The Dartagnan Brothers Hotel

Chapter 22

Giovanni's last statement made Getulio even more restless in his wheelchair, no longer having someone at his side who could offer him any comfort. Jonas tried to observe the development that things were taking and how the game would be played henceforth; there was no longer anybody there that he could appeal to his emotional side, and his actions would continue to be calculated based on the chances he might have of leaving that place with life.
Whilst tensions within the small medieval museum of the Dartagnan Brothers' Hotel were getting higher, several were the reactions in people's faces within the walls of that small room. The few remaining seemed to have disagreements about what was going on. Some seemed to be perplexed by the situation that had just being stumbled upon them, mainly because they discovered that Lara was Giovanni's niece and the two were supposedly maintaining some kind of intimate relationship, what was aggravated by the fact that the less deluded members had been having doubts about the true purpose of all that fanciful circus and Giovanni's exacerbated fundamentalism. Others, with a more fervent belief, were enthusiastic and excited about the various possibilities that were opened by the new information that was just presented to them.
'Lara?' Getulio decided to break the silence, realising that his own daughter was walking towards the dream chair mounted in the middle of the room. 'What's happening?'
Whilst the old man distress demonstrated - for the first time since Jonas had met him - stagnation and lack of answers, Lara just ignored her father's call - who, frustratedly, tried to go towards her - and went towards Giovanni as if nothing more in that world bore any meaning to her.
'My dear niece.' said Giovanni, kissing her outstretched hand. 'How delighted and honoured you make us by freely and spontaneously offering yourself.'
'I'm doing nothing more than my duty before god, Giovanni.' she said as she held him by the neck and touched his lips with intensity and tenderness.
'I know, ladies and gentlemen, that there are many questions that come to mind right now. However, I ask you to be patient and give me a vote of confidence. Everything I've done in this life is for the well-being of all of you and all those who pray for god.' replied Giovanni knowingly that his late actions had been putting doubts in the minds of those who saw him as a leader.
Giovanni was still very well protected by those who stood by him, especially by his armed and well-trained security guards, but his greatest fear was the voluntary fleeing of those who held such an option. The sect was founded on the principle that no one would be forced to remain there against their will, and those who had already abandoned the sinking boat would not have the courage to make a complaint against that place, since they were more than complicit in countless crimes and feared that divine justice itself would reach them long before any manmade's justice would reach Giovanni.
'I know that the schedule for this spectacular weekend has not been following exactly what was promised, but I am sure that, with the understanding of everyone here, we can save the time that we still have and make this the best meeting we've ever had.' Giovanni was determined to use his oratory gift to convince the remaining people that that was the right thing to do.
Getulio continued looking for a way out so that he could get close to Lara, rubbing the stump of his leg with nervousness and impatience, as he knew he did not have any chance against his brother in that place; Jonas saw, in his eyes, the regret of having accepted Lara's proposal, but he understood that the ease with which he had been deluded came from feelings that had long been repressed and desired, feelings he was just feeling himself a few moments before when he saw Joana for the first time in years.
'Please, Lara, remember what we've talked about.' Getulio continued to plead as his words seemed to echo in her mind.
Lara passed by Getulio and spat on the floor at his feet until, finally, she sat in the dream chair in front of the big television projected for all those present, whilst Guilherme, who appeared to have taken Douglas's place, passed by and connected the cables that would induce her to lucid dreaming.
'Without any further ado.' Giovanni was speaking again, ignoring his brother's pleas. 'I'll let Dr. Guilherme explain to you what will happen. Please, doctor.' he finished his speech by casting a contemptuous look towards Douglas. He still didn't seem to know what he would do to punish him for his betrayal, but for now the doctor had been left out.
'Lara will be connected to this dream chair, where, through a deep analysis and reconstruction of brain frequencies, she will show us a glimpse of a memory she made sometime ago.' said Guilherme as if he was talking to children in a classroom. The second doctor didn't seem to have much of a way with words.
It was then that the beautiful woman, whom Jonas had spent the night watching and raving about a future together, closed her eyes and let the drug take over her body, bringing her mind to the deepest secrets buried in her subconscious, letting all that delusional people observe her vulnerabilities and learn about a past that was not welcome as a memory; the television began to drizzle contorted images from an indefinable location, apparently those brain frequencies were being transported in a way to make a connection with the devices that connected Lara's mind to the dream chair and to the television that would allow all that madness to happen. Jonas tried to keep his eyes fixed on the screen, but his curiosity caused him to shift his glances between Lara's expressions and the annoying hiss that was broadcast on the television.
As soon as the signal between brain frequencies and television was well established, the first image spread on television, being received with awe by everyone present; even Jonas, who was appalled by how much his life had changed during his time in that property, let out a breath of admiration.
"Lara was walking on a tall, green lawn that, despite being poorly cultivated, gave rise to a bucolic and serene feeling about the moment she was reliving. Around her, the Dartagnan family's property was in the process of being built, still missing the enormous structures that gave it the extravagant aspect at present time. Her eyes looked at a simple and plain woman who was working on the farm plow, wearing simple clothes and devoid of any paraphernalia that would indicate vanity.
'Mom! Look look!' said Lara, sitting on the grass whilst pointing to a dandelion that she had grasped between her little fingers and was blowing with the feeble air she could hold in her lungs.
The woman held a sad and lifeless look, accentuated by the lack of will she showed in practicing her craft. The marks on her arms were diverse, indistinguishable if from the struggle of labor or from other obstacles presented to her by life, but what most called Jonas's attention was her unwillingness to live and the tears that filled her eyes without spilling.
The scene changed and brought up an old kitchen with wooden furniture and a wood burning stove. The same woman worked tirelessly to provide the food that was about to be consumed, not by herself nor her daughter who had her hands busy carrying the pots and pans she put on the table, but rather to serve a crowd of people who started to sit by the table.
'Here, Lara.' the voice of a young Giovanni Dartagnan sought the attention of the little child, reaching out a handmade rag doll made by someone who obviously did not hold that dowry.
Little Lara had a smile on her face and went to meet another person sitting on the opposite side.
'Look what he gave me, uncle.' she said when seeking the attention of a young Getulio who ignored her and then startled her by tackling her with his foot, pushing her as far away as it was possible.
The image on television changed again after a brief interruption of the same drizzle that preceded each connection made between brain frequencies and technological equipment.
She was now standing and surrounded by unknown people, with the figure of an already mature Giovanni Dartagnan at her side. In front of him, perched on a wooden table overlaid in the garden of the already built hotel, was a cake that held small candles that indicated her eighteenth birthday.
'Happy Birthday.' said Giovanni as he wrapped her around his arms with a hug. 'Let's go for a walk, shall we?'
Lara accepted the invitation with a feeble smile, indicating that Giovanni was the only person there who held any meaning for her, considering that neither Getulio nor her mother were present in that scene.
The walk took them to the well-known cemitery, where Giovanni made the cross sing and held Lara's hand whilst praying respectfully to the tomb that held her mother's remains. Lara cried and hugged Giovanni tightly after rubbing her eyes so that the shirt of the only person who seemed to care about her well-being would not soak.
Once again, the scene changed, showing now a small and simple room that could only be Lara's little refuge inside the Dartagnan brothers' property. Giovanni was lying on her bed, whilst she lifted a decanter full of wine in order to fill two glasses that were set on the table.
'Now that you know your father's story, what do you think about me?' he asked as he swallowed his tears and covered his naked body with the white silk sheets he had given her as a gift.
'About you?' she replied confused. 'How could my father's abandonment change my opinion about you?'
'You understood that I'm your uncle, didn't you?'
'And what difference does it make?' she seemed hopelessly in love every time she met Giovanni's eyes. 'My mother is dead and my father is reclusive in that hideous hut. You were the only person who, in my entire life, showed affection and took care of me. I couldn't care less if you're my uncle. All I care about is the only love that I've ever felt in my whole life'
'It is very unlikely that one day we will be able assume this relationship publicly, Lara. Society sees this kind of thing as an abomination.' Giovanni seemed much more lucid than he was in the present.
'Since when do we care about what society thinks?' she lied down beside him and started to caress his hair. 'All I care about is what god says. Isn't it true that the old testament approved of family relationships?'
Giovanni's eyes shone with joy, causing any worries that haunted his mind to cease its existence at that very moment; he kissed her tenderly and said he loved her for the first time in his life.
'Maybe this is something we should keep in mind, Giovanni. Society's values have changed way too much throughout the past decades, perhaps we should focus on recovering some of these values ​​within our social circle.' she said with wariness as she wasn't one to speak her own mind with such ease.
The television image changed and began to show a large wooden table, covered by a banquet that served the most diverse people seated around it. Giovanni sat on one end with Lara on his side as his hand rested on hers. The guests smiled and talked whilst Lara watched with pride the place she had arrived within society, which made the fact of her father's absence and mother's death insignificant when compared to the brilliant future that awaited for her.
Giovanni waited for everyone to finish dinner so he could address all those people he trusted and explain his ideas, plans, and desires. His words were applauded by everyone present, which included the most diverse niches in the entire local society. Lara got up from her chair and, with a smile on her face, thanked everyone for their presence.
'Be absolutely sure that your presence here is essential for the future of this organisation. The future holds a path full of success for all of us.' she said whilst raising her champagne flute for a toast."
The reactions throughout the audience were the most diverse. Some people, mostly those who were newer to the sect, showed immense surprise at the story they had just witnessed, whilst others were already aware of most the events that were just presented, besides the fact that exposed the personal relationship between Giovanni and Lara.
Getulio sobbed with tears after being reminded of scenes about a past he was trying to leave behind; he knew exactly how he had treated his own daughter all those years and there was nothing in life that he wanted more than to apologize and make up for the lost time. Lara's betrayal seemed to have shaken him intensely, after all he was there, exposed, and ready to forget his brother's atrocities, in order to build a relationship that would bring him back to a meaningful life. As for Jonas, nothing that came from that family surprised him anymore; he remained focused on looking for any flaws in those security guards and henchmen that surrounded him. Something was bound to give way so he could take an advantage that would get him out of that place. 'These people get crazier by the second...'
'So, ladies and gentlemen. Do you understand, now, why I appreciate you staying?' Giovanni broke the silence as soon as people started to comment on the newly information that was just bestowed upon them.
Whispers and murmurs reigned again as Giovanni stood up on one of the benches, leaning on his faithful red staff as he admired the perseverance of each and everyone of those who still remained. Doctor Guilherme started to remove the cables that connected Lara to the dream chair so that she could return to reality, whilst Douglas had approached Catarina to start what seemed to be an exhausting conversation.
'The Christian Pendulum of Freedom, my friends.' it was the first time that Jonas heard the name of the sect come out of Giovanni's mouth. 'Is much more than a simple organisation where we apply divine penance to those who let themselves be carried away by the innumerable temptations placed on this plan, but rather we seek to defend the word of god and bring back principles and values ​​that have long been forgotten by society.'
All the members of the sect kept their attention on Giovanni, whilst Lara approached to intertwine her fingers with his, making Getulio squirm with rage. The priest continued to preach from the altar without being accompanied by anyone else, leaving his presence to resemble some kind of background sound to Giovanni's words.
'Our next event would be the enforcement of Jonas Albuquerque's penance.' Giovanni pointed to the place where he was sitting. 'However, his capture was conditioned to a deal between my niece and my brother, and that will lead us to an interlude in our programming.'
Jonas did not expect his turn to be delayed yet again as he was ready to face Giovanni and try to assume his guilt so that penance would not lead him to his own death, but apparently, he was given a little more time to organize his strategy.
'Lara offered to show us the most intimate scenes of her life. Scenes that bring her pain and sadness.' he said again, waving the red cane back and forth. 'Now, Lara will pay for what her father did.'
That announcement took everyone by surprise. That was not common within C.P.F., as people should pay for their own mistakes.
'Giovanni, no!' exclaimed Getulio, who knew exactly what his brother had in mind and tried, unsuccessfully, to wheel his chair towards him. 'That was not the deal we had.'
'And what did we agree upon then, my brother?' Mr. Dartagnan seemed to have all the answers on the tip of his tongue.
'The deal is the delivery of Jonas in exchange for our freedom!' he exclaimed vehemently, meaning for his pleas to seek effects on members of the sect who believed that a man's word was sacred and should be kept.
'Very well.' Giovanni now started to approach his brother. 'And all of you will be released.' he got so close that Getulio had to throw himself back in the chair and move his face away. 'Released by the truth. Released by the opportunity to apologize and pay for your mistakes.'
Getulio projected forward again, grabbing the collar of his brother's shirt and pulling him as close as possible. The sect's henchmen soon came to his aid, but Giovanni interrupted their movements with a brief raise of his hand.
'You know this wasn't the deal, you piece of worthless shite. Now keep your goddamn word in front of all your followers and let us go.' the old one-legged man showed a rage that Jonas had never seen before.
'Circumstances change, Getulio.' said Giovanni whilst getting rid of his fists and straightening his posture again, fixing his collar and adjusting the position of his tie.
The anger Getulio felt for his brother at that moment showed his most intimate vulnerabilities, which were emphasised by his clear inability to fight Giovanni and his well set congregation.
'Lara, my beloved.' he said when he met his niece again. 'We will continue with our schedule.'
'Yes my love. I'm ready.' she replied harshly, intertwining her hands over her chest.
'Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to elaborate something worthy of our organisation, and recent events make it impossible for us to use the ceremony hall and the altar.' he said as Lara got down on her knees in front of him, with her face pointing the opposite direction.
She raised her hands towards the sky and began to pray with her eyes closed, bearing an expression of serenity worthy of someone of extreme coldness and confidence. The situation did not startle Jonas; the woman had been raised in that environment by people who really believed in everything that was happening. Lara had no knowledge of the world outside that place and religious belief was the only thing that made sense to her; that being the only aspect that pointed out the ethics and morals to be followed so that her life was valid, and had meaning, from a divine point of view that had been forced on her throughout teachings of a life-time. She seemed very comfortable with everything, which made Jonas think that it was just an introduction to something bigger to come. However, that time, he couldn't be more wrong, and the situation that followed would be forever embedded in his memory.
Without an altar or any other elaborated symbolism, Lara stripped off the top  of the black habit she was wearing, leaving her chest exposed as she kept knelt in front of Giovanni and prayed eloquently whilst holding back the fear that, little by little, showed through the tears that she couldn't contain.
'Don't be afraid, my dear.'
Those were the last words heard by Lara Farlet before Giovanni pulled the sword out of the red sheath that disguised the staff. He murmured a few inaudible words and slit his own niece's throat right there, in front of everyone, allowing blood to flow from her neck to the floor that covered the grounds of that small torture museum.
The public's reaction was one of complete euphoria. People started shouting and applauding the gesture that was still taking shape in Jonas's head as he couldn't believe the atrocity he had just witnessed. The screams completely drowned Getulio's crying and despair; the old one-legged man had his arms crossed as he scratched his skin with such force that his pores began to bleed slowly.
'Silence! Respect this moment as if you were praising god himself.' shouted Giovanni, wanting to prevent that the death of a relative of his would have that kind of connotation. He was clearly wounded and his heart was aching with tearing pain, but he couldn't show any weakness as the leader of those people.
Getulio forced himself out of the wheelchair and, with nowhere to lean, fell to the floor with the knee that was left to him, starting to crawl towards the body of his daughter who lied in a  lifeless pool of her own blood.
'What did you do?' screamed Getulio, crying aside the body.
His position was pathetic and everyone there seemed to feel sorry for the situation in which the old man found himself.
'You are sick, Giovanni.' he said, holding Lara's head over the stump of his amputated leg.
'Pathetic...' he replied whilst turning his face without letting Getulio take another mere second of his attention. 'Take this man back to his quarters.'
Getulio was taken by the arms and started to be dragged as if he was a sack of potatoes; the strong man, full of ideas, and with a strong ideology that Jonas had known was now in a deplorable state and without any trace of dignity. His mind seemed to have entered a catatonic state, causing his eyes to look at random towards the horizon, taking as a last sight his daughter bathing in her own blood after accepting her own death as gift to her god. His body was placed back on the wheelchair, which was then pushed by one of Giovanni's henchmen into oblivion.
Jonas soon realised the opportunity he had been waiting for was posing right in front of his eyes. The way of which Getulio was thrown in the chair, made the objects that once belonged to him become visible. The rest of the people had gathered around Lara's body, whilst Giovanni was talking about how that sacrifice would be an important step forward to the sect in order to garner support and new members. Apparently his mind had taken his ego to a state of extreme narcissism, causing his subjects to see him as a divine super-being that was there to be worshiped and followed. Jonas took advantage of the situation and managed to recover the cylinder, the smartphone, and the note left by Monalisa without letting the man who was guiding Getulio's wheelchair notice. He had already wasted a lot of time on escapes and looking for opportunities to be alone. Realising that it would no longer be the best strategy, Jonas decided to open the paper quickly, after putting the cylinder in his pocket, and reading what Joana's late mother had left him as inheritance.
"Jonas, this object that you helped me recover is the only way to stop Giovanni. Look inside your own mistakes for the answer that will lead you to opening it.
Remember what you did in life and look for your own redemption. Do not let my daughter's life be wasted again."
The last sentence of the little note made his mind search for every good memory he could find from Joana's life, tormenting the fact that he would never be able to see her again.
He expected a bigger text with at least a few curses and a little more instructions, but Monalisa didn't seem to have had enough time to worry about the situation that Jonas would be going through when he managed to get his hands on the much-hailed object.
Risk was his only option at the time, which made Jonas take the object out of his pocket and just hope that no one noticed it. The object he had seen from a distance, in the hands of other people, now seemed to have a clearer purpose; several were the buttons that came down from a sensitive touch screen, some with clearer functions, others less so. The most obvious was an on and off button, which he thought was the most useful to him at the moment, even though he didn't know exactly what he would be turning on or off, but his future would not be made easier by just the touch of a screen.
The touching came to nothing.
'Giovanni.' he heard doctor Guilherme's distinct voice announce. 'I think you would do well to speak to Jonas.'
Mr. Dartagnan turned to Jonas and caught him on the spot. His hands shook and pressed the myriad of buttons that the little cylinder held, but nothing seemed to have an effect.
'Well, what do we have here...' he said as he approached Jonas and took the smartphone from his hand as he managed to hide the cylinder away in his pocket 'Someone's been learning secrets for the past few hours, isn't that right, young man?'
Jonas stood still, not knowing what to say.
It was clear to him that it would be his end, but Giovanni's face indicated a certain pride in the fact that Jonas had gone so far as to discover secrets that no one else there even seemed to know existed. He swirled the object between his fingers, finally holding the smartphone up as he rested his body on the red cane.
'Do you want to know how this works?' he asked as he watched the fear in Jonas's eyes.
Jonas remained motionless. He knew that this would be another way for Giovanni to prove that he was better than him, that he held all the keys to the mysteries of the Dartagnan Brothers' Hotel and that he would always be one step ahead of him.
'Whoever helped you to find these objects, young man, will pay for it.' as soon as he said those words, Giovanni rolled his eyes to find Douglas's face.
Jonas still had a little hope for the mercenary doctor. Perhaps the situation would make him help him again, which, although unlikely, was the only option he had at the moment. Perhaps, if he demonstrated himself as one of his ally, it would open a door for him to help him get out of that place once and for all.
'Monalisa left me the smartphone, along with this note.' he did not hesitate to snitch on the already deceased woman, after all Lais Amon was rotting somewhere inside the ruins of what seemed to be the projection of an endless nightmare.
Giovanni calmly took his eyes off Douglas, without letting his expression of suspicion change. Douglas's response was a simple and sincere understanding that his reputation was hanging by a thread.
'Monalisa, really?'
Jonas nodded even though he knew that Giovanni was not waiting for confirmation. Douglas showed a sign of satisfaction and relief when he met Jonas's gaze, not letting it appear that he had chosen a side, which was more than understandable, considering the abomination of the situation in which they found themselves. 'Every man for himself.', he repeated that mantra as he understood once again that he was the owner of his own destiny, and a help would only come to him if it was also beneficial to the other party.
'Well then, Jonas. Do you want to know what this one does?' Giovanni insisted with the question, holding the smartphone as he tucked the note away without reading it and looked for Jonas's glance, placing himself in front of him.
He kept looking away without letting Giovanni realize how anxious he was, but he couldn't hide the obvious; he had no escape, and no one to help him. Getulio and Douglas had brought him some hope so that he could get out of there, but the closer he got to an exit sign, the more he seemed to move away from the door.
'This object was designed to control you.' started Giovanni whilst Jonas still had his mind in a distant place. 'Do you want to see how it works?'
Jonas tried not to lose the rest of his hopes. Monalisa had left two things: one of them was now useless, since Douglas removed the nano-chips from his arm; and the other, which he had no idea of how to use, seemed to have more value and was safe and sound in his own pocket.
Giovanni took the smartphone close to his arm and made him aim at the small touch screen, placing his finger on the button that said 'Start lucid dreaming.'
'Guilherme!' shouted Giovanni angrily, realising that his action didn't have a reaction. 'Why isn't this working?'
Douglas's fellow doctor came up to Jonas and pushed the button again, which only irritated Giovanni even more.
'Do you think I don't know how to press a fucking button?' asked Mr. Dartagnan.
'I have no knowledge of how this works sir.' he said, lowering his head.
Giovanni reached for Jonas's arm and rolled up his sleeve so that his skin was exposed; the place that once gave space for his poorly made tattoos, now connected stitches of recent cuts. Giovanni's reaction, which followed the brief moment after being aware of what had happened, would not please anyone.
'Douglas!' he shouted when throwing the smartphone on the floor causing the object to shatter into countless pieces.