A. I. Evolution: The Coming of Christopher

Chapter 33

The outside temperature hits us solidly in the face as we exit the main doors of the airport in Los Angeles. The heat was oppressive in Vegas, but it is a whole notch higher on the discomfort scale here. We hail a cab as fast as we can. One drops from the stream of traffic to the curb beside us and we climb into the back seat of the car almost before it stops. I slide across the seat as Wong quickly closes the door of the air conditioned vehicle.

The Philippine driver gets out to put our bags in the trunk of the cab before returning to the driver's seat and turns around to face us. "Where to?"

"We have booked ourselves into the Magic Castle Hotel," I reply.

"Ok," the driver calls out, as he turns back to exit the pickup area of the airport.

It takes about a half hour to arrive at the hotel, where our bags are taken from the trunk by the doorman to the lobby. I check us in as Wong stays with the luggage. I walk back to Wong after getting our room key, and directions to the room on the eighth floor, to see him staring menacingly at a young bell boy who wants to carry our bags for us. "Its OK, Wong. It is his job, and we are the guests here. Let him take our bags up to the room."

Wong steps back somewhat reluctantly but watches the young man closely. I smile as I watch Wong's devotion to me and my belongings.

We follow the young man to the elevators and up to our room. The bell boy takes the room key and enters placing our bags on the low folding stand and steps to the side, waiting. I reach into my pocket and get out a ten for him, because of the scene downstairs with Wong. He nods his head as they have been trained to do and exits the room.

"Why did you do that? I could have carried our bags and it would not have cost you anything," pouts Wong.

"Here in America, it is fashionable to have the hotel servants look after the menial tasks for you, besides, from now on we need to show our importance to the common people."

"We are common people," states Wong seriously.

I shake my head. "No, we have abilities that set us apart from the rest, and I think it is about time we remembered that and started acting accordingly."

"OK, so what do we do now?"

I head for the door. "I think something to eat first and then over to the Castle to see if this card will get us in."

I head down to the small restaurant off the lobby as Wong follows a step back from my right shoulder. "He is going to make the perfect companion," I think, as we enter the double glass doors to the almost empty room.

The Maître 'd sits us by the corner windows where we can see the traffic and hustle and bustle along the sidewalk. We quickly eat our late lunch before we walk the two blocks to the Magic Castle. The heat of the afternoon makes walking up the incline of the street hard, and we welcome the chance to get into the front doors of the imposing structure. The room is full of bookshelves and odd objects, but not a desk or counter to welcome people, or even a soul in sight. I notice an old looking wood stove that seems out of place in such a warm climate sitting in one corner at the back. We move over to it and look around. Wong stops in front of a stuffed owl sitting on a book shelf at eye level.

I move up beside him, to see what has grabbed his attention. "What is it, Wong?"

He points to the stiff looking owl. "The eyes flashed red a second ago."

I move in closer and look at the eyes, only to see them go red again. "OK, that is interesting," I say, as I stand up and look around the small room. There does not seem to be any other door than the one that we had come through from the outside.

Wong closes his eyes and seems to be sending out his senses, and even though he does not have his once strong abilities, he still has very good hearing. "There are many voices coming from behind these book shelves. There must be a way to get through them, into the rooms beyond."

I think about all the old movies I have seen, where hidden rooms were used in the story line, and look for any book that might be a lever or a handle that we can use to pull the bookcases aside. I don't see anything, but the owl gives me an idea. I step up to the shelf the owl sits on and raise my hands into the air, saying, "Open sesame."

Wong jumps back as a section of the bookshelf swings back and slides to the left, revealing a hallway behind it. Wong smiles at my ability and leads the way to make sure it is safe for me to enter. He stops suddenly as a big man in a suit and tie steps out from an alcove just inside the now open passageway. "Why are you here? This is a private club, and you are not attired properly. Who invited you?"

I step up to the big man and hand him the card from Will Struss. "I was given this at a poker game in Las Vegas."

The big man takes it and flips it over to see the name on the back. "At a poker game, you say."

"Yes. It was a high stakes game at the top of the Hyatt downtown."

The big man looks up and smiles at me, as he visibly relaxes. "Mr. Struss does like to play cards. How much did you lose to him?"

It is my turn to smile now. "Actually, I won the night. Will gave up before losing all his money."

The big man stares for a second before pulling himself back up to his full height. "I see. In that case, when you return dressed as the house rules demand, I will take you to the private quarters of Mr. Struss."

I look him up and down. "So, what is the proper dress for the Castle?"

"Dress suit including tie and proper footwear. Anything less will see you thrown out into the street."

I quickly realize that he is serious, very serious, so I take Wong's arm and we retreat to the entrance of the secret passageway. The bookcase slides back into place with a slight thud to accent the mood of the moment.

Once back out onto the street, I turn to Wong as we walk back down to the hotel. "OK, that was interesting."

"We have many places like that back in China. They are like that to impress upon the rest of the people that it is only for those who have achieved a certain status. It is that way to encourage people to strive for excellence, so they can be counted as one of the privileged few."

"Well, I find it annoying."

Wong stops as he takes my arm and pulls me around to face him. "You have been invited to such a place by someone who has already achieved such great status. I am honored to be associated with you."

I nod my head at his wisdom. "You are right, of course. It is just that here in America, we don't like being talked down to by anybody."

"He was only doing his job. Did you not feel intimidated by his presence?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for putting it in to perspective for me."

Wong bows slightly, and we carry on to the hotel, so we can get dressed in our best clothes as requested before returning to the Magic Castle.