Semper Invictus Ch. 04 - Neck Deep

Semper Invictus 04 -- Neck Deep

WARNING! WARNING! This story contains elements of Sci-Fi. If that bothers you to the point of distraction, please move on. You have been warned.

This story has actually been in the works for just over a year. After writing and rewriting many parts of it, I finally decided to set aside the minutiae and get it done. The title was inspired by the lyrics of "Ferrum Noricum" by Celtica -- Pipes Rock! Steve Iverson, the main character in this story, first appeared in "Wife and the Beast."

I would like to thank QuantumMechanic1957 and Kalimaxos for giving this a beta read, as well as those who have offered comments and constructive criticism on my previous stories.

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper...

And now, the disclaimers:

For those who want to say this or that would never happen, remember this is my universe, a place where nearly anything can, and often does, happen. At least on paper... In addition:

1. Characters in this story may participate in one or more of the following: Smoking, consumption of adult (meaning, alcoholic) beverages, utterance of profanities.
2. All sexual activity is between consenting adults 18 years of age or older.
3. Statements or views uttered by the fictional characters in this story do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the author.

Please refer to my profile for more on my personal policy regarding comments, feedback, follows, etc. (Yes, I DO moderate comments) And please remember, this is a work of fiction, not a docu-drama...

...

The end of Semper Invictus Ch. 03 -- Family Ties:

The beast screamed in pain as we cut it into small chunks, filling the room with acrid smoke. Noei saw the red, beating heart of the creature and stepped on it as if squashing a bug. The thing broke open and the remains of the beast disappeared. Diane wavered on her feet for a few seconds, then fell to the floor.

Max rushed to her side as we turned off our transectors. I handed Noei a packet of powder as she rushed into the kitchen to get some water. Diane's eyes were somewhat glazed as she looked up at me. I could tell she wanted to say something, so I knelt down next to her.

"What is it, Diane?" I asked. She moved her mouth but no sound came out. I helped Max lay her on the couch and propped her head up with a pillow. By then, Noei returned with a bottle of water. She had already mixed the powder and helped Diane take a drink.

"This will help, Mom," she said as she held the water bottle. Diane took a drink and looked at her daughter.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said with a slight smile. Then she looked at me.

"That was just the first, Arte," she said weakly. "More are coming. Many more." She took another sip and passed out.

...

And now, Semper Invictus Ch. 04 -- Neck Deep

"Is she going to be okay?" Max asked as he cradled Diane's head.

"I believe so," I said. "She's been through a lot."

"I know," he said. "I've been there, remember? So, this is what you really do? Travel the world, killing these things?"

"I don't travel the world much these days," I said. "I settled in North America about the turn of the 19th century. I've been here most of the time since then. My territory, if you want to call it that, includes the Western Hemisphere."

"And this is what you've been doing for the last 2,000 years?" Max asked.

"No, only about the last 800," I said.

"What did you do before that?" Max asked.

"I traveled the known world. Learned everything I could. Exposed myself to different cultures. Spent a lot of time training," I said. "I learned how to use a number of weapons. Even learned to fight using only my hands and feet."

"How did all this start?" Max asked.

"It's a long story," I said.

"We seem to have some time," Max said, looking at Diane. They listened as I told them the story I first told Noei, and they were shocked when I finished.

"So, when I first saw your daughter, you could have knocked me over with a feather," I said. "She is the spitting image of the woman I was married to over 2,000 years ago. And on top of that, she's regained her genetic memory."

"I have so many questions," Max said. "What do you do for money? How do you handle the IRS?" I laughed at that.

"Money is not an issue," I said. "I earned quite a bit during my early days. Our benefactors invested it, made sure I would always have enough. They take care of all the administrative stuff. Granted, it's become a bit more challenging in the last 40 or 50 years, what with the Internet and all, but they've been up to the task so far."

"You said 'our' benefactors," Max said. "How many others like you are out there?"

"Five in total," I said. "Counting Noei." Max looked at his daughter, shocked.

"Are you..."

"Yes, Daddy," she said. "I am now. You see, I remembered everything from before. I decided I didn't want to lose Arte ever again, so I joined him."

"So, you're..."

"Immortal?" she asked. "I guess you could say that yes, I am. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but, yes."

"And you're okay with all this?" Max asked her.

"I'm a Celtic woman, Dad," she said. "I belong at my husband's side." Max's mother smiled and nodded her head in approval.

"The real question, Noei, is this," she said. "Are you happy with this decision?"

"I've never been happier in my entire life, Nanna," Noei said.

"That's all that matters, dear," she said. She turned to her son. "And you should be happy for your daughter, Maximilian."

"I am, Mother," he said. "It's just a lot to take in all at once." Diane began to wake up about this time, and we all turned our attention to her.

"Now we need to find out what she meant by more beasts coming," I said. "Noei, is there anything showing on the tracker?" She pulled her phone from her pants pocket and looked at her app.

"No, nothing within a 400 mile radius," she said.

"I'll be right back," I said, getting up. I went to the rented car and grabbed my briefcase. When I got back inside, I opened it and grabbed the other rings with the protection devices. I handed one to Max for Diane and gave one to his mother.

"What's this?" she asked.

"It contains a device that will keep the creatures from entering your body," I told her. "It works as long as you wear it." She looked it over and nodded as she slipped it on a finger. "The others are for Karl, Arnold, and his wife." I looked at Diane before speaking again.

"You said more are coming, Diane," I said. "Can you please explain what you mean by that?"

"Yes," she said, sitting up. "It wasn't anything the creature said. It was more like what it put in my mind. Images, mostly. I saw hundreds upon hundreds of those things, digging their way through some kind of tunnel. It's hard to describe."

"I see," I told her. I pulled my tablet out of the briefcase and fired up the communications app connected to my lab's comm panel. Soon, I was looking at Svan's face.

"Svan, I think we have a problem," I said. I told him what transpired with Diane and his brow furrowed when I passed on what she had told me.

"What you've described sounds very much like a wormhole," Svan said. "We'll look into this, Steve. But it may take some time. The multiverse is a very big place, after all."

"Just as long as it takes priority. I also need some protection for Noei's family," I said. "Can you provide me with a protection generator that can cover five acres?"

"Of course," Svan said. "We have those in stock. I'll send one to your location with instructions. You should be able to easily integrate it into their electrical system. I'll prioritize your report and get back to you as soon as I learn something."

"Thank you, Svan," I said. He ended the call, and I put my tablet back into the briefcase. A few minutes later, a green orb appeared in the room, and after it flashed out of existence, we saw a small black box sitting on the floor.

"What's that?" Max asked.

"It's a device to protect your property," I said. "It acts like an electronic fence used to train dogs. Only this one keeps the beasts out. I need to install this in the highest spot in your house where you have an electrical outlet."

"There's an outlet in the attic. I'll show you where it's at," Max said. "Do you need help with that?"

"No, I've got it," I said, picking up the small box. "Thanks anyway." I grabbed the box and followed Max up the stairs. He opened the door into the attic and pulled down a ladder. Climbing up, he turned on an overhead light and took the box from me. I climbed the ladder and followed him in the small space to an outlet on the wall.

Max watched as I worked. I opened the box and put the device together. Once finished, I plugged it into the wall and turned it on. I fired up the display monitor, calibrated the unit, and then adjusted it to ensure the entire five-acre parcel was protected. Once I felt confident it was fully calibrated and working, I closed the box and looked at Max.

"That's it," I said.

"What happens if the house loses power?" he asked.

"There's a built-in battery that kicks in," I said. "It'll keep the unit powered for at least 48 hours."

"Do I need to do anything?" he asked.

"No, it's a self-repairing unit. I can remote in through a built-in wireless unit if need be," I said. We left the attic and went downstairs to find Arnold and his wife, Lisa, sitting with Noei, Diane, and Max's mother. Arnold looked at me when we entered the room.

"So," Arnold said. "Mother tells me the legend is true."

"Yes," I said. I saw him look at his crucifix, which reminded me of something I saw from a distance many years ago -- something I never forgot and hoped to never see again. He seemed deep in thought. "You believe in the man on that cross?" I asked. He looked up at me, a wry smile on his face.

"Yes, it's pretty much a requirement in my line of work," he said.

"Some would say his story is a legend as well," I said. "Born of a virgin. Spent his life teaching and performing miracles. Nailed to a cross. Raised from the dead three days later only to ascend into Heaven. Sounds pretty outrageous if you think about it logically. Yet you believe it, even though you never personally witnessed it."

"Good point," he said. "It's called 'faith.' Believing without seeing." I nodded my head.

"I understand completely," I said. "But if one story can be true, is it not remotely possible that another could also be true?"

"I... see your point," he said. "These creatures you fight... Are they... demons?" I shook my head.

"No," I said. "But I can see where you could draw that conclusion. There's nothing supernatural about these things. But they are aware of our belief systems, and they have no problem using them to get their way." He thought about what I said and nodded his head.

"I will pray for you and Noemi," he said quietly.

"Thank you, Arnold," I said. "I have a feeling that when all is said and done, we'll need all the help we can get. Pray for your family as well, though."

"I will, Steve," he said before he and his wife walked out.

"Is everything alright?" Noei asked when she came to my side.

"Yes," I said. "I think we had better get back. We have a lot of work ahead of us." We said our goodbyes and left for the airport.

...

The next several days were busy ones for us. We trained as hard as ever, and I could see Noei's skills and strength increasing daily. When we weren't training, we monitored the creatures for unusual activity. A week after the incident with Diane, Svan contacted us.

"Steve, we have a problem," Svan said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"It looks like the creatures are, for lack of another term, 'digging' a wormhole through the void," he said. "It looks like your dimension is the target."

"Is that even possible?" I asked.

"Until now, I would have said 'no.' But that's apparently not the case," he said. "It looks like they're building up for a full-blown invasion of your dimension."

"How long do we have before they get here?" I asked.

"At the present time, I would estimate maybe a month," Svan said. "Perhaps less."

"Any idea where they might break through?" I asked.

"Not yet," he said. "But we're monitoring their progress and should know within the next 15 or 20 of your days."

"Is there anything you can do to stop them or slow them down?" I asked.

"We're working on that now, Steve, but you have to understand something," he said. "The medium that makes up the void is not an easy one to operate in. It's not like outer space. Any attempt to destroy their wormhole here in the void could have devastating consequences throughout the entire space-time continuum. Every dimension would be affected, not just yours."

"So what do we do, then?" I asked. "Wait until they show up here?"

"That may be the only solution," Svan said.

"Can you get reinforcements to us?" I asked. Svan shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Steve," he said. "Just as you and Noei cannot operate in other dimensions, enforcers from other dimensions cannot operate in yours. It's just not possible. And there's no time to recruit and prepare more enforcers. I'm open to suggestions at this point."

"I'll give it some thought," I told him. "Have you alerted the others?"

"Yes, we've alerted the other enforcers," Svan said.

"That's good," I said.

"I have a meeting with the Directorate," Svan said. "Give this some thought. I'll be in touch in the next couple of days." We signed off and closed the commlink.

...

The next day, I got a call from Ron Williams. I was surprised to hear from him and wondered if everything was okay between him and his wife, Sharon.

"Mr. Iverson, I don't know if you remember me," he said. "We met at the truck stop on Indian Trail Road."

"Yes, I remember," I said. "How are things with you and your wife?"

"We're actually doing a lot better," he said. "We've been seeing a counselor and things are looking good."

"I'm glad to hear that," I said.

"Thanks," he said. "That's not why I called, though. I hope you don't mind, but I gave your name to a colleague of mine. He's having issues with his wife."

"Issues?" I asked. "What kind of issues?"

"I'll let him tell you. He described some pretty wild stuff and I instantly thought about what you told me about these creatures. I've known him and his wife for years and what he described just doesn't sound like her at all," he said. "I told him I'd ask you to call him. Could you do that for me, please?"

"Sure," I said. I wrote down the man's name and number as Ron gave it to me.

"Thanks," he said when we ended the conversation. I called the number Ron gave me.

"Bob Wright," a man said when he answered.

"Mr. Wright, my name is Steve Iverson, and I just heard from a friend of yours, Ron Williams. He suggested I call you," I said.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "I hope you can help me out."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"It's my wife," he said. "I don't know what's gotten into her, but she's changed. And she's making my life a living hell."

"This change," I began. "Was it gradual or did it happen all of a sudden?"

"It was a sudden change," he said. "She went out one Friday for a girl's night out, and came home completely different."

"What do you mean, different?" I asked.

"I know this will probably sound crazy, but it's like she's been possessed by something," he said.

"It doesn't sound crazy to me at all," I said. "But how is she different?"

"Well for starters, she brings home a different man almost every day," he said. "She has sex with him in our bed and makes me watch."

"How does she do that?" I asked. "Force you, that is?"

"Somehow, she's become exceptionally strong," he said. "She literally just picks me up and carries me up the stairs into our bedroom, then ties me into a chair. I try to fight her off, but it does no good. I don't know where she got that from." I had seen cases where the creatures had given their hosts incredible strength, but that didn't happen very often. "But that's not all."

"What else have you noticed?" I asked.

"It's almost as if her whole face changes sometimes," he said. "I don't even recognize her anymore."

"Why don't you just call the cops or get a restraining order?" I asked.

"Yeah right," he said. "You honestly think the cops would believe me if I told them my wife just picked me up and forced me to watch her fuck some asshole? I'd be a laughingstock." I had to admit, he had a good point there.

"Why not just divorce her?" I asked.

"I thought about that. She just laughed in my face when I said that. She's a divorce lawyer and she'd rip me to shreds in court," he said.

"Where does your wife work?" I asked. He gave me the name and address of her firm, and I requested Noei look it up on the tracker. "Hang on a second," I told him as I watched Noei do her thing. She zoomed in on the Long Beach address he gave me. The tracker picked up one of the creatures, and Noei put that information on another monitor.

"Is your wife's name Beverly?" I asked.

"Yes, it is," he said. I decided to have Noei book a flight and reserve a hotel room for us, but she was already ahead of me.

"There's a flight for Long Beach leaving here in three hours," she said. "We can be there at 6:45 pm local time."

"Book it," I said. She nodded her head and made the arrangements for us.

"Can you meet us at the Long Beach airport at 6:45 this afternoon?" I asked Bob.

"I'll be there," he said. "Thank you so much, Mr. Iverson. You have no idea how much this means to me." I gave him the details of the flight and ended the call. We packed our things and went to the airport. Soon, we were on our way to Long Beach, California.

Bob Wright met us at the airport as we gathered our luggage. We couldn't miss him -- he was holding a sign with my name. We introduced ourselves, then followed him to his car, where we stowed our luggage. There wasn't much, just a suitcase and two overnight bags. Our transectors and tracking devices were in the suitcase, so we grabbed those before getting in his car.

I had Bob take us to a restaurant where we could grab something to eat. I had an ulterior motive -- besides filling my belly, that is. I wanted to face this man as he told us his story. Like Ron, Bob was into investments, but unlike Ron, Bob worked primarily out of his house. He told us his wife usually went out almost every night and would show up at their house about 8:00 or so with her flavor of the day.

"Tell us about your marriage," I said. Bob gave us the Reader's Digest version of his marriage to Beverly. According to him, they married young -- right after he finished college. He went to work for an investment company and supported Beverly as she completed her law degree.

They had two children -- twins -- both of whom were now out of the house and attending college at UC Berkeley, on Bob's dime, naturally. Beverly finished her law degree and went to work at a prestigious legal firm in town, where she specialized in family law. Between the two of them, they made good money and had even talked about retiring early.

Then he noticed the change in his wife -- it was almost like a switch had been thrown inside her, Bob said. She was a completely different person, putting him down every chance she got and treating him like a servant.

Making matters worse, she began bringing men into the house. Most of the time, it was just one man, but sometimes, there was more. One night, she brought five men home and spent an entire weekend screwing all of them in the marital bed, making Bob watch.