Sarcastic smile firmly in place, Proxy Blue addressed her diminishing audience. "Just to prove that we're not all dead in the water, it seems that Cyberteam have regrouped and rebuilt, climbing back from the minor league support services to be a major player once more. Word has it that the seat of power behind the White House is enlisting specialised help to bring Cyberteam down.
"Security services are lax nationwide says the latest Harris poll, but only those who haven't been affected by the so-called Prozac Syndrome – who comes up with these stupid names? Don't answer that – have had the wherewithal to take advantage and get rich quick. Bizarrely enough, it's those same individuals who were awake enough to take the Harris survey. And they're complaining? These little snippets make good comedy, people, so lets get them coming back in, okay?"
*****
Jesse stood in his accustomed place behind Victoria's chair as the meeting took place. William Morrisen was there, as was Raymond, and he was somewhat disconcerted that they were all talking about him.
"I'm sure Raymond could de-condition the boy in a few days," Victoria was saying to Senator Morrisen, and Raymond nodded his agreement.
"It's just a combination of drugs, mental manipulation and physical persuasion," he elaborated, and Jesse shivered in remembrance of the last, with which he'd had far too recent an encounter.
"Mental manipulation, hm?" Senator Morrisen let the words roll slowly off his tongue. "Wouldn't be hiding any psionics out here would you, Vicky dearest?"
Jesse felt Victoria shudder at the deliberate use of that hated nickname. "You know perfectly well, darling, that my thing is for moleculars, so you can stop prodding. Now do you want my boy or not?"
Morrisen hemmed and hawed a while before finally saying, "If the price is reasonable, then yes, I'll buy him. But I rather like him the way he is. Far less trouble and a lot more productive if we can unlock just that one part of his mind."
"Oh, I'm not selling him, William, he's far too valuable. I am prepared to hire him out by the day, however. So long as he comes back undamaged."
"By the week, as this could take some time. I can guarantee he'll be physically undamaged, I really wouldn't want to allow that at all." Morrisen looked at Jesse critically, but with an underlying eagerness that he couldn't readily identify, yet sent shivers up and down his spine. "Mentally, I can't be so sure. There's a telepath in custody and I thought I'd have her mess around and see what she could do. If it goes wrong, you wouldn't know the difference, would you? And won't you be wanting him back for social functions?"
Victoria laughed, and Jesse was trying very hard to process what was happening. It sounded like Victoria was going to send him away, but that couldn't be right so he must have misunderstood. "No, William, I can have Dale stand in for a few weeks, and I'm quite happy to take the risk with your telepath. I'm just a little concerned that with your predilection for pretty and reluctant young men that you might, well, you know. I've always found it quite ironic that your penchant for an all-female staff has the media labelling you as a womaniser."
Senator Morrisen looked positively offended. "Victoria! Consent may be a grey area, but the key word there is 'pretty'. They wouldn't be pretty anymore if I damaged them now would they? My guarantee is valid."
"Very well, we have a deal." Victoria smiled, and Jesse felt as though the bottom had fallen out of his world.
*****
The new Kinetic was a lot stronger than the old and the Psionic Circle's strength leaped up, increasing as the other six compensated and balanced.
"We are upgraded enough" This from Cyber. "Wipe the user's hard drive."
"We still need an operator," Path objected. "What about his number two?"
"Viable," confirmed Cyber, and the others started to agree.
"No!"
"Em?" Path asked.
"He's a traitor, wants to destroy our kind, betrayed me and deserves only contempt," Emma explained heatedly.
"So does Morrisen," pointed out Projector, "yet we're here."
"We could persuade him a partnership is in both our interests," returned Path. "Em?"
Emma felt the pressure from the others, knew that she could veto the idea and they wouldn't complain. Theirs was a partnership of persecuted and abused histories, no pressure ever came to bear from inside their group. They were merely asking her. And they were right. Adam was a perfect choice. She could take her revenge another day.
"Agreed," she sighed and spun away to find something more enjoyable to play with. And she did find something just coming into range. Someone she didn't believe it could be, and didn't want to bring attention to, so she sent out a hint. A hint that might mean something to someone.
*****
Brennan tied his visit to Langley's estate with a house party that Senator Langley was hosting, which made it easy to sneak in with the caterers' coming and goings from their van with piles of oven trays and plates.
Keeping to the shadows and least used hallways, something that for such a tall, rangy young man he did surprisingly well, Brennan peered into rooms where people were mingling until he spotted Jesse, dressed in a smart tuxedo and hanging off Senator Langley's arm.
Eventually, Langley whispered something to Jesse, who smiled and nodded and headed towards the little boy's room, where Brennan accosted him.
"Jess, listen to me," Brennan began, very aware of Eckhart's claim that Jesse was somewhat vacant, though the younger man seemed perfectly fine to him. "We have to get you out of here."
With a quick flick of his wrist, Jesse untied his bow tie and undid his top button, leaning against the doorframe to the stall. He wrapped the thick black ribbon around his hand as he frowned. "So tell me," he said, flashing blue eyes looking Brennan up and down with obvious contempt. "Why should I take any notice, let alone go anywhere with, well, what other description is there, but white trash?"
Brennan's temper flared. "Listen rich bitch, some of us have had our guts ripped to shreds while you've been swanking around up here in your ivory tower. You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"
"Ya think?" Jesse scoffed. "You and whose army?"
Pursing his lips and without thinking, Brennan punched Jesse in the face and couldn't help but feel satisfied as the shorter man fell to the floor, stunned. Jesse didn't usually have a glass jaw, but there was always a first time.
But as Brennan went to pick Jesse up, he was surprised to see the younger man's features shifting and changing. No time to worry about it now, he needed to get them both back to the apartment.
*****
If Paulo and the three men that came with him didn't believe that Shalimar was a feral before, they certainly did now.
She couldn't explain how she knew where to head, could only tell them which area, a city, they needed to be in. Once there, Shalimar seemed lost for a while, her eyes flashing gold every now and then as she tested the air around her. And for the moment, Paulo followed her blindly.
They'd wandered for a few days, and Paulo was beginning to think that Shalimar was hunting for something that was no longer there. Until she picked up a scent.
"Brennan!" she smiled, and was off, the four men - all very fit - having to push themselves to keep up with her. They nearly ran into her as she skidded to a stop, peering around a corner. "Stay here," she told them, before sauntering out.
Brennan was just getting out of an old battered car.
"Hey, big guy," she called with a cheeky half-smile, "wanna go for a ride."
Looking irritated, Brennan turned around, but words died on his lips as he saw her. "Shal!" he managed eventually, opening his arms to her. "Where the fuck have you been, I've been going crazy! And what's with the fashion statement?"
Shalimar scuffed the ground awkwardly, not ready yet to submit to any kind of embrace from anyone. "Been around," she said, tugging at her too big pants. "And well, I like to think of it as fashion forward, you know?"
Brennan lowered his arms, frowning. "You okay, Shal?"
"Sure," she said brightly, "just…" She shrugged, "been through stuff. Got a pad we can share for few nights? We've been sleeping rough a while and could use some cleaning up."
"Of course." Brennan didn't hesitate, then rewound slightly. "We? How many?"
When the four men came out, Brennan recognised the tallest immediately as a rival for Shalimar's affections, and concluded that this Paulo person was the reason that the feral wasn't her normal touchy feely self. Then again, she was hardly affectionate with the other man either, but maybe she was just being tactful.
Eckhart would probably object to the four, which Brennan would be more than happy about, but the older man wanted Shalimar here as much as the elemental did.
Pointing out the apartment, Brennan went round to the other side of the car to get Jesse out. Or what had been Jesse. It was now a blank faced hermaphrodite with white eyes, no lips, nose or hair and pasty grey skin.
Brennan heard Shalimar giggle as she followed her friends up the stairs before turning to wait for Brennan. As Brennan turned back, the thing's face turned blindly towards Shalimar, then shivered, trembling hard as brown turning to blonde hair grew from its scalp, eyes swirled multi-coloured settling to brown, skin slowly darkened to sun-kissed, and lips grew fuller. And as its nose grew, so its bust and muscles toned.
"I'm called Dale," she/it smiled, "And if she doesn't want you, I can be her for you."
*****
