Unity and Destiny Pt. 03

Javier had almost forgotten about that. He'd only swapped out the ID because the car-sabotage operation reminded him of the time he and Kat tried to get a jump on some of Lukas's operatives. That time hadn't gone well, either, though it had worked out well enough in the end.

<< So, we just keep watching, and try to coordinate with whatever Esther and Mark are doing to spring us. No problem. >>

<< Assuming they don't convert us. >>

She'd said it like a joke, but Javier was nervous about that.

<< Nicola, I'm worried. They said we could go free if we weren't interested, but they seemed awfully confident. And how could they just let us go? We know about them now, and unless they keep us locked down here and knock us out on the way back, we'll have an idea where they are. And we could tell anyone. I can't help but worry— >>

<< Franklin >>, Nicola said, softer than anything before. << Yeah, I'm terrified of someone like that. Even someone much weaker than him. Or maybe the place itself. I made so little progress trying to resist Esther. We have to keep talking like this, Javier. Keep checking that we're not being influenced somehow. If it's like Franklin or the canyon, I'll be the one to show signs first. >>

There was nothing he could say to that. With a sigh, Nicola shifted higher, letting his head rest against her chest the way he'd done at first. And Javier was embarrassed by how comfortable it felt. He pretended to sleep again, to give an excuse for why they weren't being very chatty. But her breasts were full and soft, and as he dozed off he vaguely felt her stroking his arms, murmuring something like a lullaby.

* * *

"Is this everyone then?" Kat asked. She was sitting in Esther's living room along with Grace, Raj, and Mark.

"No," Esther said. "Just a few more minutes. Selena's running late."

Esther had been delighted to hear Selena's message on her answering machine when she and Mark made it in late last night. She wished Jacob could be here as well, but he couldn't cancel his Sunday services.

When Selena arrived she looked tired, having flown in early that morning. But as always she was dressed well and impeccably made up. Raj and Grace waved while Esther made introductions, and then Selena found a quiet corner to stand and listen.

Esther had been intentionally vague in her phone messages, so now she gave a precise description of what had happened to Javier and Nicola.

"Shit," said Kat. "I'll help, whatever's needed. I'm not an action hero, but at least I shouldn't be affected by that place."

"There must be a connection to the canyon and the dreaming people," said Selena. "Did you recognize anyone there? The old man, maybe?"

Esther shook her head. "No one. I have some trouble sensing inside, but I would have recognized any of them. I agree there's a connection, though."

"They weren't looking for you," said Raj. "And they didn't know who Javier was. Just Nicola and Mark. That's a clue. It gives an idea where they got their information."

Esther nodded. "Lukas. Not him personally, or they'd know about me. But someone in his organization who was recruited. They would have known Nicola from her time with Lukas, and Mark from his memorable performance while attacking Franklin's people. Maybe it's one of the men Lukas sent out to check on the Sierra camp. That would explain why they knew where it was. I may have misdirected them somewhat, but now I'm worried about how safe it is there."

"Have you heard back from Lukas?" Raj asked.

"No, and that worries me. He was already concerned about the Chosen. Maybe that was secretly why he responded immediately when I disappeared. In any event he should have gotten right back to us. Much as I don't want to rely on him, he's the one who has the real resources we could use this time."

"People who could safely get in there and back out," agreed Kat. "I don't think Raj and I could do this on our own."

"Not even with my help," said Grace, taking Kat's hand. Kat looked surprised, delighted, and a bit embarrassed.

"The police wouldn't be any help," Raj said slowly. "They'd need a warrant to get in there, and all we have is your crazy story about them being drugged and abducted for no obvious reason. And there's the question of how this group have kept themselves hidden in the first place."

Esther nodded. "The special characteristics of the location explain why I hadn't sensed this large group of Changed. But if they're aggressively recruiting, either they have a phenomenal success rate, or else they can make those who leave forget all about them. I choose not to think they're silently killing unbelievers, so there's only a handful of explanations."

"Coercion," said Selena. "Coercion to believe, and coercion to keep quiet. If some do leave, either very effective threats or something more insidious with their memories. The way Franklin could do."

"Or Abuela," Esther admitted. "I don't want to wait to see what it might be."

They sat in silence for a while, mulling their options.

"It's all about the location, isn't it," said Selena. "If not for the difficulty in leaving, Esther could probably smuggle a small group of us in. Mark and me and whoever else wanted to come. Could we rely on Javier and whoever else wasn't affected to get us out? Restrain everyone with the Changes in the back of a car, and maybe knock out Mark for good measure?"

"It's not just the difficulty leaving," said Esther. "I don't know if I'll be able to exercise my abilities as well inside that place. I had great trouble concentrating in the canyon. And we don't know the strengths of those inside. Samuel's mother may not be the only dangerous person there."

"We need more information," said Raj. "I'll send Lukas a message myself. Other than that, there's only one person left who might tell us something: the old man who organized the dreamers in the canyon."

Esther nodded unhappily. "I hadn't planned to go looking for him yet," she said. "But I don't think he poses a threat to me. It was the canyon that was dangerous, and he must understand that place better than anyone we know. He should know how to leave the canyon. Perhaps he is one of the Chosen, but I think he's on his own now. I can find him."

* * *

When Javier woke up, Nicola had shifted a bit, her arm resting on his thigh. He sat up and she stirred.

"Gonna take a shower," he said. "Any extra clothes around here?"

"Just towels and colored robes in the closet," Nicola said. "Very festive."

He took a peek, but of course she was right. After his shower, Javier dressed again in his old clothes. About a half hour later, there was the sound of the door's heavy bolt sliding open. Javier and Nicola stood up.

A Latino man not much older than Javier stood scowling in the hallway. He was dressed in a deep blue robe like the ones in the closet.

Javier flashed his most charming smile. "Qué onda, güey?"

The other guy rolled his eyes and turned to Nicola. Javier didn't miss the quick look of male appreciation at her appearance, and it irked him.

"You're to come with me in a few minutes," the guy said. "Just you. Dress in one of the green robes in the closet. Nothing underneath."

He closed the door before waiting to see their expressions of disbelief.

"Well, that's novel," said Nicola. "Maybe this is a kind of hippie retreat or something."

But Javier could see how uneasy she was, despite her general lack of modesty.

"I don't like this," said Javier. He could play this part. "I should be coming along with you."

Nicola shook her head and pulled off her shirt. Javier tried to look nonchalant. She was his girlfriend. Seeing her naked was no big deal.

"Let's reserve judgment," she said. "You know I can take care of myself. I bet it's some weird baptismal thing or something. I'll ask if you can be included."

She finished undressing and walked over to the closet, pulling out a green robe. Javier couldn't avoid staring at her leanly muscled ass. Just the right amount of curve to her hips. And of course her perky medium breasts. The bushy brown triangle below, and the trail of colored freckles curling up her thigh towards it. All the ways she was different from Esther. The thought was a splash of cold water.

The robe was oversized, and her figure wasn't particularly obvious underneath it. But when she pressed against him in a hug, he was uncomfortably conscious of her body. He bent down until she kissed him on the forehead.

<< I'll be watching things, Javier. And I'll twist the balls off any man who tries to take advantage of me. Don't trouble yourself about that. >>

He hid his relieved smile in a kiss. The door opened, interrupting them, and the humorless young man scowled even harder. In response, Nicola pasted a sickly sweet smile on her face and kissed Javier once more on the cheek before leaving.

As the time stretched, Javier's nervousness was accompanied by a growing boredom. They weren't being obviously mistreated, aside from the whole kidnapping thing. But the bizarre robe requirement? Baptism, maybe. Or someone wanted to inspect her body, the way Janelle and Geoff had done when they'd caught him and Kat sneaking behind that warehouse. The events leading up to meeting Lukas for the first time. It seemed like ages ago now.

Samuel's mother had known immediately that Javier didn't have Changes. Nicola and Mark could also discern that pretty well for nearby people. But Janelle was quite sensitive and she'd still needed a visual confirmation. That was a clue. Samuel's mother was more sensitive than Janelle, able to evade Esther, and capable enough to think she could have subdued Mark with a gun and the element of surprise. She was someone to worry about for sure.

His mind wandered. Robes meant rituals. And there had been rituals in the canyon. Neither of them had mentioned it yet, but those rituals had been pretty damned compelling for the ones involved. Maybe that was what was in store for Nicola. A big old orgy with the other Changed, a ritual that she'd have difficulty saying no to. He thought of the asshole who'd taken her away, and for the first time he started getting truly angry. But there was nothing to do except wait.

The sun was much lower by the time Nicola returned, this time accompanied by two unfamiliar women in blue robes. They closed the door before he got much of a look at them.

"Well?" he asked her nervously, taking her hand. She looked all right. Tired. But not as if she'd been fucking for hours straight.

"Well," she said. "It was odd. But unexpectedly peaceful. Most of it was sitting close together in some kind of meditation. It was strange, but I liked it more and more as it went. I think there's something special about this place. I've felt it since I got here. The room we were in had these big windows looking over a lake, and there was a spectacular mountain framed behind it. We were there long enough to watch the sunlight slowly change color and creep up the mountainside. Like nothing I've ever seen. A special place."

Javier was increasingly terrified by her tone. But her eyes were still Nicola. Alert, and very nervous. She'd tell him the truth after the public version.

"Is that all, then?"

"Not quite," she said, sounding embarrassed. "They introduced me as the new member. Pretty obvious, since I was the only one wearing green. The others wore blue or grey. Grey for the older ones, the ones who seem to be running things. And, don't be angry, but at the beginning they briefly had me take off my robe and walk among them."

"What?" he yelped.

"They wanted to see my Changes," she said quickly. "One of the women in grey proclaimed that I was unusually blessed for one so young, and that they all rejoiced in my coming back to the Way. Something like that. A number of them even touched me, you know, on the freckles. But really, it wasn't sexual or anything. Nothing like that. I feel weirdly safe with these people, José. But I still have no idea what it is they do, what this Way is, aside from a lot of sitting and meditating. And they didn't answer when I asked about whether you could join."

Her use of his fake name was a nice reassurance that this was still Nicola talking. But the rest of it was unsettling. Still, he supposed it wasn't as bad as a zombie orgy.

"I'm going to take a shower and get out of this robe," she said. "It's funny, but the meditating was actually kind of exhausting. I guess I'm not used to that much mental exercise."

She laughed, and Javier smiled slightly. More clues that this was still Nicola. She was practically a professional meditator, just like Esther. He moved closer, and she kissed him high on the cheek.

<< Still me >>, she said. << But I'm pretty shaken up. I'll explain after I get that shower. >>

She came out a while later, drying herself in a towel and showing no modesty whatsoever. Part playacting, and part just Nicola. It was embarrassing how much her body aroused Javier.

There was a knock on the door, which surprised Javier. Actual politeness. But then the door opened on its own anyway. Nicola was only in her underwear, but the two blue-robed women didn't seem to care. They had brought a couple plates of food, and Javier accepted it.

"Is there a dining hall or something here?" Javier asked. "How long are we going to be stuck in this room?"

The women glanced at each other. The younger was barely an adult, with blonde hair and a cute freckly face. Javier suddenly had disquieting vision. Were they all naked under those robes?

"I don't know," said the older one. "It is as the elders will. Have patience and may the harmony of the Way be with you."

"Uh, you too," Javier mumbled as they shut the door. The bolt closed with a solid thud.

"Well, the food smells good," said Nicola. She hadn't bothered to put on more than underwear. "They have that going for them. It would be nice if they told us how long they're keeping us, though. Mark said last month he might call around now."

Javier blinked and then nodded. "Yeah. Who knows with him, though. Where was he going this time?"

Nicola shrugged, picking up a plate. "Like you said. Who knows with him. But I guess he's made his choice."

Javier was desperate to have a real conversation with Nicola, but she seemed unusually focused on wolfing down her food. Maybe that was its own sort of clue. She'd used a lot of mental energy doing something. Maybe resisting the influence of this place.

So he picked at his own food and tried not to stare too obviously at Nicola. Finally she sighed and put down the plate, flopping against the wall on the bed. Javier got in his familiar position, leaning against her.

<< Tell me what's really up >>, he said silently.

<< Everything happened as I said. Most of the guys weren't even creepy about staring at me. I don't think nudity is too unusual here, so maybe what's left is because I'm new. But the rest—how to explain. This place is wearing me down, Javier. As though it's whispering in my ears, just below my hearing. And the meditating amplified the effect hugely. Now I'm sure they're doing something like what Esther's dreamers were in the canyon. Joining each other's senses and producing something more. It would have been easy for me to dive in with all of them, because I know how good that would feel. >>

<< Because of what you did with Esther. >>

<< Yes, thank God. I had some preparation, and I was afraid of something like this. Or worse. I'm sure you were, too. This is bad enough, though. I have to pretend to be getting closer to joining with them, or else they might suspect I'm resisting the process. It's exhausting to walk that line. You might not like this, but I think the only reason I'm resisting so well is I know how much better it felt with Esther. With someone I actually liked. >>

Javier took her hand.

<< It's OK. I have an idea what that's like for both of you. Hold on to that if it's what helps you get through this. >>

<< I'm not even sure the people here experience it as that kind of arousal. They weren't showing it, anyway, and I would certainly have noticed with the guys. >>

Javier swallowed. He had a partial erection even now, just from lying with Nicola this way. He moved his hand off of her leg.

<< Oh, Christ, Javier, don't be embarrassed. I'm horny myself. This whole situation might be slightly funny if I weren't so fucking exhausted and scared. >>

<< Yeah. It's lucky I don't find you the least bit attractive. >>

Nicola coughed to cover up a laugh, and then she reached to pull at the bottom of his shirt.

Javier stiffened. << Is that a good idea? >>

<< Yes. >>

But she stopped pulling at his shirt. Javier struggled to talk about something else.

<< Was Samuel there? Or his mother? >>

<< Samuel was. He had a grey robe. His mother, no. But I didn't see this whole place. I could hear a few others in the rest of the compound. When she ambushed us his mother was so quiet that I didn't hear her at all. But I'm starting to think that kind of ability is unusual. As I said, they thought I had an unusual number of Changes. There may not be many here with powerful skills like hers. From what I could tell only one of the elders had as many Changes as me, and he seemed only half there mentally. >>

<< Not the old man from Esther's visions? >>

<< No. Not from how she described him. But I'm worried. If Samuel's mother joins us in meditations, she might work out that I'm partly faking. Or maybe someone else will. I don't know how long I'll have the strength to keep doing it. >>

<< You're strong, Nicola. They probably know you're physically strong after you kicked the shit out of Samuel, but you have your own abilities, ones I assume they don't understand. Could that help? >>

<< I wish. If it were a different type of lock on the door, maybe I'd have a prayer of opening it, or understanding how to break it. But this kind of bolt—who knows, maybe Esther could do it, or maybe not. I'm sure Mark could break down the door, but then we'd still have to get him out of here too. >>

<< But if you had to, if it were that or being trapped here, you could— >>

<< Don't you fucking even think that, Javier. I'd die before using my abilities that way again. >>

Her arm clenched him, more tightly than she probably realized. Javier gasped, and she let go. He turned his head and realized that along with her fury, she was trying not to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Nicola," he said aloud. He hadn't truly been thinking of her killing someone, so much as disabling somehow. But he'd been an idiot anyway, and he never should have started the thought. Nicola hated herself for what she'd done to Andrew, even if it'd been necessary.

"Nothing to be sorry about," she said flatly. "You couldn't have prevented them from capturing us. And maybe it'll work out to the best in the end."

<< Apology accepted, Javier. And I'm sorry for almost breaking your ribs. >>

They sat silently for a while.

<< Less horny now? >> Javier ventured. Nicola stroked his hair.

<< Not especially. But still pissed at you, so there's that. >>

They lay together in silence while evening darkened.

Finally Javier stirred. "Want your own bed?"

"Eh. We've shared smaller."