Sins of the Father

So there was little choice but to slip into the queue of cars and wait. It wasn't long before we made it to the front of the line. Athena straightened in her seat, giving me a sad smile.

"Alright, it's our turn," I said so Pauline and Larry would be ready."

As the officer waved us forward, I pressed the button and rolled down the window.

"Evening folks, had anything to drink this evening?" He asked, looking up at us. And in that moment, I could see he recognised us.

"No sir," I said politely.

"Right, my name is Officer Frederick from the Snopes Police force," the man said mechanically. "We're conducting a statewide blitz on drink drivers, I'd like you to blow through this straw until I say stop."

I watched him raise the handheld device and attach a fresh straw to the side. Taking it in my mouth, I blew until he grunted at me. The whole time he refused to take his eyes off me. It was unnerving. As the machine beeped, he didn't even look at it as he straightened up.

"Y'all have a wonderful evening," he said.

Putting the car in gear, I pulled away and quickly got back up to speed, rolling up the window as I drove. Keeping an eye on the stop, I was only barely surprised when they continued with what they were doing. He obviously knew who I was the moment he saw me. But... Maybe they really were doing a road safety blitz. So of course it was at that moment I passed an unmarked police car. I barely saw it, before the lights started flashing and it swung a hard u-turn to get behind me.

"I'm being pulled over," I grumbled, knowing the others were still listening.

"Master James?" Athena said quietly.

I turned and saw the worry in her eyes as our car was filled with flashing blue lights. I really didn't have a lot of choice as I indicated and pulled over.

"It's fine Athena, everything's fine."

"GET OUT OF THE CAR WITH YOUR HANDS UP!!"

The voice was loud and firm. A quick check in the rear view mirror and I could see two officers. One was holding a microphone for the loudspeaker. The other was pointing a gun at us.

"Wind down the window, then open the door from the outside. Do as they say, they won't hurt you," I told Athena.

"Master James, I'm scared," she said softly as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"GET OUT OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!!"

I looked at her tearful expression and my heart just about broke. She wasn't capable of making rational decisions like this. She was the one in danger here. I just hoped she could forgive me when this was over.

"Slut! I gave you an instruction!" I snapped.

And like the difference between night and day, her whole expression changed. Gone was the fearful expression from earlier. Now was the humble stare of a slave, following her master's orders. God I hated myself.

"Yes Master James," she said quickly.

I was only a moment behind as we wound down our windows. I trusted that they weren't likely to shoot the passenger in this situation, but I made sure to show both my hands out the window. Reaching down, I pulled the latch and pushed the door open with my foot. Sliding off my seat I stood and faced the officer with the microphone.

"What's the problem officer?" I called out to the man.

His only response was to drop the microphone, before raising a taser. Before I could even think, I felt a pair of sharp jabs hit me in the chest, before my world lit up with pain. My whole torso clenched in agony as the electronic pulses shot through my body and I collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony. As the pulsed finally stopped, I could make out Athena's screaming. Rage flashed through my head at the thought of her being tazed as well. Moving to sit up, I was firmly kicked back down. With the headlights of the police car blinding me, I couldn't make out their faces. But even I was surprised to see it was Gary holding the taser. Gary... Who grinned, and pressed the trigger, activating the electric prongs embedded in my chest once again.

... Chapter Five... 15600 words

Four. That was the lucky number. After being kicked flat on my back by that fucking prick, Gary, the sadistic prick decided roadside torture was the way to go. I don't know how many times he actually tazed me, but I only remember the first four. I'm pretty sure I fainted after that. Which would explain how I'd ended up handcuffed to this chair, in this warehouse. Hell, I don't know how I got here, let alone where...

"Athena!" I croaked out.

"Master James!" She called from my left. It was also followed by the wet sound of a hand meeting flesh.

"Fucking slut! He's not your master I am!" Gary snarled.

Turning my head, I could make out Athena. She was on her knees, with Gary holding a bunch of her hair as he berated her. I watched in anger as he pulled her to her feet, before releasing her and slapping her again. The poor schmuck had to do everything one handed.

"How's the arm, Gary?" I chuckled, even though my head throbbed something fierce.

I regretted it immediately. The moment I spoke, he whirled around and stormed towards me, dragging Athena as he went. Her soft cries of pain basically broke my heart.

"You fucking cunt!" Gary snarled. "Who the fuck are you? Did Charles send you? Huh?! Who the fuck sent you?" Gary spat with rage.

I had to close my eyes to protect them from the spittle. When I opened them again, he was still staring. "She's my sister," I said with a shrug. There wasn't any point lying.

"Bullshit!" Gary snapped.

He looked up and nodded at someone. I heard a set of footsteps and a second man came into view. This one was probably whoever was with him in the police car. It was a little horrifying to think Gary had enough power to actually sit in a police car... Hell, to be in that specific police car...

"How'd you find me anyway?" I asked.

This earned me a sneer, before he broke out in a big grin. "GPS tracker in her shoes," he chuckled softly. "You stupid fucker stole my property, but I never actualy lost her." The second man stepped closer and Gary pushed Athena towards him.

Up close I could clearly see his uniform. No doubt about it Gary had cops in his pocket. This was going to get ugly before it got better. The man took Athena by the arm and pulled her back. His other hand wrapped around her neck, pinning her in place. The terror in her eyes made me want these men dead. If I had my way, that would certainly be the way things would go.

"Remember, you're mine," I growled at her.

That phrase did two things. Firstly, her resolve tightened. The expression on her face hardened and I imagine she'd probably have nodded if she could. The second...

"No! She's fucking mine, you bastard!"

The punch that landed on my cheek was... Well... Kinda pathetic. It could well have been difficulties with balance, seeing as his dominant arm was in a sling. But I thought it more likely he'd never had the balls to lay his hands on anyone but a defenseless woman before. Watching him catch his balance and wind up for a second punch... I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped my lips, even as his fist connected with my cheekbone. By the third punch, I was outright laughing. These absolute amateurs had obviously never done something like this before. About the only thing his punches were doing was shuffle me around enough on the chair, to realise I wasn't actually cuffed TO the chair. The whole situation was so god damned pathetic I couldn't help but laugh.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS SO FUNNY!!" Gary screamed, punching me a fourth time.

"You bunch of fucking amateurs," I chuckled. Seeing his face clench with rage, I turned my attention to Athena. "The moment you get the chance, run and find help."

"I'll kill you before that happens!" Gary snapped, pulling a small handgun. It looked like one of those purse .22's that women carried in the 50's. But... A gun is a gun at this range.

"You ever actually used that thing?" I asked, eyeing it, while ignoring Athena's terrified expression.

"What do you think?" Garry snapped, before raising it and firing off three shots into the back of the warehouse.

He really was an amateur... No safety, already cocked and in his pocket... Absolute amateur... "How are you gonna interrogate me if I'm dead?" I asked.

Gary just grimaced, "obviously I'm going to shoot you afterwards you fucking prick!"

"So you're going to kill me anyway? Right, that'll get me talking for sure," I grinned.

This time instead of the punch, Gary hit me with the butt of the pistol. That kinda hurt... "Who the fuck are you?" Gary snapped.

"Introduce me to your mother, then you can call me daddy," I snarked.

Gary's hand lifted to hit me again, before he seemed to pause. Lowering his arm, he turned and pointed the gun right at Athena, who's eyes went wide with fear. "Answer the question."

"Y'know Gary, I gotta be honest right here. She really is my sister. So if you don't point that thing somewhere else, I'm gonna have to kill you," I said evenly.

It was interesting seeing various expressions going across his face as he thought about what I said. He even lowered the gun, so it only pointed at her stomach, not her face. But as his face twisted into a snarl, he raised the gun to point it back at her face. But his head snapped to the side as tyres screeched outside the factory. Two vehicles, and by Gary's expression, he wasn't expecting anyone.

"You're not the only one with GPS," I chuckled.

The moment the gun spun in my direction I launched myself off the chair. The small metal back did nothing to stop my hands from slipping free and I drove my shoulder into Gary's chest, knocking him sideways. The cop, seeing me move, shoved Athena to one side and went for his own service weapon. The moment Athena was free, she did as I ordered and ran. Which was a shame for the cop. If he'd kept hold of her, it would have prevented me from tackling him to the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of us both. His service weapon slid uselessly across the floor as he flailed about. The cop grabbed me by the shirt and shoved me away from himself, which honestly, kinda helped. It allowed me to get up on my knees and shuffle forward. The confusion on his face only lasted until I slammed my forehead into his nose, flattening it with a solid 'pop.' Rolling free of the dirty cop, I staggered to my feet to the sound of the door being kicked in. But as I turned, there was Gary pointing his gun at me.

A volley of gunfire went out and something hot went through my chest. But even as I felt it, I watched as Gary's face imploded and he crumbled in a heap. Turning to face the shooter, I was greeted by the sight of a SWAT team storming towards me. Athena was already being led from the building, staring at me in horror. She was shouting something I couldn't quite hear over the ringing of my own ears. The dirty cop had his hands up, despite the blood pouring from his face as a SWAT member approached, weapon drawn. Another rushed towards me.

"James Clark?!" He shouted above the sounds of his team members taking up positions.

"Athena," I croaked and my knees went out from under me.

***

Everything happened so quickly. One moment, I was terrified, not-master was about to shoot Master James, the next, he was moving. I thought for sure Master James was going to be killed right in front of me, but he knocked not-master to the ground and came straight for me. I felt the man holding me loosen his grip, and I remembered what Master James had said to me. So I got ready and the moment he let go, I started running. I'd been awake when they brought us inside, so I knew where the door was. I just hoped I could find someone before Master James got hurt. I couldn't live without him... No matter what he says about me being free... I needed him to own me... I... I couldn't keep going without him, my master... My living god.

I could hear them fighting behind me as I approached the door. I was so close to getting out, when it blew in. Skidding to a halt, three men in black armoured suits burst in. The first pointed his gun at me for just a moment, before turning into the warehouse. The second followed straight after as the third lowered his gun and grabbed my arm. A series of loud bangs rang out, making me jump. Spinning around, I could see not-master falling to the ground, as Master James turned, I could see the red pooling down his front.

"MASTER JAMES!" I screamed, trying to get to him. But the man was too strong, dragging me out of the building. "NO! Master James!" I cried, "I have to! I-I need to be with him!" I cried as the man continued to drag me along.

"Athena!" A woman's voice called out.

Turning, I saw a woman, standing beside an ambulance. "I need to be with him!" I cried. Master James was bleeding. I needed to know if he was okay. I needed him to know I would be the perfect little slave. I'd be whatever he wanted, even if that meant being sent away... Just as long as he lived.

A soft hand took my own, catching my attention, I looked down, before realising the woman was holding my hand. No master had ever complained about me touching another woman before, so I didn't snatch it away.

"He'll be okay," the woman said, pointing in the direction I'd come.

Turning back, the tears rolled fresh down my cheeks as Master James was wheeled out on a stretcher. I almost ran to him, but I noticed they were coming this way. I nervously stepped from side to side as they approached. They had ripped his shirt open and I could see a red, square patch on his chest. The woman pushed me gently aside and the paramedics quickly slid the stretcher into the ambulance.

"Who's coming with?" One asked.

I turned to the woman, intent to stake my claim, but she wasn't looking at me.

"I'll drive," she said quickly, and started walking away.

"You're with me, miss," the man said.

I nodded my head and climbed in, taking a seat up by Master James' head. Reaching out I took his hand, giving it a firm squeeze, only for him to squeeze back. When I looked up, he was smiling at me.

"I'm so proud of you," he said softly.

I just cried and clutched his hand all the tighter.

***

The drive to the hospital was fairly quick. My chest ached where I'd been shot, but Athena seemed like she was barely holding it together, so I grit my teeth and bared it. Complaining would probably make her more upset and right now she needed to remain calm. Her eyes never left mine and I couldn't help smiling back at her. I had to be some inhuman monster like my father to find my own sister so damned attractive. But she honestly was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen... I really would need counselling when this was over...

When we arrived at the hospital, we were admitted into the emergency department. We almost had a moment when they tried separating us, and I had to ask Athena to wait as I was wheeled off for an x-ray. It wasn't long before I got back. They knew to expect me and had the equipment set up and ready to go. Which was a good thing, as I didn't think Athena had actually moved since I asked to to stay. I think she took my instructions a little too literally. But I gestured for her to follow as they put me in a temporary cubicle. Her expression only softened when I offered her my hand to hold, which she did, with both of hers.

A nurse came by and gave me a small shot of morphine. Before telling me I was going to get a blood transfusion. It was more of a precaution as they didn't know how much I'd lost in the dirt back at the warehouse. But it did explain why I felt a little lightheaded, even before the painkillers.

"Can I donate?" Athena chimed in.

The nurse looked at her a moment before speaking. "Possibly, it's not an emergency, so as long as you're compatible, it would save a donation."

"She's my sister, she's probably compatible," I grumbled.

The nurse flashed a smile, "great, follow me and we'll draw a little blood for the test."

Athena shot me a worried glance, but I shot her a smile and waved her to follow. That was all she needed. She'd never leave my side if she had the option. A minute after she left, Pauline arrived with the doctor in tow.

"Alright Mr Clark, the bullet is wedged in one of your ribs, we're going to have to operate to get it out," he said quickly. "It doesn't seem like you're bleeding internally, but the nurse has informed me your sister has volunteered a blood donation, so we'll put that in you during surgery just to keep your levels up. We'll do the surgery once we have the blood ready."

"I got lucky then," I sighed.

"Extremely," the doctor nodded. "Half an inch higher or lower, it would have hit your heart."

Before we could continue, the nurse came back with Athena who was smiling, despite the bandage on her arm.

"O negative, universal donor," she said quickly.

"Excellent, now, say your goodbyes. This should only take a few hours."

Before I could react, Athena was kissing me fiercely. Her tongue dashed into my mouth and swirled around before she pulled away looking mortified. Pauline just stared blankly, while the nurse frowned in confusion. Only the doctor was left clueless to the awkward public display of affection.

"I'm sorry Master James," Athena said softly.

"Go with Pauline," I said softly.

I suddenly had a lot on my mind... High school biology, many years ago now. I remember drawing up punnett squares for studying blood types. I was A positive, Athena was O negative. My father, from the medical notes I'd read when he made me his power of attorney, was AB positive... If Athena was genetically related to my father, she'd have to be an A, a B or an AB, depending on her mother. It literally wasn't possible for her to be my biological sister and O negative... Rolling my head to look at her, I could see the expression on her face. The absolute devotion for me. Only now I didn't feel like a monster at the thought of it.

***

I kept watch as Master James was wheeled away. He even turned to look at me, so I smiled at him to show how good I was. I'd never let him go again. Even if he didn't want me, I'd never leave. Not unless he explicitly told me to.

"Athena?" The woman said softly, catching my attention.

"Hmm?" I murmured, turning to face her.

"That... Ah... Was a strange thing to do," she said.

"What was... And, I'm sorry, but who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Pauline-"

"OH! Goody, Master James said I should go with you," I chirped.

Pauline just nodded slowly, "ummm. Alright, I live nearby, so lets... Let's get you something to eat and a change of clothes for when James comes out of surgery." I bit my lip and frowned at the thought of leaving him. Even if he DID tell me to go with her. "It'll be nicer to wait for him in clean clothes don't you think?"

Master James certainly deserved for his property to be clean and presentable. So I flashed her a smile, "that's a great idea. Thank you."

Pauline gave me a short smile, before turning on the spot and leading me out of the hospital. I followed quickly after her, Master James told me to go with her after all. I just wasn't quite sure how to behave around her. Was she Master James' wife? That thought made me frown. Which was confusing for me. I'd fucked men with wives before... But somehow, the thought that she was Master James' wife... It just didn't seem right... I.. I was jealous... Something I'd never felt before for another person. Not like this anyway.

Twenty minutes later, after a silent car trip, Pauline pulled up in the driveway of a modest home. Lights were on inside and I could smell something cooking. And as Pauline opened the front door, I heard something that made me stop.

"Mummy!" a pair of voices cried.

I watched in fascination as two small girls ran and threw themselves into Pauline's arms. The joy on their faces was obvious. It was also obvious who their father was... One's nose and the other's eyes gave it away... Both belonged to Master James...