Chapter 19

At breakfast we discussed all the differing concerns. I did have some breakfast stuff around. Eggs and milk in the fridge, but we had to use the microwave to defrost the bacon I kept in the freezer along with the concentrated OJ. Plenty of bread for toast – sandwiches were my forte.

Kirsten had us all be seated while she used some of the left over chicken and a couple slices of American cheese to make some surprisingly good omelets. It was rare, when we were together, that Kirsten allowed anyone to help her with the cooking and cleaning. So we sat and chatted while she did her gastronomical magic.

We were all just wearing robes since, when we were all together like this, our sex life had proven to be somewhat spontaneous and as long as we weren't going anywhere or expecting guests, any sort of real clothing just got in the way.

"You guys were right, you should know your passwords," I began, when the cooking was done, "and I think I know how to do it. But I have to do some experimenting. Bear in mind that I have never tested these shell personalities and the way I want to tighten them up, well, if I make the wrong sort of mistake, there's no guarantee that you will be able to easily get out of that shell, if at all. That's a worst case scenario, and not really likely, but it is possible that I won't be able to get you out again. With that in mind, anyone want to be the guinea pig?"

"I'll do it," volunteered Kirsten, placing a pitcher of orange juice on the table and taking a seat, "you wouldn't try it if you didn't think it's safe enough, I trust you."

"You trust me? Have you forgotten that I once mind fucked you into being a humiliated and submissive sex slave?"

"Have you forgotten that when I had the chance to change that, I didn't?"

"Touche."

As we ate we went back over some of the concerns we had discussed the night before.

"If something happens to me you would be trapped, that's why, in addition to telling you your password, each of you will know all the others as well. And you will be able to give the password verbally in order to free them. Assuming, of course, the experiment works."

"If you can make it so we can return to our true selves if the bad guy isn't around," asked Kirsten, "won't that solve the problem?"

"Not really. I'm gonna have to work it in a way that your true self can operate without the knowledge of your phony self. The shell will have to stay in place. And I don't think I can link that ability to subvert your shell to the presence or absence of the bad guy, so, if this works, you will have to be very careful using it."

"But why? If we can escape as soon as he leaves the room?" wondered Mike.

"I got this one." said Tiffany, "anything can happen. We might get to a phone or a computer, but still be physically trapped in a locked house or room. It could be some time before we could even manage to get word out, and whose to say rescue would be immediate. If we are still there when the kidnapper returns the false persona would have to reassert. If that personality remembers what we did when the guy was gone, it would be all over."

"Exactly," I said with a nod, "it would be sort of like a multiple personality thing where one personality is unaware of the other, while the other one knows all about the first one."

"This is getting more and more complicated, Jake" said Samantha, "I thought it was always best to keep it simple."

"Nothing is simple where these mind fucking assholes are concerned." Spat Mike.

After two years, he was still very, very pissed about my mother. She had been something of a surrogate mother at times and, of course, his first crush. And now, with this new information about one of them doing the sorts of things he had been doing to young girls, and the idea that there may be more like him out there who could potentially get their hands on one or more of the women we cared about, he was as bloody-minded as any of us.

"Relax sweetie," said Tiffany, sliding her chair over and putting an arm around him, "we'll figure this out."

"I just can't stand the thought of you or either of the others falling into the hands of someone like that guy from yesterday. Do you have any idea how many people just vanish into thin air every year? Millions! How many of them are now living a totally hellish existence? Shit, assuming they even know who they are or have any sort of frame of reference to know what hell they're in."

He turned to me.

"Jake, I don't know what I can do to help you take these fuckers out, but God Damn It, if there's anything ... well I want in, I'm doing pretty good in martial arts and you know I can out-shoot you on the range."

Pretty good, he says. In two years he had become a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a green belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and had just started training in Krav Maga. His weightlifting had also been enthusiastically pursued and he was sporting some pretty big guns. The former punching bag nerd was nobody to trifle with now.

But physical prowess is only half the battle where mind fuckers are concerned.

"Having any of you near someone with these abilities is a risk. But you're right, I won't be able to do everything by myself. I learned that lesson a long time ago when Sam saved my ass."

"No," interjected Samantha, "that was a dumb move, I was just so worried about you. If you hadn't stopped Phillip from getting to me, I might have killed you myself. There's no way I could have lived with that. You were right to tell me to stay away."

"Well, it worked out and I would've been dead if you hadn't shown up."

"We can work behind the scenes." Offered Tiffany, "Mike, you can do your computer thing, I'm sure there will be lots of helpful shit there, and the rest of us can do other things. Maybe even act as decoys to flush out assholes like yesterday. Just so long as Jake is close enough to ensure nothing happens."

She stood up and opened her robe to reveal her finely sculpted, voluptuous body.

"I ask you, what rapist, in his right mind, could resist this?"

"Don't even joke..." groaned Mike, "if anyone were to hurt you like that ... I can't even think about it."

She sat back down in his lap without bothering to close the robe.

"It'll work out, babe." She said gently, "We all want to help, we just have to find our niche."

"We can get Jake some dark glasses and a cane so he can play blind." said Samantha, "That way he can watch for aural activity while one of us helps him get around."

"Yeah, like that." quipped Tiffany, giving Mike a hug, then returning to her breakfast.

"I like that idea," I said. "but we're getting ahead of ourselves. I have to tweak the shell personas until they're practicably infallible before we can do any of this."

While we finished our breakfast. Mike brooded, Tiffany tried to lighten him up, Samantha kept trying to come up with ideas that would keep her close to me and Kirsten just ate quietly, watching it all.

When the plates were about empty, she finally spoke up.

"So when do you want to start the experiment?" She asked, collecting the plates.

"As soon as possible."

"Well, let me finish the dishes and we can get started."

Samantha stood and took the plates from Kirsten, setting them on the table.

"You go ahead, Tiff and I can clean up."

"We can?" asked Tiffany. Then she saw the look on Samantha's face, "Oh, yeah, sure we can."

"Kirsten," Samantha said, "Jake is pretty good at this stuff, you know that, and you trust him, but when he uses the word 'experiment' here, he means it, and you know that too. I think you are being incredibly brave and washing a few dishes is the least we can do as a way of thanking you."

"Thank you, Mistress Samantha." Said Kirsten, her eyes downcast.

"No, thank you, sweetheart." Said Samantha moving in to give the tiny girl a warm hug.

"Come on," I said, standing up and taking Kirsten's hand, "let's go into the living room where it's more comfortable."

Mike got up to follow but was stopped by Tiffany.

I heard her whisper as we left the room.

"Oh no, buddy, if I'm washing dishes, so are you."

Kirsten sat down on the big chair and I sat across from her. Closing my eyes I called up the sight and immediately saw her 'anxiety' aura was, in this case, a 'downright scared' aura.

I opened my eyes.

"Kirsten," I said gently, "I know this is scaring the shit out of you. You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do." she said, barely audible.

"Why?"

"It ... it's my duty."

I went over to sit next to her in the chair, there was plenty of room, it was a fairly big chair and she didn't take up much room.

"Kirsten, we all enjoy the role-playing of you being submissive to us, but you do know that's all we consider it – role-playing. As far as any of us are concerned, you are our equal in every way. I don't want you to do this because you think you have to."

"No," she said, her voice stronger now, "it's not that. You and Samantha are in love, Tiffany and Mike are in love, you guys are all getting married soon and if anything were to happen to any of you, it would just be too devastating ... and..."

"And what, sweetie?"

"Well ... and I love you guys. It would kill me if one of the others got trapped in their mind like that. Seeing how it would affect the rest of you ... I know you said it probably wouldn't happen, but just in case..." her eyes dropped to the carpet, as though she couldn't bear to say the next part while looking at me, "wouldn't it ... well, won't it be better if it's the fifth wheel?"

Before I could respond, a voice came from the kitchen door.

"You stupid little bitch." Said Tiffany, her gentle tone not matching her words.

She rushed across the room, Samantha and Mike right behind her.

Tiffany sat on the arm of the chair opposite me, Samantha knelt in front of her and Mike took a knee between Samantha and Tiffany.

"Don't you know that we all love you?" Tiffany asked.

Kirsten just sat, speechless.

"Do you really think we keep you around just for the sex?" Asked Samantha.

"I ... I guess..." stammered Kirsten, "I mean ... don't you?"

"Of course not," said Mike, "is this why you are always playing housekeeper, cook and valet in addition to being our sexual sub? So we'll think twice before sending you packing?"

"I ... I don't know ... maybe..."

Tears were forming in her eyes. I didn't need to engage my talent to know that she was very confused. It was obvious that the idea that any of us had actual emotions for her, other than a friendly fondness and, of course, lust, was nearly inconceivable to her.

"Oh, sweetheart," I said, tightening my arm around her, "I were to do anything permanently damaging to you that would also be devastating to me, do you think that these guys could stop me from cutting my own throat? You are every bit as important to me as any of the others."

"But you only took me in the beginning because I was such a bitch."

"That's true," said Samantha, her hands on Kirsten's knees, "we did initially target you because you had been awful to Jake, Mike and a whole lot of other people. But it didn't take long for you to turn over a new leaf, and if sex was all there was to our relationship with you, it would have ended a long time ago."

"She's right," added Tiffany, "if you were here only because you're a hot little sex pot, well, there's a lot of other fish in the sea and life is to short to hang around with assholes."

"Really?"

"Yes," replied Tiffany, "way too short."

"You know," Mike said, "maybe we should stop the role-playing. If it's made you feel like we don't respect and care about you ... I mean, it's great and all, but only because I thought you liked it."

"I do!" exclaimed Kirsten, "Being ordered around, told what to do, it all gives me a sense of ... I don't know ... freedom. That's not why ... I mean ... I just assumed ... because you guys are so in love," she looked at Mike and Tiffany, then at me and Samantha, "I sort of thought I was here as a distraction. I really like taking care of you guys, you never make me feel unappreciated, and the sex is always amazing. I meant it when I told Jake I love you, all of you. I just didn't realize..."

"That we love you too?" asked Samantha, "Come here, baby."

Samantha took Kirsten's face, gently between her hands and brought their lips together, as lovingly as she could. It wasn't a passionate, 'I'm-gonna-fuck-you-like-you've-never-been-fucked-before' type of kiss, which Samantha was very ... very good at. It was an, 'I-truly-love-you-from-the-bottom-of-my-heart' type kiss.

The tears that had been brimming in her eyes fell freely down her cheeks.

"I ... I never..."

I wrapped her up in my arms and let her sob quietly for just a little while.

"Maybe someone else should do the experiment." said Mike after about a minute.

Kirsten lifted her head quickly and sniffled.

"No. I want to do this. If there's any chance, no matter how small, that something could go wrong, I want to do it. Now more than ever. Not just because I love you guys, but because you guys love me." Her voice cracked a little on the last few words.

"Okay," Said Tiffany, "But we're all gonna be right here."

"Thank you," Said Kirsten, grabbing the tissue Samantha had gotten from the coffee table, dabbing at the tears, "Thank you all, so much. I really had no idea."

"That's why I called you a stupid little bitch." Said Tiffany, matter-of-factly.

Kirsten snorted a surprised laugh, quickly using the tissue to cover the snot trying to shoot from her nose. Samantha gave her another and she blew her nose, clearing out the rest.

She looked up at me.

"I'm ready now."

Then she took my head in her hands and looked me right in the eyes.

"But promise me, if something does go wrong, no throat cutting."

"I can promise you that, Kirz." Assured Samantha.

Kirsten closed the distance between our lips and gave me a soft, loving kiss.

"I love you, Jake."

"I love you, Kirz. I won't fuck this up, sweetie," I said softly, "I promise."

We spread out, sort of. Mike sat on the couch, I moved to another chair, facing Kirsten as Samantha and Tiffany slid into the chair with Kirsten – it was snug, but they fit comfortably enough.

I called up the sight and, while her anxiety aura was still a bit inflamed, her love aura had swelled considerably. At this moment she felt loving and loved like she had never felt it before in her life.

I extended a tendril and connected with one of her auras at random.

Mentally sending out her password I completed the connection and was nearly overwhelmed by her emotions.

There was no reservation what-so-ever. She loved us unconditionally and absolutely believed we loved her the same.

As much as I wanted to bask in the invigorating warmth of her love, I slid past those feelings, and found the hidden shell I had previously installed. Having spent the night going over how to do what we wanted to accomplish, I was immediately disappointed with my workmanship of two years ago – even though at that time I considered them my masterpieces.

In the last two years, while I hadn't manipulated minds much, I had been exploring and learning. Mostly with strangers and without them ever knowing someone had been tromping about in their brains, sorting through their innermost secrets and more or less invading their privacy in a way that they would never believe possible.

Benevolently, of course.

It took just over thirty minutes to make the changes I wanted. When I was pretty sure I had everything just the way it needed to be, and, more importantly, that I would be able to release her, I backed out and opened my eyes.

"Okay," I said, blowing out a large breath, "It's done. Now for the test. I'm gonna asked her some questions, make a contact that should send her into the shell, ask her the same questions while she's in her shell, bring her out, repeat the questions, put her back in..."

"Are you stalling?" Asked Kirsten.

"Yes."

"Well, stop it."

"Alright ... by the way, your password is your name pronounced backwards. When you want to do a temporary exit from your shell, don't use the password, just will the false persona to go to sleep and your true self will be able to take over. The shell should reassert if another connection is made or you can go back in on your own. All you have to do to let the false one take back over is just mentally withdraw – you should know what I mean by that when you're there, I don't know if I can describe it. Good luck ... Soooo ... here goes."