Piece of Mind

Piece of Mind 7

Chapter 7: Gloria Reid

I am guarded throughout the building as though I've never been there. The building is mostly empty as it should be. It's the middle of the night. Escorts meet me at the elevators. They take me to the 39th floor.

They walk me up the staircase to the 40th floor.

My heart is racing when the doors open. A bright light opens. They call the 40th floor Olympus. They think their gods. I can see all of them. They are all aligned in white satin robes. A mix between Ancient Greek and modern day. The men wear silk suits. The women wear flowing gowns. The gray haired Receivers are present. The ones that call themselves Olympians. However there are others. I'm sure they are humans. They are servants as well. Walking back and forth to refill glasses and serve grapes. I feel like I've walked into someone's lavish dream.

I recognize Kenicky. She lays in a high quality upholstered chaise. She's drinking red wine. Her white dress lays across the floor. She poses with her head high as though she's on an editorial shoot. There is a handsome man behind her dressed in all white. I've seen him before.

“Welcome Jamison.”

I don't see whose talking at first but as I walk into the beautiful room I see someone descend an imperial staircase from the left side. She walks slowly. Every step is intentional. She doesn't look down as she walks. She knows these steps. She's perfected her appearance. Like the rest of them there is something deadly about her walk.

They call her Victoria Cass. The small queen.

“You---you wanted to see me,” I say.

My voice is shaking. I'm looking up at this woman and she is like the female Napoleon. A short stature with presence that could trump the strongest of men.

“I did. I'm glad you came. I've been waiting a while to meet you,” Victoria states.

“Really?” I ask, “I've been right on the 1st floor. I've worked for you for years. You could have just took the elevator.”

There is laughter. Kenicky is laughing. A flamboyant gay man is also laughing. The other Olympians stare over at me as though I've said the funniest thing in the world. I don't get it. They are looking at me as though I'm a puppet here to entertain them.

They look at me like I'm less than them.

“It was really pleasantry that I said that,” Victoria replies, “I really had no interest in meeting you before now...”

More laughter.

They were laughing. They are laughing at me. There is a heavy set man is who is eating grapes and laughing with his mouth open. Even he puts himself above me.

“Then why did you call me here?”

“Fiesty isn't he?” the tall man standing behind Kenicky asks.

“I told you,” Kenicky responds as though I'm not even there, “Look how handsome he is too. It's a shame he likes dick, isn't it?”

Normally I would argue about the fact that I'm a top. I don't dare argue with these people right now. A cold sweat runs down my back. I'm nervous as fuck. I notice as soon as she says that the flamboyant gay man's eyes light up. He raises a hand.

Immediately I'm brought over to him. I can't control my body. I can't move! I'm standing inches away from him. He's uncomfortably CLOSE! The flamboyant man is wearing makeup. I can see the stuff kicked on him so thick that I don't see a piece of his real skin. He has fake eye lashes on. He has lipstick. He is a few steps away from being a drag queen.

“Is that right?” the flamboyant man asks, “You get down for my team...sexy?”

“You better be careful. The pest has a soft spot for him,” a boy says walking from the corner of the room.

I've seen this boy before too. He has long streaming hair that covers his face. Right now I can see he's on a laptop. He's sitting on a plush rug with his laptop between his legs. There is a servant behind him brushing his long luscious hair.

“Listen good...hairball,” the flamboyant man tells the boy holding the computer, “I don't give a flying FUCK how soft a spot Piece has for him. I'm not interested in soft things. I like my things...hard...”

Right now his hand is between my legs. The sick looking flamboyant gay man is SQUEEZING my dick. I try to talk at least. I can't even do that! I am completely immobile. He has me completely immobilized. I feel useless. I can't even fight back against it! He keeps playing with my dick. He's fondling me in my pants right in front of these fucking people.

They find it amusing. Kenicky is laughing. The man behind her is as well. The fat man is laughing so hard that he's choking on his food. His crumbs scatter across the floor and servants are hustling to sweep up after him. The only one that isn't laughing is the boy on the floor with long hair. He's rolling his eyes.

“General...he's my guest. You can play with him on your own time,” Victoria states.

He doesn't argue with her like he does with the other boy. The flamboyant man that Victoria calls “General” drops me. He turns and walks away calmly. I can see his eyes on me though. My body is still a little firm from being manhandled like that.

I feel...violated.

“Is this why I was brought here?” I ask, “To FUCKING be felt up by some pervert!”

It comes out of anger more than anything. The reaction is clear they aren't used to someone speaking to Victoria the way that I am. I don't care either. The laughter and amusement is replaced by stares. The stares are straight up glares.

Victoria looks over at me, “I want you tell me where Antietam's base is...”

“Why the fuck would I do that?” I ask.

Victoria says something to a servant. In a few minutes, Mal Tiffany walks in the room. The bitch is still alive! She looks beat up but she has a much better appearance than Tonnet. She's still walking. Not only is she walking but she has Bombard in her arms. She has Bombard literally by the neck. Bombard eyes me. I wonder if he knows what they are asking me. He looks like he has an idea. What else would Victoria be calling me here to find out.

“I'll release him,” Victoria replies, “He can go scurry down to his hole. I'll even let you save Tonnet if you save Tonnet if you'd like.”

Mal Tiffany's eyes get wide, “That wasn't part of the plan.”

Victoria doesn't even have to look at her before Mal Tiffany is thrown across the room. Mal Tiffany's body is thrashed into the wall so hard that I don't think she's going to get up any time soon. Victoria didn't use her hands like I've seen everyone else do. Hell...Victoria didn't even look at Mal Tiffany.

Now that she attacked Mal Tiffany she turns back to me.

“Before I was rudely interrupted, I was telling you that you can save one of them if you'd like. But only one. You see...those sewer rats have been stealing from me. And I'd like to get rid of them.”

“So you can destroy the world?” I ask.

Victoria smiles.

“So I can create a better world. Evolution is normal,” Victoria says, “And you'll have a place. If you want one. A place right next to Piece. He's told everyone he likes you.”

“You'll forgive Piece for attacking Mal Tiffany?” I ask.

“Piece is my stepson. That bitch laying on the floor over there is a pawn,” Victoria states, “Of course I forgive him. And you can be his. Isn't that what you want? Piece. You've made it obvious to everyone by how you stare at him...”

They notice?

Is no one in the dark abut the fact that I have a crush on Piece?

“Don't do it,” Bombard tells me.

He's walking towards me.

He's looking dead in my eyes.

Victoria is smiling, “You can be a god, Jamison. You can be an Olympian. Your mother gave you up before. It's only fair that you give her up as well.”

I can't lie. It's tempting. She's promising me a happily ever after. I see the way these people live. I've never lived like this before. My heart is racing. I wouldn't have to fight. I could just tell Victoria where my mother and the rest of the resistance was. She'd go down there. She'd wipe them out. It wouldn't make any difference to me. The only one I slightly gave a fuck about was Tonnet and Victoria was promising to spare her.

She was going to kill them. I knew it. I could see it in Victoria's eyes. But why did I care? I'd have Piece. I'd have power. I'd have comfort.

“He's really fucking thinking about it...” Kenicky states, “As though he has an option...”

She's constantly talking about me as though I'm not there.

“Don't do it...” Bombard is saying.

Tears are rolling down his eyes. I never saw passion like that. I see Bombard hold onto his chest all of a sudden. He's screaming in pain. Something is happening to him.

He's on the floor now. He's rolling. I run over to him. I'm trying to help him.

“I won't ask again,” Victoria tells me, “I'll kill you right now little boy. You know that don't you? You know you'll die here...if you don't tell me...

I'm struggling. Bombard is screaming.

I open my mouth. I'm thinking about giving Antietam up. Should I? Should I sell her out? Should I do it?

I fucking can't...

“Kill them both,” the heavy set man suggests.

I can feel a pain in my chest. My lungs are collapsing. I can't breathe. It's Victoria doing it. I squirm on the floor. I'm seeing black. The world is moving all around me. I'm screaming in pain next to Bombard. The two of us are just screaming. My mouth is getting dry. I don't know how to react to this. I can't fight it. It's like my body is being shifted from the inside!

I'm fucking dying! Everything is about to end.

And all of a sudden, the ground gifts out. The floor complete caves in. And I fall to the floor below. The floor below that caves in.

Soon I realize there are no floors.

I'm falling!

40 FLOORS DOWN!

I'm beyond scared. Heights have never been my thing. First I feel like my lungs are going to collapse and now I feel like I'm falling to my death.

“You're safe....” a voice says.

I open my eyes. I'm floating inches above the lobby. I look up. There are holes in the ceilings. I turn to see who it was that has saved me. It's Piece.

“Piece...” Bombard states.

It isn't until I notice Bombard is standing there that I realize he fell along with me. I'm alive. I'm find myself falling only an foot to the floor. I'm touching my body amazed that I'm alive. I turn to Piece and notice that it was Piece who created holes in the floor. He collapsed the floors. He saved Bombard and I.

It's also at that moment that Bombard runs over to Piece. He hugs him. He holds him for a second. I feel awkward in the lobby staring at them.

The building is empty. Piece hugs him back. Why does this send my heart to my knees?

“We have three minutes to get out of here,” Piece says, “Move.”

We don't talk while we go in the underground. Piece seems...removed somehow. What I do notice is how Bombard looks at him though. He stares at him. I don't know their history together. I don't know how they knew each other but the look Bombard gives him makes it clear that he has feelings for Bombard.

We get back to the Antietam's underground apartments. Piece walks in there and just looks around. He looks highly annoyed.

“You did it...” Antietam tells me.

“Pieces saved us,” Bombard corrects her.

I don't expect Bombard to thank me or give me any recognition for risking his life to go meet Victoria Cass. I don't expect him to have a heart in regards to this.

“The Ambrosia?” Antietam asks.

I didn't manage to get any Ambrosia. I didn't have the chance.

“Here...” Piece says, “It's the last that I have. Don't ask me for anything else.”

Piece throws a small vial over to Antietam. Everyone in the room is looking at Piece now. It's comforting to know that I'm not the outsider now. I'm not the one sticking out like a sore thumb. They don't seem used to this.

“What do you want this time?” Antietam asks, “Why are you helping us this time?”

Piece doesn't seem to have an answer for that.

“I'll think of something. Where is there to sleep around this shit hole?”

It's not what he's used to. It's clear it isn't. He looks around the place. Hell it's not what I'm used to as well.

Bombard puts his hand on Piece's shoulder. A shiver runs up my spine.

“I'll show you some extra sleeping areas...”

Bombard leads Piece away at that moment. I watch as Antietam brings over the vial to where the Old Man Keeper and Tonnet are. Tonnet is knocked out completely right now. Her skin has turned pale. She looks like she's on the verge of death.

“You trust him?” Old Man Keeper asks Antietam.

Piece's reputation is something that is clear as day. They don't trust him. I can tell they don't. Hell I don't know if I can trust Piece completely. He isn't exactly Honest Abe.

Antietam shakes her head, “He keeps betraying Victoria. No matter how much she loved Piece's father she won't take it anymore. Right now he needs a place to lay low. He may need us as much as we need him.”

“Will he be safe here?” I ask her, “If I leave?”

“You can't leave. Victoria is probably pissed right now if Piece did interfere. She is probably searching the streets for you.”

“I have to check on my Aunt Gloria.”

“You'll be no good to your Aunt Gloria dead...”

“Listen. I'm not asking. This is something I have to do.”

“And I'm telling you it's suicide to go on the streets right now,” Antietam explains, “Did you see a boy with extremely long hair when you were at the Corporation?”

“Yes...”

The boy with the computer.

“His name is S. Dot. He's a hacker. He can hack into anything. He monitors the city for Victoria. Why do you think we stay underground? It's the only place safe from S. Dot.”

“Only until the morning...”

“Agreed. There are extra sleeping places up there...to the right...” Antietam tells me.

I am laying down. It's hot underground. Laying down doesn't really work so I find myself exploring a little bit. Antietam is out there talking to the Old Man. He seems like he must be her adviser or something. They talk in secret a lot.

This place definitely isn't the beautiful Adam and Adam Corporation building. This place really is a rat hole. Tunnels and underground rooms. Depressing darkness was all around me. I continue to walk through the halls and I hear laughter.

I get close and then I hear a little bit of talking.

“Remember how you used to play tricks in the lab?” a voice asks.

It's Bombard. I press my head up against the wall. The door is a few inches away. It's open slightly. There is more laughter at that moment. I peak into the room. I see Bombard laying there. He has on one of his tight shirts again trying to show off his muscles. Then I see Piece. Piece has no shirt on either. It's the first time I've seen him without a shirt. He has a very slim waist. He has a slim frame over all. Piece isn't muscular but his small frame has a sexy appeal to it that makes me just continue to stare at him. He also has on some running tights. The jeans that he had on are laid next to the bed that he's on. It blows my mind that is so underdressed around Bombard.

“It was the only entertainment. My father would do experiments for hours,” he tells Bombard, “Luckily you were around.”

I press up against the wall and listen. There is a hanging lamp over me that swings back and forth. I press hard against the wall so it doesn't cast a shadow of me into the room.

“I was one of the youngest volunteers with a Receiver. Back then everyone at the Corporation was so intimidating. You were the only one nice to me,” Bombard stated.

“I thought you were cute,” Piece responds.

I'm breathing heavy. I hate the idea of that.

“You did?” Bombard asks.

“Yeah. Light skin. Pretty eyes. Athletic. I know it isn't news to you that you used to be attractive,” Piece laughs.

“Used to be? So you don't find me attractive now?” Bombard asks.

I watch as he takes a step towards Piece. Piece is leaning up against a wall now. Bombard is flexing. He's doing it on purpose. I've played that same game before. My heart was never in it. But I would tense my body up. Flex and make my muscles bigger. Bombard has a nice body. I have to admit. I'm not used to seeing guys that are as fit and firm as I am. The intimidation is definitely driving me up a wall.

“You're ok,” Piece replies.

Piece isn't paying attention to him. Good. He's blowing him off. Piece turns around at that moment. He looks like he has something on his mind.

That's when I see Bombard walk up behind Piece.

“Just ok?” Bombard asks.

“You're attractive. Sure.”

“Then why don't we see what's up...you know, between us?” Bombard asks.

“Because it takes much more than attraction nowadays,” Piece replies.

Bombard is all OVER HIM. I can feel myself getting angry. I'm getting jealous. Piece walks across the room and like a horny ass dog Bombard is following behind him. Within seconds I see Bombard pressing his body up against Piece again.

“I can be everything you want,” Bombard states.

“I don't want you to change for me. I want to like you for who you are,” Piece responds, “I want to be with someone who has what I need.”

Bombard is looking over at Piece, “Tell me what you need then bae...”

“I need a man that can tame me.”

Tame him.

The idea never crosses my mind. It was no doubt that Piece was wild. He was unpredictable. The idea that he wanted someone who could tame him made me think all of sudden.

“You've found that man,” Bombard states.

“Really? Because I still feel very wild...”

“...Not for long.”

Bombard then does something that drives me fucking crazy! He leans in and he kisses Piece. He shoves his tongue down Piece's throat! My mind is going a mile a minute. All of a sudden my mind is going at million miles a minute.

The lamp in the hallway BURSTS! Causing Bombard and Piece to turn around quickly. I have no doubt that it was me who caused the bulb to burst.

Shit. There's no point in hiding now.

Piece takes a step back from Bombard.

I walk in the in room at that moment and I see Bombard's eyes look right at me. He's giving me the illest look but I don't care right now.

“Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt,” I say.

My apology is as fake as Bombard's pickup lines. He looks me back. He looks me up and down. He wants to take a swing at me for cockblocking. I can see it in his eyes. I wish he would though. Something holds him back. Maybe it's Piece. I don't know. He doesn't take a swing at me. He just looks at me with that intention deep in his eyes.

“Funny how you just always seem to show up,” Bombard tells me.

“Yeah. Hilarious. Like when I showed up to save your life earlier when you were taken prisoner?” I ask.

“Piece saved my life.”

“Actually I think Piece saved my life,” I respond, “I think you just happened to be there.”

I know I'm being petty. I don't want to be like this in front of Piece but at the same time I can't stand being in the same room as Bombard. He has this cocky conceited demeanor. I risked my life to go meet with Victoria Cass. The least he could do was be nice to me for the rest of the night. He couldn't even do that. It was literally impossible for him to be cordial to me.

“Is that what happened?” Bombard asks, “Why don't we ask Piece? Piece who were you trying to save earlier?”

“Does it matter?” Piece asks, “You both were saved. And I'm sleeping in the sewers because I'm scared I've finally pissed my stepmother off enough that she'd want to rip me apart. A checkmate is a checkmate. No matter the strategy.”

Piece was talking in his philosophies again. I've missed them.

I turn to him smiling and trying not to let Bombard under my skin, “Can I talk to you for a minute Piece?”

“Can't you see we were having a minute DICKHEAD?” Bombard asks me.

Dickhead. Wow. Now he was name-calling.

I can't help but to smile. I can tell he's trying to get under my skin. He's trying to coerce me into a fight so that he can play the victim and say that I started it. He's close to doing it as well. The fact that he's calling me a dickhead in front of Piece blows my mind. I want to just take a swing at him and show Piece whose really the stronger man here.

Lucky for him Piece interrupts, “Bomb...give us a minute. Please.”

“You sure?” Bombard asks him.

He just fucking said it! I'm struggling not to go off on Bombard.

Piece nods at that moment, “Please Bomb.”

I watch as Bombard goes over to Piece. He does something at that moment. He kisses Piece on his forehead. It's not a normal peck either. It's a deep kiss. I almost think he's about to make out with Piece's fuckin' forehead. Bombard looks at me the entire time he does it. He's attempting to make me jealous.

The fucked up thing about it is that it's working.

When Bombard walks out of the room I can finally exhale a little bit.

“What did you want to say?” Piece asks me.

“Wow...you seem a little cold today.”

“That's what happens when you force my hand,” Piece states.

Piece is pissed at me. I can tell he's pissed at me. I wonder if that has something to do with why he's entertaining Bombard all of a sudden when he barely gave him a second look before. I don't know. Either way I'm a little confused.

“Wait. What did I do?”

“You made me interfere in this stupid war at the park. You made me interfere again at the Corporation. Do you want me in the middle of this bullshit so fucking bad?” Piece asks me.

“I know you're trying to stay neutral.”

“That's the ONLY thing I asked you!”

“Listen. I know you are trying to stay neutral,” I repeat, “But I've chosen a side.”

“Do you know Victoria Cass?” Piece asks me all of a sudden, “You bust lamps. Victoria Cass is a monster. Do you get that? Do you have a death wish? I told you not to choose sides. I told you I wanted to remain neutral.”

Piece was blaming me. He was pissed. I can understand it. I can understand why he wanted to stay out of it. He has better luck with his passive aggression. This straight forward interfering didn't seem normal for him. He was a trickster. That's what he was good at.

But I still didn't know what Piece wanted.
“I chose sides. Me. I never asked you to interfere and save me. I never asked you to get in the middle of this war. Why the hell did you do it? What do you want?”

That's when it happens.

Piece glides across the room. He doesn't touch the ground. He grabs onto me and all of a sudden we are floating into the air. He's using his psychokinesis and I don't fight it. We are spinning around and around and around. Then he leands forward. His head leans closer to mines. His soft lips press up against mine. I put my hands on the back of his neck. I grab onto his ass.

Piece and I are KISSING!

His tongue is down my throat. I'm touching onto his subtle cakes and holding tight for dear life. We are rising higher and higher into the sky.

My heart is melting all around me.

And even when we are back on the ground...I'm still floating...still high in the sky in my mind.

“That's why...”

“Fuck.”

All I can say is Fuck. I want to do it again. I want to kiss him again. I want to kiss him all night. I want to rip off his clothes and make love to him right in these underground tunnels. I want to make him scream so loud that the subways echo with passion.

But all I do is put my fingers on my lips. I still feel him.

It was more than Fuck. This was OH Fuck.

There was SERIOUS emotion in that kiss.

“Now you know why I interfered,” he responds, “Now leave.”

He's emotional. He looks...sad. What is making him so sad?

“You can't just kiss me like that and tell me to leave,” I respond, “Those were the best few seconds of my fucking life. I'm not just going to fucking leave after something like that.”

He got me fucked up if he thought I was just going to leave.

“You shouldn't be down here in the first place,” Piece says shaking his head, “You shouldn't have gotten involved. We could have watched safely from the sidelines. You don't know Victoria Cass. You don't know the small queen. She hurts people. You don't know what she's capable of. If you did you would have stayed out of it. If you really knew her you would have taken your ass back home to your Aunt Gloria AND STAYED OUT of this war.”

“Aunt Gloria.”

Piece turns his head, “I warned you about her... I tried to warn you to stay neutral.”

My heart drops.

It's the middle of the night but I leave. I run. I run as fast as I can and I don't stop.

No...

No....

“Aunt GLORIA!”

Tears are running down my eyes. I've made it back to Aunt Gloria's apartment. My mouth is open. Drool and snot are coming out of everywhere. I'm ugly crying and I don't give a fuck. The door was kicked in. The house is a mess.

I look down and Aunt Gloria's limbs are scattered everywhere. Nothing is recognizable but her head on the living room floor staring up at me.

Victoria got to my Aunt. She killed her...

The only thing that is clear is that she died screaming...

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