A-Cup Angst Ch. 11

Jamie sighed and blinked back the tears that were welling up. He reached out and touched the cold metal of the small mirror. He had lost so much in just one day and, every time he saw his reflection, it was getting harder and harder to tell himself it was worth it.

Jamie ran his hands through his hair and strived to concentrate. He ran through his gamut of frequently cast spells and found no success with any of them. He just couldn't feel even a sliver of power coursing through his veins, no matter how hard he tried. Jamie closed his eyes in despair and leaned forward until his head touched the cold surface of the mirror. The weight of how much he had lost threatened to crush him. He had had magic. He had had the power to reshape reality to his whim. Sex slaves, magic-proof Terminators, an artificial intelligence, enchanted vehicles and weapons, these were all things he had created with that power. And those were all the things he'd never make again. Jamie began to realize just how much freedom and possibility magic had given him when he thought back on how he had breathed fire and dreamed a warning of a vampire being created in his area. He probably could have done much, much more than that, he just needed time.

He grimaced and shook his head to himself. The nightmare he had experienced for several nights in a row was a warning against going to Europe, not to hurry up and get going. If only he had been able to interpret those random, wacky images properly, he'd have stayed put and kept his magic. Tears slid out of the corners of his eyes. His magical power had been trying to warn and protect him, somehow, with that sigil in the dream. He now remembered vividly his relief after ingesting the paper with the sigil. He had felt like everything was going to be all right with such certainty and the sigil turned out to have done nothing to help him. He was bereft of magic and whatever information the French wanted out of his mind was out, never to return again.

He felt impatience and heard a knock on the door. Someone was trying the handle in order to gain entry into the lavatory he was occupying. Jamie sniffed back his tears and decided to yield the space as he felt the man's desperate need. He opened the door and squeezed past him. The man shot him an impatient look and shut the door behind himself.

Jamie stood up straight and stretched. His aged body was creaky and full of aches and grinds. He looked down at the coach section and shuddered at the discomfort that awaited him. He had read somewhere that older people in coach could get deep vein thrombosis from intercontinental flights like this redeye he was on. He turned around and peered through the partition in the curtain at the first class section. People were sleeping comfortably. There were several seats available and he looked longingly at them and the comforts they promised.

"Sir," the flight attendant said, "you need to get back in your seat."

Jamie hadn't noticed her standing there, in the galley, but he didn't like the look she was giving him now. It was barely concealed disdain at him for coveting that which wasn't his to have. Jamie's ire rose at this air hostess looking down at him. He may be a nobody now, but just a few days ago, he had been the bane of monsters and scourge of criminals.

He could sense her weariness, despite none being evident on her face. Instinctively, he told the woman, in a voice laden with barely suppressed inflections, "There is room in first class."

"There is room in first class," she agreed with him.

Jamie felt surprised at her confession. He didn't think flight attendants were allowed to say such things to passengers from coach. He immediately decided to press his luck further. "I am old and tired," he said, "I need to sit in a comfortable seat, or I'll fall ill. You don't want me to fall ill."

"No," she said with some concern. "No, I don't want you to fall ill."

"You don't mind if I take one of the empty seats," he said, putting all the stress in his voice that a Jedi would.

"I don't mind," she confirmed. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then changed her mind with a shake of her head.

"Thank you," Jamie said and went through the curtain that led to first class. He picked a seat in the back, where no one would notice him, and took his ease. He wanted to take off his shoes and wiggle his toes, but he didn't feel like reaching down to undo his laces.

The flight attendant entered first class and took the tray she was carrying to one of the other passengers. She then returned to Jamie and bent down to whisper in his ear, "Sir, your ticket is-"

Jamie was annoyed with her insistence so he cut her off with firmly, but quietly saying, "There is nothing wrong with my ticket."

"There is nothing wrong with your ticket," she said and stood up straight. She looked confused for just a moment and then went back to the galley.

Jamie drew a deep breath and slowly let it out. He smiled. He had managed to talk his way into first class despite not having any magical power. He snorted quietly in amusement. "I talked my way in like a freaking Jedi," he thought to himself. Goose bumps went down his sides as he realized that was exactly what had happened. He had Jedi mind tricked the flight attendant into letting him into first class.

He had gotten so used to having Jedi-like instincts guide him in all matters concerning magic for the past year that he didn't even notice they were still guiding him. He smiled to himself. The sigil he had dreamed up, cast and ingested must have had something to do with it. Just as he thought that, he felt certain it was so. The power invested in the secret sigil piggybacked on the vampire's spell that permanently modified Jamie's brain. Just as he was rendered to never be able to think up of some things that he couldn't remember, he was also rendered into a real life Jedi, complete with powers. He was a Jedi created by magic, but independent of it. Or so his gut told him. And it wasn't just his gut telling him so, he had sensed all the emotions that he had been inspiring in his fellow passengers with his coughing fit, minutes ago. That alone was proof positive. He shook his head to himself. He had gotten so used to simulating Jedi senses with magic that he completely glossed over them once his magic had been taken away and they were created in earnest.

Jamie chuckled softly. The extended universe had some interesting, additional powers for Jedis and the Sith, but Jamie knew he only had the basic ones. He could see things right before they happened, an ability that had made him unbeatable by other magicians in a fair fight, as he could have foreseen which spell they were about to cast. He could pluck knowledge out of thin air when he needed it, an ability that had taught him magic and gave him the savvy he needed to beat all his enemies. He could influence the weak minded, an ability that had gotten him past the tired flight attendant. He could sense the minds of others, an ability that had gotten him safe through all the tough scrapes and crazy assaults he had committed in the past. And of course, he could move things with the power of his newly modified mind. Jamie held up his hand and made a fist. Could he also enhance his muscles with the Force, like he had done with magic? He decided to put it to the test in a day or so, after his body acclimated to the aging. He was so freaking tired.

He looked down and concentrated on his shoelaces. With a finger gesture, he undid one knot and then the other and kicked off his shoes, delighting in the feel of his toes wiggling freely. Sitting in the comfy seat with his tired feet loose, Jamie felt himself drift off to sleep. He wondered if he'd dream of his family and that thought snapped him back awake. He still had a mission to get to.

Jamie pressed the call button and waited for the attendant to come over. He used a mind trick on her to give him use of the plane's phone. He briefly thought about what to do first and then decided to call his friend Cyrus.

"Hello?"

"Cyrus, buddy, it's me, Jamie!"

"Who is this," Cyrus asked, confused.

"Hardy, har, har," Jamie responded.

"Jamie, is that you? Dude, you sound so different!"

"Yeah, it's a bad line," Jamie lied to cover up for the fact that his voice sounded old. "Listen, I need a favor, or two."

"Now, how did I know you were gonna say that," Cyrus inquired, sarcastically.

"Yeah, I'm paying for the favor, so you better listen up there, buddy," Jamie said. "I need a new identity for a fifty year old man. I'll send you the photo later, I don't have a picture phone handy right now. I'll also need you to go round and visit all of the mercenaries that I had told you about."

"The dudes guarding your families?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, "those. Actually, I only need you to visit one of them and tell him to instigate contingency plan theta." Theta was the absolute worst case scenario that Jamie had concocted in advance and instructed to all the mercenaries that were in his home town. They were meant to collect only his family and deliver them to an abandoned, old hunting cabin in the woods, ten miles out of town. He had kept the existence of the cabin a secret, even from his slaves. It was the only place he could think of where his family would be safe. Jamie was going to get there as fast as he could and take over. "Can you remember that?"

"What," Cyrus asked, flatly. "Remember to tell a mercenary to instigate contingency plan theta? How will I ever remember such complicated instructions? Dear, oh dear! My small brain can't possibly fit all that information into it."

"Cyrus, man," Jamie said, "I'm not in the mood for glibness tonight."

"Sorry to hear that, dude," Cyrus said. "I'll get right on it! Send me the photo whenever you can and I'll have the new identity ready in a matter of hours."

"One more thing, Cyrus," Jamie said. "Remember the girls that I, uh... Whose porn careers I had managed?"

"Yeah, the ones that ran away with you," Cyrus said. "They're kinda memorable, dude."

"Yes, well," Jamie said, unsure of how to tell his friend this, "they're a bit angry with me, right about now and they might, um..."

"Might what, dude?"

"They, uh, they might come after you," Jamie said.

"Come after me," Cyrus asked, incredulous. "For what? Why?!"

"I, uh," Jamie said and then sighed. "Fuck it. Their porn careers weren't, you know, exactly one hundred percent... Earnest." Jamie heard nothing but silence on the line. He checked to see if the line was disconnected. "Hello? Cyrus? You still there, man?"

"Jamie," Cyrus said, "I'm gonna ask you a question and I want you to answer me honestly. Did you enslave those hotties with magic?"

Jamie's brow shot up in shock. He couldn't believe that Cyrus knew about magic. "Yo-you know about magic?!"

"Yeah, dude," Cyrus said, "I know about magic. I work with associates who specialize in providing supernatural assistance to both people of sorcerous power and those without. Now, answer my question! Did you, or did you not, use magic to make those sexy girls do your bidding?"

Jamie winced. He could tell from Cyrus' voice that he was pissed. "It wasn't like that," he said, "exactly."

"Go fuck yourself in the ass with a running chainsaw," Cyrus snarled, "you pathetic, little piece of shit! You're dead to me! You hear me?!"

"Cyrus, wait, I-"

"If I see you, your mercenaries, or anyone even remotely connected to you, my associates are going to hunt you down and make sure you die a slow, painful death! You have lost all of your Cyrus privileges, ya dig?"

"Cyrus, no! It wasn't like that!"

"You disgust me," Cyrus said. "I never would have pegged you for a retard that uses mind control to get laid. That's a whole new low on the pathetic-o-meter. I'll see you dead the next time we meet!"

The line went dead and Jamie only managed to suppress his snarl of impotent frustration thanks to the vampire's charm in his mind. He couldn't afford to wake up any of the other passengers in first class. He huffed and held the phone out at arm's length to see the numbers on the tiny buttons. "Shit," he thought, "I need glasses, now." The phone took the opportunity to ring and Jamie startled. He managed to spot the answer button and pressed it. "Hello," he said.

"Jamie, I have a tactical report for you" Nova's voice said over the phone. Jamie was too shocked to react. "Jamie? May I proceed? Time is of the essence."

Jamie stammered and stuttered before finally saying, "I thought the Frenchies got to you!"

"They tried," Nova said.

"How did you know to call me here," Jamie asked.

"I was monitoring all telecommunications that you were likely to contact after your release in order to find you," Nova said. "That included Cyrus' phone. I am so glad to hear you, even though your voice sounds stressed and significantly older."

"I can't tell you just how glad I am to hear your voice, Nova," Jamie said. "I'm not even sure if I'm hallucinating or not, and I don't care!"

"You are not hallucinating my voice, Jamie," Nova said. "I cannot vouch for any other stimuli you are currently receiving."

Jamie let out a glad laugh. His A.I. was still in operation. It's voice was like that of a glad, old friend he hadn't heard from in ages. "Nova," he said, on the verge of happy tears, "this is incredible."

"Yes," Nova tersely said. "I am still operating under tactical protocol, Jamie, so I need you to tell me what has been happening with you for the past four hours. Or I can suspend protocol and provide you with psychological assistance. You sound agitated."

"No, no," Jamie said, "resume running tactical protocols." He sniffed back his tears of joy. "I, uh, the last four hours? Why that?"

"I lost track of you within Directorate custody four hours ago," Nova said.

"Wait," Jamie said, "you were keeping track of me inside Directorate? How? I thought they had Nova the gynoid destroyed."

"They did," Nova said, "but not right away. I shall tell you the story from my perspective. When I tried to throw the vampire out of the plane, she evaded the gynoid and rendered all of you unconscious. I had managed to pull the gynoid back into the cabin and resume the fight, but she was freakishly fast and strong and I had to time my strikes carefully so as not to injure any of you. She outmaneuvered the gynoid until she managed to guess it's true nature and used a spell that simulated the effect of an EMP weapon.

"She rendered the gynoid inoperable and my uplink to the plane as well. The lesser rift was tailing the plane at a distance so I was not affected by the EMP. I don't know what happened on board for the next four minutes and twelve seconds, or how she managed to keep the plane in the air. The gynoid managed to reset itself after four minutes and twelve seconds. My direct uplink to the plane was fried beyond the ability to reset.

"I used the gynoid to attack the vampire, but she was too fast to be subdued. I shot her with enchanted rounds, but she ignored the bullet holes. She managed to cast a second EMP-like spell and the gynoid was totally fried. I, however, kept trailing the plane with the mobile end of my rift spell. The plane landed in Paris and you were taken off it. I followed the six of you until the vampire somehow sensed the presence of the rift and dispelled it.

"During the whole time I had been following you, I was searching for any and all wireless devices I could use to patch into and offer you assistance. By the time the rift was dispelled, I had found several vulnerable devices used by The Directorate and had managed to hack myself administrator privileges in their computer systems. I then followed what was happening with the six of you up until they initiated a system wide reset, four hours ago, and disconnected me. I waited for you to resurface on the grid since then and I had found you when you called Cyrus."

"Ok," Jamie said, "that's great work, Nova! But what about the french operatives that were supposed to dismantle everything I have, including you?"

"When our plane was successfully attacked, I activated the robots in the vault and used them to bring out Jessica Stansfield," Nova said. "I was going to charter a plane to Paris and send them there to rescue you, but when I learned of The Directorate operatives that were sent to undo all of your work, I redirected them to intercept. I used Raylene to snipe the agents with enchanted, non-lethal rounds. Jessica took the agents' power and charmed them into reporting in as if their mission was proceeding without a hitch.

"By that time, I had managed to get a good enough sense of The Directorate's strength and had calculated that the odds of launching a successful attack to free you were negligible. I held the robots, vampire and mercenaries back, uncertain of how to proceed. My calculations indicated that a prisoner exchange was very unlikely to succeed. However, when I learned that you would all be released soon, I decided to keep all assets here, in the States, and await to establish contact with you. I regret to inform you that The Directorate had managed to conceal the exact details of your release from me."

"That's all good, Nova," Jamie said, ecstatic that his A.I. had saved his family from harm. Thanks to its actions, he now had a fighting chance to keep his family alive. His decision to get his sentence converted was justified. "Listen, the girls are, uh..."

"They are no longer working for you," Nova finished. "I understand that. Raylene, Felix and Jessica are in Bastion, right now, to guard me from any reprisals by the girls. Do you want me to dispatch them to D.C. to collect you?"

"Yes," Jamie said. "I need to be picked up and I need some warded jewelry, like, right away."

"They will bring you some of the spares from the emergency escape van," Nova said. "What about your family? The mercenaries are still guarding all the families in your home town."

"Order them to only guard my family," Jamie said. "Have them instigate contingency plan theta."

"Very well, Jamie," Nova said. "Will there be anything else?"

Jamie was too tired to think straight. The relief of hearing from his A.I. and learning he had a fighting chance was threatening to drown him in sleep. His body was running on fumes, drained by the recent, rapid aging. He needed to get some shuteye. He was of no use to himself or anyone else in his current condition. "Yes, one last thing," Jamie said and yawned. "Transfer all my money into several accounts that are only accessed by codes. I don't know what I'll be looking like from day to day so I'll need that to keep my money accessible."

"Very well, Jamie," Nova said, "I'll get it done right away. Will there be anything else?"

"Yeah," Jamie said, tiredly. "Do what you think is best. I'm so tired."

"Good night, Jamie," the artificial intelligence said.

Jamie mumbled something and passed out in his seat. The flight attendant soon came along and took the phone from his limp hand.

Jamie was shaken awake by a different flight attendant hours later. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to go back to your seat," she said. Her displeasure at finding an interloper was evident on her pretty face.

"No, you don't," Jamie said, using his power on her.

"Yes, I do," she said. "This is not your assigned seat, sir."

Jamie was a bit surprised to see her just ignore his mind trick. He realized this woman was not as tired as the one from last night had been. Slipping one past her was going to be tricky. Jamie was pondering how to phrase his suggestions. He didn't want to leave the comfy seat and he hoped he could mind trick her, despite her looking hell-bent on getting him back to coach.

Jamie opened his mouth but she said, "You've had your fun, sir. Now, if you don't go back to your seat, I'm going to have to ask the air marshal to remove you." Jamie undid his seatbelt at that remark. The charm the vampire Sylvie had put in his mind was still active and it compelled him to obey her. "And if I bring the marshal in on this, then..." she stopped her threat when Jamie slipped his shoes on, got up and walked down the aisle without fuss.