***Dark Shadows Of The Heart -- Chapter 1***

Half asleep and still reeling from the nights dreams, the soothing crooning of Frank Sinatra wafted through the morning haze, gently awakening Austin from his nights slumber. With bleary eyes, Austin turns over, staring at the flashing illuminated 7:30 on the bedside clock. It was time to get out of bed and get the day started.

Reaching across, he concluded Sintara's rendition of "My Way" prematurely. Silence filled the room as he stared at the ceiling imagining the expressions of various peoples faces in the Italian plaster. Smiling, laughing, crying, screaming. It was a game he would play, testing his own imaginative powers like a child laying down in an open field staring up at the passing clouds, imagining images in the white fluffy configurations.

With a slight grunt he rolled out of bed and got to his feet. Making his way to the bathroom, the velvety feel of the carpet soothed his weariness. The ultimate wake up call was only steps away.

Making his way into the bathroom, Austin switched on the light and took a quick glance in the mirror. He was in good shape, and worked very hard to keep himself looking as good as he did. Dark wavy brown hair, chiseled cheek bones, two days of growth stippled his face. His shoulders were powerful, broad, and seemed to be capable of carrying the worries of the world. His chest was defined and broad which made his abs look more imposing still. Indeed, Austin was a picture of good diet and exercise, a specimen worthy of an appearance in any men’s magazine.

Reaching into the shower, he turned on the cold tap and moderated it slightly with hot water. He was a firm believer in taking cool showers. It invigorated him, made him feel alive and ready to face the day. Stepping in, he closed the glass door and let the cool rush of water roll off his neck and down his powerful back.

The coolness of the shower had an almost aphrodisiac effect sending him plummeting into the deep crevices and corners of his innermost mind. Images rolled through his minds eye like a cracked and tattered old black and white film.

He quickly snapped out of it and reached for his favourite soap. The shower and bathroom were quickly filled with the warm and woody scent of musk and cedar. The aroma filled his nostrils sending him spiraling deeper still into memories that gripped him tight enough he swore they would leave marks on his skin. It was the smell of home, the feel of being in his fathers arms, the scent of his dads cologne, and the soft and subtle aroma of a good scotch. He longed to live these memories beyond the theatre of his mind.

Rinsing off, Austin quickly stepped out of the shower and wrapped himself in a plump bath sheet and headed back to his room to prepare for his day.

Walking over to his full length mirror, he let the towel unwrap itself and fall to the floor in a wet pile on the carpet. He was not a narcissist but he could not help but admire his form, the tightness of his arms and legs, the smooth almost silky appearance of his chest and abs. Flexing his muscular frame to its full potential, he was a vision of strength and power. Hardened muscles bulged as he flexed each arm. Satisfied, he made his way to his oversized walk in closet.

Austin was not obsessive compulsive, though you could certainly make a good argument that he was based on the almost military order in which his shirts and pants were sorted. First by colour and then by function. He had pants for all occasions ranging from formal to lounging around the house. His shirts were just as well organized.

Taking a quick stock of his attire, Austin chose a tan pair of chinos and a short-sleeve button down shirt in a soft almost pastel blue. He had work to do and it was imperative in his mind, that he dress for the occasion.

Walking out of the massive closet that housed his entire wardrobe, Austin made his way into the main part of his room and headed for the hallway. As he strode down the hall he paused only long enough to admire some of the prints that hung on his wall. A lover of nature and all it had to offer, Austin adorned his walls with prints from his two favourite nature artists, Carl Brenders and Robert Bateman. The prints he had chosen were focused on the pure and singular beauty of each subject. His most prized possession being a limited edition signed print by Brenders called, “Spellbound”. The print was a picture of a Lynx showing only its face. For Austin, it was the solemn and powerful imagery of its eyes that had attracted him. This hunting animal up close and personal with a clear and untainted view into the soul of this powerful creature. It was indeed love at first sight and it quicky became his favourite. Continuing down the hall, Austin reached his office.

His office was well appointed. A large mahogany desk sat central to the room well soft wall sconces provided an atmosphere of calm. The walls were painted mossy oak adding an element of earthiness to the room. Austin had selected a high quality Berber carpet for his floor. He liked the smooth and sensuous feel of it under his feet. Making his way to his desk, he tapped the light sensor for the interior lighting and took a seat in his black leather high back executive chair. The chair was custom made for his back and frame alone, and it hugged him perfectly. Reaching across the desk he turned on the computer and plasma monitor. As the system emitted the whirr and hum of life Austin turned on the radio and let the subtle sounds of Bach’s “Air” in C minor fill the room. Austin had taken the gentle sounds of the ocean tide breaking against the rocks and woven it into the musical genius of Bach creating a musical serenade that teased both the auditory and olfactory senses. At once, as if by magic, Austin could smell the briny scent of the ocean and the earthy smell of wet sand. It was sinfully delicious to indulge in such fantasies

“Identify Yourself” chimed the computer

Austin snapped out of his haze and looked at the computer. He had built in a voice recognition system to ward off would be hackers and computer thieves. So smart was the computer that anything other than the mellow tones of Austin’s voice would cause the system to immediately begin an irreversible process of burning the heads of the hard drive, rendering the entire contents useless.

“Austin McNichol” he said
“Standby” prompted the computer as it processed the voice against the pre-recorded version Austin had embedded
“Good Morning Mr. McNichol” said the computer as it completed its boot process

Tapping a button just under the desk, Austin launched the in house security system. A small screen rose slowly from the top of the desk well a small keypad unfolded from the screen. The keypad was of the touch screen variety and required validation before it could be used. Placing his thumb on the keypad reader, the screen blinked and the main menu appeared. From this little console, Austin could control almost every facet of the house, from security, to phones, to lights, to the intercom, anything he wanted. It was all at the press of a button.

As the computer finished booting, Austin accessed the perimeter cameras for the house and watched as he jumped from camera to camera. Each one was located in a strategically selected location to provide maximum security and viewing. No one could move in the house without being spotted and recorded.

All was well with the perimeter and Austin reclined into his chair. Looking up at the computer screen, he said “Computer, access email”
Without missing a beat, the computer accessed the required program and began the process of downloading whatever messages awaited his attention.

Austin preferred voice recognition over manual access because it allowed him to access whatever he needed from most places in the house, or at least wherever there was an access screen from which he could gain control of the computer.

It took only a matter of seconds for the email to arrive but the impact was far quicker, leaning forward in his chair, one piece of mail in particular had caught his attention. Yes, today was going to be unlike any other and the day had only begun.