He Was Almost Absorbed By The System - Part Two

Chapter Two Hundred And Three - What Saved Him

Dominic had survived the bombing, but it was not luck nor some freak act of fate.  It was due to a white analogue watch with three black crystal's embedded in it's face.  This watch, that happened to be part of a pair, was custom made and those three black crystals were not just ornate design but tiny devices designed by one Orion Hollister of Future Electronics.  The personal shielding technology that Orion allowed his husband's security firm to use, was actually designed originally to protect their son from the protesters and government assassins in the beginning.  Such shielding could also be found on the married men's ships, housing unit and around a certain secret moon where another secret was kept.  And it could also be found on the watch of their future son-in-law.

It was not perfect, Orion certainly hadn't expected to have to deal with an explosion or an accidentally placed heavy foot, which is why it failed to protect Dominic from all injury and Kyan suffered a fractured bone.  However, as soon as things were settled, Orion swore to improve the device.

The moment Dominic was brought out of the regeneration ward did he come face to face with a pair of pale eyes that happened to be tinged red.  A sob escaped Kyan as he leapt from the chair in the corridor, where he sat with his fathers and moved to embrace his man as much as he could with his arm nestled against his chest and Dominic lying on a hovering hospital bed.

"What happened to your arm?" Dominic asked, his voice hoarse from the heavy emotions he still felt coursing through his veins.

Kyan shook his head, saying that it wasn't important.  "It's been fixed up, mostly and treated with an optimiser.  I just need to rest it for a week or two and it will be as good as new."

"That's good," Dominic sighed and reached over to stroke his lover's tear stained face.  His hand was suddenly smacked away.

"You dared tried leave me alone again!" Kyan accused, irrational in his grief, happiness and relief.

"It wasn't my fault love," Dominic said, softly as he wiped away a freshly spilled tear from Kyan's cheek.

"I know, but don't you dare do it again!"  Dominic chuckled at the unreasonable request.  Who knew what the future held, but the man did not intend to leave his lover alone in it.

The Doctors coughed to break into the pink bubble that had formed about the two lovers, indicating that the corridor was not the best place for such conversation and Kyan blushed as he stepped away from the bed and allowed the orderlies to push it to the private room it ought to enter.  He and his two fathers behind him followed it.

No sooner had they settled in the hospital room than did two law enforcement officers come to speak with them about the incident.  Not that they didn't have enough evidence to convict Destiny Canterbury should she ever recover from her injuries, but they wished to record Dominic's own version of events and fill in a few parts that were missing.

Dominic told them everything he could, told them that he knew of her infatuation for him, but never knew that she would be driven to such lengths.  Well, he suspected as much due to all of what she tried to do within the Archive, but how could he relay such to those who had not experienced the lives of those trapped within?  How could they explain that her actions cost lives of sentient programs within a machine?  Anyone who heard such would be sceptical.

After the Enforcer's left with their statements, Orion and Damien thought to leave the other two alone, only they were prevented from leaving by a certain elderly man with a gruff face set in a permanent grimace.

"Great Grandfather," Dominic greeted, amicably.

"My dear grandson," the man said, with somewhat lukewarm concern.  "I knew that woman was troublesome from the start!"  Dominic rolled his eyes heavenward, but chose not to refute that lie.  The old man failed to notice his gesture of disbelief, turning to Kyan and grabbing the youth's hand.  Kyan was surprised to note that despite his advanced years, the Monticello Patriarch had lost none of his strength.  "And you must be my grandson's treasured fiancé."

Dominic smiled despite himself.  Treasure was a nice, but imperfect word to describe the boy he had chased through lifetimes and worlds.  Priceless ought to be closer.  "Nice to meet you," Kyan said, just a little overwhelmed by the old man.  The lines on Roman Monticello's face crinkled like paper as he smiled brightly over the youth's polite greeting.  And then he turned to the other two men in the room.

"And you are?"  He asked as he offered his hand.

Dominic scowled; as if the old man didn't know exactly who they were.  This was the true reason for his visit, was it not?!   Whether Orion picked up on the vibes eminating off of an irritated Dominic, he did not reveal and simply introduced himself to the Patriarch.  "I am Orion Hollister and this is my husband Damien Harris.  Pleased to meet you.  I'm sorry to cut this greeting short, but we were just leaving.  How about I leave you with my business card and we can acquaint over lunch sometime?"  And that was how Orion escaped the clutches of the old man... this time.

As Roman Monticello had no other business here, just as Dominic expected, he made his excuses and left as well.  Dominic sighed with relief.

"Alone at last."

"Indeed," Kyan agreed and placed his lips over Dominic's who lay back and enjoyed the sensation that he could never get enough of.  His hands reached for Kyan's head, his finger's weaving through the mop of brown hair, even as his palms pressed Kyan closer deepening their already lust inducing kiss. 

There was a tentative knock upon the door as the red faced doctor stood in the open entrance.  "I'm sorry!" She said.  "It's just time to check Mr Monticello's vitals!  As long as everything is okay, we may be able to discharge you."

Dominic glanced at his lover's swollen lips with both irritation and pride.  "Good."

*****

Mr Canterbury sat beside the stasis pod, futility wondering how his little girl had strayed from her glorious path and fallen into a dark void of no return.  Futility because no matter what, he could not see the part that he, his wife and his family had played in the woman's eventual downfall.  They had named her Destiny, because they believed her's would be a great one and they had not kept silent about their hopes and dreams for the first daughter to have been born in three generations.  But such dreams were too heavy for one person's shoulders to bare capably and her ego which had swollen to the point where nothing was impossible for one of great Destiny had self-destructed.

The man sighed, his hair had turned grey over night and his face was lined like a man twice his age.  His wife had fainted dead away at the sight of their daughter's ruined face that even cosmetic surgery could not hope to reconstruct to it's former beauty.  In addition, the Canterbury's, despite all their wealth and power, could not keep a lid of silence upon their daughter's horrific actions for the person she tried to bring into death with her had a background even more solid and secure.  The Monticello Patriarch had completely rescinded his Great Grandson's exile and all blame for the disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce had been pinned upon a woman who could no longer answer for her behaviour nor her crimes.  Now Dominic Monticello could be considered someone important, whereas Destiny was no longer.

There were those fanatical followers of Destiny's, those who worshiped her as a woman and as an actress, that faithfully held candles and tried to convince others that the bombing was not their Goddess's fault.  That she had been blackmailed or that the recording, which was eventually leaked, was a fake.  Could not, would not believe the obvious truth.  However, there were many more who believed what they saw, what was reported.  They were far more vocal in speaking of their disgust.  Destiny's entertainment agency had dropped her and all of the work she was contracted to do had been cancelled or assigned to fresh newcomers.  Destiny had lost the ability to continue in the entertainment sector.  Destiny had lost any hope of a future outside either a mental institution or a jail.

Which is why her father sought to do what he believed to be the only kindness he could offer her.  He instructed doctors to turn off the stasis pod and let the woman have her both what she wanted and what she didn't; death, but it would be alone.  Later, they would take her body and bury it somewhere only the Canterbury's knew of, so that others angered by her criminal actions could not desecrate her grave.

Whether she found what she wanted in some mysterious afterlife or eternal sleep, only she would know and no one else came to care.