The Afflicted Ch. 10

"Scaurus, Colette, Palo, Seetha... and Bullet."

Each of the individuals cursed vehemently as they were dragged off to more secure chambers. Abby was able to actually assist in linking Madame Villepreux-Power and Galen together so they could do a thorough examination of everyone else in practically no time, and less than an hour later the remainder of the raiding party was free and gathered in a large room to discuss the fate of their companions.

"I am not terribly worried," explained Galen to those around. "From what Jacob has told me, I'm fairly certain the serum Arnet used was the variety he has developed for mortals. Like them, our friends will see the effects waning within the week. However, we should take no chances. They need to be locked in until we can be sure they are free of the effects."

"Poor Bullet," said Brolly with a grin.

"Why poor Bullet?" asked Frederique.

"She's a jumper," he said. "The others can be left to their own devices in secure quarters. Her, she can't be left to roam free or she'll jump... and she can't be left with them or they'll try to break her restraints."

"Very true," agreed Frederique.

Aimée suddenly blushed and was grateful no one saw her. The implications of 'left to their own devices' became clear. Her father and Scaurus were to be locked in impregnable chambers for at least a week...together. Four Afflicted; two men, two women, and they all had irrepressible desires. She looked to her mother aghast, but Frederique seemed unphased by the repercussions.

"Now," muttered Galen, evaluating Aimée, Abby, Jacob and Claude. "What the hell to do with you four."

He gestured to several guards.

"Separate them," he said. "Secure the deplaceur and be careful with the redhead."

"But we saved Jacob," cried Aimée. "We could have easily left if we wished. I could have taken us anywhere in the world."

"Calm down," muttered Frederique, who was suddenly at her side.

"But..."

"This is all a game," whispered her mother," and there is none better at playing it than Galen. Obey all of his orders and do not complain, and be patient."

Abby had detected the conversation and had listened in. She quickly passed Frederique's counsel along to Jacob, and to Claude who was being detained in a room nearby.

Frederique left Aimée to approach the group who had been hit by Arnet's darts who were now fully shackled. Scaurus and Seetha appeared to be fighting internal demons as the serum took stronger hold. Colette had actually taken two darts and was tearfully begging to be allowed to go to Arnet's side. Bullet, as always, was quiet and sullen.

Palo seemed surprisingly calm. Frederique approached him and kissed him tenderly on the cheek - wishing she could have felt his arms around her once more before he was isolated.

"How are you feeling, my love?" she asked.

"I'm fine," said Palo. "In fact, I don't think the serum took hold at all."

"Perhaps not," she said, "but we can't take any chances."

"Still," he whispered. "I've been thinking, this Arnet is incredibly intelligent. I think we should reach out to him. He could be a good resource for the Afflicted. A good leader, even."

"Perhaps," said Frederique patiently.

A sudden recognition passed over Palo's face. "That's the serum talking, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, dear. Galen and that other doctor, Jeanne she called herself. They will visit you periodically to assess you. Now Palo, we need to talk about your time away."

She leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him tenderly near his ear, and then talked softly so only he could hear.

"A week is a long time for one of the Afflicted," she said lovingly. "Especially one such as yourself."

"Yes, it is," he moaned.

"Galen's Colette is quite the beauty and so well-rounded, and I don't mean her interests. You've always been drawn to buxom women, yes? Seetha is also an exotic beauty and I would guess is quite athletic."

"Yes, she is attractive," admitted Palo. "But a week is not so long. I can wait."

"Dearest," she purred. "You could not last two days on the Siren. Besides, we've had our adventures in the past. Our honeymoon. Tunisia. The Massri's?"

"But we were together," argued Palo.

"And we'll be together again. Palo, you have my permission," she said, her eyes full of love. "You have my permission to do anything. When we are together again in a week, you must tell me everything. Then we'll find a time to invite Colette and Seetha and Scaurus along, and you will show me everything. It's an adventure, my love. Enjoy it."

Frederique left him and went to Colette who was muttering to herself.

"I must reach him. I must find him..."

"Colette," said Frederique with a look of pity in her eyes. "I know you'll have trouble making out what I'm saying but I want to let you know that I have given Palo full permission to take care of you in your isolation. I think you know what that means."

Colette stopped rambling and looked up to Frederique surprised. "I couldn't. I love Arnet."

"Yes you lovely girl, I know," said Frederique patiently. "All the same, Palo will be there and he is very skillful. It will take your mind off of things. Trust me. As for myself, I will take care of Galen. Goodbye, Colette."

The five unfortunate casualties were taken off for what everyone prayed would only be a week of quarantine.

* * * *

A half hour later saw a special session gathered together to discuss Claude, Aimée, Jacob, and Abby. Experts of several varieties, as well as Galen, Brana, and Frederique were present.

Galen, as expected, led the conversation.

"What we are dealing with here, is resonance" he explained. "Just as a singer's voice can set a goblet or a bell to ringing, the more time each of these four spends with someone, the more their Afflicted cells 'ring'. All four are awakened and ready for the bloodmate ceremony and their emotional states are not helping. Times of stress make the Affliction even more ready for the comfort of a mate. If any of them spend even two or three nights with one partner, their mating instinct will be irrepressible. I still need time to evaluate who these young people should mate with and advise the Council. We can't have them jumping the gun, it almost happened once already.

"So they should be kept entirely apart?" asked Brana.

"They should not even be allowed to see each other," agreed Galen. "They are tuned to each other to a degree I have rarely seen. I am frankly surprised they haven't succumbed yet. It is likely because Abby has such a remarkable mind and Aimée has such a strong will that it hasn't happened yet. It is my advice that all four be kept separate until decisions are made"

"I agree," chimed in Frederique. "As council representative, that is my advice as well."

It had been a surprising move, but with Scaurus in quarantine due to Arnet's serum, the Council had made a spot decision to appoint Frederique as temporary head of security in the city. With her centuries of wisdom, her years working as a guard when she was younger, and her legendary skill as a fighter, she had been the logical choice. Especially since her presence was now known by the enemy, it seemed in order to let her presence be known more widely.

Frederique continued. "How are we to control them? Again, the girls are the larger threat. We have countless protections against fliers like Claude. Jacob's invisibility appears compromised until he heals from his sun exposure. It is Aimée's deplacing ability that is a bit of a concern, particularly combined with Abby's talents. "

"If I may," said a quiet man who had been staying shyly in the shadows.

Frederique gasped. It was Franz, a man who had served as an apprentice and later a partner to her late husband, Christophe. He had huge, bottle-like glasses pushed up on his head - not to correct his sight, but because he was always working on some sort of tiny equipment. He still wore his leather gear from his workshop, scarred and scorched from countless experiments.

She rushed to him and showered his face with kisses, which made him blush profusely.

"It is so good to see you, great lady," he stammered.

"I am no great lady," said Frederique softly. "I am a woman who finds myself in yet another time of trouble. I am deeply grateful to find you here because there are few who I could trust as much.

Though he had stammered when addressing Frederique, when it was time to speak of the matters at hand, there was no hesitation in his manner. When it came to mechanisms and protection, Franz was all business.

"I have been briefed on the matter," he said, "and I believe I may have a solution. It seems to me, that in the council's view, the primary threat is in the combination of the empath and the deplaceur and how they can team together to jump anywhere. The two of them together are what we fear the most. Am I correct?"

He did not wait for an answer.

"So, the first goal is to keep them separated, and the second is to keep them from jumping. As you all know, dampeners are a tricky thing. They essentially send out a curious vibration that serves to confuse the Afflicted cells in a host. While it suppresses the gift, it also can lead to nausea, sickness, and other adverse effects. We certainly don't want to keep dampeners on these young people for any length of time."

"Agreed," said Galen.

"Then with the deplaceur, I can create a device which stays dormant unless she jumps. On the first jump, it will turn on, and she will not be able to jump again. So, we keep them separated, and even if she jumps to the empath's side - they have nowhere to go."

"That sounds satisfactory," said Frederique.

"The empath is more of a problem," he said. "Just how powerful is she?"

The room was silent until Brolly spoke.

"She immobilized nearly two dozen people by creating a different reality in their heads," he said softly. "It was wondrous - but it was also frightening to consider what she could do if she were compromised."

"Yes," said Franz, sadly. "I am very familiar with such a situation. When one of great power can be used for good or evil it is a blessing and a curse."

He thought on the subject for a while, and everyone watched him quietly.

"What I would propose is this," he finally offered. "Barbarians might simply dampen the empath and not worry about the effects until the Council makes a decision. We are not, however, barbarians. We are civilized. I can put up a shield around an area, say, a suite of rooms. I believe I can calibrate it so the empath would be unable to reach beyond that. She will have visitors, of course, but if we keep the quarters under strict guard, as soon as someone exits the area there would be an invisible curtain that would break her control once a person passed outside. That way, if she did attempt to control their minds for the wrong reasons, her sphere of control would still have little reach. I can also create a dampener that activates should she leave those quarters."

"That sounds like a wonderful solution," said Frederique. "We can only hope the situation doesn't last too long."

"Wonderful," said Galen. "Now, there is the issue of companions. As I have pointed out, they should not have sexual congress with any one person for more than one day. We also, however, can't insist on abstinence. If we deny them any sexual partners, The Affliction will view that as a threat and will go fully into mating frenzy."

"So, regular sex with different partners," said Frederique wryly. "The poor dears, such a brutal sentence. Today is Sunday. We meet again in a week."

"Yes," agreed Galen, "I will continue to study Arnet's serum, and the cells of our four promising young lovers. One week should be enough for me arrive at a conclusion. In a week, we travel to Iceland to stand before the Council."

Orders were given and quarters prepared. Knowing that there were trying times to come, Abby linked the four companions and they exchanged words of love and encouragement. Their connection was short-lived, however, because guards soon arrived to place a dampener around Abby's neck.

As the sympathetic guard approached her, Abby reached out one more time.

"Goodbye my loves."

Her voice seemed to be coming from within each of their bodies.

"Love well and do not despair. I know we'll be together again soon - if not as lovers, as the brothers and sisters we are and always will be. Goodb..."

But her last words were gone as the ring went around her neck.

* * * *

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