Carson Evolved Ch. 12

"If I'm right, the group does exist. I don't think its goals are the same as they once were, though."

When he said the group existed, she sat up excitedly. "Do you know how I can get in touch with them?"

He smiled and said, "In a way, you already have. Let me tell you a strange little story." Over the next half-hour or so, Carson described his understanding of the Orriri Project and his part in it. He even described his reactions to female members of Sam's family, and how they'd thought her father's research was the catalyst for the abilities that he'd begun manifesting.

It wasn't until he talked about the out-of-body experiences that he'd had with Cara first, and then with Sam, that she grew very excited. She nodded her head and clapped her hands enthusiastically. "You bound them," she observed, her words tinged with a sense of awe.

"What?" he asked, worriedly. The last thing he wanted was to make the women his slaves. "What do you mean that I 'bound them?'"

Picking up on his distress, she sought to quell his discomfort. "I mean simply that. They are bound to you for life, or until you dissolve the bond. It doesn't mean that they are now your puppets or anything. It's a deep, spiritual and emotional bond, that allows you to pool your magical energies. It's amazing that you could do it, since you are untrained. Few trained magicians can, and you've done it instinctively." She reached out and grabbed his hand in her excitement. "Oh, Carson! I'm so glad that the fates have crossed our paths."

"It's been...eye-opening," he replied. "One thing I don't understand, though: If Orriri is the same group that came from the old country, shouldn't I encounter more magicians in the project?"

She sat back in speculation. What he was saying was true. If the founding families bred true, there should be quite a concentration of magical entities. From the way Carson described it, though, he'd only encountered his wife's mother's bloodline. The topic merited further discussion.

"You said that the group had twelve 'golden' lines, but that other lines have been included?" He nodded. "They might have experienced much of the phenomenon that we've seen. By introducing non-magical families into the pool, they've diluted the magic even further. Even in pureblood families, magic will occasionally skip individuals or even entire generations. Maybe they've forgotten the original purpose?"

Something had been bothering Carson, and he decided that he needed an answer. "You'd know better than I would. There's another possibility, one that I really hope remains only a possibility. Is it possible that the original group of magicians was corrupted somehow? Within Orriri, there is a group of people who are actively working against the stated goals. Is it possible that something happened at some point in the past that caused the families to forget what they were doing?"

Siubahn frowned in concern as she thought about the possibility. "Are you suggesting a magical cause?"

Carson nodded.

Shaking her head, she said, "Working magic against another practitioner is very difficult to do. With any training at all, even low-level mages can shield their minds from that kind of control."

"What if they were incapacitated somehow? Even if it was for a short time, couldn't a limited number of people fall victim to another group if they were unsuspecting?"

She shrugged. "I suppose it's possible. In magic, it's never wise to completely rule something out. But I still think it's highly unlikely."

Carson couldn't help but wonder if she was dismissing the possibility too quickly.

"Siubahn, do you think it's possible that there's someone...a Druid like me...who might be able to train me? I need to know so much more."

She took a sip of her water before answering. "There were rumors of a Druid in this area, but no one I've spoken to has seen the man for at least ten years. Not since...well, remember when I said that our world is not safe? There is a group of magicians, human and non-human—Hunters, we call them—that thinks the world should be ruled by those with the most power. People who oppose them tend to meet untimely ends. It's possible that one of their hunters found that Druid and eliminated him. I just don't know."

Carson frowned in frustration. "How am I supposed to learn and grow if I don't have a teacher?"

She placed a hand on his forearm, marveling once again at the powerful hum of his magic under her fingers. "I will check around with some of my contacts today to see if there might be anyone who can help you along your path."

Carson escorted her from his office, and once again noted her gaze lingering on Corinne. When Siubahn noticed him watching her, she pointedly directed her eyes to the floor.

Standing before the lift, he asked her about Corinne. "Did you recognize my assistant?"

Looking uncomfortable, Siubahn shook her head. Though she smiled, it was clear that there was something bothering her. "No. I thought I felt something..." She trailed off in thought before shaking her head back to the present. Carson accompanied her to the lift. She stepped in but held the doors. "Carson, take care of yourself. You are more important than you know."

She stepped back and the doors closed on a very confused Carson.

*****

On a small farm outside the city a couple of days later...

"That's it, baby! Harder...unh, unh...right there...don't stop...almost there...Yeesss!"

With Sonja's needs met, Jordan unloaded inside her grasping pussy, relying on her contraceptives once again. They both knew that now was not the time for a baby. They were in the midst of a struggle that threatened to consume society, and time was growing short. Their interludes, while pleasurable, were merely a physical release of tension between two people thrown together by circumstances.

He rolled to his back and Sonja snuggled under his arm to lay her head on his shoulder. She ran her hand along his stomach and chest idly. "You're getting into pretty good shape, Jordan. And your skills in bed have improved."

Jordan smirked. Sonja had tried to be diplomatic after their first night together, but it was clear that she was less than impressed with his arsenal of moves. Before then, he'd never really considered that he might not be that good in bed. His pheromones had always made it incredible for his lover du jour.

These days, though, he was deeply involved in a project to remake himself. Part of those efforts included learning to deal with other people where they were, instead of trying to force them. That was the way his father operated; Jordan was determined to travel a different path. In short, he'd decided it was time to grow up.

He kissed her head and said, "Thank you. And thank you for being patient with me. If I've improved, it's because you taught me things that I never thought about before."

She bent to kiss his chest and replied, "You've been an eager student." Smacking his stomach lightly, she sat up and said, "We've got to get going. We're meeting our contacts in an hour."

"Okay, okay," he grumbled. Stumbling from the bed, he made his way into the ionizing spray closet, pausing to don the protective nasal plugs and eye shields. More efficient than the old-fashioned water shower that it replaced, the chemical spray was also quicker. In only seconds, he was ready to dress for the day. He passed Sonja on the way into the bedroom and couldn't help but give her ass a squeeze.

Truthfully, he probably wouldn't have pursued her in the old days. He preferred women who were a little curvier than she was. Instead, Sonja was a taut, athletic creature with relatively small breasts on a tall frame. Yet, she somehow made it work. Jordan thought that it had something to do with the confident way that she carried herself. He hadn't met many women who gave as well as they got around him; Sonja did.

In fact, if he were honest, he kind of got a charge out of the way she directed things once they got together. Sonja was definitely a different type of lover from his usual. For one, after that first night, she'd been insistent that he spend time warming her up before she would touch him. Truth be told, she was kind of bossy, bordering on domineering. Jordan was having trouble making up his mind whether he enjoyed that aspect of their relationship, or if he simply was enjoying her imaginative lovemaking. Regardless, he was definitely in uncharted territory.

The pair were just finishing getting dressed when there was a knock at the door. "You guys ready to go?" asked Patterson.

Jordan opened the door and stepped through while tucking in his shirt. "Let's do it."

On the way, Patterson filled them in. "It took some time to make a connection with this group. They've been very cautious. Not much is known about them, but there're rumors that they're behind everything from the attack on Clemonte's ships to the wave of drug busts up and down the coast to the assassination of the arms dealer in Somalia last month. No one knows for sure how long their reach is, how they're getting their funding, or how big their organization is. But the latest rumor is they're the group that hacked NeoGenesys. It took a while, but I managed to track down the hacker who took responsibility. We're meeting this person to see if we can pool our resources. If we're going to take down your father and his accomplices, we're going to need help."

They parked behind an abandoned warehouse and made their way inside. In the center of the vast space was a Faraday cage, glowing in the surrounding darkness from the concentrated spotlights that shown from above. The door was open, but there were no others around.

"Leave your communicators and electronic devices on the table next to the door. Enter the cage and close the door behind you," boomed a voice from the loudspeaker. It was a woman's voice, young but confident.

"How do we know you won't trap us inside and kill us?" yelled Patterson.

"Sonuvabi...llygoat," replied the voice, causing Jordan and his partners to look at each other in confusion. "You don't. Now get in the fu...ntime cage. I won't ask again, and I'm not meeting you without protecting myself."

"Let's just do it," said Jordan. "They could have killed us already if that was the game." He led the group towards the cage, pausing to deposit his equipment as ordered. When the three of them were inside, he swung the door closed. A minute or two passed with nothing happening. He was about to speak when he felt and heard a humming vibration as the cage energized. Maybe half a minute had passed when the lights suddenly went out.

"What the fuck?" yelled Sonja.

"Quiet," hissed Patterson, straining to hear beyond the hum. He thought he heard footsteps, but he couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, the lights came back up and Jordan gasped.

"Hello, Jordan," smirked Carson Jayne. "Long time, no see. Who do you have with you?"

Jordan swallowed around the lump in his throat. He had no idea what Carson had in mind, but his involvement here was a big surprise. "Uh...I think you know Patterson. He used to work for me when I was in the project. He saved my life. Now he's...I guess he's a combination trainer and intelligence officer."

"Patterson," rumbled Edwards with a nod. "Good to see you again my friend."

Patterson grinned and strode over to the gentle giant. "Edwards, you old dog. An unexpected pleasure my friend." He turned to Carson and said, "Thank you for meeting with us Mr. Jayne."

Carson waved him off. "Just Carson is fine. If we're going to be working together, we might as well cut down on the formality."

"And this is Sonja," Jordan said. "She's my, uh..." He hesitated, suddenly unsure how to describe their relationship at this point. Carson knew that Jordan was married to Aria.

"We fuck from time to time," declared Sonja as she stepped forward with an outstretched hand. Jordan relaxed when she didn't glare at him. She lowered her voice when she got closer to Carson. "I'd love to take you for a ride, though, handsome," as she looked him over in appraisal.

Carson smirked at her. He was long past the days when a woman, no matter how brazen or beautiful, rattled his cage. "Let's finish this business with Eisenfaust and we'll see. My wives and other lovers would have to give their approval. Besides, you've got Jordan, right?" He winked at Jordan as he turned away.

"Can we get down to frickin' business now?" muttered the odd little elf-woman half hiding behind Edwards.

"Patience," replied Tilda. She stepped forward to shake hands with the visitors. "Tilda Grimaldi, SSH."

Out of habit, Jordan had been evaluating the unusually large woman with the giant tits from the moment he'd noticed her. Upon hearing her introduction though, he exclaimed "Shit!" reflexively.

"Oh fuck," murmured Patterson.

Seeing their reactions, Sonja got a little concerned. "What's going on?"

"She's kind of a cop," answered Patterson. "For Orriri."

"Oh. Well, shit," Sonja spat petulantly.

Carson stepped up. "Relax. She's with me. In more than one way," he added, his eyes boring into Jordan's. The other progenitor at least had the grace to avert his eyes at having given the offense. "She's not here for the SSH."

While their bodies relaxed a little, both Edwards and Tilda were pleased to note that the 'new recruits' did not stop scanning their environment. Even Jordan seemed to remain on the alert.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. No one seemed to know quite how to start things off.

"What's with the cage?" queried Sonja. "Afraid the aliens will scan your brain waves?" She was joking, but in typical Starfyre fashion, the elfish woman missed the nuance and fired back sans filter.

"It's necessary to keep those fu...dgepackers from listening in through our communicators. Or with a directional microphone. I thought you guys were supposed to be real operators. You should know this already, Barbie."

"I was joking," insisted Sonja. "Geez, take it down a notch elfling."

"How about we all settle down a little?" said Carson, attempting to quell any infighting before any more fireworks were set off. "We're supposed to be on the same team, right?" Seeing the nods of agreement, he said, "Then let's knock off the insults and see how we fit together? Sound good?"

Patterson was even more impressed with Carson than he'd been in his limited contact with the man previously. Of course, he could read the immense respect that his old friend Edwards had for his employer, and that counted at least as much as his own opinion on the matter. He stepped up and said, "Rumor has it that you guys leaked the files from NeoGenesys. Is that true?"

Looking at his advisors, both of whom nodded in encouragement, Carson said, "We did. Well, Starfyre did. She deserves all the credit." When Patterson looked at the diminutive hacker, he was surprised to see that she was blushing. If I didn't know better, I'd think she had a bit of a crush on Carson, he thought.

Squinting his eyes a little, Patterson asked, "Did you take out Clemonte?"

Carson was clearly uncomfortable, but he firmly stated, "Yes. That was not sanctioned, though," he hastily added, his eyes flashing his irritation at Starfyre's unilateral decision to assassinate one of their enemies via transport accident.

Patterson again followed Carson's look to the odd little woman who remained off to the side. She seemed nonplussed and simply shrugged in acknowledgement as he looked her over.

"Uh huh. And how about the arms dealer in Somalia?"

Edwards at first seemed irritated at the notion. Pointing his finger at Patterson, he grimaced and emphatically said, "There is no evidence that we had anything to do with that...that...that masterful piece of precision threat elimination." He finished with a wicked grin and winked at Patterson. His counterpart simply shook his head.

"I should have known better than to ask," he said, shaking his head ruefully. Looking back around again he asked, "So what's the name of this outfit?"

Carson looked at Tilda. Tilda looked at Edwards. Edwards looked at Carson. Finally Carson replied, "We, uh, we haven't decided on a name yet."

"Exercitus vindictae," piped up Starfyre, drawing everyone's eyes to her.

Narrowing his eyes, Carson struggled to remember his long-ago Latin lessons. "'Vindictae.' Is that like vindication?" he offered. "What's the exercitus?"

"I believe she said, 'Army of Vengeance,' sir," interjected Edwards.

"Is that right?" asked Tilda, to which Starfyre nodded. After a moment's thought, she nodded. "I like it." The others seemed to agree, and there quickly arose a murmur as they began discussing its implications and even how they might develop a unit badge.

Carson frowned. Despite the horrible things that Eisenfaust had done, he was uncomfortable with the imagery of himself or his team as avenging anything. If they got too comfortable with the idea, what would then be the difference between his group and the one they'd deposed? And he wasn't trying to form a paramilitary. He simply wanted to stop any other horrible actions by the opposition, and to try and reverse the damage that had already been done to the extent possible. Clearing his throat, he quietly said, "I don't." His calm pronouncement drew everyone's attention.

"What?" asked Tilda.

He looked around at the group, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious for going against the others like this. "Look. It all sounds good that we're some sort of punishment for the wrongs that Eisenfaust have done. But where does it stop? What determines when we act against them or someone else? Who watches the watchers?"

"You're worried about what comes next, aren't you?" asked Edwards.

Carson nodded and said, "In the fictional world of Oceania, Orwell thought that revolutionaries only sought to establish their own dictatorships. He said, 'One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.'"

Edwards frowned. "You think we'd become a law unto ourselves?"

Strolling away in thought, Carson weighed his words carefully. Turning back, he said, "I don't think we'd go that far. I guess I'm just worried that we are stepping onto a slippery slope. We have to be careful not to assume that because we can do something, that somehow, we ought to do something. There will always be bad people in the world, people that will do whatever they feel they can get away with. I don't want to be one of them."

His passionate oration fell heavily upon the rest of the group. Each seemed to be caught up in the implications of his argument.

Finally, Jordan said, "Wow. It's no wonder women all seem to find you fascinating. I can't blame Aria for falling in love with you."

Once again, Carson found himself uncomfortable. "Listen, Jordan. I...don't know what to say. There's been a lot..."

"Don't worry about it," Jordan interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She doesn't love me; I don't think she even liked me when we got married. My father forced her father's hand. Honestly, I would have been more surprised if she hadn't found someone more to her liking."

Seeing the surprised look on Carson's face, Jordan laughed. "Not what you expected? Let's just say that fleeing for your life from your father has a way of rearranging your priorities in life and making you examine what it is you value. And...I don't want to become my father. If I'm ever able to come out of hiding, I plan on letting Aria have the divorce that she deserves. Really, with her dad dead and me 'missing,' she could probably file now without any threats from my dad."