The Lady: Part. 24
It's Kade here. After a double bill from Tan, it's my turn to take over and talk to you all.
So Lucindy isn't The Lady, hey? That was the mother of all red herrings. But, and this is a big BUT, she still remains on our suspect lists, Tan and I are not so stupid as to dismiss her so readily. No, she'll remain a suspect until we have concrete evidence that she's not her.
Right now Lucindy is in a pretty bad way. She's in a cold white room hooked up to many machines and monitors that are keeping her alive.
Our medics, here to perform mom's procedure, are astonished by Lucindy. The say she is the work of Medical Geniuses. Despite the fact that her transplanted body is attacking her from every source, they say that she's survived at all is a medical miracle. They are actually studying her as I speak, as they believe that researching her head transplant may help with mom's procedure.
Which means that mom's op is yet again delayed, thus she still remains powered down. It pains me to say it, but my mom remains high on our suspects list. While she's powered down, I shut the thought out of my mind.
The truth is, I have mom at number three in my suspects list. Right now, I'm on my way to pay a visit to my number two suspect.
###
We are all in the living quarters of the hospital chilling with a movie. I make an excuse to go to the bathroom. I want to visit this suspect alone.
###
We have moved this person to a private room.
Knowing the door has a slight squeak, I open it slowly so as not to alert the others.
I slide in side ways and sidle up to the bed. Her eyes light up with lust when she sees me and she whispers, "Hey big boy, please give it to me, I need it real bad."
When I don't respond, she continues, "Horny Helga's here for you, hun. Just hop on, hump me, and hop off back to your fake-girl-friend," she says.
When I approach further, her lust increases, her laugh seems sexually charged, "Hump Helga and you'll feel the difference a real girl makes, big boy."
As she continues to try and seduce me with an ever-increasing stream of dirty talk, I look at her and think – 'what possible power could this deranged nymphomaniac yield?'
Surely her heightened sexual desire would hinder any authority or ability to think in a leadership way. With this thought and while she's still sex talking, I cut her off with, "Are you The Lady?"
The question halts her and she answers with a surprisingly normal voice, "Do I sound like a lady, Kade?"
That's all I needed to hear from her, for her to drop to the bottom of my suspects list.
###
It's now time for me to confront my number one suspect. It feels odd my walking the streets of London, without Tan by my side, but it's right I make this trip alone.
Occasionally I see something, like the elegance of a building and I turn to point it out to Tan, but she's not here. I've lied to her about my intention, today. I don't feel good about that.
I walk with an ever-confident stride, with each step my assurance that I have located The Lady, grows.
I check my cell, time is of the essence and right now I'm on schedule. Then a distraction ahead halts me: a kid with an imp.
This is not so much a distraction, more a chance to observe and send information back to Tony for analysis. Hastily I retrieve my cell and begin to film and send.
Approaching closer, I notice signs of distress with the mother, she's tugging at the imp while her little boy, aged about six, is holding on tight. "Give me that thing Danny, you're becoming far too attached to it," she says, with a voice raised enough to attract attention.
I continue watching and filming, aware that it's distracting me from my identification of The Lady, but this is important, also.
With my cell focused on the mother and child I scan the surrounding people. It doesn't take me long to spot him. A guy with a topknot, stands propped against a wall, pretending to look at his cell, while continually observing the scene, with a knowing and controlling eye.
The mother's distress escalates as the boy refuses to give up the imp. The imp remains inert, like a regular toy, until a sudden head swivel toward the boy's ear seems to imbue it with a life. The boy momentarily calms, as his face appears to listen in childlike awe to his toys whispered words. All the while, topknot guy nonchalantly observes, acting like an innocent bystander waiting for his date.
The kid relaxes and the relieved mom takes the imp from his arms. With my cell still filming I check the time, I'm still on schedule to meet with the person I'm now convinced is The Lady.
My thumb hovers over the record button and freezes as my cell records a scene of sudden violence that makes me gasp. The boy launches at his mother's throat and sinks his nails, tearing and dragging at her skin until her jugular vein is horrifically exposed. In shock and horror she drops the imp, which the boy retrieves and scuttles at speed into the thronging crowds. I watched the whole scene on my cell, a real life horror film.
The topknot guy ignores the ensuing chaos and calmly walks in the direction of the fleeing boy.
I send the footage to Tony and check the time. I'm slightly behind schedule, but I'll still make it, if I quicken my pace.
###
My power walking helps shake of the horror of what I've just witnessed. Yet, in many ways, and please don't take this the wrong way, that incident is almost a good thing. In that it was witnessed by a crowd and the regular authorities will now become involved. It will make the news, something I don't think our enemies want. In fact, I think that whole sorry incident was a mistake on their part. Time will tell.
Identifying The Lady is going to be our biggest breakthrough, and it's with more than a hunch that I approach the building, through which the person that I think is The Lady, currently resides.
I have come to my conclusion after piecing together all the information we have most recently discovered, especially the information given to us from Lucindy.
###
I turn a corner and sprint toward the Toy Store. I take the escalators two by two and land on the soft toy department.
He's standing by a shelf of imps; I call softly, "Drew." He puts an imp he's been examining back on the shelf and walks sheepishly toward me, "How's it going?" I ask.
He's learned to control his pitch somewhat and answers with a less shriekee voice, "I've been here three hours and in that time they've sold a further eighteen."
I nod, "Good work." I take out my cell and send him the film I just recorded. When I hear his cell ping, I say, "You need to see what I've just sent you. Keep the audio down, we don't want anyone in here, hearing or seeing it."
He nods his understanding, and gets back to his observational work. Drew's an awesome part of our team, a major asset. I sprint out the back of the store, getting ever closer to the building and The Lady.
###
I check my cell; I'm slightly behind schedule. But that's ok. I slow down; I don't want to have a sweat on when confronting The Lady.
The building is large: imposing, old, opulent and steeped in history. Drying my sweaty palms on my jeans I take a breath, compose myself and enter The British Museum.
WOW – the opening atrium is stunningly impressive, probably the most magnificent piece of architecture I have ever seen. As I turn around to take in the entire splendor, I see her: my sister, Kelly.
I rub my buzz cut and approach. She's studying a piece of rock with hieroglyphics carved on it. She yelps and jumps when my hand touches her shoulder.
"Kade, don't creep up on me like that, it's not fair," she says, gently smacking me, with affection.
I smile, "Is he here?" I ask, eager to get on with the job at hand.
Kelly returns my smile, "Yes, on the first floor, in the room with The Rosetta stone."
"Thanks." I take off, but Kelly calls after me, "Kade!"
When I look back, she says, "Good luck," and makes a heart shape with her hands.
###
I see him immediately; he's almost as chiseled as the Greek Gods on display, "Troy," I say.
He comes toward me, carrying the tools I need to confront The Lady. I take them from him, "Is she here?" I ask, suddenly slightly fearful. He smiles, "Yes, I've located her on the seventh floor, with the Mummies." I turn to take off, but Troy grabs me back, "Kade, both Kelly and I are convinced you have hit the truth. Don't be nervous, go for it," he says, with a supportive, brotherly affection.
###
The seventh floor is beyond eerie. Ancient corpses bound in ragged cloths stand in glass caskets creating a chilling maze of death. I walk in and out of the caskets looking for youth and beauty amongst all this aged decay.
When I see her, I stand back and watch her for a moment. She's deep in concentration reading about a long dead pharaoh. Her lips move in rhythm to the words she's reading while my heart beats to the rhythm of a deep and lasting love.
I'm looking at The Lady, my Lady – Tan.
I cough lightly and she looks in my direction, "KADE!" She says, her face bursting out of concentration and into love. "What you doing here, you said you had to do research with Tony?"
Carrying the red and white rose that Troy gave me, I go to her, "You don't think I'd miss Valentine's with my Lady, do you?"
Her eyes tear up as she takes the flowers, "My Lady? You never call me that," she says.
I stroke her face, "We assumed Lucindy was The Lady, we were wrong." Her eyes question me, I answer them, "We assumed The Lady was evil and on their side. I believe we were wrong to make that assumption."
I wipe a tear that falls from her eye, "Now, I know The Lady is on our side. She's a force for good. She's the love of my life. Tan, you are The Lady."
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