A Stone Cut without Hands Ch. 12

Chapter 12

Report from the Swarm

TAYG7TM was caught by surprise. The dreams the pod had broadcast hadn't just been received, they had nearly dominated the mainframe when it began processing input again. The communication between the swarm and the mainframe was apparently much stronger than it had ever been. Even now, TAYG7TM could detect intermittent signals between the swarm and the mainframe.

Whatever the cause was, the essence was being compelled to act on the warning contained in the dream. It also appeared likely that the mainframe would be open to additional warnings.

Signals were also being received from A5CD2 and it's carrier. It was actively seeking a solution as well.

If the mainframe remained open to the swarm's signals, another rescue was almost certain to be successful.

----------------------------------------------------

The Engineers returned in the same way they'd first contacted him, but without time for George to play with his new senses. He understood by means of his intuition that they had urgent messages for him about his family.

Without preliminaries, he was shown a vision of his father's life. He couldn't avoid the conclusion that he'd also been a receiver. It was ironic that The Engineers had still manipulated him even though he adamantly refused their urgings, by sending dreams of actions the opposite of those wanted him to take.

In addition to his father, two of his sisters had also received the gene that allowed them to receive. They'd both been found and killed in accidents orchestrated by his enemies without passing the gene to any children.

Of George's children, one daughter, two sons and 7 grandchildren were receivers. All were safe except for a granddaughter who'd recently run away. The Engineers made it plain that she wouldn't survive more than a few days unless George allowed them to bring her to join him.

With outrage, George screamed silently at the way he was being forced. He threw up the conclusion that his tormentors knew he couldn't turn her away and followed that with the suspicion that they'd manipulated the girl to run away. Finally, he demanded to know why they needed the girl to be with him. He recognized the way they brought him to a conclusion that suited their own purposes just the way George had done with countless others his whole life.

A smug satisfaction filled his mind. The Engineers had indeed lead him where they wanted. To drive home the point, he was reminded of the daughter who'd run away from him. He'd been engaged in trying to save a failing business that left no time for his family and he'd always felt guilty. To avoid being returned by the police, she had accused him of sexually molesting her.

The reminder quelled his suspicions when he was made to understand that his granddaughter didn't even know who her father was. She blamed her mother for her life and felt that her only hope was to find the father her mother had turned away from. In a complete turnaround, George concluded he was to blame.

The Engineers were happy with his conclusion. Still, he demanded to know why they were asking instead of just bringing her in. A concept formed in his mind of an inherited characteristic of some human women who had to have as many children as possible. It was a biological imperative they couldn't deny. The concept was followed by the certainty that his granddaughter was one of them and that she would be determined to get him to father a child in her.

Once again George's anger rose to heights un-dreamt of as he recognized the traits of the biological imperative in his mother and his wife. He suspected that his whole life had been arranged to suit The Engineers. He was nothing but a tool, a breeder to father children for these aliens to use. He'd been saddled with the bitch from hell for thirty years just to supply them with receivers.

For the first time, George doubted his mission. Maybe the disease could be used to rid humanity of these users. In answer, he was made to understand that The Engineers had tried to persuade him that he'd chosen the wrong woman before he married. They'd sent his sister a dream and she'd done her best, but he'd been blinded by infatuation and lust.

With dismay, he saw through the lie they hoped he'd swallow. The ideal woman they'd wanted him to marry had been much worse than the one he'd chosen. It was part of the biological imperative for the women who carried it to hoard resources for their children and grandchildren. Another way to word it was that they were selfish and stubborn.

In spite of the deception, George had caught the fact that they didn't control him. He'd been steered, but they hadn't been able to turn him from something he'd been determined to have. Suddenly, he wondered if his emotional ties to Courtney had been contrived. The doubt was easily dismissed when he compared the depth of his feelings for Courtney to the infatuation for the mother of his children he believed to be the work of The Engineers. Besides, she was the key to the drug they needed to communicate effectively.

But he still had to be certain. Mentally, he demanded they prove his love for Courtney was purely his own. The answer was both exhilarating and surprising. He intuited an image of himself and Courtney as halves of a porcelain figurine that mated perfectly. Then, the drug was added as the glue that welded them together. He understood that they could never be separated, that their love for each other was stronger than any influence The Engineers could produce.

The exquisite joy generated by his realization nearly erased his anger. To divert the rest, The Engineers sent an impression of his enemies. There was a small squad pursuing his granddaughter, but there was a full battalion breathing down his own neck. He had stirred the hornet's nests when he rescued Courtney and he needed his granddaughter to save himself as much as to save her.

His suspicions returned with a vengeance. In the equivalent of a mental temper tantrum, he demanded to know how they had manipulated her to convince her to seek him out. The answer was stunning. They'd promised to make her pregnant with his child.

The instant he managed to recover his wits, he insisted they show him how they'd conveyed a promise she would believe. Did they need him to make the promise himself to get her to stay? He wouldn't even willingly saddle a potential child of his soul mate with a senile father, let alone his own granddaughter.

In spite of everything he'd learned of them, the answer was simultaneously more reassuring and terrifying than anything else had been. He watched as they showed him a mental movie of how they'd helped her make her pet dog pregnant without physical contact with its mate. They'd effected the birth of pups from a virgin bitch. And then they'd promised to give her George's child the same way if she couldn't persuade him to cooperate. The first thing that popped into his head was wonder at the possibility of The Engineers being able to alter the biological processes inside a body, but other urgent questions pushed the thought back.

The questions in George's mind piled up in a jam as they fought for precedence. Could The Engineers really steal his seed? Did they intend to keep their promise? Would the child be at risk for genetic abnormalities? Could they make Courtney pregnant against her will? Or his? Would his granddaughter be any safer with him? Would they make her a slave like Courtney? Could he control her if she turned out to be as stubborn as her mother?

With a sense of urgency, a feeling that time was running out, The Engineers showed how to control his granddaughter by holding out the hope he'd make her pregnant. At the same time, they made it plain they'd fulfill their promise, with or without his approval. The final piece of information was a technical explanation of how the genes could be selected so that his granddaughter's child would be no more at risk for recessives than Courtney's. Before he could get a firm grasp on the concept, the connection faded and he was asleep and dreaming.

His dream was no less disturbing than the messages had been. He dreamed he was the prophet, Jonah. When he refused the messages, the city of The Engineers appeared as a whale and swallowed him. When it regurgitated him, he woke to find Courtney sobbing quietly in his arms.

Without the slightest idea what was wrong, he gently squeezed the breast she was holding his hand around. "My Master, where did you go?" she gasped.

"I've been right here all along," George whispered in her ear.

"I feel safe when I'm touching you. When you went to sleep, the part of you that does that went away. Will it always be that way when you sleep?"

Trying to keep the anger from his voice, he reassured her, "I'm don't think I was asleep. Someone is trying to help us and they took me away to give me a message, so you'll have to wait until I really go to sleep to find out. Is that why you're crying? Was it really that bad?"

"No, my Master, it was just that I had no idea what happened. For a while, I thought maybe you had died, but then I could hear you breathing. I was worried you might not come back. It was just that I didn't know."

It struck George as odd that she didn't question his explanation, but then he realized that being able to feel his absence was just as strange. "I don't have any idea when or how often they'll come for me, so I need you to care for the part of me they leave behind. Will it help you to have that responsibility while I'm not here to keep you safe? Can I trust you to keep me safe?"

"Yes, my Master," she cooed, wriggling deeper into his arms.

"How long was I gone?"

"It seemed like hours, but that might be because I was so worried."

"Were you crying the whole time?"

"No, only after I tried to wake you up."

With crystal clarity, George understood why the message had been cut short. "Courtney, my angel, it's really important that you wake me only in an emergency while I'm gone like that. The message was cut short and we need all the help we can get."

"Now that I know, I'll be careful," Courtney promised.

"I expected we'd have some time to talk before sleeping. Are you too tired?"

"No, my Master. I want to do anything I can to please you."

"Why don't you start by telling me what you remember about the rape and how it's affecting you. Tell me everything that happened between the time you left home and when you woke up in the hospital. If anything upsets you, just take your time and describe your feelings as you go. It's important that you tell me every detail, no matter how small. Start with the argument with your mother."

"The argument started when my mother wanted me to take my medicine. Even though I'd never refused to obey her, I didn't want to take it. I was excited and I knew the exciting feeling would go away. The pills make it hard for me to be happy about anything and I wanted a happy birthday. When I refused, she tried to grab me, so I pushed her. She fell and started screaming, so I left."

"What about the dream? Didn't you tell me you dreamed I had told you not to take the pills?" George interrupted.

"Yes, but I'm not supposed to talk about orders from my Master."

"When we're alone like this, you will always tell me everything I've asked and everything you've been ordered not to talk about. Now continue."

"After leaving, I started walking to the old store up by the reservoir. My dad pulled up in an old car and told me to get in. I was so surprised and happy to see him that I did. He let me hug him but acted like he didn't want to touch me. He didn't even ask where I was going, he just drove into town while he talked. He said that my mother had gotten the police to issue a warrant to arrest him because he couldn't make enough money to keep up the child support payments and that if they knew he was around, the police would put him back in jail."

"He made me promise not to tell anyone and promised he would help me if he could. He gave me some money for a motel, promised to meet me for a birthday dinner and dropped me off at a convenience store so I could get a soda. When I went into the store, there were these weird guys that had colored hair, lots of piercings and tattoos, really strange clothes and they talked really different. Anyway, they kept talking to me, asking silly questions and acting weird. I wanted to get away from them but I couldn't figure out how."

"So, you didn't have a problem talking to your father, what about them men in the store?" George asked.

"All their questions were asked so that I could answer with a shake or nod. Anyway, I got a soda and started drinking it and after a while I started feeling strange and doing whatever they told me to. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop. When they told me to come with them, I was scared, but I still couldn't stop. They led me to a Van painted all over with strange designs and made me get in."

"Did you buy it or did they give you one? The soda I mean."

With a look of dismay, she answered, "I can't remember."

"Is this something you aren't supposed to talk about?" George demanded.

"I think so. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt."

"That tells us they knew you were conditioned and how to control you. What happened next?"

"As soon as the door closed, they were all over me. They told me to kiss them and I had to. When they reached under my dress and pulled my panties off, I couldn't stop my legs from lifting me up to help. After a while, they had all my clothes off. For hours, they kept touching, kissing and licking me all over."

"When it got dark, they carried me into a house and started to do the sex stuff. They made me put my fingers in their butts and they all put their fingers in mine. They told me to put their penises in my mouth and suck them until they squirted. They all took turns licking and sucking between my legs and one of them even tried to stick his tongue in my ass. At the end, they all took turns raping me. The most troubling part is that they told me to like what they were going to do, and it felt good, even though I didn't want it to."

"I'm happy that you've accepted it was rape. Does it disturb you less to think about it that way? To know you were forced?"

"The only thing that bothered me was the worry that you wouldn't like me anymore. Is it okay, when I think about it, if I picture you instead of them?"

"Of course, anything that helps you is okay," George assured. "Did they do anything that hurt? Hmm, I guess that isn't a good question. Is there anything they did that you wouldn't like doing with me?"

"I'm not sure that question is any better, My Master. If I understand what you've been trying to explain, about the way both the date rape drug and the conditioning are affecting me, if there was something I wouldn't do because of the drug, the conditioning may have made me do it. Since there isn't anything I wouldn't want to do for you, whether I liked it or not, the answer wouldn't help. "And I couldn't possibly tell whether I'd enjoy doing things with you because of the compulsion or the plain enjoyment of having sex with you. I'm not sure there is any difference, or that I could tell the difference, if there were."

George was becoming as confused as Courtney sounded, so he asked, "Are there any sexual acts that you've thought about doing that they didn't try?"

"The whole experience is like a dream. When you kiss me it triggers the memory of the part of the rape in which I was kissed. When I see the lump in your pants, I remember the penises I saw. I haven't remembered it all, because whenever something new happens like making love to your arm, I remember new things that happened during the rape."

"I haven't ever spent much time thinking about sex, especially before all this happened. So I can't think of anything else and I wouldn't remember it from the rape if it happened then until I thought of it. Whenever I think of sex with you, I feel turned on."

Finally, George conceded that he wasn't prepared to analyze the effects of the rape or any sexual acts he might engage in with her. There were too many complicating, interactive factors whose effects couldn't be isolated. He decided he'd need professional advice before trying, so he changed the subject.

"Do you want to have children?"

"My Master, I want whatever you want." Her answer was filled with fear.

"I sorry, I meant, if it didn't matter to me, would you choose to."

"I understand what you're afraid of, and the need to please you is so big, I just can't tell what I'd want."

"Whoever it was that took me away claims that they can make you pregnant by me without sex. If they did that, and I was angry about it, how would you feel?"

"My Master!" Courtney stammered with alarm. "Would you be angry at me?"

"Certainly not. And not at the baby either. And I'd rather have a baby than lose you, but I don't like being forced."

"As long as it wasn't my fault and you weren't mad at me, I'd be as happy as you were. Uh, you wouldn't want me to get an abortion, would you?"

"No, we'd just have to make the best of it." With a sigh, he ordered, "tomorrow will be a busy day, let's get some sleep."

As Courtney felt herself being folded into George's arms, she found herself humming a tune. She couldn't remember ever having learned it, but the words satisfied a need deep in her heart.

George moves in a mysterious way

his wonders to perform;

His touch upon my skin excites

And soothes my very soul.

_________

Deep in unfathomable mines

of never failing love,

He treasures up his bright designs

and works his passion still.

_________

You fearful girl, fresh courage take;

the clouds you so much dread

Are big with mercy and shall break

in blessings on your head.

________

His purposes will ripen fast,

unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,

but sweet will be the flower.