Frauleinstein

Chapter VII: Lunch with an Old Friend

"I started to lose hope that I would live long enough to figure it out. But then, only two years ago it all came together in my mind, and it was beautiful! The secret to creating life from lifelessness. Roddy, it is so simple! It is the way that life came into being on this planet a billion years ago, and the way that life has been passed from mother to child ever since. And now I control it!"

"Valeria," Roddy said softly, hoping to talk reason into her. "You can't do this. The powers you're dealing with are beyond comprehension."

Valeria scoffed at him. "So, you say I have wasted my life. I have created a multi-billion dollar corporation, received seven doctorates, and discovered the secret of life, and it is all a waste! And what is it that you have done with your life, Flight Lieutenant Roderick Williams?"

Roddy sighed. "I own a small antique shop, here in Bistritz. Just a couple of blocks from here."

Valeria laughed harshly. "How ironic! You have wasted your life selling antiques, and now you have become one."

"Valeria, there are so many problems with this I don't know where to begin. Don't you see, if you develop this, it won't be long before one of those tin-pot dictators uses it to develop his own army of super soldiers and starts world war three?"

Valeria shrugged. "That is not my concern. Any new technology can be used for good or for bad. It hasn't stopped anyone else over the past hundred years from developing cars or planes or computers. Why should I be the only one?"

"And what about your customers? Don't you think they'll be a little put off by the fact that they have to die first before you can give them their beauty treatment?"

Valeria looked as if this might be a minor glitch. "We haven't worked out all the details yet."

"And Valeria," Roddy said, trying to sound sympathetic. "It can't help you. You and me, we've had our time. We've had our youth. Maybe if you were to die now, your doctors could bring you back. But Valeria, do you really want to be like this forever? This process, it can't give you back your youth, it will only preserve you forever as a shrunken, wrinkled, old person."

Valeria laughed with delight. "That is where you are wrong, Flight Lieutenant Roderick Williams! You believe that Fritz was a dead soldier, don't you? Well he was not! He was in fact several dead soldiers! We not only brought back life to the dead, but this process, this miracle allowed us to combine the best from several others. The size of one, a replacement heart from another, the mind of a great and loyal warrior! Have no fear Flight Lieutenant, I will be young and beautiful again!"

Roddy looked at her in horror. "What are you saying?"

Valeria grinned. "I have a flight out of Romania at five o'clock this afternoon. I'm going to meet up with an employee of mine in Austria, who has acquired a body for my experiments. I'm not ready yet, but Roddy, I am close! Can you imagine, my mind, the culmination of over ninety years of knowledge, in a fresh young body ready to start all over again! Roddy, I always liked you; even as we were enemies I knew that together we could be something special. We never had that chance in this life. Believe in me and we can start over together!"

"Will you listen to yourself?" Roddy yelled at her. "Employees, who acquire bodies for your experiments? It's monstrous! You're not creating life; you're only stealing it from others! I won't have anything to do with it, other than to do everything in my power to stop you!"

"It is unfortunate you should feel that way," Valeria responded. "Dieter?" she spoke the name as a command. Her bodyguard responded by pulling out a gun and shoving it inconspicuously into Roddy's ribs.

Maria approached the table. "My apologies," she said as she attended to her customers. "We are a bit backed up today. Are you ready to order?"

"Nein," replied Valeria as the three stood, Dieter and Friedrich dragging Roddy between them. "We have a plane to catch. We are leaving."