
“It is Marcus. You know it is. Now forgive me I must dash. This has been interesting to say the least and as always it is so lovely seeing you.” She moved back into the onslaught of tourists toward a black car that was waiting for her. “Au Revoir Cheri!” She waved and then turned her back on him to get into the auto. Marcus watched the sedan drive away with a look of sadness on his face. Neither one of them had been fooled by the other. There was now truce and they were both lying to each other. It may have been true that she learned how to replicate the water. In this day and age anything was possible but she would never give up the act of vengeance to which she had become addicted over the centuries. He needed to get back to the house to find out what was going on. If Sasha and Taylor were working together maybe they were aware of who they really were and if that were true then they would be coming home soon. His heart leapt at the thought of seeing them again alive and young and happy. He walked to the nearest taxi stand and pushed the button. Shortly a cab arrived and he gave the driver the address in Passy at Rue Raynouard. The car drove away from the crowded tourist spot and once again for a short time hew as able to pretend that he was just like all these lucky people who were just passing through life with a sense of ease that had escaped him always.

VISIONS

Taylor walked into his new room at the Hotel Thomieux. His belongings were still at the Ritz but he and Sasha had arranged to have them transferred to a different hotel where she would pick up the bags leaving a false trail away from his true location. The new room was much smaller and much less stylish than the Ritz but it had a charm that could only come from a truly French hotel owned by the same French family for countless generations and situated in a quiet respectable neighborhood where the tourists seldom intruded. The walls were a sunflower yellow and the furniture was very deco glossy black lacquer. It was a nice combination and Taylor knew he would be more comfortable here. This place was much more his style. He checked out the bathroom and was surprised to see a modern shower behind a glass wall. This sort of thing was rare according to his friends. He had heard his colleaugues complain constantly about having to take baths while in Europe and the first thing they always wanted to do upon returning to the States was to take a long hot shower. He moved back into the bedroom and threw back the heavy gold curtains to look out onto the street. He was truly only a few blocks away from Sasha and this knowledge gave him comfort. His mind was trying to make sense of all that had happened in the last few days. If Sasha were correct and there was some sort of corporate war going on why were they involved? They were nobody on the international scale. Why would Celine bring a journalist from overseas and feed him her untested products and who was this mystery woman that was following Sasha and giving her dire warnings? There had to be a connection and it was simply a matter of connecting the dots. His heart started pumping a little faster as the adrenaline kicked in. He was excited now because if there was one thing Taylor Hamilton was good at it was connecting the dots. He sat down at the small desk and started to jot some random thoughts down on paper. Sasha wouldn’t be back for a while and she gave him strict orders not to leave the room. She had run to a local shop and returned with a bag full of sandwwiches and breads and a soft wheel of delicious white creamy cheese and plenty of things to drink. He would be set for a while. He was just so glad that the damned thirst was gone. It had nearly driven him crazy. Celine had given him something that was highly addictive and he wanted to know what it was. He wanted to change clothes but had to wait until his belongings were restored to him. There was blood on the right shirt sleeve which must have happened when he broke the window. He looked everywhere but could not find a cut on himself anywhere which was just another odd thing to happen on this very odd trip. But no matter what, he knew there was an amazing story here waiting to be told. He remembered his digital recording device and pulled it out of his jacket. He would go over what little bit of an interview he got with Celine and listen for anything that might be a clue. He turned up the volume and pushed play. He heard his voice.