I'm not dying!
By Darne Moon.
I'm not dying! is an adventure tale that contains graphic sexual content between men. If you are not permitted to read such content please refrain from reading any further. I currently don't have an editor, and do have dyslexia so please be patient with grammatical mistakes etc. This is the first time I've written anything of this magnitude in this genre. If you enjoy this chapter please let me know at darnemoon@gmail.com, and I'm always interested in constructive criticism comments and ideas.
I've also got a Yahoo Group, with all sorts of stuff about I'm Not Dying. You can find it at: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/im_not_dead/ I am currently trying to post one chapter ahead than what's on Nifty, and from now on all side and background stories to the characters will be exclusive to the group. Hopefully you enjoy the series enough to see you there :D
Darne x
Chapter 9
The thudding of the helicopter was almost deafening as Ian and I hurtle across Wales back home. "I can't believe you got away with that" he says to me, still reeling at my cheek.
"So am I" I say as I watch the scenery blur passed. I had just secured a ridiculous agreement with Inscope. How exactly even I'm still not sure. Every little proviso I asked they gave.
"I mean, five thousand pounds a month with expenses!" He laughs disbelievingly, I grin like a lunatic as I grasp his hand.
"Never go into business with a welsh man my dear" I joke. I peck him on the cheek. "I'm still amazed I got them to agree to paying my mothers medical bills, and putting on an extension to the house"
"By a designer of your choice!" Ian laughs
"Well of course I'm not having any Tom, Dick or Harry doing it!"
"I think the best was donating a million to the RSPCA"
"I have to admit I was running out of idea's by that point" I laugh. "To be honest it does worry me a little they were so gracious. Should of asked them for the crown" Ian bursts out in laughter. I produce one of the bottles of champagne I had been given. Well I say given... stole from the room. Ian produces one of the champagne glasses I had also acquired.
"Don't mind if I do" He says cheekily. I pour him a generous measure, after all I had managed to acquire a couple of bottles "most people take towels or toiletries, you took the booze and glass ware! Classy"
"Hell they can charge me for it" I joke, the pair of us erupt into a manic laughter. It had all happened so quickly we're both still reeling from the shock, but reality is slowly taking its firm grip on me. Why were they so generous, I must mean a lot to them one way or another. Below us the rolling hillsides, forests, lakes and occasional mountains eventually gave way to the familiar shape of Afondiwedd. Strange how it's so easily recognised from an aerial aspect.
The helicopter zooms over the little town, creating miniature tornado's of gold and brown leaves. The first autumn fall. The oak tree's branches twist and sway in the wind created by the propellers. Slowly we descend into the paddock along side the church. The alpacas running as far away from the helicopter as possible. Ian and I hope down, in my hand the opened bottle of champagne, in Ian's one we were yet to open. The towns priest emerged from the church an expression of anger and disarray rampant across his shallow face.
"MR MOON! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!" He bellows, I can see a small congregation inside craning their necks from their pews trying to catch a glimpse of the commotion. I wave the bottle of champagne.
"SORRY FATHER" I reply. Behind me the jet black helicopter takes off. Huge gusts of wind raped the field, dead leaves, dried poo, and all sorts of light debris are sent hurtling through the air. There's a clatter from inside the church. One of the more solid alpaca deposits seems to have had a disagreement with a church window. "SORRY AGAIN FATHER! SEND ME THE BILL" I shout, as the priest turns to investigate the noise. He shoots me a disapproving glare and vanishes inside slamming the doors behind him. Ian and I walk through the town. A helicopter flying so low is a rare sight around the town, and a wide collection of Afondiwedd's citizens had gathered in the streets to find out what all the trouble was about.
I knew that the "situation" as it were with the police, Lee and Rachel had been more or less cleared up, however word travels faster than a bush fire in small towns and indeed North Wales. There were a number of rushed whispers between neighbours. I wave to those that meet my eye, others look away in disgust as I pass. I whisper to Ian.
"I see words got around"
"Yeah Rachel and her family were very... vocal until Inscope got to them" he whispers back, "I'd suggest not going to the pub for a good while, or the butchers"
"Fuck that for a game of cards" I reply still waving at those I managed to catch eye contact with. I'm going to have to do some serious PR work here. I clock Mr Perry staring at me from his shop window. I stop and turn to Ian, handing him the Champagne, "take this will you"
"What you going to do?" He asks a worried expression on his face.
"I'm going to say hello" Ian's gaze is riddled with worry but he sees my determination. He nods eventually and accepts the bottle. I turn and almost march to the butchers shop. Ian continues down the street towards the house. As I enter I declare, "Hello Mr Perry" with rather more gusto than I had intended.
"Hello Mr Moon" he replies a little a bashfully, "I'm sorry but there's nothing for you here"
"That can't honestly be true, by the looks of it you've got loads of stock!" I say gesturing towards his display counter.
"That... erm is not the point" he says ringing his hands. From the back of his shop his wife appears, her face stern and repulsed.
"That's right Mr Moon there's nothing for your sort here, now kindly leave" she reiterates.
"My sort?" I ask almost overly questioning. I tell myself to tone it down a bit, I know what they know, I just have to tell them the truth.
"Yes. Rapists" she says quite bluntly.
"I am not a rapist!" I almost hate myself for saying such a cliché.
"There's no smoke without fire. Your still not welcome here. What you did to that young couple was wrong she's expecting a child!"
"What Lee did to me Mrs Perry was wrong. I did not rape him and I was defending myself when he got hurt. I, Mrs Perry, am the victim of cowardice nothing more! I might be gay but it's not a crime! If anything your bigotry is" I can feel a strange force rise up inside me. It's not anger as such, but a strong sense of pride mixed with... something else. The strange dial on my arm begins to vibrate slightly, I quickly check it. The green light seems to be changing colour. Damn I should have got instructions for this thing.
"I will have to ask you to leave Mr Moon" Mr Perry repeats with a little more firmness.
"Then I will! But think on this. I am not a rapist! Any one who thinks otherwise should man up and say so to my face. No quivering snickers or whispers behind my back. If I find that there are, I will hold you both personally responsible and so help me god I will do everything in my power to ruin you, your business, and everything this town holds so very, fucking, dear! You think my mother is scary Mr Perry! Then I say to you" I place my hands upon the glass of the display bench, "Hell has NO fury compared to mine!" I don't wait for a response I turn and fling the door open it clatters against the wall and I storm outside. All eyes are on me. I glare at each and everyone of them.
"I will say this only once! Any of you have an issue with me, then you say it to my face! Don't be you dare be cowards" The strange device on my arm is vibrating a lot now. I quickly check it, its green face is turning to a deep red. That was a stupid idea I say to myself, what else did I expect. Ian is stood at the entrance to my house. He looks worried as I march towards him.
"How did it go?" He asks somewhat stupidly in my opinion.
"Not as well as I hoped!" I state, "I don't think I should leave the house until I know phase two is over" He nods and opens the door for me. I walk in. The house smells fresh and clean. The kitchen door is pinned open, and there sat at the kitchen table facing me I see Carol sat reading a newspaper. She looks up and her face lights up at the sight of me. Instantly whatever angry emotion was building inside me melts away.
"OH MY GOD! THERE YOU ARE!" She says as she hurtles towards me and lunges into a great hug. Izzy appears at my feet and rubs her body against me. Carol automatically produces an antihistamine as if from no where and hands it to me. I have to admit in a strange way I'm glad to see the cat as much as a pain in the arse she is. "Oh I'll have to give Wendy and your dad a ring, they've been out of their minds!"
"Look what I brought" I take a bottle of champagne from Ian and brandish it in front of Carol. She grins as she dials a number out on her mobile phone.
"We've been so worried when we heard you had been taken from the police we didn't know what to think" she witters on ignoring the champagne totally. I turn to Ian and shrug and I walk past her into the kitchen. I stare at the garden. We're really going to have to make a start harvesting the vege patch soon, its starting to look like a jungle. "Yeah he's here, he's back!" I hear Carol say on her phone. Even from the kitchen I can hear the cries of joy from whoever it is she's speaking to. She seems to chat for a second or so longer before hanging up and joining us both in the kitchen. "So what happened?" she enquires.
"I take it Dad and Wendy are coming over"
"A little later yeah" Carol confirms
"Wait till then, I don't want to tell the story twice, in the meantime lets drink to my freedom!" I produce another champagne glass and pour the last three glasses of the open bottle. Ian places the unopened one in the fridge.
"To freedom!" Carol declares and we all clink our glasses.
"How are you?" I ask. Carol nods as she sips at the champagne. She snorts as bubbles shoot up her nose. She protests her hatred for the drink however it doesn't stop her drinking it.
"I'm fine, and even more time off! WOOP!" She says with a brief raising of her arms in triumph, "They're not happy up there though, think I'm fobbing them off, but then they never believed you were ill when you were off sick!" I nod, the company are a complete bunch of wankers when it comes to being off sick. You could put countless unpaid hours into the place without a single thank you, and the moment your off ill they stab you in the back with the smallest amount of sick pay imaginable. "To be honest though, I don't know how long I can afford to stay off work!" I knew this feeling very well. However I was fortunate, I knew some little secrets about our area manager, some dirty little secrets about his liaisons with another pub manager, in fact his sister in law, that he wouldn't want others finding out. That was how I had secured the very ample severance package I got when I left their employ.
"Don't worry about money, you don't need to spend a dime whilst your down here!"
"No, no I couldn't do that to you honestly, you need all the money you've got I couldn't sponge of you!" She declares, seemingly disgusted.
"Honestly, its not a worry to him" Ian says with a massive grin at me whilst he sips his champagne.
"I may have... just got myself an income, a very... high income" I say trying to sound as aloof as possible. Carol's eye brow raises almost impossibly high.
"Your telling me, you get carted off by the police for god knows what charges and you come back with a job!" she eye's the champagne suspiciously, "what have you done?" She demands. Naturally I laugh and say nothing more, much to the frustration of Carol. I grin at Ian, Ian grins back. Carol erupts, "OH COME ON! TELL ME!"
The rest of the afternoon follows the general pattern of Carol trying to plug me for information about my adventures and then her flaring up as I ignore her. Ian and Carol are sat outside in the lazy afternoon sun of mid autumn and I am picking all the fruit and vege I've grown, chucking the bad onto my compost heat. I have a veritable mountain, I've have clearly gone over board. I'll give it away I decide. Put a table outside and let people take what they want. It might help with my PR mission to improve my popularity. Or they'll just think I'm trying to poison them all.
I hand Ian an enormous cucumber and smile. Carol frowns, shaking her head she returns to her new favourite game, guessing what the hell happened to me over the weekend, when something strikes me.
"Ian shouldn't you be working?" I ask.
"No, they gave me compassionate leave, I'm due back the end of the week"
"Actually what day is it?" I'm suddenly struck with the realisation I have no idea of the date.
"Tuesday" Carol states, she's lighting up another cigarette, "You've won the lottery?" She guesses
"You've said that one" Ian groans, Carol's theories had rapidly run short and now she was just repeating her favourite ones.
"OK, OK, You've been elected an MP"
"HA!" I laugh the very idea of me in politics is scary. I had a few years earlier thought about starting my own political party but decided its probably better for the nation that I don't.
"You've become an astronaut. Your an agony aunt in a newspaper. Your... I got it a fortune teller to the rich and powerful!"
"No, no and no. Tell you what, why don't you just give up till my dad and Wendy get here. In fact..." I gaze at the sky a moment looking distant "their just arriving!" Carol looks at me surprised.
"Wow your getting good at this predicting stuff!" She says.
"Not really, I just saw their car pull up outside the house!" I laugh pointing through the kitchen and living room. The blind is up on the window onto the street where my dad's land rover is parking. Carol shrugs and and shakes her head. Ian jogs over to let them in. Wendy walks into the kitchen like a huntress searching for her prey before she clocks me and Carol in the garden. Then she charges, in so much a lady of her size can charge at speed. I stand up prepared for an embrace. The wind is crushed out of me as my dad makes his advance. It's a minute or two before I'm freed from Wendy's mighty hug.
"How are you son?"
"Pretty good actually, can't complain"
"Now will you bloody tell us! Please I'm going spare here!" Carol declares before taking an other sip of her wine. Ian appears from the kitchen bringing the champagne and a handful of glasses. I'm impressed, it takes a bit of skill to manage five champagne flutes in one hand confidently.
"What's going on?" Wendy chirps as she sits down next to Carol.
"I've had a bit of luck" I start, I had decided to drag this out for as much as possible, "At the police station I was approached by Inscope, and I agreed a deal with them. I went with them to their... what would you call it Ian?"
"Of for Christ sake!" Carol declares.
"Their headquarters?" Ian offers with a smirk.
"Yeah their headquarters, anyway I had agreed for them to conduct some tests on me, during these tests they installed this" I brandish the dial on my left arm, "I'm not totally sure what it does but I think it monitors my... abilities and what not" Carol shifts in her seat. She looks like she's about to pull her hair out. "Long story short, I'm now employed by Inscope, once a month I have to go for some tests, nothing to invasive" I had already decided not to tell them how excruciating the main test is. "and for that they are going to pay me five thousand pounds a month, with expenses, pay any of mum's medical bills, build an extension onto the house and donate a million pounds to the RSPCA"
"What... you... how much!" Carol declares,
"Five thousand a month"
"Plus expenses" Ian adds he seemed to really that addition.
"Thats... extraordinary!" My dad declares looking at me curiously.
"Extraordinary!" Carol retorts as that's the greatest understatement of the year. "It's fucking fantastic" I laugh at her. Wendy however is more reserved than the others.
"Exactly what are theses tests for?" She asks eventually her hands pressed against the garden table.
"They are trying to accelerate the infection rate of the Gifters. They want to see if within a year they can have me fully assimilated with them. It's a new technique, and they predict a few side affects"
"Like what?" My dad asks, suddenly very concerned and clearly not liking all he hears.
"Like sickness, fatigue, disorientation, memory loss, but nothing to drastic, usually only for a day or two after the procedure, and if its anything like the first set I had, then I'll sleep through most of them"
"And your happy with all this" My dad asks
"Yep, I can get out any time I want to" This was technically true. They had informed me that if they or I felt the tests were not working or to dangerous to continue they would terminate the procedures. Mr Rash had said in his very jovial manner, "Alex your more valuable to us alive, not dead" at the time I drew comfort from that, but on reflection it also had a certain ominous tone to it. My dad and Wendy seem to relax a moment and so I decide to take us all out for dinner. After much debate we deicide on the Roschester a quite swanky restaurant. It had been named so because in a previous life the restaurant had been a stables, and the business had been named after an award winning racing horse. Carol insists on driving us all there. We protest to no avail, my main argument that she had had to much to drink. It turns out I decide half way through the journey that it was the rest of us who needed more to drink.
Carol, despite her driving prowess (for want of a better term) was yet to get used to a slightly larger car. Her poor, or rather lack of spacial awareness she claims comes from her short stature. I had long before decided this was not so, it was due to her lack of impatience. Following a few desperate yelps from Wendy, a near miss with a white van on a country road and a few choice sentences from Carol which would make little children's ears bleed. We arrive at the Rochester. Non of us are particularly dressed up for the occasion, but I theorise its very early evening on a midweek we shouldn't have any problem. I was wrong and ended up parting with a twenty pound note before we even get seated. Once seated in a quiet corner of the restaurant we are offered the wine menu. Eagerly I accept and Carol orders an Appletiser. Perusing the menu I spot a few cheeky Lefites for just under a hundred pounds, and a rather charming looking Pinot Grigio for seventy quid. I order two bottles of each much to the shock of the waiter and the amusement of the table.
"I forgot to mention they had also given me a couple of thousand as a signing bonus sort of thing, so don't worry about a thing tonight pick what you want and sod the cost!" and that became the theme for the evening. In the end I happily paid the small fortune. They kindly organized a taxi for Wendy and dad, and Carol drove Ian and I home. The return journey was a far more relaxed affair then the drive over. Either Carol's driving had improved or the wine had made me care a lot less.
That night Carol retired early with Izzy, a hot water bottle and a rather alarmingly full wine glass. Ian and I were sat in the little living room staring at each other. He raised a hand to my face and stroked my cheek. His dark eyes glinted like they contained the whole night sky in them. I leaned in for a kiss. His lips were like velvet beautifully smooth and hot to the touch. We slipped off our seats kneeling before each other. A hand around each others waists pulling ourselves together. I could feel both our cocks stiffening in their confines. Ian took control of the situation and forced be backwards. I land with a soft thump on my bum and he pushes me onto my back. Laying me down in front of him. His hands eagerly undo my pants and tug them about my hips. He frees my member from their black cotton prison, and it springs into life. He buries his nose in the base of my manhood as his tongue laps lustily on my nuts. I lie there relishing the sensation as he carefully pulls my trousers and pants further and further down. I assist by kicking of my shoes and socks and pretty soon I'm naked from the waist down. Grabbing my knees he flings them over his shoulders raising my butt into the air as his tongue hungrily explores my perineum until finally it finds my anus. With strong probing thrusts I feel his pointed tongue tease my hole. I moan gently to myself as one of his fingers also joins the action. It runs rings about my ass hole, tentatively probing before he continued to rim me. This kind of foreplay always drives me wild.
Ian pushes my shirt down my body forcing it to pool about my neck. I can feel my precum ooze and pooling in the short dark bush of my trimmed pubes. Occasionally Ian would return his attention to my perineum. Little waves of joy crashed through me with each lick of his tongue. I spread my cheeks for him to get a better access and he hungrily tongue fucks me. I hear him unbuckle the belt of his jeans and in the lust haze I notice he's gotten him self naked pretty quickly. Behind me the fire is still crackling, the orange light of the flickering flames the only source in the room.
Holding my knees he thrust them towards my chest, I wince a little. "I'm not that flexible" I groan as he continues to rim me. Ian breaks contact momentarily.
"Just shut up before I fuck you!" He growls with a mischievous look. I can feel his long dick rubbing against the base of my back.
"Oh no" I declare in a hushed mock fearful tone. "Don't do that anything but..." Ian throws a hand against mouth silencing me. He shuffles into place aligning his dick with my very wet hole, one arm pinning my knees to my chest the other clasping my mouth. I feel helpless and totally dominated. It's driving me wild. Ian's dick toys with my anus. Probing it gently but not totally penetrating. I growl through his hand, and Ian's eyes glitter in the fire light. Without mercy he thrusts into me. His whole length plunging in one mighty thrust. The pain rips through me. I writhe in near agony on the floor, but his engorged member strikes home on my prostrate sending a shuddering sting of joy. His anal assault is unrelenting. Each thrust as deep and as strong as the last. The wild passion in his eyes is mesmerizing. He's pounding so hard that I am slowly slipping across the carpet. The shirt gathered around my neck is being pulled back down my back and chest by the friction of the carpet. Ian is grunting like some crazed stag. I feel totally at his will. His hands knuckle the floor. My legs dangling over his shoulders. His grunts are deep and passionate. My dick bobbing against my stomach leaving little tendrils of pre cum on my belly. I grin madly with each thrust I can barely control the fluctuating sensations of pain and pleasure.
Ian manoeuvres me with strange dexterity. Somehow I manage to go from being on my back to on all fours before him, without his dick leaving my body. From this position me now facing the open fire he continues his fuck. We're both panting like sex crazed animals. As Ian fucked me like a dog, he came filling me with his seed, then pulling out he spun me back he began sucking me. With swift and strong bobbing motions he teased my orgasm out, and not before long I blew my nut filling his waiting mouth. Not long later after our panting subsided we retired to bed.
Life went back to relative normality after. Whilst Ian was away Carol and I did a few late night trawls through the 24/7 supermarket in Diddbach, much like we used to in Newcastle. We spent our days, chatting, gardening, designing the new extension, whilst eating our body weight in cheese, crackers, downing gallons of white wine and smoking our way to illness. Dad had finally won the battle with me to do start learning to drive, and despite Carol's persistent offerings, I convinced her it had always been my dads dream to teach me. A father son thing. She swallowed it hook line and sinker and so three times a week Carol and I would head down to my dads, she would sit with Wendy in the evenings chatting about life back in the Yorkshire dales, whilst dad and I drove around. After a few false starts I found it came quite naturally. My dad was never the one actually teaching me, he would just sit in the back with his headphones on listening to jazz. I on the other hand was learning from a Spanish man. Quite an eccentric Spanish man. He believed quite categorically I would be ready to take my test in a couple of months. I was not so sure, but this cheered my dad up no end. He had been working away like a crazed beaver on the old bike, and with Ian's help he reckoned it could be ready by my birthday in November. Meaning that if I passed my CBT and got my Driving test out the way I would be able to ride it pretty damn soon. I was pretty excited by the whole idea I have to admit.
October eventually came, and Ian and I went off to Pembrokeshire for my second set of tests. It went pretty much to expectation. The microwave procedure, as I so lovingly termed it was as excruciating as the first time, however just like the first time I slept it off. Mr Rash also confirmed my suspicion regarding the strange dial on my arm. It was indeed a means for them to monitor my energy peaks whilst I was away from the laboratory, it also was there to warn me in case another "discharge" was imminent. The situation in Afondiwedd was to be expected, I rarely ventured out the house when I was home, but on the odd occasion when I did, for instance when I went to give the church the money for the broken window I received a number of ingenious threats, and name calling. However Mr Perry and his wife often rushed out the shop to quieten things down.
So all in all, things weren't that bad. Even the Dragon was responding well to her therapy. So I was optimistic about the future. That was a foolish confidence. It all began to fall apart one Wednesday night. Carol and I were sat in the living room. Carol, as is traditional with all things pyrotechnical had built a fire and it was happily roaring away in front of us. I was happily reading the latest local newsletter, apparently the town was currently besieged by dogs fouling the walkways. There was a charming photograph of the mayor pointing rather angrily at a pile of seemingly fresh dog poo. Carol was engrossed by a "glad rag". She giggled occasionally at the more ridiculous stories, then promptly reciting them to me.
"Listen to this!" She began, "This woman here has been married to her own long lost brother for fifteen years! They've only just discovered now, and they don't know what to do!" She says with a grin. I nod slowly as I begin to read the brief gardening section.
"How awful!" I say without looking from the newsletter. This is one of my stock responses, I rarely listen to her when she reads these types of magazines. Well I call them magazines. They're often written by people who can barely speak English let alone form a complete sentence and they're invariably printed on a quality of paper applicable to toilet tissue. So over the years I've armed myself with a series of non committal comments. "What are they going to do now?"
"Well that's just the point. They're happily married, and they have a son and he's healthy... Alex was that the door?" I look up from the newsletter. It was nearly 9pm who would be calling at this hour. Ian was due back in an hour but he had a key. I shrug at her as I stand. With great caution I open the door a little once I've checked the security chain is on. It's Mr Rash. He smiles forcedly at me as I unhook the chain and let him in.
"Mr Rash what a surprise" I state somewhat falsely. He enters followed shortly by the massive hulk of Mr Wrath. Carol raises her eyebrows at the two suited and booted individuals dominate the little room. She had not met either of them before, "and Mr Wrath. Is there anything wrong, I don't think I'm scheduled another test session for three weeks"
"We know, all the same we would like you to come with us. Something has occurred"
"What's wrong?" Carol demands instantly jumping to my side and grasping my arm. Mr Rash looks at her quizzically his head tilting slightly.
"Nothing to concern yourself with miss" Carol smiles a little at Mr Rash. It's a strange smile, like she's trying to figure out if she likes him or not, and by liking I mean really liking. In all the years I've known Carol I've never known her with a man nor show any interest in them. She seriously cant fancy him can she... that would be just weird, but then this is Carol. Oh Christ she fancies him. "Alex we would like you to come with us, we have reason to believe this property isn't safe"
"Safe?" I ask perplexed.
"We will explain all at headquarters. Miss you will have to come with us as well"
"Ian what about Ian? He's coming here in an hour!" I say.
"We will collect Ian presently" Mr Rash looks to Mr Wrath, who nods ever so slightly and removes a small mobile phone looking device. He punches in some words and walks into the kitchen.
"What's do you mean, not safe?" Carol enquires.
"All will be explained, now please collect anything you can't leave, and Alex I would ask you to gather up any documents linking you to Inscope" I nod slowly. What the hell is going on now. Carol runs up to the bedroom to and desperately tries to find Izzy and lock her in her carry box. I do have to admit I feel a little sorry for the cat, the poor thing won't know where home is after all this! I on the other hand grab my small suitcase and throw some of mine and Ian's clothes in. Then I throw my laptop in and my Kindle. As I turn to leave my little bedroom I notice Bernie, the goldfish, gawking at me in the only way a goldfish can.
I pick his little tank up and carry it down. Mr Rash's eyebrows raise as we both clamber down the stairs, Carol brandishing a rather irate kitty in a box and a suitcase. I am desperately not trying to spill Bernie as I descend. I dart back up stairs and return with my suitcase. I am almost disgusted to realise I have more luggage than Carol. I do have two men's clothes in one suitcase I rationalise. I hand over all the documents I could find from Inscope and Mr Rash immediately throws them into the flames.
"We have no time to loose" Mr Rash flings the front door open and indicates us to follow as he walks into the street. There is a huge black land rover parked in the street, with two black motorcycles flanking it. "Get in the car please" Mr Rash gestures as he opens the back doors, "and miss if you would be so kind as to put these on" Mr Rash hands over a set of blackened goggles and earmuffs. Carol looks at me fearful. I'm a little shocked but at the same time its a step up from the tranquillizer they gave me the first time. "Its for your own protection miss" Mr Rash continues as he places it over her head and eyes.
"I can't see a bloody thing!" Carol declares.
"That's the idea!" I say, but I soon realise there's no point she can't hear me. I gently guide her into the back seat and climb in after her as Mr Wrath begins to load our belongings into the boot. I'm soon handed Bernie and the box containing an irate singing cat. I believe she's somewhere midst her third rendition of: Get Me Out of this SODDING BOX.
The Land Rover took off at a frightening speed with Mr Wrath behind the wheel. I watch as we hurtle through Afondiwedd for what ominously feels like the final time. I get the feeling I'm being stared out. I turn to find Mr Rash glaring at me via the rear view mirror.
"What is it?" I ask a little impatiently. In my lap sits Bernie's tank, the water lolling from one side to another. Mr Rash says nothing but diverts his gaze. The journey is silent and long. The darkness outside seems alien and dominating, but inside the vehicle I feel rather calm and safe. An ominous dread broils within me. What was happening now. "Mr Rash?" I ask eventually, "is there nothing you can tell me now?"
"I'm under orders to say nothing till we get to headquarters" Mr Rash explains. Grimacing I return to staring out the window, the glass is like a mirror due to the blackness outside. I focus on my own image but something feels odd. In the reflection of my own eye I see another. A black unblinking eye staring back at me. It watches me as I watch it. It's a wholly unreal sensation. I move closer to reflection until I bump my head against the glass and blink and the image is gone.
A number of uneventful hours roll by. Wales at night resembles much of... well Wales at night. There's a great deal of rolling fields, small towns, forests and the odd mountain. Despite how mundane it might seem, I always find watching the world whiz past relaxing. As tree's, sleeping sheep and bushes fly by I think. I've done it ever since a child. I would wonder about the future, reflect on the past and debate how things could be different.
I realise in the quiet moments of the last few months I've reached a level of happiness I never thought possible. I swore the moment I left Wales all those years ago I would never return, and yet realistically, it's been my salvation. My thoughts wander into the realms of Karma. For every action there is a reaction. Could what's approaching me be the result of those few months of happiness? As I think upon this, we travel deeper into my home land. The distance between towns grows larger, and soon we're into the true rural aspect of this small but proud country. "We're getting close to the headquarters" Mr Rash informs. My face now pressed against the glass sees in the distance a tall black monolith against the dark navy of the nights sky. The occasional window is lit up like a cubic star. I had never seen Inscope Headquarters from the ground. It seems hugely different. It clings to the mountain side like a limpet, a towering block reaching high to the sky offering the uncompromising views across Cardigan Bay, and much of the mid Wales region.
The Land Rover begins to slow down. I see in the darkness an entrance way cut from a high concrete wall. Huge lights burst on filling the Land Rover and four armed guards approach the vehicle as we comes to a halt. Mr Rash produces an ID and the guards wave us through. The flood lights vanish quickly. The Land Rover drove towards two huge steel gates. Orange hazard lights whirled around as the monstrous gates rolled open slowly. They were thick, easily a couple of feet. Beyond a huge cavernous room is revealed. It's so big it must be carved into the rock face of the mountain. Countless workers were hauling big black crates and containers, loading them into the backs of large articulated lorries, and other vehicles. We drive inside and towards a pair of ornate wooden doors. They looks so out of place here in the this warehouse like chamber. By either sides of the doors are two more armoured guards. All these guns are beginning to make me nervous.
"Mr Rash what's going on?" I ask fearfully. I had never seen a gun before, well that's not strictly true I've seen them on the television and films and in museums, but never like this. They're big as well!
"You will find out soon enough Alex please don't worry, their hear for your protection" Mr Rash informs as he readies himself to get out of the Land Rover. He brandishes his ID once more and they open the door for us. Mr Wrath is loosening the googles and earmuffs off Carol and helps her out the vehicle. I tentatively get out. My whole body seems to be prickling with nerves. Something is very amiss here. Mr Rash smiles at me as I walk passed the guards cautiously. He places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry Alex!" He reiterates.
The corridor beyond is wide, tiled in huge flags of grey, black and blue marble. Above hang small crystal chandeliers. It glittered and gleamed. At the far end a wide Art Deco elevator door dinged open. Mr Rash, Carol and my self entered the elevator. Mr Rash swiped his ID through a reader and the doors whirled shut and we were hurtling upwards. I look at Carol who seems just as nervous as I.
"Where's Izzy?" She asks suddenly staring at Mr Rash. Smiling he informs her she will be taken to the rooms that are being prepared for her. I can feel the elevator slowing down and eventually stop, with another ding the doors glide open. We're faced with another corridor identical to the one we'd just been in. It's not as long, but at its end is a rather huge ornate wood and cut glass door. Mr Rash leads us towards it and swings them open. We're stood in a large circular chamber with an annex to one side. At the centre of the round chamber the floor goes down a couple of steps and at its heart is a round table about which a number of people are sat. I recognise one of them as Emily, my old college friend. Her dark hair is tied back in a severe bun.
"General Marsh" Mr Rash begins, "let me introduce you to Mr Alex Moon, and his trusted friend Carol" Mr Rash is marching across the round chamber towards the lowered table. I notice that this is quite a remarkable table. It's surface is a touch screen computer. Beneath its glass surface, news reports, letters, and images are flickering up and around. Emily is pulling up a number of documents by the looks of it.
"Excellent, just the man I need to see" A broad rough looking man stands up. His hair is black and cropped in a militaristic style. His body is strong but not overly muscled and has a nice smile. He's wearing a uniform similar to the guards we saw on our entry. "Please take a seat Alex" He gestures to an empty chair beside him, and calls for another to be brought for Carol. Emily is sat directly opposite me.
I take my seat and but General Marsh is still standing, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I think we can begin now. We are in a state of Emergency. Sentinel Six has warned us of an incoming attack on Britain the likes of which we have never before seen. As a result Operation Seagull is now in affect. So that we're all up to speed on the details of Operation Seagull I will run you through it now.
Five years ago, Inscope was approached by the MI6 to establish an early warning system. We complied and put about developing the Sentinels. Two years ago they went live"
"Who are these Sentinels?" I ask. At first the General looked marginally annoyed at the interruption to his monologue but it soon wanes.
"The Sentinels are people Alex, volunteers who have been placed in an artificial coma and then purposefully infected with the Gifters. Through a concoction of chemicals and apparatus we can manipulate their abilities. A team of telepaths read their thoughts and dreams and relay the information back to us"
"Sounds like a lot of people have these Gifters. Mrs Wrinklethought said there were only twelve others including me!" I state.
"That is true" Emily chirps up from across the table. "There are only thirteen naturally infected in Britain. However over the past forty or so years Inscope has managed to harness the ability to artificially infect subjects. There are side affects" her tone is cold. She adjusts her glasses. "Life span is decreased, the immune system is weakened, and in some cases a mild display of early onset dementia however with newer technology and greater research we have managed to limit these risks. You, naturally infected, are of course not affected by the ailments"
The General turns to me "Does that answer your question?" He asks kindly, I nod, "Very well, I will continue. Sentinel Six told us that the attack on Dublin was a mistake. The terrorists were moving one of their bombs in order to attack Manchester, however a government agent intercepted them and the transportation was foiled however in the process the bomb was activated by one of the terrorists. The attack on Newcastle was planned, however the terrorists have learned of our abilities and have employed a Russian man known as Cruscheque who we know to be infected by the Gifters and he was able to foil our Sentinels. Which leads us to our latest discovery. The Terrorists are not who our government thought they were. They are not the Al Qaeda, however they have been recruited by another organization known as the Brotherhood of Vision. The brotherhood use the Al Qaeda infrastructure to transport their weapons and bombs across the world. Their intentions is not known as of yet. The Sentinels are trying to penetrate their headquarters which we know to be based in Rome, however their attempts are fruitless, this leads us to believe others like Cruscheque are active within their building. Mr Graham, could you please fill us in on the history of the brotherhood?"
A rather thin old man stood, his face was pale and aged, a thin grey beard clung to his chin and a thick pair of glasses emphasising the black rings around his eyes. He coughed a shallow hacking cough, "The Brotherhood are an old institution. What few documents we have seem to indicate they are similar to us. They were formed seven hundred and fifty years ago by people we believe were infected with the Gifters. They used their precognitive abilities to raise their wealth and station within Europe, but they were well aware that their powers would be frowned upon by the Holy Roman Empire so they established a brotherhood to protect each other. Over centuries it grew in secret, until some three hundred years ago it vanished into obscurity. There are a number of theories as to why this was, a coup in power, a division in beliefs but these are speculative. Whether this brotherhood is the original or a a new one I cannot tell you"
"So why are they organizing these attacks?" Another man from the opposite side of the table bellows.
"That, I'm afraid, I can't tell you. I merely study the past, not the future, that is for our friend over there" Mr Graham pointed towards me with a half grin.
"What ever their reasons they are the threat" General Marsh declares, "Our plan is to infiltrate they're headquarters physically. The group will consist of myself, a small team of Psychguards, and Alex you will be joining us as well" The general is looking at me. My jaw drops open.
"I... I beg your pardon!" I declare outraged, "I don't know... what the fuck! I'm not a soldier!"
"Actually that's where your wrong Alex" Emily chirps up with a sly vicious smile. "All our research indicates you are in fact developing what we call, Aggressive Output otherwise known as AO. The incident that first brought you to us was the first sign. That is why we installed the monitoring device in your arm, what with our rapid growth experiments, the one you so fondly term the microwave test, and our latest in manipulation devices you are, or rather will be the most effective AO Precog we have. Your abilities will go far beyond the basic precognitive thinking" I stare at her aghast.
"You seriously cant be thinking I'm going to go with you!" I yell horrofied. I'm not a soldier, nor a fighter, hell apart from chucking drunk idiots out of a pub I've never once been in a fist fight... properly.
"You have to Al" Say's Ian entering into the chamber. I turn to see him standing by the door wearing one of the black uniforms of the guards. I have to admit as shocked as I am right now, he does looking fucking sexy. "Because I'm going!"
"What the hell..." I mutter arms in the air.
"Mr Riley has very kindly offered his services to us and we accepted"
"Then I'm going to!" Carol declares standing from her seat and leaning on the table top. Her presence is undeniable determination. "I've been in enough pub brawls in my time, a bunch of terrorists are nothing!"
"I've not even said I'm going!" I declare disbelief running through me like a bad curry.
"Carol we'd be very happy to have you along with us!" Beaming Carol sits back down, "and Alex, you don't really have a choice. You will be doing this for your family, for the country, and ultimately what's left of the world. America is in pieces. Do you want that to happen here?"
"Well... no of course not, but... I have no experience, or training or anything. I don't even know how to control my... powers or anything!" I state
"Don't worry we have a few day's before your ready I'm sure Emily and her team can get you adequately prepared in that time" Fuck. I'm screwed, you don't have to be a precog to know this is not going to end well. Ian walks up behind me and places a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Then it's decided. Operation Seagull has begun. Emily see to it Alex, Carol and Ian get the training that's needed. There's no time to waste. Mr Rash I want to speak to you about readying the Nightstalkers!"
And that was that, in a flash my whole peaceful happy life turned upside down once more. I swear my life is a gyroscope. I brush Ian's hand off my shoulder and stand. My face a picture of anger and confusion.
"Alex, Carol, Ian follow me please" Emily declares bearing a mask of pleasure. "Training will begin shortly" She walks across the round chamber into the annexed room a long bench lines one wall. On which are an assortment of strange objects, some are weapons, others armour. She points at a pair of gloves identical to the ones I wore when Inscope first collected me. "These are for you Alex" she states blankly, "Carol I don't believe we have anything in your size at the moment, if you could kindly try on this body armour" She points at a pile of black to the end of the bench, "I will have them adjusted for you. Alex I also want you to try some on as well" Emily turns to Ian. "You are correctly armoured I see. Have you any experience with weaponry?" Ian shakes his head. "I see, well this could get interesting!" She watches as I put the body armour on over my clothing and slip the strange gloves on. "This way please" She walks towards another elevator door. It's black. I have a strong sense I'm not going to enjoy any of this... The doors slide open to reveal a large black lift. We enter silently. Ian smiles at me but I don't return the gesture. The doors slide shut.