10 reviews = bonus chapter
500 gems = bonus chapter
Advanced chapters at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium
***
The morning greeted me with a pleasant exhaustion and a general reluctance to get up and go anywhere. After a moment of internal struggle with laziness, I felt movement on my chest. Using titanic willpower, I opened one eye and saw the blonde top of my head. Catching the blue screen for a second, I was able to fire up my brain and remember last night, leading to such an undoubtedly pleasurable ending. Emma collapsed on my left arm, which after a test squeeze and a slight answering beep from the sleeping Emma's mouth, accepted its captivity under the girl's lower nineties quite easily. And I was all in favour of such a captivity. My lower part from such information also became animated and after a couple of seconds demanded to wake up the captive girl as soon as possible and to start the "torture" as soon as possible.
But no sooner had I entered into an extremely strange dialogue with my manhood, than Emma opened her eyes and after spending a little less than me on awareness and conclusions raised her gaze at me.
-Hi. - That's all I had time for.
-Hi. - Embarrassed, the girl replied.
-Yesterday was magical. - After a moment of silence, Ryan said.
-Yeah. -Smiling at the ambiguous interpretation, Emma replied.
-You know, I'm faced with a rather difficult dilemma. - Pierce finally broke the silence. -I want to cuddle with you all day, but I want you just as much. - Under Emma's attentive gaze, Pierce said.
-Yes, it really is a difficult dilemma. - Emma confirmed Ryan's words, noticing the dilemma peeking out from under the blanket. -But I think I can help solve it. - Said Frost, throwing off the blankets and giving the dilemma a closer and more satisfied look.
***
After another half hour of rather pleasant pastime, interrupted only by a trip to the shower, I found myself in the kitchen making breakfast while Emma sat at the table watching me.
-What about breakfast made by a girl with love? - Pierce asked in a voice full of universal sadness, not turning to Emma.
-"You're going to resent me some more for being a victim of dashed hopes." - Emma gave Ryan a disgruntled look and moved the pillow under her lower nineties.
-I apologised for everything, and you were pretty active yesterday too. - Pierce replied, dodging the slipper.
-Yeah? Did I break my door down, too?
-Pierce had nothing to say, so he decided to just keep making breakfast.
***
6 November 2012 Oregon
The door to the simple, middle-class flat was opened with the key of the landlady who had moved in only a couple of months ago. The woman was tired and sullen. Her job and the new batch of things she had to do didn't suit her, and today she was once again confronted with reminders of her past and the future that hadn't happened. Dumping the top of her suit on the coat rack, she walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of expensive whiskey. Opening it, she poured herself a third of a mug and headed into the living room. Once in the living room, she tried to switch on the lights, but the bulbs only worked for a second before they gave off a burst of sparks and switched off. That second was enough time for the ex-military woman to notice the unexpected silhouette in the chair in the corner of the room and reached for her weapon. Halfway to the coveted pistol she was seized with terror, her whole body simply froze, no longer obeying her mistress. The female silhouette reacted calmly enough to her appearance, only turning its head towards the woman.
-Hello, Catherine. - Said the silhouette continuing to sit calmly in the chair. -Hopefully we can talk to you like civilised people and not grab weapons, do you agree? - The silhouette asked, loosening the pressure around the woman's neck.
-Yes. -The woman answered in a calm voice, and at the same moment the invisible fetters holding her body down fell, and she struggled to keep her balance on slightly tucked legs and walked to the sofa, sitting down on the right side of the guest.
-Who are you and why did you break into my flat? - Asked the tense woman.
-I came here to discuss your future and to offer co-operation. - Replied the silhouette.
-Who sent you? Russia, China, Korea? - Hale asked with a frown.
-None of whom you would assume General. - The silhouette replied calmly.
-So what do you want? Do you want to get to the military developments through me or do you want to get your spy among the military? - Hale asked unhappily.
-Those things could be of interest to us too, but we wouldn't use such a... multilateral personality for the sake of it. - Replied the silhouette with a smile.
-Say General, are you satisfied with your position? Have you achieved everything you wanted? - Asked the silhouette.
-I devoted my whole life to the army and I don't regret my decision. Few women have risen as high as I have. I do not chase the unattainable and set realistic goals. - General Hale replied in a cold voice.
-Your decision? - The guest's voice shone with mockery. -We were under the impression that your mentor Daniel Whitehall had made that decision for you after the conflict with Von Struecker. - After these words Katherine could not contain her emotions and snatched the weapon left on her belt.
-Well, calm down. - Said the silhouette in one fell swoop knocking the gun out of the woman's hands and sending it to the other side of the room.
-Who are you?! -Hale asked in a raised voice.
-Your friend or an unknown visitor. It all depends on what you do. We know a lot and we're colleagues of Catherine's. You had potential, but your entire future was wiped out because of one man. It seems unfair to us, and we are willing to offer you a chance to regain what has been lost. - Says the silhouette.
-I will get what I was promised, one way or another. - Replied the woman, coming to her senses a little and making some judgements about the visitor.
-Yes? -You mean your daughter Ruby? - Again the guest was able to shake some of Hale's returned calm. -Believe me, Whitehall's little project is no secret to anyone, and certainly no one will allow or give the girl the opportunity to lead the organisation. Project Destroyer of Worlds, although it has a rather pathos name, but its combat capabilities are not as large as it may seem. And even taking all this into account, your mentor has already returned his youth and part of the possibilities, but we haven't noticed any progress with the unfreezing of the project. Your daughter grows up in captivity for a great purpose, losing her childhood and getting a not very stable psyche. - Said the silhouette to the dazed woman.
-Where are you from?
-We know a lot of things. Do you think the creator of the project would be happy to learn of such a severe flaw in the test subject? Who needs an unstable weapon?
-She's not a weapon! - The woman screamed.
-Not at the moment. Right now she's a teenager with a partially broken psyche and a fixation on the purpose of her existence. But in a couple of years, it's gonna be hard for her to be anything else. We don't want that to happen. We have the power to give you both powers beyond human capabilities, but whether you will accept our friendship or be satisfied with your current role is up to you. - Said the silhouette putting a business card with a phone number on the table, then the shadows covering the room converged on it and a couple of seconds later an empty chair appeared in front of the woman. After sitting with a blank stare for a few more minutes, the woman managed to come to her senses and went to the table and took the green business card with the yellow digits of the phone number. After staring at it for a few seconds, she let out a heavy sigh and headed back to the kitchen for a bottle of liquor.
***
Falling out of the portal in my lab, I was finally able to breathe easy and relax. I had killed a lot of energy and time on this dialogue. It wasn't easy to make such a moving illusion of a female silhouette with constantly blurring facial features. My control would have been enough for another three minutes at most, but I had to monitor Hale's emotional state and press the right points. In Kamartaj, I hadn't immersed myself in the study of mental practices, mostly due to the fact that 90% of the literature was about defending one's mind and only a small part about invasion and contact with others. And it was logical, because considering who mages had to deal with, it would be hard to find many people willing to get into the heads of intruders. They would not let them into their own brains, but not to break through someone else's defences. The masters of mental practices are already studying the attack, but only to expand their range. If they get into the enemy's head, they will lose at least half of their power, but if they let the enemy into the deception in their own head, they will give the most "hospitable reception".
In general, the masters were not much to pester, and there were no others willing to squander their time on a useless skill for their survival. I learnt everything from books, and so far it was not very effective, but a little something was working. The same spell, used a couple of days ago, was normal only at the beginning of October. To capture emotions and the brightest thoughts of people you need nothing but an extremely high emotional background around the subject's consciousness. The more Hale started to get worried, angry, afraid, the easier it was for me to read her and to keep raising the heat of emotions. After all the arguments I've given her, I think she'll be able to make the right decision. Especially the illusion of choice.
***
4 November 2012 coffee shop
-Why did you call me? - Emma asked, just out of interest, not reading her brother's mind as he greeted her with such a pleased face.
-I came by this morning to say congratulations and to see if I'm going to be an uncle and next time you'll call me for pancakes. - Christian asked with a mocking smile.
-What? -How are you? - Emma gasped for air, but then she found some strange inconsistencies.
-How do you know what I had for breakfast Christian? - Giving her brother the kindest smile that some serial killers would envy, Frost asked, beginning to track her relative's thoughts.
-You guessed it. - Christian replied, standing up from the table and starting to stare towards the exit of the almost empty coffee shop.
-Well, well, where are you going, let's discuss what you remembered about the cameras in my flat, I'm very flattered by your assessment of the video from my bedroom. - With a smile that went to the level of a maniacal vivisector, Emma said. At this point, the other two diners in the café remembered their other business rather quickly and left the establishment, while the staff locked the door and hung up the closing sign under Christian's startled gaze.
***
Don't forget to donate gems.
And subscribe at:
patreon.com/FanFictionPremium