Semper Invictus Ch. 02 - Quartered

"Yes, most of the time," I said. "Sometimes, the host is affected, but that's usually a result of the beast trying to escape the body."

"I wondered how you managed to hide such a long blade under that jacket," she said. I chuckled and turned the transector off.

"Now you know," I said, putting the transector down.

"I still want to face these things with you," she said. "It's my right to fight at your side. It's where I belong." I nodded my head and took her in my arms. I felt so proud to have her with me.

"I understand. But not until you're ready," I said. "I lost you once already. I don't think I could stand losing you again. Not after all this time."

"How long does it take to get ready?" she asked.

"It took about 35 years for the Errnocht to prepare me the first time," I said. "Of course, that was 2,000 years ago. A lot has changed since then. They've improved the process quite a bit, from what I understand. I'm not really sure how long it would take."

"I want to do it," she said. "Even if it takes 35 years, that is nothing compared to eternity."

"Are you absolutely certain about that?" I asked. "There is a price to pay for this, after all."

"What price?" she asked.

"Once you are prepared, you will never be able to have children," I said. "Are you willing to pay that price?"

"I have already given birth to two wonderful boys," she said. "You are my husband. I have never been more certain of anything in my life." I felt pride as I held her in my arms and considered her sweet, round face. At that moment, I never felt more in love with anyone as I did with her.

"Very well," I said. "I will confer with Svan."

"Thank you," she said. The next thing I knew, we were on the floor in a passionate embrace.

...

Sharon Williams prepared to leave the hotel, now that the convention was over. Before last night, she never would have even considered cheating on her husband. Now, it was almost all she could think about. It was as if something inside her had changed, like a switch had been thrown.

She turned and looked at Brenda Harrison, an agent from a town not too far from her own. She also appeared to have changed a bit.

"So, are you ready to get back to the grind?" Brenda asked.

"Not really," Sharon said. "But I guess all good things have to come to an end. It was a good convention. I had a really good time. How about you?"

"It really got good last night," Brenda said with a slight smile. "I feel... liberated, somehow."

"Yeah. Me too," Sharon said. "Maybe it was something we ate last night. I guess I'd better be heading back. Call me sometime if you're in town and we can go for a drink or something, okay?"

"Sure," Brenda said with a smile. "I'd like that. We can compare notes or something." The two women exchanged hugs and went their separate ways. As Sharon drove, she thought about what happened the previous night, and what happened earlier that morning. It had been some time since she had given her husband a wake-up blowjob.

As she thought about it, her hand went to her skirt. Raising the skirt, she slipped a finger under her panties and felt the wetness between her legs. It's just sex, she thought. Ron doesn't have to know. And if he did, so what? He wasn't hurt by it. Besides, he wasn't there to tend to her needs. She needed a cock, and she got one.

All the excuses went through her mind as she drove. As the miles went by, she found herself getting excited -- again. She saw the exit and looked at the sign advertising the truck stop. Yes, there would be plenty of strange cock here for her to sample. She might be a bit later than she planned getting home to Ron, but so what? Maybe I'll bring him a nice wet surprise, she thought with a smile as she made the exit.

...

"So, where is she now?" I asked after we returned from the gym. Noemi looked at her monitor before responding.

"It looks like she's at the truck stop at the Indian Trail Road exit, just south of town," she said.

"It'll take me about 35 minutes to get there," I said. "Keep an eye on that one, let me know if there's any movement."

"Alright," she said. "Be careful, Arte," she added, giving me a kiss.

"I will," I told her, returning the kiss. Once I had everything I needed, I headed for my truck. I put the tracker in its holder, inserted the Bluetooth receiver in my ear and drove out. It was dark by the time I arrived at the truck stop. The marker indicated the beast inside Sharon was still here.

"She's moved some, but not much," I heard Noemi say in the Bluetooth receiver. I found a spot and parked. After I turned on the GoPro camera attached to my jacket, I pulled the tracker and followed the signal to a white truck with a large sleeper cab. According to the tracker, the creature -- presumably still inside Sharon -- was inside that cab. I hid and watched the cab.

After a half hour, the cab door opened and I watched her climb out. She stood still for a few moments, holding on to a mirror for support. When she moved away, I followed her. She made her way to a cinder block partition that held a couple of green dumpsters. As I watched, she bent over and threw up. I pulled out my transector and activated it.

Sharon saw the light reflection from my transector and turned to look at me. I saw the beast try to extricate itself from her body when it realized its time was nearing an end.

"YOU!" the Sharon/Beast screamed.

"Semper Invictus," I declared as I sliced through the beast inside Sharon. The thing writhed on the asphalt in front of Sharon for a few seconds before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The "heart" of the thing lay on the tarmac, pulsating red. I picked it up and crumbled it in my hands. Wiping the dust off of me, I looked and saw Sharon staring at me, her eyes wide, her face a ghastly white. She sat down on a concrete parking stop and regarded me before speaking.

"Wh... What happened? What was that thing?" she asked.

"Judging from the copious amounts of semen on you, I would suspect you've had sex with at least six men," I told her.

"Seven, counting Jake Albertson from New York," she said quietly.

"Of course. At the hotel," I said. I could see she was about to go into shock, so I pulled a bottle of water from inside my jacket and a packet of powder. I opened the bottle and poured the powder inside, then shook the bottle. I had seen this hundreds of times before, so I always came prepared.

"You never answered my question," she said quietly. "What was that... thing?" I handed her the bottle.

"Drink that. It'll help restore your body," I said. She took the bottle and gulped half of it down in no time. "Careful. Not too much." I looked back at where the creature had been. "That thing entered your body at the hotel."

"Is that what made me do what I did?" she asked, still in shock.

"It helped," I said. "It removed your inhibitions, fed off your inner desires, amplified them, helped you justify your actions in your mind."

"What do I do now?" she asked. "What will I tell my husband? Oh, God, what have I done?"

"I am not a marriage counselor, so I'm not going to be much help in that regard," I told her. "Do you love him?"

"More than anything," she said, tears falling down her face. "I've never even considered cheating on him before. Ever."

"Then I suggest you tell him the truth," I said.

"What? That a creature entered my body and helped me act like a slut? He'll never believe me," she said.

"Probably not," I said. I pulled a card from my pocket and handed it to her. "Feel free to have him contact me if you think it'll help. In the meantime, I suggest you clean yourself up. They have showers here. Perhaps you should take advantage of that. I would also suggest you get checked for STDs at your earliest convenience."

"Oh crap," she moaned. "I didn't even think of that."

"No, I imagine not," I said.

"Are there any more of those... things out there?" she asked.

"Yes, there are," I told her. "But I doubt they'll come back for you. They almost never occupy the same body twice."

"You sound like you know a lot about these things," she said.

"Enough," I said. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, I am now, thank you," she said. "And thank you for getting that thing out of me."

"You're welcome," I said. "Can you manage on your own now or do you need help?"

"I can manage now," she said. "Thank you for asking."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Williams," I said, standing up. "Say nothing about this encounter to anyone but your husband. And don't forget to have him contact me."

"I won't," she said. I checked my tracker and found there was nothing requiring my attention here, so I bought a cup of coffee and went back to my truck.

"Did you catch all of that?" I asked Noemi when I settled into the cab of my truck.

"All of it," she said. "Do you think her husband will contact you?"

"I don't know," I said.

"That poor woman," she said. "What do you think will happen to her?"

"Can't say for sure," I said. "I have a feeling she'll end up divorced, though. Anyway, I'm on my way home."

"Okay, sweetheart," she said. I fired up the truck and headed home.

...

The next day, I received a call from a quite upset Ron Williams. I was surprised to hear from him so soon. To be honest, I was surprised to hear from him at all. He wanted to know what happened to his wife at the truck stop. Rather than get into it over the phone, I suggested he meet me at the coffee shop at the truck stop. He agreed and said he would meet me there that afternoon.

I was sitting in a booth at the shop when he walked in. He was a bit taller than me and sported a full head of dark, well-styled hair. It almost looked as if each strand was glued in place. Everything about him screamed, "investment banker." He looked down at me when he reached the booth.

"Steve Iverson?" he asked. I stood and shook his hand.

"You must be Ron Williams," I said. "How is Mrs. Williams, by the way?"

"A bit shaken, a little jumpy," Ron said.

"That's quite normal under the circumstances," I said. "Care for a cup of coffee? Believe it or not, they make a pretty good cappuccino. My treat."

"Yeah, why not," he said. I ordered a cappuccino for him and another for myself. "So, why did you want to meet here?" he asked.

"I have a video to show you," I said. "And I thought I'd show you the scene of the crime, as it were."

"You have video?" he asked. "Are you one of those creeps who gets off on taking videos of women having sex or something?"

"No, not at all," I said. "What did your wife tell you?"

"She gave me some outlandish story about being... possessed... by something that made her act like a slut," he said. "Naturally, I thought her story was a crock of shit. But I knew she was telling me the truth. She has this little tell... When she lies, the corner of her left eye twitches just a bit. There was none of that.

"When she gave me your card, I honestly thought you were the one she screwed around with. I had every intention of punching you in the nose, but I wanted to meet you first. Get your story." I laughed at that. By then our coffee arrived.

"Well, before you try to punch me in the nose, perhaps you should take a look at this," I said, turning my tablet so he could see the video of my encounter with her and the beast that had possessed her. His eyes grew wide as he watched, then he watched it again.

"What's with this 'semper invictus' stuff?" he asked.

"That's Latin," I said. "It's something I do..."

"So, you've had experience with these... things, then?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"You know, when Sharon told me what happened, I thought she had gone crazy," he said. "I thought she was trying to put one over on me. I've known her for years. In all that time, she's never once lied to me. I quite frankly didn't know what to think. Until you showed me that video, I was convinced it was all a bunch of bullshit."

"As you saw, I told her she should be honest with you," I said. "She said you probably wouldn't believe her and I agreed. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably react the same way."

"And that... thing... made her do all that stuff?" he asked.

"That's where it gets a bit dicey," I said.

"Oh? How so?" he asked.

"These creatures lower inhibitions. They feed off of hidden desires, amplify them, then feed them back. They technically don't make anyone do anything," I said.

"Are you saying my wife wanted to be a slut?" Ron asked, his anger rising.

"No," I said. "I'm not saying that at all. I'm sure under normal conditions, your wife probably would not have done what she did yesterday. You're aware of Ecstasy and other drugs that lower inhibitions, right?"

"Yes," he said.

"Multiply that by about 1,000, and that's what you have with these creatures," I said. "There's one other thing you should know."

"What's that?" he asked.

"It's not unusual for women who have had these things inside them to... seek additional outlets for their desires at some point in the future," I said.

"Are you saying my wife is going to keep on cheating, even though you killed the thing that was inside her?" Ron asked.

"I'm saying it's a distinct possibility," I said. "In my experience, about 95 percent of the women in these cases end up going outside the marriage for sex even after the creatures have been expelled from their bodies. This beast wasn't in your wife for more than 24 hours, so she might be one of the four or five percent who fully recover. There is a chance, though, that at some point, she'll want to experience what she did that night all over again."

"So, what do you suggest I do? Do I divorce her?" Ron asked.

"That's up to you. Like I told your wife, I am not a marriage counselor, so I am in no position to offer any advice," I said. "I do suggest you seek professional help and I also suggest you keep an eye on her."

"Well, I suppose forewarned is forearmed, right? If we both know this, and are ready if it surfaces, that will improve our odds, right?" he asked.

"It certainly can't hurt," I told him.

"I get the feeling you've had this talk with quite a few men," Ron finally said.

"More than you know," I said.

"So, what, exactly, are these things? Are they demons of some kind?" Ron asked.

"From your perspective, that's about as logical a conclusion as you can reach," I said. "The reality is far more complex. Suffice it to say these things are out there, and they only have one goal -- to destroy whatever they can. If you're finished with your coffee, I can show you where this confrontation took place."

"I'd like that," Ron said. We downed the rest of our coffee and I walked him outside to the area where I encountered Sharon and the creature. He looked at the spot on the ground where she had thrown up the night before and shook his head. He looked at me with sad eyes.

"Are you married?" he asked.

"Yes," I said.

"I've known Sharon for years," he said. "I never in my life thought she would reduce herself to... this. She was always so proper, so..."

"Say no more, Mr. Williams," I said. "She made her own decisions, but she was under the influence of a creature she was simply unable to resist. Hopefully, she will be able to resist temptation in the future."

"I hope so," he said sadly. "I truly hope so. Tell me, Mr. Iverson. How long have you been fighting these things?"

"Longer than you can imagine," I said.

"Well... Thank you for saving her. And thank you for your time," he said.

"You're welcome," I said. "And... good luck." We shook hands and parted ways.

...

"So, how did it go?" Noemi asked when I got home.

"Better than I thought it would," I said.

"You think he'll end up divorcing her?" she asked.

"Don't know. I get the feeling he'll try to work things out with her," I said.

"Can we talk for a bit?" she asked.

"Of course," I said. "What's on your mind?"

"I want to go in the field with you," she said. "I want to help you fight these things."

"You are helping me fight these things," I said.

"No, that's not what I meant," she said. "I want to be at your side, not stuck here watching video and tracking monitors." I knew what she meant and I knew there was no way I would win this argument. Noei had fought at my side before, and I knew she was more than capable of handling any situation. The truth was I didn't want to be separated from her again.

"I know what you mean," I said. "There's another reason, though, isn't there?"

"Yes," she said quietly. "I don't want to get old and die while you stay... young. Not again. I've been there, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," I said. "Are you absolutely certain about this?"

"I've never been more certain," she said. I couldn't argue her points. The truth was I couldn't bear to see her get old and die -- again. I don't think I could handle burying her a second time.

"Alright. Let's go talk to Svan. See what he says," I told her. We went into the workroom and I fired up the communicator. Svan's face appeared after the connection was complete.

"Steve, what can I do for you?" Svan said.

"Noei would like to join me," I said. Svan looked at me for a moment as what I said sunk in. He nodded his head and addressed Noei.

"Are you absolutely certain about this?" he asked. "Once the initial work has been done, it cannot be undone."

"I am certain," she said. "My place is at my husband's side."

"I understand," Svan said.

"How long will this take?" I asked Svan.

"We've improved and streamlined our processes a great deal since you were recruited, Steve," he said. "What used to take 35 years back then can now be done in about as many days. Perhaps less, given the preparation already done to her DNA."

"So, roughly a month, then," I said.

"About that," he said. I looked at Noei.

"Trust me, you'll never even notice the passage of time," I said.

"Then let's do it," she said. "The sooner the better."

"Alright," Svan said. "If you insist. I'll let the two of you spend the night, then we start tomorrow morning. Will that work for you, Noei?"

"It will," she said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet," he said with a smile. "Anything else?"

"Just one question," I said. "I know you've been monitoring the situation in Eastern Europe. Are the creatures involved in any of that?"

"As you know, Steve, I cannot divulge operational details. I can tell you there appears to be external involvement, but we have assets in place. Why do you ask?"

"We were talking about it earlier and were just curious," I said.

"Ah. Well, at this point, I would suggest that you focus on your area of responsibility. I assure you, if there is any need for you to know more, we'll brief you on the situation," Svan said.

"Understood," I said. "My apologies."

"No apologies necessary," Svan said. "Go on, enjoy your last evening together for a bit," he added with a smile. We ended the communication, and went upstairs for dinner. That night, Noei did her best to fuck my brains out.

...

The next day, we made the preparations as Svan directed. At the precise moment, I kissed Noei's sweet face, knowing I would not see her for another month.

"Take care of yourself, my love," she said as she lay on top of the bed. "I love you. I'll be right back. You take care of my plants and stay out of trouble now, you hear me?"

"I will," I told her. "I love you, too. And I'll be right here when you get back." I stood back and saw the familiar green orb form in the corner of the room. It flashed briefly and disappeared, along with my wife. I looked at the empty bed and wiped a tear from my eye. I knew she would be back, but I still missed her.

I went to the workroom downstairs and connected with Svan. He smiled as the connection was established.

"Do you have her?" I asked.