Invisible EmpireChapter 1 1985 1994
- 4 years ago
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You can see us, but you do not know where we are.
You can hear us, but you do not know what we are.
You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are.
We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world.
PREVIOUSLY:Stanley Chen becomes cognizant of his abilities while still a pre-teen. He accidentally uses his "gift" to persuade his tutor, an older girl named Janet, to seduce him. They engage in a secret, furtive relationship for four years before financial difficulties keep Janet at a distance in college.
Near the start of his junior year in high school, Stanley meets a young latent empath named Melanie. While he considers her too young to be attractive, the girl nonetheless becomes a psychic groupie. At the same time, Stanley fosters a relationship with two more girls: one his age named Rachelle, and a younger girl, Shawn, whom he treats with sisterly affection.
Stanley's time is severely divided among his various interests: love, academic, family, and otherwise, damaging his academic career and forcing him into community college. Here, he meets a girl who is equal (perhaps even greater) in mental powers who finds in him some commonality in lifestyle. As his first year of college ends, Stanley meets a mysterious man who wields much knowledge and power in the invisible empire.
DARK RECKONINGRachelle lay atop me, her smooth thighs slid enticingly over my crotch, threatening to draw me out from my trance. I cupped one of her breasts and slid the length of my hand over her moist clam. She groaned and turned her head to the side, her lips aching for mine. I obliged her lusts but kept my inner focus on holding aloft a small barbeque grill outside in the backyard, a mere ten feet away from where Rachelle and I were making arduous love.
I would have gladly broadcast my conquest to my bi-curious Cossack cutie, but her dance practice began in early evening at her new school. Viktoriya threatened that if I played even one of my mind-pranks on her while she was in class, she'd break into my house and tear me a new asshole. In any case, it was the perfect excuse to practice my other exercises.
My lovely black beauty, Rachelle Elizabeth Hollister, had come back for a visit to her parents, but she could not stay long. We met and chatted about our academic lives, then quickly made up for some lost time. However, little did Rachelle know that I was slowly evolving; after having met Tseng, I felt a new confidence surge through me as I began pushing the limits of my gifts. I learned to improve my efficiency and potency, but I also possessed more gifts than I originally thought I had.
For example, I didn't know I was a psychokineticist. I found I had affinity for telekinesis after I met Tseng. He surmises that Viktoriya's proximity may have triggered my latent gifts. That, or I subconsciously learned from being with her. In the meantime, the strength of my mental projection increased, along with my psychic defences. However, my ability to persuade others pretty much remained unchanged.
In regards to conversational persuasion, I couldn't tell someone to do what I wanted off the top of my head, but given enough preparation, I could nudge someone in the right direction or even induce an itch; it's hard to concentrate once you're scratching incessantly. As for my gift to persuade others to not see me, someone who wanted to look for me would eventually find me. Thankfully, I hadn't given anyone the reason to do so.
Tseng found me though. I realized then it didn't matter how powerful I would be, he was far more powerful than I could imagine. As I entered Rachelle with my wrapped cock, I found myself distracted as I wondered about my eccentric mentor.
I ran through my chat with Tseng again. He had walked with me and asked me some direct questions: how long had I been using my gifts, where and when did I use them, and how many girls had I absconded with. I answered his first questions without aplomb or hesitation, but I took offence at his last question. Tseng took notice and regarded me with his well trained eyes.
'You can hide in your self-made harem all you want boy.' His thought-speak was harsher and louder than his actual voice (which was quite tinny and unimpressive). 'But what do you think would happen if the families of those girls get wind of what you've been doing?' His eyes narrowed dangerously as he went on broadcasting. 'Do you think they would spare you trouble for any of that?'
I didn't have an immediate answer ready, so I kept silent. Tseng dug deeper and discovered my liaisons with Viktoriya and Melanie. The others he dismissed once he realized they were not exhibiting any tell-tale signs of our gift. When he explained his hypothesis of Melanie, I heard his tone soften. He seemed interested in meeting her, but he did not say so.
"She sounds passive," he said aloud in a hushed voice. "Keep her under control and she'll die happily as an old woman."
Tseng spoke normally that time. I suppose as powerful as he was, sometimes speaking naturally was just that: talking normally. In regards to Viktoriya, he seemed hesitant. It would be one of the few times he would be at a loss for words. After I described what I saw her do, Tseng explained she was indeed a psychokineticist. Possibly a quite powerful one with someone like me in her proximity.
"So what am I?" I finally asked.
"You are a catalyst, Stanley Chen," Tseng turned to face me with a flat, dead smile. "What powers you have, you piggy-back off others. When you are close to another of the empire, you both increase in power."
"Empire?" I blinked, not understanding. "What empire?"
It was then Tseng revealed the invisible empire and explained the rules of its citizens: do not reveal the empire or commit to actions that may expose it; do not interfere with the lifestyle of another subject of the empire, even if you may disagree with the choice of lifestyle personally; interfere only if the lifestyle threatens to expose the empire; when required, all citizens of the empire must unite and quell those who may expose our existence to the 'normal' world.
To this last rule, Tseng had taken it on himself to seek out "new citizens" and teach them how to properly use their powers, and with absolute discretion. At the time, I thought the empire consisted of telepaths like Tseng, Viktoriya and myself, and the occasional oddity like Melanie; little did I know it stretched to cover other sorts of weirdness.
Tseng was certainly unhappy when he heard about my experiments during my last trip to America's heartland. However, none of that seemed to be too obvious. He was surprisingly knowledgeable when I described the incident at the pizzeria.
"Thankfully, it was taken care of," he said simply.
I then realized that Tseng (or others like him) had been surreptitiously shadowing me for some time. I asked how long the empire had been watching me.
"Long enough," was the answer.
Tseng seemed to relax as he got the rest of my story. When I finished, he related an incident when one young fool decided to control a small town; Tseng confronted and destroyed him, then with a few others, psychically erased the trauma and physical evidence that the errant telepath had caused.
"It was a shame," his voice was banal. "He would have been a great citizen, had he just exercised some self control."
"You are telling me this why?" I asked.
"So you do not make the same mistake."
Then, to demonstrate how he had "neutralized" the problem, Tseng extended his arm to touch a nearby street lamp. His fingertips barely scratched the surface but I heard a screech and saw the shavings fall from the metal surface.
"Discipline and control," Tseng regarded me with his cold dead eyes. "Without it, you will endanger yourself and the other two as well. 'Normals' --" he used a term unique in our kind's vernacular, a thought-symbol that combined the ideas of death, endless torture, and deadly experimentation by faceless men holding scary instruments, "-- must NEVER know what you are."
"So you would kill me," I said matter-of-factly. I lowered my voice, "And Viktoriya."
"Yes." His voice held no emotion.
"Yu-Ching too?" I glared at him. "She's harmless!"
"One is timid, the other brazen," the gaunt man said. "The little one won't warrant undue attention unless you cease watching her. Viktoriya can be dangerous, but she is not foolish. It is not her nature. You found that out personally."
My face flushed deep red. Indeed Tseng was right about Viktoriya. She had been spying on me before I was aware of her. How careless of me! I knitted my brow with worry.
"You will keep them under control for your sakes."
"Why me?" I asked. "You don't even know me."
"I know you enough that you will keep them docile until you tire of them," Tseng spoke of my darlings like disposable luxuries. "Then we shall see."
"That won't happen," I became defensive.
Tseng said nothing as we walked on a little more.
"You can meet them," I relaxed my tone. "Speak to them both as you are doing now."
"No."
He was firm but offered me no explanation for his refusal. Tseng instructed me in a way that only a telepath can: with sharp bursts of mental instructions. While I could withstand thought-speech with Viktoriya, it was different with Tseng. After a minute, I was dizzy and ill. I had to sit on the ground to pull myself together. The mysterious man didn't stick around though. He tersely imparted his message, his lesson, and that was it. When I looked up again, Tseng had disappeared and in my mind was a singular message:
'I'll be around.'
My thoughts drifted back to what I was doing. I ran through the choice bits of training and simply realized I just needed to practice. Multi-tasking was what I was working on now. Rachelle was lying under me, her warm body yielded to the pummeling I was giving her, but I kept concentration on keeping the grill in the backyard off the ground. Looking back at my meeting with Tseng was simply another exercise.
All this was taking a toll on me and I was straining. Rachelle could see me but didn't understand what I was preoccupied with. She thought I was trying hard not to cum so she decided to help me along. She entwined her arms around my neck and drew me down. Rachelle's scent drove me over the edge and I shot my load. At the same time, I lost my concentration and the grill crashed to the ground with a clatter.
"What was that?" Rachelle clutched me tightly.
Unlike Janet, I brought Rachelle home to meet my parents, especially since Andrew had met her last year. I introduced her not merely as my old classmate, but a girl whom I was dating. This gave us some measure of privacy. Nonetheless, Rachelle was shy about my parents (or worse, both our parents) walking in on us while we were making the sign of the inverted starfish. Like Janet, Rachelle learned to be very discreet about our love-making. The loud clatter in the backyard made her jump.
"It's probably just a cat," I groaned and ground my hips against hers, frustrated she had cut short my exercise.
"You should go check," Rachelle sighed and stroked my back. "You know, just in case."
"Yeah," I rolled off her, chucked the condom into the trash, and started dressing up.
"Stanley?"
"Yeah sugar?"
"Are you still seeing Janet?"
I looked back at Rachelle. She was sitting upright in my new bed. It was smaller since I had a drafting table in my room now. This mean when I had a girl over, I generally slept on the ground afterwards. Rachelle regarded me with sad, quiet eyes.
"What do you mean?" I sat next to her. Somehow, this was vaguely familiar. I had thought I had undergone something similar a year before.
"I could see it in your eyes," Rachelle cast a downward glance. "And there's a new picture of her on your desk."
"Oh." I cursed inwardly.
Janet had taken a new photo of herself (dressed in a spiffy business suit to match her new haircut) and Melanie planted the sucker in my room as a "sisterly" favor. Janet might as well have come into my room and pee'd all over the place to mark her territory. I looked at Rachelle and explained myself. I feared I had to relive my fiery argument with Janet all over again, but to my surprise, Rachelle didn't react as I expected.
In an ironic twist, she confessed that she had been screwing around down in L.A. While she flirted with a guy here and there, there was one in particular who she let him get a little closer. She fucked him a week or so before she flew back to the city. Ghandia hadn't a clue, or else she would've leaked it back to Faraz (then back to me) so this was news to me.
I didn't know if I should act elated or jealous, because frankly, I felt neither. Rachelle was entitled to do what she wanted with her body. While I enjoyed my time with her, I hadn't expressly asked for her to be exclusive. In fact, I had not even thought to bring it up while we were dating. So, I decided to approach it as gently as I could.
"Oh sugar," I patted her hand. "That's all right. You had fun and stayed safe right?"
Rachelle nodded, her eyes brimming with emotion.
"I'm sorry about Janet," I said. "But she's a good friend and we always played safe, as I am with you."
My black beauty bit her lip and looked so downcast I tried to soothe her.
"If I hurt you, I'm sorry," I forced myself to smile. "If you can't stand me, I'll go."
"I don't know what to say."
"Well, you always wanted to meet more of my friends right?" I joked despite the situation. "Even back in school!"
"Not THOSE kinds of friends." Rachelle made a face then her brow arched as she realized something. "That girl at the paper --!"
"Shawn," I put a hand on hers to calm her. "What about her?"
"Did you?" she glared at me. "And while we --?!"
"Yes," I confessed. "Her too."
"God," she inhaled sharply. "This, this is so --!!"
"Bohemian?"
Rachelle sniffed. She learned that term when we were watching that episode of M.A.S.H. one late night. It was the one when Major Winchester fell in love with the French army nurse. I was taking a humanities course at the time and was simply excited to have found a usage of the term. My black beauty had chided me about making television boring by turning it into, "edu-tainment."
"You know," I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Shawn wanted to get to know you. I think she admires you."
Rachelle scoffed and looked at me sternly. "Don't patronize me. I mean, would you like to meet Craig?"
"Sure," I shrugged. "If you're okay with it."
"Stanley, sugar." She stopped and soured; she called me that so often, it came naturally. "Look, I didn't mean it that way."
I patted her cheek and gave her an "Eskimo kiss" by touching my nose to hers.
"Rachelle. We're all adults. Let's not dwell over nothing."
My mind was both adventuresome and generous, and my spirit was infectious. I had grown, as did Rachelle. Such pettiness was not worth the strain on either of us. Soon, I could sense Rachelle let go of her jealousy over Janet as much as I did over her dalliance with some guy whose name I'd already forgotten. We stayed like that for some time before we spoke again.
"We're going to be late," I kissed her.
We got dressed and headed out. We were late for Jon-Peter's and Heidi's official engagement dinner party. To both our credit, Rachelle and I behaved like adults. Faraz, Ghandia, Jon-Peter's parents, Heidi's parents, and her brother Patrick were there to hear the good news. Together, Rachelle and I wished them happiness we both were searching for. It came for us later. Much later.
TASKED TO ASKAs my time at community college neared its end, I had the dubious opportunity to participate in the first of many assignments. The man Tseng had not spoken to me, physically or otherwise, for some time. Therefore it was very curious thing that I got a summons in the form of a mental flash. It was a quick and dirty thing: a still of a building, a clock, a day on the calendar, and then nothing.
Had I been a 'normal', I would have blanked out from the psychic shock. As I wasn't, I didn't. While I withstood the uninvited telepathy, it was unexpected, like lightning from a clear blue sky, and I nearly stumbled and fell. Thankfully, I was not alone.
In one of those rare days I had crawled ahead of my studies, I opted to spend a half day of leisure with two of my treasured darlings: Shawn Ellen Horten, who was about to graduate high school in a few short months and go onto San Jose State, and Melanie Chen, who had just celebrated her 13th birthday some weeks earlier and would soon attend the same middle school as my brother Andrew.
Shawn caught me by the arm, eliciting an immediate response from Melanie. I leaned on both girls and contented to simply sit on the nearest revetment at the zoo.
"Are you okay?" Shawn asked.
I nodded and gave her a pleasant smile. My lovely Anglo angel had lost much of her baby fat as her body began maturing; however, this did little to change her kind, thoughtful nature.
"I'll get you some water," Shawn looked around and spotted a water fountain. "I'll be right back."
The psychic disturbance was so startling, I could only nod in silent agreement. Melanie watched the older girl leave before she knelt before me.
"Take my drink Stanley," my littlest darling offered up her cup, still half-full of cherry slushee.
"I'll do that," I said, "If you cut that out right now."
Melanie quickly stood back up, still holding her drink before me. Yu-Ching had gotten into her pretty head that I would be more pleased with her if she adopted some more submissive positions she'd seen (or gotten hints of) on Chinese television. Those soap operas set in period China really made an impression on her. I'd often find Melanie kneeling, sitting, or positioning herself in a way where she'd have to look up towards me.
At first, I had gotten a mild kick out of it, as most of the other girls were nearly at my height (or taller) but soon, I realized she was using that to actively monopolize my attention (especially when the others were around). I decided to firmly (but gently) put my foot down, otherwise Melanie's inhibitions would run out of control.
Control and discipline. Those words made me gnash my teeth. Tseng's words. The only other who would be able to think-speak that clearly to me was Viktoriya, and she knew that I would not be seeing her today. I had told her I was to be indisposed.
'Indisposed my ass!' Viktoriya sniffed as she thought-spoke to me on Friday: 'You're planning to take that Exhibitionist-Slut and the Fat-Freckle-Face to the zoo!'
My ex-Commie cutie had some rather unkind nicknames for each of my other darlings. Janet, my devoted First she called Tom-Boy. Doubtless it was derived from not just her latest hair style (which made her appear like Joan Chen) but also from her forward nature. After all, Janet was the one who seduced me years ago.
Rachelle, the mulatto girl whom everyone else thought I was dating, Viktoriya had coined Two-Face. This was for her seeing another man when she was away at college and for her mixed blood. She didn't use that moniker much in my presence, for I knew she had wanted to make sapphic overtures towards Rachelle.
Shawn received the dubious moniker of Fat-Freckle-Face because, according to Viktoriya, it was my angelic baby girl's plump body that drove me crazy. My Russian beauty's most vicious barbs though, was retained for a fellow empire citizen: the latent empath Melanie. She heaped on a different derogatory epithet each time she'd bring up little Chen.
While I never thought Viktoriya would never be jealous of my dalliances as I could be more of hers, my dance-loving darling's comments did give me pause as I pondered who would've pinged me so strongly. It didn't feel like Viktoriya, although we could both send something fairly strong and brief without identifying ourselves in the process. That meant it had to be him.
Tseng. What the hell did he want? As I sat wondering about the message, Shawn had come back with a cup of tap water. She saw me me holding Melanie's cup of crushed ice, my eyes staring at nothing in particular. She sat down beside me and proceeded to bump me out of my reverie.
"Hello? Earth to Stanley?" Shawn put her hand gently on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
I nodded as I swapped drinks. "Thank you."
"Geez," Shawn looked at me with worry, "If you're that tired, you should stay home and get some rest."
Melanie puffed up her tiny chest and was about to say something, but I stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm.
"I'm all right," I said. "Being cooped up in my room half the time is enough. C'mon, let's go to the monkey house --" I eyed Melanie "-- or whatever else you two want."
"Pandas!" Melanie smiled brightly.
Shawn grinned, as did I. She was a little more understanding with my different liaisons than Janet and Rachelle. Perhaps it was because she already knew I was slamming Rachelle and Janet before we got more intimate. The "other woman" already knew all the players but she (thankfully) wasn't jealous. I suppose that was what made our relationship work.
It was near evening when I headed back home. I wanted to accompany Shawn back to her place, but she told me it wasn't necessary.
"I'm a big girl now Stanley," she poked me in the ribs, just as she did when we were younger.
I gave her a tender kiss on the forehead before I hopped off the bus with Melanie. I had to escort her home (likely on pain of death) as I had promised her folks I'd get her home safe and sound before dinner. Now that her family knew she was seeing a boy nearly seven years her senior, they wanted to take no chances; Melanie often had to be home before dark.
For Yu-Ching, it was a mix of the good and bad. It was good that our relationship finally saw the light of day, although Melanie tread a very thin line when her mother and father pressed her for what intimate acts we may have done together. She held on fast and stuck to the story she and I concocted. It was a mix of fact and fiction: she had met me as a classmate of Andrew's, and started hanging around me to learn how to cook.
After a few impromptu interviews, I got Andrew to cover our story. My innocent mother (who knew almost all of Andrew's friends) thought something fishy, but she eventually trusted my brother when he vouched for Melanie's story. Since my father was generally not home (or asleep) he came to know the situation only through my mother. He and I had "the talk" and realizing I had been dating Rachelle until recently, he asked what the hell was wrong with me.
Luckily, O.J. Simpson provided a good fictitious reason. Rachelle and I both were in agreement in suspecting the fellow had a guilty conscience (or at least a lot of knowledge about what happened). However, the case was dividing L.A. (and the rest of the country) along racial lines. To those who bugged me about details of why we broke up, I simply hinted O.J.'s trial as a possible reason. After this, questions about Rachelle were confined to gutter talk and idle gossip.
It worked out in the end. This shaky interim arrangement was the reason which allowed me to take both Melanie and Shawn out for some quiet time. Unfortunately, it was interrupted quite suddenly and rudely by that damned Tseng. When I got home, I finally deciphered the mind-message I was sent: I was to meet someone downtown, next week, sometime around morning (I cannot give the exact time and place for reasons soon to be evident).
I silently cursed, because it was during one of my heaviest scheduled school days. I lay back in my tiny bed and wondered if I should go. What power did Tseng have anyway to interfere with my life? I decided to ignore it and concentrate on my studies. No sooner than I settled on that decision when a powerful thought-symbol came to me: 'No joke.' 'Be there.'
I cringed and acquiesced to an unwanted invitation. I packed my usual, thinking it might be a brief meeting, before I went back to class. I hopped off the bus somewhere in downtown and began walking towards the building I was supposed to be at. Thankfully, I had not met Viktoriya that day. I found out later that I had just missed her by a few minutes.
I soon found the place. It was a huge Federal building, full of clerks, administrators, and other bureaucratic types. I wondered what to do as I wandered into the lobby. Tseng came up silently behind me. I didn't know he was there until I heard him greet me. As I turned, I sensed more instructions tingling in my mind.
'Do as I tell you Stanley Chen. We go into the lion's mouth now.'
We shook hands and he chatted amicably about the weather, the traffic, and the lousy bus lines as he continued his thought-speak. I came to realize this was a ruse of some kind. Tseng wanted to show me something. Something that the 'normals' in the building (especially the ones armed with lethal weapons) had no knowledge of. He continued the tour in thought-speak.
'I am going to introduce you to a NSA field director.'
'The NSA?' I wondered as we swept past the security checkpoint to the elevators. 'Isn't that like the CIA or something?'
'Something yes. But different.' Tseng pushed the elevator button, and asked aloud if I like coffee. I demurred with an audible reply.
'NSA (National Security Agency) does not exist, much like we do not exist.' He continued showing me around with 'words' only I could hear. 'They conduct espionage on everyone. Spying. Listening. Eavesdropping.'
Tseng looked at me. 'Make love to Chen Yu-Ching and they can hear it all.'
A shock hit my body. What was going on? What was this all about?
'It is not the girl you should worry about.' He thought-spoke. 'This easily transcends your indiscretions.'
I felt my cheeks flush then realized it was foolish. Tseng and I were the only ones in the elevator. I had not hid my thoughts well.
'Someone at the agency thinks you may be a handy asset.'
"What?" I blurted aloud, breaking the physical silence between us.
Tseng smiled but his attitude was cool. 'Stay silent. I told them you may be a -- as they term it -- talent.'
'I thought we weren't supposed to say what we were!' I began casting about looking for a way out.
'The empire is safe.' Tseng became thoughtful. 'But that fight you had back in school didn't escape notice.'
'You lied.' I stared coldly at him. 'You told me you took care of that. The records I mean.'
The elevator's doors opened and we stepped out. I didn't have much choice.
'The official records yes.' Tseng seemed to utter a sigh. 'But you were reckless. Do you remember the girl in Utah?'
It was my turn to be thoughtful. Finally, I replied. 'I think so.'
'She was cattle of another citizen.' The old man stopped to drink at a water fountain.
'Oops.' I didn't realize I had trespassed into another telepath's domain.
'You were reckless.' Tseng repeated and resumed walking. 'But Lillian was both reckless and careless. From the faint telepathic imprint you left, she began looking through government databases for someone like you instead of going through more subtle channels.'
'Government databases?' I asked as we shuffled down the hall at a slow pace. 'I don't get it. Who's Lillian?'
'Someone you do not need to worry about.' His empty and hollow tone hinted at her fate.
'So what now? You're going to shove me off the building?' I peered around and asked aloud, "How high are we?"
"Seventy eight stories," Tseng answered in his tinny voice to my audible question. He fell back to thought-speech immediately.
'If I wanted to kill you, I would have not approached you before witnesses. Now listen carefully.' We stopped at the end of the hall and Tseng knocked lightly on the door. 'Certain elements of the agency believe there are telepaths in the world. This, for all intents and purposes, will be true.'
I eyed him warily as I examined the room we entered. Two men were immediately visible in the middle of the room. A suited man with short black, curly hair sat at one end of a plain metal prison table. The fellow's huge face and bulk were evident despite his sitting position. Tseng in the meantime, seemed to hurry along his briefing.
'What they do not know, and SHOULD NOT KNOW, ' he emphasized quickly with his thought-speech, 'Is how many of us there are; that we are organized; that we know probably more than they know.'
Jesus Christ, I thought. This was turning out to be quite a day.
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Hi, I'm Bill Condrief and I'm the Chief Computer Systems Administrator for FirstBanc of Texas. Well, I used to think that computers were my life, but the Y 2 K computer problem changed all that for good. It was kind of interesting how it happened, so let me tell you all about it. Every one of the Computer System Administrators and Technical Programmers working at FirstBanc Headquarters was told to come in on the night of December 31 just in case anything went wrong when the year changed...
This a story, and no more than that! I could not go home for the winter break due to tons of things to do about my college thesis, so I stayed in my adopted town in the Pacific North west, so Keela my running teammate. She had the same problem, she was writing her thesis as well. Christmas went by and I spent it in my apartment by myself and tons of papers everywhere, I had chinesse take out. New Year’s eve came along and I decided to call my friend to see what she was planing to do. It was...
This a story, and no more than that!I could not go home for the winter break due to tons of things to do about my college thesis, so I stayed in my adopted town in the Pacific North west, so Keela my running teammate. She had the same problem, she was writing her thesis as well.Christmas went by and I spent it in my apartment by myself and tons of papers everywhere, I had chinesse take out.New Year's eve came along and I decided to call my friend to see what she was planing to do. It was a...
Doug was heading to work, so I took the opportunity to call Phyllis, knowing she would be free to speak candidly. After exchanging pleasantries, I came to the point. "Your husband seems serious about wanting to go into the auto parts business," I said as an opener. "I know. He says you're being very helpful." "We've talked about it a couple of times. That's about it." "I think it's wonderful that you're taking such an interest in his plans, Sammy." "Phyllis, are you...
Questions flooded my mind as I drove to Mrs. Cynthia Collingsworth's house on Sunday night. Why had I let Doug drag me off on a camping and fishing weekend, and why had I tried to help him with a business plan? Why had I tried to help Jessica? Why did I want to believe that Cynthia trusted me? Was there a connection between these questions? Did it have something to do with retaliating against Kelley for trying to turn Cynthia against me? Phyllis had commended me for trying to help her...
Cynthia had just expressed interest in hearing about the burr. It was not something that I made a habit of telling others about, but that night in her garage when she'd boasted that she knew everything about me, I'd told her that if she didn't know about the burr, she knew nothing about me. It was a reasonable request. Mrs. Cynthia Collingsworth had just made room in her closet for me to store the clothes she'd purchased for me. The razor and other toilet articles she selected were clear...
Tom Pierce and I compared notes about our trip home. Mine was only a little over a half mile after he dropped me off at the gated community, but I made it sound more grueling than his fifteen miles. I told him about the snowdrifts, how I'd had to knock on three doors before Margaret let me in, and that I'd not ventured out of the house again until that morning when I drove Cynthia to work. What I didn't tell him was how it felt to have Cynthia sleep on top of me, how sensitive her breasts...
Cynthia's insistence that I be there to meet her investment advisor and his wife was so persuasive that I couldn't turn her down. We were waiting around the corner, dressed in the same clothes we'd worn to work that day, when Robert opened the door and welcomed the couple to Mrs. Collingsworth's home. David Ferris was about an inch taller than me, slight build, and parted his thinning hair in the center of his head. I had mixed feelings about him as Cynthia introduced me, simply, as...
Mr. Tom Collingsworth's visit to his new space in our building was heralded as a major achievement for us. Having a member of the board of directors of some of our realty trusts house his company in the headquarters building was viewed as a prestigious event. John Oldham and Suzanne joined me in welcoming Mr. Collingsworth, and they hung around for the complete tour. Daniel McDonald actually wore a suit for the occasion. He proudly pointed out how effectively he had interpreted the...
Cynthia reached for my hand as soon as we were shown to our seats. I looked over at her and saw that she was staring at our hands on her thigh. The way she was gripping me made me wonder if she was afraid of flying. "I hope you didn't seat us in first class because of me," she said, still looking at the way our hands were joined. I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her middle knuckle. "You're a first class lady." "Thank you," she said, moving my hand back to her thigh. The...
We found Ned's car at the airport and drove to my house where my car had been left. I had a strong urge to go upstairs and open the birthday gift that had been left on my bed, but decided it would ruin the surprise when we came for dinner the following Tuesday. Anyway, it was late and I could see that Cynthia was anxious to go home. It was not until I opened the garage door that I knew why. The new car was parked in the fourth parking place, which had formerly been used to store unused...
The move on Friday proved to be such an exhausting day for Cynthia that she fell asleep while the hair stylist was trimming her hair. I put her to bed and kept her there until ten AM the following morning, refusing to let her go back to her office until she was fully rested. After a light breakfast, I told her to get dressed for work while I called Marcie. "You're such a dear for taking care of me, Darling. What would I do without you?" she asked, dodging my attempt to slap her on the...
The plane ride was a good time to reflect on the activities of the last few weeks and make plans for the immediate future. While I could cross off some of the items from my previous list, others were still pending. Meanwhile, new issues had popped up that needed to be added. The Baltimore building was presently in limbo. After a less than satisfactory meeting with Edith and Tom, it was a good thing that I had not made definite arrangements to meet Sandra Lynch there next week. Helping Doug...
Spring was in the air. The sun was out and evaporating early morning dew from the grass. It would soon be time to take the cover off of the Mercedes, but not today. I backed the Jeep out of the garage and waved to the gatekeeper as I headed for the Oldham house. John seemed excited about our meeting with Doug. He said he'd reviewed my report on the existing business, cost estimates to improve the building, and Wanda's analysis of achievable market share. "If this kid we're meeting is...
When Cynthia didn't come downstairs for breakfast, I ate quickly and went to check on her. She was coming out of the bathroom, wearing a silk robe that extended halfway down her thighs. "How are you feeling this morning?" She looked my way, probably stunned that I wasn't angry at being told to sleep in the next room the night before. I was angry, but I was doing my best to hide my feelings, knowing that she wasn't being herself. "I'm not hungry," she said, as if that answered my...
Jerry Bastian picked me up at the airport, and asked where I was staying. I told him to take me to the building, and that I'd check into the hotel later. Sandra Lynch was waiting for us, well, really just me. She looked surprised when I introduced her to Jerry. Sandra was no stranger. She hadn't changed from when we'd met at the Denver building. Her straw colored hair was longer than I recalled, but she still carried herself with an air of authority, and I found it hard to turn away from...
Karen had invited me to her girls' softball practice for the stated purpose of meeting some of her single ballplayers, but I don't think that was the reason at all. She didn't introduce me to her team, and accused me of disrupting the practice. During our brief conversation, she made a point of telling me to forget about the three remaining pips. She became provoked when I differed with her. One minute she was telling me to leave and the next she was saying that she needed a mixed doubles...
Waking in a strange place always requires a few minutes for me to get my bearings. The nightmare that comprised the last twenty-four hours flooded my mind. Dreaming of seeing Su Ling in a wet T-shirt, discovering that Cynthia had stolen my running shoes and the suits she had bought for me, attending Karen's softball practice, only to be told to leave, trying to work, but unable to concentrate, reminiscing about what had gone wrong with previous relationships, asking myself what they...
Wallet, car keys, key to the condo, what else? Should I change clothes? No, I'm ready to go. What was keeping me? Something was drawing me to the doors leading to the balcony. How many times had I looked down at the pool, the garage, the rolling lawn, and the tree line beyond? What had gone through my mind that day I awoke in July 1985, and looked down at my surroundings? The water looked inviting then, and it looks inviting now. One shoe hit the floor before I got to the door, the other...
Karen had left little doubt as to what she'd meant by, "I want the same as you, Sammy." Strangely, it was Tracy's question, "How's Becky?" that popped into my mind. Where was Becky now? Had she graduated from college last year and selected a career, or was she continuing her education? Would I ever see her again? Would she remember me? After John's Monday morning staff meeting, Ruby and I looked at the names of the people the managers were bringing with them. I was not surprised to...
The gate was open, just as she'd said it would be. I drove up the winding drive, hearing the crunch my tires made on the crushed stone, all the way to the rear of the Parker house. Karen came out of her cottage, and the first thing I noticed was her painted toenails. Her expression was somber, as she took one look at my car, and then at my travel clothes, short pants, T-shirt, and sneakers. "Wait here, I need to close the gate," she said, heading toward her in-laws' back door. I watched...
Our two nights and days in the hotel room were exhausting, but by Monday night I was looking forward to Karen's telephone call. "What are you doing?" "I'm making notes regarding the upcoming investors' meeting," I answered, knowing that I was giving her more detail than she wanted. Saying more about the investor's meeting would have been ignored. "Am I disturbing you?" "Not at all," I said, knowing what she wanted to hear. "I look forward to your calls." "You...
"How do you want me?" Karen asked. We were both naked, and the summer breeze was caressing my balls. We first tried placing her left foot on one of the benches, and I scrunched down to line us up. I had one hand on her back and the other one on her ass, as I eased in. "What's wrong?" she asked, when I stopped. "It's not working," I said, pulling out. My need was great, but paled compared to the possibility of hurting her. Karen demonstrated that her need was just as great as mine....
Karen and I schemed to arrange our next night together. She didn't want to impose on Gary again. I invited her and Kevin to come for a swim, but she shot that down, saying that it would be too obvious to John and Suzanne that we were fucking. The nightly telephone calls were always brief, often filled with innuendos and hints of breaking new boundaries. Karen seemed to be obsessed that our affair would continue, not that she called it an affair. She referred to our remaining 'times'...
Bolstered by the way John and Suzanne had accepted my handling of the Jack Piedmont matter, I walked into the office with a plan. I was making an appointment with HR when Wanda burst my bubble. "Everyone's talking about the trouble you made for yourself," she said. "What is everyone saying? Make it quick; I've got to run," I said, replacing the receiver in its cradle. "Jack Piedmont threatened to kill you if you looked at his expense reports. Is it true that you laughed and told him...
In addition to touring the building, seeing the progress being made, and visiting with Victor and Zelda, two significant things happened while I was in Denver. First, Barney let me know why he had not applied for the Vice President of Sales position. "You tailored the job description to fit the way you view the job. It reads like your own résumé. I wouldn't have a chance if you're vying for the job." Naturally, I denied that I had ambition to step into such a senior position in the...
I learned two very valuable lessons that night. First, it's not smart to park an expensive car on a dimly lit street in a poor neighborhood; and second, it's almost impossible to change a tire with a hardon, especially in a downpour. In addition to a slashed tire, the door on the driver's side had been damaged by a rock or a sharp object. Fortunately, the top had not been punctured. It had been years since I'd changed a tire. I cursed the rain and the person who had vandalized my car,...
Before leaving for the homeless shelter, I accessed the checking account I'd set up for Heather. To my surprise, the balance was only one hundred and seventy-two dollars. According to my calculations, she should have five hundred in the account after taking care of the start-up essentials I'd outlined. As I perused the amounts, it appeared that they conformed to the estimates I'd made, except one. I had several questions: What the fuck was the expenditure of four hundred and twenty-two...
Karen was standing next to the gate, dressed in black. She got in the car and that's when I noticed that the skirt was longer than the heavy pea coat. She directed me to turn right at the next corner, and turn again when we got to the alley. "Stop," she said, already opening her door and getting out of the car. I turned the engine off and got out, too. "What the hell is this?" she asked when she opened the back door. "A child's seat," I said, beginning to explain that K.O. had gone...
At the request of an astute editor, I am including a brief summary (or 'cheat sheet') of the characters who are in the story, "Invisible Empire." This is intended to help clarify who is who. While I have excised most of the plot spoilers, please note that there are still some reveals in the dossiers for each character. This file would be best read AFTER you've completed the entire story, or if you are truly lost. Characters are listed alphabetically by their first name, and each entry...
They were off to his Saturday night A.A. meeting. Jane’s mother had originally started going along “to be supportive”, as she’d explained to Jane at the time. Also to make sure he got there, Jane thought. But her mother had come to, if not enjoy the meetings exactly, look forward to them somewhat; to sitting and talking with the other wives and husbands in the same situation. This of course meant that, between A.A., the counseling sessions and her parents’ other commitments, many nights...
As Peter walked her home Jane told him the whole story of the Invisible Girl, and how she’d felt seen for the first time when he’d spotted her in the coatroom that night. How, even though she’d been terrified when he’d come into the girls’ bathroom and made her his slave, she’d also been thrilled by it because he really seemed to see her. How she’d been becoming more and more visible to other people. How she’d been doing better when reading in front of a class. “Though of course now I’m...
You can see us, but you do not know where we are. You can hear us, but you do not know what we are. You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are. We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world. PREVIOUSLY: Stanley's affair with Rosalind escalates until he includes his brother, Andrew, in the debauchery. This leads to domestic disharmony when Andrew's infidelity sullies an existing friendship Janet had with Andrew's ex-girlfriend's sister. This...
Outwardly she was still the Invisible Girl, for which she was thankful, because this allowed her to give her attention almost entirely to the stranger she had suddenly become. Who was this girl who had done all those things, things that played themselves over and over in her mind, things she had never even heard of but knew were bad, things that would shock anyone who knew her? Things she had only done because she’d been forced to, she told herself, but still things she was certain no other...
Alexander found whenever he became angry he would start to disappear. After several months he learned how to control his moods to the likeness of Hannibal Lector. Alexander kept his secret from all except his older sister. It wasn't long before Alexander used his talent to sleep with women. It was easy finding out what they liked by following them and listening in to conversations. He eventually found a girl he considered perfect. She was 5'7, blonde, with emerald eyes, and natural...
After nearly an hour of staring at my lack of a reflection in the mirror, I thought about being visible, and there I was again. It was amazing. I still can't explain how I came about this ability, there was no meteor or radioactive spider, tonight I could just...make myself invisible. I sat there, naked on my bed for the longest time, and the implications began to set it. That meant I could do pretty much whatever I wanted. I mean, how many guys haven't imagined strolling through the girls...
“Dr. Doe, I’m going to go now, will you be able to finish without me?” your hot assistant asks you. “Yes, don’t worry about it Kira. You go, I’m almost done and I’ll be going in a little bit.” You reply to her as you put a light blue liquid into a vial. “Oh if you’re almost done I’ll wait.” She says as she takes off her lab coat to reveal her hot tanned body is only being covered a small black mini skirt and top. “I don’ have anything planned tonight.” “No, no that’s OK.” You answer back not...
“I’m home...anybody here?” The voice from downstairs startled her awake. She didn’t remember drifting off, but she must have. And Peter must have as well, because his eyes were wide with dismay when hers snapped open in the twilit room. “Oh god, it’s my Dad,” she whispered. She jumped out of bed and ran to the bedroom door. She opened it, leaned her head out, and called, “Hi Dad! I’ll be right down!” She closed the door and hurried back to where Peter still lay on the bed, still...
“So—how did the dinner run go last night?” asked Suzy. She and Jane were unpacking and hanging a shipment of baby clothes at the back of the store while Mrs. Jorgenson minded the register. It was a rainy day, and there were no customers in the store. “Oh, fine,” replied Jane. “I just brought him some sandwiches and stuff. He works at The Word Works—you know, the bookstore?” “Oh sure.” Suzy concentrated for a moment on a tiny dress that wouldn’t stay on its hanger. Then she asked,...
You can see us, but you do not know where we are. You can hear us, but you do not know what we are. You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are. We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world. PREVIOUSLY: Stanley recollects what the older telepath Tseng reveals about the invisible empire. Tseng later introduces Stanley to "the agency" (the United States' National Security Agency, or NSA). Thus begins Stanley's involvement in agency operations,...
You can see us, but you do not know where we are. You can hear us, but you do not know what we are. You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are. We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world. PREVIOUSLY: Stanley develops his gifts further, and cements his relationships with his lovers. He also participates in a major agency operation that ends with mixed results. A talent named Phillipa is recruited but at a cost Stanley regards as...
Susan Storm-Richards floated in the Negative Zone, her communicator was totally busted. "Why did I not listen to Reed, I shouldn't have come here alone." She had responded to a signal from Rosetta Stone, a high ranking political figure in Shadow City, one of the many places in the Negative Zone that the Fantastic Four had visited. Now here she was floating aimlessly, as her comm system was busted on a floating asteroid when she came through the distortion area. There would be no signalling home...
Sue was disoriented. She had been separated from the rest of the team. She had fought a piece of the strange alien robot Reed warned them about. To her utter horror, a dinosaur like creature had lifted her off the ground in mid-battle. When she finally reacted with her force powers, she was dropped miles away from the team. Unfortunately, the fall broke her communicator and locater. It would be hard for Reed and the team to find her. To her own dismay, she decided to trudge out into the forest...
I awoke to a pounding headache, and aching eyes. The ground was damp and soft underneath my back as I held my head and tried to make sense of the world. Rolling onto my knees, I dragged myself up and the swimming world started to come into focus. I was in a forest, though I could hear the distant sound of traffic carrying in the still air. It looked about midday, and a sunny and pleasant one. Even as my senses cleared, my mind remained blank. I couldn't remember who I was or how I got here....
You awaken to the pitter patter of rain drops falling on your roof. Rolling over in an attempt to fall back asleep you accidentally fall off your bed landing with a thud on the floor. Groaning in pain you push yourself up walk to the bathroom. Turning on the sink you splash cold water onto your face. Slightly more awake now you look out the window and notice that it is still dark. A quick glance at the clock tells you that it is five A.M. You sigh and the sigh quickly turns into a long deep...
Eureka!!! After years of relentless research, you finally pulled it off. Your heart is beating a hundred times a second as you walk over to the test area. This makes up for all the time you spent buried in books, your almost total lack of utter human interaction, and the last 10 years of being so busy working you hadn't even had a single date. You lowered your head to eye level with the cage that looks to contain only a pet exercise wheel, food/water combo dish, and a motionless plane of cider...
Terry Mann was bored. What he thought would be an interesting well paid job in a laboratory not far from home admittedly paid well, but the job was routine testing for faults in various types of house paints and rather mundane though the company he worked for thought it rather important. It seemed the company Couldn,t get young people to believe it was so important as they seemed to have staff flow problems and though there should have been three technicians assisting Terry he coniually worked...
Though as it turned out her mother just stuck her head in to say good night before heading upstairs to bed. For the next two weeks the two of them played a kind of tag in school. Every so often she would look up—in study hall, or the lunchroom—to find him looking at her. Tag. And then his eyes would quickly look away. Walking out of a class he would spot her, just passing by in the hall, giving him a quick sideways glance. Tag. Once, at a school event, she had chosen an empty seat in...
As they continued along towards her house she suddenly remembered all her news. “Oh Peter, guess what?” she said. “My parents are going away for the whole weekend! You can come over!” She stopped, struck by a new thought. “Hey, why don’t you come over for dinner tomorrow night?” Peter smiled at her. “You can cook, too?” He looked thoughtful for a moment, and said, “God, that sounds great. We could actually just...be together. Yeah!” And he even gave a little jump as he said...
Jane was lying on the beach when she heard her mother calling, “Jane, we’re going into town now. Do you want to try to call Peter again?” She certainly did. She felt as if they’d been apart for weeks. She jumped to her feet. “I’ll be right there!” She grabbed her blanket and towel and took off for the cottage. The path meandered around the dunes but she was in such a hurry that she ran right up the dune in front of her. As she neared the crest there was a sudden excruciating pain...
You can see us, but you do not know where we are. You can hear us, but you do not know what we are. You can even speak with us, but you will not know who we are. We are an invisible empire, a secret kingdom, and we rule the world. PREVIOUSLY: Stanley relives the years between 2001 and 2007. Now a young father, he lives with his wives in San Francisco, and further masters his gifts until they approach the level of his mentor Tseng. Despite this improvement, he still achieves many of his...