Lane was spending his first morning in the "throne room," (...still made him chuckle...) mostly feeling out the space and how the "flow" of the work would be. He moved a couple screens and swapped the inlaid touch screen with a mount for his personal ThinkPad. He still expected to use the inlaid on occasion, but his Pad was his full-time companion. He typed into the inlaid "Note to self/with alarm - Check with Airen re: dual mount pad & inlay or options?" He set the alarm with a keystroke. (...It seems, old boy, you may need software training! That process seemed bulky...Another note to self?) He chuckled out loud.

He turned his head sharply when he heard what sounded like something large tumbling off a shelf in the CashCache. (...the minions name again...) As he stood and moved hesitantly toward the door, he wondered if perhaps the minions were working in there. Reaching the door, he thought that perhaps he should have called for help before he did this. (...You getting paranoid, old boy?...) He pushed the door open. Instead of the lighted space he expected to see, it was almost pitch black. He heard a scraping noise at the back of the space and spied a figure moving toward him in the dark. Reaching behind him, he touched a panel, lighting the room.

"Ted, hi! Whatcha doin'?

"Oh, hi, Lane. Just fetching some artwork that Granddad left for me. Never knew where it was until you found this storage room. Been all this time, searching the attic."

"There is a lot of stuff in here." Lane started to turn around when his "lights" went out. Someone had hit him on the head from behind. He kind of sprawled forward into Ted, who caught him and lowered him to the floor before he fell full on his face. There was a small patch of blood on the back of Lane's head that started spreading.

"What the hell are you doing?" He directed his remark to another guy that had just entered from the hall to the outside portal.

"He was about to find us out."

"I could easily have talked my way through this, you idiot. Don't you realize that you're on video? Everything is recorded here. Most of it never gets seen, but hurting Lane will make them examine the recordings very carefully." Sarcastically, he added, "I believe they might recognize at least one of us."

"I don't care. Now finish him and let's get out of here." Lane had regained enough of his senses to make some sense of what he was hearing.

"No!" Ted was adamant.

"What's the matter with you?"

"This guy is like my brother. I won't let you kill him. Here." He tossed a cardboard tube at the other guy. Lane thought he recognized the voice, but hadn't been able to identify him as yet. The other guy bent down to scoop up the tube, just enough for Lane to catch his face before quickly closing his eyes again. He recognized Ted's school chum, Jimmy.

"Are they both in here?" Ted nodded. "The Provenance?"

"Yes, damn it. They're valuable enough for you to live very well for the rest of your misbegotten life."

"Don't I know it? I already have a buyer in Brussels. I'll be there by tomorrow night."

"What about Beth?"

"What about her?"

"You're just going to leave her?"

"You can have 'er. You've always wanted her anyway. She's been an albatross around my neck for a while now. I'm not dragging her all over the world with me."

Ted mumbled under his breath, "Bastard."

"What?"

"Nothing. Just get out, so I can get help for Lane. Please do me a favor and never come back here again."

"You can count on that. I plan to be long gone as soon as I can." He sketched a very un-military salute. Nice doin' business with you, bud." He turned and ran down the hall leading to the smuggler's gate on the seawall to the east. Lane wanted to jump up and run after him. Just thinking about it made his head hurt again.

Lane stirred and tried to get up. He felt as though someone had hit him in the head again. He passed out and collapsed back onto the floor. "Lane." He commanded. "Lie still." Ted ran to the light panel by the door. "Airen, medical emergency! Lane's been hurt. We're in the Cache. He's bleeding from a head wound. We need help right now." Ted went back to where Lane lay on the floor and turned him carefully onto his back. Taking off his own jacket, he rolled it and put it under Lane's head. His hand came away bloody.

Ayla beat Airen to the Cache. She slid across the floor on her knees to Lane's side. She picked up his hand and held it to her chest.

She looked at Ted. "What happened?" Ted looked a little sick, but started in on an explanation. "I made a couple mistakes back at school, and was discovered selling "E" by Jimmy. Rather than turn me in, he decided to blackmail me. He's been bleeding me for years. Anyway, he came here today to take the two paintings Granddad left me. Lane discovered us, and that bastard tried to kill him." He gazed at Ayla and sincerely apologized, "I'm so sorry, Ayla. I would never hurt Lane. Please believe that."

Lane was awake again, and heard that last comment. He lifted his hand and touched Ted's arm. "Ayla," he spoke up weakly. "Ted saved my life. Jimmy was going to kill me, and Ted stopped him." He smiled a wan smile at Ted. "I owe you my life. Thank you, Ted." He squinted as a head pain hit him again.

Ayla and Ted both told him to "be quiet." Ayla added, "You might have a concussion. I wish Dr. Perkins was still here." She smiled gently at Lane and touched the hair on his brow softly. Putting her finger to his lips, she admonished, "Now lie still until we can find out what best to do for you."

Airen arrived with several minions and a stretcher. Lots of little minion hands picked Lane up very carefully, transferred him to the stretcher and carried him out and up to his bed. Ayla followed while on the phone to Dr.Perkins. This may not be his specialty, but both of them trusted him with their lives. She just wanted his advice as to what to do for Lane. He told her to make Lane comfortable, but don't let him sleep. "I'm on my way."

"Doctor, you don't have to do that. I appreciate that you would, but..."

"Miss Towers, I'm on my way. Now go take care of Lane until I can get there."

"Thank you, Doctor. You don't know how much I appreciate it," Ayla confirmed her profound gratitude. She must talk to Lane about some way to repay the man. Dropping her phone on a side table, she ran to the side of the bed and Lane. He smiled weakly at her as she sat on the side of the bed and placed his hand in her lap. "Hello, darling. No, don't talk. Doctor Perkins is coming to see you." His forehead wrinkled with a look of inquiry.

"He insisted." He nodded a small nod which earned him a banging pain in the back of his head. Lane closed his eyes slowly. Ayla noticed that he was still bleeding a little. She ran to her washroom and dampening a soft cloth came back to Lane and daubed at the bloody patch carefully.

Dr. Perkins was welcomed as family when he arrived and was escorted by Ted to Ayla's apartment. He explained that Lane had been struck on the back of the head by the butt of a gun. He also took an almost fall to a concrete floor after the strike. Airen was watching for their arrival and let them in without requiring Ayla to answer a knock. The doctor took his time with Lane and insured that everyone was satisfied with his ministrations. He did allow Lane to sleep. He also took a few extra moments to talk with Ayla, to assure himself that she was improving as well.

Later Lane and Ayla both spent some time brainstorming on a way to thank this doctor who has several times gone way beyond his oath to take care of the Towers folk. Ayla was playing with the idea of a Concierge Doctor, especially after they have more folks on site. More family and all kinds of staff would keep a medical doctor fairly busy. She must broach the subject with her love.

Lane hadn't quite fully recovered from his ordeal with Jimmy's heavy-handedness. He had to sit for a few minutes after having trudged up the stairs from his office to the gym. He couldn't work out as long as he'd like either, (Damn...Gettin' old, boy! He admonished himself...)

He hadn't confided in anybody that he was having trouble with the stairs. Observant Airen noticed though. He would never embarrass Lane by letting on, but he had finalized the negotiations for the elevator that he had planned. His only decision now was whether he'd hire flesh and blood folks to do the work, (That would take a little longer, but would give the work to some business in town...) or have the minions put it in and surprise Lane with the completed work much more quickly.

He decided to ask Ayla for her input. Ayla thought about it a few minutes, and then asked Airen, "What would Lane do?" They both figured Lane would have people do it to further the good will for the Towers, and since the project was primarily for himself, he would make it a low priority. Ayla asked Airen, "Would the minions have their feelings hurt?"

Airen was taken aback, and admitted that he didn't know. He had never thought about that before. If it were himself, he would weigh the logic, but his minions/puppies didn't have the same logic circuits that he had, and their little "brains" had a lot more empathy circuits because of the way they were "born." This is something that he must investigate for his own satisfaction.

Ayla and Airen decided to call their architect and had him hire whomever he deemed was best suited for the job. Ayla volunteered to try to distract Lane for the time necessary to complete the work and suggested a bonus for quick completion. The minions were appeased by being put to work on the wiring, to, from, and inside the front east turret. They were to provide not just power for the elevator, but for future use in the turret and all its connected floors. Both work crews were made to understand that the original construct was to remain undamaged and as natural-looking as was possible. All parties involved knew how Lane felt about the integrity of the Towers herself.

When he was feeling up to getting back on the job, Lane had already had extensive research interviews with Airen, from which the two brought away plans for several new projects around the property. The one item that had most weighed on his mind had been the hiring of "real" people to do physical labor or to be domestics in the house. He thought Airen would balk at not being the single source for work /service on the property or inside the Towers.

Airen was actually pleased at having a staff that didn't need programming or training, but would still be under his absolute rule. He'd never been able to boss around "people." The last skin-and-bones staff had been banished around the time that he himself had been created. Recently Lane had discovered some real Luddites among the townsfolk, and he was afraid that there would be resistance to rule under Airen, but it would have to be managed. Airen will be in charge.

In addition to a couple of projects already started, Lane had drawn up plans for a lake house of sorts, to facilitate fishing forays and completion of an extension to the East wing that had been started during Ayla's Dad's tenure. All the construction would require folks capable of manual labor. The inside staff was primarily to make family and visitors more comfortable.

He was determined to provide Ayla with some female companionship besides just Lisa. She saw so few people (...not that he minded having her all to himself, but his love deserved to live the most fun life that he could provide...), and he planned to change that. He'd love to see her hosting little female get-togethers and lunches and dinners. Hell, he'd like to see her go shopping! (Damn, I sound more like her father than her boyfriend.)

(That reminds me. We haven't made love in the last few hours. Need to correct that oversight...)

There was a knock on the inside of the turret frame. Lane looked up and found Airen standing in the doorway with his hands behind his back. (He's been hanging out with Ayla too much. He wants to surprise me.) "What do you need, old son?"

"May I interrupt your work for a moment, sir. I know you have been at your desk all afternoon. I do not want to take you away from your work."

"I'm ready to stop anyway. My brain has kind of signed off for the day. I've read the same sentence three times and still don't know what I saw. Let me sign off, and I'll be right there." He flipped a couple keys, picked up a sheaf of papers, and strode over to Airen. Just before he reached the door, he noticed a metal frame just inside the door. He dropped his papers and almost ran the last few steps. "You've done it to me again!"

Rounding on Airen, he queried sincerely, "How do you do these things without me knowing?'

"You work too hard, sir."

He stepped inside the elevator frame, waited for Airen to join him, and examined the buttons to see how to operate the doors and the lift. "Airen, if you wouldn't rust, I'd kiss you." The doors closed with a little click and the lift started to rise. It was designed as an old-fashioned lift, which in addition to the standard controls, allowed an operator to start, stop, adjust the speed, and open and close the doors. Lane was happy as a kid playing with a toy. (Well, it was his toy.)

They rode all the way up and back down again. Lane was elated almost to tears. "Airen, I can't thank you enough...I...really."

"De nada, Lane." Airen dropped his eyes as the two stood facing each other for an awkward moment, both feeling self-conscious about the tumultuous feelings the moment had engendered. Lane was the first to come up for air. "Thank you again, Airen...Truly, I..." He touched Airen's face. "I..I gotta go." They both whirled around and, like men who were feeling vulnerable, nearly ran in opposite directions.