Unity and Destiny Pt. 08

"You will not try to kill the Mexican?" Selena asked, "Or any of his supporters? You will ask the same of any others you intend to aid you?"

"Yes," Lukas said. "Given what hangs in the balance, I strongly disagree with those conditions, but I will accept them."

Selena watched him, and then nodded slowly. "We are not agreeing to what you propose," she said. "First, why don't you explain why it is so important that he be removed."

"You likely know that better than I do," he said. "Or at least you discovered it earlier, I am certain. He is a very strong Changed man, someone who has been acting subtly for decades, and perhaps longer. I am still attempting to trace his origins. It is only his recent behavior that has allowed me to unravel the larger pattern. He has been helping to fragment centralized powers, one after another. Germany, China, even the Soviet Union. I do not understand his aims in America, but I now believe Franklin was one of his tools. Perhaps he feels he has acted in the interests of the Changed, the way Franklin did. But in the process he has accumulated a power that makes him virtually unassailable, even in the midst of this war. He will survive it easily. That is why his apparent desperation has been so difficult to understand, you see. I think the only thing that could produce such terror is the suspicion that the handful of Changed who might rival his power have begun to work against him."

"We took down Franklin," Esther said slowly. "And then we defeated one of his powerful lieutenants, Castillo. And Amelia, the group in Mexico. This is all because of me. The Mexican's entire reaction, even Black Christmas itself—"

"Stop, Esther," Javier said desperately. "That's ridiculous. Whatever the Mexican has done, he did himself."

But Esther was receding to somewhere else entirely, mumbling something about Herod. Javier jumped up to go sit with her, and Nicola quickly made space. Through all of it Lukas watched impassively, almost as if he'd known what those words would do to her. Javier suddenly hated him.

"That's enough," Nicola said. "This isn't our fight, Lukas. Esther has put herself in danger enough without you goading her into something worse, with effects we can't even predict."

"The uncertainty is high, and the personal danger extraordinary," Lukas agreed. "All the more if we are to follow Esther's rules. But as Esther argued earlier, risks are often asymmetrical. In this case, though, it is inaction that carries a high chance of utter catastrophe. Nicola, you may think I only concern myself with the welfare of the Changed, and there is truth to that. But a full nuclear holocaust will kill virtually everyone, sooner or later. Billions of dead. This is not a distant risk I'm describing. It is here this instant, and growing as we speak."

"How?" Esther muttered. Javier tried to quiet her, but she sat up straighter, wiping her eyes and staring at Lukas. "How are you so sure? There have been other moments as well. The Cuban Missile Crisis."

"And perhaps if we replayed history ten times, that crisis would have ended with catastrophe a few times. This time it is worse, because the Mexican is using his abilities to create one crisis after another. You may already know this, but he is able to damage a person's mind from immense distances, enough to change behaviors. More blunt than Franklin, but far more powerful. Even as the Russian ICBM launched, he attacked the most moderate member of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff. I suspect he is desperate enough that he has accepted the risk of total nuclear war, perhaps in the hopes of a somewhat less extreme outcome that gives him breathing room. But every time it is a roll of the dice, with the reactions of America and Russia tested in a novel way. We survived the Cuban missile crisis, but it evolved more slowly. The Mexican is rolling the dice over and over, and he's loading them further with every roll. We will not escape danger until he stops."

"It's not her responsibility," Javier said miserably. "Don't try to turn it into hers."

"No, Javier, it's everyone's responsibility," Esther said, squeezing his hand weakly. "But I might be one of the few who can do something about it."

* * *

The others had insisted she delay her decision, and she had accepted that. She wanted a reason to change her mind. The risk of danger to herself was of little consequence, given the stakes. Even a modest probability of success was worth the risk, as long as they could stay undetected until the last moment. Because of course Lukas hadn't presented the whole picture. It was always possible to make things worse, and she had to consider that risk as best she could. Still, everything was telling her Lukas's logic was sound. His details matched everything she'd felt from otherspace, even connections that had been too vague for her to bring to the others' attention.

But she owed it to the others to exercise all the caution she could, because they would insist on coming with her no matter what. It would be her decision that could lead to all of their deaths.

"No, Esther," Javier told her again as they lay naked in bed that afternoon. "That's not how this works. We're making the decision to follow you, because we love you, and we believe you have the best judgment of all of us. Yes, despite whatever you think has been your fault. If you decide you have to go to Mexico, it's because you think the risk to the whole world is significant. Going along with you would be the safest thing then, to give you the best chance of succeeding. A selfish decision, really."

She smiled at Javier. He was always so good at this task, managing her fractious moods as though it were his responsibility. She could never bear failing to act if there were something she could do to save him. And that was the awful logic facing her: she might need to save the whole world to save her family. Exactly what Javier and Nicola and the others always accused her of trying to do.

Her fingers traced a line down his back, down to his gorgeous muscled butt, and he flexed one cheek to amuse her. Maybe they should have sex. Like people always said, as though it were the last day on the planet. She shook off the thought. But Javier's penis was right there, and he said he never really minded certain kinds of attention, even if he wasn't much in the mood. She brushed along the shaft with her fingers, and he drew his breath in, shifting to help her. He was in the mood, all right. His fingers found the sensitive freckles on her back, and she started to rub herself between the legs, circling her small opening. Her body's response was slow, but this felt right.

There was a knock at the door, and Javier started when she called out for Grace and Kat to come in. Belatedly she realized she was still masturbating Javier, and herself, and she pulled her hands away.

"Hey," Grace said, eyes widening. "Oh, gosh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Yeah, you should just keep going," Kat said. "Mostly we were looking for company."

"Ok," said Esther. "Come and sit with us if you want. I think we could use it too."

She felt Javier's tension when she gripped his penis again, but he wasn't objecting. And it was nice to have the others here.

Grace looked nervously at Kat, who was starting to smile. And then Kat started undressing, down to her underwear anyway.

"Honest, for once, that wasn't the kind of company I was thinking of," Kat said. "But you guys are beautiful together, and suddenly I seem to be horny. Is this the end-of-the-world thing kicking in finally?"

She sat on the bed near Javier, reaching for Grace, who kept biting her lip. But then she joined Kat, pulling off her sweater and shirt. As usual, she wore no bra, and Javier was clearly aroused. But truth be told, so was Esther. She liked both these women, and if Javier wanted to have sex with Kat again, that seemed pretty hot. Really hot. She swallowed.

What she hadn't expected was the way Grace kept looking at her. Kat was kneeling between Grace's legs, pulling her panties sideways to run her fingers through Grace's bush. And even as she sighed and stroked Kat's face, Grace kept stealing glances at Esther's body.

"Would you like a closer look?" Esther asked, kneeling upright. "You can touch me if you want. I think I might like that."

No, she was sure she'd like it. And Javier was nodding so vigorously it was almost comical. She squeezed his penis once and adjusted her grip slightly, until he moaned.

Grace looked nervously at Kat, who kissed her softly on one nipple, working her fingers steadily beneath her lover's underwear.

"She wants to use her tongue," Kat said. "If you're OK with that. I recommend it. She's amazing."

Grace blushed, but she didn't deny it. And when Esther nodded, Grace got up on her knees to face her, looking lost and vulnerable and strong and full of desire. All mixed up, like they all were. And then Grace's mouth came towards hers, and she closed her eyes.

She wasn't anything like Javier. Or the tiny handful of others she'd kissed, all of whom were right here in this house. Grace's lips were soft and artful, her tongue finding sensitive spots on Esther's lips that she hadn't even known about. It drove Esther mad, and she was relieved when Javier started using his fingernails on her back, and then slipped a hand through her legs from behind, finding the sensitive blue skin and stroking, stroking. He was dangerously close to touching Grace, but she knew he would take great care about that, no matter what he might be fantasizing about. His fingers did bump into Kat's a few times, though, where they worked through Grace's slit.

Grace broke the kiss, and then shifted lower, following the line of her jaw, to her neck, and down between Esther's breasts. She obviously understood full well how sensitive those freckles were, and Esther hissed happily when she finally used just the right pressure.

"You're gorgeous," Grace whispered. "I could look at you for hours. Especially while Kat does that to me."

"Glad to be of service," Kat said happily. She had a hand down her own panties, obviously enjoying watching.

Grace worked slowly towards her nipples, which were already utterly erect, shining their brightest blue as they always did in this state. But Esther was distracted by the person hovering in the hall. And so she gave the lightest pull on Selena. A simple welcome. No compulsion at all, particularly given Selena's newfound strengths. Esther repeated it.

The others hadn't noticed Selena's quiet entrance. In truth Esther was baffled, but Selena cleared it up shortly.

"You don't have to ignore me, but don't expect me to join. I just want to be with you all, if it won't be awkward."

Javier patted the bed beside him. "Of course it'll be awkward," he said. "And of course we want you here."

She smiled slightly, sitting at the corner of the bed, rather than next to Javier. And Esther smiled back, until suddenly Grace's tongue darted lower, and she had to close her eyes as her body began to anticipate what was coming.

She'd forgotten to keep her hand moving on Javier, and she felt another hand gently touch hers. Kat happily took over, and Esther focused on nothing but the artful tongue working around her hole, the little inhalations of delight from Grace as she found Esther's most sensitive spots. The feel of her friend's tongue slipping inside her, pressing and filling her up, so she could almost imagine she was an ordinary woman for a moment. Two moments.

It passed, of course, and she moved her thoughts another direction, as she always had to. She could feel everything about Grace's body now, all the intimate space she never allowed herself to notice. The way her anus puckered when Kat touched her clitoris just right. The depth and texture of her vaginal passage, the way Javier's penis would fill it up, as it must have that one time they'd coupled. She knew he still dreamed of it, almost as often as he fantasized about Nicola.

Esther was masking their activities in her usual way, but the door was still open, and Nicola and Mark would know something was up. They were having sex too, in the slow and patient way they'd worked out lately, Nicola steadily working her mouth on Mark's mostly-hard penis. And so Esther sent Nicola the same invitation she had to Selena.

When Nicola didn't react, she sent it again, but this time Nicola just held up her hand. Not now. But not rejecting her offer either.

Suddenly a slick finger probed her anus, and she had a moment's vertigo as she scrambled to remember who it was. Javier, of course. It had sent a jolt through her body that Grace surely noticed, and suddenly her tongue began working just enough faster that Esther's thighs tensed, her body heating itself, instinctively trying to build tension to sharpen her coming climax.

Grace understood exactly what it meant, and she didn't stop what she was doing. It wasn't anything Javier had ever done, exactly, but it wasn't so different. But there was a danger, the thrill that she might suddenly be surprised. And when her orgasm came, it surprised her right out of her body.

* * *

"Esther?"

Javier had looked away for just a minute, distracted by the way Kat's tits were jiggling as she tried to please two different lovers. But Grace's tone brought him up short, and Kat stopped jacking him off an instant later.

"She's OK," he said almost immediately. "She just had an orgasm that knocked her straight into otherspace. She'll be back."

Kat started laughing. "Attagirl, Grace! I knew your magic tongue would do it."

Javier smiled, and Kat let go of his dick. But it was temporary, and he moaned when her mouth took over.

Sure enough, Esther was back thirty seconds later, looking flushed and slightly peeved. He wasn't about to tell Grace that Esther didn't like missing the best part of her orgasm. The fact that it had happened anyway spoke volumes about how Grace had surprised her friend. And Esther was hungry for more, that was obvious. He tried to catch her eye, to see if she wanted him. Maybe anal sex while the others made love. He could already imagine the feeling. But instead, Esther sat up, breathing hard, and kissed Grace on the lips. Then lower, lower, repeating what Grace had done for her.

Grace's eyes went wide, and Kat quickly pulled her hand away, letting Grace lie back the way she wanted. A few seconds later, Esther's mouth was buried in Grace's bush. And Esther's practice with Nicola seemed to be paying off, judging by the noises Grace made.

"Holy shit," Kat said, pulling her mouth off of his dick to watch. She stared a second longer, then grinned and looked at him. "Wanna fuck, Javier?"

Without waiting for his reply, she turned over, resting on her knees and kissing Grace hungrily. Grace moaned into her mouth, putting a hand behind Kat's head. Javier got behind Kat, and then he noticed Selena watching.

She had an odd expression on her face. A good expression. She'd taken off most of her clothes, aside from her purple synthetic panties. He hadn't seen her breasts before. They were ordinary, beautiful breasts. A little unnervingly ordinary, since Javier's experience of breasts was mostly from women thirty years younger. He suspected there might be freckles that she'd concealed the way she usually did. And she was looking at his body. He might be nervous, but with so many naked women to focus on, he was still hard as a rock. He might as well make a show of it.

Carefully he lined up with Kat, and she felt the tip of his dick brush her hairless slit. She reached back to help guide him, but he knew things were good. And so he sank into her with a single long plunge.

"Fuuck," Kat murmured into Grace's mouth. "Oh, Grace, he's so big inside me. Does this turn you on, watching me get fucked while Esther eats you out?"

"The fuck do you think?" Grace mumbled, turning her head to get a view of her lover. Kat got the idea, and she sat up, pulling Javier slowly forward, getting high on her knees and opening her legs wider, until Javier was fucking her just a foot from Grace's face. Kat started masturbating, and he suspected she wouldn't last long. He moved to help, but to his shock Kat took his hand, resting it gently on Grace's breast. She gave him a bleary-eyed smiled, and he touched her gently. Felt Grace's beautiful curves, caught her fat brown nipple between two fingers.

But he suddenly remembered he wasn't even wearing a condom. He slowed slightly, and Kat seemed to sense his worry. "Wrong time of the month," she whispered. "Maybe you should try to hold off, though, like the other time. Save it for Esther."

He tried, but there was so much going on. Esther was touching herself low on the back, and Grace seemed on the verge of an orgasm. Finally Kat began shaking, and he steeled himself, keeping his rhythm just so. Let her come all over him, as though he were a machine. Dick made of steel. A robot, a glorified sex toy for Kat's collection.

It was ridiculous, but it worked. He supported Kat with an arm around her chest as she grunted and moaned, his groin pressed hard against her buttocks, her breasts bouncing atop his arm. And then she finally rolled off him, kissing Grace once more.

Grace didn't seem to have much time left, and suddenly he knew what Esther would want. She'd implied little scenes like this sometimes, hardly with any detail. His dick was absolutely covered in Kat's juices, and she'd liked it when he touched her there earlier. Her slim ass was perfectly positioned, her legs trailing off the back of the bed. And so Javier stood up and walked around to her, barely two feet from where Selena sat watching. He touched his dick to Esther's asshole, and she pushed firmly back against him.

It wasn't the same kind of lubrication they usually used. It was thinner, and he had to go slower. But Esther seemed to like it just fine, and it was a thrill to remember it was Kat's juices that made it possible.

Grace seemed to be taking a long time getting over the last hump to her orgasm. Of course Esther didn't exactly know what she liked, and all this was unfamiliar. And Esther was distracted now by her own pleasure. He could feel how close she was getting to another orgasm, how much she wanted to run straight at it, let herself be overcome by the slap and the rush. So Javier scratched her back just so, and he timed his thrusts with her slight contractions. And he whispered softly how much he loved her, how he'd be there with her, whatever she needed, whenever. He'd forgotten Selena could hear him, though. She was wiping her eyes, not looking at his face. But she didn't look away from the sex.

And finally he felt that tiny relaxation from Esther, her conscious muscles letting the automatic take over. It went on and on, and he felt her urging him faster, to join her. But it wasn't until he looked up and locked eyes with Grace that he finally started to come, every muscle in his body tensing and then his balls letting go, feeling as though a dam had released.

Esther was valiantly trying to keep licking Grace, and finally with Kat's efforts it seemed enough. Grace was quieter than all of them, but Javier had a perfect view from here, and as he caught his breath he watched her with a deep satisfaction, through the last shudders, until she was still.

With a groan he pulled out of Esther, awkwardly hopping for a towel to help them both clean up. And to his amusement, he saw that Kat was masturbating while the rest of them paused.

"What?" she said with a grin, opening her legs wider. "That was the best show ever. Tell me it's not over."

"Before that, I need to clean up," Javier said, patting her on the head before kissing Esther on the cheek.

Esther followed him into the hall, and for a minute he just looked at her with a goofy grin. Then they hit the bathroom, taking their time to clean.