Semper Invictus Ch. 03 - Family Ties

"It's... alright," he said quietly. "The thing is... gone."

"What was that thing?" she asked through her tears. "What happened to it?"

"I don't know what it was," Alan said. "But these people killed it, and it's not coming back."

"I don't feel so good," Rhonda said. "I feel nauseous and shaky inside. Like I'm about to fly apart. I have to call in sick tonight. Please, Alan, stay and hold me." Alan looked at me, concern on his face.

"That's quite normal," I told him. "She'll be shaken for a little while. Give her a chance to get some rest." Alan nodded his head.

"I'll stay right here," he told her. "I don't have to go back on the road for a few days, so why don't you take a couple nights off. Get some rest."

"Okay," Rhonda said. "I will. Just stay with me, please. I'm so scared."

"It's all right," Alan told her. "I'm here for you, sweetheart." He looked up at us before speaking. "What do I do now?" he asked.

"Stay with her. Reassure her. Give her comfort. Maybe have her doctor check her out," I said. He nodded his head. I didn't want to raise the issue of STIs or a possible pregnancy at a time like this, but I got the feeling Alan understood.

"Yeah, okay. I'll do that," he said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Noei said. "And feel free to call if you have any questions." We said our goodbyes and left.

"Well, how do you feel now that you've taken out your first creature?" I asked Noei as we hit the road.

"I know it may sound strange, but I feel... invigorated," she said. "Excited, even. And a little sad. For them, that is. Is that normal?"

"Yes, it is," I told her.

"Is that how you feel after you've taken one of those things out?" she asked.

"Yes," I told her. "The thrill of victory tempered by the knowledge of what it may cost. Some couples can work through it, but most can't."

"Do you think Rhonda and Alan will be able to get through what happened today?" Noei asked.

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe. Hopefully. But that's not our concern. All we can do is deal with the beasts and point the victims in the right direction. What happens after that is up to them."

"I understand," Noei said softly. "It just seems so... cold. I wish there was something more we could offer them."

"Unfortunately, there's not. You have to understand that every situation is different. Every marriage is different. If we intervene early enough, and if the relationship is good, there's usually a somewhat better than average chance the victims can get through it," I said. "Most of the time, though, the damage is too great. Think you can deal with that?"

"I think so," she said. "I know that it feels good to fight at your side again." I had to smile at that. It did feel good to be in the field with Noei.

"Yes, it does," I said.

"In fact, I'm feeling a bit... horny right now," Noei said with a smile. She scooted closer to me and began rubbing my crotch while kissing my ear. "Think you can find someplace where we can... park for a bit and, you know, fool around?"

"Are you sure about this?" I asked with a smile. "We're not teenagers, you know."

"Oh yeah," she said as she began to unzip my trousers. "But being here with you

makes me feel like a horny teenager."

"We could get caught, you know," I said.

"Good," she cooed as she fished out my cock. I saw a park just ahead, so I pulled in and found a shady spot that looked pretty secluded. I didn't see any cameras, so I stopped the truck and turned to Noei, who was already removing her clothes.

Soon, we were both in the back seat of the crew cab, with Noei on top of me. She was on fire as she slid down on my hard cock. I had read about people having sex in a parked car, but this was the first time in my 2,100 years of existence it had happened to me.

Noei moaned in our native tongue as we screwed like mad in the back seat. It didn't take long for us to reach our climax. Spent and covered with sweat, we held each other in the back seat until we caught our breath.

"What brought that on?" I asked.

"I guess the excitement of being in battle with you again just turned me on," she said. "You're not upset with me, are you?"

"Never," I said, giving her a kiss. "But we'd better get dressed and get going before a cop spots us here."

We dressed and spent the rest of the trip in small talk and got home in time for dinner. It was a bit late to start cooking anything, so we ordered a pizza and ate that as we completed our reports.

"So, what now?" Noei asked.

"Well, we have a few days before we can face another beast, so let's get started on that project we talked about the other day," I said. Noei agreed, and we decided to hit the hay and begin our projects the following day.

When we got to the downstairs lab the next morning, I noticed the communicator was flashing, so I fired it up and saw Svan's face appear on the monitor.

"About time you two decided to get up," he said with a smile. "So, Noei, how do you feel after your first encounter?"

"I'm excited," she said. "I can't wait to do that again."

"Well, I'm afraid both of you are going to have to wait a few days," Svan said.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We detected a ripple in the space-time continuum and traced it to the moment your transectors intersected with each other," Svan said. "The Directorate decided to modify the Rule of Six for the two of you. We want you to wait ten days between assignments. The last thing we need is a rip in the fabric of the multiverse."

"That bad?" I asked.

"We're assessing the damage," Svan said. "Right now, it doesn't look as bad as we first thought, but the Directorate wants to make sure the rift has healed before you two engage again."

"I don't understand," Noei said.

"When you and Steve engaged with the beast inside Rhonda Baker, the fields of your transectors briefly came into contact with each other. That's what caused the flash of light you saw. But that flash was more than just light. It actually affected the entire space-time continuum. If your transectors had remained in contact much longer, they would have created a tear in the fabric of the multiverse," Svan said.

"What would that cause?" she asked.

"If the tear was large enough, it would have a devastating impact on the multiverse as a whole. Think the worst part of your Apocalypse legends. We'd like to avoid that, so we want to make sure the damage is mitigated before you two go out again," Svan said. "Perhaps the two of you should train for a bit to keep that from happening."

"What about Rhonda? Would something like this affect her?" Noei asked.

"It could, considering the ripple took place inside her body," Svan said.

"I suppose we should follow up with Alan to see how she's doing," I said.

"That would probably be a good idea," Svan said.

"Is there anything we can do for her?" Noei asked.

"I can't think of anything at the moment," Svan said. "Our people are working on the issue now. I'll let you know if they figure something out."

"Please do," Noei said.

"I will," Svan said. "In the meantime, I want you to avoid any conflict for a while."

"Ten days?" I asked.

"Yes, just to be on the safe side," Svan said.

"Well, that should give us time to look into something that's been bothering me," I said.

"What's that, Steve?" Svan asked.

"I have a feeling that Noei's father knows a bit more than he's letting on," I said. "It's just something he told me when we were visiting them. I asked Noei to do a search on her family tree, and I'd like access to the Errnocht database."

"You think the creatures may have targeted Noei or her family?" Svan asked.

"That's what I'd like to find out," I said. Svan thought about it for a bit then nodded his head.

"Consider it done, Steve," he said. "Let me know what you find."

"I will," I said. After we ended the communication, I grabbed my phone and called Alan.

"Baker," he said when he answered.

"Alan, this is Steve Iverson," I said. "I'm just calling to follow up. How is your wife doing? Is she all right?"

"Actually, Steve, I had to take her to the Emergency Room last night," Alan said. "She said she started feeling worse, so I had her checked out. Her heart rate and blood pressure are all over the place. They admitted her to the hospital, and they're doing what they can to get her vitals back to some semblance of normal. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

"I've spoken with my superiors, and they're looking into it now," I said. "Did you tell the doctors what happened yesterday?"

"No, we decided not to mention that," Alan said.

"That's probably a good idea. Stay in touch. I'll let you know if we hear anything," I said.

"I appreciate that," he said. We ended the call, and I sent Svan a message letting him know about Rhonda. I felt responsible for what happened to her, and I hoped Svan could come up with an answer. The next day, Svan said he had something I could give Alan that would help Rhonda. I watched as a green orb appeared in the lab. When it disappeared, I saw a small vial with a note from Svan.

I took the vial and drove the two hours to see Alan. I gave him the vial and the directions Svan included. All Rhonda had to do was drink the contents of the vial. Alan's job was to put the liquid in a water bottle and make sure Rhonda drank the whole thing.

"Are you sure this will work?" he asked.

"I trust my superiors," I said. "They want to see her get well as much as you and I do."

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"That flash of light we saw," I said. "It caused a rift of some sort. It's... complicated."

"It seems like everything with you is complicated," he said. "This had better work. If it doesn't..."

"I wouldn't give it to you if I had any doubts," I said, registering the unspoken threat. Of course, I wasn't worried about him hurting me. I had centuries of experience dealing with much bigger men. I was more concerned that I might accidentally kill him in the process of fending off an attack.

"How long before we know?" he asked.

"From what I was told, you should know within an hour or two," I said. "Call me and let me know right away."

"Count on it," he said. We said our goodbyes, and I headed back home. My phone rang shortly before I got home. It was Alan.

"She seems to be doing much better," he said. "Doc is still trying to figure out what happened. They're going to hang on to her for another day to make sure she's stable. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said. "Let me know if there's any changes." I felt a bit better when we ended the call.

Over the next few days, Noei worked on her family tree, relying primarily on information she gleaned from her grandmother. While she did that, I dug deep into the Errnocht database to see if anyone in her family tree had been possessed by the creatures. That's when I found the entry relating to her father.

"Noei, I think you should see this," I said. She came to me and looked over my shoulder.

"What's that, sweetheart?" she asked. I pointed at the monitor and put the entry upon the large monitor on the wall.

"There it is. Maximilian Schlager. It looks like he was possessed during a business trip to Europe," I said. According to the record, the possession occurred when Noei was just two years old. "Did he ever mention anything about this to anyone that you know of?"

"No, he never did. At least not that I know of," Noei said.

The enforcer who dealt with the creature was Ewan MacFarland, born roughly 1,200 years ago in Scotland. Except for Noei, he was the youngest Errnocht enforcer on the planet. I had met the man a couple times over the last 500 years and wondered if he would be willing to talk to me about this encounter.

I fired up the communicator and entered Ewan's code, hoping he was available. It was rare for enforcers like us to communicate, but I felt it was necessary. A few minutes after punching in the code, I saw the face of a man who looked like he had just woken up.

"Who the bloody hell is calling me at this ungodly hour?" he asked when the connection was complete.

"Ewan, it's Steve Iverson," I said. "Sorry to call you like this, but I have a couple questions for you."

"Iverson? Is that really you, Celt?" he asked, running a hand through his unkempt hair. "Last time I saw you was what... 70 years ago or so?"

"Yeah, it's me," I said. "And yeah, it's been a while."

"Who's that with you?" he asked.

"This is my wife, Noei," I said.

"Wife? Are you kidding me?" he asked. "Who the fuck would marry an ancient old goat like you?" he asked with a smile.

"Well, you're not exactly a spring chicken," I said, laughing. He laughed with me.

"Aye, mate. That much is true. Does she know..."

"Yes, she knows everything," I said. "In fact, I'm calling about an encounter you had about 27 or 28 years ago. In Munich. You remember that?"

"Vaguely," he said. "As I recall, it was at some kind of business meeting. I thought it was rather strange the creature would target him, given what else was available. You know those things prefer women to men. It was all pretty standard. I killed the beast, and the man seemed okay, so I reported it and carried on. Just curious, why are you asking about it?"

"That man was my father," Noei said.

"Your father?" Ewan asked. "Talk about a small world, eh?"

"Yeah," I said. "By the way, have you noticed an increase in activity lately?"

"Matter of fact, yes," Ewan said. "I just finished taking out five of those beasties in Salzburg. Isn't that the general area where you're originally from, Celt?"

"Basically," I said. "But it wasn't called Salzburg in those days."

"Interesting," Ewan said.

"I agree," I said in response.

"Well, I hope this helps you out, Celt," he said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to sleep."

"Of course, Ewan," I said. "Yes, it helps. Thanks." We ended the call, and I looked at Noei. "I think we need to have a talk with your father."

"I think you're right," she said. "Before we do, though, I'd like to find out if anyone else in my family has been possessed by those things."

"Alright," I said. "Let's get to work, then." I took the names Noei gave me and performed a search against the Errnocht database. To our amazement, the examination revealed ten possessions had taken place in her family tree over the last 150 years. Except for Max, all the rest were women. I thought that number of possessions in one family tree to be a bit much, so I reached out to Svan.

"Yes, Steve, what can I do for you?" Svan asked.

"First off, that concoction you sent seemed to work with Rhonda," I said.

"That's good to hear," he said. "What else is going on?" He seemed rather shocked when I told him about our search results.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Svan asked. "Ten known instances over 150 years? That does seem a bit... high."

"And that's not counting the creature that occupied Noei," I said. "Do you think they might have known about what you were doing with her DNA all this time? Why would they target her family line like this?"

"There's something you should know, Steve," Svan said.

"What's that?" I asked.

"You have been without a partner for what, over 2,000 of your years, right?"

"Yes," I said.

"Basically, you and Noei were meant for each other. The Directorate feels that it's not healthy for someone like you to go so long without a soul mate. When we embarked on the mission to reunite you with your wife, our goal was simply to give you a stable and happy home life -- something to help you cope with what you do. However, as time went on, we began to see something else."

"What's that?" I asked.

"The two of you have a bond that is stronger than anything we have ever encountered," Svan said. "We now believe that your reunion may very well hold the key to defeating these creatures once and for all. From our observations, it appears the two of you, working together as one, are practically invincible. And the beasts know that."

"Really?" I asked, looking at Noei.

"Yes," Svan said. "There's also another possibility. Perhaps there's something in her DNA that attracts the creatures. We've discussed the possibility of that before, but we've never been able to prove it. What are your plans now?"

"I intend to speak with Noei's father, see what he has to say," I said. "I also think we need protection devices for Noei's family."

"How many do you think you'll need?" Svan asked.

"Six," Noei said. Svan nodded his head.

"Very well," Svan said. "I'll get those out to you. Find out what you can, but use caution and some tact. In the meantime, I'll talk with the Directorate. Perhaps we can develop a working hypothesis."

"One other thing. I spoke with Ewan MacGregor. He tells me that he's just dealt with five creatures in Salzburg," I said. "That's the general area where we came from. And it's where Noei's family lived until just after the First World War."

"That is interesting," Svan said. "We'll have to factor that into our hypothesis. Good work, Steve. Find out what you can and report back to me."

"Will do," I said before we ended the connection.

"So, what do we do now?" Noei asked.

"I think it's time we had a little talk with your father," I said. Noei nodded her head. I pulled out my phone and prepared to call, but Noei stopped me before I completed dialing.

"Please remember that he IS my father," she said. "And I do love him, regardless of what may have happened all those years ago."

"Of course," I said. I finished dialing the number and waited for him to answer.

"Schlager," he said.

"Max, it's Steve Iverson," I said. "How is everything?"

"Everything here is good, Steve. How about you? How's married life treating you?" he asked. I could hear the smile in his voice and decided to tread carefully.

"Wonderful," I said. "Noei and I had a great time in Hawaii. Thank you for the hotel room. It was terrific."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, son," he said. "So, what can I do for you today?"

"Actually, Noei and I would like to talk to you about something, if that's okay," I said.

"Sure," he said. "Need some marital advice?" I laughed at that.

"No, we're doing fine in that regard," I said. "It's something we just ran across, and we wanted to come talk to you about it."

"Well, shoot, son, no need to wait. What is it?" Max asked.

"We'd rather not talk about it over the phone," I said. "We were wondering if you'd be available the next day or two, and we could pop in for a visit, maybe say hello to your wife and mother."

"Of course, son," he said. "You're family now. You're welcome here anytime."

"Excellent, Max," I said. "I appreciate that. We'll see you in a day or so."

"Look forward to it, son," Max answered. We ended the call, and I looked at Noei.

"Well? How did I do?" I asked.

"Perfect," she said. "I'll call and get our tickets set up."

The next day, we landed in Colorado Springs. Svan came through for us and sent six rings, each equipped with a device to protect the wearer from being possessed by the creatures. After getting our luggage, we rented a car and headed for Max's office. We got to his office and were escorted in by his receptionist.

"Steve!" Max said as he got up to give me a manly hug. He wrapped his arms around Noei and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Ah, you look so wonderful. Married life seems to suit you quite well."

"Thanks, Daddy," Noei said with a smile. "How's Mom and Nanna?"

"They're doing just fine. Miss you, though," he said. "Come on in, have a seat. Tell me what it is that had you two fly all the way to Colorado Springs." We sat down on a couch he had in his office as he sat in another chair across from us.

"Max, we ran across something in our work, and we wanted to talk with you about it," I said. "Something that happened to you in Munich about 27 or 28 years ago." The smile left Max's face, and he looked down at the floor, somewhat embarrassed. "We were wondering if you could shed some light on that."