Agency for Good

The camera ensemble could be steered and zoomed. In most ways, it gave Scott a view superior to using his eyes directly and he rarely used the top floor elevator. His video wall had other entertainment uses such as video games and movies.

Scott's quarters had accommodations for his night wives. During the night, the brain cycles through stages that repeat roughly every two hours. At certain points in the sequence, he can be waked up for a transaction and then allowed to go back to sleep with a minimal negative effect on his rest. Scott's sleep cycle was monitored, and at the appropriate moment, the night wife would get into bed with him, wake him, have sex with him and depart.

Chelsea, who shared the bed with Scott, usually slept through the activities of the night wives. Being that close to strong energy transfers did affect her. She had frequent dreams about sex, and in the morning, she was ready for her daily transaction with Scott.

Chapter 7: Natalie

Scott considered the problem of Natalie. He had not decided to do anything. In spite of the statistics, no one could say, with certainty, that Natalie would be better off if she were recruited. Maybe it was just John who thought things would be better for him. Perhaps he was ecto-blind. Still, it was interesting to plan the recruitment, even if he did not carry through. He was put into contact with Kim, an archivist for the agency.

"Hello Scott, I'm Kim. I understand that you want to find out what we know about seducing a reluctant nag."

"Yes, other than the obvious ways, which don't seem to work."

"Well, we have no current research on it, but there is some archival information. There are a couple of things to try. If she were near a couple experiencing a strong transfer of energy, that would arouse her for about an hour. The other is that if a powerful sprayer or tripod were aroused just short of orgasm, he would leak a lot of positive energy. That would also arouse her and incline her towards having sex with that sprayer. That's all we have. I'm sure you and your co-conspirators can make that happen, but you would still need a conducive environment."

Arranging for several couples having strong transactions nearby would be easy. It would be a little dicey to excuse himself, get aroused to near orgasm and then reappear, but it could be managed. Finding the right place and situation was a challenge.

There was a bigger problem. The goal wasn't to merely seduce Natalie but to improve her life and marriage. Scott could try to seduce her by promising things that he could not deliver, or he could ask John to turn into a bad husband that he drove Natalie into Scott's arms. Scott rejected all such approaches as unethical.

The members of The Agency have the same propensity to mental health problems as the general population. It is just that problems, exacerbated by stress, low esteem, and isolation don't manifest as often. But the agency has mental health professionals. Some of these were made available to Scott. They are bound by the same patient confidentiality rules as in the nag population. If they actually talked to Natalie, then they could not speak to Scott, so they had to speculate about Natalie based on the publicly available information.

On the other hand, The Agency was quite willing to spy on individuals. The Agency had partial profiles on Natalie, but they were not very complete. Scott requested an electronic profile. The Agency easily hacks internet traffic and has software to track a particular individual and categorize their internet interests. They found that Natalie was a voracious consumer of romance novels. The agency conducted an analysis and found two themes. In one, the heroine resists the hero until at last, and he takes her which is what the heroine always wanted. But just because she read those stories did not mean that is what she wanted to happen to herself. In the other theme, the woman gave up her virtue to save someone else. Ironically, the agents were asked to do precisely that.

They also learned that she read a lot of articles on sex and improving her sex life. She had purchased informational videos on sexual techniques and positions. They were explicit, but not pornographic. It became apparent that Natalie had sex on her mind. Scott was leaning toward concluding that it would be beneficial for Natalie to join the pag community, but it should be by her free will. By this time, a larger group of mental health professionals became interested in the project. Staff behavioral specialists volunteered time and advice. They started calling themselves as the TRONG (pronounced as a word that rhymes with wrong), which was an acronym for The Recruitment of Natalie Group.

TRONG suggested that John read the same articles about better sex that Natalie was reading and then open a dialog with his wife. Perhaps, they could watch those videos together. John followed through. Communication improved. They were able to watch instructional videos together. They shared erotic novels and even watched erotic movies. They watched movies about swinging couples and the effects.

They read documentaries about polyamorous experiments. It was clear that Natalie was interested in knowing and imagining these situations, but John never felt that there was an opportunity to suggest that they could participate in those activities. He was hoping that Natalie would broach the subject. Although she had an active erotic fantasy life, it never spilled into her real life. The effect on their intimacy was beneficial, but the sex did not improve because it would never be possible for John to transfer energy to Natalie.

TRONG insinuated agent women into Natalie's social life, which was not extensive so that soon they became the majority of her friends. By degrees, the women let on that they were involved in swinging and partner swapping. It became evident that Natalie was keenly interested in the subject. The women talked freely about the benefits and normalcy of swinging and partner swapping. Once Natalie had been immersed in these ideas for months, she would be recruited again.

But this time, Scott suggested that they solicit Natalie's permission to recruit John, rather than try to recruit her into The Agency as a participating pag. She was to be asked to sacrifice her husband's faithfulness for the benefit of all humankind. It worked; Natalie agreed that John could be recruited. After that, she was invited to participate, but she declined; she was content to be a non-participating pag.

Scott considered his project to be 90% complete. Natalie now knew that John as an agent and knew what he did and knew that she could participate in the chorus of daily transactions without recrimination. During this time, TRONG advised John to state, one time, that he wanted her to participate but otherwise not bring it up and not pressure her. She was recruited to a discussion group for recent pag wives who had agent husbands. They shared how they first reacted, how they became pags and then participating pags and how they felt about it now. They talked as if it were a certainty that any non-participating pag wife would eventually join the participating pag population.

Natalie confirmed that everything John had said about their marriage was correct, but he had understated the severity. Sex between John and Natalie was so frustrating that both had almost given up on it. It had increased in frequency since John had become an agent, but there was no increase in quality. In fact, since orgasms with other agents came so easily, John was putting less effort into satisfying his wife. It scarcely mattered as Natalie had never had an orgasm with John. There was, in the beginning, intimacy and that was enough to sustain their romance and marriage.

Natalie's reading list showed more interest in polyamory and swinging. She shared her conflicted feelings with her group. Everyone but her was having sex and orgasms. She wanted to participate, but she felt that she should not do so. TRONG determined that it was likely that Natalie suffered from mild to moderate obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). To get her to seek treatment, her internet browser started to offer her information about OCD and its symptoms the effect on the sufferer and the sufferer's family. Since John's employer-provided medical insurance covered mental health at 100%, she eventually sought out a psychiatrist. There was a privacy wall between Natalie's psychiatrist and TRONG, but TRONG could speculate about the course of treatment.

Except for sex, Natalie joined the social fabric of The Agency. John and Natalie joined dance classes and started attending social dances. She knew her husband was swinging. She was surrounded by it. It was on her mind. She knew she had permission and willing partners. And she had been medicated long enough for the OCD tendencies to be blunted. TRONG decided that it was time to make an attempt and that Scott was the logical choice. She certainly knew who Scott was and understood, on an instinctive level, that a liaison with Scott would elevate her social standing. Scott also made a point of talking to her from time to time to build a personal connection.

Dances sponsored by The Agency were highly sexual events with sex going on in plain sight and nearby private rooms. At first, Natalie was very uncomfortable and reluctant to dance with anyone other than John, but he was dancing mostly with other women. As she became comfortable and the medication started to have an effect; she finally consented to dance with Scott. Eventually she did loosen up and found it rewarding to dance with other men, especially other pags.

TRONG decided that a dance would be the ideal place to induct Natalie into the participating community. Certain preliminary steps had been taken. Natalie's children were at a sleepover. John would hook up with another woman. Chelsea would sleep elsewhere. About halfway through the dance, with a lot of sex going on, Scott asked Ivey to arouse him almost to orgasm, and then he went to ask Natalie to dance the Tango. He would judge her readiness to accept an energy transaction from him by how close she allowed him to hold her.

She conformed her body to his. In the past, she had held herself away. Scott concluded that the medication was likely working efficaciously. His right hand was all the way across her back with its heel on her spine. Her left arm was locked behind his back. The insides of their right legs were in contact at the thighs. This is the way the dance is intended to be danced. The follower felt every nuanced motion of the leader. She must have been aware of his erection as he pulled her in close for a snap turn. Their groins were practically joined. They were transferring small amounts of ecto-energy. They were, in effect, having a little bit of sex as they danced. It seemed logical that they would continue. When the dance ended, he dipped her deeply.

Typically, they would separate at that point, and he would escort her off the floor. But she returned to dance frame as if she were saying that she wanted to continue. They stayed on the dance floor and danced to the next song. She still held him, and so he asked, "may I take you home?"

She replied, "that would be most kind." She took his arm as he escorted her off the floor and out the door.

Natalie's home was outside the compound but within easy walking distance. Instead of her home, Scott walked Natalie to his home which was within the compound and much closer. It was also the other direction from Natalie's home. There was no hesitation in her body. As they walked, she did not comment on the fact that they were not walking toward her home. When he opened the door to his space, she walked in as if that is what she expected to do.

Once inside the apartment, she hugged him, trapping his erection between their thighs. This led to some passionate kissing, and then he stopped and asked, "do you want to see my electronic wall?"

"I've never heard that line before. I want to see whatever you've got."

The displayed that evening's sunset and then faded into black and then into a darkened city skyline. There was a siren's wail. Searchlights crisscrossed the sky. There were explosions in the sky and percussive sounds.

"It's World War Two, London during the Blitz. I commissioned a dramatization."

There was colossal explosion apparently right outside the window. Natalie fairly jumped into Scott's arms.

"It's realistic isn't it?"

"It makes me want to get into bed and get under the covers."

"That was the intention."

He carried her to the bed, which was in the same room.

They were laying on the bed. His weight was on her. His fully clothed leg was between her fully clothed legs. They kissed with passion. He unfastened one of the buttons on her blouse and then another. She did not resist. He kissed as much of her breasts as he could without removing her bra. She did not resist.

When he reached to unfasten her pants, she stopped him. He told himself to slow down and went back to the blouse. He opened all the button holes and unclasped the bra. He was able to pull the bra down and kiss her nipples. His leg was grinding against her pelvis. She was occasionally catching her breath. He reached for the pants again and made a little progress and then she stopped him again. He decided that since it wasn't going to happen tonight, then he would make as much out the night as possible.

Eventually, their ardor was spent.

"The advantage of pants is that it gives you a little time to think. If I were wearing a skirt, I probably would not have stopped you. But it felt delicious. I haven't felt those feelings for years."

"Did you have an orgasm?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so. I haven't had one for so long that I'm not sure that I would recognize one if it happened."

"How about, your pants come off, and mine stay on? You can't get into too much trouble that way."

"I don't think so."

"Why do you deny yourself?"

"I'm married."

"Hasn't John given his permission?"

"Yes, but I don't think he meant it. I think he felt like he had to give it because it was only fair to do so."

"You've seen the statistics, haven't you? The odds are that you and the children and John would be happier if you participated."

"And I'm sure that John is aware, and that's another reason he gave me permission, but I don't think that he wants to give that permission."

"He has told me himself that he does."

"That's because it was expected of him."

"Do you remember when they recruited you?"

"Yes. They wanted my permission to recruit John."

"Why did you give it?"

"Well, it was for the good of humanity, and our sex life was terrible; I did not think it would get worse. They said it would get better. Maybe the frequency went up a little, but I don't think that it got better."

"What do you think would have happened if you had said no?"

"I guess they would not have recruited him."

"No, they needed him. They would have recruited him anyway. Do you think he would say yes, for the good of humanity?"

"I guess he would."

"And then, do you think that he would tell you, knowing that you already refused?"

"I'm not sure. I think that he would."

"What if he had been warned that you would probably leave him if he told you?"

"Then, he probably wouldn't tell me. But I would have known if they told me that they wanted him to have sex with other women and he started acting differently."

"Not if your memory had been wiped."

"How could that happen?"

"Drugs that make you sleep and forget the preceding twenty-four hours."

"Wouldn't I notice the lost day?"

"Not if you woke up in a hospital bed with an IV in your arm and they told you that you had the flu and high fever and that you were delirious for a day."

"That happened to me once or, actually, twice, with a few days in between; it had nothing to do with the agency."

"When did it happen?"

"About three years ago."

"Did anything else happen around that time."

"We moved into our house just after that."

"The house within walking distance of the compound?"

"Yes. It's very convenient."

"It also belongs to the agency."

"We rent from a private individual."

"You rent from a representative of the owner. The Agency built and owns all the houses in that neighborhood."

"Why would they rent to us? Maybe they had a long-term plan to recruit us. They must have been pretty confident that we would join two years later."

"Or maybe they had already recruited John."

"Then why would they wait two years to recruit me?"

"Because John really wants you to participate and convinced them to try again."

"Why would they expect that work if it didn't work the first time?"

"Maybe because the first time they recruited you the same way as everybody else which is to offer them unlimited fantastic sex which did not appeal to you."

"Why do you think that they would they do that?"

"Because that has been their standard recruitment since the end of the dark ages. I have never heard of them asking for the spouse's permission."

"They asked me."

"Yes, because John asked them to put some extra thought into it and they realized that your personality had an altruistic axis that could be exploited. If John had already been recruited and did not want you to participate, all he had to do was nothing. The agency had already made two attempts to recruit you. He was free and clear on the fairness issue."

"You talk like it is a certainty."

"I wasn't here three years ago, but it sounds to me like you both were recruited three years ago. John accepted, and you moved into Agency housing. You refused, had your memory wiped and were kept in the dark."

"That sounds bizarre."

"I think that you should tell your husband about this conversation and ask him. If I am wrong, you will get a laugh."

"And if you are right?"

"The truth will set you free."

"I'll think about it."

They were silent for a while. They were still in bed. Natalie felt like she should leave, but she wanted to stay. In the end, they dozed together, fully clothed. They woke up after a few minutes.

"Would you like to spend the night. I won't try to seduce you."

"Yes. I hope you don't mean it."

"Would it work?"

"No, but I would enjoy it if you tried."

"Well, either way, there are night clothes in the closet of that bathroom. You might find something more comfortable to wear. Help yourself. It's all new or fresh from the laundry."

"And you?"

"I will also find something more comfortable to wear."

While Natalie was finding nightclothes, Scott sent an email to TRONG giving them a transcript of the conversation that Scott had with Natalie along with key points. The main point was that Natalie thought that John wanted her to decline. When Natalie came back, they had both chosen pajamas.

When she returned, she asked, "why do you have a closet that is a clothing store?"

"I get a lot of female company, and sometimes they need or want fresh clothes. You are welcome to take anything because they all belong to The Agency. When you are done with them, ask John to drop them in a laundry chute. One of the benefits of dorm living is generic clothes. When they are soiled, toss them into the chute. Then go to the clothing store and take what suits your fancy that day. There is a store in every dorm. That is the one for this dorm. I happen to have my own door."

"Aren't you afraid that someone will walk in on you?"

"No. There is a sign on the other side that says 'PRIVATE.'"

"I saw it. It doesn't seem to lock."

"It doesn't. Agents are so focused on fighting evil, ..."

"You mean screwing, don't you?"

"Yes. Anyway, focused so much that exploring behind doors marked 'private' doesn't appeal to them. We have no concern for privacy. The only possessions I have that I care about are my books, and I would loan those to anyone who wanted to borrow them."