Moon Shade Bluff - Book 2 of 3

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

As Dr. Jack Ahar waited for his daughter, Anya, to be brought into the visiting room of Washington's Federal Justice Prison, he studied a photo of her on his flash-pad. The photo had been taken the day she graduated from Summit University. He'd now come to realize that her academic achievements and innocent half-smile hid the fact that Anya lived in a world of utter gloom. He'd always known that she was extremely nonconforming and very rarely showed any type of emotion, especially of a joyous nature, but learning she'd reached such depths of anger that she'd manufactured the deadly toxin helcin, and helped to fund and form the extremist group AXE had come as a complete shock.

By the time Anya was born, Dr. Ahar had become the most celebrated scientist in the world. In order to maintain this incredible life he'd worked so hard to achieve, he had little available time to spend with Anya. Although Anya was cared for by highly paid nannies during her childhood years, and the numerous condos she and her father lived in all contained state-of- the-art amenities, there was one thing missing: true love between father and daughter.

The life of the world's premier scientist revolved around solving problems. But there was one problem that none of his science degrees or his advanced scientific textbooks could help with, and that was how to tell Anya how her mother had met her end. From the day of Anya's birth, he'd dreaded that, even questioned whether he should tell her the truth. On Anya's thirteenth birthday, he'd decided to tell her. Until that day, Anya was led to believe her mother had died peacefully in her sleep, of natural causes.

"She's incredible! Can we watch it again?" thirteen-year-old Anya asked her father after they'd watched a view-file of Anya's mother at age twenty, competing in the World Gymnastics competition.

Jack smiled. "Your mother took great pride in everything she did, Anya," he said, and Anya turned back to stare at the screen with great reverence.

"How come they only gave her the bronze medal?" Anya asked.

"Actually, it's a good thing they didn't give her the gold," Jack replied.

Anya looked at him. "Why's that?"

"She wouldn't have accepted it. Just like she didn't accept that bronze medal," Jack replied.

"Why didn't she accept it? Was she angry at the organizers of the competition?"

"Oh no, your mother didn't have an angry bone in her body. You see, to your mother, gymnastics was her art. She didn't see it as a competition, so for her the whole idea of being judged and rewarded was irrelevant."

"Look how healthy she looks," Anya said as she watched her mother perform incredible physical feats on the still rings and the parallel bars. "I still can't believe how she just went to sleep and died." She frowned suddenly, and a moment later tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Seeing that, Jack knew it had to be done, that now was the time to tell her. He held her in his arms as he explained the true circumstances of her mother's death.

Intense anger transformed Anya's face. "Oh no—why are you telling me this now, after all these years?" she wailed, pushing herself away from him.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'd always planned to tell you, but I just didn't know when or how," Jack cried.

"How could they have done this? How could they have let my mother just die in the street? And you—you're supposed to be the best doctor in the world. How could you have let it happen?"

"Believe me, Anya. I did everything I could. That war ruined so many lives." He reached for her, but she drew away, confronting him. He dropped his arms in defeat. "I loved your mother with all my heart," he said, his throat tight with impending sobs. "And I'm so grateful she gave me such an incredible gift—you."