Warning: Stories aren't only to entertain. This chapter is to remind us of a horrible time in past. Events that REALLY did happen. Taken from written and recordings of REAL EVENTS I included in this chapter. Look it up online. There are so many accounts. Murder, rape, and cruelty so egregious your mind denies it's possible. There will be more after the session tapes are done and Bren talks to get past this terrible event. Blame no one person or people. We all have a part in this. We will never forget!!
Story: Makarovia! Sure, I Know Where That Is
Chapter 2 Hell
Author: Eric McQueen (mcqueen.richarderic@gmail.com)
Adult Readers, Sexual Situations, Sex
Freedom of expression is precious. To do that Nifty needs help. Your donation is greatly desired. Give to http://donate.nifty.org/ or this story ends and all the others! That would be a crime!
Warning: Stories aren't only to entertain. This chapter is to remind us of a horrible time in past. Events that REALLY did happen. Taken from written and recordings of REAL EVENTS I included in this chapter. Look it up online. There are so many accounts. Murder, rape, and cruelty so egregious your mind denies it's possible. There will be more after the session tapes are done and Bren talks to get past this terrible event. Blame no one person or people. We all have a part in this. We will never forget!!
Hell
We enjoyed having my grandmother there. She just couldn't believe where we were living. We spent the evening having a meal and she got to get to know Boris and Yuri better. Things couldn't have been better. Then when we were separating for the evening Peter and I got ready for bed and I checked my email. There was another message sent by Drew. Clicking on it his message was simple.
Read this. I did and I cried for a while. It's not pleasant at all. Cassie had a harder time with this. I knew you'd want to see it. Drew.
Clicking I pulled up the file. The original was there, but so messy. The translation read:
Monday, 29 August 1938
Bren is resting now. I am so worried about him. I can't lose him. I write in the dark using a single candle to see by. Bren is so sick with fever. At least the bleeding seems to have stopped. It's been a while since my last entry and...I have got to get it out somehow or I will explode. When I was younger, I occasionally got nightmares. It was my grandfather that told me there was magic in the pen. Writing down the nightmare or anything that scared me just helped me to get over it or at least understand it more. I know; however, I will never forget what happened. To get things arranged in my head better, I can't help but write it down. If we don't live through this and someone finds this...please understand. I love Bren. Why is that so wrong?
We got back home from Midi on Monday night. We'd had a great weekend. I knew my parents would worry, but I didn't expect what happened when I came home. My father was furious! I had barely gotten in the door when he punched me. He'd hit me before, but this was...he was enraged! He said he knew I'd gone with Bren and he didn't care where, but he knew why. I thought he would actually kill me. If my mother hadn't stopped him, he would have. So, instead of killing me, he threw me in the cellar and locked me in for at least three days! I couldn't get out. There were no windows down here, but I did manage to climb up the flume for the coal deliveries to the cellar to heat the house. It was a tight squeeze, but I got out. I ran to Bren's to have his father slam the door in my face without a word to me. I hung around until it was dark when I saw Bren's light was still on. After I was sure his parents had gone to bed, I climbed the trellis to get to his window. His window of course was locked, but I tapped as softly as I could. I was so happy to see him, but his eyes were swollen and bloodshot from tears he shed...probably since he'd gotten home! He shook his head and pointed to the window and mouthed. That he couldn't open it. I thought quickly, the windows to his room opened out and were those ones that had little panes that were diamond in shape to prevent breaking in, but I had to. I remembered where his father kept his tools and went down to find the little sledgehammer and crowbar. Back up the trellis, I motioned for him to secure the door with the chair preventing from outside his room from getting in. Once that was done, I tried as quietly as I could to pry the window open, but of course, the glass broke, so I just bashed the window at the center. It took a few tries to see his parents' window lights come on. I worked harder and quicker as I cleared the debris and he could get out. Helping Bren down we fled into the night as his mother and father were screaming for us to stop. We couldn't stop. We eluded everyone for a few days.
It was two or three days later, we were together, but hungry. Our money was nearly gone and even if we had some, there was very little available to get. I don't know how they found out. I don't know if it was my father or Bren's father...someone else, but someone did. I couldn't believe Bren's father would turn us in. My father might have. We hadn't even been charged with anything. Bren did say that his father thought he'd been contaminated by me! He said his father thought the Nazi party could cure him. Was loving Bren was a disease!? If it was, I didn't want to be cured and I didn't want him cured of me. How is love a sickness!?
We were stopped as we were trying to get something to eat. We didn't even know they were there until one of the troopers stopped us. The smile was...not real? They were the stormtroopers, the Sturmabteilung SA. Then I saw Kurt. He was one of the Hitler Youth that tried to get me to join all those years ago. He knew us and was able to identify us. His uniform said he was low in rank and just starting. This was his way of advancing? The Sturmabteilung SA had been responsible for the destruction of thousands of books and irreplaceable items of art in Berlin! Not even ten years ago. They burned them in the town square because the books and art caused sexual deviance. Bren and I had never put on those damned pink triangles. The trooper said we were on a list! What list? The Ministry of Justice and that Paragraph 175 gave these people wide-open discretion of what was homosexual. Some I'm sure weren't homosexual at all, but just pissed someone off that had this kind of authority. It wasn't that way a couple of decades ago that things were good for homosexuals in Germany. Never mind that Bren and I really were homosexuals, but they had nothing with which to prove it! The accused were simply taken away! We were taken to Bergen Belsen. We were put in this train car like cattle. Once there, we were told to strip and I mean everything came off and we were completely naked. Our heads were shaved. We were made to put on the striped things...we were convicts! There was no trial! What happened next...I will have nightmares about for years! We were told to stand up and then shouted at asking why we were standing. No one asked us to stand. That was the easiest of the abuse. Punched...on the ass and poked there and that became normal. We arrived at the camp and were taken with other men like us. We weren't to spread our homosexuality to others. The others who weren't there because they were homosexuals were as bad as the guards! At this time, there were about twenty men held for violating Paragraph 175. This was our way to a cure!? Once there, we stayed up well after it was dark and woken up before sun up. We worked! It wasn't but a day or two when it really began. It was a morning where we assembled together. A guard came up to me and demanded I suck his dick! He pulled an erection out of his pants. How is doing something we are accused of doing going to cure me? In front of everybody!? In front of Bren!? Why me? I was speechless. That hesitation would hurt. Not me, but Bren! My hesitation got him the butt of a rifle in the face! Hard sending him backward. This wasn't anything sexual at all. It was humiliation! I saw the rifle come up again and said I'd do it, I'd do it. I got down on my knees...I'd done it with Bren, but I loved him. He and I both enjoyed it, the giving and receiving of this oral pleasure. This...just the thought...doing it with this guard was making me sick! I mean, I was afraid I would throw up!! I inched forward and took it in my mouth. The very taste of him was sickening. I even gagged, which got Bren another blow to the face with that butt of his rifle. There were several guards involved. It took a few minutes and then I felt his release in my mouth and I made sure I didn't throw up or gag. That guard said I gave "good head" and they should try me. I lost count...three or four...five total maybe? Who and how many blurred. I had to put my mind out of it. I thought of Bren's happy face at that beach. I worried how badly he was hurt, but I couldn't check on him! I didn't dare!
We got ready to go to work when Bren came into view and my heart just...someone had taken the most beautiful face and it was covered in blood from his nose, mouth and there were bruises on his right cheek. I said something to Bren who told me, I had no choice and he understood. He was there and knew what and why. One of the older ones...to me he was. Like all the others, he was shaved bald and wore those stupid uniforms. He was in his thirties but looked so much older and so thin. They didn't give us enough rations. He told me to keep doing what I was doing. Survive. He knew he wasn't going to make it. He was reaching five months. Most died in six to eight months. He warned if we ever headed to Auschwitz-Birkenau, we might as well tell them to shoot us then. You were going to die with no options. It was a death camp. If I could win favor with one of the guards, do whatever they ask to do that. They could bring me more rations, protection or go easy on Bren. I had an advantage at the moment. I was young and still had body fat from before the camp. After a while, that lack of food and general health part stales the attraction like it was with him. That's why he knew his days were coming to a close. How was this a cure!? They were guilty of it as well, and much worse. They were sadists!
Wednesday, 31 August 1938
Bren's still alive and I pray the medicine I got him...I had to steal it. God, forgive me, but I couldn't let him die! He has an infection. I had to steal the antibiotics. It was a German doctor I stole from and antibiotics are tough to come by, but I knew he'd have it if anyone did. He was a fucking Nazi! I toyed with the idea of becoming a doctor once. I knew what septic infections were like, so I stole penicillin both injection and by mouth. He'd have to take them a while even as his fever reduces. I even stole a syringe and some needles. I hope I gave him the right dose.
I did attract the attention of one of the officers. A little, slightly overweight middle-aged man who like that I could work in an office. The alphabet was easy to file with and I could type a little. He liked that I could make him cum. He liked to play with my ass! He never quite got to penetrating it. I knew he would want to do that soon. Bren was not as abused because of this officer. So if I did make him cum, Bren would not suffer as much. Bren was smart and no one was more handsome in my opinion, I was glad no one seemed to notice that.
The guards seem to think this is all fun! Like the morning they said...someone has to die. One guard looked at us and pointed to a man ordering him to come to him. We all knew it. He was going to die! He couldn't move! The guard asked the man next to the chosen man to bring the hesitant man forward which he did, as he mouth apologies to this poor man we all knew was going to die in a matter of seconds. The guard turned the condemned man around, did whatever to put the bullet where it was to be used and pointed at the condemned man where to bring him. The man that brought him over just stood there and waited. The guard pointed the gun at the back of the man's head and then turned around and shot the man that brought him to the guard right between the eyes. The other guards were laughing! This was great fun! Instead of killing the one they all thought, he killed the other one. The previously thought of the condemned man was told to go back in formation. The guards thought that was hilarious!
Days sort of became blurred. Had it been days? Weeks? A month!? Then, one evening it happened. They announced there would be some transfers. They would go to the labor camp at Auschwitz. Labor camp? It was a death camp! Bren's name was called with three others! But just Bren, not me. I had to say something! I'd never see him again! I knew it. I pleaded for them to take me, too.
They knew we were together, that's why they hurt Bren when I didn't quickly agree to suck the guards' dicks. I'd done it many times since in private because they didn't want the others to know they had their dicks sucked and in front of the others! The thing was, Bren had, too! I had to watch his like had to watch me! Many of the men held with us have had to that. Bren knew he had to or I would be hurt. I could have been shot, but it was the same thing! That officer that favored me would have something to say...I hoped. However, this brought on a new game for the guards. They said Bren must be something special if I was willing to lay my life down for him and wanted to know what that was. Bren must be a really good fuck! They would have to see if that were true. They drug Bren over and ripped his pants off, pushing him against the wall of one of the buildings as they all looked at Bren's ass. One of the even put his finger in there and brought his finger back and commented it smelled like shit. Another looked where they were working on a car and suggested the slick oil, to mask the stench and ease the entrance. The one that had suck his finger in Bren's ass rubbed his finger on Bren's shirt and said it was a good idea, but wondered would motor oil hurt them. Forget Bren. There were six guards! Six! I watched as they got the oil and put some at Bren's asshole. Then rubbed some on his erection. Then I had to watch as one by one they all took turns with Bren. Now, I didn't care if they shot both of us. I was ready to charge them and the butt of a rifle hit me in the face and I did see real lights in my eyes as the dizzying nausea was instantly there as I was too stunned to register the pain. Bren let out sobs as it happened over and over again, then the next guard and the next guard. They needed the fucking cure! Not us! In many ways, I think that was why they guarded us. They were us, as in they were homosexual! This was just a way to do it and not be admitting they were homosexual. I was crying now. Sobbing. They were doing this horrible thing to a soul I knew was precious! I COULDN'T STOP THEM!! It was tearing me apart! Then the worst came and there was worse. One of the guards toyed with his pistol. Sticking the barrel up Bren's ass and toyed with that bringing it in and out, but it was cold and the gun was loaded! It could go off inside Bren! I froze in sheer terror as I watched this...then to add more excitement. A guard shoved the barrel of his rifle inside Bren! I mean he shoved it hard, straight up making Bren scream! The guard did it again and again. Shoot me NOW!!! God! Help me! Help Bren!! The guards said Bren was a very good fuck and wondered if I were. It was at that moment, we heard this "BOOM" and bright yellow light burst.
I didn't care what it was, but the guards turned at that and looked as there were flames coming from an office! It was an office, where that guy who told me about Auschwitz and how his days were numbered. That was the office he worked in. He was probably there...Bren was crying telling me to go. I looked down as I saw red coming out of him. That rifle barrel had pierced his insides. I couldn't leave him!! I got what was left of his pants a tried to stop the bleeding, but that was no good from here. We had to get away! The guards were running around the burning office to put it out and see if the officer were alive. I helped Bren in the pants. He and I took off. All of the camp was busy now. If we didn't make it now. We'd never leave.
I couldn't stop reading! I cried as I read. There was more. That's when Peter sat down next to me.
"I'm sure it is bad, Eric," Peter said softly. "Are you are remembering, those two had a very good life?"
I nodded. "It is that knowledge that allows me to keep reading." I chuckled as I wiped my tear-stained face. "I know they did." I smiled at Peter. "Make love to me Peter."
"We always do," Peter said kissing me gently, his lips lingering and I felt his light probing as it became deeper, but still...very much...love. "I love you, Eric."
"I know," I said my fingers in his hair. "I love you."
"I know."
As upsetting as what I'd read the night before was, I woke up feeling pretty good! Only, Peter wasn't where he was supposed to be. We all move in our sleep and he just had...rolled away from me. It was no big deal, but he had rolled on his back and well...guys can snore. Yeah, yeah...the soft palate and whatever...on your back, you can snore. He was. It wasn't loud like I've heard some. No freight train or inhaling of drapes or anything like that. I smiled at his content face as he slept. I carefully got closer to him resting my head on his bare chest to better hear his heartbeat. Slow, steady, and strong. I thought I'd been in love before with Chuck, but...I never had any clue how I could feel about another human being. Completion was what I felt with him. Then his breathing changed and he stirred. The snore stopped and his arms came about me. He wasn't even fully awake and still, he knew I was there and responded to that presence he knew.
"Was I snoring?" He asked in a light mumble.
I squeezed him. "Absolutely and I don't know a nicer sound."
I heard Peter chuckled and woke a bit more. "You've got it bad if you think snoring is nice."
I moved up him. "There are times, you can be wrong, Peter. You're wrong." My fingers went in his chest hair as they tickled with the familiar path they traveled many times. "I love your snore. It tells me you're here, alive and..." I shrugged, "snoring might be a problem later, but for now...don't stop. I adore you, Peter."
He smiled now. "I know. We are married now. You know that."
"Yes. We are." I smiled. "Reading what I did last night. I realized, there are some couples...Bren and Milo that are just made for each other." I kissed him more gently probing his mouth gently. "Just like I know we are."
"A part of each other." Peter smiled kissing more. "This morning, I would like you to make love to me."
"I love doing that!" I smiled.
We had a good evening and a great morning!
We were spending time with Grandma today, so we came down to breakfast to find Boris doing his thing as Yuri was on a laptop. Boris greeted us with his smile and said he'd make the coffee. He had to; I was still afraid of that thing that made it. Boris wasn't using the cable. The thing was, we never used the ones that used Wi-Fi. We almost didn't with the phones. We had a connection with the computers we used for the phones. Those wireless connections weren't safe here, but he was using it. He was looking puzzled at something on his screen. I didn't look at what he was looking at, I never pry. If I needed to know something, he'd tell me. Peter did ask.
"Good morning, Boris, Yuri. How is the second happiest couple from Makarovia doing?" He as passed and looked at the screen. "Is this part of the investigation?"
Yuri nodded pointing to the screen. "I found..." he sighed. "I'm not sure, but..." he looked at Peter. "None of you use the Wi-Fi. Is that correct?"
Peter frowned. "No. We use a closed system with Wi-Fi. Our system."
Yuri nodded, knowing we would never do whatever he was looking at. "Well, someone else is." He frowned. "And has for a while."
"Who!?" Peter asked.
I touched Peter. "He'll tell us when he knows," I said softly. I grinned. "Trust the man. You reminded me, now I'm reminding you." I patted Peter's arm.
Yuri chuckled as he nodded. "I have...a suspicion, who surprises me. Once I confirm..." he brightened. "Enjoy your day with your grandmother! I'm on this!"
"See!?" I said to Peter.
We had a good time with my grandmother.
Peter smiled as he saw me head back into the study. "Back to Milo?"
"You don't mind, do you? He's been dead a while." I reminded him. "I just want to find out what happened."
Peter nodded. "We know how it ends."
"Yes." I nodded. "It is that journey I'm interested in."
I pulled up the file and I smiled. What had been written...and as I said. Milo was a brave, smart and beautiful man...with just dreadful handwriting. He'd written a few pages by the light of a single candle and the writing was bad. Only now were the pages looking like they were in a book, but the handwriting was only marginally better. It was the content I was interested in.
Saturday, 3 September 1938
Bren's awake! We travel at night to avoid getting caught. Even in regular clothes...again, I had stolen them as well. I'm not a thief. We sort of standout due to the shaved heads; the shadows are better. We traveled back home to Berlin and yesterday I broke into my own house. The house I grew up in. I don't know where my parents were and I don't care to see them. Father was so angry, I'm not sure if he sent those Stormtroopers or not and I don't care. I'm not the son they want...not the son he wants. It will start getting cooler this month. I don't know if we dare go to Bren's house. We need clothes. Warm clothes if I could find them. I left those dirty and smelly striped things across the bed. I wanted them to know what happened. If they were responsible...I didn't want to think about that. I had to thank him for helping me with the possibility to help Bren. I was planning for my future when I agreed to the tour as I considered a future in medicine. Seeing that doctor or scientist telling about how superior we were as true Germans...he was the one that told me about the penicillin and even where he kept it. I knew of the lab he had at home, so he would have some there. He was going to perfect it, for use with our people. He was experimenting with other prisoners at the camps. They hadn't even tested it on animals that much, but we were less than animals to them. I was careful, if I got caught, Bren would die. So would I. It seemed to be working on Bren. I got Bren and I hats to cover our heads. We couldn't spend too much time. Anyone looking for us would come here to check.
Bren was no longer bleeding at all, but it would take time to heal physically. We both would have the injuries to our souls that would take much more time, but we swore to never to leave each other. We discussed where to go. Bren and I talked about heading south toward Switzerland. Getting back to Berlin had been hard from Bergen Belsen and that wasn't that far. We had to get out of Germany! We considered west to France, but the Nazis were there, too. Every direction had Nazis! We were heading east. No place was safe. Poland was just as bad. Walking at night was the only way. Until our hair grew out...we hid where we could. Food. That was hard to get even by stealing it. You can't steal what isn't there. We stuck to the less occupied areas, as few as they were. The water near Berlin was Spree was heavily trafficked with ships and boats. The eastern border of Germany was closest. We didn't follow Spree, but stuck near there. Bren was still weak and couldn't move too fast. He needed food! The area was so heavily populated. There was no game available. I would settle for a stray dog or cat! Even a rodent, but we didn't find any. Bren had to eat!
Thursday, 15 September 1938
It's slow. I'm not sure where we are. Just east of Poznari in Poland. Not that far from Berlin. We stay away from the roads when we can. I found we are not the only ones on foot leaving. Tonight, I caught a rabbit! Yes! We can eat tonight! We have to be careful. Fires a night were lights that could be easily seen. We did in an abandoned building, a shed not even together very much. Our hair has begun to grow a little and now there was the chill in the air. Risking the fire did two things in feeding and keeping us warm. I skinned it with something sharp and metal and then cooked it on a stick. I kept Bren as warm as possible. He's going to live. He has to. I tell him often and many, many times...none of what happened was his fault. He and I did nothing wrong. I would have done all I could to protect him and was sorry I couldn't. Since that...horrible night, I was alarmed when I noticed him...go so deeply into himself, it was like...his body was there, but he wasn't in it. Only with repeated kisses and touches can I get him out of this...thing. He trusts me. They raped more than his body.
We now were heading a little more south of our eastern journey. We will come to some mountains soon. Surely we'd find somewhere to hide there. What I had taken from that Nazi doctor/scientist is gone now. It was experimental. They were testing on animals now in England...so I was told. Germany was testing on prisoners before giving to Germans.
We were leaving the area they firmly controlled. Getting through Poland we would be in an area of dispute, but we couldn't stay here.
"Am I interrupting?" Peter asked quietly from the doorway to our study.
Looking up, Peter, to me, was a vision. Dressed in pajama bottoms only, bare-chested with that great chest hair, but the way he said it...was sad. I got up and walked over. "I know...I'm a little obsessed with them." But his eyes said...I nodded. "You're jealous."
Peter was at first...shocked? He was about to deny it but nodded. "I suppose I am." He looked away a little. "It's silly. To be jealous of men that are ghosts now." He waved at the computer. "What you're reading about happened...what...eighty years ago? Can I compete with ghosts?"
"You aren't competing. You already won, Peter. I'm yours!" I assured pulling him into a kiss. The taste of his minty toothpaste reminded me I hadn't done any of my evening rituals. Pulling him into an embrace I added. "You are feeling neglected, I am sooo sorry." I kissed him again. "Anytime you want me...even if there is nothing in particular you want but to keep you company...let me know. You are my favorite person." I waved at the computer. "They are close to Makarovia now...or they were in September 1938. I can't wait to find out what happens. I'll go get my breath as minty and fresh. I'll get ready for bed. Pick something from your gift box." I was about to leave and turned back. "Or you can read what I was sent so far. It's still up. Start with August 29th. I saved it on the computer."
I did do what I promised, but coming back, I saw Peter was still reading as he wiped his face with the front and back of his hand from the tears that were coming. I smiled a little, coming over and bringing a tissue with me, sat with him in the chair and handed it to Peter.
"Thanks," Peter said taking the tissue and wiped his face. "I read the letter in Makarovian. I knew what happened, but this..." he waved at the translation. "I didn't know about this...other parts. I knew about the sodomy with the gun. Milo was used, too."
I nodded stroking Peter's hair but looking in his face. "Yes, he was. He doesn't talk about an actual rape to him, but there were some pretty horrible things. Having to watch the man you love as he was raped? I don't know how I could survive that. I went ballistic when Brad touched you on the crotch in Jocks."
Peter looked at me and burst out laughing. "Yes, you did." He kissed me. "I never told you this, but I was so proud of you that night!"
"No one touches my man," I said in English simply smiling even doing the head swerving and a quick snap of my fingers in the style of many African American women. "Em hum." I wasn't African American and I sure as hell wasn't female, but I think I did a good job imitating it.
Peter grinned and turned back. "Let me finish this and then..." he grinned at me. "The Earl of Stryia is requested to make love to Prince Petro."
"I look forward to it." I smiled. "But..." I said pulling his face back toward me. "I, Eric, will make love to you, Peter," I said kissing him deeper, probing more. "I love you, Peter."
Peter's smile softened. "I know you do. I love you."
"I know." Again, I was about to get up and Peter stopped me from leaving. "Okay, I'll stay! I'll stay!"
Then he asked me to read with him the next entry.
Sunday, 2 October 1938.
We're in the mountains now. It was hard on foot, but even harder for any military vehicles. We are in a cave. A mine. I didn't think we're in Ukraine yet, but I knew we should be out of Poland. It's getting colder now as the snow was coming now. We had to find shelter. We haven't seen hardly anyone for a day or so before as we stayed away from the roadways. There are the occasional patrols, but we hid from those. The voices were in German then. They are everywhere! Not in these mountains. The terrain was too steep in places. I was sure they did patrol, but in Ukraine, it was still an area of conflict. It only took a few minutes before we realized it had been a mine. From the look of it, that was a while ago. Bren and I looked for wood to burn while it was still daylight and for game. I feel like I'm a caveman. It got us out of the snow and wind. Yesterday, we were startled when a voice came from the entrance of the cave. It wasn't speaking German! That was a plus! I didn't recognize the language. It sounded Ukrainian, but not quite. We heard the footsteps and hid again deeper in the cave. The man stopped at the burned wood from the fire we made last night and his eyes widened. A voice, it wasn't German, but that Ukrainian sort of language asking something to the other man. He joined his friend and looked as surprised as his friend was.
"We know someone is there." The man said in German! Then in French, Romanian and would have gone on. "We aren't Nazis." He said in German. "Do you need help?"
Bren poked me and pushed me a little. "We're starving, Milo." He whispered pleading. "They're not Germans!"
"Why would they say it in German?" I asked.
"Ask him!" Bren said stepping out. "Fine, I will. We were Germans." He said to this man. "We left Germany a few weeks ago."
This new man nodded. "There have been others from there, Poland and all through Europe." He looked at us sympathetically. "You look almost sick. I know you're hungry." The man smiled and pointed out of the cave. "It's cold out there."
"We're fine," I told the man not willing to trust yet.
"Milo," Bren said to me and turned to these men. "We are hungry."
The man smiled. "We can bring you something, but perhaps you should think about moving. This was a mine. They will be opening it again. There's another that we can take you to."
His friend said something to him in that language I didn't understand. The man came back at him a little testily. The first man nodded. "You aren't criminals." He said telling us what the other man had said. "He wants to be sure."
"I don't think so," I said. "We have stolen on the way here because we had to, but we don't kill or hurt anyone."
The man that discovered us came toward us carefully. "I'm Symon." He said offering his hand. "This is Boyko. He can speak some German, but..." he came closer and we backed away. "We won't hurt you."
"My name is Milo," I said taking his hand. "This is Bren. We are hungry."
Symon smiled. "I'll send Boyko to get you something." Then he said something to Boyko in that language again. "I was telling him I was going to take you to the mine we know. It was pretty tapped out. It won't be open again."
"That language," I asked. "I sort of recognize it, but it's not Ukrainian. This isn't Ukraine?"
Symon grimaced. "That depends on what year it is." He muttered. "Sometimes it is and sometimes it's not, but it is always..." he waved at the cave, "welcome to Makarovia!"
In the morning, I looked to see what else was sent only to see a message from Drew. "Cassie is away on assignment. More coming, I promise. It may be a few weeks."
My reply was simple. "We'll wait. A great job is being done."
My grandmother was leaving again. We spent the whole Sunday afternoon together.
It was that Sunday night we were in the kitchen, Peter's, and my favorite room now. We had Boris and Yuri there often who joined us occasionally. I asked her privately about what was happening in Asheville. "Have you been bothered by this possible threat back in Asheville?"
Grandmother looked surprised. "Bothered? Most people wouldn't dare." She chuckled. "I'm the scary old lady."
"Grandma," I said chiding her lightly, "tell me the truth. This is important. I'm worried about you. I thought I'd considered all the ramifications, but..."
She shook her head. "No. I know. I'm fine. Really. The truth is...the ones that know who you are and how we're connected are pretty close in friendships. The last names are what's creating a safety net of sorts. I promise to let you know if there is." She looked at me more intently. "There are problems. I know about the threats...is something else wrong? You said something about the house before." She waved at the surroundings. "It's beautiful."
I told her what possible things Yuri was suspecting and investigating. She listened as she nodded.
"This is too good to be true." She said understanding.
"A house suddenly available to us, perfect for our needs after the uranium was found and after Peter agrees to come to America," I said throwing my arms out. "Which would be fine, if there was a clear deed or sale or lease or just a trail from someone about this house. Not this mystery person or group. There's just too much mystery."
Grandmother nodded understanding more. "If something comes up, I will let you know. I promise. I dodged the Russian KGB, those sneaky sons of bitches, no one can pull one over on me."
I chuckled. "I suppose not."
"Damned right." She smiled confidently.
Monday, she flew back to Asheville but was coming back in a few weeks. Our weeks started again and we were busy. Yuri cautioned us to not go anywhere for now but to school, class, and back. We didn't. He was now pretty sure who was responsible, but to confront this person now, would tell this person he was aware of them. It was a
week before my birthday. Penny asked us again in her office if we were planning to respond to any of the invitations for appearances on shows or interviews. We told her when we had time. That's when Yuri came into her office. He didn't say excuse me or anything, but went over to her desk and yanked a cord from her computer and pulled, bringing up a laptop with it.
"What are you doing!?" Penny asked in shock. "You can't do..."
"Yes! I can!!" Yuri shouted in accented English. He did have more of an accent when angry. "I am security!! In charge of security here!! This is a violation of that security!" He waved the computer at her.
Penny was now a little pale. "I'm sorry, but I need it for work! I didn't think."
"And has transmitted everything connected from your desktop to Nelson Carter!" Yuri said angrily as he turned to Peter and me. "Carter is a part of this group that bought the place and who we're leasing from."
Then I saw two other men come to the door, Makarovian men, and like all security, big and their faces were blank as they stepped in front of me and Peter blocking access to either of us.
"Who is your other contacts?" Yuri asked loud.
"I haven't done anything," Penny said weakly backing in her chair in shock.
"You have and are doing it now!" Yuri said holding up the laptop. "You're connected to the house's Wi-Fi. You see? I'm not an idiot. I know this computer has Wi-Fi access. The thing was, I was duped! I trusted you. King Olek trusted you. They," Yuri waved at Peter and me, "trusted you and all this time you have been transmitting information by Wi-Fi to Carter. That's why I limited your access. The computer you're using is basically a dummy. It's connected limited to our system, limited by me. I send information to your computer that can be sent. You've done this form the beginning!! You did it with King Olek telling things that King Olek told you in confidence to Carter! Jensen was just lucky. He invested and did make a lot of money; it was Carter that got him to default on the loan for an even better more lucrative payoff. Twice what he invested for this place!"
"Why?" I asked having heard it but didn't understand.
Yuri nodded folding his arms over his chest. "Tell him!" He waited a few seconds. "Okay, I will. She is working with Nelson Carter, pretty intimately, if you get my meaning. When the uranium was found, Carter found out about it. He knew this is big money. He sent you, Ms. Baldwin to be that person King Olek needed. You ingratiated yourself to King Olek and won his trust. Then you would send what he was doing and where to Carter. He told you to stick with King Olek. If there was a way to exploit to find it. You did! He told you to make King Olek fall in love with you. You were to become the new Makarovian Queen!!"
"What!?" Peter said astounded.
"I didn't!" Penny said, but her manner changed. Now it wasn't as defensive, colder, and more...cunning? This woman was devious.
"Bullshit!!!" Yuri shouted practically coming across the desk at her making her back up. "You did it four times by seducing him!! Paris, Zurich, Belin and in London you did it!" He waved toward his office. "I have your correspondences in my office!" He bounced the computer in his hand. "They make them so light now. And it's a wonderful thing this Internet and everything we send out remains there. If you know where to look." He waved the laptop again. "This told me where to look! You changed computers, you even changed the server and the webmail server, but with some digging, and my program to help track and find them. I got it all!" He reached in and plugged the computer back in. "Pull up your email. A message will come in...3...2...1...now." He waved again. When she didn't move, he leaned in again. "Do it!! LOOK!!!"
Penny opened the computer and typed. Even I couldn't miss the message large enough to fill the whole screen.
WE KNOW
The emblem was Makarovian. The flag colors and the two dragons facing each other and shield with the lion.
"As Queen, she would have access to all Makarovia and the uranium and the money," Yuri explained. "That plan to become queen failed. She didn't even get pregnant, which she hoped might happen." He chuckled. "She didn't win the king's heart, so on to plan B. The other thing this...consortium is good at is extortion and kidnapping!" He shook his head. "Those four times to get him to ask or you could force him to marry you got you nothing." He said angrily. "I know because you said you didn't! In your own words. I have it on my computer!"
Okay, I was just...what's beyond shocked? That's where I was. I remember meeting her that first day. She just...put me off with her comeatcha attitude. Remember? I just thought that was her personality, the go to it and be a direct approach. I like her fine, but...
"But this Carter guy is slick. He hardly ever does the dirty work himself." Yuri said. "You still had King Olek's trust, he wanted you here, with them." He pointed at Peter and me again.
"Who? Me? Eric?" Peter asked. "Who would they take?"
"I guess whoever they can get," Yuri said.
"But even if she had married Olek. He would never do that to Makarovia!" Peter argued. "The money isn't his. The money belongs to Makarovia."
Yuri nodded sadly. "Once the wedding was done. Olek is in the way."
Peter's and my eyes widened. "You mean kill him!?" Peter said astonished.
"You are so focused on getting what you want." I shook my head. "You didn't see Olek as a kind and hardworking man!? He's a beautiful soul. He's gorgeous! How can you do this?"
Penny laughed, but it was...I don't know, what's a good bad guy laugh? Maniacal? Evil? "This is a very entertaining story, Yuri."
Yuri nodded. "I have pages of mail," Yuri said. "I can back up everything I've said to you...including your plans to get pregnant when the king was sleeping with you! I'll show you now and them. I have copies you can see."
Penny nodded sitting straighter at her desk. "Let's say you are right. A woman that clever wouldn't sign her name or leave traces."
Yuri smiled grew. "You're good, but I'm better trained. See, that thing you carry around...it works both ways. You tap into what we're doing and I have something that tapped into yours. Any email you've sent from this computer has the delivery date and IP Address it was sent to and from! You thought it was clever to delete it and histories after you sent it." Yuri shook his head. "Don't you know? It's still in here." He pulled the computer away again. "On the hard drive. Now, I had your computer..." he looked at me, "is cloned the right word in English? I mean, I had the whole thing copied." Peter and I both shrugged. "I did whatever is needed." He handed the computer to one of the two men. "To be sure, we'll have this examined, but I have the destinations and intended recipients." Yuri looked at her.
There was just something I saw in her eyes. "How do you trace it to me?" She frowned. "Anyone could have sent those, from my computer. None of this would point a finger at me. This is the United States and they have a hard time with crime, a harder time with crime on the Internet. There is nothing to connect this to me but speculation. Anyone with computer skills could have sent these messages, proving it was me is nearly impossible."
Yuri nodded. "This is the United States we are in, but the crimes were committed while in Makarovia." He waved at the house. "You're in Makarovia now. It's leased, but in the lease agreement, signed by the President of the United States clearly says crimes committed while on the grounds fall under our jurisdiction! That's us. Enforcement of said laws, meaning ours, is to be handled by Makarovian enforcement, meaning me!" Yuri leaned over the desk. "I can hold you. I intend to hold you until after King Olek and Queen Alla arrive and we together will decide what to do with you."
Her eyes narrowed looking at Yuri. "You can't. There has to be a charge and trial in front of a judge." She rose. "That is Makarovian law. I read it!"
Yuri nodded again. "Yes. That's true, you will need a judge. Guess what? Olek can act as that judge..."
"He can't! He will be personally involved." Penny said angrily.
Yuri laughed again. "He most certainly would be." He nodded. "You forget. HE'S THE KING!! Only his words can overstep those boundaries. That is also Makarovian LAW!! It's still on the books which you apparently didn't read. He can still order your execution!! It would be done. No real questions. It was left in during some rougher, harder times when our kings had to make life and death decisions and couldn't wait for a trial."
"That's barbaric!!" Penny now realized she was...I'll be blunt...she was in deep shit!
Yuri shrugged. "Perhaps, but...of course, he may feel he shouldn't pass judgment and pass it to someone else." He looked at Peter and me. "He could pass the judgement to Queen Alla. She can be the judge as a member of the royal family."
Peter smiled but shook his head. "Oh, I hope not. Mom is a nice lady. She can get quite angry."
Yuri nodded smiling now. "Or pass it to you or Eric even as members of the royal family."
"We can get quite angry, too." I practically growled and shrugged. "I am now."
"I demand a lawyer!" She said. "You have those."
Yuri nodded. "Sure, we'll get you one...in Makarovia. It will be over a week to get you there and find a lawyer available and willing to help...in Makarovia."
"You can't extradite me," Penny said as her eyes darted and her tone she was thinking fast, trying hard to find some loophole.
"True, there would be problems with the extradition." Yuri nodded. "If you were a citizen of the United States...which you are not! I'm working with my American counterpart who told me...at best, you could be released to us...best for us. Or you could be released and shipped to Great Britain and tried there. I'm sending information on what you did and reasons to them now including your Prime Minister! Like you yourself said before, England is on our side. They want the uranium and will protect Makarovia. I doubt they would see this favorably as you were stealing what England is helping us to get out of the ground!"
Yuri got closer to her and pulled out...handcuffs!? Did he carry those? Or did he just bring them for this special occasion?
"I have embarrassing stuff on Olek." She said quickly hoping to buy time.
"I know," Yuri said grabbing her right arm and pulling it back and grabbed her left arm to complete the putting on the cuffs. "Oh, and there are theses." He tossed something on the desk. Some little device that blinked as it was to transmit...something. "That great group from Canada," he looked at me and Peter, "remember me telling you that? They scanned the house for surveillance. They were good. We found them all." He looked at me and Peter. "Not on our closed system, but put in prior to that, that's why you needed the connection with the Wi-Fi, but everything was checked. Before King Olek and Queen Alla arrive, these will all be gone." He assured then pushed her toward the two men and switched to Makarovian. "Take her to the room."
"The room?" I asked in Makarovian.
Yuri shrugged. "Like your room and the others, it's a safe room, but the panel is on the outside of the door. She'll be comfortable. It has its own bath, but she can't get out. There are bars on the windows if she can break the unbreakable glass. She won't get out."
"Let me go, faggot!" She spat as she pulled her arms to get away.
Yuri rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, that always works. We bow to your demands. You throw that at men from a country where almost half the population are faggots." Then he waved at the two men. "Can you handle her?" He asked in Makarovian.
Then I saw and heard the first response from one of the security. "She won't be a problem. This faggot has got it."
I had to smile at that. We did have a huge homosexual population!
After she was taken to this "room." I had to ask a delicate question. "What embarrassing stuff does she have on Olek?"
Yuri smiled but was hesitant to admit it. "She recorded her times with King Olek."
"Sex tapes!?" Peter asked a little worried.
Yuri nodded. "I'm afraid so. I saw them." He hurried on. "I had to, to see what was on them."
"Are they bad?" I asked.
Yuri shrugged a nod. "That depends on your perspective, you don't see a lot of King Olek, but it's clear what's happening. There were a few good shots of King Olek's ass, hardly anymore. A glimpse of his cock, but no erection. Mostly he was under the covers. Most of it was of it has her tits." He shuddered remembering. "I felt like having my eyes soaked in bleach having to watch it. The camera angles weren't that good." He shook his head. "Straight people think what we do is weird!?" He griped. "It's sex!" He shrugged.
I nodded. "Okay, so are they the only videos?"
"Her comments were that King Olek was so busy and won't take the time," Yuri said. "No, there shouldn't be others, but I don't know that. It's not just on her computer. She complained that King Olek was...a gentleman."
"Of course, he was!" I nodded. "He was lonely!" I said sadly. "And even lonely, he was a gentleman." I smiled at the thought.
"Do you think King Olek will be terribly embarrassed?" Yuri asked.
Peter looked at me, but it was clear he wasn't certain. "I don't really know," Peter said to me.
"Remember what Olek said before we went to that island? When I was worried someone could take a picture of him naked on the beach?" I askedH Peter and nodded at Yuri. "To paraphrase Olek, he asked what exactly would that very thing prove? It will prove he's human. He will be embarrassed, but more due to is lack of discretion when it comes to women. What he was doing was..." I shrugged, "Human. Will it embarrass Makarovia?"
Yuri smiled. "Makarovia doesn't look down on people for having sex. As you said, he's human. It was consensual, that was clear. They will know that. If it does come out, they will just have that confirmed. It isn't that bad. If you like straight sex...which I don't. Ew!" He smiled at us. "I may be out of line, but...King Olek has a very nice ass."
Peter rolled his eyes at that and I smiled at Yuri. "He would think that is a compliment," I said. "Do you know where this Nelson Carter is?"
"He is supposed to meet her at a hotel in town," Yuri said. "Also, from her email. Law enforcement in the United States is there. They have him now." He sighed. "I don't know about that consortium he was with. A fancy name for a mob to me. They are overseas. I don't know what they can or will do."
"Should we warn Olek not to come?" Peter asked. "Mom?"
"I'll talk to King Olek," Yuri said sad at what he was going to have to say. "I'll tell him all of it."
Peter frowned. "Maybe we had better do it."
"It won't sound better, but..." I said.
"I'll give you the files." He really sounded relieved as we told him. "I have it on one of those USB Memory Drives," Yuri said. "He needs to see...all of it."
We went upstairs and connected our phones to the system and Peter called Olek, sitting in the same chair again.
"He should be home. It's ten in the evening there." Peter said. "It's a weekday..."
"Peter?" Olek answered quickly.
"Hi, Olek..." Peter said quietly. "I've got some bad news."
"Are you hurt? Is Eric okay?" Olek sounded a little panicked as he rushed the questions.
"I'm fine, Eric's fine..." Peter said. "Can we make this a computer video call?"
"Sure, I'm downstairs in the office." He said. "I'll do it from here."
It only took a few minutes before the computer dinged. We got the connection. Olek's worried face came on the screen. I hated what we had to tell him.
"I'm sending you some things. Take your time, but you need to read and see them." Peter said attaching the USB memory stick. Then called up the files and had it sent to Olek.
The next fifteen or twenty minutes, Olek read, more scanned, but he was understanding and I watched his face go from surprise to shock and now was red with fury. He began watching a video, and from the sounds, I knew what it was. "That BITCH!!" Suddenly his hands swiped everything from his desk. "That...WHORE!!"
"We know, Olek. She fooled everyone. Me. Eric, Yuri and you." Peter said hoping Olek would understand that.
"Did you read this...shit?" Olek asked.
"We didn't have to," I said. "Yuri did and told us what was in them."
"Did you see these videos?" Olek asked and he was now sounding hurt.
"No, Olek," Peter said putting his tone to beg him to believe him. "We were told that you were a gentleman. She even said so. Would it matter if we had?"
Olek laid his head on the desk. "No." He was hurting very badly. "I was lonely."
"We know that, Olek," I said. "You needed a human touch. There's no shame what you did. What happened should never have happened...not that you had sex, but her taping it. That was private. You trusted her. She betrayed you. I am so sorry."
"You didn't fall in love with her, did you?" Peter asked.
Olek looked at him suddenly surprised. "Love!? No! I liked her as a friend, sort of, but...it couldn't become more than that. She was a good secretary, efficient and...not that bad looking, but no...she and I would never work." He grimaced. "She was too..." he thought of a word best to say, "much. She was always...right there."
I chuckled. "We saw that in the first few seconds of meeting her."
"I'm sorry you're involved in this," Olek said. "I thought she was trustworthy. I never would have sent her if I didn't."
Peter nodded. "We know that, Olek. Please, don't take all the responsibility on yourself." He looked as Olek did, moving his face closer, so it would be bigger on Olek's side. "You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing about you has been diminished in either Eric's or my eyes. We love you, Olek...just as much now as before!"
Olek smiled at Peter's words. "Thank you."
"You may want to call off coming here," I said. "It might be dangerous. Yuri said this consortium or mob is overseas..."
Olek pounded on his desk. "No!! If I change any plans or backdown...they win! They can't do that. I won't let them do that. We're coming!"
"Okay." Peter nodded.
"We look forward to seeing you," I said sincerely. "We really miss you and Mom. We'll be here." Then I did what they did, I moved closer to the screen. "We're behind you two hundred percent, Olek. It will be alright."
Olek smiled at us. "Thank you, my brothers. I love you both so much."
Peter nodded. "We know, Olek."
"We love you, Olek," I said.
He nodded and laughed lightly. "I know that. I'll talk to Yuri tomorrow and thank him for doing such a great job for you two and for me." He reached up. "Have a good day. See you soon." He sighed and cut our connection.
8