Message-ID: <56798asstr$1193170201@assm.asstr-mirror.org> X-Original-To: ckought69@hotmail.com Delivered-To: ckought69@hotmail.com X-Original-Message-ID: <cba57e7c0710231211w67f67cd4lb33e6f808fe0d00e@mail.gmail.com> From: "Net Wolf" <netwolf.thepub@gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline X-ASSTR-Original-Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 14:11:27 -0500 Subject: {ASSM} CAMP: Ron's Journey, by Net Wolf [32 / 36] (first, inc, mc, nc, teen, mf, mF, etc...) Lines: 1854 Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2007 16:10:01 -0400 Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org> Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2007/56798> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: newsman, Sagittaria This story is posted under the following headers, depending on newsgroup: [ASSM] CAMP: Ron's Journey, by Net Wolf [32 / 36] (first, inc, mc, nc, teen, mf, mF, etc...) [STORY] CAMP: Ron's Journey, by Net Wolf [32 / 36] (first, inc, mc, nc, teen, mf, mF, etc...) ********** STORY INFORMATION ********** CAMP: Ron's Journey by Net Wolf (C)2002 by Net Wolf Chapter 32 of 36 Genres: Political Thriller , Science Fiction Code(s) Used: first, inc, mc, nc, teen, viol Pairings Used: 3+, MF, fF, ff, mF, mf A young teen discovers that he has The Ability: mental powers to control objects and people. He's not the only one, however, and soon he is discovered by an organization full of such folks. And even they aren't the only ones with the power, and some people with the power just aren't very nice. Ron must learn to handle his power, and take on more responsibility than any teen should have to, in order to deal with it all. Winner of 2002 Golden Clitoride Award: Classic Clit *************************************** This story will be posted in its entirety, one chapter a day. If you do not wish to wait, or you want to read my other stories, you may go to my website at http://netwolf.woflpub.org . If you wish to read the other authors at The Mystic Wolf Pub, the base address is http://www.wolfpub.org . I hope you enjoy the story. ************** THE STORY ************** --===CAMP: Ron's Journey, Chapter 32===-- Chapter 32 Rectification of the Problem Although the bright flash of the nuclear explosion passed in seconds, it was several minutes before anyone in the clearing could open their eyes, or stand up, so disorienting had it been. Nikki, who had remained beside her brother throughout the - rather pointless and stupid, she thought - fight, was the first to realize that something was amiss. She looked around quickly. Her sister was sitting, arms over her head, still hunkered down. The other two women were still unconscious, lying in a heap about fifty yards away. So, what was it that was raising the hairs on her neck? Another quick look around, and she thought she had it. She still had Kim's small satchel, and from it she withdrew a large red light-stick. She broke the capsule inside, and shook it vigorously. It seemed a mediocre light, compared to what she had just been exposed to, but it would do its job. Nicole tossed the stick high into the air, watching it twirl lazily above her. The troops emerged before it came back down. She couldn't count their number, but estimated that several dozen PPA soldiers emerged from the tree line surrounding their position. Their leader came directly to her, and she remembered that he was Jeff Durant, a friend of Ron's. "Jeff! Am I glad to see you!" "Are you all right, Miss Nikki?" Everyone in the PPA called her that, as a matter of respect for all the effort she put forth herself, normal though she was. "I'm fine, more or less, but Ron isn't." "Aw, shit," Jeff said. "We'll get him some help." "Those two twits over there probably need some attention, too." Jeff looked at the prone forms of the two ladies. "What the hell happened with those two?" "Turf fight," Nikki said sourly. "Well, could be a good thing. It was their fighting that caught our scouts' attention. They sensed the fight, and called us all in, just in case it was a recon unit or something being attacked by the Russkies. We got here just as that damned flash went off." "What the hell was that, anyway?" she inquired. "Nuclear blast. Good distance away, too. Must've been a high air-burst, 'cause we didn't get any shockwaves or even a boom." "Who the fuck launched first?" "I don't know, Miss Nikki. I'm sure the guys back at HQ could answer that." By now, the two women had been roused by other PPA soldiers, and had been given spare clothing to cover themselves up with. Kimberly walked, a little shakily, over to where they were standing. "I've never been so glad to see that uniform, Major," she said. "Yes, ma'am. Well, we need to get going. We'll take the general to the MASH, and-" "No!" Nikki nearly shouted. "We're taking him home, where he belongs!" Jeff looked to the colonel for backup, and Kim just shook her head. "She's already put me in my place where he's concerned, Major. I think you'd best do as she says." "Very well, ma'am. We have just become the general's escort unit." He turned to his men, "Saddle up! We've got a long flight ahead!" He appointed four people to carry Ron, though one would have been sufficient. Dawn put up a major ruckus about being flown, until Nikki yelled her down again. Kimberly was fascinated at the sudden surge of outright command Nicole had taken. It astounded her that so many people could be railroaded by an angry fourteen-year-old girl. Everybody formed up, and the unit took off, keeping low to the ground and heading southeast, for home. ----- Ron was horribly shocked by the blast, and sat down for several minutes to let his vision recover. He never heard any thunder, but the world had grown eerily silent, except for the rain, which was his only cue that he had not been suddenly deafened. Once the spots ceased swirling before his eyes, he looked back to the house, which looked even uglier and more ominous than before. The rays of sunlight that had played across its face earlier were gone. They were replaced with a dull, dingy gray light that illuminated the house in such a fashion as to make any observer think of death itself. *Do I have to go in there?* Ron thought to himself. *>>You don't *have* to do anything. Remember? You're the all-powerful Ron Chaffey, King of the Psionics!<<* Resolutely, he rose and walked toward the front gate. It creaked appropriately when he pushed against it, sending chills up his spine. The sound was worse than a fork across a chalkboard. The stone pathway set in the yard was in disrepair, and grass was growing up around each rock. Ron examined the house. If this house had ever held paint, it had long ago been weathered off, and the house bore the dull gray exterior of aged and cracked wood. The front porch leaned ominously, and one of the steps was cracked. The front door hung loose in its hinges, and the windows were black; whether from dark curtains, or something else, he couldn't tell. The yard, although green, was more weed than lawn. Crab grass and goatheads were the main plant life. A willow tree rested wearily at the corner of the house, as if the very act of living tired it. The chimney of the house sat at an outward slant, apparently ready to topple at the slightest provocation. Ron moved forward. ----- Lars was still having a very bad time trying to adjust to his role as acting commander of this large and ungainly gang of disparate peoples. The military personnel barely respected his authority, and the normally civilian population wanted their *real* leader back. When it came right down to it, so did Lars, but he saw no way to get that to happen just now. No one had bothered to report to him that Ron had, in fact, been located, and was off on a mission already. Had he known this, perhaps his thoughts would have been less cluttered. Not that it would have mattered. He was working out another plan with the generals when a Marine captain entered the tent. He stood at rigid attention until he was acknowledged, and then he approached the planning table. "Sir! We have a report from HQ." "Let's have it, soldier," said a former Navy admiral, gruffly. "Sir, it would appear that General Chaffey has been located." "Where, and when, Captain?" Lars asked. "Uh... sir, that's a little complicated. If I may begin at the beginning?" "Carry on." "Sir, Colonel Kimberly left to locate the General nearly two weeks ago. Apparently, she found him a week ago, and they returned to HQ. We were never given this information until now, sir." Lars waved the soldier on. "Sir, apparently... General, I barely believe this, but apparently the General asked the white cat where his sisters were, and the cat *told him*. Sir, I can't verify the reliability of that report." "It's not entirely accurate, but close enough, Captain. Now, go on." "Yes, sir. Anyway, the General and Colonel Kimberly left immediately to rescue his sisters. Apparently, once they had managed that task, they were ambushed by a Filitov Death Squad. Although all five are still alive, the General was severely injured in the fight. He has been unconscious for at least three days now. Delta Company found them, and is now returning them to headquarters." "Why not the MASH unit?" one of the generals inquired. "Miss Nikki's orders, sir." No one questioned that; they knew the power she wielded. "Wait a minute. You said *five* people? There should only have been four." "The remaining person is a female, sir. I was not given a name. Her reliability has also been vouched for by Miss Nikki. That is all I know, sir." "Very well. Dismissed." Once the soldier left, he turned to the generals. "I feel I need to be there, to be instantly updated on Ron's condition. We will return the planning staff to HQ. Prepare to move out immediately." "Sir, if the FC attacks again..." "We'll be in no greater danger there than here. And I think they already achieved their goal with the attack on the house. They are unlikely to repeat it. Now, get moving!" The generals snapped to, and left the tent to bark orders at other soldiers, while Lars contacted Karen, via their special connection, with the news, as well as his plan. Karen was currently with the MASH operation, and she had some news of her own. ----- Ron walked slowly up to the house, and climbed the steps with care, avoiding the broken tread. His first footstep onto the porch was accompanied by an ominous groan of protesting wood. He moved gingerly to a window, and attempted to peer in. He saw nothing. He didn't consider it terribly odd that he couldn't see in. Perhaps the curtains were simply dark and heavy, and let no light penetrate. But then, it occurred to him. Not only could he not see through the window, but he didn't have a reflection in the glass! His hand shook as he raised it to touch the window pane. It wasn't painted over: the surface was as smooth as it should have been. A chill wind blew up his spine as he considered the symbolic meaning of a missing reflection. *Only the undead can't be seen in a mirror.* He moved with great trepidation to the front door. With care, he pulled on the knob, and the door swung open, groaning as only a door can. Ron stepped into the entry of the house, and the door began to swing shut behind him. *Click*. It was odd that the door should slide so neatly into place. After all, it had been nearly off its hinges... Ron was unnerved rather badly when he turned to look at the door, and found it missing. Not that there was no door in the doorway, but there was no longer a doorway! Only a blank wall faced him where he had just passed through a portal. Ron turned around, and looked down the hallway before him. He could see no doors or openings on either side of the long, narrow passageway. At the far end of the passageway, Ron noted a table with a large array of candles on it, burning brightly. He could not judge the distance: it could have been twenty feet, or a hundred. Ron crept forward, his interest in continuing this endeavor waning fast. *What the hell am I doing? I can't be here, stuck in some weird haunted house! How can my world have become as messed up as this?* * >>It could only be this way if you made it this way. After all, this is all in your head, remember?<<* * *That voice was the most unnerving thing about the entire experience. Ron cursed it, his footsteps, and his own fear as he moved forward at a snail's pace. It seemed as if the candles were not, in fact, getting closer. *This is nuts! I shouldn't be here! I should never have set foot in this house! What the hell did I think I was doing? I can't resolve my problems in here! This is nothing but a trap!* At those words, the floor disappeared from beneath him. Ron plummeted downward, falling down a long, narrow shaft. Twice his head scraped the sides of the duct, but he remained conscious. He fell for a very long time. It was unclear just how far he plunged into the depths. When he landed, his knees collapsed, and he fell. His head once again struck something hard, and the deeper blackness of complete oblivion engulfed him again. ----- There was utter commotion when Delta Company, led by Jeffrey Durant, arrived at the house with Ron unconscious, his two sisters unhurt, and two more women who were, to say the least, unfriendly. It was a greater shock to the family to find Michelle among them. "Michelle? But I thought you were? What kind of trick is this!" Sandra cried upon seeing her. "Hello, Mrs. Chaffey. Zinaida isn't me, she was just pretending to be me, to throw Ron off, I guess." "It's her, Mom," Nikki said. "She's a bitch, but it's definitely Michelle." "Nicole Catherine! Apologize!" her mother said, astonished at her daughter's remark. "Not in this lifetime! If you knew what these two were doing while Ron was lying hurt..." she looked at Michelle and Kimberly. "Damn you both!" She stomped off in the direction they had taken Ron. Sandra looked embarrassed, but Kimberly was the first to speak. "Do not think badly of her; she's right. Our behavior was shameful." "If you'd just butt out, things could get back to normal," Michelle said. "Michelle, I am willing to let Ron make the final decision on this matter. Are you?" The question came out as a challenge. "Fine. When he wakes up, we'll see what he has to say about it." The two walked off in opposite directions, leaving Sandra to wonder just what had happened in the last week, and why all of this had to dump on her son. While she was standing there, a group of PPA medical officers arrived. They landed on the parade grounds, and walked toward the shelter. When they got closer, Sandra could tell who was among them. "Susan! We'd heard you disappeared." "Yes, ma'am. I, uh... went a little berserk for a while. Until someone reminded me of my duty. I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind." "That's fine, I'm just glad you're all right! And it's good to see you, too, Karen." "Hi, Sandra. Where did they take Ron?" "This way." ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Ron approached consciousness cautiously. He knew he was still in his dream world, and waking up was rarely a pleasant thing here. He lay for a moment, his body still, trying to determine whether he had been hurt by *this* fall. It appeared that he had not. Next, he opened his eyes to slits, just in case something unpleasant was there to greet them. The place where he was lying was lit by candles, and he could see someone lying several feet away, but nothing else. When he opened his eyes fully, he could tell that the "other person" was actually his own reflection in a mirror. He sat up and dusted himself off, and then rose to his feet, a little shakily, but he figured he was just stiff. *I wonder how long I've been out.* * >>Would it make any difference to know? In this world of yours, time has less meaning than it does in the Spirit Realms.<<* * Oh, shut up. Damned subconscious, or whatever the hell you are.* * *Ron almost giggled at the thought of telling himself to shut up, but the seriousness of what he was enduring prevented it. Instead, he moved toward the mirror, for it was the only other object in the room. He stepped up to it, and looked himself over. He was scratched and bruised, but nothing serious. But he was filthy. He could use about fifty showers. It took him fully a minute before he realized that, though there were candles behind him, they did not appear in the mirror. As he watched, the image in the mirror seemed to zoom in. The image of his head enlarged until it was the size of the mirror, and then beyond. Soon the pupils of his image's eyes were bigger than his own head. *>>It is said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Let us see what lies in yours...<<* ----- Sandra was screaming in pain, while her ex-husband plunged his dick in and out of her painfully. She could feel the tearing that was occurring, and the pain was awful. "NO!" Ron screamed from his location on the other side of the mirror. "You turned my son against me, you bitch! You are going to pay for that!" "God... Mike... don't... do... this!" Sandra gasped out between cries of pain. "Why the fuck not? You've tortured me for years! Why shouldn't I get a little payback?" "Mike... I... never... meant..." Mike reared back and slapped her with all his weight. Ron turned his face from the mirror, unable to watch the horror which he had been unable to prevent, nearly four years ago. The vision faded... ----- Ron had no time to recover from the horror of seeing his mother being raped by his father, for it was quickly replaced with another image. This one was a face, just a pleasant, pretty face. Ron stared at it, and couldn't place it. Then the face was attached to a body. A body that was grabbed roughly and tossed into a van. Ron watched as the van drove away, and the scene cut to the same van pulling into the facility, *his* facility, where the pretty face would be assigned a new life. Ron watched, his heart in his throat, as the pretty girl was dragged from the van and dumped, somewhat unceremoniously, in the reception area of the facility. Then, the scene faded back to the face. But not for long. Soon, that face was replaced with another face. And another, and then another replaced those. Ron staggered backward as the parade of faces sped up, flipping by faster than he could actually see. He closed his eyes to shut out the images, but the tears flowed anyway. When he opened his eyes again, the girls were gone. ----- Ron saw a bathroom. It appeared to be a school bathroom, or some other institutional-style restroom. He saw a couple. The boy was obviously having sex with the girl, who was wearing a beautiful knee-length white dress. The dress, and the dirty-blonde short hair, told Ron that the girl was his sister, and that this was her Sophomore Hop. That meant that the boy was him. Sure enough, as the image rotated before him, he saw that it was, indeed, him. They were just concluding their intimate act, and Ron wondered why the mirror would show him this... The scene immediately changed. This time, it was obvious they were in a hospital. It was still him and Dawn. But they were hardly having sex. Dawn was in labor with Nathan, struggling slightly, due to her age, and it being her first child. She screamed out in pain as the child was born. Ron began to understand where this was going, and he didn't want to see the rest. Still, his eyes were glued to the mirror, as if he were incapable of turning his head. The scene shifted one more time. It showed a battle inside Ron's house. It showed a wall being blown out of the back of the house. It showed a man clutching at Nathan. And it showed Jessica, lying dead on the ground. Ron watched as the image-Ron approached her, and there were tears in both of their eyes. The real Ron wept openly, falling to his knees, not seeing any more of the image as it faded away. ----- The mirror waited only until Ron arose from the floor, before it immersed him again in images of his past. He immediately recognized the city of Philadelphia, as it had been. He watched as the battle broke out. He watched as buildings collapsed and people died. He watched as friends fought - without him - the horrible enemy before them. He watched them lose. The scene shifted abruptly. He was in Los Angeles, watching Parker Center being destroyed. He watched people dying in pain and agony, unable to help them or even to ease their suffering. He watched as the Russians toyed with the civilians who had remained. Again and again, the images shifted. He witnessed, in fast-forward, all of the major battles he had fought. He watched, time and time again, as the PPA was routed, defeated, and run off of American soil. Then he was in Miami. He watched as the building began to topple. He watched as the image-Ron tried to stop it. He watched as Kim tried to help. He could not watch as the building collapsed on top of her. He closed his eyes, and saw the scene anyway, his dream - his *nightmare *- coming back to him anew. "STOP!" the real Ron screamed, as he wrenched himself away from the mirror, throwing himself to the ground and covering his face. The image faded. ----- The mirror waited as Ron collected himself. It sat, silent and patient, until the tormented returned, as he must, to witness the remainder of his transgressions. Ron arose after about an hour of dream-time. He pulled himself together. *What*, he wondered, *could possibly be worse than what I have already seen?* The images returned. He stood upon a hill. Thankfully, it was not the hill of skulls. No, this was a pleasant hill above a peaceful valley lit from a warm and friendly sun. Mists hung here and there in the valley, but it was a pleasant scene. Ron heard the flapping of giant wings. *Oh, God, no. Not this.* The scenes flew by rapidly, blurring together, but being completely clear, nonetheless. Ron absorbed every detail of it, tears streaming down his face, for he knew what was at the end of this. He witnessed scenes he had not seen, but could easily imagine. The capture of his Spirit friends, and their imprisonment in Mordreon's fortress. He witnessed the terrible horrors he knew they had to have undergone. He saw Minerva, standing before her window for an entire year, unmoving, unfeeling. He saw Kumiko, in pain and filled with fear, writhing on her bed, trying to fight back and failing. Ron watched as the final battle unfolded. He watched as the Guardians bravely fought Mordreon. He watched as the image-Ron defied Mordreon, and had freed Kumiko from her shackles. And he watched as Mordreon, in his rage, destroyed the loveliest soul that Ron had ever known. "NO!" the real Ron screamed in terror and loathing at himself. He turned away from the mirror. That was a mistake. Before him stood Kumiko: battered and torn. Far more desolate than the body of her he had seen in the forest. He averted his gaze. Dawn stood before him, her face purple and lifeless, as he had seen it in the marsh. One eye opened to look at him, and it was filled with blood. Ron spun around to look away. Sandra faced him, her body bruised and battered, her blood leaking from her, as it had the night of Marinda's attack. Ron could not face this image, either. Each direction he turned, another face confronted him, beaten and worried and accusing. Jessica, Megan, Cindy, Peter, countless others damned him for his crimes. Ron spun around, trying to avoid their gazes, until he could take no more. Ron collapsed to the ground, threw his hands over his head, and howled until he ran out of breath. He took a quick break to take in air, and then he howled again. ----- "What the hell was that?" Karen asked. She was with Susan, who was monitoring Ron's condition. "I don't know, but it can't be good." Ron's body was sweating, and it had convulsed repeatedly. She wanted to try to access his mind again, but the first and only time anyone had tried that, they had been hurled across the room, and only a quick save by another psionic had prevented Karen from getting injured rather badly. "What do we do?" "I don't know. But I think that, one way or another, this is going to be resolved soon. I don't think even Ron's body could take very many more of those kinds of seizures." "Is there anything that might help?" "I don't know. Dammit, I've only dealt with one other coma before. Well, hell, it worked then... Go get Nikki." "Not Kim?" "That might start their personal war all over again. Ron doesn't need that around him. Nikki is a safe bet, and he knows she loves him. Go get her." "Gotcha." ----- Ron screamed for what seemed like hours. His voice was very nearly gone when he stopped. He gasped for breath, but didn't move from his position. He couldn't hear anyone around him, but he didn't dare look up, after what he had already seen. A soft hand rested on his shoulder. It should have startled him, since he didn't know anyone was there, but it didn't. A soft voice said, "Ron?" He didn't move. The voice called again, "Ron? You've got to get up now." *Who is that? The voice is familiar, but I can't place it.* * >>Only way to find out is to look, shithead.<<* * Fuck off.* * >>Coward!<<* * Go to hell.* * >>Fraidy-cat, fraidy-cat!<<* * *Only his sister had ever taunted him that way, once when he was six. It had infuriated him then. It infuriated him now. He looked up. "Jenna?" The person before him nodded. He uncurled himself, but didn't rise. "What in the hell are you doing here?" Jenna knelt, for she didn't want to be talking down at him. "I'm here as a representative only. You have witnessed what you consider to be the worst mistakes of your life. In the past hours, you have seen the things you hate worst about yourself." "Yeah, life sucks, and I'm an asshole." "Ron, has it ever occurred to you that if that were true, people would not follow you as they do?" "Hitler was an asshole, and people followed him." Jenna frowned momentarily. This was not going according to her plan. Ron found this immensely amusing. He was arguing with... himself. And winning. Of course, that also meant he was losing, but he wasn't representing the losing side of his psyche. "What am I supposed to do, Ron? Show you what life would be like if you hadn't been born? This isn't a fucking Christmas special. So, according to what you've seen over the last hours, your worst crime is being selfish and short-sighted. What if I can prove to you that you are neither of those things?" "Good luck," Ron retorted sourly. "I said I am a representative. The group I represent are the people you have helped selflessly, without thought of reward, compensation, or even thanks. I am going to show you every face in this group." "Shouldn't take too long." "Watch the mirror." As Ron turned hesitantly to the mirror, a parade of faces, similar to the earlier one, began. Only these were faces of friends. It started with Jenna. It moved out to encompass the people at the shelter. After that, the faces grew less and less familiar, until they were moving by so quickly, and there were so many of them, that he could hardly recollect ever seeing them before. Without taking his eyes off the display, he said, "I've never met these people!" "Correct. You never have. Probably never will." "Who the hell are they, then?" "The people of Philadelphia." Ron swallowed hard. "I didn't help them. Their city is completely gone." "They're still alive. Things can be replaced. Lives cannot. Many thousands of people died, yes. Many, many more, didn't." "The latest estimates-" he began, referring to a government report about estimated casualties of the war. "Millions of people are dead. It is likely that millions more will die before the war is over. You cannot be responsible for each individual life on the planet. You know better." "But I am the leader!" "Of what?" "Of the army, goddammit!" "Ron, what do armies *do*?" "Huh?" "What do armies do?" "They fight wars!" "Exactly. How is it possible for you to keep people from dying when it is your job to kill people and break things? That *is* what an army does, is it not?" The thought was completely new to him. Well, obviously not *completely* new. He was, after all, only talking to himself. But he had never consciously considered it. But he had lingering doubts. "Who *is* responsible for saving those lives, then?" "In this war, nobody. The only way to save lives is to end the war." "But, we're losing the war." "No, you're not." This last comment did not come from Jenna, but from a deep, resonant male voice that was behind him. He turned abruptly. Before him stood a knight in shining armor. No, shining was not the right term. The armor *glimmered*. It looked almost as if it were chrome-plated. And yet, it moved smoothly with the knight as he walked. He held in his one hand a helmet, and his other hand rested on the handle of his sword. The helmet bore the crest of the Provisional Psionic Army of the United States of America. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Nikki sat beside Ron for hours, holding his hand, occasionally talking to him, and generally being near if he needed anything. Jill sat in for a while as Nikki took a walk around, got something to eat, and generally rested from the strain of being in the room with Ron. It was as if an electrical current ran through the room, centering on him and drawing all energy into it. She moved topside to look at the stars coming out. "Without the lights of the city, the sky is quite beautiful here." Kimberly had taken the opportunity of her walk to find Nikki alone. "Yeah." "Nikki, you and I need to talk. There is no way for me to properly apologize for my actions in the forest." "Nope." "I can only tell you that I was not thinking clearly, and Michelle... she sets off something in the woman in me. I don't understand it myself. I have never felt for a man what I feel for your brother." "What do you mean?" "Linda did not tell you? No, I suppose she might have felt that was sensitive information. Before I fell in love with your brother, I was a lesbian. I had never had sex with a man before." Nikki stared at her in wonder. The story was so similar, she felt a stirring within herself. "I was that way, too." "I don't understand." "Four years ago, I first had sex with Ron. He was the first boy I'd ever done it with. But my sister and I had been doing it for several months. He caught us in the shower together, and... well, he kind of blackmailed us, but it didn't really take much convincing." She blushed slightly at the admission. Kimberly was long past the shock of Ron sleeping with his family, for she had grown to love them as much as he had. But to learn this about him was somewhat surprising. "So... he doesn't... control you?" "No, I guess not. I mean, I don't think so. I mean, how would I know for sure?" She laughed easily. "If he does, he's doing a pretty damned good job, because I can't tell. All I know is that I love my brother." "Yes. As do I. But I promised Michelle that I would abide by his word when he wakes up. I fear he will pick her. She was before me, after all." Nikki just shook her head. "I was never sure about Michelle. She seemed a little pushy to me. The way she acted in the forest... I don't know. What I do know is that I've seen the way Ron looks at you. He never looked at her like that. I don't think you have anything to worry about." "Except you." "I'm not your enemy, Kim. As long as you remember that my *only* loyalty is to Ron, you and I will get along just fine." "I am forgiven, then?" she asked with some trepidation. Nikki took on a mock-stern expression, and waggled her finger in an over-dramatic way. "Don't *ever* let it happen again!" Then she burst out laughing, and the two hugged. "Come on," she said, wrapping her arm around Kim's shoulder. "Let's go back in. I don't like leaving Ron alone." "Jill is with him, is she not?" "Kim, if I'm not with him, and you're not with him, he's alone." It was a lot for her to say, and Kimberly, aware of just exactly what Nikki meant, had no reply. She merely held her friend tighter, and they walked back underground. ----- "Who the hell are you?" Ron queried of the knight. "I am the *real* General Ronald Chaffey, of the Provisional Psionic Army." His voice was strident and resonated in the small space. He neither looked nor sounded anything like Ron himself. "Um, look, chum, *I'm* Ron Chaffey. And, as soon as I can get out of this little hell-hole, I'll be the leader of the PPA again." "You may be Ron Chaffey, high-school student. You may be Ron Chaffey, CAMP field agent. And once, you *were* General Chaffey. But you are not now the true leader of the PPA. Come, let us leave this place." With a wave of his hand, the knight changed the scene around them. Jenna and the mirror were gone, as was the room. They were back outside. Only now, the house was bathed in sunshine, it was renewed with strength and splendor, and it shone from a gleaming coat of white paint. "This," the knight said, "is, of course, merely a representation. What the house represented when you arrived was your current state of mind. What it represents now is your potential." "Yeah, my potential. Sure. I haven't done so hot, in case you haven't noticed." "You have not been leading the PPA since the military personnel arrived. Why did you stop going into battle?" "They said it was better to command from headquarters." "Do you believe that?" "Well..." "Why do you fight them at every turn? That was not your original plan." "The generals and admirals said-" "Ah, but the ultimate decision isn't theirs to make, now is it? Why did you attack the fake headquarters of the Filitov Council?" "Hey! That *was* my plan! I felt we needed to strike at the heart of the FC!" "Precisely. A perfectly planned and executed mission. The only thing wrong with it was that you had faulty intelligence. The only successful mission of this war was one *you* planned, one *you* led. The generals have not shown themselves to be worthy of command, let alone leadership. Why do you persist in listening to them?" "Um..." Ron temporized. "What would you have had me do? I'm a seventeen-year-old kid! I know nothing about war." "You are wrong. You have fought more battles *of the right type* than all of your generals put together. You are a *psionic* fighter. They fight with guns, tanks, and missiles. Such weapons are completely ineffectual against the Russian psionic forces. Yet, you rely on these people to lay out battle plans. Have you yet noticed that the plans they lay out are typical, *conventional* warfare plans? They do not make use of their special skills except on a person-to-person level! Do you not understand this?" The light began to dawn in Ron's mind, and he now understood something that he had not before. He had been holding on to some battle plans that he had made up before the war even started. They went completely against the doctrines he had been given by his planners, which was why they had never been put into use. Now, he understood that he had been trying to tell himself that these plans were the kind of thing that would work. It had taken seven months and a coma to do it, not to mention endless deaths, but he finally understood. "I see you do understand," the knight said. "What else am I missing?" "Come, and we will discuss it." ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Ron slowly opened his eyes, and his blurry world began to focus. He saw a sleeping person beside him, but was still too groggy to put a name to the form. He turned his eyes to the ceiling, waiting for his head to clear. He wondered just how long he had been out. Slowly, his vision cleared, and he looked again to see that it was Nikki asleep in the chair beside him. Although his head hurt, his body had long since recovered from its ordeal. He sat up, and felt only slightly dizzy from it. He paused, and his head cleared. The movement caused Nikki to stir, and she awakened. Her jaw dropped open as she saw Ron sitting up in his bed, looking around and trying to get his bearings. Her hand reached out slowly to touch him, as if to make sure it wasn't a dream. "Is that the best you can do for your long-lost brother, Nik?" Ron said. It was his way of letting her know instantly that he was okay. She leapt from the chair and strangled him with a hug that brought tears to his eyes. He tolerated it for a long moment, as it felt so good to be touching someone that had not been made up by his own imagination. Finally, he disentangled himself and said, "Careful, or you'll put me back under!" She smiled broadly at him, and then she got up. "I need to go get Susan... or Karen... or whoever's awake." She backed her way out of the room, bumping into things and tripping twice before she made it to the hallway, and then made a mad dash to find the nearest medical personnel. Meanwhile, Ron moved his feet to the floor, and hoped he hadn't lost too much muscle tone in the time he was in bed. To his surprise, he found his legs to be quite steady, and they felt nearly as strong as when he had last stepped on them. *Maybe I've only been out for a day or two.* Susan came into the room, and was astonished to see her patient actually walking around. She took several moments to recover from her shock, during which time Ron just sort of stared at her. "Welcome back to the land of the living, General." "Thank you," he said hoarsely. She handed him a glass of water, which he drank slowly, but completely. "Whew, that's better," he said, his voice much stronger. "How long have I been lying here?" "Well, *here*, you've only been lying for four days. However, you have been unconscious for seven days." "Shit! I lost *another* week? Dammit." Just then, the family descended on the room. Sandra walked in just as he made that pronouncement. "Well, you seem to be back to your normal self," she said cheerily, and gave him a strong hug. He went the rounds, giving and receiving hugs from everyone. He noticed the conspicuous absence of both Michelle and Kimberly, but let it ride. He would find out what was up soon enough, he was sure. "Okay, okay, everyone. I know you are glad to have him back, but he is still a very sick individual, and-" "I'm fine, Susan. Run your scans, but I need to talk to people. I haven't been in on the events of the last few days, and I need to get caught up quickly." "Yes, sir," Susan said resignedly. She began her tests as Ron chatted with the family, finding out about small family details. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, Ron got down to it. "Okay, someone want to tell me why Kim and Michelle aren't here?" There was a lot of hemming and hawing over that question, and then Nikki said, "They're not getting along with each other, and they didn't want to upset you just after you woke up." "Oh." That subdued the atmosphere sufficiently that Susan was able to finish up her scanning without undue troubles. She pronounced him quite fit, but ordered him a full day's bed rest, just to be safe. "Yes, mother," Ron said jokingly. Sandra laughed before Susan did. "Now, I need to see Lars and Jeff. How long will it take them to get here?" "About thirty seconds. They're waiting down the hall. Jeff's unit is the one that brought us back here after you decided to take a nap, and Lars came back when he found out you were hurt," Nikki answered. "The entire headquarters unit has been moved back here." "Okay, I need to talk with them, then. Guys, we'll have time to get reacquainted, but I need to deal with some military issues quickly. There is little time to lose." The family shuffled out, and Susan made to leave when Ron asked her to stay. "You're just as much a part of the military as we are," Ron said by way of explanation. The command staff filed in, along with Jeffrey Durant. Kimberly was there by way of her position as division commander, and had to control her urge to run to his side. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, sitting on the edge of the bed, as he did still feel tired, though not weak. "We have been screwing the pooch big time for the last seven months. It is time that we change that." "How do we do that, sir?" one of the generals asked. "*We* don't. *I* do. First thing's first: you're all fired." This received shocked and perplexed responses. "You have given me shitty advice from the beginning, and it's high time we start using a battle plan that works." "Sir, you can't mean that! Between us we have over a century of-" "Name me a single battle you've planned that was a success." This statement was followed up by complete silence. "The simple fact that you can't even recommend *one* means you aren't the people for the job. Now then, Lars, you will remain second in command. Where are the troops?" "We have them scattered in about eighty separate units, of roughly-" "Call them all back here. We can't be divided like that, it's too easy to beat us. I want the PPA to stand as a solid unit. How long will that take?" "Probably about one day for the furthest units to rest up and return, sir." "Very well. That will take care of that one day of bed rest that she wants me to get," he said, indicating Susan. "Next item: we will not be protecting any further cities, with the exceptions of New York and Washington." Further protests were silenced by a look from Ron. "This was stupidity on our part. We were playing right into their hands. We helped them kill not only millions of Americans, but thousands of psionics! This was their *goal*, and we helped them achieve it! We will not do this again." "Then why defend those two cities?" "Because New York contains the Statue of Liberty, and Washington contains the White House. The two most recognizable symbols of the United States. Liberty, and Power. As long as those monuments stand, America still exists. They've been waiting on these two cities because they *knew* I'd demand a full-blown all-army battle to protect them. And that is exactly what we're going to do. They've been hoping to whittle down our numbers before those battles take place, and we've helped them do that, too. No longer. We've been fighting by their rules for far too long. Now we fight by *mine*." "Yes, sir!" the generals responded. "Further, I need you, Karen, to find that trunk I packed up, with my stuff in it. When you find it, bring it to my quarters down here. I assume those still exist?" "Yes, sir. They've been untouched." "Hmph. Very well. Now, someone want to brief me on what the hell happened while I was asleep?" Lars began the briefing, which took about a half an hour. He finished it off by talking about the nuclear attack. "So, the Russians have been pretty quiet since then?" "Yes, sir. No major assaults." "Okay. I'd expect the battle of New York to happen soon, then." "Why?" one of the generals asked. "Because now they're worried we'll use all of the nasty weapons we own. They don't want to rule a barren and desolate wasteland. So, they'll want to conclude this as soon as possible. Now, where can I find the President?" "Sir," said Shelly, "This has not been publicized, but the President was killed during the nuclear attack. Apparently the protections on Kneecap against EMP were not as good as we thought they were." "I see. So, the electro-magnetic pulse from the nuclear blast fused the circuitry onboard the plane, and it crashed?" "Yes, sir." "Serves the fucknuts right. And the Veep?" "He's in the White House Situation Room." "Very good. I'm going to rest up for a day or two, but the first order of business is to show that little prick just what I think of his tactics. That is all. Dismissed!" As the people filed out, Ron rose and started out the doorway. Michelle stopped him before he got out the door, and she said, "We need to talk." ----- Nikki stood with Kim down the hall from Ron's recovery room. They had seen Michelle enter. The time it was taking grew heavy upon their minds and hearts, and soon their silence was more than Nikki could take. "What the hell are they doing in there?" "Talking." "How do you know? Did you peep on them?" Kimberly was astonished that Nikki would suggest such a thing, until she caught the impish grin on her face. "I made a vow to myself that I would never eavesdrop on Ron that way." "You could always forgive yourself later," Nikki said with a chuckle. Kimberly smiled. "No. I will have to wait just like you to find out what he has decided." It was only a few minutes more before Ron emerged from the room, but without Michelle. They couldn't draw a conclusion about that as Ron walked down the hall toward his room, which would take him right past them. As he came up to the two girls, the look in Kim's eyes was one of utter fright. "Something wrong, Kim?" Ron asked, in what appeared to be genuine concern. "It's just..." she tried, but couldn't finish it. "Ron, stop being a meanie! Tell her who you picked!" "Picked? Huh, oh! You mean whether I'm going to go back to Michelle or not. Yeah, she wanted to know the same thing. I take it there was some rather nasty trouble in the forest, hmm?" "I'm afraid I behaved rather poorly in a time of crisis. I seem to have a habit of doing so." "Yeah, well, I ain't winning any awards lately, either. What happened?" "Michelle became territorial over you, and attacked her," Nikki said quickly. Ron was surprised at Nikki's attitude toward Michelle, but realized that, although Michelle had spent quite a bit of time at the house, she and Nikki had never really spent much time together, and so there was no real connection between them. "I see. Hmm. Well, I also hear that a certain little sister who shall remain nameless sort of went off and read them the riot act." He enjoyed watching Nikki blush. "I love you, too, Nik." "Damn you, Ron Chaffey, you're still not answering her question!" Nikki said, just to help recover her composure. "Oh, what was that question again?" "Whether you're going back to Michelle!" Nikki was getting overly frustrated, even though she should have known better. "Kimberly, I'm surprised at you. Don't you remember what I told you in that little town where you found me?" She stared at him blankly. "I told you that we were just going to have to face it. We loved each other and there was *nothing* we could do about it. Case closed, end of story." He leaned over and kissed her warmly on the cheek. "What I had with Michelle," he went on more seriously, "did not even begin to approach the love I feel for you. That night we had... well, we shared more in one hour than Michelle and I ever shared in months." He straightened back up and said, "Now, the doc wants me to get some sleep, so that's what I'm going to do. I'll see you guys in the morning. G'night." As he walked away, the two girls looked at each other in stunned silence. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Ron awoke the next morning to feel two very soft hands on his bare chest. He didn't want to open his eyes; he wanted merely to enjoy the sensation, but he felt it would be good if he knew who was making him feel so good. His eyelids parted to find not one person, but two. "You told us you'd see us in the morning, Big Brother," Nikki said with a smile, right before she kissed him warmly on the mouth. "I thought I was supposed to be getting bed rest today," he half-heartedly protested. Then Nikki moved her hand, and found that there was no heart at all in his words. "You are in bed," Kimberly cooed in his ear. "And we'll do the rest." Nikki finished. As she finished, her small hand wrapped around Ron's cock inside his briefs. As Kim pulled the covers off him, Nikki quickly but carefully maneuvered his briefs off. He could hear her humming softly to herself as her hunger for him built inside her. Her lips quickly engulfed his hardening prick, and Ron groaned as he felt her mouth encase him. It had been a few months since Nikki had performed her magic on him, and he wondered at the ecstasy of it. Kim moved back up beside him, and kissed him hotly on the mouth. As their tongues began to duel, Nikki's tongue was doing wondrous things to his cock. He felt her shift, and he broke his kiss with Kim to see her straddling him, her hand holding his dick in place. He saw Kim nod slightly, and then he saw stars as Nikki plunged herself down onto him. She was still very tight, but she was also sopping wet. She grunted loudly with the feel of him filling her small hole, and he grunted at the almost-pain of her vise-like grip on his shaft. Kim was massaging his chest now. "I told Nikki she could have you first. Since she was nice enough to forgive me for my stupidity." "Uh-huh," was all Ron could manage. Nikki was rutting on top of him like a wild animal, and he was having all he could do to control himself. Kim's hand on his chest wasn't helping any, and watching as Nikki's tits bounced merrily on her chest was *really* pushing it. He couldn't stand it any longer, and finally, he just had to blow. He felt his cum spurting up into her, and she slowed her pace, to massage the fluid from his dick, finally just rocking herself gently back and forth on his cock. It was just enough to keep him semi-stiff. "Good gravy, Nik, that was... Wow!" "We're not nearly done with you yet, Big Brother. We've got a whole day to kill!" "Please!" he moaned jokingly, "Don't use that word! At this rate, you just might!" They all had a good laugh, but Nikki didn't stop rocking back and forth above him. Soon, Kimberly resumed kissing him, and he felt Nikki reach down and begin fondling his balls. Kimberly's tongue was wrestling his, and Nikki's hands were doing marvelous things, and Ron was surprised at just how quickly he began to rise from his slump. As Ron's dick came back to hardness, Nikki continued to rock back and forth, her hands continuing to manipulate him and bring him back to full arousal. Once she had succeeded, she moved off him, gently touching Kim's leg as she did so. Kimberly moved astride Ron's waist while continuing to kiss him. She sat upright as Nikki used her small hands to position Ron's dick at Kim's entrance. As Kimberly slowly edged her way down onto Ron, Nikki sat up, and the two girls kissed hotly. Ron enjoyed the show, as he watched his girlfriend Frenching his sister, and starting to ride him. It was definitely a great thing to wake up to. Once she had fully impaled herself on his cock, Kimberly leaned forward, placing her hands just above Ron's shoulders. Her long blonde hair cascaded down on either side of her head, and shut out the world. Their eyes met, and the world seemed to stop. Ron noticed the serene smile on Kim's face, and she saw the joy and love in his eyes. It couldn't have been more than a few seconds, but for the two lovers, the moment lasted an eternity. Not breaking eye contact, Kim began to move slowly on Ron's shaft. She moved her hips back and forth, forming small circles as she went. Nikki assisted them both with her tongue, which she moved from Kim's pussy to Ron's dick and back again. All three were highly aroused, but no one was in a hurry for this to end. Ron moved his hands up to cup Kim's breasts, gently fondling the flesh and softly tweaking her nipples. Kimberly moaned softly and finally closed her eyes, allowing her body to succumb to the sensations. Her pace quickened as her moans increased in intensity. Ron was beginning to thrust back into her as his own passion increased. It was mesmerizing to have this wonderful girl making love to him, and he focused on her face as he pushed up with each of her down-thrusts, to get as deeply into her as possible. Her body was soon coated in a thin sheen of sweat, and her face contorted into that special look of pleasurable torture that meant she absolutely did not want him to stop. He thrust into her harder, his hands molding her tits more forcefully, tweaking the nipples more frequently. Her cries of ecstasy told him he was on the right track, and he kept up this attention. Nikki, meanwhile, had gotten her hands to join her tongue, and she was stroking Ron's balls while caressing Kim's ass. It was an altogether amazing sensation, and Ron was quickly reaching his limit. Kimberly got there first, and she screamed out her passions as her pussy clamped down on his dick. The rippling of her internal muscles sent him over the edge, and he came inside her. They both gasped out their pleasures, and Kimberly collapsed on top of him, her arms not able to support her anymore. Ron had truly enjoyed the experience, but he was still in need of some more entertainment. It would be a while before his cock was ready for more action, though. He rolled over, holding Kim, so that she was now lying on the bed. Nikki moved into a position beside her at Ron's mental request. She looked up at her brother and smiled. He leaned over and kissed his sister, his tongue engaging hers as his hand softly caressed her tit. His other hand was busy doing the same thing to Kim. His sister had recovered fully from her experience, and was still extremely horny. Ron was not yet physically ready to satisfy her. But the nice thing about being a psionic was that one's body was not the only tool available. Ron formed his extension, and he slipped it gently into his sister's waiting cunt. She sighed deeply as she felt it begin to grow inside her. Ron stopped at just the right point where she felt very full, but not pained. Then he began short, quick movements in and out, letting his extension do things his cock could never manage. Nikki was quickly squirming on the bed. Kimberly looked over at her friend, and then up at Ron. "What am I, chopped liver?" she asked in jest. In response, Ron quickly slipped another portion of his extension inside her, and began a duplicate treatment. It was somewhat difficult to concentrate on two beautiful women at once, but Ron was well-practiced in this art. His hands continued to fondle breasts as his extension moved in and out of pussies. The two girls started to moan and squirm with the pleasure. At Nikki's signal, Ron moved himself up between the two girls' shoulders, while keeping his extension working inside them. The ladies rolled toward him, and began to lick his cock. Ron closed his eyes and enjoyed the chills going up and down his spine. He was starting to regain his hardness, even after two good orgasms already. He felt a tongue leave his dick, and a shifting on the bed. Nikki leaned into his ear and whispered something. Ron smiled as she lay back down. He opened his eyes, and looked at her with a mischievous grin. "It's a good idea, Nik," he said, while Kim looked at them both in confusion. "But you get it too!" With that, Ron pushed an addition to his extension into Nikki's ass. Although she hadn't been expecting this, she knew how to handle it, and she relaxed herself and enjoyed the feeling. She had enough presence of mind to return to Ron's dick, which Kim had also begun to lick and caress again. When Kim felt Ron's extension pressing against her ass, she paused, unsure if she was ready for this kind of treatment. As Ron's extension slipped in, without much in the way of force, and little in the way of discomfort, she accepted it, and returned to her ministrations. When it began to grow inside her, she had to gasp with the sensation, and when it pulsed with energy, a long, low moan escaped her lips. Ron continued to manipulate the two women, his extension plying their four holes in synch while their tongues wormed their way along his dick. The room was filled with moaning and grunting as they each rose toward their climax. Kim was the first to go, her orgasm blasting through her senses and sending her mind reeling. She screamed in wonderful bliss, her body rocking with the sensations. Ron kept up his thrusting throughout her orgasm, and she writhed and wriggled on the bed for quite some time. When she came down from her high, Ron let his extension diminish, but he did not remove it from her. He did stop thrusting though. He concentrated on bringing his sister to her peak. It wasn't long before she, too, was rising toward her summit, her screams becoming more frequent, and her body squirming under his attentions. Just as Kimberly managed to return to sucking on his dick, Nikki came in a loud and fantastic orgasm that was exciting to watch as her body contorted and then froze, a scream caught in her throat. As Nikki's orgasm passed, she had just enough sense left to know that Ron hadn't come yet, and so she returned to licking his cock, helping Kim to bring him nearer to his final climax. Finally, it hit, and Ron's cum splashed out, hitting both girls in the face and then dribbling down onto their lips and chins. Ron leaned back as the two girls started to lick each other's faces. Finally, after they had gathered all of his seed, they locked their lips together, to share it with each other. Ron watched as his two lovers kissed deeply, and knew it was a good day. ----- The remainder of Ron's day was spent in bed with these two young ladies, who insisted that he rest. Of course, part of resting apparently included screwing these two silly every couple of hours, but Ron didn't mind. They brought dinner to him in bed, telling the rest of the family that "he needed to take it easy". It was perhaps the best day he had spent since the war started. He went to sleep that night with a female on each side of him. He slept dreamlessly and well. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... Ron awoke the next morning extraordinarily refreshed. He noticed that one of the girls had already left, and it took him a moment to unravel the covers to see which one was still with him. It turned out to be Nikki, who hummed lovingly when he kissed her, but didn't wake up. He slipped out of bed without waking her, and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he noticed that a new uniform had been left for him, that his boots were shined, his beret was starched and his sunglasses were sparklingly clean. As he dressed he wondered who had done all this for him, and had the sinking suspicion it was Kimberly. He didn't want her serving him like that, she was supposed to be his equal now. Doing the job that would, if this were real military, have been done by a private was just way beneath her, in his opinion. He finished dressing and left his quarters to enter the far dingier areas of the shelter. There were only a few nice quarters here, and they were strictly reserved for his family. He said good morning to his mother and Linda on his way to the cafeteria. He found Kim sitting at a table drinking her morning tea. He sat down beside her after giving her a kiss. "I see you found your new uniform," she said for a start. "Yes, but..." "I asked Jill to make sure you had a nice clean one for your first day back. She seems to be very good at those kinds of things." Ron sighed to himself. She was so perfect. "Yes, Jill has done extraordinarily well. She seems to be an even better housekeeper than she was an actress." The two chatted lazily about this and that, and Ron caught up on a few more personal issues that had gone on while he was away. None of it was really important, just the sort of day-to-day events that are nice to know about if you're a member of a family. Their meal was interrupted by a corporal coming to their table and snapping to attention. *Oh, well. Back to the military life,* Ron thought. "Stand at ease, corporal. What is it?" "Sir, there are some... er... well, sir, there are some people upstairs wearing robes and... requesting to see the leader of the PPA, sir." "What color robes?" Kim asked quietly. "Dark red, ma'am." Ron and Kim looked at each other, and Kim nodded. So, the SkuggDrakarna had come to him at last. *A little late, the bastards.* "Very well. I will be up there shortly. Go and tell them to wait." "Yes sir!" the corporal spun on his heel and marched off while Ron rose to take care of his dishes, and then went off to find Lars. ----- It had taken a few minutes to find Lars, who had been taking a shower. A few minutes after that, Ron, Lars, and Kim walked topside to meet with the Dragon's Heart. The leader of the group stepped forward as Ron approached and began speaking in Swedish. Ron just glared at him. When the man had finished, Ron said, "Now, would you care to repeat that in English?" Lars began, "Sir, he said-" "Hush!" Ron barked. "I will not be a sideline to a conversation aimed at me. We all know you are perfectly capable of speaking English, and that I am *not* perfectly capable of speaking Swedish. Now, either speak English, or go home!" The robed man was taken aback by the brashness of what he perceived to be an insolent teen, but realized that the reason they had come was more important. He could teach this young one a lesson later. "I and my colleagues have come because the Russian threat you brought to our attention is becoming more of an inconvenience than we are prepared to live with." "So, now that the chips are *really* down, you're willing to fight on our side, hmm?" Ron said. "We will fight against the Russian threat. Now, the first thing we must do is to establish a new chain of command." "Yeah. Right. Okay, here's the new chain of command: you take orders from me. Disobey those orders, and you will be punished. Disobey those orders in the middle of a battle, and you will be killed. Understood?" This was more than the man was willing to tolerate. "Now, listen here, *boy*! I was practicing the psionic arts before you were born! I will not take orders from the likes of you!" Ron simply flicked his hand, as if shooing away a fly. The man went flying forty feet into a pile of rubble. The man was very stunned to have been so affected by someone so young. The remainder of the Dragon's Heart tensed for an attack on Ron. Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by nearly fifty people, at least a dozen of whom were former Hunters for the ShadowDragon. The Dragon's Heart could feel the energy quivering in the air. "Go ahead," Ron said quietly. "Take your best shot. But you'd better kill me on the first try, because they're not going to give you a second shot. *I* run the show here. Not because I say so, but because *they* say so. I am the strongest psionic in this army, and if you wish to challenge me to competition to prove otherwise, you may do so. However, until you can prove that you are in some way qualified to lead a group of *soldiers*, you will be mere foot soldiers in this fighting force. *Is that understood*?" Even the dumbest of people knew when they were faced with immediate danger. This group had the feeling that even without the surrounding psionics, they were no match for Ron. They had not encountered this level of power before. Each of them, in turn, lowered the hood of their robe and bowed their head to him. The one he had thrown, however, did not. "I will never *serve* like a common man! I am a ruler, not a follower!" "Then go rule somewhere else," Ron said. "I have no need of dissenters. The rest of you may come inside. How many people do you bring with you?" "Four hundred eighty-two... er, eighty-one, now." Very well. Find quarters for them in the barracks over there." Ron gestured at a huge complex of buildings about five hundred yards away. "But first, have them all line up, and we will get you all signed in and cataloged." ----- The day passed quickly as the people were registered and assigned rank and position. Many complained about their placement below people they had previously had authority over, but Ron brooked no argument: his placement procedures were based on knowledge and ability, not politics. ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... The next day, Ron decided it was time he dealt with one last little issue. He used the Gulfstream VI jet that he had bought for the PPA's use to take him, Kimberly, and Nikki to Washington. He brought Nikki mainly because she had never been there, and just because he felt like it. Besides, he figured it was time his little sister started to see some of what his "other side" was like. He worried a little about her not liking what she saw, but he thought it was better that she know the truth than for him to live some kind of fiction for her. They got off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base and a military vehicle drove them to the White House. They walked in past all the armed guards and metal detectors and other security apparatus, because Ron felt no need to announce his presence. They moved down into the sub-levels of the White House, and came to the situation room. Ron strolled into the room, in complete command of the situation. He brought himself to rigid attention before announcing to the room that he was there, as if they hadn't already noticed that. "Where's the dickless wonder that started a nuclear war on my watch!" The room grew silent as the Vice President, now Acting President, of the United States, stepped forward. "I did. The strategy was a sound one in light of-" the man's voice was cut off as Ron began to rummage through his mind. "You little son of a bitch. If there was one thing the world did *not* need, it was somebody dicking around with nuclear arms. You've caused major hell in the mid-west, and Guardians know what you've caused in Russia." Everybody looked at him funny because of his choice of expression, but Ron didn't care to explain to everyone what he meant. "Wh-what... are... you... do... ing...?" the man finally managed to say. Ron didn't answer, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young secretary-type lady who had a curious expression on her face. He kept control of the VP while he scanned her quickly, and a devious smile crossed his face. "So, you turned the lady down, did you? And all because she wasn't career-enhancing. Tsk, tsk. Very bad form. Very un-PC of you. I think she deserves to have a little fun with you. And you deserve to pay for what you've done to the world." Ron spent five minutes reworking the man's thoughts, and then he turned to the woman. He quickly adjusted the thinking of the people in the room, so that his words were accepted as a matter of course. "Sheila, is it? Well, Sheila, I know how he's treated you over the years. I know he rejected you. Now, it's time for payback. I've just made him your slave. He will do anything and everything you tell him to. When you're done playing with him, feel free to pass him on to someone else. He's hardly worth the trouble of upkeep, but I hope he brings you some enjoyment for a little while." Ron left the stunned lady standing there, with the former-VP standing at her side, head down and fully cowed. The room was silent as the trio left. It never occurred to Ron that he had done, in a stroke, what most military enemies would try to do: he had beheaded the government of the United States. Not that it would matter. ----- They spent a little time looking around Washington, but Ron was too caught up in other things he had to do for them to stay too long. They got back on the plane, and arrived home just after dinner. One of the rules Ron had established for the military personnel who were working or living in the shelter was that they did not have to come to attention when he entered a room. Therefore, he found it strange that several people did rise to attention when he came into the cafeteria to grab a bite. Ron walked over to them, a little curious, Kim and Nikki by his side. When they got close enough, the person that the group was centered on turned around, and the trio stopped in their tracks. Kim and Nikki quickly dropped to one knee, but the woman stepped forward and put her hands lightly on Ron's shoulders to prevent him from doing so, as he had started to. "No, please don't ever do that for me," Queen Melissa said to him. "You are far my superior in personage, if not in rank." Ron bowed his head respectfully, and let it go at that. As the group relaxed and dispersed, he realized that they had merely been guarding her and waiting for him. "What are you doing here, Your Majesty?" "Ron, that's going to get a little old. Can't you please just call me Melissa? I'm still only sixteen." "Sorry. I'm used to protocol with people in your position. So, why are you here?" "Well, you told me to find a psionic I trusted to protect me. You're the only one I trust." "Your... I mean, Melissa, I can't... I mean-" "Here. This letter is from the Prime Minister" Ron opened it and read it quickly. "Is all this true?" "Yes. I'm sorry to say that England has fallen to the Filitov Council. Nothing is left of the government. The PM felt it wasn't safe for me to remain. So, in essence, he sent me here. You're not going to turn me away, are you?" There was just the slightest quiver in her voice, for although she knew that he felt something for her, she also knew there were more important people in his life. One of them was standing quite close behind him. "Of course not. How could I? This is just a little sudden. We'll have to find you decent quarters, and I'll have to assign you a few guards... down here, I don't expect trouble, but then, every time I've felt that way, it's bitten me in the ass. Try to make yourself comfortable, and we'll see what we can do." He wasn't sure if he should, but he gave her a hug, and she hugged him back tightly. He could *feel* the two ladies behind him smiling, and so he felt it was okay. He was still a little skittish about Kimberly and his other relationships. He'd have to talk to her about it eventually. But not right now. "Thank you very much, Ron," Queen Melissa said after he had broken their embrace. "I'll try not to be too much trouble." "Trust me. Compared to what's out there, nothing you could do could be considered real trouble. Welcome to the group." ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... ...---=== http://netwolf.wolfpub.org ===---... -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ------ send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com>| | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderators: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |ASSM Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d; look for subject {ASSD}| +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+