Xanthos -- A Saturday Morning in January

I guess it's time to take care of another detail.

I picked up the phone and called my best friend -- from before I found Master Control -- who was currently living near Dallas, Texas.

Ken is 6' tall, slim (the last time I saw him), 27 years old, with grey hair. He says that the grey hair (that he's had since High School) was genetic... I prefer to believe that it has something to do with his getting hit by lightning twice when he was still in school. I had met him back when he was the boyfriend of a former roommate. (Who he is now married to.)

We've done quite a few things together (camping, paintball, card games, and so on) and became very good friends. Of course, the fact that I hadn't had that many friends to begin with made his friendship that much closer. He had mentioned something one time about there being two families: the one you're born with, and the one you choose. Ken and Kristi were my chosen family. As far as I was concerned, they were my brother and sister.)

When he moved from El Paso to Dallas (about 600 miles from El Paso) to complete college, our get-togethers became much more infrequent.

<Hello> Terry answered. (Ken's sister. We'd only met a few times.)

"Hey, Terry. Is Ken there?"

<No, he and Kristi moved out last year. Let me find his number for you. >

A minute later, I had it and called his new house.

<Hello.>

"Hey, bro. How goes it?"

<Xanthos! Long time no hear!>

"Yeah. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

<Yeah. How have you been doing?>

I chuckled and said, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

<Try me.>

"Okay. I'm getting married next month, and I'd like you to be my best man."

Ken coughed and I heard something break at his end.

<Congratulations!>

"You okay?"

<Yeah. I just dropped my drink. Wait till Kristi hears about it!>

"Should be interesting. I want her there too."

<We wouldn't miss it. So, when's the wedding?>

"Third Saturday, next month; here in North Carolina."

<Nor... Damn! I didn't even know you'd moved!>

"Sorry. I thought I sent you a message about that. I moved here about two and a half years ago."

<I may have just missed it. So, what's she like?>

I chuckled again, knowing that he would NEVER believe it if I told him over the phone. "Let's just say that I have to be the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the face of the Earth right now!"

<That good, huh?>

"Like I said, you'd never believe me. So, are you up for it?"

<Of course. When do you need us there?>

"How about the weekend before? That'll give us enough time to finish up the details."

<I'll see if we can get that much time off and let you know.>

"Great. Don't worry about money either. I'll cover yours and Kristi's expenses."

<You don't have to do that... > he started.

"Trust me, it's not a problem. Besides, I'm in a much better position to be able to do that."

<So, what are you doing now?>

"I've got a small consumer electronics company that makes remote controls and does contract work for other companies."

<You've got? I thought you used to sell computers and software? How did you jump into that?>

"That company went belly-up. After that, I got lucky and was able to help Bishop (The Sheriff's Deputy from Chapter 1) and the PD collect a few people. Let's just say that I got a nice commission in return. With that, I moved over here and had a nice little house built." <Grin!!!> "I also met someone with a serious electronics and management background, and we started Xanthos Industries. Now I'm just retired."

<Damn! Sounds like an interesting three years!>

"You could say that."

We finished off the conversation with phone numbers and addresses, and I told him I'd send the tickets as soon as he confirmed when he could make it.

I can't wait to see the expression on his face when he meets all the kittens! <Grin!>

A Dream -- A Memory

An evening wedding... The bride is short... someone whom I hadn't seen in over a decade and a half... a cousin. The groom... someone I've never met before. Is he good enough for her? I don't know. Another of my cousins seems to think so. I know the bride has had a hard life. Her mother and my uncle separated only a few years after she was born, and she was later molested by her stepfather. I really wish her well.

At the wedding, I see several relatives that I haven't seen since I was 14 or 15. It's good to see them.

The wedding is held in a fairly large church... at least compared to what I'm used to. I don't remember the religion; it's not important.

The bride -- my cousin -- is escorted to the alter by my uncle -- her biological father. She is a truly radiant bride; I can feel the love she has for the groom radiating from her. I'm so incredibly happy for her.

I remember my girlfriend back home; the girl I've been with for the past four months. Do I feel the same as they obviously do? No. It's not even close. At that moment, I know it's over between the two of us. We will meet again when I get back to El Paso, and the relationship will die a painful death... And it did.

Another Dream -- Another Memory

Another wedding... This one between Ken and Kristi. The day before, I help with decorations for the reception. It's not much, but I enjoy helping... especially my brother and sister.

That night, we have the bachelor party. This is a party? We play pool at one of the local pool halls for a while -- all fourteen of us. Later, we gather back where many of the cars were left; inside the house is a like number of girls, drinking champagne and working on dresses.

The next day at the church, a much smaller wedding. Only 60-80 people; friends, family, neighbors, people from their high school days... I'm not part of the groom's procession, but I don't mind... much. They were all close friends of his for far longer than I was. They were with him in school... and after. I've only known him for three or four years.

The bride and groom had been talking about this day for more than a year. They were ready for this day... or were they? The groom and company make jokes about an escape plan with a mythical helicopter waiting outside, and other stuff to keep the crowd at bay while they make their escape.

The bride was also ready... or was she? She is escorted out by her stepfather; barely able to hold back the tears of joy she has that this day has finally come.

The preacher prays a lot... makes jokes... comments that God is going to have his hands full with these two... "More than you know!" I add out loud without really thinking about it.

I feel happiness for these two... my second family... my chosen family. I also feel... profound loneliness. My friend is only in town for this wedding. Kristi is obviously moving in with him near Dallas.

My girlfriend -- the only real girlfriend I've ever had; an overweight Hispanic girl with some rather severe emotional problems -- left me shortly after the other wedding, two years before. It was painful, just like I knew it would be. She had asked me what the one thing was that I didn't want to hear from her. I told her that it was that she was back with her ex-boyfriend -- the one who had bruised and abused her. She looked down. It was the final straw of that relationship. She had already gone back to him. What is it with abused women going back to their abusers? I still don't know.

When I awoke, I found Kat and Angie snuggled to my sides. The memories of the weddings make me appreciate the kittens that much more. Yes. I love them all that much, and in that way. I'm doing the right thing by them... and with them.

I hugged them both so very tightly to me, almost letting out tears of joy from my happiness about the upcoming wedding. The loneliness is truly over.

Friday Evening -- Ken Arrives

At the airport, I waited for Ken to show up. Kristi wasn't able to get the time off from her job to be here for ten days, so she would be arriving the following Friday.

I can't believe it's been three years since I've seen him. I wonder how he's been doing. <Sigh> Did he even get over that diabetes clone?

Looking at my watch, I noticed that it was a few minutes after ten in the evening. Ken's plane was running late.

Ken

I wonder how he's been doing. From what he described, it must have been interesting... It'll be nice seeing him again.

The plane landed a few minutes later.

I got my bag and headed out to look for Xanthos.

At first, I didn't see him anywhere... then this tall, well-built man with a familiar face walked up with his hand extended and said, "How's it goin', Bro?"

Xanthos

The look on Ken's face was priceless! I guess I changed my appearance more than I thought when I found that program.

Ken

"Xanthos? What the... ?" I asked, too shocked to really believe the guy in front of me was the person I knew. This guy was about two inches taller than the Xanthos I remembered, and even though Xanthos was never really heavy, he was also never as well-built as the guy in front of me either.

He chuckled lightly and said, "I told you you wouldn't believe me. Any more luggage, or is this it?"

"Just this bag."

"Great. Let's get going. Have you eaten yet?"

"No. It was a bit of a rush getting to the airport," I replied.

We headed outside to his car.

"Nice car," I commented when we got to his blue Lexus. "A bit showy though, isn't it?"

"Not really. I could have bought a Lamborghini or Porsche, but I didn't feel like having to carry an armed guard with me everywhere I went."

I had to laugh at that. "Good point."

"Besides, between the 300 horses and the way the car rides, I thought this would be a better alternative."

"True. Now, let's find something to eat."

I chuckled and we headed out.

Xanthos

After we grabbed a light dinner, (at a local burger joint -- his idea) we headed north.

"How have you and Kristi been doing?" I asked.

"We're doing great. We moved into our own house last year, and now we have a baby on the way," he replied.

"That's great! Congratulations!"

"Thanks."

"When is the baby due?"

"Halloween," he replied.

I chuckled and said, "Be careful or you'll end up having him on my birthday."

Ken chuckled a bit at that.

We were getting close to the castle, so I said, "I should warn you; you're in for a few surprises tonight."

"You mean besides the fact that you've obviously been working out quite a bit -- which in itself is unusual for you -- and you seem to have grown another couple of inches?" Ken commented.

I pulled a slight grin and replied, "It's been a very strange three years. You'll see when we get to the castle... but just remember that I did warn you."

Ken chuckled and said, "Okay, now what do you mean 'castle'?"

"You know how they say 'your home is your castle'... Well, in this case, my home is a castle -- at least on the outside." I decided to change the subject a bit. "How's that diabetes clone doing?"

"Still there. The doctors never did figure out what the deal was... and the medicine they had me on to boost my insulin efficiency ended up doing more harm than good."

"Sorry to hear that. Maybe something new will come along soon," I replied, grinning to myself.

A minute later, I used my remote to open the main gate at the castle as I was pulling up. "Welcome to Castle Pendragon. There are surprises around every corner, and I think you'll enjoy your stay," I said with a broad grin.

Ken

At first I thought he was joking about "Castle Pendragon", but as we passed the main gait, I saw the gate's "guardians"; two HUGE stone knights on horseback. The horses had to be a good two to three feet taller at the shoulder than the world had ever seen in King Arthur's days. The knights themselves had to be a good eight-feet tall.

Shortly past that, I noticed his "Castle". That's exactly what it was... at least from the outside. The castle was bout 30 to 35 feet tall, with a large metal portcullis at the front entry, which Xanthos confirmed was made of iron and was fully functional. Looking at the outer walls, which were well lit by the castle's outdoor lighting, it seemed that the walls were actually made of stone. I had visited a few real castles during trips to Ireland and Germany, so I knew how good of a job had been done making this one look real.

Xanthos

I pulled into one of my spots in the southern garage and we got out. (With the number of people and cars in this household, it made sense to have separate garages on the north and south sides of the house with seven spaces in each. From the road, you only see the front of the castle -- and then, only from certain angles.)

"I see what you meant about this being a castle. It must be impressive during the day," Ken commented. "Think you've got enough cars though?"

I grinned a bit in response and grabbed his bag from the trunk. "Come on in, I'll show you around some."

I showed him around a good part of the ground floor, covering almost everything except the vault and the gym/pool area.

Ken spotted the odd door on the vault and decided to ask about it.

"That's a rather strange looking door... What is that? Some sort of high-security door?"

"Very high security. Palm-print and pass-code via a hidden keypad," I explained. "That room's basically a top-level vault where I keep servers for my company and the castle... and some other stuff."

"Top-level? Any room can be broken into -- when someone wants to bad enough."

"Maybe, but between the castle's outer walls and the custom walls on the vault, I'd almost bet that it would survive a major A-10 strike."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?" he asked.

"Not at all. The castle's outer walls are double-depth cinder blocks that are all concrete backfilled and rebar-reinforced. There's also the concrete faux-stone cladding. On top of that, this room is completely surrounded by a 12" thick, pre-stressed, rebar-reinforced, concrete wall. It even has a couple of layers of carbide shot that make it drill-proof."

Ken's jaw was dragging the ground a bit as he stared wide-eyed at me, shaking his head.

"Don't worry. It's not as over-kill as you think. Like I said, there are other things in there too; some of which, people would kill for."

"If you say so," he said, still shaking his head.

"Come on. It's time to meet the rest of the household," I said, leading him to the 75'x25' indoor swimming pool on the west side of the castle. It's a good thing I told the kittens to all wear their swimsuits and to behave themselves; I'm not too sure about how well how Ken would have handled their normal activities. <Grin>

Ken

We headed down a hallway toward the back of the house. At the end of the hall were three doors. To the right, a large steam room; directly ahead, a nicely equipped gym; and to the left, a large indoor pool, hot-tub, and sitting area... and eight gorgeous women in devastating bikinis or worse, ranging in age from around twenty to very early thirties.

Whoa! This is the rest of his household? I can't wait to hear the explanation for this!

Xanthos

The look on Ken's face as he laid eyes on the kittens was that of pure shock. I'm sure he wasn't expecting anything like what he encountered. No doubt, part of his surprise came from the fact that he'd met the only other girlfriend I'd had before he and Kristi got married. Thank god I found Master Control!

"You okay?" I asked him.

Ken shook himself out of his shock as the kittens giggled and grinned back at him. "Yeah. Sorry."

"You didn't tell us your friend was so handsome," Tif commented. I knew she was just teasing us, so it didn't bother me.

"No, but I did mention that he's married," I replied. "And somehow, I don't think Kristi would be willing to share," I finished, grinning.

Ken just looked back and forth between us with a raised brow, trying to figure out what was going on.

The kittens all gathered in pairs for introductions, each with their arm around the other -- except for Mei and Laura.

"Ken, this is Tiffany and Amy," pointing to the blonde who had just been speaking and her brunette partner; "Melissa and Anna," pointing to the Hispanic and Oriental pair; "Kat and Angie," pointing to the young brunette and redhead pair; "and Laura and Mei," finishing with Angie's mom and the Oriental lady from California.

Ken greeted them all, receiving hugs and greetings from each of them. It was rather obvious that Ken was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm sure it had been several years -- at least -- since he encountered a group of women this attractive outside of a topless bar -- or this high of class -- if ever.

It also looked like some of the kittens were getting a bit eager for their evening activities, so I showed Ken to one of the guestrooms on the second floor.

As we were walking, he just kept shaking his head to himself. "A bit overwhelming, isn't it?" I commented.

Ken looked back at me with a raised brow and replied, "A bit? You always did like understatements, didn't you?"

I chuckled and replied, "Just a tad."

"Was one of those ladies your fiancée?"

"No... All of them are."

That stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Do you remember the big uproar last October and November when the states and most of the churches approved plural marriages?" I asked.

"Of course. Kristi told me not to get any bright ideas," he replied.

I chuckled and said, "Think of this as several interwoven marriages. The kittens are all strongly bisexual, and are -- for the most part -- connected much the way you met them. I'll be married to all of them, and they'll be married to me and each other in small groups."

"How did you ever get involved in something like this? The Xanthos I remember was too shy around women to be able to initiate a relationship with any of them -- never mind all of them -- and the rest of it..."

"You're right. I was. Something happened a few months after the last time we saw each other. There were a lot of sudden changes. I already mentioned my helping Bishop; that gave me the money to move out here. Before I moved, I met Lis -- Melissa -- at a grocery store near my house. Over the next couple of weeks, I met and fell in love with all of them except Mei. She was one of Amy's former lovers and joined us shortly after the castle was completed."

"That's an incredible tale," Ken said, shaking his head again.

"I told you you'd never believe it. In many ways, my entire relationship is impossible to believe -- even for me... but there are things that have happened in the background that completely defy the norms of reality. The changes you see in me are just a minor example."

"I don't understand."

"No. No one really could," I said thoughtfully. I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. It was time. "Follow me," I said, leading him to the vault.

Once there, I said, "I want to show you something, but you can't ever let anyone else know about it. Okay?"

"Sure," he replied.

I put my hand in the door's recessed cavity to pass the palm-print analyzer, then turned my hand over and entered the pass-code on the hidden keypad. The door unlocked with a heavy "clunk" and I opened it, leading Ken in. Once in with the door closed, I went to my "Master" PC (the system with Master Control on it) and started working through all the layers of security to get into Master Control. As I was working, I asked, "Were you ever a Twilight Zone fan?"

"I've seen some of them," he replied.

"Do you remember the old episode with the old man with a tape recorder that allowed him to create and alter reality on a whim?"

Ken thought about it for a minute, then said, "I think so... He created his own wife, mistress, and an elephant; then destroyed them all by throwing the tape into the fireplace?"

"That's the one. Have you ever wondered what you would do if you had something like that?"

"No. Why bother? It's not like it could ever really happen."

"Oh? I thought you liked 'Fantasy' stories..." I said, grinning.

"I do, but fantasy and real life aren't the same thing. You have to keep them separate."

Now that I was logged in, I pulled Ken up in the machine.

· Subject: Ken Jones

"Sometimes, something comes along that completely blows your perception of reality," I said, pointing to his image on the screen.

Ken

Looking at the flat-screen he was working at, I noticed a picture of me spinning around. At first, I thought it was some sort of computer trick using some cameras scattered around the room, but quickly decided that wasn't it.

Taking a closer look at the screen, I noticed a good amount of detailed information that Xanthos couldn't have possibly gotten about me that was -- surprisingly -- correct.

Xanthos

"A few weeks before I moved, I found one of those reality destroyers -- or, in this case, reality alterers," I explained

"You're not making sense."

"I think a small demonstration is in order," I said.

I explained EVERYTHING I was doing as I went. As I said, I love Ken as a very close brother. He deserved nothing less.

· Command: Restore all teeth, bones, and muscles to perfect color, condition, and health <Send>

· Command: Eliminate any diseases, tumors, or genetic defects <Send>

· Command: Make this person immune to all diseases <Send>

· Command: Correct vision to perfect for all distances, and fix any color-blindness <Send>

· Command: Completely undo all damage and defects to all internal organs <Send> (This fixed the diabetes clone)

· Command: Eliminate all allergies <Send>

Even though I thoroughly trusted Ken, I couldn't take any chances, so I did a modified version of my 'Understanding' macro. Ken understood why, and gave me his permission before I proceeded.

· Command: You will have no desire whatsoever to use any of Xanthos's computers, and you will never use the program called "Master" without Xanthos's specific instruction <Send>

· Command: You cannot tell anyone about Xanthos's or his computers' abilities to change people, and you have no desire to do so. <Send>

When I finished (and he'd removed his contacts), he said, "Damn! Is there anything this thing can't do?"

"Not much. It's limited in range, but, other than that, it's ungodly powerful. I'm sure you understand why I keep it in a vault like this."

Ken rolled his eyes and said, "No doubt. Anyone that knew about it would kill to get their hands on it."

"Exactly."

"Where'd you find it?"

"In the absolute worst place possible," I replied. Ken looked puzzled at that. "On the internet, in a public news-group."

Ken had the expected reaction so I explained the stuff I'd gone through to try to eliminate any copies floating around. I also added a password to his "identity" so no one else could make changes to him.

When I finished adding the password, I looked back at Ken again. He had a frown on his face as he stared at me, then glanced in the direction of the kittens, then back again. He didn't have to say it; I knew exactly what he was thinking.

I let out a sigh and said, "Yes -- but only in the beginning. I've removed the bulk of the controls I had on them. The only ones left keep them from using this system and program and from being jealous of each other. They also can't reveal its existence or what I can -- or have -- done."

"What have you done with it?"

"Other than some potentially excessive safety measures, mainly minor body alterations," I explained.

"Like the ones on you?"

"That too. Usually, it's things like the medical improvements I did for you, making a person taller, the occasional increase in breast size," then I grinned and continued, "slowing down -- or reversing -- the aging process..."

Ken was more than a little bit shocked at that last comment.

"You remember Laura? The redhead that looked just a little younger than me?" Ken nodded. "She's actually Angie's mother. She was also 54 when I met her. We were already in love with each other when I decided to give her a gift."

Ken shook his head in wonder, then remembered the subject I had distracted him from. "But still, you used this thing to control people."

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, then went about giving him a rather lengthy -- and detailed -- history of everything that happened between the moment I found the program to when I met Lis -- my first kitten -- through just after Mei -- the last kitten -- moving in; explaining all of the conflicts and discovery that I'd gone through with the program. By the time I was finished, he seemed convinced that everything was okay.

Then I mentioned that I was the one responsible for the outbreak of plural-wedding legalizations near the end of last year. After his initial shock, we had a good laugh over all the stuff that had happened because of it.

It was two in the morning before we noticed how late it was getting. After departing the vault, I escorted him upstairs to one of the large guestrooms. (The Large bedrooms are all 20' wide by 30' deep with their own built-in, open bathroom. There are also smaller guest bedrooms that are essentially full-sized rooms split in half with a shared bathroom.)

I walked in with him and showed him around, getting a frequent look of disbelief as we went. As I was getting ready to leave, I told him not to worry about making noises because the entire castle was heavily soundproofed. I bid him a good night, then went to my bedroom where Tif and Amy were in bed, waiting for me.

Saturday Morning

I woke up a few minutes after ten to find Tif and Amy near the end a light session together. They were still in a 69 on their sides, and within a minute or so, both had gentle orgasms.

When they finally noticed that I was awake and watching them, Tif said, "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to wake you."

"I don't think you did; but it's still a wonderful sight to awaken to," I replied with a pleasant smile.

We all headed to the bathroom for a shower -- and other normal, daily activities -- then Tif and Amy donned robes and headed to their rooms so we could all get dressed. (The robes were because of our houseguest.)

When I got downstairs, I found Ken in the dining room having breakfast (Monte Cristos and orange juice) with several of the kittens. They all seemed to be getting along rather well together... but knowing Ken and the kittens, that's VERY easy to understand! Ken always did have a knack for making friends -- especially with girls... and women.

Tif and Amy came down behind me and we joined the others for breakfast.

"I received a phone call yesterday," Tif commented in my direction.

"Oh?"

"Kira is flying in for the wedding," she replied.

"That's nice. It'll be interesting seeing her again," I commented.

After breakfast, I showed Ken around the estate.

"Nice estate. I see you still like big cats," Ken commented, seeing several of the panther and tiger sculptures scattered around.

"Thanks. I had them done when the castle was started."

"Kristi will love these."

I chuckled and said, "If you've got room back home, I can get you a couple."

Ken rolled his eyes and accused, "You would, wouldn't you?"

"Look. You know full well that I like giving gifts. If I can make someone happy just by spending a little bit of money, why shouldn't I? Besides, these aren't that expensive to me anymore," I explained.

"Not that expensive?!?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"The kittens and I can live very well off of my company's income. Add in what I have in various accounts and... well... money is not a concern."

"Looking at this place, I could almost believe that; but money is always a concern to some extent."

I let out a sigh and explained it to him in fairly simple terms. "Ken. Before I moved here, I took a VERY significant notch out of the drug trade in El Paso. Not only did I put the bulk of El Paso's 'Most Wanted' in jail, but all of its and other areas' drug dealers were worse than bankrupt too. My net worth now is well within the eleven-digit range. Money is NOT a concern!"