Crissy Chance Read online

  CRISSY CHANCE, J.D., LL.M.

  DOUGLAS E ROFF

  © 2018 Douglas E Roff

  Law DEGREES EXPLAINED

  THE bachelor of laws

  LL.B.

  The LL.B. is the entry level law degree conferred upon individuals by law schools in many “Common Law” jurisdictions around the world. These jurisdictions base their legal system on the British legal system. This was the degree awarded to individuals in the United States up through the early 1960’s at which time it was largely replaced by the J.D., or Juris Doctorate.

  Juris Doctorate

  J.D.

  The J. D., or Juris Doctorate, is the existing entry level law degree awarded to individuals in the United States by accredited law schools. On the basis of being awarded this degree, an individual is eligible to take the state Bar examination, and if passed, practice law in that state only.

  Master of laws

  LL.M.

  The LL.M. is an advanced law degree which requires, in the United States, that an individual first have obtained a J.D. from an accredited law school. The LL.M. degree program is usually a concentrated study in a specific legal discipline, such a taxation, environmental law or other complex subject matter.

  ***

  The legal profession is the only profession, in the United States, which awards a doctorate as an entry level degree and a Master’s degree as an advanced degree. In most Universities, this sequence is reversed.

  In most Universities in the United States, the initial post-secondary degree is either a B.A., Bachelor of Arts, or a B.S., a Bachelor of Sciences. This is followed by a Master’s degree and finally a Ph.D.

  Why this curiosity exists in the United States is a mystery. The history of the degree in the United States suggests that reform of methods of teaching law led to the change in the nineteenth century. I personally see no connection between the two; awarding a doctorate as an entry level post graduate degree in law seems more like “keeping up with the Jones’” and ego, particularly in relation to other traditional academic disciplines. Having said that, in fairness, it does take three years of full-time study to earn a Juris Doctorate.

  I have never heard of an instance of a member of the public referring to an attorney as “Doctor” as we would, for example, with a medical doctor.

  Is there a point to any of this? No, not really, other than a little humor and sarcasm. Still, I am amused by the lengths that lawyers will go to aggrandize themselves to the world in general. It smacks of professional jealousy; wanting to be a doctor, keeping up with the physicians. I’m not sure what it accomplished other than a modicum of ridicule in the community of academics.

  THE MANY WORLDS INTERPTRETATION

  MWI and More

  The “many-worlds interpretation”, or MWI, is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction and denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternate histories and futures are real, each representing an actual "world" (or "universe").

  In layman's terms, the hypothesis states there is a very large - perhaps infinite - number of Universes, and everything that could possibly have happened in our past, but did not, has occurred in the past of some other universe or universes.

  The MWI hypothesis is also referred to as the relative state formulation, the Everett interpretation, the theory of the universal wavefunction, many-universes interpretation, multi-history or just many-worlds.

  For the purposes of this book, all futures are undetermined, and, as with all possibilities, the implications of small changes within a specific Universe can have unintended consequences. If God or man tinkers with an established variation of a Universe, the long-term consequences to that Universe are unknowable; think “butterfly effect”. In this book, and in other sequels to the Cryptid Trilogy, principal characters are dropped into alternate, but very similar universes, to reimagine how the same lives might be different in a new Universe from a ‘baseline’ or seminal universe into which that character was originally born.

  In Crissy Chance, all of the principal characters were born in the timeline of the Trilogy, but have come back to life as different iterations in the sequels. When characters are reimagined, they are given new attributes; they may or may not resemble the characters from the earlier novels. Good guys can become bad guys. Technically, each sequel re-starts the plot and therefore the characters too. It can be confusing or even disappointing, particularly if your favorite character from an earlier novel morphs into a hideous figure in a sequel.

  If the Hindu concept of Reincarnation is considered, I suggest that it is a form of Immortality without shared consciousness between lives; sequential birth, life, death and rebirth. And Immortality is explored as the basis of plot carryover from one novel to the next, beginning with the Trilogy and its characters.

  In this book, the senses feed the brain which connects to the mind. The brain and the mind are not identical and do not have the same function though they are intimately connected. The mind is comprised of separate conscious and unconscious components, which in the case of one character, and one character only, are fused into one, unlike in our real world. They are merged with positive outcomes, creating an entirely new branch of the human species.

  Some aspects of this plot device and others are loosely based on the teachings of Dr. Rupert Murdoch, though for reference only. I claim no detailed understanding of Dr. Murdoch’s teaching, though I am an admirer and find his synthesis of the spiritual and the material to be aligned with my own beliefs.

  DEDICATION

  For Progressives, Liberals and Lefties everywhere.

  For my parents, who I still miss every day, and who, I hope, would be proud.

  For my son, who inspires me every day.

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Prologue

  For those readers who have not read the Cryptid Trilogy, you may need some deep background to understand the genesis and framework for this sequel whose roots lie deep in the Trilogy. The carryover from the Trilogy to Crissy Chance is principally with respect to background plot, devices and characters (though most often, jus
t character names, not personalities) and references to certain events, technology and cosmological entities that are not fully re-explained in this novel.

  I use the artifice, well-known in quantum cosmology, of the theory of the “multiverse”; that is, that our Universe is but one of an infinite number of Universes, none identical to any other, and existing independently of one another. While the characters from the Trilogy re-emerge in other Universes, I believe the late Stephen Hawking surmised that travel among the Universes of the multiverse was not possible. I make it possible through the intervention of immortal beings capable of managing this task, as well as through the Hindu/Buddhist concept of birth, life, death and rebirth; a form of immortality. I take poetic license with these scientific and religious matters, but in no to disparage or ridicule.

  There is advanced technology that is capable of amazing things driven by Artificial Intelligence (“AI”), ultra-advanced software and new materials capable of being shaped and reshaped. Not currently available at Home Depot, but the physics of the device is conceivable.

  There are cosmological beings.

  Adam has been allowed to keep certain abilities, but not the kind and quality that he had in the Trilogy. His powers vary from novel to novel, but in each case, he remains a genius software/computer prodigy. All other characters from the Trilogy are shuffled; some don’t appear in one novel and are central characters in others. Their personalities are rearranged from good guys/gals in one novel to evil criminals in another. Their roles and talents change, though when required, Adam can usually restore the certain skills and transfer knowledge as required. Adam retains all his accumulated knowledge and experience from lifetime to lifetime.

  Locations are generally carryovers from the Trilogy.

  I am a Deist, so the Immortal being in this novel is a god-like being, but not the God of the Bible, Koran or Jewish texts. This being and subordinate beings are more akin to the Gods of Greece and Rome. I try to avoid giving a gender to this being, but it’s harder to find a genderless pronoun adequate to the task. In the end, I bow to modern religion and refer to the being as a male. Please, no hate mail.

  The ability of an enhanced mortal to enter minds is made possible, as is the telepathic transfer of knowledge.

  Finally, we continue the themes of polyamory and pan sexuality, the meaning of family, justice and the evolution of social norms.

  I hope you enjoy.

  DER

  Chapter 1

  Present day

  The young couple sat comfortably on the overlarge, semicircular couch facing an amazing west view of the Aegean Sea. The night was cool, and the side windows were open allowing a breeze to gently work its way into the residence. They looked like a young married couple, which they weren’t, or young lovers in for the evening, which they were. They were “friends with benefits” only; their relationship had not risen to the commitment status of boyfriend/girlfriend yet. Not that he didn’t want it, he did; but she didn’t, at least not yet. Their relationship status never interfered with their close friendship; that was built on another, more durable foundation that had changed each of their lives forever only a few years earlier.

  The biggest obstacle to commitment was that he liked girls and so did she.

  Nonetheless, they lived together on their own private Greek Isle off the Coast of Crete where she resided most of the year. Ever since they met, and later came to their island hideaway, her occasional business trips had dwindled as she gradually wound down her outside business interests. She had come to believe that it was easier to manage her own wealth to pass the time than to sully her hands making deals, attending meetings and travelling. Besides, she had all the latest hardware and software made for the independent investor and had a flair for spotting trends that paid off.

  He often asked her to manage his own wealth in addition to hers, and she loved him even more for that. He had changed her life in every way, and he trusted her in all business and personal matters; even with his life.

  At one point, Nocera “Noki” Lee had been a contract killer, raised on the mean streets of Hong Kong and brought up to be a loyal and dedicated member of the Triads. Her childhood, after the death of her parents, had not been happy; she rarely spoke of it, even with him. And if she was ever going to discuss it, he was the only one she would ever tell.

  ***

  Twenty years ago

  She was a scrawny, needy six-year old girl; not even her own relatives wanted another hungry mouth to feed. They too were Triad, but far from wealthy and the girl squawked too much and needed to be disciplined often. At first “Auntie” and “Uncle” just corrected her behavior, sometimes harshly. But, over time, they grew to enjoy abusing the girl for their own pleasures, and various forms of corporal played a large part of the punishment they enjoyed inflicting on her. The physical evidence was abundant and had to be hidden.

  Her one solace in life was school; she could often be found from the early morning hours to as late as she was permitted to stay. If the school knew of her abuse, they said nothing. It was not their concern what the Triads did. When she turned fourteen, her “Uncle” Li Jun asked to see her at his grand home overlooking Kowloon Bay. The view was magnificent, but the meeting held fears for the teen. She was terrified he might have a new job for her; one she wouldn’t like.

  However, fortune smiled upon her. Uncle had heard of her superior academic prowess at about the same time his wife noted unusual scarring on the child’s arms; she was habitually covered head to toe with plain clothing. Most thought she was just modest; such was not the case.

  As she entered the home, she was guided to the spacious balcony overlooking the harbor.

  “Do you know who I am, child?”

  “Yes Uncle. You are my benefactor.”

  “A poor one, but yes, I saw to your education and placement with your new family after the untimely death of your parents. They were honorable Hong Kong people and loved you very much. I fear my choice of guardians was poor, however, and it is my wish to change your circumstances.”

  “Yes, Uncle. May I ask how?”

  “We shall send you to America. Your English is impeccable I hear, but I want you to live like an American, think like an American, and be an American. You will attend private schools and University when the time comes. I expect diligence on your part; it is your obligation to your family and to this Triad. Do you agree, child?”

  “I do Uncle. Your generosity overwhelms me. I will forever be in your debt.” She sat quietly, hoping to hear more good news, but also wishing the flee. Her needs and wants were seldom taken into consideration, so while this news was welcome, it could also be followed by other demands that were less joyful and happy.

  “You will also receive training in special arts, but we shall discuss that later. For now, my honorable wife wishes you to see our physicians. You will come to live with us here in our home until you leave for America, which will be soon. You will have friends near you and will be placed in a prestigious private school. Fit in, make friends. You will tell all that your family is wealthy and that you submit to your parents wishes that you become educated and useful.”

  “Physicians?”

  “We know now, child. We wish we had known earlier, but we did not. You shall be treated here, then again in America where there are specialists who can heal you and ease your pain. Go now. I hope to meet you again if not in this lifetime, then in the next.”

  “Thank you, Uncle. I shall make you proud.”

  ***

  Noki Lee was treated by Chinese herbal specialists in New York City where she attended the exclusive Cabot Academy. She boarded with a Chinese nanny in a luxury high rise condominium in Manhattan not far from her school. She walked to school every day minded by an older Chinese gentleman who was assigned one task, and one task only: protect the child at all costs.

  He did, from high school through University.

  Her nanny was kind but strict.

  For University,
she was enrolled at NYU by her “Uncle” so she didn’t have to leave New York City. Her martial education with the older man continued and accelerated as she got older; her training during college was specialized and rigorous. She traveled with him to learn various arcane arts and skills; all were related to assassination and murder.

  Noki blossomed into a rare beauty, was adorned with expensive jewelry, and wore the finest most sophisticated apparel befitting a woman of her station in life. She was never spoiled, though her Uncle was very proud. All reports were that Noki Lee as a rebuilding project was a success.

  Noki was popular at school, though considered shy and reserved. In life away from her classmates, she was just the opposite.

  ***

  At age twenty-three, now graduated from college, she was assigned the task of killing a wealthy entrepreneur on a contract basis. The Triad, now run by “Uncle’s” son, wanted a quick job, made to look like robbery gone bad and bloody. Noki had no issue carrying out her task; she relished the opportunity.

  Then something changed and, though the task remained the same, her employer did not.

  “Uncle’s” son was less cautious than his father and didn’t do any meaningful background research on the target. He simply assumed that the young man with a reputation for brilliance and chasing skirt was a typical American CEO; soft and easily manipulated by beautiful women and lured anywhere for sex.

  The target was Adam St. James, and her new boss was incorrect. The St. James CEO was far from soft, and while he enjoyed female company immensely, he was also hard working and lethal. Nocera Lee was overconfident; she also believed in the ease of the assignment, and prepared and planned little for it.

  This incomplete and incorrect information was given to her new employer. A marginally new plan was formulated; her new employer relied on the information provided by her former Triad boss, whose credentials were thought to be impeccable.

  Noki was told to “bump into” her target somewhere upscale, engage in banter, allow herself to be taken back to his penthouse where she would disable security cameras, drug him, then finish him off. She would carry a small calibre pistol and a stiletto strapped to one of her inner thighs. If he was brutish, she would play with him cruelly first before mercifully ending his life.