Symbiota Sapiens - 29. Chapter 29

Romulus towered over Damion. Just a mere slip of a boy, waif-like with his huge eyes
peeking out from under a floppy blonde head of hair. Damion could break him in half over
his knee. If only he were mortal. Or even a standard immortal.

"Justice is only half the equation."

I awoke to find Julian sprawled contentedly across me, still deep asleep. I kissed
his jaw where I could reach it and craned my head to look around.

Uh oh. Silk sheets. Fireplace. Table and reclining chair. I know this bedchamber.

We're at Elena's house. In my home city. Where this whole thing started.

"Julian, bro. We're back home." I shook him slightly.

::He will wake when his body has adjusted.:: Elena's voice came into my head. ::Don't
try to disturb him.::

:Elena? Why are we here?:

::This is where you belong. Your family. Your and Julian's.:: She told me.

:But...Julian doesn't even know any of you.:

::We know Julian. We've all watched the two of you for years.::

:That's supposed to make him feel better? Make me feel better? Sorry, I'm still
adjusting from when you told me I'd have to leave him to fend for himself!:

::Jeremey. We all care about you. You are a part of us. Both of you are. Please. Come
in and talk to us.::

I lay there a moment, deciding. We've come full circle now. I left because they would
have taken me from Julian. But...if not for that...would I still have stayed?

::Damion did have some points, about the Guardians.:: The Kid weighed in.

:What. You mean not seeing the trees for the forest?:

::Yeah. People...morals...ideals...everything is just a piece on a chessboard to
them.::

:Maybe. But...I think...maybe we're already sort of in the game anyways?:

::Damion. You're right.::

:I don't want Julian in danger again, though. No.:

::He's immortal now.::

:And he's going to damn well stay immortal if I have anything to say about it!:

::I think the three of us should talk about this when he wakes up.:: The AI told me.

:Four. He'll have an AI too.:

::Three. Apparently, you two get to share.::

:Huh? Is that normal? How do you know?:

::Normal? I doubt it. Elena and Damion didn't seem to be joined like this. But I do
know I've been running his Esseren and implant construction the same way I ran yours.::
The Kid told me.

:So...what happens if we get split up and communication is cut off then?:

::Well that'd be hard to do. But if there were, there's actually two copies of me
now. Synced up in real-time. If you two got separated, I'd just go into dual-function until
I had a chance to update with myself again.::

:Weird.:

::Look. I think you should at least go and talk to them a bit. Even if you don't want
to be a part of them...we should be on good terms with them, right?:: The AI persuaded.

:Yeah I guess you're right.: I agreed.

I looked at Julian. Sound asleep.

:Is he okay?:

::He's better than he's ever been in his life. He'll be up soon. Go. Make it
quick.::

I carefully eased myself out from underneath him and slid out from the warm bed.

I looked down at myself, flopping in the breeze. Naked.

Of course. This is Elena's house, after all.

Like the first night, I found a pair of jeans on the arm of the chair and put them
on, turned around and tucked Julian in carefully before making my way out the doorway.

And stopped there.

The seating arrangements had changed. Decidedly for the worst.

Elena and Denna were seated on one couch, to either side of Lance. He was making an
annoyed face as they kept grinning at each other over his shoulder. Apparently engaging in
telepathic "girl-talk". Varek sat with Joan in the couch next to them. The next couch sat
empty, apparently vacated for Julian and me. And in the remaining couch sat Elizabeth. And
next to her...Damion.

"What the fuck is he doing here!" I demanded.

"Jeremey-"

"You are NOT going to just let that bastard waltz in here and be a part of the
group like nothing happened! He's just spent the last week and a half making Julian's life
a living hell, and tried to kill him several times! I'm not sitting in here with him."

"Jeremey, wait a moment." Elena tried,

"No. He goes, or I go." I folded my arms across my chest.

I saw Damion touch Elizabeth's arm for a moment, then he stood and walked towards
me.

"I went too far. I'm sorry. That's all I can say." He said quietly, meeting my eyes.
Then he walked out the door.

I stood there impassively for a moment.

"Where's Rom? And David?"

Elena and Denna matched amused glances and Denna giggled slightly.

"Rom had longstanding issues to release." Varek informed me.

"Huh?"

Denna was giggling a bit more now, and Elena was unsuccesfully trying to hold back
a smile. Lance was fuming.

"He means, Rom and David had to take care of the little problem we get when we don't
spread the wealth like we're supposed to. And now they're sleeping it off."

"Spread the-...oh." Rom and David. I supposed they matched in a vaguely creepy,
ancient-and-powerful-being-in-a-kid's-body way. "They had sex then. How long do you suppose
they'll..."

"David should be with us by this evening." Denna told me primly. Of course, she would
know. "Rom...from what he told David...will be asleep for at least a week."

"A week!"

"Word to the wise. Putting it off doesn't work out as a long-term strategy." Lance
informed me, an eyebrow arched laconically.

"Uh, yeah." I said, uncertainly.

"Jeremey. About Damion. We need him." Elena said, albeit rather stiffly.

"Damion has told me much. But...his understanding of the autonoids is at a level that
cannot be easily transmitted." Elizabeth said.

"Look. I'm sure any of our AI's is quite capable of analyzing the structure of the
implants and coming up with a strategy to remove them safely." I began, "My own AI came
up with a method to reverse first-stage implantation with only a few hours deliberation."

"Do you suggest we go out and have sex with all the autonoids out there? Twice a
day for months?" Lance asked me, sounding like he might consider the challenge worthwhile.

I gave him a disgusted look.

"Damion found a way to include his caretakers in an injection capsule. I'm sure we
can do the same." I said.

"Damion used some programming that we still haven't been able to unravel in order
to do that. He's going to have to spend many days trying to explain what he did to us for
us to even have a starting point. And...the removal of the implants is not our only
problem. Or even the main one." Elena said quietly.

"Such as?"

"The autonoids themselves." Varek rumbled.

"Damion controlled them. He can't anymore." I said shortly.

"He doesn't have to. There are other potential controllers."

"Well make him reveal their names!" I demanded.

"It's not that simple. There aren't other immortals involved. Damion's...experiments
went farther than the pawns you have encountered." Elizabeth told me.

"It's not over..." I said hollowly.

"Should I bring him back in here now?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh god. It's not over." I wanted to be sick.

::Jer'my?:: I felt Julian stirring in the back of my head, an odd sensation of his
consciousness turning over and nudging up against mine like weight shifting the bed under
me as he turned over in sleep.

"I have to go."

I spun around and rushed through the door, skidding to a halt next to the bed and
leaning in, putting my weight on my palm on the other side of Julian's body as I extended
my body over his.

I was just in time to see his newly made eyes open for the first time.

The eyelashes fluttered briefly, then opened wide to reveal his beautiful brown eyes
glowing with preternatural health. He breathed in deeply, then let it out in a sigh.

"Hi."

"Hi." I replied, kissing him briefly on the lips.

"I can feel you." He said simply.

"Me too." I smiled at him. Looked at him. He was so beautiful. Always had been but
now...I couldn't breath, looking at him.

:You're beautiful.:

His eyes widened.

::I...I can hear you!::

I kissed his nose and pulled back to watch his eyes shine.

::Do...you really think so?::

I sent him an image of himself as I saw him.

:Beautiful.:

He smiled shyly, blushing with pleasure.

::YOU'RE beautiful.::

:Then I guess we deserve each other?: I smirked at him.

"Yes?" Julian breathed aloud.

"Yeah. I think so." I kissed him again. Savored the happy sigh that came from
somewhere back in his throat.

"I want this. I want us to be like this forever." He sighed.

"Me too."

"I'm glad Rom got rid of Damion."

"Um. He didn't." I said.

Julian's eyes snapped open in alarm, and our heads bumped as he tried to sit up.

"What? He's still out there?" I could feel his mind going suddenly turbulent, the
tangy taste of fear encroaching on the back of my throat.

"Shh. He Unmade him. He's a mortal now." I soothed. His emotions settled a little.

"Why is...what is happening to him now?"

"He's out there. In the living room." I said, and I could tell he caught my disgust
with that development the way I felt his fear.

"Oh. Well he's not a threat anymore I guess. But...why?"

"Cuz...the autonoids are still a...big problem. They...I guess they can still operate
without him."

Julian blinked.

"Oh god. So it's..."

"Not over. That's what I said."

"What's going to happen?"

"I guess...the war goes on. Only just started I suppose. Now we'll have Damion at
least." I shrugged.

"And...what about us?"

"They want us to help." I said. He looked me close in the eye, and I knew he felt my
confused feelings on the subject.

::Do you think we...should?::

:I don't know. We could leave. Run away again.:

::That didn't turn out so well.::

:That was Damion's fault.:

::Now there are others, though.::

:Yeah. What do you think we should do?:

::What do you think?::

:I...I don't know. Julian, when you were with Damion, Rom and I were talking about
the prophecies hidden inside you in a virus. I um...that time when I jumped on you and
kissed you...that was kind in order to give you the virus.:

::Prophecies? Virus? What? What for?::

:It was...I made a biological virus that had information stored in it's DNA. That
information was a list of all sorts of prophecies in the Immortal's religion that could
apply to you. Like, you're sort of important according to them. But I didn't take them
seriously. I just used the prophecies to get whoever found the virus in your blood to
be interested. Because there was a computer virus inside that program...that would get
whoever it infected to send me updates on everything they did without them knowing.:

::Whoa. Ok. A trojan horse with a spy program built in. I get that. So that's what
you meant about being able to spy on Damion.::

:Yeah. I'd get flashes of whatever he was doing. Once I even saw me through your eyes
because he was looking through your eyes. It was weird.:

::Okay. And when you jumped on me, and I told you I was gay...that was all just a
ploy to give me the virus without me realizing it?::

:Uh. Yeah. The AI said you shouldn't realize about the virus because they'd probably
ask you about it and you should act surprised.: I said.

Julian thought about that and smirked a moment.

::I think the Kid was fucking you around bro.::

:Huh?:

::Dude. He totally manipulated you into kissing me. He could have just waited for the
next time I got knocked out and had you give me mouth-to-mouth or even put something in a
drink or whatever.::

:Hey. That's what I said. He said the virus was fragile and had to be direct oral-:

::Dude. I think just the day before I mentioned to him I was in love with you.::

:Oh my god. You're right. And that night. Oh my god...:

::What?::

:Um. To make the virus...he needed a DNA sample from you.:

::So?::

:Um. A "direct" sample. Sperm.:

::Oh my god. You mean he made you...::

:Jerk you off in your sleep. Yeah. Oh yeah. Someone has a LOT to answer for!: I
directed this last bit at the AI, knowing he was listening in, obviously.

Julian was laughing openly now, tears streaming from his eyes. I could feel his mirth
tickling me inside my head, softening my outrage at the realization.

:Well? Anything to say for yourself?: I huffed.

::I only did what was in your best interests.:: The AI defended.

::I can hear him!:: Julian's eyes had gone wide again.

:Of course you can. He's yours too now.:

::Both of ours?::

::Yes. I exist in both of you now. In tandem. I tried to explain to Jeremey but he's
illiterate about that stuff.::

::Awesome. Yeah. Don't bother explaining to him.:: Julian grinned up at me cheekily.

:Don't think you're off the hook. I don't like being manipulated.: I grumped.

::Even when it means you end up getting me?:: Julian affected a hurt look.

:Oh. Well. There is that. Still. It was underhanded.:

::It was necessary.:: The AI said firmly.

::Yeah. Mr. Het-er-oh-sex-you-all.:: Julian batted his eyes at me.

:Shut up you.: I leaned down to fill his mouth with my tongue.

::That doesn't work any more.:: He taunted, in a nah-nah-nah-nah-nah tone. I deepened
the kiss and slipped my hand under the covers to curl around his erection.

::Oh!::

::I think that might!:: The AI put in gleefully.

:You! Schemer! Out of our heads while we're having sex.: I ordered.

::No threesome?:: Julian whined.

I slid my lips to his throat and started sucking on it, sliding my hand up and down
his turgid length with a bit of twist at the end. He sucked in his breath in a hiss, then
let out a heartfelt moan as my other hand snuck under the covers and pinched his nipple.

:As for you. No more human-sounding noises coming from you for a while.:

"Ooohhh." Julian signalled his agreement by nodding vigorously and then arching his
head back to give me better access. I took greedy advantage, plundering his flesh with
teeth and tongue.

His penis was rock-hard inside my hand, throbbing and burning hot. He was writhing
with every stroke on the length, and I knew with the newness of the enhanced sensations he
wasn't going to last long.

I felt his pleasure like my own, building quickly in the back of my mind like a
tidal wave preparing to crest and crash over. I quickened my movements on him under the
silk sheets.

:Come for me Julian! Let yourself go!:

And then we gasped in unison as the wave suddenly crested, his lower body jerking
harshly and the hot flesh in my hand bucking as it began to spray its load all over his
naked chest, soaking the sheets in slippery hot wetness.

He shuddered.

I shuddered. I collapsed on top of him.

"Jer'my? Did you...did you come too?" Julian gasped into my shoulder.

"Um. Yeah." The massive load had the denim completely soaked on the right side, where
my cock had been trapped inside. And down that pantleg as well. Completely and obviously
soaking wet with spooge.

"Wow."

"I felt everything you felt." I gasped.

"Wow. That was...wow. And if that happens every time we...oh wow."

"Yeah. Wow. And that was just me jacking you off." I said.

"Shit. Yeah, you're right. Fucking is going to be...oh man." Julian breathed.

We took a moment to catch our breath.

::The others are still waiting in the parlour.:: The Kid informed us.

I groaned.

::What should we do?:: Julian asked.

:I guess...fuck. This was supposed to be done with.:

::Yeah. But...we're kind of a part of it now, aren't we? At least this way we won't
be off fighting by ourselves.::

:You're right. Fuck. Fine. But...Julian, I never want to have to face the fear of
losing you again. You...no more hostage situations. Fuck. No more fighting crowds of
autonoids by yourself. You've got to be safe.:

::Jeremey. I didn't choose those situations, you know.::

:Yeah. I know. I just...you have to promise me you'll try to be safe. You're...you're
a whiz with electronics. Hell. You combined mortal technology with Esseren stuff in just
a couple days, without any direct access to an AI or anything! You don't need to be...out
there. You know?:

::I guess. I'll try, Jeremey, I will. But I want to do my part, too. And...you can't
be getting yourself killed either. I...I'll never forgive you if you get yourself killed.::

:Good. That goes both ways then.: I said firmly, and kissed his nose to seal the
bargain.

::So. Off to fight the war then?:: The AI asked.

:Sure. We'll do everything together though. Right?:

::Yeah. That's what brothers do, isn't it?:: Julian asked innocently.

:Hmm. Maybe so. But how many brothers do this?:

I kissed him sloppily. With lots of tongue.

::Actually, according to some of the materials I've discovered on the internet-::
the AI began.

:Don't believe everything you read on the internet.: I told the program. Then I
paused a bit to let Julian breathe again.

::And the others?:: The AI pressed.

I growled in my throat. Julian was hard again, I could feel his aching desire in the
back of my mind. I looked down at him predatorily and licked my lips. He gaped dumbly up
at me, eyes dazzled.

:Tell them we're in. But first we're taking a month off. For our honeymoon.: I told
him.

Then I put the matter entirely out of my mind.