Iron Rain Pt. 14

October 1, 2012

Nick diverted the Numenor to the Bahamas specifically Nassau. The tension aboard the ship had been reaching an almost fevered pitch so a long weekend with sun and surf was deemed mandatory. The entire crew was rotated off until everyone had spent at least two days off ship. Nick was the last to leave the ship and then only when the area had been carefully but subtly scanned for potential assassins.

"Mr. Nick," a voice called out to him as he strolled near the beach and he immediately recognized the owner of the bar and lounge 'The Blue Hell' who was waving him over.

"Jean Claude," Nick addressed him when he was close enough. "How is business?"

"It is like the tide tourists flock and then there are quiet times like today. This is an odd time for a visit Mr. Nick most of my clientele left weeks ago."

"The crew was getting a bit twitchy they needed to stretch their land legs," Nick said with an easy smile.

"I understand, send them my way and I will treat them like family," the aging Frenchman offered.

"I will do that Jean Claude, but I was wondering if you could help me find someone?"

"For you Mr. Nick anything who is she?"

"She is a he and he is a marine biologist that is supposed to be doing research in this area," Nick explained sliding over a photo.

"Yes I know this man, he is very English." Jean Claude chuckled. "He has a place not far from here let me draw you a map on the back of your photo here."

Jean Claude drew a hasty map and Nick slipped him two hundred dollars on the sly. Nick looked out at the ocean and the men and women either sunning themselves on the beach or frolicking in the surf.

"Mr. Nick, are you alright," Jean Claude asked. "You don't seem like yourself."

"I'm not myself old friend, that's the problem I'm not." Nick muttered and with a heavy sigh he stood up and made his way to the residence of who he hoped would be the late great professor Griffin.

The island was not quite vacant but it sure was quiet compared to his first visit her with Cyan. Those few non-natives that lived in the Bahamas were scattered all over the island and besides scientific research and owning a bar he wondered what brought them here to live and stay. Scarcely a ten minute walk from the bar brought Nick to the sea side home of Doctor Nathaniel Whitehall marine biologist, and if the research held true, the alias of the man who had invented invisibility.

"Why am I here," Nick stopped a few houses away and felt his stomach do flip flops. "I am definitely not myself."

Steeling himself Nick continued down the road and knocked on the front door.

"Who is it," the voice was definitely female.

"My name is Nick Shaw I am looking for Nathaniel Whitehall," he replied.

"My dad's not here but if you want to come in and wait for him he should be back in a little while," she said as she approached the door and opened it. "Oh my!" she gasped at seeing the young man at her door.

"Oh my," Nick replied seeing the gorgeous scantily clad young woman.

They both laughed as she waved him in and closed the door behind him.

"We don't get a lot of male models down on this side of town," she said licking her lips.

"Ummm," Nick said awkwardly. "I'm not a model I run a company that is interested in your dad's research. We'd like to help fund it if he is in need of a sponsor."

"That's a first," she said bending over and picking up the main room of clothes and towels scattered all over. "I've never heard of a corporate sponsor for marine biologists."

"There is always a first," Nick said trying not to be obvious as he took in her natural beauty.

She was a tall olive skinned young woman with long brown hair and blue-green eyes. She had a long elegant neck that he could have kissed up one end and down the other. She had an incredibly detailed tattoo of a mermaid armed with a trident on her back that covered most of its surface. The fish tail ended just above her curvy backside and below that her long athletic legs.

"Like what you see Nick," she called over her should and when she stood up she was smiling wickedly.

"Can't help but stare at such a beautiful woman," Nick replied.

"HMMM so you do think I am cute... good." She replied. "Thirsty, I make a mean lemonade?"

"Sounds great," Nick said following her into the kitchen which had a great view of the ocean. "You got your own pier."

"Yeah, some of the locals chipped in and volunteered their time to build it for us."

"That is something, I take it dad is well liked by the locals?"

"MMMMHMMMMM," she said. "Pity he is due home any minute."

"I take it you have something on your mind," Nick moved behind her.

"NNNNNNNNNNN Nick behave, it wouldn't make a good first impression for dad to come home and find us busy."

"There's no fun in behaving but I will go sit down and be a good boy," Nick said leaving her and distinctly heard her moan of disappointment. "You know I don't even know your name."

"Bastet," she replied over the sound of the blender.

"Bastet Whitehall, that's interesting. I would expect a marine biologist to name his little girl after something in the sea."

"Oh he wanted to name me Tempest but mom wanted to name me after her grandmother you can guess who won that argument."

"Tempest," Nick said smiling as she handed him his drink. "It sounds like he had an insight to you even at so young an age."

"Are you saying I remind you of some sort of force of nature," she asked sitting in a chair opposite of Nick.

"Without a doubt," he replied smiling before sipping his drink. "MMMMM my lemonade tastes of tequila."

"I hope you made enough for three," Nathaniel Whitehall said as he entered from the rear of the house.

"Of course I did," Bastet said jumping to her feet and pouring her father a drink.

Nick looked at the two and drew a blank on trying to find the family resemblance and decided she must be adopted or really looks like her mother. Nick rose to his feet and offered the scientist his hand in greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Professor Whitehall," Nick said as the two men shook hands.

"Oh no it's my pleasure to meet the famous Nick Shaw, who singlehandedly changed the course of human events."

"For good or ill Professor," Nick asked.

"Let's allow future historians to dwell on that, what brings you to my humble abode?"

"I have it on some good authority that you are following in the footsteps of another English Professor one Jack Griffin," Nick said evenly watching the man's response.

"Ah my secret is revealed at last, and I suppose you want the secret to help in your military contracts," he replied bitterly.

"Not at all," Nick responded carefully. "I want to verify a man's story and have you analyze a substance that was given to me."

"Oh... perhaps a tour of the lab is in order then," the man said obviously relieved. "Follow me."

Nick followed the Professor out the back door and to what appeared like an old cold war bomb shelter. The scientist slid a key card and heard the distinct 'humm click' of a mag-lock disengaging. The steps led down a good fifteen feet and the walls, ceiling and floor were all seamless metal. The corridor had many doors and hallways leading from the main passage. Another security door later and the pair were standing in the largest of the professor's labs.

"So let me see this substance you are concerned about."

Nick took out the plastic container and handed it over with some reluctance.

"Don't fret young man; it will only take a small amount for me to determine what the compound is comprised of." Jack Griffin said with a grim smile. "Did he say it could make you invisible, is that it?"

"Yeah, he also provided me with a cure and a means of appearing visible but not the formula for invisibility."

"Interesting, does this mystery man have a name?"

"Perhaps," Nick said and the professor laughed and cut a small corner of the patch and placed it into a test tube and began his analysis in earnest.

"This could take a while perhaps you and Bast would like to continue where things left off before I showed up?"

"Ummm... she is your daughter I would feel very strange..."

"Who told you she was my daughter," professor Griffin said alarmed now.

"She did," Nick said and the scientist relaxed visibly.

"Oh, for a moment I thought... never mind I told her it was okay to tell people around town that she was my daughter to keep things less dramatic. Sleeping with your assistant is highly frowned upon in most circles but knowing what a free spirit she is I don't play jealous boyfriend when her eye is drawn to a handsome face."

"Okay, that clears that up; I was thinking she was adopted because she looked nothing like you." Nick said smiling.

Nick decided to look around the lab and keep his hands in his pockets to avoid any unnecessary issues. The back wall of the lab drew Nick's attention almost immediately because of all the fish tanks and inside each one a different species of octopus. One by one he peered into the glass enclosures and saw the alien creatures move about looking for prey. When he moved to the next tank the occupant was a little closer to the glass than the one before it and so on until the last octopus in the last tank was eye to eye with Nick staring intently at him.

"Weird," Nick muttered.

"Strange indeed," the professor said as he crossed the floor to stand next to Nick. "Cephalopods are by nature loners and this is definitely not typical behavior."

"I take it they don't like people as a rule," Nick asked.

"You would be correct; I wonder why they find you so fascinating?"

"Maybe it's my cologne," Nick joked but the professor just watched silently. "So is this what your invisibility study is based on the camouflage techniques of octopi?"

"Exactly that was a very insightful deduction young man; I can see how you developed such potent weapons of war."

"That was my company not me, I worked on the tablet computers and the desalinization plants." Nick said a little miffed.

"My apologies Nick, I have never been a fan of war." Jack said as he watched each and every octopi move as close to his visitor as they could.

"We share that sentiment believe it or not," Nick said and tentatively reached out and laid his hand on the glass of the last tank and the octopus in the tank mirrored the gesture and raised a single tentacle to the opposite side of the glass.

"Amazing... simply amazing," the professor muttered. "Try something else Nick."

Nick thought for a moment and shrugged and placed his other hand on the glass and without a moment of hesitation the octopus again mimicked his gesture. Then Nick leaned forward and touched his forehead to the cool glass and his aquatic doppelganger followed suit. Nick barely heard the professor as he gasped his gaze torn away from Nick and the last tank to see that all the other octopi were in the exact same position two tentacles on the glass and their head touching in-between. Nick's eyes closed and he felt something, a kind of music rising in his head and knew it was a chorus of the octopi singing to him but not through his ears but directly into his mind somehow. Had the psychic assault Mary Stone had delivered somehow opened him up to this sort of thing?

'My name is Nick,' he thought at the chorus of alien voices.

'THE SHAW!!!' they sang back.

'Who are you,' Nick sent out.

'We are the dreamer in the deep,' they sang.

'We are... I don't understand,' Nick tried to wrap his head around this whole thing.

'I Am the Dreamer in the Deep,' a voice so dark and so cold it seemed to slow everything down to a glacial pace. 'You are the Shaw you oppose the Nephilim.'

'Are you one of the Old Ones," Nick asked.

'Not as you understand them, no. My children and I have dwelt within the deep long before the coming of the Old Ones and we will dwell there long after they are gone.'

Suddenly the memory of the photograph, the daguerreotype, on the wall at Castle Eisermann flashed into his mind. The horrible city covered in moss spat out from the unknown depths of the Pacific Ocean with its blasphemous geometry and alien architecture... so unnatural.

'I see in your thoughts you have seen the beauty my children have wrought,' a sound that grated on his very being ripped through Nick and he realized the thing was laughing. 'I also see in your mind a deep desire and I will grant you your heart's hunger for it may serve us yet in the end.'

Nick blinked his eyes and reality snapped back into place and saw that the octopi in their tanks were not leaning against the glass but were in fact behaving normally. He looked around and saw that the professor was still working on the sample he had given him. Had he been daydreaming? Was that just some terrible fantasy? He shivered and fought the desperate urge to hug himself.

"I need some fresh air," Nick told the professor.

"Go on I will come get you when I have some results," he said over his shoulder never actually looking at Nick.

Nick left the main lab and walked down the long hallway with all the smaller labs off to either side and wondered what else the good doctor was working on. He climbed the metallic stairs and opened the bomb shelter door and let out a heavy sigh of relief seeing the brilliant sun hanging in the sky.

"There you are," Bastet's voice drew his attention away from the psychic chill that still managed to linger despite the fresh air.

"Hey," was all he could find to say.

"You look like hell what happened," she asked appearing genuinely concerned.

"Ever have a nightmare while you were daydreaming?"

"Only about breaking a nail," she laughed but saw he was serious and decided to take his mind off of things. "How about a swim that ought to cheer you up?"

"My suit is back on the ship," Nick said absently.

"Who said anything about wearing a suit? This part of the beach is pretty exclusive," she said untying her bikini top and revealing her firm young breasts with their inverted nipples.

"Just what the doctor ordered," Nick said with a smile.

"I'm glad you like them," she purred. "Why don't you come over here and show me just how much."

Nick walked over slowly making her wait as long as possible. But instead of just attacking her breasts he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. He looked her in the eyes taking in the measure of her. Nick slowly lowered his lips to hers but at the last moment pulled away.

"Tease," she growled.

"Show me how much you want me to kiss you," he said using her own words against her.

"MMMMMMMMMMM," she purred/moaned at him. "I am really going to enjoy this."

She leaned up and planted a kiss on his neck and then another one just a little higher and so on until her teeth were latched onto his earlobe. Nick adjusted his grip on her as his hands settled onto her firm round bottom. He began to tug her shorts down and off of her discovering she wasn't wearing a bikini bottom beneath.

"Naughty boy, I don't wear underwear... now what are you going to do?"

He tugged his own shorts off revealing his iron hard flesh aching to be inside of her.

"This," he said lifting her up by her waist and positioning her pussy right above his cock but not letting her slip down onto it.

"Bastard... give me that cock of yours," she was snarling as she smiled down at him.

"Well since you asked so nice," Nick said dropping her and impaling her flawlessly.

"UNNNNNNNNNNNNNN FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKK," she grunted as her own body weight and gravity did all the work.

Nick grabbed her by her ass cheeks and began to lift and drop her on his cock.

"UNNNN UNNNNN UNNNNNN goddamn Nick your tearing me apart," she howled.

"Should I stop," he asked.

"Don't you fucking dare!"

"Are you going to cum for me Bastet?"

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS," she growled as she nipped at his shoulder.

"Good, now be a good girl and make some fucking noise," he said seeing a brief flare of anger but when she was impaled it was gone in an instant.

"UNNNNNNN GOD DAMN NICK I love your fucking cock inside of me," she howled.

Now as he dropped her he thrust up into her doubling the force of each motion. Bastet's eyes rolled up in her head and he body shook as she came... very hard. Nick never slowed or thought of stopping. He kept lifting and dropping her all the way through her climax. She was panting and clinging tightly to him now.

"That's one," he said as he nipped her earlobe.

"Put me down and I'll ride an orgasm out of you," she barked.

"Yes ma'am," Nick said lifting her up and off of him and with a light toss she landed on her feet. "Just like a cat to land on her feet."

A towel was produced and Nick lay down while Bastet straddled him and lowered her slick pussy down onto him. She was licking her lips in anticipation of riding him and feeling his fat cock inside of her once more.

"Come to mama," she moaned as the tip opened her up and with an intake of breath she dropped down onto him.

"UNNNNNNNNN," he grunted as she impaled herself.

"How's that feel lover," she said turning around and riding him facing away.

"Fucking... Amazing..." Nick moaned watching her ass lift and drop on him. "Makes me wish I had two cocks watching that tight little asshole of yours."

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM," she moaned loudly, "god damn now that would be fucking amazing having two cocks in me at the same time."

"Ride that cock you dirty lil whore," he moaned.

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMM right now I'm your dirty little whore," she agreed.

Her ass was bouncing up and down now as fast as she could go and Nick felt the first tingling of his climax.

"I am getting close baby," Nick let her know as he began to thrust up into her tight little pussy.

"YESSSSSSSSSSS slam that fat cock of yours into me," she begged. "MMMMMMMM I can feel it swelling deep inside of me. Please baby let me feel you cum... spray my pussy walls lover!"

Nick was panting and gritting his teeth as he fought to hold off his climax but was quickly losing the battle. She was pulling almost all the way out leaving only the head in and then dropping down sending waves of pleasure through them both. He was growling and spitting now fighting his orgasm and knew that another few seconds and he would lose control. She was lifting up and then paused before dropping down. As he saw her ass begin moving downwards he thrust his hips up and hollered as he came.

"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS," Bastet screamed with him as they came together.

Nick and Bastet sat in front of the fire pit watching the sun go down her head on his shoulder purring contentedly. But his mind was a million miles away. Surfer had contacted him and the last stages of Project Aries were finished and the developers had indicated a one hundred percent success rate. Now he had to decide when and where to initiate it. He was long passed questioning his actions or their moral value what he did was for the whole. Sure people would die a lot more than had perished in the destruction of the prisons. But in the end something good would come out of it. Akira was fully briefed this time and she supported him but he wondered if she agreed with his decision? But she didn't argue at all against it, she had argued so fiercely when he was going to torture and kill the sniper who had killed Petra and the man who had hired him. Petra, what would she have said he wondered suddenly.

"Surfer, where is Akira?" Nick said to the empty air.

'Milord, the Lady Akira is aboard the Numenor.'

"Please inform her I need some of her precious time please."

'Yes Sir at once,' Surfer replied and then went silent.

"Is that one of your assistants you were talking to," Bastet asked.

"Sort of," Nick replied. "He is a digital assistant... no he is more than that he is my friend. Surfer is one of my dearest friends."