“The Catalyst” Series
Chapter 13: Odds and Ends
(Who you calling an End?)
Alex was anxious to get started the next day, anticipating
follow-ups and repercussions of the previous day’s newspaper article and
additional protests, so he tried to get everyone moving. However he knew he
wouldn’t be able to put everyone off, so he settled for fooling around in the
shower in an effort to hurry everyone up.
Brandy and Caitlin didn’t object. Although they were anxious
to become pregnant and were hoping to get a fresh batch of semen, they at least
got some lovemaking. They were also aware of what was important. They knew Alex
had promised them that if they didn’t get pregnant they could take
advantage of his stored sperm, but they also knew that everyone was anxious
about Alex’s progeny. The big goal was producing a new generation with Alex’s
abilities. Without that, all of Alex’s advances would be for naught. Although
they were each hoping to bear that child themselves, they realized everyone
would win as long as someone bore the child each of them desired. Thus
they were thankful for a ticket to the lottery, simply because of what it
represented.
In the end, Alex only had time for one ejaculation, and
someone had to come out the winner. It turned out to be Brandy, as her louder
moans and cries, plus her more energetic motions, triggered Alex’s orgasm.
After helping Brandy recover, he made sure to work on Caitlin for a while, just
to make up for his unintentionally showing favoritism. Neither one managed to
reach orgasm from it, but Caitlin was thankful for the effort nevertheless, as
it allowed her to enjoy some additional alone time with Alex.
They were both catching their breath, leaning against the
cold shower tiles, when Alex was interrupted.
‘Alex, my dad wants to talk now,’ Debbie Grant warned
him. Alex had been preparing for this, though he had no idea just when it would
come. Still, he was glad it hadn’t occurred when he was balls deep in either Caitlin
or Brandy.
‘Alright, just relax and we’ll take this a step at a time,’
Alex reassured her. She managed to focus on what her father was telling her so
Alex could listen in. Alex motioned to Caitlin that she’d have to go on without
him since he was presently occupied, but she just looked on in fascination.
‘Debbie, you really embarrassed your mother yesterday.
She’s really upset,’ Michael Grant told his daughter. ‘This pretend
world of yours is going to get you into trouble, and this spiteful attitude of
yours is going to make everyone around you angry.’
‘Dad, he’s... Do you have your cell phone with you?’
Debbie asked, changing her mind partway through her argument.
‘Uh, yeah, but what does that...’ he tried to argue.
‘Could I see it for a minute. I need to prove that I’m
not playing games,’ she answered.
‘I don’t think calling your friends is going to convince
me of anything,’ Michael answered strongly. However Debbie just sighed
heavily in a tone Alex recognized from many of the women around him having used
it on him in the past.
‘Just let me see the phone, I’ll prove to you I’m not
making things up.’
‘Calling some random number isn’t going to...’ he
started, but he seemed to reconsider his stance, looking at his daughter’s
reactions. Alex couldn’t see what she did, but something must have intrigued
him because it was clear he was giving her his phone.
She wordlessly dialed it and then handed it to her father
before it had even rung.
“Hello, this is Alex,” he heard. “We spoke the other day on
the road.”
“Wait, how did you...?” he tried to ask.
“Just think about it. Who called who? And if you think this
is something she arranged, ask her what her own phone number is. She’s not
especially good with numbers, so it isn’t likely she’d have remembered this
number from last week.”
“What is this about?” Michael asked, still cautious.
“Look, this isn’t a sales call,” Alex told him. “Your
daughter just wanted to make sure you understood that she isn’t inventing this
stuff. Now, if you don’t want to deal with it, that’s fine. We spoke, and she
now knows she isn’t supposed to mention me to anyone anymore. You and Sarah
won’t hear my name unless you ask about me. But Debbie isn’t being malicious.
She’s undergone something significant, and she’s learning how to deal with it
on her own since her parents aren’t able to deal with it yet. Personally, I
think she’s showing a great deal of maturity, but it isn’t good to ignore such
a strong capable mind just when it needs nurturing. Anyway, this is the last
you’ll hear from me. I’ve got no reason to intrude into your lives. I just did
this as a favor for Debbie.”
Michael made some strange strangling noises, but Alex didn’t
pay attention to it as he hung up, thanking Brandy for bringing him his phone
into the shower. He climbed out as he listened in on the rest of Michael and
Debbie’s conversation as the two girls set about drying him, each trying to be
quiet so he wouldn’t have any trouble listening to his conversation.
“What... who was that?” Michael asked.
“Dad, as he said, that’s the last I’ll say about it. From
now on I’m just the same little girl I’ve always been. You don’t have to worry
about me. But don’t accuse me of being difficult or of inventing stuff again.
This is something Alex told me I had to deal with on my own, and I will, but I
need a little, a little..., latitude, that’s it. I need a little latitude to do
it on my own.”
Michael cocked his head as he smiled at his daughter.
“Debbie, could you tell me what latitude means?”
She looked back at him and shrugged. “I don’t know. I was
searching for a word and it just came to me, but someone tells me I need to
look it up, so if we’re done here?” she asked, glancing at her father.
Michael just held his hands up, knowing he’d been
effectively dismissed by his daughter. He didn’t quite know what to make of
what had just happened, but she seemed to be dealing with it on her own, and as
long as his wife wasn’t upset about the issue anymore, he was OK with it.
Still, he wondered how his little girl had suddenly grown up
so much, not realizing she’d been forced to grow up before she was ready to due
to her parent’s inability to deal with the changes she was experiencing in her
life.
When Alex and the girls reentered the bedroom, Cate and Gail
had Alex’s clothes all laid out for him. As Alex dressed, he spoke briefly with
Kelly, inviting them to eat breakfast with them, ensuring he’d be able to deal
with Jenny and her husband, Henry. She told him they’d be there, as they were
already on their way. She assured him that Jenny was fine and wasn’t feeling
any symptoms, but that Kelly was still concerned about long term issues. Alex
told her he’d do what he could as he finished dressing. Kelly didn’t mention
how her husband was dealing with everything so Alex didn’t press.
As the group entered the cafe, Alex saw that Shanna, Lekesia
and Noel were waiting for them. He also noted, as an aside, that there didn’t
seem to be many Watchers here. He thought that odd, just given the numbers of Watchers
in the city and how long they’d been coming here, but he assumed everyone had
decided to give Alex some leeway.
As they sat down, Lekesia was so excited she could hardly
sit still. Alex noted that Cate was picking up the local paper from the
counter, so he figured he could put off checking on his status for a little
while to humor her.
“So what’s the good news?” he asked, already guessing what
it was.
“You’re officially a father,” Lekesia happily announced.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to wait for it to be born, but I’m pregnant. We’ve
been checking our progress each morning, and Mom saw the glow of the baby’s
aura yesterday, but we weren’t sure since it looked like an extension of mine.
But this morning it started to change color, to reflect the baby’s personality
rather than mine. I assume it will change more, but this shows not only that
I’m pregnant, but also that the baby is healthy and is developing normally.”
“Uh, I wouldn’t call referring to a baby’s showing its aura
after only three days any part of a ‘normal’ development of a baby, but I’m
happy for you both,” Alex told them, grinning at their enthusiasm. He got up
and gave Lekesia a big hug before turning to Noel. “So, I assume I’ll be
hearing from you as well in the next day or two?”
“I certainly hope so,” she replied, standing up and hugging
him as well.
“Has anyone checked on Diane yet?” he asked, since he slept
with her at the same time he did Lekesia.
“Not yet, but we asked her to meet us at Dr. Lampre’s this
morning so we could all check. We figured Hannah would like to know, even if it
doesn’t affect her traditional methods much.”
“Well, this is a lot sooner than anyone noticed Shani’s
pregnancy,” Alex told them as Cate came up and eased into her seat.
“Yeah, we figure that’s because it isn’t real obvious,” Noel
told him. “You really have to look for it, and even then it looks just like its
mother’s aura. I figure it will take several days before it finally shows its
true personality to us.”
Alex laughed, “Don’t get too excited. After all, you know
how kid’s personalities change. Even though it may seem cute and happy at 3
days, you know how kids turn moody when they reach their 13th day.”
Both Lekesia and her mother slapped Alex playfully, but they
were both in very good spirits. As Alex sat, Cate handed him the paper and he
turned his attention to it, everyone else falling silent knowing how serious
this was for him.
Alex read it silently for several moments before responding.
“Well, it’s really a bit of a change for Mr. Rodriguez,” he told them all.
“It’s actually very understated and cautious. He starts off reporting on the
trouble we had yesterday, and follows that with a general warning to everyone
not to overreact. He says, ‘The supposed Angel told me that he wasn’t here to
announce a second coming, or to pick those who are worthy and those who aren’t.
Instead he was simply reaching out to select individuals for reasons he
wouldn’t divulge, as he claims he doesn’t necessarily know himself. He
explained he knows what to do or say when he meets them, but that he doesn’t
necessarily understand what’s involved. Apparently only Alexandria herself knows
that, and she hasn’t been very forthcoming about what’s happening.
“‘It’s also important to note that he himself never calls
himself an Angel, or tries to assume any official position one way or another.
Instead, claiming merely to do what he’s called upon to do. So it’s important
not to view this as a vindication or rejection of any particular religion.’”
“That is quite a surprise,” Cate said, “especially
given his initial reaction to you. Then it seemed like he was poking fun at you
and trying to generate a reaction against you.”
“Don’t worry, there’s more,” Alex said before continuing.
“‘After speaking to the supposed Angel, I managed to locate
the blind girl he had miraculously cured. Although I won’t embarrass her by
printing her name in the paper, she’s a local girl who has lived here her
entire life, and had never heard of this movement until she encountered Mr. X
(since that seems a better title for him than ‘supposed angel’).’
“‘She seemed a level headed sort, and she spoke honestly
with me, explaining she didn’t understand what he’d done, but that he didn’t
call it a miracle himself. She also went on to explain exactly what he’d done.
Apparently it wasn’t quite as ‘miraculous’ as it had initially sounded. While
she can see well enough to get around in public, she is still clearly blind,
unable to read anything at all of any size. What she now sees are a variety of
shifting lights that allow her to identify people and various objects. While
that is miraculous to her, it isn’t exactly the same as curing someone’s
blindness.’”
“That was exactly the response you were looking for, isn’t
it?” Shanna asked.
“Yeah, it was. Mattie’s done well for herself. Hopefully
between her and Mr. Rodriguez they should manage to tone down the excitement
over me a little. However, Albert goes on to counter it a little in his
conclusion. He finished by saying, ‘Although this miracle may seem innocent
enough, possibly resulting from something else entirely, I wouldn’t write it
off just yet. His followers are all fiercely loyal, and each seems willing to
say whatever they need to in order to head off any undesired publicity. I’ve
also personally observed several impressive events, and I know his followers
have no doubts about his abilities. So I’ll look forward to what more I can
learn about him in the future, and I’ll report those events as I learn of
them.’”
“So essentially he’s telling everyone that Mattie lied to
him?” Noel asked.
“Essentially, but he’s done it in such a way that isn’t
inflammatory, which is what I was after,” Alex told her. “After all, I wasn’t
looking for a miracle in his reporting, merely something that’s easier to
manage.”
Everyone laughed at Alex’s turn of phrase, sounding much
like he’d advised Mattie to answer herself. After that they ordered and started
in on breakfast while the girls each asked Brandy and Caitlin what their first
night with Alex had been like.
Alex was alerted by both Cate and Gail sitting up, their
focus behind him warning him that someone had entered the diner. Turning, he saw
Kelly with Henry, leading a shy Jenny to the table.
“Excuse me, you don’t mind if we join you, do you?” she
asked.
“No, of course not. We’ve been expecting you,” Alex told her,
standing up to shake Henry’s hand. He skipped giving Kelly his traditional hug,
though.
“I must say I hadn’t thought we’d ever see you again,” Gail
said, breaking her noninvolvement in Alex’s activities policy.
“Not me,” Cate said. “It takes a lot to avoid Alex’s siren
call. I figured she might avoid Alex himself, but that she’d surely visit New
Orleans and probably Carbondale as well.”
“That’s the thinking I’m counting on,” Shanna told everyone
at the table before they all quieted down, finally letting the newcomers speak
for themselves.
“Well, honestly I hadn’t planned on this, and it’s already
causing troubles between Henry and me,” Kelly told everyone as they settled
themselves at the table. Noel, Lekesia and Shanna moved to the next table where
they could still join in the discussion without being in the way.
“I was doubtful about her wild claims about Jenny suffering
from something that no one could see and that she couldn’t describe,” Henry
said, glancing meaningfully at both his wife and Alex. “I figured she was
just inventing an excuse to run off and visit Alex.”
“Do you still think that?” Alex asked, more to figure out
how his followers’ spouses’ thought than anything else.
“I’m remaining cautious, though I was impressed that you
insisted I accompany her down here. I hadn’t really wanted to come, figuring it
was a fool’s errand, but she told me that you’d specifically asked that she
bring me.”
“Well, as I keep saying, I’m interested in building and
maintaining my followers’ existing relationships. You can’t very well build a
new structure if you take away all the supporting structures, now can you?”
“I was worried about something I saw in Jenny’s legs,” Kelly
explained, while Jenny listened attentively. “I knew I couldn’t discuss it with
a doctor, since they’d assume I was crazy and she hasn’t shown any observable
symptoms yet, but I can see from looking at them that something isn’t right.”
That triggered a rash of questions and they started to get
up again, to show everyone Jenny’s legs but Alex calmed them down, telling them
there was plenty of time to do that later and that he wanted them to relax and
enjoy breakfast. They sat and ordered their breakfasts, and the relief in
Jenny’s eyes was apparent. Although she was still in awe of Alex, you could see
the discussion of problems with her legs was bothering her. When Alex asked the
waitress if she could have the cook fix some pancakes in some friendly faces,
her relief and appreciation of him was evident. Wordlessly she gave him a quick
hug, which Alex was always a sucker for.
Both Kelly and her daughter were excited to hear about
Lekesia’s newest discovery, though Henry had trouble accepting they really knew
better than the doctor would. Jenny may have been influenced by her love of
babies, but Kelly also realized what this meant for the movement. They both gushed
over it, which pleased Alex, since it took the pressure off him for a little
bit. He noticed Henry’s attitude as he watched their abundant enthusiasm,
though.
When Noel announced that she hoped she’d be showing the next
day or two, it led to some embarrassing questions from Jenny, which Kelly
quickly dismissed, telling her she’d talk about it with her later. No one knew
what she planned to tell her daughter, or even if she had any plans to, but so
far Cate and Gail hadn’t been very impressed with the decisions that Kelly had
made concerning this new aspect of her daughter’s life.
When they finished eating both Kelly and Jenny got a bit
antsy, though for different reasons. While her mom wanted to figure out what
the problem was as soon as possible, Jenny simply hoped the whole thing would
just go away. Instead, Alex told them he wanted to accompany Lekesia and Noel
to Dr. Lampre’s office. When Kelly looked questioningly at him, he simply told
her she had better facilities for such things, plus he thought he’d reward her
for being so helpful by demonstrating the benefits of their abilities. That
seemed to placate her, and everyone prepared for the big move, although Alex
had to remind them he didn’t want a crowd, again stressing how he wanted to
remain a simple kid on vacation to anyone observing him. Henry took Alex aside
as everyone was filing out, telling him he wasn’t comfortable joining a bunch
of women visiting a gynecologist/oncologist’s office.
“You and me both,” Alex said, agreeing with him. “If I never
have to visit a gynecologist’s office again I’d be more than pleased.”
When they arrived at Dr. Lampre’s clinic Diane was waiting
for them, and the nurse quickly led them back to an exam room, since Diane had
advised Hannah and the nurse that they were coming. Hannah quickly joined them
and was glad about the girls’ news, but like Henry remained skeptical that a
pregnancy could really be determined so early. However, the other girls
confirmed what Noel and Lekesia told her.
“You know, this helps define a sore point in the whole
abortion debate,” she casually told everyone. “For years both sides have been
fighting over what no one wants to admit, that essentially they’re fighting
over assumptions. On the one hand, the pro-lifers, while they’d never admit it,
seem to have adopted the idea of a preexisting soul from the Indian theory of
reincarnation. They seem to think that there’s this soul just waiting to be
born which gets assigned to a new body at the moment of conception, even if
there aren’t enough cells to support it yet. On the other hand, those who
believe in abortion seem to take their beliefs from the tabla rasa, or blank
slate concept, that says that everyone is born without any preexisting memories
in their heads. Thus they believe that the personality is formed based on the
accumulation of experiences, and that if there are no experiences, then there is
no preexisting personality.
“From what you’re describing, they’re both wrong, which is
what I’ve long believed myself. Although it appears the soul, or the
personality, whichever you care to call it, evolves over time, it is more
predetermined than the mere collection of memories. Each child seems to have
its own personality that is completely separate from its parents. Some parents
are lucky enough to have pleasant kids that mirror their own personalities,
while others seem to have kids whose personalities appear to have been picked
at random. Everyone likes to believe they are responsible for their kids’
behaviors, but that’s just not borne out by evidence.
“You’ll have to tell me how it develops in the next couple
of weeks. You said it’s slowly starting to develop its own personality, so I’m
anxious to learn how long that process takes and when its personality becomes
independent of its mother’s,” she told the girls.
“If you don’t mind,” Alex explained, getting Hannah off her
little lecture, “I brought Kelly, her husband Henry and her daughter Jenny
because she’s worried about something she saw in her daughter’s legs. She
doesn’t think she can take her to a doctor over it, but she’s worried about
it.”
“As long as you can do whatever you need to do while
masturbating into a cup, go ahead,” Hannah laughed. Henry clearly had no idea
what they were referring to, but she quickly went over what Kelly thought was
wrong with her daughter’s legs while Alex consulted with his other girls about
what they saw. They agreed that they saw a general dark area in Jenny’s shins,
though they didn’t know what it represented. Hannah could detect nothing
unusual, though.
‘I’m guessing it may be some kind of stunted growth,’
Liv told him, after Alex asked her advice, having the girls show her what they
were seeing in Jenny’s legs. ‘It’s possible her legs aren’t going to grow
properly and what we’re seeing is the source of the problem.’
‘So I guess the best bet is to address what we see, even
if we don’t fully understand it,’ Alex replied. ‘I’ve worked with
problems in bones before, so at least I know how to approach it, and I’ve got a
few eyes here to guide me.’
Alex stepped up to the prone girl and moved his hands over
her shins, never quite touching them, a habit he’d picked up working with burn
victims and highly contagious people in the hospital. Jenny looked nervous,
although she was delighted to be the sole focus of Alex’s attention. She felt
confident in Alex’s abilities; even if Alex himself wasn’t sure he could
accomplish anything. Kelly looked hopeful and confident, while Henry simply
chose to reserve judgment, though he found the whole ‘laying on of hands’ to be
a bit over the top.
Guided by the girls, who were excited to be doing this for
the first time, Alex began applying energy deep within Jenny’s shinbones. It
took a little longer doing that, but it didn’t take long for the light her legs
gave off to brighten, and Kelly had to bite her lip to keep from shouting in
joy. When Alex finally dropped his hands, she leapt forward and wrapped Alex in
her arms, crying in relief.
Alex quickly separated from her, being careful to not piss
Henry off.
“I think she’ll be OK,” he told them. “You should keep a watch on her in the future, but her aura already
looks better. Hopefully that will hold up over time. Now, if you’ll excuse me,
I’ve got a tiny cup to partially fill.”
As Alex grabbed a cup from Hannah, she bent over Jenny to
see if she could see any differences herself, while the girls talked amongst
themselves and Kelly gratefully hugged her daughter and then her husband.
“The skin seems warmer to the touch, but that could just be
due to the light,” Hannah observed, not sure he’d accomplished anything at all.
However the others in the room didn’t need any convincing. They’d either seen
it themselves, or they trusted Alex’s abilities inherently. Generally it was a
very emotional scene that Alex was somewhat glad to have escaped. He really
felt for the mother and daughter, but he knew he already posed a problem for
their family, and he didn’t think his hanging around would help them any.
Kelly told Alex they had to be getting back as soon as they
left Hannah’s office.
“Hey, you came all the way down here for the day,” Alex told
her, “and I’m sure it doesn’t take that long to drive back home. If you’re
looking to maintain your distance from me, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying
the city, or more importantly talking to the other followers in the city. I
suspect Henry will find it educational as well as potentially a nice romantic
getaway.”
“That might help, giving him a little reward for trusting me
at least this once,” she replied, glancing at Henry to see how he’d respond.
However he simply shrugged so she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Thanks
for the suggestion, Alex. I figure we won’t see you again, so thanks for
helping Jenny. Even though Henry isn’t quite convinced yet, we both
appreciate it and I’ll remember this every time I look at her.”
“Yeah, she’s right, I’m still skeptical about it, but
I figure we owe you,” Henry responded shaking Alex’s hand for the last time. “I
guess there will never be any proof that you really did anything, but as long
as she grows up normally I’ll be happy. And personally, I wouldn’t mind getting
a nice cold mint julep while I’m here. It’s been a while since I was last here,”
he finished with a smile.
“Now aren’t you glad you came along on my ‘fool’s errand’?”
Kelly asked her husband with a heavy dose of ‘I told you so’ in her tone of
voice. “Now you have a healthy daughter, a happy wife and a chance to get drunk
while making sure I don’t sneak off to meet Alex in a dark corner. Really, you
need to start trusting me again. I didn’t lie to you about anything, and I
certainly don’t love you any less because Alex came into my life.”
Henry didn’t seem overly convinced, but he agreed he could
give her a bit more latitude, especially if they didn’t have any more run-ins
with Alex. After they said goodbye to the other girls they all parted amicably,
with little Jenny waving goodbye to him as they walked away. Alex waved back,
sorry to see the last of them as he silently wished Kelly good luck with her
husband.
‘So, are we going to be meeting you today?’ Alex
asked Patricia. ‘After all, you’ve got to introduce the next bunch of girls.’
‘Actually you’ve got a break today, as there aren’t any
girls who are fertile at the moment. So you can either take a day to relax,
pass the time with Gail and your sister, entertain a lonely little pregnant
singer, or even start on a few of the girls not looking to get pregnant at the moment.
But I don’t think you’ve got any shortage of women looking to spend time with
you.’
‘Yeah, you’ve got a point. Plus, each of the girls I’ve
been with wouldn’t mind a second or third chance at me,’ he assured her.
‘There is that. Personally, as much as I’d enjoy a
refresher, I’d advise taking the day off. You’ve got to be exhausted after
sleeping with so many women in such a short period of time. Especially seeing
how involved you get with each of them. Not to mention how many times you do
the deed, nor how much energy you exert modifying their brains.’
‘It sounds like a good idea, but I’ve been promising Cate
and Gail some time as soon as I was able to.’
‘She’ll be happy just being able to spend the time with
you,’ Patricia assured him. ‘More than anything else, Cate looks out for
you. The last thing she’d want would be you exhausting yourself. The same is
true for Gail. If you were injured by overextending yourself, she’d be more
upset than if you were injured by something she couldn’t defend against. Take
the time to relax. You’ll have time to spend with them once we hit the road.’
‘Perhaps, but then I’ll be meeting people on the road.
It’s like a never ending treadmill,’ Alex complained.
‘Then you need to relax for a moment and stop running so
hard,’ she reminded him.
‘I’ll take that into account. Now, I’m meeting with Jenny
Cox and her husband Tommy in a little while. Did you want to be there for that?’
‘Hmm, are you asking me if I want to spend time with my
favorite guy and the father of my child?’ she laughed briefly. ‘But
honestly, I think if we got together I’d end up hauling you off to bed. You’re
safer with Jenny. At least she’s already spoken for.’
Alex agreed and thanked her before ending the discussion.
“Well, it’s nice to see you again, Jenny,” Alex greeted her
as he entered the restaurant, after she jumped up to meet him. “And I see
you’ve brought your husband. I take it you’re Tommy.”
“Yeah, I am. As you may have guessed, I’ve heard a LOT about
you. It’s one thing to hear your wife rant and rave about some screen idol at
the movies, but it’s another when it’s a young angel here in town with us.”
Alex laughed, “Well, you have nothing to worry about. I’m
interested in preserving families. I’m not about to undermine my followers by
cheating on their spouses.”
“That’s what Jenny keeps telling me. So far, I have trouble
believing everything she tells me about you. But none of it is quite fantastic
enough to have been invented, and it certainly sounds complicated enough to be
true.”
“Yeah, that’s my life all right, complicated,” Alex replied
with a laugh. “So how do you feel about having the child of a man your wife
thinks so highly of?”
Tommy returned Alex’s laugh. “You don’t fool around with
pleasantries, do you?” He turned so he could face Alex directly. “Frankly, I’d
prefer it if you lived in Tibet, but I like what I hear about you, and I like
how you’ve been organizing your followers. I think you’re serious about what
you’re doing and about your claims to respect families and friends. I’m not
sure about your need to sleep with so many people, but from how it’s been
described to me, I guess I can understand it. It still sounds fishy, though, so
I hope you haven’t been making it up. But as long as you don’t try to pull
anything on my wife, I’m OK with it.”
“That sounds good. How well do you and Jenny get along? Both
before and after she learned about me?”
Tommy smiled again at Alex’s questions. “We get along well.
We haven’t been married long, so we’re still in the ‘madly in love’ stage. I
guess that’ll pass once we have a kid to focus on, but we’re doing pretty well
now. As for how we’re doing once she got involved with your group, actually
it’s like she found a whole new focus to her life. She’s really perked up and
seems more excited about everything. I’ve met so many new people I can’t
believe it, and all of them have told us they’d support us if and when we get
pregnant. So I don’t have a problem with you, or with her reactions to you. We
trust each other, and I support her in this new mission of hers. And if you
represent the future of those like her, and potentially of our future kid, then
you can count me among your other followers. One of those few male type 3s,” he
said, showing he knew a thing or two about Alex’s past and present.
Alex turned and smiled at Jenny, his second Jenny of the
day. “I think I like your husband. You’ve got yourself some sperm and you’ve
also got yourself a job. I’ll have Patricia direct everyone wanting sperm from
me, both while we’re here and after I’ve left and am no longer available for
more direct transmissions. You know what I’m looking for, so you know the
questions to ask and who to approve.” He walked up to her and shook her hand,
then couldn’t resist and gave her a quick hug. “Welcome aboard.”
Turning, he again faced Tommy. “I hope you’re serious about
not being bothered by your wife’s involvement in my affairs, because I think
you both are going to be pretty heavily involved for some time to come.”
The husband and wife exchanged a quick reassuring glance
before Tommy shook Alex’s hand. “We’re glad to be a part of your group. You
seem to be doing a good thing here. Again, I’m not sure about how you’re doing
much of it, but I guess you can’t help it if you’re facing the limits you
describe. So yeah, count us in.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Alex replied, “I’d like to buy you
both a beer, but unfortunately I’m too young to do so, so how about if I buy
you dinner instead?”
“Well, there’s one other thing we need to discuss first,”
Jenny told Alex.
“OK, you’re in charge, what’s the problem and how can I fix
it?” Alex responded.
“Well, it’s a question of perspectives, so the answer might
be a personal one. There’s someone here I think you need to meet.” Jenny turned
and motioned someone sitting at the other end of the cafe from them. A larger
woman with her hair pulled back got up and made her way towards them.
“I felt it would be better if she could express her concerns
herself, as her passion might make a difference in your acceptance,” Jenny
continued.
Alex nodded, wondering just what kind of problem there could
be. He regarded the woman walking towards them and didn’t see anything that
would mark any difficulties she might have. She looked confident, strong and
self assured. The thing he noticed about her was... that she couldn’t meet his
eyes.
“Alex, this is Lauran Fraser. Lauran, this is our Alex,”
Jenny said, introducing them. Lauran tried hard to meet Alex’s eyes, but she
was unable to.
‘I take it we met at the park the other day?’ he
asked her.
“Yes, sir, we did,” she said speaking out loud, though Alex
wasn’t sure if she did so Jenny and her husband could hear, or because she
wasn’t comfortable speaking telepathically.
“So Lauran, what issue do you have for me today?”
“I’m familiar with what you’re doing for the fertile Seers,
and from what I understand from Jenny you’re also going to allow couples to use
your sperm to have their own babies, what I was wondering was...” Here she
hesitated, seemingly a little unsure of herself. However she steeled herself
and continued on, “I wanted to know if you’d approve of nontraditional
families.”
“Nontraditional?” Alex asked, trying to keep a straight
face. “Do you mean Jewish/Arab, or Male/Female/Labrador?”
“Oh, no,” she replied, looking stricken by the suggestion,
“I mean either lesbian or gay.”
“That’s what I thought you meant,” Alex responded, with an
easy laugh. “I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but my bodyguard over there is
a lesbian. Not only that, but she plans on having a baby, my baby that is, when
we get back from this trip across country.”
Lauren has the sense to blush. “I had heard that, but I
wasn’t sure. I also heard that was a special case, since you slept with her.
Supposedly both her and her partner, so I wasn’t sure how you’d feel
about a committed lesbian relationship.”
“Hey, I’ve got no problems with that,” he assured her. “The
only reason I slept with them is because the attraction between me and the Seers
is usually so intense that it tends to naturally progress to something more.
Gail had never been with a man before, so she was surprised when she felt
attracted to me. But I figure it’s more a matter of who you’re attracted to versus
who you fall in love with. We felt a great attraction for one another, but it
doesn’t change the fact that she’s essentially a lesbian. Basically she’s lucky
that I normally sleep with a lot of playful naked women, so she’s got something
to focus on besides my ugly man parts.”
“Wow, you really are as wonderful as everyone describes you.
I guess I’m like your Gail. I’m a confirmed lesbian, but I could see making an
exception in your case. But like I said, I’m in a relationship and I’m not
willing to jeopardize it even for you.”
“That’s fine,” Alex reassured her. “I’m a definite believer
in family, friends, and in strong primary relationships. I wouldn’t want you to
put your partnership in trouble. I’ve got no problems not sleeping with people.
I’ve already got way too many people wanting to make love with me as it is. I’d
really rather not make love to so many people. I only wanted one
girlfriend. Now I’ve got dozens of them and, frankly, it’s getting to be a bit
much. The only reason why I’ve been sleeping with the girls wanting to get
pregnant here is because they wanted to, but I also wanted to get a good feel
for them, to ensure they were doing this for the right reasons.”
“There’s actually a bit more to it than that,” Cate said,
walking up and speaking for the first time. “When Alex activates people, he
seems to trigger some deep seated emotional response in those people. He also
seems to establish one, though not quite as strong, with the Watchers he gets
close to as well. There’s still a lot we don’t know about it, but that much is
pretty obvious.”
“Well, I hope I didn’t insult you asking you these
questions, but I wanted to make sure,” Lauren answered before once again
hesitating, making Alex think she had something else to say on the subject.
“Yes, Lauren, what is it? Do you actually have that Labrador
hidden away back in your closet?” Alex tried joking, although he wasn’t sure
just how appropriate it was to try that joke at the moment.
“No, no, no Labradors. But I’ve got some gay friends.
They’re also interested in children. They’ve been interviewing with girls
who’ve accidentally gotten pregnant, but—”
“But it’s hard to find someone they can work with?” Alex
replied, filling in the most likely answer for her. When she nodded her head he
continued. “Well, there might be a little problem there. I’m not very good at
producing the babies myself. I’m better at the sperm production side of
things.”
“Oh, no, I actually connected them to some of the girls in
the movement here, some who are anxious to help the movement but who aren’t
ready for a family yet. They’ve agreed they’d have a baby, but only your
baby, and that they’d want to be involved with it, but only if they were free
to pursue their education, careers and relationships as well.”
“Wow, it sounds like everyone wins. I can’t believe you
could even make an arrangement like that, but if you can, then I’m proud of
you. I’ve got no problems with it, though, and Jenny, if this kind of thing
ever comes up again, I’ve got no problems with multiple marriages either,
although you’d have to look at them carefully, because I do have a problem with
families where the women don’t have any power, any say, or any choices.”
That was too much for Lauren, she launched herself at Alex
and enveloped him in a big hug. “You certainly seem like a stand up guy. I hope
those ideals stand up after you’re...” but she couldn’t bring herself to finish
the idea.
“After I’m gone, you mean,” Alex finished for her.
“I’m sorry, but yeah,” she told him. “I don’t think I need
to tell you, but religions tend to change after their initial founder dies. And
then they change even more as they get organized, and the various factions
fight over what rules to enforce and which to completely ignore.”
“Hey, you don’t have to preach to the choir. I’m not a big
fan of the church myself, although I’m pretty sure you already knew that.”
“Yeah, we’ve heard a thing or two about it,” Lauren replied,
finally realizing she was still hugging Alex, quickly letting him go.
“Look, why don’t we have another big dinner. See if we can
get a reservation somewhere for all of us. I expect to see your better half,
Lauren, as well as your gay friends, and maybe even their surrogate.”
“We’ll see if we can make arrangements,” Jenny assured him.
“It may be a bit late to arrange, but we’ll try to fix something up. If nothing
else we’ll meet at our house and order in. It may not be as fancy as you’re
used to, but it would be more comfy.”
‘Patricia, we’re putting a dinner together with a bunch
of us. This is your last chance. Want to be a part of it?’ Alex asked.
‘Alex, I’m always interested in spending time with you,
but as I said, I’m sure there are many people there who’d give their left nut
to sleep with you, if they had one that is. Sleep with someone else. I’ll get a
chance at you when we start traveling. Go have fun.’
‘OK, you said it yourself so I’ll take your word for it.
But I don’t think there’s much chance of me sleeping with anyone tonight.’
‘You always seem to discount your own appeal, Alex. I
think they may just surprise you,’ Patricia told him.
‘Well, I’m not planning on testing that particular
theory. I like everyone involved too much,’ Alex told her before returning
to the others, not explaining the real reason was that everyone he was meeting
with was either gay, in a committed relationship, or both, but he kept
Patricia’s warning in mind, making sure he wouldn’t be asked to cross a line he
didn’t want to. He explained to the others why Patricia wouldn’t be there.
They soon broke up, though, as Cate was anxious to drag Alex
back to the apartment by way of a wandering tour of the French Quarter. After
all, Alex needed to dress up for this event. The Angel of New Orleans needs to
keep up his appearances, doesn’t he?
Alex and Cate were walking along the streets near the
waterfront when Alex got a desperate message.
‘Alex, you don’t know me, this is Heather, but there’s a
crisis.’
‘Whoa, hold on, Heather,’ Alex instructed her, trying
to calm her down as he stopped to deal with whatever the issue was, seemingly
staring off into space. To help make it look more believable, Cate slipped her
arm through his and stared off into the distance beside him, resting her head
against his arm. ‘First of all, it’s nice talking to you. Now take a break
and tell me what’s going on.’
‘There’s a bunch of us here. We’re outside of Peter’s
coffee shop. But that reporter is here, asking everyone a bunch of questions.
No one was sure how to respond, so they came to me, who most people around here
recognize as being a Seer. We need some lead here. Should we talk to him?
Should we ignore him? Should we tell him something specific?’
Alex groaned, but only verbally, keeping his telepathic
communications calm and collected.
‘Well, hesitating isn’t the best approach, but we can’t
make up for bad planning. Let me think about this for... I’ll tell you what.
Speak to him honestly and openly. You can tell him what you feel, but just
remember these rules. No discussing private details, so don’t mention me or
anyone around me by name, or give any details about what we did that the person
involved may object to. Secondly, keep everything general. You can discuss your
role in the organization, but don’t mention visions or telepathy. That would
just panic people. Finally, stress how I’m just one of many angels scattered
across the world. Mention that the real power resides with Alexandria, but that
you’ve never met her. I want to keep attention focused on her, so there’s less
directed at me. Do you understand all of that?’
‘Yeah, I got it. Everyone is watching me, including Mr. Rodriguez,
so I’d better get the message spread pretty quickly. I’ll report what happens
in a little while,’ Heather told him.
‘Don’t bother, Heather. I trust you. Just speak from your
heart, but don’t reveal anything that anyone would feel embarrassed by. We can
discuss what happened later, but I’m not going to be in town forever, so
everyone is going to have to figure out how to deal with these issues as they
come up. Good luck, Heather.’
With that Alex turned, kissed Cate, telling her he was sorry
for getting distracted and they resumed walking. But he got another message
from someone else he hadn’t yet met personally.
‘Alex, you don’t know me but...’ she began.
‘Hey, if you can reach out to me telepathically, then
believe me, we’ve met. Now I may not have had a chance to get to know you
individually, but you can speak to me whenever you feel it’s important. Now
tell me your name and then tell me what’s happening.’
‘My name is Harriet, sir, although most people call me
Harry. My father thought it was a great joke at the time. Anyway, I wanted you
to know that there are a couple of protests going on today. I’m at one at one
of the larger Evangelical churches. I know the paper came down pretty hard on
the protest yesterday, but it doesn’t seem to have dissuaded these from
starting up today. I thought you’d want to know about it.’
Alex sighed, even though she couldn’t hear it. He was tired
of dealing with people constantly wanting to address him with reverence, but
knowing now was not the time or place to pick a fight over it. The matter she
was bringing to his attention was more important than matters of simple
protocol.
‘Well, thanks for keeping me informed, Harry. Does it
look dangerous? Is anyone being threatened? Are you in any danger there?’
Alex asked.
‘No, sir, so far there aren’t many non-church members
involved, and I’m making sure to stay out of their way. There’s no way of
identifying me as one of your followers, but given their mood, I’m not about to
give them a chance to blame someone for their own problems,’ she replied.
‘That makes sense. Keep on the outskirts but try to keep
a watch over them. If you can, or if they do anything inflammatory, see if you
can get a video of it. If we need to we can show extreme behavior to the media
and hopefully they’ll help put it into perspective, but I doubt we’ll be able
to manage everything. What’s the tenor of the meeting?’
‘They have placards saying things like “A Woman’s Place
is Serving Her Man, Not Replacing Him”, and “We Don’t Need a New Religion That
Replaces Men”,’ she informed him.
‘Good, it sounds like they’ll do themselves more damage
than they will us. Be safe, but try to capture enough to be useful. I’ll give
you the number for Lisa Woodall. She’s a reporter that’s been helping us, so
she’ll try to get any video you take to someone who will report it honestly.
Hopefully, at least. And thanks for keeping an eye out for this kind of thing
for me,’ Alex replied.
‘It’s not just me, sir. A bunch of us set out this
morning to monitor the various churches across town. There’s also a similar
group at the Catholic Cathedral. I don’t think it’s any more widespread than
that at the moment, but we’ll keep you informed if it spreads or if it gets any
worse.’
‘Wow, thank you, Harry, I had no idea I had people so
active in tracking these events down,’ Alex said.
‘How do you think so many people responded yesterday when
you stumbled into one? We were already watching it. We’d have warned you ahead
of time, but they didn’t have any Seers amongst them, and they thought running
up to you would attract more attention than stopping you would divert,’ she
replied.
‘That makes sense. Thanks again. I’ll have to do
something to make it up to you.’
‘I’m doing this because I can, and because I’m anxious to
help you help each of us. It’s important we protect each other, so it’s not
really an imposition.’
‘Still, I’m appreciative. Keep me informed if anything
else happens. Also contact Patricia if you have any recordings, as I’m sure
she’ll find a use for it as well.’ Alex said, ending the conversation. He
turned back to his sister and told her what had happened as they strolled the waterfront,
simply enjoying each other’s company rather than worrying about what they
couldn’t control. Either it would blow up, or it wouldn’t. Worrying about it
wouldn’t make it any more or any less of an event than it already was.