A Bridge Between Worlds Ch. 05

Trying to come up with an excuse of some kind was useless for Anthony; he knew they were right. He looked up into his wife's eyes and could see that she felt the same way. Kissing her hand tenderly, Anthony finally said, "Alright, I'm in. On one condition."

"And that is?" Mike asked, cocking his eyebrow.

"There's a place in Brooklyn, tiny little pizza kitchen. It's called 'Sal's Under the Bridge,' obviously under the Brooklyn Bridge. My wife and I are gonna treat the two of you to dinner there tonight. We got a deal?"

Melody's eyes lit up. "Of course! I'm just... a bit confused."

Chuckling, Anthony replied, "In my family, food is how we show love and respect. It's essential to our way of life. I can't tell you how many business deals I've made over the dinner table in all my years, so this is only natural."

Mike shook Anthony's hand across the desk, saying, "Count us in. I'm never one to turn down Brooklyn-style pizza! We do have one more errand to run today, over in London, but we'll be back tonight. Seven o'clock work?"

"Sounds perfect," Anthony said with a grin.

*****

"I can't help but be impressed," Farzan said. "They are already so close to accomplishing everything we had hoped for."

"I agree," replied Salim. "Still, I cannot help but worry. This final task is like nothing they will have faced before."

As the two men watched Melody finish the amendment declaration with Anthony and Apollonia, appearing within the globe of Earth they had previously used, they soon shifted their view over to London, England. This was the location of the final genie servant, as well as her master, Edward Baldwin. This man would be by far the toughest nut for them to crack, having been with his genie for well over three hundred years. Edward was a quiet, private man, but also insatiable when it came to women; he had used his genie's powers indiscriminately over the centuries to bed thousands of women, many of them completely against their will. Even with his callous treatment of women over the years, his actions of late seemed to be escalating in severity, often indulging in pain and mutilation with his conquests. The Council was powerless to stop these actions, as the pain he caused was completely of his own doing, yet they feared he would soon go so far as to kill someone if left unchecked.

"From the very start, this man worried me. I have always feared that, even with their dedication, Mike and Melody may not be able to succeed in convincing him. What if he turns hostile?" Salim asked.

"Do not fear for their safety," Farzan said with a laugh. "Melody is more than capable of protecting them both, or have you forgotten Selena's recount of their training in the desert?"

"That is true, I suppose," Salim replied. "Still, let us keep an eye on them, just to see how things progress."

"Of course."

"King Farzan!" A guard shouted as he entered. "A group of human aircraft are flying near us, we need to hide the palace."

"Damn..." Farzan sighed. "Very well, divert all magical power to concealing our palace."

"It will be done, your Highness."

Turning back to Salim, Farzan said, "I suppose we won't be able to monitor them after all. With the amount of magic it takes to conceal our palace, I doubt we would have enough left over to watch their meeting with Mr. Baldwin."

"It seems all we can do... is wait," Salim agreed quietly.

*****

Standing atop the Tower of London, Mike watched Melody intently as she concentrated on the city around her.

"Can you get a fix on their location?" he asked.

"Almost... got it! There they are!" she finally said. "This last genie has gone to great lengths to conceal her master's whereabouts. They look to have made a home in an abandoned section of the tube."

"Huh, odd," Mike mused. Everything they had learned about their final target seemed to unsettle him. Even with their research on him, Mike still was at a loss as to how he could convince him to agree to the new laws. His gut was screaming to him that they had no chance of success this time around. Still, Mike was stubborn, and planned to give it his best shot.

"You ready?" Melody asked, taking his hand.

"As I'll ever be," Mike replied.

With a surge of magical energy, the pair disappeared, instantly arriving in front of a large, iron door deep underground.

"This is as far as we can go magically," Melody explained. "Like Hiro, this master has erected a protective barrier around this place."

Stepping forward, Mike knocked on the door, his insides churning a bit as the door reverberated from his banging. At first, there appeared to be no movement. Soon, however, a small rectangular window slid open, revealing a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Yes?" came a smooth, British voice.

"Mr. Edward Baldwin?" Mike asked.

"Depends on who's asking."

"My name is Mike Braxton. This is Melody, my wife. We need to speak with you. May we come in?"

"What is this regarding?" he asked skeptically.

"Persephone," Melody answered quietly.

The man eyed them for several moments before sliding the small window shut. He then opened the door, revealing himself to the pair.

"Mr. Edward Baldwin, I presume?" Mike asked.

"I am indeed," he replied with a grin.

Edward was quite a tall drink of water by any standards. Standing easily six and a half feet tall, his frame appeared extremely powerful, reminding Mike of an Olympic swimmer. His face was framed by a powerful-looking jaw and flowing blonde hair, extending down to about his earlobes. A hint of stubble and a knowing, toothy grin gave him a very striking appearance. Edward wore a pair of black slacks and a black dress shirt, unbuttoned just enough to give a glimpse of his large pectoral muscles. Though he was well over three hundred years old, Edward appeared to be not a day over thirty, easily in the prime of his life.

He motioned for them to come in, bringing Mike and Melody into his home, formerly a junction station for the old London tube system. After the city had switched over to hover trains in the last half-century, the old rails were largely abandoned in favor of the above ground transportation. Thus, Edward had repurposed this area into a private hideaway for himself, elaborately furnishing it with comfortable chairs and sofas, as well as a massive two-story self-portrait along the back wall.

"Persephone! Come down here please!" he called. "Please make yourselves at home. May I offer you a drink? Brandy? Bourbon?"

"None for me, thanks," Mike replied.

"Me either, thank you," Melody agreed.

"No worries," Edward said, pouring a generous glass for himself.

Hearing footsteps from the nearby stairs, the trio was soon joined by a gorgeous woman about Melody's apparent age with jet-black hair and milky skin. Her long hair was neatly pinned back with a barrette, framing her elegant face beautifully. She was adorned by a simple black dress, held up by a pair of spaghetti straps, that hugged her curvy figure perfectly, pushing up her D-cup breasts to incredible heights as her cleavage bounced with every step she took.

"Hello, Master. Who is this?" the woman asked in a sultry British accent.

"Ah, Persephone, there you are. This is Mike and Melody," Edward said, introducing them. "They said they have something to talk to us about, concerning you in particular. Do you know that they're talking about, love?"

Glancing at the pair for a few seconds, she replied, "I am uncertain as to their purpose for being here, but I can sense that Melody is... not unlike myself, if I make my meaning clear."

"Inescapably," Edward confirmed. Looking Melody up and down while pacing the floor, he mentioned, "You, my dear, are quite a lovely specimen. Your master has exquisite taste as to his ideal woman."

"Thank you," Melody replied tentatively.

Turning to Mike, Edward smirked and asked, "Would you very much mind if I, er, tried her out?"

Processing what he was asking, the pleasant look quickly disappeared from Mike's face. "Yes, I actually would mind. Very much," he finally answered.

"Ah, well no bother then. Persephone, if you would?"

"Of course, Master." With a flash in her eyes, Persephone instantly conjured up an exact clone of Melody, lying nude on a nearby sofa with a look of lust in her eyes. At the same time, Edward's clothing vanished, exposing his powerful, chiseled body.

"Oh, Master Edward," the clone moaned, thrusting her ass into the air in doggy-style position. "I need you... please, own me."

Walking over to the sofa, Edward's cock immediately sprang out to its fully erect size, easily eleven inches in length. "Well, if you insist dearie," he said with a grin. The sofa she knelt on instantly adjusted its height to give Edward the perfect angle to penetrate the Melody clone with.

"Oh my God... your cock is the greatest ever!" she cried as he began thrusting into her.

Mike was incredibly disturbed by this sight, and could tell that Melody felt the same way by the look on her face. Still, he managed to put aside his disgust for the time being, knowing that they had a job to do.

"Mr. Baldwin, we have some business to discuss with you," Mike said calmly.

"Ah... of course... out with it, then. I can multitask," Edward said in-between his thrusting.

"Alright then," Mike muttered to himself. "We're here at the request of the Council of Four."

"The Council... interesting... oh wow, Melody... you have one... fantastic twat," Edward grunted. "Easily one of my... top five... all time."

Melody said nothing in reply, as she was just trying to keep her composure.

"Um, the Council has recently made some amendments to the laws governing servant genies," Mike explained. "However, in order for the amendments to take effect for you and Persephone, you must agree to them. We are here to ask if you will do so."

"Well, then... ah... what would... change?" Edward asked, still absorbed in Melody's clone.

"Essentially, servant genies would no longer be able to use their powers to interfere with another person's free will."

"Almost... almost... oh yesssss!" Edward hissed, shooting his cum into "Melody's" pussy. "Alright then... well, I suppose if the Council thinks it necessary, that's good enough for me. What do I need to do?"

Mike was extremely surprised by his affability, but was certainly not going to resist, considering everything they knew about Edward. "Melody will take care of everything," Mike said.

Motioning to Persephone, Melody said, "If the two of you will face each other and join hands, please." As Edward approached Persephone, his clothes reappearing on him, the familiar ring of blue light encircled them as Melody spoke. "As a representative of the Council of Four, I am authorized to make the aforementioned amendments to the magical contract binding Edward and Persephone. Do the two of you understand and accept the changes as they have been explained to you?"

After a moment of silence, Edward chuckled and said, "Actually, I think I've changed my mind; I don't want to do this."

Melody was confused. "I don't understan-"

Mike placed a hand on her shoulder, stepping forward. "This is all just a game to you, isn't it?" he asked incredulously.

Laughing, Edward replied, "Took you this long to figure that out, eh mate? The Council wants to interfere with my way of life. That makes them, and by extension, you, my enemy. But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with ya first."

"We can't force you to agree to the amendments, but you should be aware that, in continuing down this road, we will use all means available to ensure that no innocents are harmed through your use of Persephone's powers. We're not going anywhere," Mike said calmly.

Locking eyes with Mike, a wicked smile spread across Edward's face. "Well then, I suppose I'll just have to do something about that. Persephone. Kill."

Melody immediately sensed an enormous amount of power welling up within Persephone, finally unleashing itself by engulfing her in a pillar of fire. Persephone turned her attentions to Mike and launched a stream of flame directly at him, his eyes widening in shock. As Mike shut his eyes, attempting to shield himself with his arms, he suddenly realized that he felt no heat. Looking up, Mike found Melody in front of him, having instantly extinguished the fire with powerful blast of water. She now wore the same blue armor he had seen the guards wearing at the Palace of the Water Jinn.

"M-Melody?" he asked tentatively.

"I'll handle this," she said confidently. Drawing her scimitar, she turned to Persephone. "You don't want to do this," she warned. "It won't end well for you."

"We shall see," she replied calmly.

Engulfing her body in fire once more, Persephone began to rocket around the cavernous room at high speed, bounding off of the walls and ceiling as the flames around her grew hotter. Firing off a volley of three fireballs, Melody dodged them easily with a couple of backflips, and launched a stream of water towards Persephone. Though the retaliation did not connect, it did force Persephone to change directions, giving Melody a moment's breathing room.

Mike, are you seeing this? Melody thought.

Sure am. What kind of magic is this? I didn't think a servant genie could ever be this strong.

Whatever kind of magic she's using, it's definitely not Jinn related. Salim and Farzan would have been able to detect if she was capable of this using her own innate powers.

Ok, for now, concentrate on her. I'm betting Edward knows something about this. I'll deal with him.

Mike, please be careful.

No worries! He can't hurt me as long as you're around.

As the two women continued to clash around the perimeter of the room, Mike walked slowly up to Edward. The man had a joyous, nearly maniacal look in his eyes, and was thoroughly enjoying the spectacle around him.

"You mind explaining how a genie servant like Persephone is able to use magic so powerful?" Mike asked authoritatively.

"Yes, I actually would mind. Very much," Edward replied with a smirk, repeating Mike's quip from earlier.

"Very funny," Mike snorted. "Seriously, what's going on here?"

Laughing heartily, he replied, "I'm not giving away my secrets! What's the fun in that?"

Sighing in frustration, Mike said, "Well, doesn't matter. Melody's too strong for Persephone anyway."

In the meantime, the fight between the two women raged on. Having been weakened by Melody's aquatic attacks, Persephone had switched to more of a hit-and-run approach. She first became an intangible cloud of smoke, allowing her to conceal her exact location for a few moments. Melody countered by relying on her heightened senses to predict and block incoming attacks. Next, Persephone managed to regain her flame-engulfed state, increasing her speed to be able to practically teleport around the room. This, however, was easily halted when Melody coated the room in a thick mist, concealing her own location while still revealing Persephone's.

"Why are you doing this?" Melody shouted, still looking for an opening to subdue Persephone with. "The Council is not your enemy!"

"I do not serve the Council! I serve Master Edward!" she replied firmly. "He has declared the Council, by its actions, to be his enemy, therefore they are my enemy as well!"

Holy shit, Melody thought to herself. She shouldn't be able to do that!

Melody now knew she would have to end this fight quickly if she was to discover the reason for Persephone's ability to rebel so blatantly. Following Persephone as she climbed a wall and onto the ceiling, Melody chased after her as fast as she was able, slowing her pace with intermittent blasts of water. Having finally caught up to her in the middle of the ceiling, Persephone turned to face Melody, stunning her with a powerful blast of fire in the face. Though she stumbled momentarily, Melody quickly recovered and froze the portion of the ceiling Persephone was standing on, causing her to lose her footing and plummet to the floor below. Persephone slowed her decent by powering up her fire again, but Melody had fully anticipated this move.

Diving down to the ground at full speed, Melody landed right near Mike and Edward and, before Persephone could gain her bearings enough to continue the fight, immediately wrapped her in a bear hug from behind. Persephone tried to shake her off, but to no avail. Her attempts to summon up more fire were quashed by Melody changing her body to pure, icy cold water, drastically reducing Persephone's temperature and fully extinguishing any fire she managed to summon up. Soon, Persephone lay on the ground, panting and shivering from Melody's final attack.

Standing over her opponent, Melody said, "I don't know... where you managed to gain... such magic, but even it... is no match for me."

Edward walked up slowly behind Melody. "In her hands? Perhaps," he whispered. "But not MINE!" On his final word, a long, black katana appeared in his hand, which he used to stab Melody in the back, running her completely through.

"MELODY!" Mike screamed, running to her side as Edward withdrew his sword from her back. "Oh no... no, nonono, you're gonna be ok," Mike said in desperation, cradling his wife in his arms.

"What... happened?" Melody gasped, unable to comprehend how a human managed to harm her like this.

"Melody, I wish for you to be perfectly healthy," Mike cried to her.

He felt the tingle. Her eyes flashed. Yet, nothing happened. Melody's wound was as bad as ever. Mike was absolutely dumbfounded that the most basic connection between genie and master, the wish, had been completely broken.

"Mike... I love... you..." Melody managed to eek out, her body falling limp in his arms. In the blink of an eye, she was gone.

"Oh don't look so sad, mate," Edward jeered. "You'll be joining her soon enough."

"You bastard..." Mike seethed with righteous anger, picking up his fallen wife's sword. "You fucking BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!!"

Raising the scimitar high overhead, Mike charged straight for Edward. The man simply deflected his drunken attempt, laughing at Mike the whole time. Mike attacked again and again, attempting to strike him from any angle he could, but it was no use. Edward seemed to know exactly what Mike was planning to do even before Mike could conceive of it. Finally, after toying with Mike for a few minutes, Edward tripped him up and slashed a nasty gash on his leg as he fell to the floor on his back, Melody's scimitar clattering to the ground just out of arm's reach from him.

"You really are pathetic," Edward said, pinning Mike down under the sole of his boot. "I killed your wife, and this is the best you can do in reply?"

Mike still couldn't comprehend any of this. He and Melody were already dead, so how could she have been harmed in the manner she had been? For that matter, where in the world had Edward acquired a weapon capable of harming a Major Genie like Melody? In those final moments, all the answers seemed to escape him.

"As pathetic as you are," Edward sneered, "I can honestly say that I won't miss you one bit, Mr. Braxton. Goodbye, and good riddance."

Mike instantly felt a hot, searing pain piercing his chest as Edward stabbed his katana straight through Mike's heart. He struggled for a few moments, gasping for air and attempting to pull the sword out, but with no success. The last thing Mike felt before his vision faded to black was the sensation of Edward spitting on his face.