Chapter 23: Kiribati/ New York, September 2041

I was sitting back in my chair, and I was doing my daily writing. I had returned to my hermit lifestyle and I lived in my mansion on a desolate island in Kiribati. It was just as well. The monocle had disfigured my face, and my interactions with the rest of humanity tended to lead to bloodshed.

I heard a motorboat approaching, and I assumed that Elenoa had come to deliver my groceries. I had helped her through her injuries and paid for her hospital bills. Elenoa repaid me by doing occasional errands and visiting me to help against my loneliness.

I walked out to greet her when I save that I had an unexpected visitor. Simona had joined Elenoa on her boat ride to my island.

"Simona. What are you doing here?" I asked in bewilderment.

"I am checking out the neighbourhood. I heard that the Phantom of the Opera has moved to Kiribati." Simona teased.

"I am not wearing a mask, though." I objected.

"But you should!" Simona replied and handed me a mask.

I tried the mask on. It didn't fit well with the Hawaii shirt, shorts, and sandals that I wore.

I took off the mask and smirked. "You forgot to bring black clothes and a cape, Simona," I said.

"No, I didn't. They are in my suitcase in my hotel room. I will give them to you when we reach New York." Simona replied.

"Why are we going to New York?" I asked. I felt confused but at the same time a bit excited. "Because Sabina is going to give a speech at the United Nations Environment Ceremony in New York next week. We should confront her there and expose her hypocrisy to the world." Simona yapped.

This came as a shock to me. The first few months after Sabina had tried to kill me, I had obsessed about revenge. But Sabina never seemed to wake up from her coma, so eventually, I had blocked her from my mind to preserve my fragments of sanity. Hearing that Sabina was alive and well, filled me with an urge for revenge!

"Did you find out anything else?" I asked.

"You know that I did," Simona said and handed me a tablet.

I read the files. Apparently, Sabina gave birth to a daughter seven months earlier. She had named the daughter Keila. According to documents that Simona had found, Alex wasn't the father of the child. I counted backwards. Sabina would have been in the divine dimension when she conceived. Could this have anything to do with Rangda's magic?

I made up my mind. I wouldn't use violence against Sabina, but I would make her life difficult. If I could convince Sabina that Rangda made her conceive an evil daughter, that would be a lifetime of punishment towards Sabina. This would be worse than killing her as death was fast and didn't bring any lasting pain.

"I am coming with you to New York. Simona." I stated.

"Excellent. Let's go at once." Simona replied.

Elenoa, who hadn't spoken so far, decided to speak up. "What is going on? Why are you guys going to New York?"

I turned towards Elenoa and spoke. "Sabina Hines, the woman who caused the pyramid to ascend and destroyed your home village, is receiving a prize in New York. We intend to expose her crimes to the world and destroy her reputation."

"So, it was her actions that caused the pyramid to rise?" Elenoa asked sceptically.

"Yes," I replied.

Elenoa hesitated for a moment. Understandably, she doubted my explanation. Eventually, she spoke. "If this is true, then I am coming with you to New York."

"Why? What does this have to do with you?" Simona asked.

"That tsunami killed my mother, my cousins and my grandparents. If Sabina got anything to do with it. I want to see her reaction when I am calling her out!" Elenoa stated.

I thought about Elenoa proposition. It was a great idea, better than if Simona or I would call her out. Simona was a computer hacker with a tattered record, and my list of crimes was enough to fill a whole novel. Elenoa, on the other hand, was innocent and would get more sympathy from the world.

"Very well, Elenoa. Pack your bags. You're coming with us to New York." I stated.

Simona looked like she was going to object to my idea, but she held her tongue.

"Great, I am excited to see the Big Apple," Elenoa stated.

"Then it's settled. Ladies, please return to your hotel rooms, while I organise our visas and flights to New York." I stated.

My young proteges left the island, and I was yet again to go a mission, leaving the solitude of my empty island behind me. I hated to admit it, but the prospect of another mission made me excited.

***

"Wow, this is so amazing. I can't even see the ground!" Elenoa exclaimed happily.

We were visiting the America Supreme Mile building, which was the tallest building in the world, measuring over a mile in height. While was it was impractical and expensive to build this high, America was the greatest nation in the world again. At least they had the world's most colossal phallic symbol.

I correct my black cape and mask. While I felt like a full-on idiot dressing up like the phantom of the opera, I enjoyed it. I hadn't blended in when I wore my templar uniform either. In a way, the real me became invisible behind this stupid outfit and it was a relief. At least now I could pretend to be someone else, albeit my opera singing was a bit lacking.

"Let's go to Central Park. I have always wanted to go there because of all the movies." Elenoa chirped.

I looked at Elenoa and smiled. She was ugly, which made things easier for me. Simona's beauty had strained our relationship, but with Elenoa, this was not a problem and I could treat her like the stepdaughter I perceived her to be.

"Yes. Let's go to Central Park, and then we'll head back to the hotel. I need to brief you tonight and tell you what you need to ask at the press conference." I stated, and we entered the lift down to the ground.

***

I was watching the United Nations press conference on TV. Sabina and her lackey were receiving a prize for their environmental efforts. I couldn't complain about the jury's motivation, as Sabina's charity had done a lot for the environment. But I felt sickened by Sabina's sanctimonious attitude. This was a woman who manipulated people and drove them insane with her magical powers for her own gain. More importantly, she had murdered Elaine and tried to kill me, despite her oath to leave us unharmed.

Simona came up to me and spoke. "Has Elenoa asked her question yet?"

"Not yet. The Q&A is at the end of the presentation." I replied.

"So, what do you think about this?" Simona asked.

"I think that the automated ocean clean-up project is a great idea. But that's beyond the point. My conflict is on a personal level." I replied.

Simona walked over to the minibar and grabbed a beer for us each.

"Cheers!" she said.

"Cheers!" I replied, and I drank a few sips of my beer.

"Hey Simona, why are you doing this? Why do you seek revenge against Sabina?" I asked.

"Asks the man who is here, willing to throw his biological daughter under the bus." Simona taunted.

"Well, biological daughter is the keyword. We don't have a relationship and she doesn't even know that I am her father. My motivation is simple. Sabina killed my wife and disfigured me, despite swearing to leave us unharmed. Can't let something like that pass unpunished. Your motivation seems incoherent?"

Simona burst out into tears and left me flabbergasted. Why was she reacting like this to a simple question? Simona had always been cool and composed under pressure for all the years that I had known her.

"Have you ever experienced rape?" Simona cried.

"Well, I have experienced death and torture several times, but rape, no. Why?"

"Well, I have never told anyone this before. My father didn't expel me from my home for being a lesbian. It was far worse!" Simona revealed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"When my father found out about Leah and me, he told me that he would make sure that I gave him a grandson, one way or the other. I was 16 when he raped me. I ran to Leah's place. But I didn't seek sympathy. Instead, I hacked a military drone, and I used it to kill my father. That's why Dov came after Leah, he thought that she hacked the drone, and he wanted to stop the news from coming out." Simona revealed.

Ouch. How would I respond to this revelation? Not being an expert at dealing with people's traumas, I replied "Well, at least I know how you became who you are. But what does this have to with Sabina?"

Simona put away the beer bottle and grabbed herself a glass of whiskey, clearly this wasn't an easy topic for her. After skolling her whiskey, she spoke. "My father was a bad man who violated me. Yet it is Sabina that destroyed my life." Simona stated.

"Because you had a crush on her?" I asked.

"No. Because Sabina used her God-given powers to manipulate my mind to love her, because she needed me. My father violated my body. But Sabina violated my soul." Simona stated.

I held back my desire to protect Sabina against Simona's judgement. While I had my own reason to seek revenge, I thought that Simona's reason was utter bollocks. She was beautiful and could find another hook-up to get over Sabina's rejection. This wasn't the right time to share this piece of timeless wisdom so instead, I replied.

"Elenoa is also a lesbian, and she has faced a lot of traumas on her own. You can support each other?" I suggested

"Well, except that she is ugly!" Simona objected.

I wouldn't argue against this statement, so instead, I replied. "You and Sabina are both beautiful, but you killed your father with a drone, and Sabina tried to kill me with alien technology. Get down from your high horses and appreciate Elenoa for her inner beauty."

"Is that why you wanted to fuck me, while you hardly even look at Elenoa," Simona smirked.

"Don't do what I do. Do what I say!" I replied and laughed, realising that my life story wouldn't serve as an example of good moral for the younger generations.

The Q&A section of the press conference began, and I felt satisfied when Elenoa pressured Sabina with her accusations. To everyone else in the room, the allegations would seem absurd, but they would terrify Sabina. Because Sabina would realise that I was still alive, and that is was after revenge. Because, how else could Elenoa know about her secret?