_Leap Child_

by Net Wolf
 
 
 
          On February 29, 1980, a child was born.  He was a healthy baby, of 8
lbs., 9 oz.  Like all babies, his eyes were blue, but these eyes were the sort
of electric blue that almost glowed.
 
          His parents named him Kenneth, and everyone called him Kenny.  He
was a happy little tyke, though he had no siblings to play with.  As he got
older, he grew tall for his age, and thin, but his eyes remained that same
piercing blue.  It was as if he were looking straight into your soul, the way
he would just stare at you.  And Kenny always seemed to guess what you were
thinking.
 
 
 
          At age eight, Kenny finally realized what he was.  He could control
minds, project thoughts onto others.  He could make people think they saw
things that couldn’t possibly be.  If he wished for you to think such, and you
were close enough to him, well, such you thought.  He had tinkered discreetly
with his ability, but he gained only one thing from it.  Fear.  For Kenny was
a bright child, and he knew that, if anyone ever found out about him, the
government would pick him apart to find out how “it” worked.
 
          And Kenny didn’t know.  Nor did he care.  For years, he hid his
talent.  Occasionally, he’d take it out, just to make sure it still worked. 
Then, as quickly as he could, he plunged it back into the depths of his mind,
so that no one would ever find out that he was different.
 
          But, as always happens, plans made in childhood fall apart as one
grows...
 
 
 
          It was October 20, 1995, the night of Homecoming.  Kenny had been
out with friends celebrating after his school’s victory over their local
rival.  He arrived home to find his front door ajar, the lights out in the
house.  Kenny stumbled through the house, and tripped over something soft on
the floor.  He crawled over to find his father, dead.  *Where’s Mom?*  The
thought kept running through his head.  And then he heard a scream.  Not an
angry scream, but the kind of scream that makes every hair on your body stand
on end.  It was a scream of mortal terror.  And it was his mother’s scream. 
Coming from his parents’ bedroom.
 
          Kenny raced down the hall and kicked open the door.  The lights in
this room were also off, but the streetlights outside showed him the scene. 
The assailant was 6’ 4” tall, and muscled.  Kenny was only 5’ 6”, and thin to
the point of frailty. The attacker advanced...
 
 
 
          “And what happened next, son?”  The officer inquired.
 
          “Well, he sort of stopped, looked at something, screamed, and
crashed headlong through the window and ran away.  He musta been stoned or
something.”  Actually, what the man had seen was the thing he feared most, a
snake.  There hadn’t *been* a snake there, but Kenny knew how to take care of
that.
 
          “I see.  Well, it was lucky for the two of you.  Unfortunately, your
father didn’t make it.  I’m sorry, son.”  The officer returned to his partner,
who was questioning Kenneth’s mother.
 
          “I don’t know how he did it, but Kenny made the guy jump out the
window.”  She was shaky, at best.
 
          “And how might he have done that, ma’am?”  The officer inquired
gently.
 
          “I have no idea.  But Kenny...  well, you have to understand.  Kenny
has this way of looking at people, it’s like he’s looking right through you. 
He was looking at the man that way, and I saw him stare right into the man’s
eyes, and then he screamed, and jumped out the window.”
 
          The officers looked at each other.  Shaken as she was, it was too
detailed an account to be made up.  But how did you write this one up for the
report?  “Very well, ma’am.  We’ve got your description of the man, and your
son’s.  We’ll put out an APB on him.  Given his... somewhat out- of- the-
ordinary physique, he shouldn’t be too hard to find.”  The officers closed
their notebooks, and headed to their car, whispering to each other that this
one was going to be talked about for years.
 
 
 
          It turned out that finding the assailant was ludicrously easy.  He
was found, cowering in an alleyway, by a city sanitation worker the next
morning.  The police picked him up and took him to holding, but all he would
do was repeat over and over, “Snakes.. God, I hate snakes... hundreds of
‘em.... snakes, man.”  

          The police brought Kenny to the station to see if he could identify
the man.  They put him in a lineup, and Kenny picked him out right away.  In
processing the criminal through the station, He and Kenny passed each other in
the hall.  Upon seeing Kenny, the man backed away as fast as his chains would
carry him.
 
          “Keep that kid away from me!  Snakes, man!  God, I hate snakes...
hundreds of ‘em!  All over the place.... Keep him away!”  The police were
baffled by the outburst, but Kenny just smiled serenely.
 
 
 
          During the trial, the defense attorney had tried everything to
deflect the prosecution’s case.  Nothing was working.  Finally, the defense
had a go at Kenneth.
 
          “So, Kenny, you say the man just turned and ran?”
 
          “That is correct.”
 
          “What do you think made him do such a thing?”
 
          “I don’t know, sir.  I think he might have been hallucinating.”
 
          The defendant was fidgeting in his chair, and would not make eye
contact with Kenneth.
 
          “What would you say if I told you the defendant swears _you_ made
him run?”
 
          “That would be a neat trick on my part, sir.”
 
          “Yes, quite.  Do you own a pet snake, Kenneth?”
 
          “No, sir.  I have a dog.  Snakes are your department, aren’t they?” 
The audience chuckled, but the attorney was not amused.
 
          “So, you deny that there was a snake in the bedroom with you?”
 
          “Well sir, your client seems slippery as an eel, but no, there were
no animals in the room.”  Kenny was focussing his attention on the defendant,
who was starting to become very distraught.  Kenny was about to cause him to
make a scene when someone entering the court diverted his attention.  This man
was wearing what could best be described as a military uniform, but it was all
black.  His sunglasses hid his expression, and his demeanor was something
close to menacing.  He took a seat in the front row.
 
          “Kenneth!” It was clear that he had missed a question.
 
          “Excuse me, sir?  Could you repeat the question?  I got distracted.”
 
          “Fine.  You made your identification of my client quite quickly,
didn’t you?”
 
          “Yes, sir, I believe I did.”
 
          “Don’t you think that was a rather hasty decision?  You were looking
at the lineup for less than ten seconds.”
 
          “No, sir.  I recognized your client immediately.”
 
          “After having seen him once, for a brief span of seconds, in a
darkened room, you claim that you could recognize the assailant *instantly*? 
My, you must have some eyesight.”
 
          “No, sir.  Just well developed observational skills.  For instance,
sir, I noticed rather quickly that you are in fact not wearing any
underwear.”  This bit of info he had gleaned from the man’s mind.  He also
knew *why* he wasn’t, but Kenny didn’t figure that little tidbit would go over
well in court.
 
          The attorney’s face went beet red with embarrassment.  “Your Honor! 
I demand that statement be stricken from the record!”
 
          After some consideration the judge asked, “Is the statement
accurate?”
 
          In a quieter voice, the attorney replied, “Well, yes, but I don’t
see....”
 
          “If the statement is accurate, I see no reason to strike it from the
record.  You questioned the witness’s observational ability, and he has
presented you with incontrovertible proof of his skill.  Next question.”
 
          The attorney continued, trying to trap Kenneth in an inconsistency. 
But Kenny was both too intelligent, and too well coached for that sort of
thing.  He grew bored, and thought it was time to shut the little weasel up. 
The man was afraid of.... rats?  What a wimp.
 
          “Now then Mr........” The attorney was about to launch on a new
tack, when he saw the mouse.  No, this was no mouse, it was a *rat*.  A big,
ugly, hairy, disgusting rat.  It crawled out from behind the witness chair,
along the rail surrounding the witness box to the front, and sat up on its
hind legs looking at him.  He backed away rather rapidly, nearly knocking over
the lectern in the process, and dropping his notes to the floor.
 
          “Is there a problem, Mr. Wheeler?”  The judge intoned.
 
          “Can’t you see it?!”  He cried, pointing.
 
          “What I see is a witness you’ve been badgering for the last hour and
a half.  What exactly is your problem?”
 
          Mr. Wheeler, deciding that he couldn’t possibly be seeing what he
was seeing, replied, “N-nothing, your Honor.  Excuse my outburst.  I just-”
 
          All of a sudden, the room was crawling with them.  They were pouring
out of the woodwork, scampering across the floor.  And then a single thought
entered his head. * If you let the boy leave, the rats will go with him.*
 
          “No- no further questions for this witness, sir.”  And as quick as
they had come, the rats were gone.  The room was completely cleared of them.
 
 
 
          The trial continued for two more days, but the man was ultimately
found guilty, and sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Kenny’s
father.
 
 
 
          “Mrs. Sheridan?”  The inquisitor was a tall man dressed in a black
uniform of some kind.  He held up his ID.  “My name is Agent Wilkes.  I work
with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”  This was both technically true,
and a cleverly crafted lie.
 
          “Yes?  What can I do for you?”
 
          “I’m here to talk to you about your son.  May I come in?”
 
          She led him to the living room of her new house, and offered him
coffee.
 
          “No, thank you.  Mrs. Sheridan, your son’s behavior on the night of
your husband’s death, it seems.... peculiar.”
 
          “In what way?”  Mrs. Sheridan would have been just as glad to put
that night behind her.
 
          “He did not react as the average teen would have.  It is our opinion
that your son may be, how shall I put this?”  Wilkes tried to find the words,
and stumbled.
 
          “You’re not suggesting that he had something to do with it?”
 
          “Oh, no, ma’am.  We believe that he may possess a unique ability to
adapt and deal with crises.  As such, we would like to know how he has come to
develop such an ability, and if there is some way we can teach it to our men. 
You see, that ability would be very useful in the field.”  Agent Wilkes didn’t
say *what* field.  Again, he was enfolding the truth in an elaborate lie.
 
          “I see.”  She didn’t, but didn’t wish to say so.  “What do you want
from him?”
 
          “If we could bring him to Washington for a few days.  We’d like to
interview him, to see what thought processes passed through his mind.  We have
some special techniques for allowing people to... well, to sort of relive the
experience in their mind, so that they can analyze it step by step.”  He was
temporizing now.  He wasn’t used to doing it this way.
 
          “Well, I don’t suppose there’s any harm in that.”
 
          “Fine.  What I need you to do is sign this consent form.  We’ll pick
him up from school today.”
 
          “What about clothing?”
 
          “We’ll provide him what he needs.”  He watched her sign the form,
and he tucked it into his coat.  “One of my associates will meet your son
after school today.  Good day, Mrs. Sheridan.”
 
 
 
          Actually, they had met him before school.  Three men in a black van
pulled up along side him as he walked to school.  It was just a matter of
stopping, jumping out, and grabbing him.  He had no time for defenses.  He was
bound, blindfolded and gagged as the van sped to its destination, which was
nowhere near Washington, D.C.
 
 
 
          Kenny had fallen asleep in the van.  When he awoke, he was in a
locked room, containing a bed, a table, and some chairs.  There was a door
that led to a bathroom, thank God.  He made use of the facilities, and then
started to examine his... prison.  There was no other word for it.  The door
to what he assumed was the outside world was electronically locked.  There was
no television, no radio, no books.  He found his watch was missing, and there
were no clocks in the room.  

*          Where the hell am I?  Who were those guys?  What do they want?*  He
had no clues to go on, yet.
 
          Nor did he have much time to think about it.  He was startled when a
man entered.  The man wore a lab coat, but he was accompanied by two men,
dressed in black uniforms, wearing sunglasses- * *
 
*          Oh, shit.*
 
          “Well, good morning, Kenneth.  How are we this morning?”
 
          Kenny decided no reply was his best answer.
 
          “Come now, young man.  We’ll not get much accomplished if you refuse
to speak to me.”  He waited for an answer that was not forthcoming.  “Very
well, then.  I will speak to you.
 
          “You are here so that we may find out how you do what you do.  Don’t
bother denying your abilities to us, we have already seen their use.  We will
not hurt you, but you *must* cooperate.”  This line could not go unchallenged.
 
          “Or what?” Kenny asked.
 
          “You really don’t want to know,” the man replied.  “Now then, how
long have you had your ability?”
 
          “Fuck you.  Where’s my mom?”
 
          “Your mother has given us permission to do whatever we wish.  You
will be released after you cooperate with us.”
 
          “Bullshit.  My mom would never do that.”
 
          The man simply showed him the form.  “Of course, I’m told she didn’t
actually have much of a chance to actually read it, but there you are.”
 
          “Let me out of here.  If you think I’m gonna help you, you can go
blow yourself.”
 
          “An interesting notion.  Well, we shall see.”
 
 
 
          Over the next week, which seemed like a month to Kenneth, they
repeatedly worked to break down his will.  They were attempting sensory
deprivation and time denial on him.  What they could not prevent was his
looking into their minds.  As such, he was never short of perceptions, and he
always knew what time it was.  They were going nowhere fast.  It fell into a
routine, and workers were scheduled to handle him.
 
          One worker, named Stephen, was especially nasty to Kenny.  He would
push him around, yell at him, and belittle him and his family.  Kenny finally
one day had enough of this.
 
          “Shut the fuck up you shit-faced little asshole!  I’ve had all of
you I’m gonna take.”
 
          “Oh, yeah, boy?  What you gonna do about it?”
 
          Kenny got an idea.  “I’m not going to do anything.  But you can go
take a flying leap.”  The man was afraid of heights.  Kenny’s words only
reinforced the mental command he had sent.  It took a great deal of effort,
and it didn’t always work.  But Kenny could see the change in the man’s face
as the message struck home.  The man wheeled around and marched out of the
room.
 
          He passed several individuals in the hall, who were surprised to see
him, but he answered none of their questions.  He entered the stairwell, and
headed for the roof.  He arrived on the roof, and walked to the edge, climbing
up on the parapet and stepping to the very edge.
 
          Without Kenneth there to reinforce his command, the man’s natural
fears started to reassert themselves.  As the man stood there, looking down,
he started to sweat.  His body was trembling, and he started to shake.  His
mind was fighting off the command, but would it be in time?
 
          Yes, and no.  His mind finally rejected the command, and Stephen
snapped upright, confused, and unaware of his surroundings.  His movement and
confusion caused him to lose his balance, and he fell.  There were people
below, looking up now, and he cursed fate that they would all think he
jumped.  *We should have left the kid alone*, was his last and best considered
thought.
 
 
 
          “What do we do with him now?  This kid is obviously a danger to us.”
 
          “Word has come down from the office.  He is to be terminated
immediately.”
 
          “Shit.  Who has to do it?”
 
          “We’ll get one of the guards to do it.”
 
 
 
          The guard entered the room to find Kenny sitting on his bed, hugging
his knees to his chest.  The guard drew his weapon....
 
*          The fucker’s gonna kill me!*  Kenny thought quickly.  He didn’t
have time to search the man’s mind.  He sent images certain to terrify anyone.
 
          All of a sudden, the guard rolled to the floor.  He attempted to
stand back up, but had to continue ducking.  What he was seeing he couldn’t
explain.  There were spikes and blades and sharp objects coming at him from
every direction.  Finally, the guard slipped, and one of the objects plunged
right through his head.
 
          The guard slumped to the floor, dead.  He had died of a heart
attack, evidencing the fact that you really can think yourself to death. 
Kenny grabbed the key card from the guard, and quickly left the room.  

          He had searched the minds of everyone he came in contact with in the
facility, so he knew how to escape.  The key card would let him go anywhere,
and he immediately dashed for the exit.  Once he had made it outside the
secure wing, which hadn’t been as hard as he had feared, he slowed down.  The
only guards he had encountered he had spoofed with a special little trick he
did, masking himself behind a mental mirror.  They never actually saw him,
and, since he’d been messing with people since he’d got there, they assumed it
was more of the same.  It took minutes before anyone knew he’d escaped, and by
then he was out of the building.
 
 
 
          “Now what do we do?” the assistant asked.
 
          “Call in the boys from Operations.  We cannot let him loose on
society.”
 
          “I’ll call the director.”
 
 
 
          Team leader Frank Bushnell opened the door to the briefing room. 
The team was gathered to find out what was on the agenda for today.
 
          “Morning people.  It looks like the boys over at CSR have screwed
the pooch again.  They’ve got another job for us.”
 
          His XO commented, “Dammit, those guys over at the Center for Special
Research are always fucking up.  Why do we have to clean up their messes all
the time?”  There was a general consensus in the room.
 
          “Shit, Deke.  That’s what NSF is for.  Our unit was designed to
handle everyone else’s screwups.”  Actually, the National Security Force had
been established for quite a different reason, but had turned into a
government cleanup crew.
 
          “Yeah, I suppose.  But they always send us such weird ones.  What is
it this time?  They let an alien loose or something?”
 
          “Close enough.”  He passed a picture around.  “This is the target. 
His name is Kenneth.  They tell me he can.... control people.”  A murmur ran
throughout the room.  “Yeah, yeah.  I don’t believe it either, but that’s what
they say.  Anyway, he got loose from the CSR facility in Caberton this
morning.  They want us to find him.”
 
          One of the officers in the back, a woman, asked, “How is he to be
handled?”
 
          Bushnell replied, “With extreme prejudice.”  That one phrase
silenced the room.
 
          The female officer was shocked.  “They want us to kill a, what is
he, like 16?  They want us to kill a *kid*?”
 
          “He’s 15, and yes, that’s the way it looks.  You got a problem with
this mission, Dante?”
 
          “No, sir.  But I don’t like it.”  The kid reminded her too much of
her little brother.  Maria Dante had been with NSF for just over a year.  This
was the first time ‘extreme prejudice’ had been invoked.  She wasn’t sure she
liked the idea of having a dead kid on her conscience.
 
          “You’re not paid to like it, you’re paid to do it.  Any further
questions?  Fine.  Let’s move out.”
 
 
 
          Kenneth didn’t know what to do.  He knew the first place they’d look
for him was home.  Plus, he had no idea if he was even in the same city
anymore.  He didn’t recognize anything.  

          He wandered for hours, not paying any attention to where he was
going, while he tried to consider things.  Suddenly, his eyes focussed, and he
found himself in a very unsavory neighborhood.  Prostitutes were on every
street corner, and gang graffiti covered the walls of buildings.  He knew he
had to watch his step here.  He was a scared 15 year-old who really wanted to
be a safe 16 year-old.
 
          He turned a corner, and found a scene that turned his blood cold.  A
beautiful woman was being beaten by two men.  Kenny made a snap decision.
 
          “Excuse me,” he said, calmly walking up to them.
 
          “Get lost, kid,” replied the bigger man.
 
          “EXCUSE me,” he repeated, then continued, “but if you don’t let the
lady go, you’re going to get hurt.”
 
          That got the two men’s attention.  They pushed the lady to the
ground, and turned on Kenny.  “You shoulda minded your own business, twerp. 
Now I’m gonna cut off your dick and shove it down your throat.”  The man
pulled a knife.
 
          Kenny was prepared for the weapon.  Actually, he was counting on
it.  With all the adrenaline running through his system, his ability was
kicking into high gear.  Kenny raised his hand in a circular motion, and ended
by pointing to the as- yet unarmed man.  The man with the knife mimicked
Kenneth’s action, stroking the knife up, and then down into the other man’s
jugular.  The man, mortally wounded, tried to scream, but all that came out
was a gurgle.  Obviously, the knife had found its way into the throat.
 
          Now Kenny only had one attacker to deal with.  He was advancing
again, hand raised ready to strike.  Kenny thought quickly.  The man’s hand,
almost of its own accord, drew the knife down, and plunged it into his own
stomach.  Blood gushed everywhere.  The man staggered against Kenny, smearing
blood on his shirt, until he stepped aside, and the man fell to the ground.
 
          Kenny was a little shaken, but not injured.  He was also shaking
from the stress and exertion.  He slumped against the wall, all of his energy
drained.  The woman, who had been too stunned even to scream at the sight of
two men killed in front of her, hurried to him.
 
          “Are you all right, Sweetie?”
 
          “Excuse me?”
 
          “I asked if you were all right.”
 
          “I’m fine.  How about you?  They looked like they were working you
over pretty good.”
 
          “Nothing a couple Band-Aids won’t cure.  They were just warming up
when you got here.  I owe you a big one, sweetheart.  What’re you doing in
this part of town anyway?”
 
          “Running.”
 
          She knew he didn’t mean for exercise.  “I see.  Well, I think you’re
gonna need a place to stay the night.  Come with me.  My girls’ll fix ya up.”
 
*          Her girls?*
 
          The lady Kenny had rescued was Gwenyth Winters.  She was the most
respected madam in the city.  The individuals who assaulted her that evening
were from a rival.  This man, a balding, uncouth pimp, did not understand the
meaning of the word ‘class’.
 
          Gwenyth, on the other hand, was a different story.  And so were ‘her
girls’.  Her ladies were, first and foremost that: ladies.  Ms. Winters ran
her house in the old traditions.  She ushered Kenny into the foyer, to the
gasps of those there present.
 
          “None of that, girls.  This young man has just saved me from a
rather nasty fate.  His name is.... Sorry, I never got your name.”
 
          “Kenny, ma’am.”
 
          “Fine, Kenny.  But please don’t call me ‘ma’am’.  My name is Gwen. 
Anyway,” she continued to the assembled crowd, “Kenny needs a place to stay. 
He is hiding from some downright unfriendly folk.  Cheri, go get him a change
of clothing.  Donna, run him a nice bath.”
 
          As the girls were set off to their tasks, Kenny said, “Thank you
very much, ma.... um, Gwen.  I don’t know what I would have done without your
help.”
 
          She was having none of it.  “Oh, nonsense.  You did do me quite a
large favor.  This is just my way of repaying it.  By the way, how *did* you
handle those two men back there?”
 
          “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
 
          “Oh?  Come now.  I can believe quite a lot.”
 
          “I *thought* them into it.  I can control minds.”
 
          Gwen paused for a moment, and considered.  “Yes, so you can.”  And
that was that.  Donna returned to say that his bath was ready, and she
escorted him to the bathroom.  She left quietly, a disappointed smile on her
face.
 
*          This place is like something out of the 1800’s.  A real, honest-
to- God ‘house of ill repute’.  All this niceness, the civility.  You never
see places like this on TV...*  His thoughts drifted aimlessly, as he sank
into the hot water of the bath.
 
 
 
          Come morning time, Kenny was summoned down for breakfast, which was
a sumptuous meal of ham and eggs, toast and jam, pancakes, milk, orange juice,
and fresh fruit.  He wondered how anyone could stay as trim as all these
ladies obviously were - they weren’t wearing the kind of clothing that hid
their figures, though it was respectable - and still eat all this food.  After
breakfast, they gathered in the study for an informal get-together.
 
          Gwen explained, “Most of our customers don’t come around until
evening.  During the day we chat, read, play the piano, and so  on.”  Kenny
had noticed there was not a television in the room.  He commented on its
absence.  “That idiot box?  Any intelligent person would throw it right out
the window.  Now, Kenneth, have you made plans for today?”
 
          “I suppose I should get going.  Those guys from the Center are sure
to be looking for me.  However, I do owe you a favor, no matter what you say,
and I wish there was some way I could repay it.”  Kenny considered for some
time.  “What about your... competitor?  Maybe I could convince him to leave
you alone.”
 
          “No, dear.  I wouldn’t dare to put you in such a position of
danger.  I will deal with him as I have dealt with all the others, by simply
providing higher quality service.”
 
          Just then there was a bang on the door.  One of the ladies got up to
answer it.  She returned quickly, in the grasp of a big man with a nasty scar
on his face.  He threw her to the floor as everybody stood.  Kenny and Gwen
stepped forward.  Life had changed for Kenny.  These were his only friends
now, and he’d be damned before he’d lose them.
 
          “Gwen, I want the cocksucker who killed my boys.  An’ I want ‘im
Now!”
 
          “Boudreaux, I’m not sure I understand what you’re talking about.” 
Gwen was playing it cool.  Kenny now knew that *this* was her competitor.  And
uncouth was a polite word for this man.  

          “Don’t shit me, ‘cher.  I knows that you met with ‘em last night. 
This mornin’, they in the freezer.  Now, I’m gonna start tearin’ dis place
apart less you give up your hired gun.”  They all knew he meant it.  It was
time for the final act.
 
          Kenny stepped in front of Gwen, to her eternal annoyance.  “Look,
*Boudreaux*, I handled your boys, all by my little self.  And you know what? 
If you don’t turn around and walk out that door right now, you’re going to be
joining them.”
 
          “What kinda game you playing at?  This ain’t no fuckin’ joke, no. 
You wanna play with ol’ Boudreaux and his Colt, you just better rethink it.” 
The man drew his weapon, and cocked it, but didn’t really aim it anywhere.
 
          Kenny stared the man down.  His hand began to shake.  The gun,
slowly turned itself on its master.  The man was staring at the hand - *his*
hand - in terror.  Soon, he realized the young man wasn’t joking.  “Hey,
friend.  Hey, we can, we can work these tings out!  You an’ me, we can make
arrangements, ya?  What you want from me!?”
 
          Kenny let the gun come fully around to press smoothly against the
man’s temple.  The fear in the man’s eyes was evident.  He fell to his knees,
pleading with the boy, now the man, who held his life in his hands.
 
          Then, Kenneth spoke.  “You have two choices, *Boudreaux*.  You can
die, here and now-”
 
          “NO!” he screamed.
 
          “- OR, you can leave town.  And I mean permanently.  If I ever see
your ugly face again, it will be the last thing that ever happens to you.  I
have the power to kill you.  You know that.  I know that.  You do not have the
ability to kill me.  You may not believe that, but do you really want to test
it?  You have.... five seconds to make a decision.  Starting now..... five
.....four ....three .....two....”
 
          “Okay! okay!  I go.  You drive a hard bargain there, yessir.  I
guarantee.”  The tension was broken, and the man’s hand was free.  He put the
gun back in his holster, and turned to leave.
 
          “You’ve got twelve hours to leave.  Oh, and one other thing.  What
the hell is your* real* name?”
 
          The man stopped, surprised.  When he spoke the Cajun accent was
gone.  “Willie Dupine.  How’d you know?”
 
          “My grandfather’s from Baton Rouge.  If he heard the drivel you were
just spilling, he’d’ve slapped you cross-eyed.  Now, get out.  You’ve already
ruined enough of Miss Gwen’s day.”  And with that, he was gone.
 
 
 
          From that day on, Kenny and Gwen developed a stable arrangement. 
Kenneth provided a measure of protection for Gwen and the ladies, and in
return, Gwen provided him with a home, and hid him from the NSF.
 
          Kenny had offered to scan the clients, to “weed out” the undesirable
elements, but Gwen refused.  She felt it would be an invasion of her clients’
privacy.  Then one day, that opinion changed....
 
 
 
          Kenny was walking through the upstairs hallway on his way to his
room that night.  It was about 11:00 pm, and the business had calmed, as was
normal.  Kenny had picked up the habit of peaking in on the ladies - mentally,
of course.  This activity he kept from Gwen, because he was sure she wouldn’t
approve.
 
          As he passed Melanie’s room, he picked up a very strange image.  He
focussed harder.
 
          What he saw was from the man’s point of view.  A woman, Melanie,
tied to her bed and gagged.  Her legs were spread painfully wide, and her body
was folded up so tightly that she could have licked her pussy had she not had
a sock taped in her mouth.  It had to be uncomfortable as hell, but this guy
was getting off on it.
 
          Then he started hitting her.  The slaps were barely audible outside
the room, due to the construction of the house.  This was all Kenny needed to
see, but he also knew that some guys get off on this.  He needed to make sure
Melanie had not agreed to this treatment.  He focussed in on her mind...
 
          The terror in her nearly split his head open.  She was so frightened
that he wondered how he hadn’t picked up on it from down in the kitchen.
 
          Kenny shoved open the door, surprising the man.
 
          “What the fuck!  Get the hell out of here you snot-nosed little
punk!”  The man flew at Kenny, knocking him back out into the hallway.  Kenny
was not a physical fighter.  The man was pounding on him, beating him over and
over.
 
          The ruckus caused a crowd to gather, but no one dared go after this
man, as Kenny was the only male in residence at the home.  Kenny knew he had
to get the upper hand, but couldn’t think of what to do.  He couldn’t
concentrate hard enough for his usual tricks to work.  Then he got an idea.
 
          “Pain.”  The one word threw the man back.  Kenneth stumbled to his
feet.  He was badly beaten, and very shaky.  The mental energy he was using
for this was his last resource.  He had to get this over with quickly, or the
man would recover.
 
          “Unspeakable, terrifying agony.  Your body is wracked with the worst
aches you have ever felt.  You will remember this night, and when you do, you
will feel this pain again.  If you return to this location, you will die.” 
The man was writhing on the floor, clearly in extreme discomfort.  He was
begging to be released, but Kenny showed no mercy.
 
          “Release you?  You think you’ve suffered enough for what you’ve done
to *her?*”  One of the other girls had gone into Melanie’s room, and released
her.  They were both emerging from the room just then.  “I should make you
bleed out your eyes for what you’ve done!  I should kill you here and now!” 
Kenny was shaking now.  Everyone else assumed it was rage.  Kenny knew it was
exhaustion.  Only pure adrenaline was keeping him going, and he knew from
experience that was a finite supply.
 
          The man started to choke on the pain he was feeling.  It sounded
like the final throes of a dying man.  Melanie ran to Kenny.
 
          “Don’t do it!  Kenny, he’s not worth what you’d have to go through! 
Please?”
 
          With one final surge, Kenny pushed the man into unconsciousness. 
Gwen checked that he was still breathing.  

          Kenny told her, “You’d better get him out of here, before he...
comes - “  Before finishing his sentence, Kenny passed out.
 
 
 
          Slowly, Kenny came out of his fog.  He felt very relaxed, and warm,
but he was lying against a hard surface.  As he opened his eyes and they
focussed, he understood why.
 
          He was in the bathroom, being bathed.  Melanie and Rachel were there
watching over him and tending to his bruises.  Upon seeing he was awake,
Melanie communicated something quietly to Rachel, though Kenny couldn’t make
it out.  Rachel left the room, and Melanie turned back to Kenny.
 
          “I was beginning to worry,” she said.  “You’ve been out for quite a
while.  Almost an hour.  Are you feeling okay?”
 
          “I.... think so.  Pretty sore, though.  I never did learn how to
fight.  Well, at least not normal style.”
 
          “You were great.  I couldn’t believe it when he started tying me
up.  I just couldn’t fight him, he was too big.  But, how did you know I was
in trouble?”
 
          “Well, I, um....”  He wasn’t sure how to tell her he’d been spying. 
“I sort of, well, checked in mentally.”
 
          “Oh.”  She paused.  “Do you do that all the time?”
 
          “Sometimes.  Usually, I just get impressions.  You know, the kind
of, ‘all is okay’, sort of thing.  When I checked in your room, all was
definitely *not* okay.  So I looked closer.  I’m sorry, I could have been in
there sooner, but I had to make sure........”
 
          “Sure of what?” she asked.  He didn’t answer right away, and she
repeated the question.
 
          “Well, sure that you hadn’t.... agreed to that.  I know, it’s a
terrible thing to say, but, well....”
 
          “No, I think I understand.  Some girls might like that sort of
thing.  But none of them work for Gwen.  I want to thank you for rescuing me. 
And don’t worry about... being late.  I know you were just being careful.  And
besides, you got hurt worse than I did.”  With that, she leaned in and gave
him a kiss.  He didn’t turn away from her as he had in the past, but he was
inexperienced at these sorts of things.
 
          “Ken, do you think I’m pretty?”  she asked.
 
          “Huh?  Well, yeah, of course I do.”  If she could have seen his
erection, the question wouldn’t have been necessary.
 
          “Then how come you never flirt with me?”  She sounded almost hurt.
 
          “Mel, I’m, um.... not real knowledgeable in that area.”  He couldn’t
bring himself to tell her he was a virgin at his age.
 
          “Oh.  Well, you shouldn’t let *that* stop you.  Practice makes
perfect.”  She was wearing a bathrobe, which she slipped off.  She wasn’t
wearing anything underneath.  Kenny’s breath caught in his throat.  She was a
beautiful young woman; her dark blonde hair framed a charming oval face with
almond-shaped gray eyes, a petite nose, and a sensuous pair of lips.  Her tits
were ample, but firm, with not a hint of sag.  His eyes traveled down her
body, taking in her pubic hair, which confirmed that she was a natural
blonde.  Her legs were supple, and long.  Her ass was well-defined and firm. 
In short, she was something close to a goddess in Kenny’s eyes.
 
          She slipped into the tub, which was big enough for the two of them,
and a couple more if they were friendly enough.  She moved to his side, and
kissed him again, this time more passionately.  Though unskilled, Kenny was
enthusiastic, and a fast learner.  Over the course of many minutes, Mel taught
him many things about foreplay, and arousing a woman.
 
          When she felt he was ready, she moved her hand from his shoulder
down his chest.  Encouraged, he slid his hand to one of her breasts.  She
pressed into his hand, and he squeezed.  A little too hard, but she endured
for the sake of the moment.  With gentle correction and tenderness, she
instructed him in the ways of lovemaking.
 
          They continued on in this manner for some time.  Finally, Melanie
reached her hand down and around his cock.  She knew that any further arousing
was unnecessary at this point.  Kenny was hard as iron, and, she knew,
probably struggling to hold back.
 
          With one more kiss, she raised her body up in the water, and laid
herself against him.  Then she slid down his body, holding his cock in the
proper position.  She impaled herself on him slowly, ever so slowly.  She
could feel him fighting the urge.  When she reached the bottom, she stopped.
 
          “Ken, I know it’s your first time.  Don’t expect too much of
yourself.  You’ve already given me a great night.”  She kissed him again.
 
          When she felt he was ready, she began moving.  At first, she made
only small circles in his lap, grinding her pussy against his pubic bone.  She
leaned back, and brought his mouth to one of her breasts.  He sucked in her
nipple and tickled it with his tongue, as she had taught him.  She loved this
sensation.
 
          She began riding him in earnest.  She used her leg muscles to raise
herself off his lap, and her hands against the wall to push her back down. 
She moved faster and faster, sensing his approaching climax.  She willed
herself closer to her own orgasm, knowing he would be disappointed if she did
not come.
 
          His hips were slamming up with her every downward thrust now, and
she knew he was close.  She was also close, and she knew how to bring herself
off in this manner.  She reached down with one hand and grabbed her free
nipple.  Kenny was still busily sucking on the other.  As she felt his climax
approach, she twisted her nipple.  In his excitement, Kenny bit down on her
other nipple.  Unknowingly, he had imitated the sensation she was causing in
herself.  This was enough to bring her over the top.  They both climaxed
together, filling the bathroom with the echoes of their moans.
 
          When they both came down, Melanie rolled off of Kenny, but moved
over to his side.  She kissed him again, tenderly.  Without letting him speak,
she said, “Thank you.”  Then she rose out of the tub, wrapped her robe around
her, and left without another word.
 
          “You’re welcome.”
 
 
 
          From that day on, Kenny’s role at the house increased.  He was now
responsible for screening all guests.  Discreetly, of course.  He only needed
to be able to see them for his scan to work.  Gwen found that such a thing was
quite useful.  Kenny had saved her from two police officers and an IRS agent
already in the few months he had remained at the house.
 
          Though Kenny and Melanie maintained a close relationship, they never
again had sex.  Neither of them wanted to spoil that moment, and truly, they
had nothing in common.  Kenny did, however, become a little more sociable with
the ladies, who quite literally doted over him.  He no longer refused their
advances as he had, and found that his job had many new fringe benefits.
 
 
 
          When the road of life seems to be going smoothly, one should start
looking for the potholes.  Kenny had been with Gwen and her girls for several
months, and he had even achieved some sense of security.  This was almost to
be his undoing.
 
          Whenever Gwen left the house, Kenny would accompany her as
bodyguard, and consultant.  It is useful to know when people are lying to
you.  It was on one of these occasions that the inevitable happened.
 
 
 
          Team leader Frank Bushnell was beginning to give up hope.  It had
been nearly six months since this case opened, and they’d had no sign of him. 
They had to assume he was still in Caberton.  No one that day had seen him in
any transit terminals.  They had people stationed at all of them.  His picture
had been circulated to all of the law enforcement agencies.  Now it was down
to an area by area search, made more difficult by the fact that they couldn’t
go randomly looking through houses.  They just had to hope for a break on this
one.
 
          And they got it.  Frank was on duty with Maria Dante.  They were
cruising the red light district of Caberton.  They turned a corner, and there
he was, coming out of a restaurant with a rather nice looking woman.
 
          “Dante, verify!” he screamed.
 
          “That’s him, Frank,” she responded.  She still wasn’t crazy about
this project, and had been rather happy that they hadn’t found him.
 
          The car skidded to the curb, and both officers jumped out.  Their
orders were specific.  ‘Extreme prejudice’: subject is to be shot on sight. 
No questions, no conference needed.  Frank raced to the trunk to pull out the
rifles.
 
 
 
          Kenny and Gwen had just enjoyed a splendid lunch at a wonderful
Italian restaurant, and they were walking to catch a cab when it hit him. 
*Danger.  Where?!*  He started looking around, and he spotted them, half a
block away.  The car said.... *‘NSF!  Shit!’*
 
          He pushed Gwen back into the doorway of the restaurant, briefly
explained, told her he’d try to make it back to the house, and ran.
 
 
 
          Frank lined up his rifle for a shot just as Kenny rounded a corner.
 
          “Shit!  Let’s get moving, Dante!”  They both ran after him.
 
 
 
          Six hours later, Kenneth arrived back at the house.  It had taken
him twenty minutes to lose them, using some of his standard tricks.  He’d
spent the rest of the time making sure he hadn’t been followed.  When he
walked in the door, he was exhausted.
 
          Gwen was waiting for him.  “God, you look awful.  Come on in to the
parlor and sit.  Charity, get Kenny something to eat.”
 
          After sitting, Kenneth noticed there was another woman in the room. 
He began to rise again, but she waved him back down.
 
          “Hello, Kenneth.  My name is Lorianne.  Gwen called me this
afternoon.”
 
          Gwen continued, “You can’t stay here anymore, Kenny.  It’s not
safe.  I’m sure those people got a good enough look at me to figure out who I
am.  You can’t be here when they come looking.”
 
          The ladies continued, outlining quickly what was to be done.  Kenny
would no longer be a resident anywhere, but a vagabond.  A freelance security
specialist for these ladies, and others.
 
          “You see, Kenneth,” Lorianne continued, “There are many
establishments like this one in the local area.  I’m sure you will be of
immense service to us all.  Hiding you is the least we can do to repay your
services.”
 
 
 
          Over the next several months, Kenny moved from place to place,
staying one step ahead of the NSF.  Each time they would find him, the network
of people he now worked for would move him, and hide him, and he would get to
know a whole new set of people.
 
          

          Frank Bushnell was frothing.  They had been so close!  At no time in
the last months had they come as close as on that first day when they found
him.  Presently he was in his office, trying to figure a way to draw him into
the open.  Then an idea hit him.  He called Deke into the office.
 
          “What’s up, boss?” Deke inquired.
 
          “We’ve got to find a way to draw this bastard out, and I think I’ve
come up with one.”
 
          “Sounds great!  What do we do?”
 
          “That first group he was staying with.  They’re the key to all
this.  Get me the report from the interviews, would ya?”
 
          Deke headed out to the main office, and returned with a folder.  He
handed it over.
 
          Bushnell skimmed through until he found the analysis sheets.
 
          “Here it is.  The one girl seemed, according to the psychologists,
overly attached to the maggot.  Name of Melanie.  We’ve got a photo, and other
info here. Let’s put a team on her.  If they were close, maybe she’s going to
see him.  Let’s pray she can lead us to him.
 
          “It’s worth a try, boss.”
 
 
 
          For the first time in this case, Frank’s analysis was correct. 
Melanie _was_ seeing Kenneth on a regular basis.  And, of course, now that the
NSF was following her, it was only a matter of time before she led them right
to him.
 
 
 
          The day came late in autumn, while the trees were losing the last of
their golden coat of leaves.  A chill wind rustled through the city of
Caberton, and so Melanie was dressed in a very warm fur coat for her
semi-regular visit to see Ken.
 
          They met in a small, out of the way park that was not used much by
the residents.  She found Kenneth standing under a tree, waiting for her.
 
          “It’s good to see you, Mel.”  Kenneth opened his arms, and she
melted against him.  Their visits were far too short for her liking.  This one
would be shorter still, and much more unpleasant.
 
          They stood for a few moments, embracing, and then they walked
together toward the edge of the park¼
 
 
 
          “Coming out now, boss.”  Maria said.  Maria Dante was,
unfortunately, still on the team for this one.  She figured Bushnell was
punishing her, or maybe trying to toughen her up for this sort of thing.
 
          The other member of the detail today was Deke Hanson, the XO of the
unit.  “Ready weapons, Dante.”
 
          Both members raised their rifles to their shoulders.  They had
learned, through trial and error, at about what range Kenneth could detect
them.  Therefore, they were using high-powered rifles at long distance, to
minimize the risk.  Of course, this allowed for the possibility of a bystander
to get in the way of the shot, but that was a risk they would have to take. 
Unfortunately for them, this was not what happened.
 
 
 
          “When can I see you again?”  Melanie asked him.
 
          “I don’t know, Mel.  I love seeing you, but these visits are
dangerous.  We have to be real careful.”  They had stopped walking, and were
standing together, looking at the sunset.
 
 
 
          “Take aim!” ordered Hanson.  They placed the crosshairs of their
scope on their target, and then adjusted for wind.
 
          “Steady¼. Steady¼.. “
 
 
 
          Melanie turned to Kenneth, and leaned up to kiss him –
 
 
 
          “Fire!”  Before either realized that the target was no longer in the
clear, they had fired.
 
 
 
          Kenneth heard a very loud noise, and he jumped.  As he did so, he
loosened his grip on Melanie, and she fell unceremoniously to the ground. 
Kenneth looked down in astonishment, then disbelief.
 
          “Mel?”  He asked tentatively.  “Melanie?  Come on Mel.”  He knelt
beside her and shook her, but she would not stir: the life had gone from her.
 
 
 
          “Oh, shit!”  Screamed Deke.  “Let’s GO!”  He led off at a run
towards their target.  Killing innocent bystanders was sometimes, as now,
unavoidable, but it never felt good.
 
 
 
          Kenneth was weeping beside the lifeless body when he suddenly
realized there was danger.  Not just danger, but the *bastards* who had killed
Melanie.  They were about 40 feet away.  Just close enough¼
 
          Kenneth used all his energy, and they froze.  They didn’t fall over
in their running posture: he allowed them to come to a stop.  After that, they
could not move.  Ken took one last, long look at Melanie, and made for the two
agents.
 
          “You mother-fucking sons of goddamned bitches!”  He screamed.  “Now,
you’ll pay for this!”  Ken wasn’t sure what he was going to do.  It had taken
most of his strength to stop them.  He realized that both of them were still
armed.  He reached down and removed the rifle from Deke’s hands.
 
          Though he knew very little about guns, he didn’t figure he had to
worry about the safety being on.  He raised the gun and pointed the barrel at
Deke’s head, and pulled the trigger.  The rifle kicked so hard that he almost
dropped it.  When the sound died away, there was a second lifeless corpse on
the ground in the park.
 
          Ken moved over to Maria.  He pointed the gun in her direction, but
found he just couldn’t pull the trigger.  Enemy or not, she was still a woman,
and he had a natural protective instinct for her.  Still, she needed to be
punished¼.
 
 
 
*          Why doesn’t he just kill me?*  Dante thought.  She was terrified
now.  Though she couldn’t move her head, Deke had been in front of her, and so
she had seen the back of his head explode into a cloud of pink.  She felt the
warmth of the remains as they passed by her head.  She would not be surprised
to find her outfit bloody.  She was very scared of the next few minutes.  She
trembled at the thoughts of what he might have in mind for her.  Then, she
trembled for a different reason¼.
 
 
 
          Ken used what was left of his available energy to implant a command
as deep in her mind as he could go.  He sincerely wished that it would never
fade enough for her to fight it, ever.  His task finished, he stepped back to
see if it would work.
 
 
 
          It did.  Maria started sweating profusely, and rubbing her legs
together.  She didn’t realize yet that she could now move.  She was becoming
very hot.  Her pussy was aching, and dripping.  She dropped the rifle without
consideration, and moved her hands to her breasts.  In her daze, she knew not
what was happening to her, but she cared even less.
 
          Soon, one hand made it’s way between her legs.  Her slacks showed a
very distinct dark spot there, and Ken could here the squishing noise as she
rubbed her pussy through her clothing.
 
          Dante reached a fever pitch, and then she came.  But that wasn’t the
end of it.  Her passion was left unsated, and her body cried for further
contact.  To her dismay, she felt her climax rising again.  And then, she
came, again.  And again, and yet it was no better.
 
          Kenneth watched the entire process with almost disinterest.  He
could see that his order had succeeded, at least for now.  He would never know
if it would hold for life or not.  He leaned against a tree and watched her. 
There were no passers-by in the park at this time; no one who would come to
her aid.  Finally, Dante passed out from sheer exhaustion, her hand still in
her crotch, her shirt half-undone.  Kenneth looked again at the fading sunset,
and turned his back on it.  He walked to the east, toward what, he did not
know, but he knew one thing: the NSF had taken the only person he truly cared
about, and for that, they would pay the price.
 
 
 
          Frank Bushnell was in his office, trying to find a way to recover
from the week’s events.  He was shaken from his reverie when Jason DeVries
knocked on his door.  Jason was his new XO, and he supposed it was time to
brief him.
 
          “Hey, skipper.  Just thought I’d check in.  What’s on our plate
right now?”
 
          Bushnell just handed him the file.  He read quickly.  “Is this shit
for real, sir?”  He had to ask.  Everybody did, it was just expected of you.
 
          “Bet your fucking ass it’s real.  This cocksucker just cost me two
of my best agents.”
 
          “Two, sir?  I was under the impression that only agent Hanson was
dead.”
 
          “Yeah, well, from what I’ve seen of Dante, Deke got off easy.”
 
          “Anything I can do for her?  Maybe I should go talk with her.”  He
offered.
 
          “Not a good idea, Jason.  Stay as far away from her as you can. 
It’s the best thing you can do for her.  That kid really fucked her up, bad.”
 
          “Yes sir.  Shall we get the team together sir?  We need to decide on
a new course of action.”
 
          Frank harumphed.  “Not that it’ll do a fucking bit of good, but you
might as well.”
 
          “Yes, sir.  Right away.”  DeVries left the office.
 
 
 
          Maria Dante was in agony.  And she was in ecstasy.  To be precise,
she was in agony *because* she was in ecstasy.  She had been aroused every
moment of every day for the last two weeks.  Even after she came, it wasn’t
any better.  She’d lost ten pounds already which, she admitted grudgingly,
hadn’t actually hurt her any.  She was weak, and she was frustrated, and she
was very, very horny.
 
          Unfortunately for him, her brother Rico did not know this.  He only
knew that his sister had taken a leave of absence from a job he knew she
loved.  It was unlike her, and he wanted to find out what was up.  He didn’t
bother knocking; she had told him long ago just to come on in.  He opened the
door, and found her draped on the sofa in a bathrobe.  She didn’t look at him,
didn’t acknowledge he was even there.  He closed the door quietly and walked
over to her.
 
          “Maria?  You okay?”  he asked.
 
          She opened her eyes halfway, and looked at him.  And her passion
flared even higher.  It wasn’t *him* she was attracted to, necessarily.  He
was a male, and any male would do at this point.
 
*          My God!  What am I thinking?  I’ve got to fight this!*
 
          “Hey, Rico.  You shouldn’t be here.  I’m not¼. well.”
 
          “I see that.  You should be in bed.  Come on, Let me help you.”  He
reached down and took her by the arms.  The physical touch pushed her arousal
even higher, but she fought it down successfully one more time.  She allowed
him to lead her into the bedroom.  She thought she was going to make it
through this little episode all right, until he touched her hand.
 
          It wasn’t anything special, just the sort of familial gesture a
concerned brother would make.  But it was skin on skin contact, and it was
more than she could take in her present state.
 
 
 
          The weak sister he had been dealing with just moments before was now
gone.  In its place had been put an animal.  Maria turned on her brother, and
ripped his shirt off.  He was initially too surprised to do anything.  Before
his shock could wear off, she threw him onto the bed.  He was smaller than she
was, but still, she had never been able to manhandle him like this.
 
          Maria shucked her robe quickly, and Rico realized she was wearing
nothing beneath it.  His sister had a great body, he admitted.  Her
shoulder-length black hair framed a pretty face, and it led him down to her
large breasts, round and firm with not a trace of sag.  Her small nipples
stood hard, pointing slightly upwards and out from her chest.  He looked
further down to see that her pussy hair had been completely shaven.  He had a
few experiences with girls, but never had he seen this.  Nor did he have long
to admire it now.
 
          She climbed on top of him, and, before he could say anything, she
plastered her mouth onto his.  She worked her tongue into his mouth, thrusting
it all around.  Then she sucked his tongue back into her mouth with enough
force that he wondered if he would ever get it back.
 
          Meanwhile, she had been undoing the belt on his jeans.  When she had
got them fully undone, she broke the kiss.  She stood up briefly, and pulled
his pants and underwear down and off in one swift motion.  He sat up and
started to protest to her, but he was forcibly shoved back down onto the bed. 
Maria was not hearing any arguments against her action.
 
          Sister or not, Maria’s actions had Rico hard as hell.  She saw this,
and knew no more work was needed.  She straddled him, and plunged herself down
on his rod.  Rico let out a loud grunt, and Maria uttered a hiss.  She froze
but for a second,  and then the ride began.
 
          She bucked up and down on Rico so fast he wondered how she stayed
on.  Since she seemed determined to fuck him silly, he figured he might as
well enjoy it.  Her tits were flouncing all over the place, so he reached up
and grabbed them.  He mauled her breasts ungently, even roughly.  She paid it
no mind, it only heightened her screams of pleasure.
 
          She rode him for half an hour.  He came twice in that time, but she
had him so excited, that he didn’t even lose hardness.  She was, however,
making him sore.  He hoped she would be done soon, or he wasn’t sure if his
prick would ever work again.
 
          Maria was finally close.  Rico marveled as she quickened her pace,
which he hadn’t figured was possible.  Her moans and screams were filling the
entire room, and, he figured, most of the rest of the building.  He was again
pawing her tits, and she reached back and stuck her middle finger up her ass
while she frigged her clit with the other hand.  Finally, after what seemed
like forever, Maria let out an ear-shattering scream of delight, and passed
out on top of her brother.
 
          It was a full day and a half later when Maria Dante awoke.  The
agony, and the ecstasy, were gone.  But not entirely.  There was enough of
them left for her to realize that they would be back.  After handling the
necessary personal hygiene tasks, she found a note from her brother on the
kitchen table.
 
 
 
*Dear Sis:*
 
*          I’m not sure what happened to you.  I don’t blame you for what
happened.  I’ll be back in a couple of days to check on you.  Maybe then
you’ll be feeling better.*
 
*Love,*
 
*PRIVATE ****Rico**tc  \l 1 "Rico"***
 
 
 
*Well, as a matter of fact,* thought Maria slyly, *I am feeling considerably
better than I have been.*  She worried what this might really mean for her
future as she prepared herself some breakfast.
 
 
 
          DeVries had rallied the troops, and sent them off to hunt down their
quarry.  He met with Bushnell in his office.
 
          “The troops are out beating the bushes, chief.  We’ll find this fuck
for you.”
 
          Frank just looked at him.  “Yeah?  And then what?  I lose *another*
two agents?  We’ve got no way of dealing with this kid.”
 
          “I’ve got people working on that, too, boss.  Don’t worry, we’ll
work it out.”
 
          “You seem to be taking awful liberties with my position, Mr.
DeVries.”  To Jason’s abashed look he replied, “Don’t worry, you’ve done
alright so far.  It does, however, seem as if you’d like my job.  Carry on,
XO.”  With that, Frank went back to work, and Jason left to check on things.
 
 
 
          Over the next year, the NSF had contact with Kenneth Sheridan on
only two occasions.  On both of those occasions, they lost an agent.  Having
killed three agents and disabled a fourth, Kenneth had become the government’s
single most wanted fugitive.  Though the FBI couldn’t put public reports out
about him, every agent knew what he looked like.  It really was only a matter
of time before they caught up with him.
 
 
 
          Bushnell was in the middle of what he called bureaucratic bullshit,
better known as paperwork, when she arrived.
 
          “Agent Cassidy Peters reporting for duty, sir.”  She stood stiffly,
awaiting an offer to sit that was not forthcoming.
 
          “And just what the hell are you doing here?”  He growled.
 
          “I’ve been assigned to this task force, sir.  I’m ready to take up
position.”
 
          “I told them specifically no females on this detail!  Do you have
any idea what this person is capable of?  Have you *seen* Maria Dante?”  Frank
was in a very foul mood now.  He didn’t like being reminded of his failures,
and to be forced to bring them up himself really flamed him.
 
          “Sir, I believe I am prepared to handle the task at hand.  In any
case, I was assigned by the Director himself, so I’m afraid you’ll just have
to live with me.”
 
          Apparently, Ms. Peters had not yet learned any level of tact or
diplomacy.  Unfortunately, she also happened to be right, which burned him
even more.  He spat, “Very well, *ma’am*.  You’ll be partnered with Jesse.  He
just lost his partner to this cockroach.  Have fun, and, don’t get yourself
killed.”
 
          “Yes, sir!”  She responded, turning on her heel and leaving the room
at a march.
 
 
 
          Several more months passed, with contact becoming more and more
frequent.  Each time, Kenneth would manage to get away, but it seemed to be
getting harder.  Each time it would take longer for him to recover from the
strain.  Each time it would be just a little more likely that his plan would
fail.  He knew what was coming, and he decided he would pick his time and
place.
 
 
 
          The day was June 28, 1998.  Kenneth Sheridan was 18 years old, and
he was tired of running.  He had made contact with the NSF, and had led them
on a chase across a small section of the city.  They thought they had him
trapped.
 
          Ken knew better.  He was projecting to the group a wall.  They knew
it was fake, because they could see it move.  But they couldn’t pinpoint him
behind it.  Kenneth had decided what he wanted on this day.  He approached his
target carefully, not knowing for certain exactly how his illusion was
effecting them.  His target suspected nothing as he approached.  Nor was
anyone looking in her direction when he struck.  In a lightning flash, he
reached out, placed a hand over her mouth, and pulled her behind his illusion,
forcing her gun out of her hand in the process.  It was several minutes before
she was missed.
 
          “Jesse, where’s your partner?” Jason asked.
 
          Jesse looked around frantically.  “Oh, fuck.”
 
          “God DAMN it!  Let’s move!  Walk through the illusion, but be
careful.  Who knows what’s on the other side.”
 
 
 
          Meanwhile, Kenny had led Cassidy into a warehouse, and down a
hallway.  He was feeling the strain of controlling her while maintaining the
illusion, and he could feel it slipping away.  He had to work quickly.
 
          The warehouse stored large sacks of some kind of grain.  He had
taken the time to rearrange them to be useful to him.  When they reached his
chosen spot, he told her to stand still.  She obliged while he quickly
retrieved the rope he had hidden.  He returned to her and turned her around. 
Then, he shoved her down onto the sacks.  It wasn’t a far drop, and she was
more sitting than laying.  He tossed the ropes over beams in the ceiling, and
evened them up.
 
          Quickly, for he felt his grasp on her slipping, he grasped her hands
and tied them, pulling the ropes just tight enough that her arms were lifted
straight up, without straining her shoulders.  He tied her feet next.  The
position she was in was fully supported by the sacks of grain, but she was
completely unable to move.  Now, he could release his hold on her.
 
          “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you little boy?”  She said
in as demeaning a voice as she could manage.
 
          “Funny you should phrase it that way.  You’ve just answered your own
question.  Your agency took away from me.  Now, I’m taking a small portion
back.  It’s not really fair, to you or to me, but at this point, I don’t
really give a shit.”
 
          Ken moved his illusions into the hallway of the factory, hoping to
slow down the NSF to finish his business here.  He then reached down and tore
Cassidy’s outfit off.  Those items that were too stubborn to tear, he cut with
a knife.  The knife made her very nervous.
 
          Once she was naked, Kenneth started kneading her tits.  He pinched
and twisted her nipples, making her moan and writhe in pain and pleasure.  He
took little note of her sounds, but moved his hand down to her cunt.  He
jammed his middle finger as far up into her as he could go.  She uttered a
very unwomanly squeak.
 
          “God, your tight.”  He uttered.  He rammed his finger into her
repeatedly, finally getting two fingers in.  She was squeaking continuously
now, in what was almost an amusing imitation of a mouse.  He was unsure why
she didn’t moan like most women, but didn’t really care.
 
          He removed his hand from her pussy, and placed his cock at her
opening.  She moaned, “Please, no¼. let me go.”  

          “Yeah, right.  When I’m done, bitch.  When I’m done.”  The death of
Melanie had quashed what little kindness he’d had left, and he had become
quite mean-spirited in the intervening months.  He slammed his cock home into
her pussy, and she screamed.  He ignored her, and continued pounding.
 
          While he pounded into her, he returned to twisting her nipples.  She
was in quite a lot of pain by now, and her squeaks had become grunts.  She was
hoping that Jason and the boys would find them soon, and kill this little
prick.  Her attention snapped back to the present when she felt him pull his
cock out of her.
 
          She looked down to see him adjusting himself.  He saw the question
in her face.  “While your twat is quite tight, you have yet a tighter hole,
and I intend to use it.”  Before she could protest, he pushed into her ass
unrelentingly.  The sound she made was something between a scream and a moan,
with a grunt thrown in for good measure.
 
          Her pussy juices lubricated him to some extent, but without any
preparation, the act set her bowels on fire.  She was in complete agony.  Her
face contorted with pain.  He pushed into her faster and faster, until he was
slamming her so hard she could hear his balls slap her ass cheeks.
 
          He continued for some time, and his pace grew more rapid still.  She
thought he was going to rip her ass apart.  Finally, she felt him shudder, and
felt his seed filling her bowels.  It burned, and caused her yet more pain. 
He pulled out, and she slumped back, as much as she could in her position.
 
 
 
          After a few moments, when he had dressed, he looked at her.  “I’m
sorry you didn’t enjoy it, but it was the second to last thing that will ever
happen to me, and I know that the last one isn’t going to be any fun, so I
needed that.”
 
          “Go to hell, you slimy little bastard!” She retorted.
 
          “I very well may, in which case I’ll see a lot of your friends.  You
know the really ironic thing, though?  The part that really fucking sucks?”
 
          She felt no need to indulge his question.
 
          “Well, I’ll tell you.  The thing that really sucks is that I’m
losing the power.  Whatever the hell it is, it’s nearly gone.  I’ve had to
stop my illusions, so I’ve got one last chance at getting away.  It’s
unlikely, but I might be able to survive today.”
 
 
 
          With the illusions gone, Jason and the team raced into the warehouse
and down the hallway.  What they saw was the now-familiar wall.  In front of
which was tied a very naked Cassidy Peters.
 
          “Give it up, kid!” Screamed DeVries.  “There is no way out of here!”
 
          “He ain’t gonna answer you, Jase.  That would let you know where he
is.”  Jesse responded.
 
          “Maybe not,” said Jason, “ but I’ve got a thought on that.  Mickey,
Ray, turn on your laser sights!”  The two men complied.  “Start at opposite
corners of the room, and trace the wall in front of you, point at the floor
just in front of the wall!”
 
          They did this, and everyone was stunned when their beams met at a
point.
 
          “Aim above it and fire!” screamed Jason.  Seven people let loose
with M16A2 fire all at one spot.  Not everyone hit Kenneth.  Not everyone had
to.
 
          The illusion stopped abruptly.  Lying in a pool of his own blood,
Kenneth was dying.  No one in the group, however, really seemed to care.
 
 
 
          “How did you know that would work, chief?”  Jesse asked DeVries.
 
          “I wasn’t sure, but I’d noticed the way the wall illusion had
moved.  It seemed as if it moved relative to where he was in relation to me. 
I figured, then, that the image was different for everyone, and that maybe
where the images met would be where he was.”
 
          “Smart thinking, boss!”  said Jesse.
 
          “Yes, very smart thinking.” Muttered Cassidy, “Now could somebody
please untie me?”
 
          Jason stared at her.  He’d already scored several million brownie
points with his boss for solving this case.  He didn’t figure a few hundred
more would hurt, though.
 
          “You know, Jess” Jason said, “the kid didn’t have that bad an idea.”
 
          Jesse and Jason communicated silently.  Jesse nodded.
 
          Cassidy watched in horror as both men turned and advanced on her,
unbuckling their pants as they came.  Looking beyond them, she saw the others
coming to join in.
 
          “Let’s show you why women don’t belong in the field¼..”
 
 
 
          On February 29, 2000, a child was born.  He was a healthy baby, of 8
lbs., 9 oz.  Like all babies, his eyes were blue, but these eyes were the sort
of electric blue that almost glowed¼¼¼.