Chapter 9

“You are summoned to the Upper Level ImpSec Medical Resource, David,” the AI announced as I was busy getting out of bed minus Kirim who was on early shift that day.

“Be there in sixty turns (thirty minutes roughly),” I yawned.

“I will inform them, David.”

One sonic shower later, dressed and feeling happier having supped a glass of tuch and eaten something that looked like fruit, I turned up at my place of work in the Upper Levels.

“Ah, subject 1341, you’re here,” came a patronising voice as I checked, but found I wasn’t wearing my torc, though had it in a small shoulder bag.

“Are you being deliberately ignorant or rude?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Am I wearing a torc? Do I look like a slave? Do they not tell you people my name?”

“Errr...”

“You’re grumpy today, David,” came the voice of Herrick from somewhere behind me.

“Trying to keep up with Kirim, she’s somewhat ... demanding,” I chuckled. “But I can forgive the rudeness when I’m wearing the torc, but not when I’m up here without it.”

“Yes, I see your point,” he nodded. “Monitor Vilgra, you should be more prepared to act upon what you see, not what your notes tell you.”

“But there is nothing in his notes ... just a tri-dee image and a designation, subject 1341,” she spluttered.

“Really?” I asked, a bit bemused. “Am I that much of a secret, Herrick?”

“Not as far as I’m aware,” he replied, clearly going into records and security levels. “Ah...”

“Ah?” both Vilgra and myself asked at the same time.

“You have two Imperial identities, David. One as you, the other as subject 1341. The 1341 version is classified in such a way as to keep you anonymous in the upper levels and away from threats and sanctions.”

“Ah, that explains a few things, I said. “Sorry, Monitor Vilgra. I was not aware I’d been summoned as subject 1341 as the AI asked for David ... or used my name at least.”

“Accepted, though I was unaware there were two of you,” she replied somewhat bemused as well as dropping the condescending tones.

“It was news to me too. Now how can I help you?”

“In her oversight Meritocrat Bonsarr caught an ... unusual virus when visiting one of the worlds and wishes to be cured swiftly,” Vilgra explained.

“What kind of virus?” I asked out of curiosity.

“I’m not permitted to say,” she replied, looking flushed and very embarrassed.

“Herrick?” I asked, looking at him, knowing he had a far higher security clearance than anyone in Medical Resource and could tell me things ordinary Monitors were forbidden to.

“An embarrassing virus; the sort that she would not want her husband or family clan to know about,” he chuckled, then suddenly frowned as he apparently happened upon another piece of information that he definitely wasn’t telling us.

“Did we deal with the source?”

“He’s in custody, alone, and we have a long list of people he ... enthusiastically infected,” Herrick replied. “Discretion is required on this, David, please.”

“That is never an issue with me,” I nodded. “Price?”

“Twenty thousand Royals,” Vilgra stated.

“That’s double my normal price. What else is she buying?”

“Total anonymity. She was never here and you have never heard of her, not even to Kirim,” Herrick replied.

“No problem. Where is she?”

“Through there,” Vilgra pointed as an opening appeared in the wall. She and Herrick then went into some sort of conference mode.

Clearly Meritocrat Bonsarr was a High Bureaucrat of the Empire as she obviously was a beneficiary of rejuve. Yet also she gave the impression of a harried and vulnerable housewife in her looks.

“Salutations, Meritocrat,” I greeted her.

“You are the Cure?” she asked almost frantically, ignoring any greetings at all.

“I am indeed. Did they inform you of what needs to be done?”

“Yes, they did,” she almost sobbed.

“Calm yourself, dear Lady. What happens here, stays here,” I replied, trying to calm her.

“I was told you were discreet, but you are a Cure and frankly you have a reputation of not being discreet,” she answered, looking anywhere but at me.

“Me personally? Or Cures in general?” I asked.

“Er ... Cures.”

“I’m not like those others ... may I call you Bonsarr?”

“You aren’t? Sorry, yes you may ... oh dear, I never asked your name either,” she rattled out, clearly highly unsettled by the situation.

“You can call me David, or Dave if you like,” I replied in my best calm, friendly voice.

“Until I visited that damned planet I had never been unfaithful to my husband,” she began sobbing. “And now, so no one will ever know, I have to be unfaithful again!”

“Everyone gets tempted occasionally or makes bad decisions if they are lonely or under the influence of something,” I replied, stretching my hand out to take hers.

“I ... I was drugged, but they caught him, the planetary governor’s son,” she sobbed.

The Empire has two tiers of governance. The bureaucracy ensure things get done, with the High Bureaucrats directly under the oversight of the Empress; the lower level bureaucrats are under the oversight of the noble class (of whom Cassire was an example). A planetary governor is a class of noble. The noble class were only empowered to act if the lower bureaucrats acted illegally, so they had status but little actual power (an exception being the Empress). The lower bureaucrats had a lot of power but could be executed on the spot by a noble for stepping out of line.

“Oh shleck,” I murmured. “I’m so sorry.”

“N ... not your fault,” she replied, tears falling copiously now.

“I can make this as pleasant for you as I can, but if you wish I can put up a privacy screen,” I offered.

“No, this can be my penance,” she replied firmly, tears still falling.

“As you wish, Bonsarr,” I replied and kissed her lips, ignoring her grief ridden tear mottled face.

“Oh...” she sighed as my ability got to work.

“Relax as best you can,” I said softly.

“Mmmmm,” was all I heard as I kissed her again, feeling her both relax and become more responsive to my touch.

Gentle caresses followed the passionate kisses as Bonsarr came under my ‘spell’ and acquiesced to further intimacy. Soon I was able to release her gown, exposing her body, and start to fondle her breasts, before kissing them and slipping a finger down to feel her pussy and the now building lubrication there.

“Ohhhh!” she sighed as I brought her to an intense climax. “Oh, this is so wrong, but you’re making me feel so good!”

“Just part of the cure, this all helps to make it work,” I temporised, as it would work whether she was ready or not. It was just more pleasant for both of us if she was.

I slipped out of my own clothing and moved on top of her, feeling her stiffen in alarm until I slid into her tight, wet passage and moved slowly with long, powerful strokes, making her moan in both delight and shame.

Soon enough I brought her to another climax and speeded up my thrusts to bring myself to one as well making her own climax extend and make her sob with pleasure.

I swiftly moved off Bonsarr, dressed and pulled her own robe back on as she came down from her high, with sheer pleasure turning to dark despair.

“It was the only way to do this quickly and discreetly,” I said to her as she curled up into a foetal stance and sobbed her heart out at, as she saw it, another betrayal of her husband.

At this point Vilgra and Herrick came into the room, along with a medi-tech who gave Bonsarr a sedative.

“Jesus Christ, Herrick! What a bloody mess,” I sighed.

“Yes, we have a real problem there,” he agreed. “That poor woman. And what is a Jesus Christ?”

“Never mind, you wouldn’t know of him,” I sighed.

“Mindwipe and memories only of an aircar incident and a possible coma?” Vilgra suggested, breaking the confusion.

“Yes, though that won’t help us prosecute that little schlecker who did this,” Herrick almost snarled. “So far we’ve kept it out of the media, but he’s a known personality and will be missed soon enough ... if he hasn’t been already.”

“And no doubt if it did, the sordid truth of all his rapes will come out at any trial,” Vilgra spat.

“Arrange for an accident, the Empire doesn’t need the likes of him, surely?” I suggested.

“Might have to come to that, but his father has serious influence and we suspect has been shielding him. He’s certainly agitating with the planetary bureaucrats for his release and has threatened audits of certain justice departments. I may well have to speak to the Empress about it and get her to quash the crimes if it looks like becoming a major scandal. Though we are having additional issues with the Governor buying off the witnesses and offering them free Upper Level medical treatment,” Herrick muttered, looking disgusted.

“If you do, give him a mindwipe to protect Bonsarr,” I further suggested. “Oh, and put him in long term medical care to cure him. Do not let him purchase an easy way out,” I snarled, realising the problems politically that were going to have to be manoeuvred around.

“Yes, Dave,” he nodded. “I hate situations like this, as does the Empress. But a Governor agitating will cause the Empire no end of grief even if he keeps to the rules.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that from what studies I’ve done on the high, low and common laws you have in the Empire,” I sighed.

“Yes,” he grimaced. “Oh, Monitor Vilgra will now be your point of contact with the Empire Medical Services, not me. I have been promoted to head a new guild.”

“Congratulations, Herrick. It’s no doubt well deserved.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll still be seeing me. I’ll be your point of contact with the new Guild of Cures.”

“Ah, the Empress is finally ready to knock some heads together?”

“Yes.”

“I can knock heads as good as anyone, just ask Kirim,” I chuckled.

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he replied with his trademark slight smile. “In the meantime, you and Vilgra had better get better acquainted.”