Symbiota Sapiens - 13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The contact information for the boy from the first kidnap attempt brought us to a narrow two-story house well
outside the city limits. We'd been careful getting there, first taking the time to steal new identification and construct new
identities to go with them. On top of that, we'd avoided using the new credit cards at all, opting to steal a car from the
long-term parking at the airport. Then a circuitious route, three vehicle and appearance changes, and a worm virus to
disable every internet-accessible security camera in the city for a strategic five minutes.

Now we sat parked on the side of the road, waiting for the time window specified in the instructions to begin.

"Why isn't he here yet?" Julian complained.

"Dude, school just got out two minutes ago. Give him time to walk, huh?"

::I could access satalite imagery to track his progress.::

:No. I bet someone's already using satalites to find us. If we start butting into the satalite controls they might notice and
check to see who it is and what we're looking at.:

::Good point. Well, there's always traffic cameras.::

:Let's just leave it. Someone keeps finding us, somehow. Until we know more I think we should adopt a minimalist approach
to using resources.:

::Fine. Well I'm scanning on high sensitivity for his transmitter. Passive scanning, don't worry. But he's probably set his to passive
scan as well.::

:True.:

"Is that him?"

I looked up. Across the street a blonde-headed boy was walking towards us, backpack slung over his shoulder, kicking a pebble along
the sidewalk as he walked. It was definitely the boy who'd helped us before. Here, though, he looked so...normal. Like some normal kid.

"Yeah that's him."

"Jeez. He's young." Julian said doubtfully.

"In his body, maybe."

"Yeah." He reaches for the door handle.

"Just...let him get inside, okay? Then we go to the door. Like the instructions say."

We waited as he sauntered up the sidewalk and into the house. The minute the door closed behind him we were stepping out of the stolen
car and walking, around the side, to the garage door. Julian rang the doorbell. It opened almost immediately.

"Thank you for waiting. That would have been awkward." I had to look down, the little guy was practically at waist-level.

"Hey. You said after you got in. I can follow instructions."

"Well thanks for following them, then." He grinned at us. "Come on in guys, have a seat at the table. Milk and cookies? I'm Rom, by the way."

He turned and led the way into the kitchen.

"I'm Julian. And hell yeah, I'd love milk and cookies!" Julian grinned back at him.

The kid turned his head to glance up at him, then did a double take.

"Oh shit. I didn't realize you two were- I mean, I thought it was just because he was your brother. Well, that changes things I guess."

"Huh?"

"Don't worry. I'm not from around here, remember? I don't have a problem with it."

"With what?" I broke in.

"You know. You guys."

"Uh. Thanks. We don't have a problem with you either, I guess." Julian and I looked at each other, confused.

Rom rapidly set up three glasses on the table and set down a package of oreo cookies.

"Really, it's not a big deal with immortals. Don't let the attitudes in this time period mess up your heads about it." He said with his back to us,
rooting around in the refrigerator. He came back with a gallon of milk and proceeded to pour.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked.

"You know. You guys. The whole gay thing. It really doesn't matter for us. In the Citadel they didn't really even distinguish - most people fooled around
with both genders until they met someone special. Of whichever gender. Wasn't even something noteworthy. Like what color hair, or something."

"Oh. Well, okay that's kind of cool I guess." Julian said slowly.

"But. How the hell did you know that Julian was gay? Um, that he prefers men, I mean?"

"Oh. I wouldn't know if he always prefers men. But obviously there's something between you two." Rom said matter-of-factly.

"Uh. Yeah. We're brothers. You mean like, sex?" I asked.

He gave me a pitying look.

"Look. I realize it's very hard to come out with and stuff. You're from a culture that makes it that way. But honestly, it's painfully obvious. To me, at least.
I mean, he's swarming with Caretakers. Unless...they're not yours? I assumed...you wouldn't have let another immortal get so close so quickly after the kidnapping
attempt..."

"What? What the hell are Caretakers?"

"You know. Surely your AI explained this. In your ejaculate. Nanites that keep your lover young and healthy?"

"Oh. Didn't know they were called that. But you're wrong. We haven't done...that. Are you sure?"

"Look for yourself."

I looked at Julian.

:Help me out here.:

I became aware of increasing detail, as well as an expanded spectrum as x-ray and radio waves insinuated themselves into my vision. I zoomed in on his
now-translucent body and...saw them. Tiny robots, much simplified versions of the more advanced Esseren in my own body and Rom's. There weren't as many
of them on him but they were definitely there in force.

"My god. Where did they come from?"

"There's really only one place they can 'come' from." Rom said insinuatingly.

"Well they didn't come from there." I said sharply.

"Um. I haven't had sex with anyone." Julian volunteered.

"For how long?" Rom asked.

"Um. Ever?" Julian was beet red.

"Oh. Well. That's gotta suck." Rom commented.

Julian shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Well, where the hell are they from then?"

"I don't suppose you've had opportunity to...consume anything...relevant. Would you?"

"What? No!"

"Had to ask. Well, we have a mystery. May I take a sample?" Rom asked.

Julian nodded.

Rom stepped forward and poked Julian with a finger. He jumped in surprise.

"Just a little needle, almost microscopic. Won't even leave a scratch." Rom withdrew his finger.

"So?"

"Hmm. No, they're definitely not yours. They've been modified extensively. Someone older, then. And...very fresh to your body, too."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Nanites naturally wear down and fall apart with time. Esseren self-replicate, so it's not a problem. Caretakers can't though. So you can track
how old they are by how worn down their structure is. These are brand new. Within the last day or two, I'd say."

"Well, shit. How'd they get there?"

"And why?" I wanted to know.

"Hmm, I think that's the more important question. These are extensively modified. I don't think they're here to keep you young and healthy dude."

"Well what are they doing there then?" I demanded.

"Let's have a look."

We both studied Julian again, with our enhanced sight.

:Can you track the location of each Caretaker?:

::I can. Just a moment.:: The AI told me.

In a moment Julian was bathed in varying shades of red.

:They're too small to point to individually. The shading just represents relative concentration.:

I looked. There was concentration in the major blood vessels, the lungs, the kidneys. Then I saw it.

There, at the base of his skull, was a small area that was almost solid red.

"Fuck."

"Agreed." Rom said quietly.

"What?" Julian asked.

"He got to you after all." I told him quietly.

"Who?"

"That godfather guy. Those things are building one of those implants in you right now."

Julian's eyes widened.

"What? No!"

"He's right." Rom blew out an angry sigh. "They look to have just started. Damn. Just when I thought I'd found a way out."

"Out? So you know about this?"

"Well, from what you mentioned you know a bit more about it than I do. I've been keeping track of the spread of these implants
in the mortal population for several years now. They've been around for decades, but in the past year there's been a dramatic increase in
the number of new infections. Who is this Godfather person?"

"I guess he's the guy behind it. Or one of them. He used autonoids to contact me, to set a ransom demand for Julian. Only he didn't
have Julian quite handled. Or so I thought." I explained.

"The antidote." Julian gasped.

"Yeah. Not just an antidote." I said sourly.

"Fuck!"

"Yeah. And I think I'm playing way out of my league here." I turned to Rom. "Look. I know I already owe you a favor. But you're obviously
older than I am and know a hell of a lot more. Do you think you could...I dunno...help us somehow?"

"I'm already into it." Rom said softly. "You were supposed to help me."

"Huh? How? I'm a newborn. How the hell would I help you?"

"You're new. Innocent. If you don't mind me saying so. You're not tied up with all the alliances and feuds and games that are the backbone of
immortal politics. So...potentially trustworthy. The Guardian's always recruit those with the right loyalties. But they always end up corrupted, or at the
very least jaded and cynical. Comes with living for a very long time. I need someone idealistic and...virtuous enough that I could trust you."

"Oh. So you need a loyal sidekick." I scowled.

"Not so much. Actually, I need an adult."

"An adult."

"Yes. An adult." He scowled. "In case you haven't noticed I look like I'm about ten years old. Kind of hard to do well...anything like this. And it
doesn't help to disguise myself. Basic body dimensions are permanent. Best I can do is an adult midget. And that's a dead giveaway that I'm a child
immortal pretending to be a mortal adult. Any immortal would see right through it in a second."

"Sucks being short." Julian huffed. Rom gave him an annoyed look.

"So. I need...um...parents."

"You have parents. That's why we have to leave by five o'clock, remember?"

"Yeah. Those are the mortal foster parents the local government assigned me to. They're okay. So long as they believe I'm just a very gifted
mortal child. They've served their purpose for the moment - I've had a cover identity to shield me while I've tracked this outbreak of automatons, as you
call them. But someone's noticed my use of resources, I think. They're close becoming the majority in this town. Now one of my foster parents is a
first-stage automaton. They could uncover my identity by accident at any time."

"So the Godfather's closing in on you." I said. "Probably hopes he can get you to make his girlfriend an immortal, too."

"What?" Rom's eyes flashed with shock and alarm. "What did you say? How the hell!"

"Have you not used your one-shot marriage option yet, either?" I said bitterly.

"My one-shot?...oh. No. I...don't really need one." He said guardedly.

"Oh. Yeah. You're ten. Sorry."

"Well. Yes. Physically, anyways. But what you said...is that what he is after?"

"Apparently. He offered me Julian's life in exchange for using my option to make his new squeeze immortal."

"You refused."

"Well yeah. And got the hell back to that hospital, where I found Julian still there safe and sound. Or so I thought. The antidote was given to him
while I was gone. I guess he had to lure me away because I might have noticed something fishy about the antidote."

"Probably right."

"So. Now he's infected."

I looked at Julian. He'd been chewing the same cookie for the last five minutes. His eyes were locked on my face, despair and fear written plain as
day on his features. I reached across the table and enclosed his wrist with my hand.

"Hey. We'll find a way to fix it." I looked at Rom. "Right?"

"That'll take some study."

"My AI already had some ideas about how to counter the stage-one implant. Maybe we can stop it from working at all."

::My idea involved interfering with the communication the implant maintains with the Godfather. So that he wouldn't be able to spy or activate it to
control the body.::

:Hey. For the purpose of this conversation you can use my voice. Um. Make it obvious that it's you talking though. Okay?:

"My AI wants to talk." I said.

My mouth opened again and I was talking almost in a falsetto, my voice mimicking the higher tones typical of the pre-adolescent Julian with remarkable
accuracy:

"I did have an idea to disrupt the implant's communications with it's controller. Preventing the creation of the implant itself - that's a tricky proposition. In
order to do that I think we'd need to have our own set of modified Caretakers. There'd basically be a battle between the two sets of Caretakers. That could be very
harmful to the host body."

"I think you're right...does Jeremey call you something in particular?"

"The Kid." Julian piped up. "His AI is like the thirteen-year-old version of me so that's what we call him."

"Fine. Kid. I think you're right. Which means we face three problems. The Caretakers have to be designed to do battle with these others. Not something
they were designed for. Also, we have to get them into the body. Since I was wrong about you two, that could be difficult, if you're products of this time's culture
at all. And finally, the hardest dilemma is how to prevent the battle from destroying Julian from the inside out."

"I think I can handle the modifications. If you'd transmit your analysis of the hostile Caretakers I should be able to design something to counter them. As
for transmission...I think you may be right. My host is very touchy on sexual subjects, it seems. Especially where they concern Julian. From the psychological
literature I think it's some form of denial or self-repression but I'm really at a loss how to deal with it, human emotions are very confusing." The Kid continued blandly.

"Hey! I'm right here! And what the hell do you think you're saying about me anyways!" I objected.

"Hmm, human emotions are the one thing that even very experienced AI's have trouble grasping. Still, you may be right about it being a problem for us if
Jeremey tends to be a prude about these things."

"Excuse me? I'm no prude! I'll have you know I was quite the man on campus when I was mortal! A prude. Ha." I snorted.

"Ah. Promiscuous were you? With members of both sexes?" Rom pressed.

"Well, no. I'm not that way. I like girls."

"And you dislike men?"

"Well. They're just not my thing. Sexually."

"Right."

"He's become very aroused by thoughts of men on more than one occaison, including his brother." The Kid informed him smugly.

"He has?" Julian looked up at me in surprise.

"Hey! That's confidential you little bastard! And those were artificially induced anyways, often by you, I might add! So quit twisting things!"

"Ah. The increased hormone levels." Rom said in understanding. "They don't exactly take over your reactions you know. They simply amplify
your natural desires."

"I can think of at least one occaison where I was physically out of control." I said firmly, referring to the hand-job incident in bed. Hopefully the
AI would take the hint that we were getting into dangerous secret territory with this discussion. "And another where this damn computer has suddenly
turned them on full-force, leaving me mentally out of control."

"We're getting off subject." The Kid said abruptly. Good, he took my hint. We didn't need to get into a conversation about why the AI had used
my hand to beat off Julian in the bed that time.

"Yes. The question is, Jeremey, would you object to doing certain things in the interest of saving your brother from being...taken over?"

"What? Well of course. Wait. What kinds of things?"

"You'll need to provide him with your ejaculate."

"What? Oh fine. He's seen the aftermath of my bathroom jerk-off at least once. Hell, we even used to do it in the same room when we were kids."

"I think you'll need to go a bit farther than that. The Caretakers core programming demands they self-destruct on leaving the body."

"Huh? So...you're saying."

"There will need to be a direct transfer, from you into Julian."

"Huh?" I asked, shaking my head.

"He's saying, I have to give you a blow job, and swallow. Right Rom?" Julian broke in.

"Exactly."

"No way." I shook my head again. I looked at Julian. "Man. You're my brother. I can't let you...dude that's just wrong."

"So. You have an issue about sexual situations with your brother then. This is going to make things complicated." Rom said.

"Jeremey. It's okay. I really don't mind. I mean...you're really hot and everything. Just cause you're my brother don't think I'm not aware of that. And, I do
love you of course. I...dont think I'd have a problem doing that. With you." Julian said quietly. Head bowed a bit.

I couldn't believe what my ears were hearing.

"Julian. Come on, think. We're really close. Don't you think it'd be a bit...I mean...if you...sucked me off (I winced at the words) don't you think things
would be weird between us after that?"

"Weird? You don't think things are weird enough as it is?" Julian demanded, eyes flashing hurt at me. "Are you really that disgusted by me? Your little
gay kid brother? You'd treat me different because I sucked your dick? You wouldn't do it to save me from a fate worse than death?"

"Julian. No, it's not like that. It's just...man I don't want to do that to you. Look, I've had my dick sucked before and it's...well it's just not brotherly. I mean,
extremely, NOT brotherly. It's...kind of demeaning to the person sucking. Especially if it's a gay guy sucking a straight guy. I mean, well you've been around my
friends, you know how they talk. I did it once and I felt so bad afterwards I just wouldn't do that to anybody again. Even if they wanted to."

"Oh. I get it. You really do despise this, don't you. If I sucked your dick then I'd stop being your cool brother who happens to be gay. Noo, then I'd be your
pathetic little faggot kid brother that sucks cock! Better dead than a disgusting little faggot cocksucker, right?"

"Julian, no, I don't despise you. I...Julian, please you've got to understand. We can't...do that stuff with each other. You're my bro, I love you and I really dont
care if you like guys instead of girls. But...if we do that then it'll be really...wrong." I closed my mouth, I was getting nowhere. Why couldn't he understand.

"Well, there may be another alternative." The Kid spoke up, using my mouth.

"What? Anything."

"Rom. Just because your body is only ten years old...I would think you can still, um, function, if you need to. Right?"

"Um. Yeah. Actually I do have the hormone thing too, despite my age. The Esseren don't really make a distinction, so I went through a crash-course puberty
when I was changed. Um. And...Julian is really cute." He said, looking at Julian shyly.

"Whoa." I swiveled to look hard at Rom. "Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"

"Well. If you won't do it." Julian glared at me hurtfully. "Because we're brothers, and all. I'm not going to just let these things turn me into a friggin puppet."

"Julian. You can't possibly do this. He's...a kid."

"I'm a lot older than you are." Rom informed me.

"But physically."

"It'd be weird." Julian agreed, looking at Rom apologetically. "I mean, no offense, but I'm not attracted at all. Not manly enough. Might as well do it with a girl."

"I figured it'd be like that." Rom said sadly. "But. If Jeremey won't do it. Um. I do have needs. Really hard when your body demands regular sex, and you look
like you're 10 years old. I would...um...really like that if you did that, for me. Uh...and that way I'd just build the Caretakers in my body and transfer to you."

I looked at Rom. He'd blushed beet red, and his eyes were a bit glazed over as he talked. I checked. Sporting a pretty obvious erection. Aparently he hadn't
been satisfied with the standard equipment for a ten-year-old body and had had something bigger built. And he was definitely turned on by the idea of Julian sucking
on it. Shit. I didn't like this at all.

"Look. I know you guys don't think it's that big a deal to do it, just once. But I really think we should try to come up with another way."

"Oh. It wouldn't be just once." Rom said dreamily. "It'd be, like...um I mean, there'd have to be very regular transfers. Basically a war going on inside his,
um, inside Julian's body...hmmm. The bad ones, already in there, entrenched. It'd be my sperm fighting them, uh, my Caretakers, I mean. Couldn't really win all
at once. Basically, just keep them too busy fighting them to build the implant. They'd need new reinforcements, regularly. Until...the Caretakers eventually run out
of time and start dying off naturally. Couple years, maybe."

"A couple YEARS! Of Julian sucking you off...what, once a week?"

"More like every six hours." Rom practically moaned. The little fuck was still getting off on the idea!

"No WAY!" I pounded my fist on the table angrily.

"Jeremey. It's...I have to." Julian looked a bit pale at the idea himself. "Otherwise I'll be...one of those...things."

Rom had been yanked out of his little fantasy world by my angry outburst and was looking at me abashed.

"I'm sorry. I...I shouldn't have...um...there are long-term effects of abstinence for us. But that was very inappropriate. The idea really made me. Um. I mean,
Julian is very...I got carried away with myself and...I'm sorry." Rom stuttered. He was really very red under his bright blonde hair.

"Fine. Whatever. But. I won't have it." I looked at Julian, who was opening his mouth to protest. "Don't argue. I saw your face. It would really bother you to
have to do that to Rom. Honestly."

"Um. Well yeah." He swallowed, nervously peeking at Rom.

"More than with me?" He looked at me even more nervously.

"Well. I said. I mean, we're already really close. We even sleep in the same bed lately. And, well you know you're hot. Um, totally my type. If you weren't my
brother and straight..."

I held up my hand.

"Don't say any more." He stopped, looking scared.

"It's okay. I guess you're right. I don't like this whole situation but the idea of you having to suck off some other guy in order to live...that bothers me a lot
more than you sucking me off. And I guess it bothers you more as well. So we'll do this. Just...we'll have to figure out how to make it work. I don't want this to be
something weird between us, ok?"

"I won't let it be." Julian promised.

"Okay."

"All settled then?" Rom grinned as if he hadn't just lost out on one of his biggest fantasies coming to life.

"Yeah. Think so." I said.

"Sorry." Julian said.

"No. I understand. Most gay guys feel the same way. In the past I've ended up having sex mostly with older girls who felt sorry for me. Kind of hard to do in
this time though. Everybody's looking out for abuse situations, or afraid of being accused of it. Guess I understand it's for a good reason too. In any situation but mine..."

"Yeah. Sorry it's gotta suck for you though."

"Or rather, fails to." Rom joked. "Next subject?"

"You said you needed adults to help you? With what?"

"I need to relocate. Actually, I need to be able to travel at will. This Godfather person is closing in. I need to find him without him finding me. And it looks like
you guys are already stuck fighting the same enemy. Hell, you've even talked to him."

"So...you want to hang out with us then or something?"

"Well. More than hang out. I want to move in. Or...travel together and work together with you two."

"What about your parents?"

"What about them. They're foster parents paid by the government. I've known them for two years. They're okay for mortals. Very immature."

This coming from what looked and sounded like a 10-year-old boy struck me as funny and I laughed. Rom glared at me.

"I am quite old, you know."

"I know, I know. Just...you don't look it."

"No. I mean really old. Rom is short for Romulus."

"As in, Romulus and Remus?" Julian gasped

"Yes. That's the legend."

"So you built Rome?"

"In a sense, I did. Not personally, though. My 'brother' was a fellow Guardian. We collaborated to sow the seeds of civilization in what is now Europe. A
project that greatly succeeded until Remus left the Guardians to join a band of self-seeking opportunists. They turned Rome into a militant empire and set out to
conquer the known world. Hurry things up a bit and bring about a global civilization all at once. Making themselves very powerful in the process. I eventually had
to kill Remus, and then cause the whole thing to fall apart because it'd become unsalvageable."

"Whoa. You're responsible for the rise and fall of the Roman Empire?"

"I'm responsible for the rise of the Republic of Rome." Rom retorted. "And yes. The fall of the empire."

"Wow." Julian said. "So...you just gave up on it then? After hundreds of years of work?"

"The empire was never meant to be. At one point we tried to build a movement to make it a Republic again but it just couldn't happen. Too much greed, too
much power and money already in the wrong hands. Rome was thoroughly ruined. A pity. It wasn't until recently that the Guardians started another similar
project here in the New World. I suspect it will fail for the same reasons. There are more opportunists now, and they never learn the broader lesson from their failures.
Always trying to do the same things in different ways. Instead of just not doing those things anymore. Idiots."

"So...the Guardians instigated the creation of the USA too?"

"The Guardians are responsible, usually indirectly, but intentionally, for just about every major historical development on this planet. I suggest you get used
to the idea. You're to be a part of writing the future, after all."

"Riiight." I said, a bit uncomfortable.

"So what's the plan about getting you out of here. Are you just going to disappear?"

"No. Best to fake my death, I think. Fewer questions that way. I have several options planned out, we'll just have to choose one for the circumstances."