0 comments/ 13862 views/ 3 favorites What If? Ch. 02 By: toots_101 This is the second in a [potential] series of stories that I’m working on. They’re based on reflecting about some “what if” situations—situations where I made a more conservative decision and, perhaps, just missed a once-in-a-lifetime (for me, at least) opportunity. That said, they’re based, at least loosely, on people that I’ve known (and either admired or lusted after) over the years. My apologies regarding the first one, What If Ch. 1; I had intended for it to have this preface but in my first submittal, I managed to completely botch it. I enjoy writing, and hopefully I’ve written something that you enjoy reading. I’d love to hear your feedback and constructive comments. And please remember to vote when you’ve finished the story. I hope you enjoy it! “Are my tits the only thing you think about when you look at me?” I have to confess, that’s the first time I was asked that question and I immediately paused. Now, mind you, it’s not the first time that the thought had occurred to me where Jackie was concerned (and the answer was: “Yes, most of the time they are the only thing I think about.”). But it was the first time it was actually voiced. And sitting directly across from Jackie, you can probably guess where I immediately looked. Come to think of it, you can probably guess what my immediate reaction was (my shorts began an obvious tenting). But maybe I should back up a bit… * * * * * Jackie was a neighborhood friend of mine. She was two years older than I was, going into her senior year at our high school while I would be starting my sophomore year, but in spite of the age difference she didn’t ignore me or treat me as if I were significantly lower on the evolutionary ladder. I wasn’t her best friend or anything; however, she actually said “hello” and chatted with me when she saw me. It probably had as much to do with the size of our high school and neighborhood (both were tiny) as it did with the way she treated most everyone (friendly and accommodating). In fact, it was precisely that attitude that would get her into trouble, but more on that later. As far as I knew, Jackie didn’t date regularly. Part of it was that, in some respects, she was unremarkable. She was quite short, only five feet tall. She was a little on the plump side, with an oval face that some would say still had a trace of “baby fat.” Personally, I thought she was extremely cute and looked kind of pixie-ish. Her hair was unremarkable as well, a blondish-brown that she wore for at shoulder-length for most of her life. Recently, she’d gotten it cut very short (further emphasizing the pixie look in my mind) and it really looked good on her. The remarkable part about her was her breasts. They were huge. They were big and firm and they stress they had to put on her bras would have given any engineer a nightmare. Or a hard-on. Most likely both. And they weren’t the soft, floppy tits that many well-endowed women have. These looked gravity straight in the eye and said: “Piss off.” Wow. Not surprisingly, these local landmarks garnered the attention of nearly every male in the neighborhood. And more than one of us had attempted to get a look at them. Or better yet, a handful of them. For a number of my fellows, that was the primary activity of that particularly boring summer—trying to get a good look at Jackie’s tits. Our neighborhood was much like any Midwestern small town. There were plenty of aging houses, standing shoulder-to-shoulder and facing the street, with an alley in the back to provide access to the garage and the back yards. The back yards were separated from each other by the regulation, waist-high, chain-link fence, while the back of the yard, where the detached garages were located in most of them, was filled with shrubbery and other greenery. This was the part that we boys truly relished—the backyard shrubbery. Like most boys, we were always on the lookout for places to hide; places that could be our own. Where we could think and talk about all those thoughts that we were certain no one else had ever thought. And like most boys, we found more than one of those places (you had to have a few spares, they were kind of like “safe houses”). Many of those places were in the local “woods.” What we thought were wilderness areas—populated by a mix of wild animals and wilder natives—were really just undeveloped and overgrown areas. One or two of those areas were in the middle of the neighborhood, within the overgrown and untended shrubbery that had been allowed to grow wild over the years. And in one of these, the shrubs had grown up next to a low wall so that that there was a hollow inside, large enough for several of us to sit comfortably inside and be completely invisible to a passerby. This particular hidey-hole quickly became our favorite, partly because of its close proximity and partly because of the danger of being so close to potential discovery. As we got older, the nature of the activities and the discussions inside our hidey-hole changed. We stopped talking about how icky and disgusting girls were and started talking more about what they might be like under all those clothes. A couple of the boys would regale us with their extensive knowledge about the detailed anatomy of women in general (and a few, like Jackie, in particular). Usually, these were the ones with older brothers who had tried to impress them at one point with their superior knowledge. Rarely, very rarely, they had some sort of first-hand experience of a glimpse here or a feel there that they’d expand into a truly epic tale. And for the truly lucky ones, these places became the focus of the exploration of Playboy and group masturbation activities, which I never was fortunate enough to participate in. (For years, I had mixed feelings about this. Partly nervous about whether I could do that in front of everyone, and partly envious that I never got the chance.) One day, three of us, Greg, Corey, and I, were sitting in the hidey-hole, shooting the shit, and trying to stay out of the hot summer sun. We had just finished an exhaustive comparison of the breast sizes of all the girls in our small borough and had lapsed into a brief silence while we individually entertained deep thoughts about a sea of local breasts (we hadn’t progressed quite far enough to discuss nipple sizes yet). In the middle of this brief silence, Jackie poked her head into the hidey-hole. “Hey! Mind if I join you?” Jackie was one of the few girls who know about the location of the hidey-hole. However, I doubt she had even a vague idea of what went on in there or she would never have risked coming in. “Nah” Corey said. “Come on in.” Jackie squeezed through the opening and joined us in the circle between Greg and I. We all swallowed as she twisted and ducked through the opening. Jackie was wearing a pair of extremely tight and short white shorts and a very snug yellow, sleeve-less, v-neck top. As she bent forward coming through the opening, we got the most perfect shot of the huge valley between her boobs. “So, what were you talking about?” Silence. “Come on, what were you talking about?” “Nothing, really” I said. “Bullshit. I could hear your voices as I was walking around the outside. I know you were talking about something.” Greg looked across at Corey and winked. “Well,” he said, “we were talking about something…” “I thought so! What was it?” Jackie asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, simultaneously giving us another heart-stopping view of her cleavage. Greg looked directly at her chest, looked up into her face, and leered: “Your tits.” Turning beet red, Jackie continued to look at Greg for a second as if she couldn’t actually believe she’d heard him right. “What did you say?” “I said,” Greg reiterated, slowly and deliberately, “we were discussing your tits before you walked in.” With that, Jackie sat straight up and looked directly at her feet. Clearly, Greg’s answer wasn’t anywhere near what she imagined we’d been talking about, and she was getting more than a little nervous. “Well,” she began in quiet voice, “maybe I’ll just head back out and let you continue talking.” “No. Don’t go on our account.” Greg placed his right hand firmly on her knee and Jackie got a decidedly scared expression on her face. As she leaned forward to try to get up, Greg’s left hand went straight to one of Jackie’s tits. A whole host of emotions, mostly centering on fear and anger crossed Jackie’s face. “No. Please don’t do that. I’m leaving.” With his hand still firmly on Jackie’s knee, Greg tried to quickly snake his left hand up under her blouse for a better grab at her tit. And at that point in time, everything began to happen in slow motion. Jackie twisted to try to get away from Greg. Corey leaned forward as if he was going to help Greg and then looked as if he thought better of it. Greg leaned in towards Jackie trying to get a better grip on the tit he was mauling. As Jackie turned, you could see the fabric stretch and deform; nearly tearing it off her back. Corey sat back down just as Jackie spun away from Greg; her bra slipping slightly out of place and her top yanked nearly halfway around her torso. As she broke free, she stumbled back towards the entrance. Standing there, chest heaving, she roughly adjusted her clothes and stormed out. Corey, still sitting there, smirked and said “Well, that was fun,” and silence settled over the three of us, each left to our own interpretation of what had just happened. Perversely, it was kind of fun. While I felt awful for Jackie, I had to admit that the entire affair had given me a massive hard-on. The near glimpse of Jackie’s awesome tits was something that I thought I’d never get to see, and in spite of the way that Greg had humiliated her, my desire to see her uncovered chest greatly outweighed my concern over how Jackie felt about all that. Not that any of that made any difference; I couldn’t have told her how sorry I was about that if I wanted to. I’d have done what I normally did in those situations. Thought lots of deep and caring thoughts while keeping my mouth shut. After that, I didn’t see Jackie for a while. I assumed that she was intentionally avoiding all of us, but I honestly didn’t know. She could have been out with family or traveling or any number of things. Whatever it was we didn’t see her at all for a couple of weeks. I couldn’t have blamed her for avoiding us. Greg and Corey clearly weren’t concerned at all that she might have been upset at all that. Even if I was concerned about her feelings, I didn’t do or say anything. So things gradually settled down among us, to the normal level of tension anyway, and we got on with the summer. And in all that time, none of us went back to the hidey-hole. It was about three weeks after the episode with Jackie that I headed back there. I had been sitting around the house reading and had gradually gotten bored with the sitting part. Not having anything else to do, I decided to grab my bike and head out to see if anyone was out doing anything (none of us ever called each other for that, and this was way before internet chat). I gradually made the rounds of all the usual hangouts without discovering a any of the usual crowd. On a whim, I decided to check the hidey-hole in the offhand chance that someone was finally going there again. As I pulled up close to the shrubbery that enclosed our space, I looked around for evidence of anyone else being there. But there was no indication of anyone; no bikes, no skateboards, nothing. I dropped down next to the short wall, lifted my bike down next to it, and ducked in through the door. Inside it was cool, shady, and completely empty. “Batting a thousand,” I thought to myself as I sat down and leaned back. Sighing, I began to wonder where everyone was and, if they were doing something really interesting (or stupid), why I wasn’t invited. After a few minutes of pointless reflection on that, I remembered the last time I was in the hidey-hole; three weeks ago when Jackie got her tits mauled by Greg. Closing my eyes, I began to fantasize about just what I might have seen if Greg had managed to get a better grip on her tits. Predictably, my cock began to swell in the tight confines of my cutoffs. Shortly into this speculation, I heard a quiet sound outside as someone dropped down next to the wall. I sat up quickly and tried to minimize the bulge in my crotch just as Jackie stuck her head through the entrance. She paused for a second looking at me before evidently deciding that, if I was the only person in there, it was probably pretty safe. At least it was safer than the last time she was in there. She ducked inside and sat across from me. “Hi,” she said quietly as she looked at the ground between us. “Hi.” My confused glance shifted back and forth between a very conflicted-looking Jackie and my feet before deciding on my feet as the safest location. Particularly given what she was wearing, the same type of v-neck top as a few weeks ago only this time in white. After a few quiet moments, I said, “So, haven’t seen you around for the last few weeks.” God, was I sensitive when I wanted to be! “Yeah. My parents took us on a bit of a vacation to the shore. And after that, I just didn’t feel like seeing anybody.” I smirked at that comment. “I can understand that. I guess that under the circumstances I wouldn’t either.” She looked up at me and smiled briefly before returning her gaze to the ground. “So what brings you out today?” She sighed deeply before answering. “I got stir-crazy. I’ve been sitting in the house by myself moping for too long. And besides, I’ll have to face those insensitive jerks eventually; I might as well get it over with sooner than later.” She sighed again. “They can really be pricks sometimes.” Bad choice of words, with her use of the word “pricks,” my shorts began to tighten a bit. Trying to get my thoughts, and my crotch, back on track a bit, I replied, “They pretty much treat everyone that way. I have no idea why they act that way, but they’re quite good at it. Comes from all that practice, I guess.” Jackie snickered at that and rewarded me with another brief smile. After a moment she sighed again. “But it’s not just them and their attitude…it’s everyone.” “Everyone?” She paused briefly before answering, “Well, everyone with a penis…I swear that everyone that looks at me looks straight to my chest. It’s like I don’t have a head, just a body with these,” looking down directly at her own mammoth chest. For once, I didn’t look there as well. She went on, “I mean, I understand that most men are interested in breasts.” Interested? She had no idea what kind of understatement was embodied in that simple pronouncement. “But in my case it seems like there’s no interest in anything but my breasts.” “Are my tits the only thing you think about when you look at me?” * * * * * As I said, I paused before intelligently replying, “Well…umm…that is…no, I certainly don’t…” Meanwhile, my gaze was alternating between her eyes, her tits, and nearly anywhere else I could look. She gave an exasperated sigh and said, “See! That’s exactly what I’m talking about.” As she finished, she glanced down at my slowly expanding crotch and giggled. “And your other head gives you away as well!” I turned beet-red and began squirming under her gaze, trying to reposition my growing erection while not making it obvious that that was exactly what I was doing. “Geez, Jackie, I’m sorry. It’s just that between talking about your ti…I mean, breasts, and the snug top you’re wearing.” I sighed. “I mean, I try not to, but your breasts are the first thing I think about whenever I think about you,” I said as I thought about the times I beat off thinking about sliding my dick between her tits. “Whenever?” she said with the same inflection that I’d just used. “That sounds like a bit of a loaded statement. And when would that be?” She smirked as she looked directly at me. “And you can call them ‘tits’ if you like.” “You know…whenever,” I replied without too much conviction. “Might it be when you do something?” she asked with a hint of a smile in her voice. “Do you jack off and think about my tits?” If anything, I turned a deeper shade of red. “You do! . . . Wow. . . I kind of like that.” She slid over beside me and placed her hand on my knee. Did I hear that right? “You kind of like that? Really?” I traced my gaze slowly up from my feet towards her face. As my sight passed her breasts, I noticed that her nipples had started growing noticeably erect. They were as impressively large as her huge tits were. “Yeah, I kind of like that you fantasize about me. Especially that you’re not forward about it either.” My cock was rock hard by this point in the conversation. She looked down at the tent in my shorts and slowly ran her hand up my leg stopping just as she grazed my bulge. She sighed again, but this one sounded less like frustration and more like lust. She placed her palm on my imprisoned dick and slowly rubbed it. “Although something feels pretty forward right now. Tell me, what do you think about when you think of me?” “Honestly?” I croaked. “Honestly.” I licked my lips and swallowed. “I think about tit-fucking you.” She purred in the back of her throat and the pace and pressure of her hand increased. My dick got a notch harder and twitched slightly to go with that. She looked down at her hand and back up at me. “Are you thinking of that right now? Are you thinking of sliding this cock of yours between my tits? Would you like that?” Would I? I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I’d gone through the fantasy of tit-fucking Jackie many times while I was beating off…this was too good to be true and I hoped I wouldn’t screw it up at this point. “Oh, man! I’d love that. Your tits are the most magnificent I’ve ever seen.” “And just how many have you seen?” “A lot.” “For real? Or just in magazines?” I look sheepishly at my feed. “Umm…magazines really…” “Well, you’re about to see these for real.” With that, she took both hands, pulled her sleeveless shirt over her head, and tossed it to the side, exposing the industrial-strength bra she was wearing. It barely covered her huge breasts and was clearly having a difficult time holding them in place. Looking directly at me, she reached both hands behind her and began unfastening her bra, bringing her arms forward and pushing her massive tits together to pull her bra off. She tossed her bra on top of her shirt and cupped a breast in each hand, rubbing them slowly and sensuously. As her huge tits came free, I realized that I’d hadn’t been breathing and gasped at the sight of my frequent fantasies finally revealed in all their fleshy glory. She smirked at my gasp. “So, you like them then,” she stated obviously. “My God! They are magnificent.” And they were. She was at least a 38DD with very little sag, surprisingly firm for their size. Her areolas were not as large as I expected, a little under two inches across and more like a deep tan than brown. Her nipples though were round and hard, about the size of my pinky and as hard as pencil erasers. I could have hung my house keys on them. I licked my lips as I thought about sucking them deep into my mouth. My expression must have told her exactly what I was thinking as Jackie smiled and voiced my thoughts, “You’d like to suck on them, wouldn’t you? I’d like that too. They really like a good sucking.” With that, she grasped her right breast and aimed her nipple right at my face. “Go on…suck on it…I know you want to.” She squeezed her tit more firmly and it bulged between her fingers. “And maybe I’ll let you fuck them too.” With that, she let go of her breast and squeezed the bulge in my pants. “We’ll have to ask him if he’d like to,” she said while looking meaningfully at my tented shorts. What If? Ch. 02 Edited by HJF Brandon awoke the next morning almost positive the events of the night before had been all a dream again. He looked next to him and found the spot empty, but definitely slept in. Just then the toilet flushed in the attached bathroom and not long after Katy emerged still naked. "Oh, you're up," she said surprised, then changing her tone she smiled and added, "Good." She joined him on the bed and gave him a kiss, wishing him good morning. "Good morning to you, too. I'm glad to see you hung around this time. You had me worried for a minute there." She blushed, "Sorry, nature called. I hoped to be back before you woke, but no luck." She then cuddled up to him and continued, "And after last night mister I'm not going anywhere except for extreme necessity. You were amazing baby. I really needed that. I guess it wasn't that necessary, though; the storm couldn't have been too bad or I'd have woken. That one we had a few nights back was really nasty; I barely got any sleep." Brandon felt himself get warm in the face at these words and off his silence Katy looked up and looked at him confused, "What is it?" Brandon cleared his throat, "Ah, the storm was plenty strong alright...woke me up at least twice." "That's impossible. I know for a fact you're a heavy sleeper and I've always been a...oh," she said, finally understanding, "My, you are good." Seemingly still noting his embarrassment she kissed him and said, "And don't you dare be embarrassed, you stud you. You can put me into a sex induced coma again anytime baby." Brandon thought sex induced coma was a bit extreme of a term but who was he to argue with the gorgeous blonde woman who had experienced it? He smiled and nodded. "Speaking of which," she said, rising and moving toward the foot of the bed and pulling down the sheets covering him as she did. "I believe I need to return the favor a bit baby." Brandon went to argue but she fixed him with a sexy yet stern and determined stare that said, 'Don't try and stop me, buddy.' Seconds later his suddenly hard shaft had been engulfed by her warm mouth and all thoughts and protests faded as she went to work with mind numbingly amazing oral skill. Her mouth and tongue teased him to the edge several times before backing off and starting again. Sometime later, he was not sure exactly how long, he felt himself erupt into her eager mouth. He came so hard he literally went blind for a few seconds. As his sight returned he heard a soft whisper in his ear and felt a small hand massaging his some how still hard cock. "Did you like that baby?" He didn't answer, but it hardly mattered because she continued, "Good, now lie back and enjoy the ride baby." With that he felt her velvety depths engulf his hard shaft and was soon treated to the sight of her rising up and down on his hard shaft, her large boobs bouncing around as she did. The energetic blonde went at it for several minutes before he felt the urge to cum rising again. Sensing this she increased her pace and soon they moaned together as they approached climax. Not long after they came together and her small body collapsed onto his. He promptly wrapped her up in a loving embrace. When she had recovered she caught sight of the clock and gasped before she shook off his arms, rose, and rapidly headed to the bathroom. Not long after she emerged, to his surprise wearing tight workout shorts and a sports bra, both a bright shade of pink. Despite his confusion to find her in such clothing, he could not help but chuckle to himself a bit; even this girl's workout clothes were ultra girly. Off his very confused look she said, "You were great darling, but I have to go." "Ah, what's with the clothes?" "Oh, as I can't tell my parents what really happened," and seemingly anticipating his next statement she added, "Unless you want daddy to kill you that is." She gave him a searching look and continued, "Thought not. Anyway if they've noticed I'm gone I'll say I went for a morning workout." She gave him a mischievous smile, "which I did, so to speak. Hence the clothes." She went to leave and he rose off the bed calling after her to wait. "Oh, sorry baby," she said and walked back and gave him a soul-searing kiss goodbye. Before she could pull away he said, "I want to see you again, or was this a one-time thing?" She smiled, "Of course it wasn't, but I really have to go. Tell you what, why don't we meet for lunch? Meet me in the lobby at 1." She kissed him again then took off in a hurry. As the door closed Brandon wondered just what he had gotten himself into. As promised he found her in the lobby at 1, this time dressed in shorts and a tee shirt. It was definitely a different look than he had seen her in so far, but it suited her very well. They had a good lunch discussing more about themselves, before taking in some of the activities the ship offered together. Their extended lunch date went until just before 6 at which point Katy went back to change for dinner and rejoined her parents. Brandon was back to regular passenger status by this point, his notoriety having worn off. Well almost; he was visited by several of those who had offered him jobs. Something he was pleased had not been forgotten. However, as dinner wrapped he got another visitor to his table that he had not been expecting. Jack from the desk sat down at his empty table. His meal was running over thanks to the frequent visitors, but the staff didn't seem to mind though. It seemed they remembered who he was even if the passengers hadn't. "Look, we need to talk," Jack said quietly. Brandon glanced around and noticed the place was near empty. "So let's talk, what's up?" "You're chasing Hemmings's daughter, and don't tell me you're not. I saw you meet her this afternoon and the staff all over the ship saw you and her getting pretty cozy with each other today." Brandon shrugged and said, "Yeah. so what if I am?" "Just be careful man. Mr. Hemmings may like you for now but he takes a personal interest in his daughter's love life, very personal." "So I've heard," Brandon said coldly, remembering Katy's various tales about her father and the man's behavior towards her the few times he had seen them together. "Well the guy is dangerous. He may not look it, but trust me you don't want to make an enemy of that man." Brandon finished his meal and rose saying, "Well thanks for the advice Jack, but I'll be okay." Jack smiled and shook his head, "You are one crazy dude Brandon. You sure I can't interest you in a hot waitress? It'd be safer." "I've lived safe my entire life Jack. I'm due for a gamble, and trust me she's worth the risk." "Hell of a thing to gamble on, but if you think its worth it, more power to you." He rose but it seemed he could not help himself, "So how is she? I can only imagine what she looks like naked and word is she is a nympho, drives her dad nuts because of it." Brandon said nothing and just smiled, shaking his head. He and Jack had been friendly enough at school that Jack knew what that meant. In Brandon's case sometimes his silence spoke louder than his words. Jack just smiled, "Wow, you are seriously one lucky dude. I get why you're taking that risk now." Brandon again said nothing as Jack left muttering something like, "Some guys have all the luck." Brandon reflected on what Jack had said, and thought to himself, "Jack, you don't know the half of what makes Katy worth it." He really had meant what he said to Katy the night before. It had been a line, sure, but there was also a ton of truth in it. That Katy had such an amazing body and loved sex was only a perk to him. It sounded extremely corny but Brandon knew that her good heart and inner beauty was far more appealing to him... win the love of that woman and he'd never feel unloved ever again. In a way he understood Mr. Hemmings' over-protectiveness, but at the same time he was not sure even her father knew what a treasure she was. He despised the man for the sometimes degrading treatment of his adult daughter. That he continued to treat her as if she were a small child and not a full grown and rather intelligent woman infuriated him. Even sadder to him was that Katy still loved him despite the treatment she received. Despite the lack of respect he showed his only daughter she loved him unconditionally. After dinner Brandon retired to his room and just before bed there was a knock on the door and as arranged Katy walked in. Not long after they were naked in his room and he was balls deep in her pussy fucking her hard from behind as she moaned in pleasure. They both came and soon collapsed in exhaustion. For the next week or so that was how their days went: a fuck in the morning, a late lunch, and afternoon fun. Then after dinner apart Katy would come sleep in his room, after a bit of fooling around of course. As the cruise drew toward its close Brandon got a generous offer from a man that was heading a new firm in Chicago and was looking for good programmers to help him get off the ground. It would be a few months before they could start work, but he was very interested in Brandon. To Brandon it was an ideal job. The timing was not great in that he needed a job now, but figuring he could find a way to fill the insuring months he jumped at a chance to work at a firm close to home as opposed to other offers that were out of state. When Brandon told Katy as expected she was extremely happy for him. However, having spent a lot of time around the sexy blonde he knew when she was hiding disappointment. Years of concealing disappointment from her father had made her very good, but Brandon had learned to recognize the signs when she was acting. "You don't have to act hon; if you're disappointed please tell me." Katy looked at him surprised, "How did you..." she asked in wonder. Brandon smiled and said, "I've seen you talking to your dad enough on this cruise to know when you're hiding your disappointment about something, so, what is it Katy?" To his utter shock she started crying and said, "You are! For moments like just now, Brandon. You've known me little more than a week and already you know so much about me that I think I'm the luckiest girl in the world. You're so good to me I almost can't stand it, but I can't stand being without you even more. I swore I wouldn't do this again, I swore this time I would just have fun and forget you like I tell myself I have to every time I get involved with someone, but it's just not in me. Brandon, I have to say it and I don't care if it's too soon or makes your decision harder, I don't care anymore. I love you Brandon, I love you so much it hurts. "So you want to know why I'm disappointed? It's because the man I'm now madly in love with is going to Chicago and my asshole of a father will never let me go be with him, because there's no way any man I love will ever be good enough to actually get his permission to marry me." She collapsed into her chair and dissolved into tears. Brandon went to comfort her, but she stopped him, "No, don't you dare!" she said. surprisingly angry for her state. "You better not unless you mean to stay with me and I know it's unfair, but that's what it is. I can't take you leading me along Brandon and then leaving me, not you. I won't survive it. So if you comfort me you'd better be in it for the long haul, otherwise I think its best we split ways now," she said, her tear stained face absolutely determined. Brandon stood over her at war. He knew his whole life hinged on this moment. His mind showed him many scenarios, seemingly all; at once. One was filled with wedded bliss with Katy and kids, despite fights with her father. Another showed a less than blissful existence with Katy with her disproving father only adding to their misery. Still another showed happiness without Katy, and another showed Brandon alone regretting his decision to leave her at this moment of need. So many possibilities could result from his decision. Brandon reflected on his week with Katy which had been among the happiest in his life. She had not just been a ray of light in the darkness, she had set the darkness aglow. She made him feel so incredible he could not describe it. Her smile could wash away the darkest of his moods and he knew in that moment he would move heaven and earth to see her smile again now. So what if it meant committing to a life with her? If he searched deep down he knew he had fallen as hard for her as she had for him. Only his fear of her dad and moving too quickly had kept him steadfast. Well screw his fear and screw the safe route! What had that gotten him? Laid off and alone. He remembered the darkness that had driven him here and he knew with his blonde angel at his side he would never feel that again. All she asked was his love and protection. Resolved to do what was necessary he shook through her protests and hugged her close. He had pondered picking her up, but he knew that would diminish her somehow, the same as her father did every time her spoke to her. If they were to be partners the first thing he would need to do was treat her with the respect she deserved. After all, how could he demand it of her father if her too treated her, even for a moment of need, like a child. She melted into his comforting embrace knowing what it meant and Brandon felt something deep inside him at peace as she settled against him. As they finished their loving embrace he knew he need not speak but did so anyway. "I love you too Katy, I don't care who knows it and I intend to marry you one day with or without your father's blessing. Nothing, not even your dad, with keep us apart. I swear it." Katy's face lit up at this and she said two simple words that carried so much meaning, "Love me." Brandon needed no further instructions and lifting her, carried her to the bedroom. He laid her gently on the bed and kissed her deeply. The kiss was magnificent and seemed as if it could go forever. When it at last broke he began kissing his way down her body gently removing her remaining clothing as he worked. By the time they were both naked it was apparent no foreplay was needed. One look into her deep brown eyes told him she was ready. In one stroke he plunged in and she gasped in pleasure. Brandon then settled into a slower rhythm than usual, choosing to allow the significance of the event to wash over them rather than the rawness of sex. This was not a night for power and pleasure; this was a night to express their newfound love. The same love that would help carry them through the trials they would have to face to reach their happy ending. Brandon simply relished the feel of her velvety pussy with each stroke as he admired the softness of her body. He reached out and caressed her large sensitive breast and gently tweaking a hard nipple was rewarded with a loud moan from his sexy blonde. When they at last came together it was a quiet explosion, but one that rocked them each to their very cores. Afterwards they just lay together. Brandon enjoying the warmth of Katy cuddled against him and knowing that she was all he would need in the world to be happy. He hugged her tighter as he drifted to sleep more content than he had ever been despite making possibly the biggest gamble he had ever made to arrive at this moment. What If? Ch. 02 After a series of letters guided her to build some kind of temporal cannon, Mariah finds herself elsewhen, and the world she has left behind thinks she is lost forever. The world she is in, is not a safe place to be, however. ... "A Causal loop." Ian determined with the help of some of the other physics team who were helping him. Mariah's body now lay on a marble slab. Constantly radiating cold, her body was generating some type of field that kept it at nearly 200 below zero, at all times. Something was wrong, and she was caught in some form of temporal loop that could not be broken. Every once in a while, her body would flicker, as if it was being disrupted by static, but it always remained the same, frozen, a deep glowing blue colour, and unmoving. ... Mariah felt very self-conscious walking down the streets of the University campus in just the portal suit. The silver piping which allowed for full conductivity of the energies and the thin lycra-neoprene material left very little to the imaginations of the people who she passed, and she was acutely aware that if challenged, she had no papers to identify her, so she would have to bodyslide again. Which would potentially cause a lot more issues. It was hard enough to have made the long slide from Tacoma to the Uwash campus, but she had no transportation, so she had to do something. Now, she was exhausted, but she had to find Ian. She finally got to the Advanced Physics building, and went inside, then checked the directory. Yes, Ian Scott was still a Professor, and still taught the Applied Physics class. According to the directory, he was in class right now, but that didn't matter, she had to talk to him today. She stood outside the door and watched through the windows as he lectured on about different particle interactions, and she caught an error. He was talking about the Standard Model, but he only detailed ten base particles, not the twelve that she knew of. She opened the door and went into the classroom, he paused for a second to glance over at her, then he continued as she took a seat on the edge of the classroom to listen, ignoring the odd looks from other students. Only about ten minutes later, the buzzer rang and the students gathered their notes and books, filing out as they said their goodbyes. Mariah remained sitting until the last student filtered out, then she was left looking at the Professor. He was busy cleaning the board and didn't even notice anybody was left until she asked him, "Professor Scott, how many particles are in the Standard Model?" "There are ten ... who are you?" He said as he turned and took a proper look at the girl sitting in a chair wearing a skintight purple outfit that looked like something out of a British TV series. "My name is Mariah Douglas. What if I was to tell you that there are actually twelve particles in the Standard Model, Sir?" She said, getting to her feet and walking over to stand in front of his desk. He looked at her in silence, then walked over and firmly closed the door, then to her surprise he locked it, and went around closing all the windows, as she as about to speak, he put a finger to his lips to indicate silence, and finished closing the windows up. He finished, then came to stand about two feet away. "What you speak of is treason, young lady. Confederate Physics teaches ten particles. That is in the law, and we follow the law. You are not from here." He finished as a statement of fact, not a question. "No, I'm not. I need your help to get me back to where I am from though." "Why my help? You know a lot more than I am permitted to know. Especially if you know what the true Standard Model is." He said, looking at her keenly. "Because, Professor. Where I am from, you helped me to build it before. I need it built here to make a bridge home." The Professor's eyes went wide and he sat on the lecture stool. "You'd better start at the beginning, young Mariah. Tell me everything and then we'll see what I can do to understand if I can even help you." Mariah talked almost non-stop for an hour, taking glasses of water from the Professor as she lectured him on the basics of the Dimension Cannon and how it operated. He would pause her here and there to get clarification, but overall he remained silent as she talked, just absorbing the information and collating it in his mind as he began to understand what she was explaining. He finally stood and walked behind the desk to get his jacket and hat. "Come with me, I'll take you back to my home and we'll see what needs to be figured out. We'll have to get you some other clothes though, that outfit is definitely not normal garb, even for university students." "You believe me then?" Mariah asked as he draped the jacket over her shoulders, and then unlocked and opened the door for her. "I am unsure of what to believe, I am most curious though, and I enjoy a good mystery." He replied, then taking her gently by the upper arm, they walked down the stairs to the main floor of the physics building and then out the door where he turned her towards the parking lot. "Professor Scott?" Came a voice, and Ian turned to see two uniformed FedSec officers walking towards them. "Go with my lead, Mariah." he said quietly as they came up to the couple. "How can I help you officers?" Ian asked. "We are looking for somebody who matches the description of the young lady with you. She was spotted in Tacoma a few hours ago and caused a disturbance. We wish to ask her some questions, down at the office." One of the officers told him. "I don't think this is the woman you are after. She's been with me all day. I only just picked her up from the transit station this morning. As you can see, she's not even properly dressed for our weather." "Do you have her papers, Professor?" The other officer said. "Not with me, they are at my house. Is this interrogation really necessary, Officers? I was using her to demonstrate physics energy on the human body. I can assure you, she never left my sight all day. This chattel was not in Tacoma or anywhere else earlier today. She has been in my office, in my classroom. We really do have to go now." He finished, and with a final nod to both officers, hustled Mariah over to his car and opened the door for her to get in. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove slowly out of the campus, watching the two officers still standing there, conferring with each other and watching him until they were out of sight. "I definitely got a bad vibe from those two, Professor." Mariah said. Ian sighed. "My dear, those were FedSec officers. Had they taken you to their facility. You'd be stripped, raped by any number of men, and interrogated until you told them everything about you, then raped some more, and finally, executed for treason, because you don't have travel papers." Mariah's eyes had gone wide. "This place is that dangerous?" "Yes, most definitely. You have no idea what being under the rule of the Confederate states is like. It is totalitarian government. University types like myself get some more freedom of thought, but only within approved limits." he pulled into his driveway and parked, then came round and opened her door. "Let's get you inside, then my girl can fix us a meal and we can see what needs to be done." He said as he held open the door for Mariah to go into his house. She knew this house, the layout was the same, but the fittings were different. What was on the floor by the front door also shocked her. The naked woman kneeling, waiting for Ian to get home was cafe-au-lait skinned, fine scars and marks of the lash all over her, from the roots of her deep brown hair right down to the palms of her hands. They were old scars though, nothing recent. Her face, always expressive, showed happiness and laughter, even as it was submissive. "Welcome home, Master, and miss." She said, then gracefully rose to take Ian's jacket and hat which she hung for him as he slipped out of his shoes. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We have a house guest, Trisha, please set another place at the table and brew some fresh coffee. This is going to be a long night." He told her, then guided Mariah into the living room and sat down in his leather chair as she took a seat on the couch. "This looks familiar, and yet is so different." Mariah finally muttered. "You have been in my house, in your world?" He asked. Mariah smiled softly. "In my world, Professor, we are lovers. I have shared your bed on many occasions. This had become my second home, before." "Before?" Ian prompted. "Before everything went to hell, Professor. As I told you, I began to get letters. Letters which were sent to me from me, but postmarked twelve years in the past. They gave me the knowledge required to build the cannon. We built it, back in my world. I stepped through the portal, and was outside my house, in Tacoma. But it was today, not twelve years in my past. I slipped sideways." Mariah explained, looking at his face for any change in expression. Trisha came into the room with a tray and set it on the table, then proceeded to pour them both a cup of coffee. Once she had served them, she went to leave but was stopped by Ian's hand on her hip. "Trisha, sit with us." "Yes, Master." she replied and sat on the couch beside Mariah but not really close to her. "This is Mariah. She will be staying with us for some time, I am not sure how long, but she must be kept safe, just as you are safe." Trisha nodded, and smiled at Mariah. "He is a good man, he took care of me after my old owner lost custody for doing this to me. Professor Scott healed me and has kept me from harm for eight years now." A buzz from the kitchen made Trisha look up. "Dinner is ready, Master. Do you wish to eat at the table?" "By all means. Come, Mariah. You must be famished." Ian said and gently guiding her, the three walked to the table where they sat and enjoyed a meal of pot roast, mashed potatoes and fresh corn. "Being my property, Trisha has learned a great deal about physics as well, Mariah. Feel free to give her your insight as she has a different way of looking at things than I do. She has helped me greatly in the eight years I have known her company." Ian explained as he finished his plate. Mariah nodded and finished her plate as well, it had been her second helping, and although she felt full, she still also felt hungry. Trisha rose and gathered the plates off the table, then put them in the sink and turned on the water to wash the dishes. "Are you always naked?" Mariah asked her. Trisha laughed. "It is the way Master likes me. I certainly don't mind, he is a good man, miss. The best I have known." "But you have scars, all over you." Mariah said, a finger gently tracing the line of one that wrapped from Trisha's left hip up her back. "Not from Ian. No, he bought my writ at a rescue auction eight years ago. My former owner liked to cause pain, a lot of pain. I still have nightmares of the pain he would put me through. Ian got me after he was finally reported when I was delivered to a hospital to recover from a broken arm and broken ribs. It is against the law to do this type of damage, but it has to be reported. I was put up on a list of girls needing to be rescued and cared for, so the list of eligible owners was very select. Ian chose me, and he took very good care of me. He nursed me back to health, and I have since nursed him." Trisha explained with a smile. Ian had gotten up and put his arms around the curvy Haitian woman who he owned and cared for very much, then he kissed her on the top of her head as they both looked at Mariah. "We will need to find her some clothes, can you take care of her and get her measured up so we can get some clothing organized?" Ian finally said. "Of course, Master. Where will she sleep? The spare bedroom, or with you?" Trisha asked. "I think that would be up to Mariah now, Trisha, stop being so bold or I'll have to spank you." Ian said gruffly, but with real affection in his voice, Mariah could tell. Trisha giggled and nodded. "Come on, Mariah – we've got some comfortable robes and sleep wear, once I've got your measure I can order some proper clothing for you." Trisha said, rising to her feet and holding out her hand. Mariah placed her hand in Trisha's and let the other woman lead her off into the back of the house where the bedrooms and bathroom was. She was exhausted, emotionally and mentally. Her body seemed to ache as well, but she was not sure if that was a physical ache or just more mental exhaustion. She allowed Trisha to unfasten and peel the bodysuit off her and stood there while the other woman quickly took her body measurements. Then she was hustled into the bathroom and Trisha had her lie down in a tub already full of sudsy water. Then to Mariah's surprise, Trisha slipped into the water as well and expertly washed her, paying additional attention to her breasts and pussy. She lay back as Trisha's soft slippery hands ran a cloth all over her, cleaning the sweat and body oils off of her, and before she really realized, she was getting quite turned on by the attention, especially when Trisha's fingers found her clit and began to rub and massage it. Mariah writhed as Trisha's fingers danced a tattoo upon her mons, rubbing, flicking and massaging her clit and lips as her body responded the way it always used to when her Trisha would do much the same thing. As Mariah began to gasp, she felt Trisha's lips upon her own, muffling her cries as her body bucked and she came, pressing her mons against Trisha's hand as her body quavered through a rolling orgasm. "There now, now you'll sleep much better." Trisha said with a smile as she finished rinsing Mariah off, then helped her out of the bath and towelled her dry, keeping one hand on the other woman who was now quite unsteady. She wrapped Mariah in a soft robe, then escorted her into the spare bedroom where Mariah gratefully crawled into the bed and was asleep quite quickly. Trisha finished drying herself, then walked back to the main room where her Master sat, now smoking a pipe and reading his daily letters. "Our guest settled?" He asked without looking up. "Yes, Master, How do you want me?" She replied. Ian smiled at her and lifted his arms to reveal he had already slipped out of his pants. "Make me a happy man, my Trisha." He said quietly. She smiled and sunk to her knees, leaning forward, she began to give him oral attention as he continued to read, enjoying her attentions on his erect shaft as he reviewed the letters. Trisha bobbed her head up and down on his shaft, licking around the head and sensitive underside, tickling the opening of his cock with the tip of her tongue and licking the length of his shaft as she sucked him expertly. He finally finished reading, and put one hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer so she allowed the head of his cock to slip down into her throat, and Trisha focused on swallowing action to give him the sensations he wanted. She could feel him begin to stiffen so pulled back slightly and used her tongue on the sensitive underside of his cock, and as Ian grunted and shot sperm into her mouth, Trisha lapped it up and sucked on him to bring him to a very satisfying orgasm. He released her head as she licked and kissed his softening cock to clean it up thoroughly, then she sat back on her haunches and waited for further instructions. "I think you best prepare for bed, Trisha. I will be using you quite a lot tonight." He said quietly. "Yes, Master." She replied, and rising, kissed him on his cheek, then walked out of the room and into the main bedroom where she turned down the sheets and got things ready for what would be one of his longer sessions with her willing body. Ian did not disappoint her. Trisha was thoroughly fucked that evening. Ian's hard cock drilling deep into her pussy from many different positions, and he was expert at bringing her to orgasm as well, which was what had enamoured her to her Master in the first place. Ian cared about her. Even as he gasped and moaned on top of her, his cock deep inside her wet slot, Ian continued to massage and kiss her breasts and nipples, nuzzle her neck and behind her ears, and kiss her lips which were hungry with need for his affections. He rolled her over and pulled her up so she was on her knees and proceeded to slam into her with a force that belied his gentle nature. In bed, Ian was a strong man, his iron hard cock plunged Trisha's depths regularly, and he was always focused on making sure she enjoyed it as much as possible. She had felt a lot of pain in her life, until she had been bought by Ian. He was determined that she not feel any more pain again, and he made that his goal when he had purchased her writ so long ago. He finally rolled her onto her side, and she helped him to slip out of her pussy and then with a gasp, more for his benefit, his cock slipped into her tight ass. She knew to bear down and tighten her ring of muscles to give him more intense sensations, and as with everything she did, she was thoroughly cleaned by enema before he had even come home. Trisha knew how to keep her Master happy, and with his cock buried deep into her anus, she knew he wasn't going anywhere, except to fill her with his cum. After the long fucking he had already given her, it did not take long before her tight ass brought him off to unload his seed into her bowels as he gasped out, holding her in his arms, hands gripping her breasts tightly enough to leave bruises while she pressed back against him to give him the full benefit of the deep ass fuck he had just finished. He finally rolled slightly and his long softening cock slipped out of her while he lay on his back, almost asleep already. Trisha gently got to her feet and with a washcloth and bowl, cleaned his emission that was leaking from her bottom, then gently cleaned his cock until it was all good, before suckling it to give him a last good feeling before she went into the bathroom to properly clean herself. Trisha came back to the bed a few minutes later and cuddled up to her Master, who although he was asleep, still held her tightly to him so she could feel the strength and comfort of the good man who owned her. ... "Time Travel was a myth, until this young lady determined how to make it work, by using a blend of Cerenkov radiation and high energy particles sent through a matrix of microwave energy." Doctor Ian Scott explained to the class. On the screen was a picture of his Mariah, in happier times, laughing as she had her picture taken in front of the first portal. So very long ago, he sighed and continued. "Seven years ago, Mariah Douglas determined how to devise a method of capturing what we now call the Cerenkov flash, a burst of radiation that includes temporal wavicles. The first crude portal was able to generate a doorway six feet high and about two feet wide. Enough for somebody to step through. Where they would go, we had no idea, only Mariah did." ... Dressed in much more conservative clothing, with Trisha beside her, Mariah went with Ian back to the University. They did not go to the Applied Physics building, but to one of the many warehouses that were on the Uwash grounds. Mariah recognized it as the same building, where in her reality, the Cannon had been built. Ian opened the doors and they walked into the cavernous building, which had various experiments set up, mostly disused and dusty. Some looking clean and fresh, but nothing looking like it was actually in use. Mariah walked into the building and up to a seemingly random spot on the floor. "Here, this is where we have to build it. Do you have tape?" She asked. Trisha handed her a roll of masking tape. Mariah knelt and began to tape a layout on the floor, a circular ring, then another ring around that, and cross bars. Three rolls of tape later the basic floor design was complete. What If? Ch. 02 ... A knock at the door bade Kitty to get up from her seat at the kitchen and go to answer it. It was 11am. She opened the door to see two FedSec officers standing there. "Your Owner at home?" One of them asked. "He will be home around 2pm. He is not home now." he replied. She was then taken by the arm and walked into their car. She remained silent, but was terrified inside. FedSec was security police. They were brutal in their methods, and chattel who went with them generally came back in more than one piece. What did they want with her? Once in the FedSec building, she was marched to an interrogation room and pushed inside where she screamed as she saw what was in store for her. The Wire was not anything gentle, but it did not do much physical damage. She struggled helplessly as the two officers pulled the dress off of her, then she was roughly pushed to the floor and one of them heaved his erect cock into her pussy in one brutal shove. The other officer held her wrists firmly as the man on top of her brutally fucked her. This was rape, and she had no choice, this was all part of the interrogation process. She knew what would happen next and was as unwilling for it as she was to endure this hard cock buried in her pussy. He finally finished, filling her pussy with his slippery cum, then he pulled out of her and she was roughly flipped over so that she was face down on the cold concrete floor for the next step. The other officer now got into position, and Kitty screamed fresh as his thin cock forced it's way into her ass. At least he had spat on the head to make it a bit easier, but it still hurt like blazes, and although she struggled, he buried himself deeply into her unwilling bottom, then began to pump. By the time he had finished, filling her bowels with his sperm, Kitty was drained and limp. It was an easy thing for both of them to lift her up and strap her down onto the metal framework, legs spread, wrists tied, waist and other body parts strapped down. She felt an intrusion and cried anew as a thick metal object was shoved up into her freshly raped pussy, then a thinner one slid into her ass. As they touched the cathode to her clit, Kitty screamed as pain shot through her that she had never imagined or felt, even childbirth was nothing like this. ... JJ came in the door to an oddly quiet home. "Kitty?" He called out, and was answered by silence. He walked into the kitchen, and saw the pot bubbling over, it had been left unattended for hours. He turned off the stove and roared her name as he stomped through the house. She wasn't there at all. He checked the bedroom. Her writ and papers were sitting in the drawer along with his, so she had not left on her own. She knew the law, to be on the street without a writ was grounds for a week in a reeducation camp. He ran back outside and looked around, stuck in the mailbox was what he was looking for, and what he most feared to see. A black envelope with red lettering. FedSec had been to his house, and his Kitty was gone. JJ turned and went to the phone to make a call. ... Mariah sat up in a cold sweat, feeling her entire body tingling from imagined pain, excruciating pain. She looked round, Ian and Trisha were discussing something, she must have dozed off, but she was drenched in sweat, cold clammy sweat. Something was wrong, and she didn't know what it was. Ian looked over at her and they both came over. He helped Mariah to her feet and noticed the sheen of sweat. "What happened?" He asked her. "I don't know. I was dozing, then I woke up, I remembered incredible pain, not anything I want to experience again, then I was awake." she tried to explain. "What sort of pain?" Trisha asked her gently. "I don't know. I've never felt it before, it felt like I was on fire, all through my body, but it started ... down here." Mariah said, and with a slightly embarrassed look, indicated her pussy. Ian and Trisha looked at each other. Unlike Mariah, they knew of the methods used in the Confederate States to get information out of chattel and also Citizens. "You said you met your duplicate yesterday, correct?" Ian asked her. "Yes, I talked to her, and met her owner. Then I came here." Mariah replied. "What does that have to do with anything?" "A possible ansible link, Master?" Trisha said, revealing her own knowledge of physics and science. "We are dealing with duplication, it is certainly possible. The link between them may allow for more then just basic sensations also. Mariah, do you think anybody saw you leave that house?" Ian asked her. "Why? Is something happening to Kitty? Is JJ hurting her?" Mariah got to her feet. "We have no idea. But if something is going on, it's not because of this JJ." Trisha said, putting her hand on Mariah's arm. "No, it would be FedSec. The Confederate security force. If they have taken Kitty, she will be tortured until she reveals everything they want to know. Her life will be ended once they finish with her." Ian said. "We have to find her! I can get to her, I can travel through physical objects. I can pass through walls and locked doors." Mariah cried. "However, you can't take anybody else with you. You dive into a FedSec building, you'll get to her, but then you'll be trapped, and they will take you apart until you tell them everything they want to know." Ian said softly. He then looked at Mariah oddly, and glanced at Trisha. "Twins." He said quietly. "With the population boom that has occurred, Master. Anything is possible. But we'd have to have papers." Trisha replied, also looking at Mariah analytically. "Who did you say was Kitty's Master?" Ian asked her. "Johnathan Jonas Jacobson. That's the man who currently owns her and who has fathered children with her." Mariah replied. "The Tacoma Supercargo. I know him, well, have never met, but he organizes a lot of Uwash shipments, so I know him by reputation, and he also should know me. This may make things easier." Ian said, then walked both ladies out of the warehouse and back to his university office. ... Kitty had finally stopped screaming, yelling out answers to any question she was asked. Anything to stop the mind numbing pain that they were forcing her to endure. She felt like her entire nervous system was on fire, and that her poor pussy was burning and melted. She had told them everything that the other woman had told her, not leaving out any detail she could remember. She had told them this five times now, but they had still not seemed satisfied. She had already wet herself during the torture, and could smell the stench of her own urine strongly, along with the smell of her sweat. She cried as she felt rough hands on her breasts, pinching a nipple savagely before roughly groping her pubes, still distorted by the length of metal still inside of her that allowed for the electricity to flow through her most intimate areas when they touched the wire to her naked body. At some point they had blindfolded her, so she could not see what was going on, which made the terror that much worse. The pain from the wire had twisted her body with every brutal caress, sending lines of fire right through her clit and into her core. When they touched her nipples, she had shrieked with agony, feeling like her breasts were burning with a thousand lines of fire running through them. She heard the sound of a door opening, then she felt hands on her, more gentle hands and she was being loosened, the restraints being removed and she was lifted off the rack and then carried away. The blindfold was still in place, and her wrists were cuffed together, but she was not on the rack, so whatever happened next, it would be better. Even death was better than the wire. ... "We think this is who they are looking for, JJ." Ian explained to JJ as he, JJ, Trisha and Mariah all sat in a restaurant on the outskirts of Tacoma. "I met you yesterday, you came to my house, you were talking to my Kitty." He said, looking at Mariah, who met his stare evenly. "That's right. I was trying to determine where I was. I must admit, I didn't expect to find m - her married to you." she replied. "You look like her. Is this why they took her, Professor Scott? Because of this girl? We'll hand this one over and get my Kitty back." He said. "Ian shook his head. "We can't do that. We're already involved and invested. You know how FedSec works, JJ. Once they get on a trail, whole populations will fall before they solve the mystery that they feel has to be solved." JJ sighed and drank the cup of coffee sitting in front of him. Kitty had to be safe, and for that, he had to have a clear head. His kids were with a friend, who also had their papers and would raise them as hers if he didn't come back. JJ was pretty certain he wasn't going to come home again. But Kitty had to be safe. Nothing else mattered in his God forsaken life anymore. "What do you need me to do? How are we going to get my Kitty out of there?" He asked. Mariah leaned on the table and looked at him, the same eyes that his Kitty had now looked squarely at him. "We are going to walk right in there and take her out. You, Mr. Jacobson, will provide the distraction to allow us to save her life." ... JJ signed off on the last manifest and watched as the third truck closed it's doors and then pulled out of the warehouse lot. This was not the first time he had been involved in a smuggling op, but this would be his last. He sat back in the control room of the cargo lot, looking at the monitors watching the various loading bays, the computer screens listing the different cargoes that were held, inbound and outbound. He also noted the ten large barrels sitting all around the room, six of them filled with Ammonium Nitrate, the other four with Nitro Methane. His chair had a cushion on it that was a pressure plate, and he had the switch sitting in front of him. A dead man switch. Once activated, it could not be turned off. When pressure left the cushion, detonators would explode in the barrels and the entire building would go up. He took another pull of the bottle of rum in front of him. It was nearly empty. He looked at the clock. 'Better slow down, old man. They said 4.15pm, you still got thirty minutes before go time.' ... "Most FedSec Security are very uneducated. They are pretty much just cowlicks in a uniform. Trisha, you will go in with Mariah to see one of their prisoners for medical reasons. My credentials show me as a PhD, so that should get you in. I am sure you can wheedle your way in to see Kitty. Mariah, are you sure you can do this?" Mariah nodded, pulling the trenchcoat tighter around her. She was wearing the travel suit again, as that was the only way she could bodyslide, and this would be tough. The building was a mass of reinforced concrete and steel. A lot of mass to move through. "I don't really have a choice, Ian. We have to get her out of there, and once Trisha has her in the van, I'll slip out and join you. Then we get the both of us home." She looked at the foreboding building in front of them and swallowed nervously. ... Shaun Davies revved the motor and put the gigantic tractor into reverse gear. He coughed again, bringing up blood, knowing that he wouldn't live much longer. Damn FedSec, Damn the Confederate States. They could have saved him, they had the means, but he just wasn't important enough. JJ had assured him that this was a way to get back at those bastards. He knew that JJ's girl had been taken, like his entire family, by FedSec. Shaun had gotten to see the bodies before they had all been incinerated, he could barely recognize his own wife or children after the severe beatings and torture they had been put through before being killed. The lung cancer that he had was a remnant of the illegal work he had been doing before FedSec had stopped them, and it was in the final stages. He had maybe a week or so to live. Now, he had only minutes, but this would put a kink in the plans of those bastards. He turned in the chair and watched the chain link fence collapse under the 20 ton mass of the tractor as it rolled towards the power substation. He adjusted the steering so that he would hit the primary coupler on the transformer link and slammed the throttle to maximum. Shaun never saw the flash of light as the tractor hit the million volt power segment. ... Ian's credentials, a wriggle of her hips, and a soft suggestion from Trisha to see the guard after he got off shift got them past the main door and into the holding level. It was an easy thing to walk past the rows of cells until they got to the one where a lone woman lay on a bed, shivering under a thin blanket. At a nod to the guard, the door opened, and Mariah then Trisha stepped through to make an examination of the woman who had most recently been exposed to the Wire, for medical reasons, of course. The guard left the door open and wandered off to continue his patrols, the building had over a thousand FedSec soldiers inside of it, nothing could go wrong. Trisha's watch beeped and she locked eyes with Mariah. It was 4pm. The lights went out, the entire building went totally dark and as the darkness filled the void, Mariah bodily hauled Kitty off the bed and wrapped her in the trench coat, then took her place lying on the bed, covered in the blanket. Before Kitty could protest, Trisha injected her with a heavy dose of Demorol, which dulled her pain rapidly and made her almost too tired to walk, but she was still slightly lucid. Lucid enough to follow Trisha out of the room into the corridor lit by dim emergency lighting as Trisha called for the guard, explaining that her assistant had fallen and struck her head when the lights went out, and they would come back later to finish the examination. He looked in and saw the girl still lying on the bed, then pulled the door shut and locked it, before helping Trisha half-carry her injured assistant out of the corridor and down to the main level. Ian was waiting and as he saw Trisha emerge, he drove up and parked, then hopped out and opened the side door so Trisha could get Kitty into the van, Ian lifting the injured girl and sitting her on the seat while Trisha climbed in and secured her seat belt. Kitty looked around in a daze, then fell unconscious as Trisha injected her with the remainder of the Demorol to put her out fully. "Now we wait, and see if our heroine can pull off what she said she could do. We have seven minutes before all hell breaks loose in the city." Ian said, looking at his watch. Mariah waited until the shouting subsided, and as she breathed slowly, the lights came back on after a few minutes. Time would now be 4:08. Time to go. She got up and went to the door, she couldn't see anybody in the limited view, so she turned until she faced the wall opposite the door and concentrated until everything turned blue, then she walked. Passing through the wall and into the room beyond that. She was a ghost, a blue wash of light and soft blowing wind as she walked, slowly descending towards the ground, moving through walls, corridors, doors and stairwells as if they didn't exist, past startled people and through more walls until she came to the outer wall, which was a hard softness. She pushed on and was outside, standing on the ground, then beginning to sink into the ground. She got up onto the grass and began to breathe again, and everything turned back to normal. She felt strong hands grabbing her by the shoulders and Ian helped her into the van, then even before she was sitting down, the van roared off with Trisha driving and they were off to Uwash. 4.15p. JJ looked at the clock, then finished the last swig of rum. FedSec was on the way now. He had called them, told them there was a problem at the plant, somebody had stolen a tractor and took out a sub station. He told them somebody else was threatening to blow up the main building. He could hear them running up the corridors outside the door, and then the thumps and shouts as they tried to open the doors to the control room. The door burst open and a squad tumbled into the room to see him sitting there. JJ rose to greet them, holding the empty bottle as the room exploded.