Symbiota Sapiens - 2. Chapter 2

Synopsis: Jeremey finds himself inducted, against his will, into an ancient
organization that claims to protect and guide humanity with supernatural powers.
But what happens when the priceof that power is losing the brother he loves?

Disclaimer: This is science fiction. To my knowledge there is no such organization
as the Guardians of Atlantis. Nor is there any such technology as the Esseren, although
our scientists are workinghard to correct that lack. Of course, if anyone knows
something to the contrary, I'd be happy to hear about it.

Warning: Contains incestuous and homosexual relationships between consenting adults,
referencesto quasi-vampiric or other sexual acts, and may eventually include graphical
descriptions of sexual acts (between males). If you are offended by this sort of thing,
please do not read this.

Please note: The aforementioned sexual relations will not occur for a while. This
is a "plot" storyrather than a "sex" story. There will be sex because the main
character is a healthy, good-lookingyoung man with a healthy (if somewhat confused)
libido. And also because part of the plot involves his developing relationship with
his younger brother, who happens to also be healthy, georgeous,and blessed with a
similarly active (but not quite so confused) libido. All sarcasm aside, sex is part of
life so it'll happen in this story.

SYMBIOTA SAPIENS

CHAPTER 2

by Dean

(email me at PrettyDean82@yahoo.com)

The night is a riot of pounding music, flailing limbs, and dangerous quantities of
alchohol. As the hero of the day, I find myself the recipient of all too many free
drinks. Why is it that athletics andalchohol mix so freely? For all the ranting of
the coaching staff during the season you'd think we'd bea bit more responsible the
rest of the time.

And then, I'm naked with a woman standing over me, kissing me and putting needles in
my skin...

I awoke (the second time) to find myself enfolded in a strange bed. A very nice bed,
to be sure - the sheets were fine and silky against my body and the warm coverlet
made a few more minutes of rest tempting indeed. But when my eyes opened and
discovered the chamber that I was in all the warm comforts of a soft bed were
swept away by my surprise. My captors' wealth had not been solely spent on the
fine bed. This bedchamber was enormous, boasting a fine study area and fireplace
besides the massive bed I lay on. A cheery blaze was already set in the fireplace,
and the small table next to the reclining chair had a silver covered tray sitting
on it.

After a brief hesitation, I threw back the sheets. Naked. Well of course,
that does seem the pattern so far doesn't it? I shrugged stepped out of the bed.
Finding a pair of new jeans on the arm of the recliner, I slipped them on and sat
down to examine the breakfast under the cover of the tray. I was not disappointed,
but in the middle of my somewhat frenzied gorging I suddenly became aware that I
was not alone in the room.

With a forkful of eggs halfway to my open mouth, I gaped in astonishment
at the beautiful woman who stood poised in the doorway, watching my culinary antics
with some amusement. Hers was the same face that had hovered over me just before the
lights went out last night.

"Hey, it's you!" I said intelligently, my mouth hanging ajar. The smirk on
her lips did nothing to help loosen my tongue. "You're the one, the woman, last
night..." I shook my head inconfusion.

"Who are you? And what did you do to me last night?" The other possible meaning of
that last question occurred to me as soon as the words left my mouth, and to my
horror I felt my face start to burn again. Damnit! I never blush!

"Who I am is not very important, yet." The woman said, stepping gracefully into the
room. "But since you have asked, my name is Elena Gabrio. As for what has been done to you
- that is a more complicated matter, Jerome."

"How do you know my-"

"I know much about you, Jerome." Elena told me. "We've been watching you for years
now - you've been chosen to become one of us."

"One of who? And what if I don't want to?"

"You already are." She said, confidently. "We did that last night. As for our identity, we
are the Guardians, mankind's immortal guides."

"What? What are you talking about, what guides?"

Elena laughed, again making that pleasant tinkling sound that was the last thing I'd heard
before slipping away last night.

"Come, meet the others and all will be explained." And with that she took me by the hand
and led me through the doorway to another room.

Beyond the doorway was a massive sitting room resplendent with a vaulted ceiling, fine
paintings on every available inch of wall space, and even a fireplace (nearly big enough to park a
car in) in which a huge fire roared. Four leather couches were arranged at the center of this
daunting room - and these couches were occupied by some of the most striking individuals I had
ever laid eyes on.

Directly across from where I stood there sat a huge man with long blonde hair flowing
from both head and beard. His prominent brow and jutting chin gave me the impression of a
Viking king, and although he was dressed neatly in a fashionable business suit I noticed the
jeweled hilt of some kind of sword protruding from inside his suit coat. Sitting at the right hand
side of this shocking individual was (disconcertingly small beside the monstrous Viking fellow)
a fragile-looking young woman with serious brown eyes and dark hair clipped off at the level of
her ears. Despite her smallness there was a certain strength about her that made my eyes pause a
moment on her face before continuing my survey of my strange hosts.

The next couch was taken up entirely by another young man, whom I would guess to be
about my age. A smooth, somewhat noble-looking face looked back at me through half-lidded
eyes as the man waved lazily at me from his lounging position on the couch. On the couch
opposite him sat an obvious pair - brother and sister (and likely twins), I had no doubt. They were
beautiful. They both wore their hair in long, black flowing tresses that spilled down over
their shoulders. They sat ramrod straight in the well-padded couch, a difficult feat
to be sure, and both pairs of eyes (bright blue, I noticed) examined me with frank curiosity.
Both were much younger than I, perhaps in their mid-teenage years at most.

Elena led me to the couch whose back faced the doorway, and sat next to me there. The
Viking guy leaned forward with what I was sure must be a characteristic scowl.

"How much have you told him?" He demanded of Elena.

"I have told him nothing." Elena replied. The fragile woman looked me up and down
with considerable care.

"He is ready then?"

"Of course." Elena told her. She exchanged glances with the boy twin, who nodded
silently. "David and I performed the procedure last night, he should become aware of the
Esseren before tonight."

"Then, it is time for us to welcome him into his new family before his head becomes
muddled." The Viking boomed, and yes, he was definitely scowling again. "Lance, you are the
most recently initiated among us - the honor falls to you."

The lounging man to my left got up and retrieved an ancient-looking metal box from its
place on the mantle of the fireplace. He carefully opened the box and retrieved an even older-
looking cloth scroll. He opened the scroll and grinned wickedly at me before he began reading
in a sort of sing-song chant that grated on the nerves.

"Of the ancient Citadel we call
We of old blood sing to new
For of the City not one stone remains
but only blood and songs

For cities fall, their great walls crumble
Memories fade, the great myths fail
For Time is patient in its task
Of foiling men's plans of fame

Yet after the End when all stone is crushed
When fame is gone and knowledge lost
Remains the ancient blood and all
It gives to those who dare

For the old blood is immortal power
Forever may its wearer walk
Yet with this power the burden falls
Upon those few who take the blood

Let the Old Ones be the Guardians
Of myth, and fame, and crumbling wall
Lest Time rob man again of what he builds
And more mighty Citadels fall

Let the immortal guard what Immortal Time would steal
And the old blood seal them
The olden powers keep them
As they guard the Citadel"

Lance was not by any standard a dramatic reader of poetry - in fact, his sing-song tone
throughout the entire reading had also carried a slight lilt of sarcasm that I noticed had the
Viking guy and both twins glaring at him by the end of the poem. Nevertheless, by the time he
got to the end I could feel icy fingers stroking up and down my spine. As the silence sat heavy in
the air, it took me a moment to recover enough to ask an irreverent question.

"Well, what was that all about?"

The Viking guy tore his eyes from Lance to bore into me for a few moments before he
finally answered.

"That was the Guardian Song, written four thousand years ago."

David, the boy twin, took over the explanation. His voice was a childish tenor, but he
was obviously much older than his appearance would indicate.

"The Guardian Song is about the fall of the greatest civilization mankind has ever
achieved. Nobody from the great city of Atlantis remains, but there remains some memory
saved in the aftermath of its fall."

"But what's all this about blood and power?" I asked.

"When Atlantis fell, nearly all of the great technology was lost to man. But one thing
survived the catastrophe - the Esseren."

"What is this Esseren?" I asked again, "And what does all this have to do with me?"

"To put this in terms a modern scientist like you would understand, the Esseren are
microscopic robots that live in our bloodstream." Elena explained. "They live inside us as
symbionts, to the effect that we can live forever."

"More or less." The Viking corrected her. "The immortality theory has yet to be proven,
since most Guardians become tired of life after a few thousand years and kill themselves."

"Well, at least we can apparently live as long as we want to, Varek." Elena snapped at
him a bit waspishly. "And it would be impossible to prove that we can live forever anyway.
Don't quibble with trifling distinctions!"

Varek just sighed, a long patient rumbling sigh, and settled himself comfortably back in
his seat.

"Am I to take it that I have been...infected with these Esseren, then?" I wanted to know.
"Without my consent, I might add?"

Lance sneered at me from his reclining position.

"Look, this isn't exactly the sort of thing you sign a waiver for." He told me, sarcasm
dripping from every word. "In case you hadn't noticed, we try to keep a low profile around here.
Besides, if we'd asked you might have said no - and we'd have had to kill you to keep your
mouth shut."

"Lance!" The girl twin fairly shouted him down. Lance turned his head to look at her,
the same sneer still on his face.

"Look Denna, it's not like he doesn't have to know anyway. The Brotherhood of
Guardians is a deep, dark secret society. No outsiders can know about it - even if we have to kill
to keep it that way."

"Wait a minute!" I interrupted. "What exactly is this Brotherhood of Guardians for
anyway? It's not like there's still any Citadel for you to guard!"

"We guard civilization itself." Denna told me somberly. "We guide the course of history
to keep mankind progressing instead of falling back."

"Well, if it's progress you're after, why don't you just volunteer your Esseren for study?
An advancement in nanotechnology like that would surely sponsor a huge leap forward in
progress!"

"Yes it would." David spoke up. "But this would not be good in the long run. For one
thing, we would no longer be able to move in the shadows and direct human history."

"And the sudden jump in technology would destabilize the world - there would almost
certainly be new wars over this new power." Denna added.

"But the worst," Varek added ponderously "would be the incredible power that this
would place in individual's hands. The Esseren are a very powerful weapon Jerome, we give it
to individuals only after careful study of their personalities. One fool could do incredible
damage with the Powers."

"Powers?"

"Ah, we have not completed our explanation yet." Elena observed. "David, you are
oldest among us...explain the Powers to our new member."

At this I looked at the boy sitting to my left with some astonishment. This child was the
oldest among us? Yet even as I looked at him I realized it must be true. His bearing had an
otherworldly air that I had thought affected, but now I realized that his strange mannerisms came
from being raised in an era long past.

"The Powers are simple applications of knowledge, what you would call technology,
through the Esseren. Suppose you understand how a laser works, and how to build one? After a
time you will learn how to instruct the Esseren in your body to build tiny lasers in the surface of
your skin, so that you can create fire."

At this, the boy raised one arm and spread his hand with the palm facing outward, at a
sheaf of papers covered with musical notations which was lying on the small round table in the
center of the room. At once, these papers burst into flames. At this development, Lance sprang
from his couch with an alarmed cry - gathering the papers with one hand and beating them with
a pillow from his couch with the other. He didn't seem to notice when his sleeve caught fire as
well.

"David! That was nearly finished!" Lance cried, as he frenziedly beat at the flames with
the pillow.

"And now we are all saved the misery of sitting through the horrid thing." Denna giggled.

Varek turned to me to explain. "Lance thinks himself a musician, but if you could hear
the torturous sounds that come from that machine of his, you would think him a wielder of dark
and twisted spells."

"It's called a harpsichord, you oaf, and before I was changed I played before kings!"
Lance replied hotly, the smoldering papers still in his hand. "You wouldn't recognize fine music
if it hit you in the face - better the off-key droning of minstrels with their unending ballads for
your barbaric tastes."

"Enough!" Elena shouted, her voice somehow amplified. She had stood now, and my
hair stood on end as I realized that she was crackling, yes actually crackling with some kind of
static electricity. The others noticed as well and quieted down. "We are not here to waste our
time with petty bickering - we are here to welcome our newest member into the family! David,
your choice of demonstration was most ill-advised."

David took the rebuke calmly, lifting his chin to look Lance in the eye as he apologized.

"Forgive me, brother. I should not have burned your music."

Lance was still sullen, but he met David's eye and nodded shortly in acceptance.

"Now, let us finish our welcome so that our new member can put his house in order."
Elena said swiftly. "Joan, I believe it is your responsibility to Charge our new brother?"

The fragile-looking woman stood and swept her hand toward me in a curiously formal
gesture. I stood hastily and took the offered hand in mine.

"I Joan, of the old blood, give you Jerome, initiate of the blood this Charge. You, Jerome
are now of the blood, and as such are appointed Guardian of mankind forever. Go then, and see
to your household, and settle your belongings among your heirs. In two days time you shall
return here to begin your service free of lingering obligations or loyalties. After you are of the
blood, you have no family but the Brotherhood, and you shall never again see the faces of those
who know you now. Go and prepare for your immortal service."

I was starting to turn to the door when what she'd said hit me. I turned back towards them
with a frown.

"Wait...what do you mean by no family but the Brotherhood?"

“Just what she said.” Denna said carefully, her eyes mysterious.

“I already have a family. My brother.”

“He is of age now.” Varek rumbled.

“He still needs me.” I said uncertainly.

“For what?” Lance sneered.

“I’m all he has.”

“He’s of age, he’ll have enough to take care of himself.” David said consolingly, his lip trembling. Denna
took his hand and looked at me sadly.

“Your time with your brother has ended. Now you have greater things to accomplish. I’m sorry but you’ll have
to sacrifice this thing. And don’t forget you are immortal now. Would you really want to have to watch him grow old
and die? Better this way, remember him as he is now.”

“What if I refuse?” I challenged, crossing my arms.

“You’ve already been given the Esseren in your blood.” Joan pointed out.

“You know our secrets.” Varek added.

There was a long silence as they all stared hard at me. The implication was clear. They weren’t giving
me a choice.