Chapter 3: Alpha and Omega

John sat in the waiting area as his wife underwent the hypnotherapy Regis said would help unlock her memory. He had been there for at least an hour when Regis came into the room.

“Got a few minutes?” Regis asked. John looked up at him.

“Sure,” he said. “Any idea how long this’ll take?”

“I’d say at least two more hours,” Regis said. John nodded his head and stood up. Regis headed out of the room and John followed. In a few minutes, they were in what Regis liked to call his “smoking parlor,” a well-ventilated room with overstuffed chairs facing a fake fireplace. Regis sat down and motioned for John to join him. He pulled out a small case and opening it up, offered John one of his expensive flavored mini-cigars.

“Thanks,” John said as Regis lit it for him. “I still can’t believe they let you smoke these in here,” he added, savoring the fruity cigar.

“What the hell,” Regis said, shrugging his shoulders. “This place was designed to survive a direct nuclear hit. I’m sure one or two cigars won’t hurt anyone.” John chuckled at that. Regis handed him a folder. John opened it and saw a medical report that meant very little to him.

“What’s this?” he asked his boss.

“A report on your wife’s blood work,” Regis said. “You’ll notice those two compounds that are circled. One is a date rape drug, and the other is a compound I haven’t seen in quite some time.”

“What is it?” John asked.

“From what I understand, when used in low dosages, it renders the target extremely susceptible to suggestion,” Regis said. “That, combined with the date rape drug, and I suspect Houston was about ready to climb the walls. They could have told her to fuck an army of wild mongrel dogs and she probably would’ve done it. I’m frankly surprised she was able to keep it together as long as she did. Anyway, turns out there’s a federal task force that tracks the usage of that stuff. They’ve dispatched one of their top guys and he should be here later this afternoon.”

“Okay,” John said, savoring his cigar. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” Regis said. “Omega’s planning to shanghai the two of you first chance they get.”

“We already know that,” John said.

“This time, they intend to make it permanent,” Regis said. “From the video we got, they intend to hand her over to some Middle Eastern pimp and take you out, make it look like a suicide.”

“What’s the plan?” John asked.

“Obviously, we’re not going to let that happen,” Regis said. “We’ve got eyes on them so we’ll know where this is supposed to go down. I’ve got a conference call scheduled in just a little bit to discuss this.”

“Would it be too much if I asked to sit in?” John asked.

“Sorry, son, this is well over your pay grade,” Regis said. “Your primary job is to be there for your wife.” John nodded his head in understanding. They smoked their cigars for a few more minutes before John spoke up.

“Were you ever married, Regis?” he asked. Regis glanced at him with his one good eye.

“Yeah, a long time ago,” he said, the pain showing in his voice.

“What happened, if you don’t mind my asking,” John said.

“The same thing that happens to a lot of guys in our business,” Regis said. “Too much time on the job, too much stress dealing with the nation’s enemies and keeping it a secret from those you love. You know how it goes.” John nodded his head.

“Yeah, I do,” he said. Regis looked at him hard.

“It was too much for my wife to deal with,” Regis said. “I came home one day and she was gone. Left a note telling me she had found someone else – someone who would be home and who could open up to her. I got served with divorce papers that day. That was 15 years ago.”

“Sorry to hear that,” John said. “Any kids?”

“Yeah,” Regis said. “Two beautiful little girls. Her mother took them and they now call some other guy ‘dad.’ I haven’t spoken to them in years. I suspect they’ve forgotten all about me by now. It doesn’t have to be that way for you, though.”

“I hope not,” John said. Regis nodded his head.

“Houston’s a good woman,” Regis said. “She may be a bit ditzy sometimes, and a bit gullible, but she’s smarter and tougher than you know and she really does love you. God only knows why.” They both chuckled at that. “You need to be there for her, John.” John nodded his head.

“I know,” he said. “And I will be.”

“Good,” Regis said, standing up. “I’ve got to go make that call. You go be with Houston. I’ll text you when I’m ready for you to join me.”

“Sounds good,” John said. John finished his cigar after Regis left, then headed back to check on Houston’s progress. When he got there, he was told they were getting ready to wrap things up and she should be out before too long. He sat down and watched television, but his mind wasn’t on whatever was playing. About an hour later, the door opened and Houston came out. She smiled when she saw him, and he noticed she looked a bit different, but he couldn’t quite explain it.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her. She smiled as she looked at him.

“I’m just fine,” she said. He looked at the technician taking care of her.

“Is she free to go now?” he asked. The technician nodded his head.

“She’s free to go,” he said. “They’re preparing the report for Alpha One now.”

“Okay, thanks,” he said before turning back to Houston. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starved. Wanna go to the cafeteria, get something to eat?”

“Sure,” she said. They left and went to the cafeteria, where they each got a large juicy bacon cheeseburger and an order of fries.

“You look different somehow,” he said after they sat down. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m feeling better now than I have in a long time,” she said. “My head feels, I don’t know, clearer, somehow.”

“Did you remember a lot?” he asked.

“Oh, God, yes,” she said. “I can’t believe how much I remembered.” Her eyes got watery before she continued. “I can’t believe how close I came to cheating on you. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I think so,” he said, opening the folder with the medical report.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“It’s the report on your blood work,” he said. “They found traces of a date rape drug, along with something else meant to make you susceptible to suggestion. Regis tells me with what they found, you were probably climbing the walls. Is that true?” She nodded her head as she wiped her eyes.

“Yes, I was,” she said. “The last week was the absolute worst. It was all I could do just to get through the day.”

“What about those stories Linda sent you?” he asked her. “Did you read them?” She nodded her head. “Do you want to tell me about them, or can I pretty much guess what they were all about?”

“You can guess, but I’ll tell you,” she said. “They were all pretty much the same. All of the husbands were wimps, all of the wives were sluts and all of the men they cheated with were assholes with monster dicks. The husbands were treated like shit, forced to watch their wives fuck another man, then made to clean their wives out afterward.”

“And reading these stories got you excited?” John asked.

“I’m ashamed to say it, but yes, they did,” she said. “Between that and the stuff Linda, Greg and the girls told me, I was horny pretty much all the time. It got so I started carrying a dildo in my purse. I can’t tell you how many times I ended up in the restroom fucking myself with that thing. Of course, now I know I was being drugged and conditioned the whole time.”

“Regis said it’s a wonder you made it as long as you did,” John said.

“It wasn’t easy, John,” she said. “It was like there were two of me fighting inside. The good Houston said, ‘no, don’t cheat on your husband, it’s wrong.’” But the bad Houston kept saying, ‘go for it, girl, let Greg fuck your brains out, John will never know.’”

“Well, I’m glad you listened to the good Houston, except for that last day,” John said. “Would you really have fucked Greg if I hadn’t kicked his ass?”

“Probably,” she said. “No, that’s not true. Yes, I would’ve. And I feel so bad about that.” John nodded his head. “You gave me quite the wake-up call, though.” He smiled at her. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“I think I can manage it this time, given the circumstances,” he said. “Just don’t ever let that happen again.”

“I won’t, I promise,” she said. “I know I’m pretty gullible sometimes, but my eyes have been opened.”

“I do have a condition, though,” John said, a smile forming on his face.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“You’ll have to show me what you do with that dildo of yours someday,” he said.

“Seriously?” she asked, smiling. “You wanna watch me do myself?”

“Sure,” he said. “Why not. Maybe if you talk nice to me I’ll let you watch me at the same time.”

“You’re such a naughty boy,” she said. “But I accept.” John felt his phone buzz and pulled it out. It was a text from Regis.

“We need to go see Regis,” he told Houston. “Are you finished with your lunch?” She nodded her head and stood up.

“Yes, I’m finished,” she said, swallowing her last french fry. He joined her and they headed to Regis’ office. When they got there, they noticed an average-looking man in a dark blue jacket.

“John Houston,” Regis said. “This is Oscar Warren from the Homefront Security Task Force. Oscar, this is John and Houston Smith.” They all shook hands and Regis motioned for John and Houston to sit down.

“Homefront Security Task Force?” John asked. “What’s that? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Just as most people have never heard of you guys,” Oscar said. “We’re a public-private task force that deals with issues similar to what the two of you are going through.” He put photographs of four women on Regis’ desk. “Tell me, Mrs. Smith, have you ever seen any of these women?”

“This one,” she said, pointing to one of the photos after studying them for a few moments.

“Are you certain?” Oscar asked. She looked up at him before speaking.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s been a while – maybe a couple years – but I’m certain of it. She was talking with George and Linda.”

“That would be George Black, the senior partner, and Linda Wharton, the head of the so-called Executive Support Team?” Oscar asked. Houston nodded her head.

“Yes,” she said.

“Any idea what they were discussing?” Oscar asked.

“No, none whatsoever,” she said. “I thought maybe she was a client or a potential client.”

“Have you ever heard of MMAS or the Mutual Marital Assurance Society?” he asked. Houston thought before answering.

“I have seen those terms before,” she said. “They were mentioned briefly in a couple documents that came across my desk. But I never really gave them any thought at the time.”

“The woman you identified was Pat Witherspoon,” Oscar said. “Does that name ring a bell?”

“No it doesn’t,” she said. Oscar nodded his head.

“Who’s Pat Witherspoon?” Regis asked.

“She was a top operative with MMAS,” Oscar said. “She died about a year and a half ago while in custody.”

“And what, exactly, is this MMAS?” Regis asked.

“It was an organization set up originally to facilitate punishment of men who strayed in their marriages,” Oscar said. “But it morphed into something else. What concerns me is what Witherspoon was doing with Omega. MMAS was in the business of pushing a fem-dom political ideology, so what were they doing with a law firm involved in white slavery?”

“Good question,” Regis said. He turned to Houston.

“What do you know about a company beach house?” he asked her.

“The firm has a place on the coast,” she said. “But it’s much more than just a house. It’s a whole compound, complete with a dock and a helipad. I’ve never been there, but I was told it’s completely walled in and has security gates. It’s where the top people go when they want to host clients or just have a retreat.”

“That’s where George and Linda said they were planning to take the two of you,” Regis said. Houston said nothing as she thought for a few moments. Then her eyes grew wide. “What?” Regis asked.

“I remember one of the girls telling me about a party she went to there once,” Houston said. “The way she described it, it was an orgy with all kinds of wild things going on – drugs, bondage, toys, you name it.”

“Well, that’s where they plan to hand you over to one of their so-called buyers,” Regis said.

“I think we need to contact the White House,” Oscar said. Regis nodded his head and addressed John.

“Why don’t the two of you step out for just a bit,” he said. John stood and motioned for Houston to join him outside the office. After they were out of the office, Houston spoke up.

“What did Regis mean by that?” she asked her husband.

“Linda and George planned to have you turned into a sex slave,” he said. “From what I gathered, they also planned to kill me.”

“Oh my God,” Houston said. “What are they going to do now?” John shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.” They didn’t have too long to wait. A few minutes later, the door opened and Regis asked them to come inside. As they sat down, Regis punched a button on his phone.

“We located the beach compound,” Regis said. “You were right – it’s walled in and there’s a manned security gate. And it looks like there’s some activity there.” He punched a button, and video of the compound showed on the monitor. Regis spoke into his phone.

“What’s your status?” he asked.

“We’ve got eyes on the site now,” a man’s voice said. “Looks like there’s six people in the main building. Two arrived by chopper just a few minutes ago. Four of them appear to be security. There’s also one woman and an older man.”

“That would probably be George and Linda,” Houston said.

“Very well,” Regis said. “Stand by.” He punched another button. Another man’s voice came through the speaker.

“Eagle One,” the man said.

“Eagle One, this is Alpha One,” Regis said. “Do you have eyes on the target?

“That’s affirmative, Alpha One,” the man said.

“Are you packing?” Regis asked.

“Roger that,” the other man said. “Fully loaded. Locked, cocked and ready to rock.” Regis knew what that meant. The agency’s Reaper drone was usually equipped with four Hellfire air-to-surface missiles.