The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

A Little Night Music part 16

By T.MaskedWriter

“When we die, do we haunt the sky?
Do we lurk in the murk of the seas?
What, then? Are we born again?
Just to sit asking questions like these?
I know, for I told me so,
And I’m sure each of you quite agrees:
The more it stays the same, the less it changes!”
—Spinal Tap, “The Majesty of Rock

Susan Bailey and Generalissimo Hernando Ramirez had just passed through the gates and were on the circular drive to the main entrance of Castle Finzione when word came that Contessa Helena de San Finzione was regaining consciousness. When Ramirez told his driver to take them to the hospital, Susan asked him to stop the car and let her out here. Knowing that she and La Contessa had some personal issues between them, Ramirez instructed the driver to do so before racing away, lights and sirens active.

Susan walked up to the main entrance. The palace guards now knew that she was a visiting friend of Contessa-In-Reggenza Maria’s, and Jeanne came to escort her to the Palace Wing; where Contessa Maria was in the study.

Neither of the two of them spoke a common language, so the relative silence in which they walked gave Susan time enough on the journey through the castle to notice that Jeanne kept a perfectly steady pace. Susan would fall a couple of steps behind or gain a few periodically, but Jeanne was somehow able to maintain a precise walking speed the entire time. Susan would have asked her about it, if she’d been able.

She entered the study and saw Maria seated at a desktop computer. Behind her was a tall, muscular, young man who was Maria’s age; whom Susan knew to be Stavro Poldouris from Maria’s “personal friends only” Facebook page. Stavro’s picture and name were never shown on the public “Lady Maria de San Finzione” page.

Maria excitedly waved them over to the computer.

“Jeanne, Susan! Come, Great-Grandmama is waking up!”

They walked over to the desk. Jeanne stood behind Stavro and Maria as Susan noticed that Maria was at the computer where Helen sat when they talked over Skype, and where Helen made her video.

“Now I know why it took her so long to come to the computer the first time I called,” Susan said as she leaned against the desk. She reasoned that walking around Castle Finzione qualified as cardio. “Have you guys thought of getting some golf carts or Segways in here?”

“Si, it has been tried,” Maria replied without looking away from the screen. “They ruined carpets or had trouble braking and cornering on the marble floors. Great-Grandmama prefers to run if she is in a hurry.”

Susan looked over at the screen. Contessa Helena de San Finzione’s hospital bed could be seen on the monitor. She’d been strapped into the bed to avoid her panicking and tearing stitches when she awoke. A brace also held her left arm and shoulder in place until a cast could be made. Doctors and nurses were coming in as Helen began moving her head.

Maria moved the mouse, and the camera turned. On the other side of the glass, separating them from the sterile environment that she was being kept in, Troy and Julie Equals stood watching. Troy noticed the camera pointing at them, waved, and nudged Julie. Julie turned and her lips formed into the kind of smile she hadn’t been able make them move into all day. She waved as well before pointing to Helena and turning to face her again. Susan got a better sense of how big Castle Finzione was when she saw Ramirez run in behind them and realized he must have just arrived as well.

The camera was turned back toward Helen, whose eyes were now open and filling with light. She opened her mouth and screamed. The doctor and three nurses rushed to hold her down when she began thrashing in the restraints. Confusion spread across Maria’s face while she watched them hold her down and start saying her name soothingly. Susan saw her confusion.

“I’m guessing you’ve never seen anyone wake up from surgery before, Maria?” She shook her head no. Susan turned back to the screen. “TV gets it wrong on purpose. You might want to mute it.”

“NO!” Contessa Helena de San Finzione screamed. “NONOFUCKYOUYEAHNO! WHAT THE FUCKARE YOU? GETTHEFUCKOFFME! LET ME OUT OF HERE!”

* * *

As Maria took Susan’s advice, everyone standing outside the hospital room watched as the hospital staff stepped back from Helen. Julie saw them start reaching for the restraints.

Julie saw what they were doing and pounded on the glass again, giant spider-web cracks now spreading out from where she’d been pounding it all night, her fists starting to leave spots of blood behind.

She yelled out loud to the people in the room with Helen.

“DO NOT LET HER OUT! SHE IS DELIRIOUS! IGNORE EVERYTHING SHE SAYS AND TEND TO HER!” Julie calmed down and added “For now.”

They let go of the restraints and went back to aiding Helen. Her head turned and she saw Julie through the forest of arms and torsos. A smile crossed Helena’s face before she opened her mouth to speak.

“YOU FUCKING SKANKY COW! YOU’RE BEHIND ALL THIS! MY LAST PRANK DIDN’T GET ANYBODY STABBED, BITCH!”

Julie smiled, even to hear that. Helena turned to Troy, tears streaming down her face. Someone prepared a syringe as the medical staff ignored her words.

“TROY,” she half-screamed/half-cried. “SUSAN’S A SMART, BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, SEXY LADY AND I’M SORRY I WAS SUCH A CUNT TO HER! I WANT TO MAKE IT RIGHT SO BAD, BECAUSE YOU TWO LOVE HER, SO OF COURSE I DO TOO!”

Her head turned toward Ramirez as the syringe pierced her arm. She wanted to look back at the warm glow starting to spread through her body, but this was important.

“BOMB, HERNANDO! MINISTRY OF SCIENCE!” The glow was washing over her more heavily as she spoke. “Got to evacuate… SPRINGHEEL, Ramirez! It’s all.. about… Spr…”

The last thing that Contessa Helena de San Finzione saw clearly before blacking out was Generalissimo Hernando Ramirez hurriedly pulling out his phone. She turned toward the rapidly-blurring rough Julie-like shape and gave a little smile before the shape, too, fell into blackness.

* * *

Back at Castle Finzione, they watched the muted scene before Maria turned to Jeanne.

“I’m going to need to speak to reporters soon, Jeanne,” Maria told her in French, leaving Susan out of the conversation again. Jeanne looked La Contessa-In-Reggenza over in what appeared to Susan a very methodical and mechanical way. Jeanne said a few words, some of which Susan recalled from 9th grade French, mostly the words for “your,” “face,” “time,” and “wear.” She said the words very slowly and carefully, making Susan think of the computer on the original Star Trek series, when Kirk would ask it a question and it would reply “Working,” followed by a couple of seconds of computer noises and the answer.

Sensing that she was no longer part of things, Susan idly looked around the room. She scanned some of the titles on the bookshelves and the Blu-Ray rack. From the sound of the conversation, everyone was getting ready to leave the room and put Maria into something suitable for facing the press. Susan made her way over toward one of the walls before Maria turned to see her admiring the décor.

“Susan,” Maria said, switching to English, and turning to see her looking at the brickwork on one of the walls. “I am sorry that I have been unable to be a good hostess and show you around the castle.”

Susan turned to her and smiled.

“Hey, I get that I’m here on what’s probably the busiest day of your life. I can’t imagine you’d need anything from me, but if so, just tell me what to do.” Susan said, pressing on one of the stones in the wall and causing a concealed panel to open, revealing a button. She pressed the button and part of the wall slid away to reveal hidden stairs.

Maria, Jeanne, and Stavro looked at her in amazement. She turned back to the sudden silence and saw the three of them staring at her.

“Sorry,” Susan said. “I’ve never been in a castle before today. Is finding your secret passages bad manners?”

“How did you know where that was?” Maria asked. “Only Great-Grandmama, Jeanne, and I know about the passage to Jeanne and La Contessa’s bedrooms. Did she tell you?”

“No,” she replied, just as confused as Maria. “I mean, I didn’t know about it. I just figured this is a castle, so there’s gotta be secret passages, right? It just… seemed like a good place for one.”

Maria shook her head.

“We shall discuss it later. I must go make ready to speak to cameras. Feel free to walk around, the only area that is strictly off-limits are the dungeons, though I’m sure Great-Grandmama would not want you snooping in her bedroom,” Maria said, virtually guaranteeing Susan’s next destination. “Jeanne will be back afterwards to show you to your room.” She walked over and gave Susan a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks. “I am happy that you are here, Susan.”

During the embrace, Maria reached over and pressed the button again to slide the wall back into place.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Maria. I’ll be around when you’re done with all that.”

Maria smiled. Susan smiled. Jeanne and Stavro smiled, then escorted Contessa Maria from the room.

Fifteen seconds after they were gone, Susan pushed open the concealed panel again and pressed the button. The wall slid open, and she ascended, pushing the corresponding button on the inside of the passage to close it again. Susan wondered how she’d find her way up the stairs in the dark, when she moved and the lights in the passage came on.

“Motion sensors,” she thought as she ascended the stairs. “Helen really does try to think of everything.”

The top of the secret staircase led to a corner where two halls branched off from it. Somehow, the right turn felt correct to Susan, and she proceeded down that hall until she got to another dead end with a button on the wall. A press, and the wall swung open.

Susan emerged from one of the columns flanking the fireplace in Contessa Helena de San Finzione’s bedroom. Despite being semi-dark, lit only by moonlight coming through from the balcony, the room didn’t quite seem familiar to her, as much as it felt like she’d been there before. Troy and Julie’s story about their visit to the castle hadn’t involved much decription of Helen’s bedroom, so how did she have a sense of how big and comfortable the bed she still hadn’t touched was?

Susan admired the décor in the dimness for a while, not wanting to turn on a light. She noticed a blue envelope sitting on one of the pillows at the head of the bed, but thought nothing of it as she moved toward the balcony. And how had she known that Helen would have a private balcony outside the room, or that she would be too curious about the view to resist stepping outside?

She felt her hair blow in the breeze as she stepped through the uncurtained glass doors, musing that movies got that part about walking out onto a castle balcony correct. The breeze shifted, causing Susan’s hair to shift direction as well, and making her muse that she now understood why Helen kept her hair short. The breeze ended, and Susan saw the view.

The lights of the city below rose up before her. A central area seemed arrayed in a neat pattern, like the time she’d gone to the Space Needle at night and looked out over Seattle. The night-time lights spreading out from that area bent and twisted in ways that likely made more sense when the roads were paved centuries before. She looked toward where she’d thought the hospital was and hoped she’d be able to see the candles that were being held by those outside, but the castle was too far away to see them.

“Wow,” she thought. “Helen looks at this view every day and thinks ‘All of this belongs to me.’ Explains a lot, really.”

Susan checked the railing to make sure it was safe before leaning on it to look closer at the lights below. She noticed a lot of activity and flashing lights surrounding a building in another part of the city.

Suddenly, the building that the lights were headed toward was replaced by a bright ball of flame. She was too far away for the sound of the explosion to reach her, but that was quite clearly what had happened.

Susan backed away from the railing, looking under it a moment for fear that Helen had some concealed “Blow Something Up” button that she’d accidentally pressed. She stared at the fire for a few seconds before running back into the bedroom and looking for the button to get back to the study.

* * *

Cameras and lights were focused on the desk in La Contessa’s office, in the Administrative Wing of the castle. Maria waited off camera in an emerald-green Armani pantsuit. A rope cordon kept the reporters who would be allowed to ask questions after her address out of view. The lights on the cameras lit up.

Every television and radio broadcast in San Finzione started playing the national anthem and an announcer stated that programming was being interrupted for a live address by La Contessa de San Finzione. The Castle, the Government, and her public Facebook pages also announced a live video.

The 21-year-old woman walked into the camera’s view, sat at what was now her desk, and looked into the center camera.

“People of San Finzione,” Maria said to the camera in English. As interpreters translated into the country’s other three official languages, she was suddenly aware of how young and girlish her voice was.

“I am Contessa Maria Louisa Francesca de San Finzione.” It was the first time she’d said the words out loud. “I am pleased to report that my great grandmother, Contessa Helena, is now out of surgery; however, no updates have been given on her condition.”

She looked down, then back up to the camera.

“Until she is able to resume her duties, I shall be serving you and our nation as Contessa-In-Reggenza. Stock trading will resume at normal business hours in the morning, as will normal air traffic.”

Maria hadn’t brought notes with her, and she silently cursed herself for giving that part of her speech earlier than she’d intended. The only flight that had’d been diveryted to a neighbotring country since the attack had been the one containing Troy, Julie, and Susan.

“At this time, many of you are uncertain of what the future will bring for you. Some may even be afraid.”

Maria looked over as an Ultimado entered the room and ran up to her. She turned as he whispered something into her ear, then turned back to the camera and stood up.

“My people, I have just been informed of an incident which requires your Contessa’s immediate attention. I do not have the luxury of assuaging your fears at this time. I must go take control of the situation. There will be no questions. Thank you.”

Maria followed him quickly out the door. The cameras remained on the empty desk for ten seconds before programming resumed.

* * *

Generalissimo Hernando Ramirez and Troy Equals were in the back of his staff car, speeding toward the Ministry of Science. Troy had insisted on coming, and the Generalissimo knew better than to debate the issue. Ramirez ended the phone call he’d been on since they left.

“They have been evacuated. The bomb squad is en route…”

He was interrupted by another call, telling him that the bomb had gone off and the building was on fire. Ramirez ended the call.

“It appears that they will not be needed.” Ramirez said to Troy. He lowered the screen and instructed the driver to return Troy to the hospital when he was done.

“Could he take me to the castle instead,” Troy asked. “I need to see how they’re doing.”

Ramirez changed the driver’s instructions and raised the partition again so that he couldn’t hear them.

“The thing that Señora Equals did to the doctors was most fortunate.”

Troy nodded and cracked a smile.

“I guess I’ve always sort-of wondered which of them would win in a fight. That kind, I mean. Their real fights have always been about 50-50.”

Ramirez nodded at that.

“It is fortunate for another reason as well. What La Contessa said was highly classified.”

“So, if they’d heard the word ‘Springheel’ too, they’d have been… dealt with? Are we going to have to be silenced, Generalissimo?”

Ramirez shook his head.

“No. Your file says that you and Señora Equals have top clearance by order of La Contessa. But, I would have at least needed one of you to do the thing that she does to them before they spoke to anyone.”

“It’s fortunate as well, then, that my father-in-law retired from forty years in Army Intelligence. So, I know better than to ask, and won’t press for details.” Troy leaned back in the seat.

“I appreciate this,” he answered. “When La Contessa feels the need to tell you more about it, she will.”

“And if she doesn’t, I’m fine with that.”

Ramirez turned to face Troy.

“Señor Equals, I know more than I should say of Springheel, and she has shared her concerns about it with me.”

“Now, even if I didn’t know you were trustworthy before, Generalissimo, I certainly do now. Helen doesn’t share ‘her concerns’ with anyone.”

“I am certain that when La Contessa is ready to share this concern with you, she absolutely will.”

They rode on in silence.