The Succubae Seduction Bk. 02: The Twins Ch. 14

This time he faced a woman. The same one that Shelly had noticed sweating earlier. The woman's blonde hair hung limp and moist on her head as her eyes searched to room for some sort of escape. She saw Shlee and her eyes opened wide. "You can't expect me to speak in front of her! She's a journalist, and a well-known one at that. I haven't agreed to any interviews. This is extortion! No matter what I say, she'll twist it to meet the media's agenda. She can't be trusted with the truth!"

"And what is the truth?" Lyden asked before Sheldon could yell at her. He spoke in such a calm voice that after Sheldon's rant, he seemed completely calm and reasonable.

"That the president needs to be killed, and a way made clear for pure humans to survive. Real people, not like you or those monsters with you, can't be expected to share this world. You all need to be wiped from existence." She stood with her hands on her hips as though she hadn't just perjured herself. Everyone stared at her with shock, and she became visibly nervous as no one else spoke. Shelly suspected that she hadn't realized what she'd just said.

It was the president who broke the silence with her calm voice. "Arrest her."

Shelly wondered if some of the Secret Service were magical, they moved with such speed. One moment the senator was standing before them with cracking confidence, and the next she was on the floor, screaming obscenities. Shelly's father shook his head, muttering about, "Such language..."

"Well, now that that is cleared up, we should get to more important matters," the other sweating senator intoned as the screaming woman left the large room.

"More important than treason?" Another senator demanded. This one was a woman that'd already professed her innocence.

"Ahem, yes... Well, that's taken care of, and we have other matter's that need to be resolved before we go into recess. Matters like naming the otherworldly creatures." He mopped his brow with a kerchief as his eyes darted around the room. "Besides... If this goes on much longer, I'll confess to having an affair with Senator Otton, and authorizing the Secret Service to abandon the president during the first attempted assassination." He waived his hand at the door, indicating who Senator Otton was, then stared at his hand in shock as though it were to blame for his honesty.

Before the president could order his arrest, Sheldon stepped forward and struck the man in the face. The senator's nose exploded as he flew across the room and struck the other wall hard enough to leave an indent in the drywall.

"President Louise has been an outstanding president," Sheldon snarled with more anger than Shelly thought was justified. What had gotten into her brother? This anger was unlike him.

"While I appreciate you defending my honor, I can't have you hitting any more of my senators, even if they deserved it." Martha's voice still held its calm, but there was a slight edge to it now. "Arrest them both."

Mandy and Shlee stepped in front of Sheldon as a couple agents approached him. Shlee's eyes turned yellow and her claws extended in warning. Mandy simply cracked the knuckles on her four hands and shrugged her shoulders.

"What am I being arrested for?" Sheldon demanded as his face turned deep red.

Shelly wondered if her brother could be any more stupid.

"You struck a senator," Martha informed him. Shelly noticed a tint of sadness to her voice, but couldn't see any of it on weary her face. "While I agree that he had it coming, I'm afraid I can't show favoritism in this matter. The law is clear. He will be tried for treason, and I doubt he'll come out of it with his heart still beating. You, on the other hand, will only be slapped with a fine. Please, Eldon. I don't want to do this, but I must. I know you can fight your way out of here. None of my agents are a match for you, much less those two women. Let the violence end here. Please."

Shelly watched as her brother fought with himself, and lose. "I'm sorry," he dropped his chin to rest on his chest. "I... I shouldn't have done that. It just pisses me off. I'll go willingly. I'll... I'm sorry."

"Madame President," Lyden stepped forward. "Is this really necessary? We came here to stop those that meant you and the government harm. I admit his action was rash, but we're here to help you."

"I understand, Ambassador Snow," President Louise said with that same sad smile. She stepped up closer to him, and Shelly barely heard her next words, though her lips barely moved. "Everything that has happened in here has been recorded. I have to show impartiality, or risk another scandal. I'll make sure it's not too hard on him, but I have no choice."

Of course! Shelly thought with derision. She has to protect her precious political career. Who cares about her allies?

"Recorded?" Shlee asked as Sheldon stepped past her with his hands held out in surrender. "Oh, shit!"

"Language!" Lyden snapped, but no one listened to him.

"Ma'am, we need to get to your control room immediately. There is still one more traitor," Shlee stated in a panicked tone. "Maztaim's son works for the secret service. He's the person who hacked into Sonia's feed, and has been directing things from the shadows."

Martha's brown skin lost its color as that news sunk in. Shelly cursed herself for not having realized the same thing, though she'd been more worried about her brother who was even now being led out in handcuffs by two very nervous agents.

"How could he even get into the Secret Service?" Martha asked, then shook her head and looked out the door the three prisoners had left. "Nevermind. With two senators backing him, it's no wonder he made it through the screening process." She pointed to the three remaining agents in the room. "You three come with us. Looks like there's one more mole to catch."

Before anyone could move, the walls shook and the floor shuddered. A sound like a hundred angry ogres screaming erupted as the door Eldon had just vacated blew open. Debris and shrapnel pelted them even as the building continued to shake from the force of the explosion.

Shelly opened her eyes and coughed as smoke hung heavy in the air. She didn't remember being knocked to the floor, but at least there was a bit of air down here. She didn't know if she'd been knocked out, or just dazed. Her head rung and something warm was dribbling down the side of her cheek. She looked around and saw Brock spraying something into the hole that had once been a doorway. Apparently his mechanical legs had a built in fire extinguisher. Oberon was by his side, helping to douse the flames with his magic. She couldn't see her father or step-moms, but she was able to make out Shlee dragging an unconscious Mandy from the room. She could see senators screaming, but couldn't hear them over the ringing in her ears.

Sonia was helping an unsteady Martha to her feet. If Shelly had ever wondered if Sonia were alive or not, she no longer doubted. Her fake flesh hung in tatters, revealing a plastic and metal skeleton reflecting the light of the flames.

Shelly coughed some more, and her head spun in pain. She couldn't get enough breath in and her ribs felt like there was a knife in them. Looking down, she realized there might as well be. A six inch piece of wood protruded from right under her left breast. She reached to remove it, but the pain of just touching it made her head spin anew.

She focused her mind on staying awake as she pushed the pain down. She forced her mind to think. The wood was probably saving her life, plugging the hole and keeping her from bleeding out. If it was in her lungs, at may be allowing her to breathe what little she could. Better not to remove it right away.

"Sheldon!" she croaked when she remembered he'd been much closer to the blast. She looked at the door again as tears crowded her eyes. There was no way he could have survived that blast. She couldn't even hear her own voice above the ringing in her skull.

Someone gripped her under her arms and started pulling her from the room. She almost passed out again as the motion renewed the agony from her injuries. "Sheldon," she tried to tell her rescuer, but couldn't find her voice.

She saw a strawberry blonde mane of hair shake above her, but couldn't make out any words or sounds. She wondered if she was going to be deaf for the rest of her life.

She saw sunlight a moment later, then someone in white took her from Shlee. The newcomer was an old man with stringy gray hair and gray eyes.

Shelly sat upright with a jolt as she recognized Shemhazau. She was sitting on the beach in her Mens Mundi.

"We really need to stop meeting like this," the old man said with a grin. "You're making this too much of a habit. Or is it just that you missed me?"

"There... there was a bomb," Shelly stuttered as she looked down at her side. She found she was wearing a dark blue bikini, and her skin was unblemished. Her wounds were gone as was her pain. She could hear again! She knew she was in her Mens Mundi, and shifted her clothing to something a bit more appropriate. Jeans and a blue-green t-shirt felt more comfortable until she realized it was copied from something she'd seen Jessica wearing. She changed the shirt into a green blouse, but kept the jeans.

"Well, on the plus side, you're not dead yet. Who was caught in the blast?"

Shelly looked up to meet her grandfather's eyes, noting something different in his voice. He tried to sound cheerful, but she heard an edge to it. There was worry in his gray eyes that he couldn't hide behind his smile. Was that worry for her, for himself if she died, or for everyone else?

"Everyone," she said as fear seeped into her own heart. Sheldon had been out that door. There was no way he could have survived that. Her dad, Brooke, and Becky had been closer to it than she had been. She hadn't been able to see them before Shlee dragged her out. Brock had appeared fine, as had Oberon, but what of the others?

She felt the old man's bony fingers clasp her arms as he stepped up to her. "My son? Is he all right? Who is everyone? The whole world? Tell me everything!" He was no longer trying to hide his concern. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he interrogated her, shaking her with each question as though to jostle the truth from her.

"Mandy, Brooke, Becky... Everyone that was with us. Let me go! I don't know if my dad made it. I—I couldn't see him before I was dragged to safety. I only know that Shlee, Brock, and Oberon were fine." She had to fight back panic as she spoke, trying to recall what she'd seen before Shlee got her out. "Sonia is a robot, so I'm sure she just needs some repairs, and the president looked okay."

"I don't know or care about any of them," Shemhazau released her and stormed up the beach before spinning around to face her again. "Who else was there? Brooke? Sheila? Jennifer? Becky? Think girl!"

"Jennifer? Why would she... Never mind." She shook her head, as she tried to do as she was told. "Dad was over by Becky and Brooke. Sheldon was... He was..." she broke down in sobs as despair overwhelmed her.

"Your brother is fine," a new voice broke into her awareness. "In fact, he's the only person who could not be injured."

"What?" Shelly looked up and was shocked to see the owner of that female voice. "How...?"

"Your dad was worried about you. We couldn't wake you up. I was the only one in good enough shape to try to communicate with you," Sonia stated. She looked complete and undamaged, which was a lot less scary than she'd looked with her pseudo-skin hanging off her in flaps and tatters.

"Well, hello!" Shemhazau smiled as he approached the android. "You happen to know my son, huh? He's a good lad. Taught him everything he knows, but if you like, there are a few things I haven't taught him. I'd be happy to show you, though."

"Grandpa!" Shelly snapped, disgusted with his behavior. "She's a robot! There are more important things to worry about than you satisfying your carnal needs!"

"A robot, huh?" he rubbed his beard as he took that in. "Never had sex with a robot before. Anyway, if your dad is good enough to worry about you, he'll be fine. So that just leaves getting you better, and then maybe ending my dry spell."

"Ugh!" Shelly groaned. "I'm sorry, Sonia. He's more of a pervert than my brother is."

"I've dealt with worse," Sonia replied, then turned her back on Shemhazau. "Your brother didn't seem too perverted, though I was surprised at his anger earlier."

"How are you even here?" Shelly asked. "I thought it was the soul that travelled into a person's Mens Mundi. If you're a robot..."

"I prefer the term android," she replied without sounding offended. "I've entered your subconscious through a combination of physical contact, and my nanites. My hand is resting on your head, avoiding your injuries, and I have a direct link to your neural pathways."

"Your... what?" Shelly asked at the same time Shemhazau stated, "Physical contact, huh? Kinky."

Sonia grimaced at Shemhazau before replying to Shelly. "You're pretty badly injured. I have tiny microscopic machines that help regulate my functions and repair damage to my systems when necessary. I can reprogram some of them and inject them into another person to help repair their bodies. By placing my hand on your head, and with the nanites in your blood, I can enter your subconscious mind and communicate. I have to admit that this is the most lucid subconscious mind I've ever dealt with. This is also the first time I've ever met someone besides the owner of the mind."

"How bad am I?" Shelly asked, then held up a hand to stop her from answering. "Wait. You said my brother is fine? How can that be? He had to be a lot closer to the blast."

Sonia gave her a quizzical look before answering. "He can't be harmed. I thought we explained that to you. The fairy sacrificed herself to make him permanent."

"The fairy? You mean Arethusa?" Shemhazau interrupted. He shook his head and spoke the rest in wonder. "I had heard something like that was possible, but never heard of it actually happening."

"I guess I didn't know what you meant by permanent," Shelly placed her head in her hands. "There were a lot of other things to worry about at the time, and I forgot. How is my dad and everyone else?"

Sonia hesitated and Shelly felt her heart sink. "Your dad is banged up, but he's fine. Shlee is only a little worse off than Eldon. Her werewolf healing really came in handy. Mandy has a broken arm and a concussion, but she'll be fine. Brock and Oberon were a little singed, but working hard to put out fires and save lives. Mei is a bit bruised, but otherwise her scales saved her. The president is a strong woman and giving commands to have Maztaim transferred to a maximum security detention area. Two senators are dead, plus the two traitors, one is unaccounted for, and the rest have varying degrees of injury. Only one is in critical condition, but not as bad as you were, which is why I'm working with you."

"What about Brooke and Becky?" Shelly asked, noting the android's lack of mentioning them.

"They shielded your father from the worst of the blast," Sonia said in sad tones.

"I never did like that mermaid much," Shemhazau said. "But the short brunette seemed nice enough." Shelly looked aghast at her grandfather. "Don't look at me like that. Brooke was partly responsible for my wife's death. The only reason I ever let her live was that she also saved my son's life. She may have treated my son well, but that doesn't mean I have to like her."

"We're being transferred to the hospital now," Sonia brought the attention back to her. "I've already let everyone know your concerns. Your father let it slip that sex will speed up the recovery process while you are in this place. I don't think he meant to say it, but Mandy was close by. I wish I could duplicate her skill with drawing out the truth. It's a handy ability."

"It's not necessary when there is a being with a soul here," Shemhazau admitted, shocking Shelly. She would have expected him to pounce on that idea. Then he went on to shock her even more. "I don't really count, since I am not an outside influence." Then he had to go and ruin it. "If you don't possess a soul, then sexual energy would be the only other way."

"I am NOT having sex with you!" Shelly shouted at the man. She felt her cheeks burning as the other two stared at her. "Well, I'm not," she repeated in a calmer tone.

"While that hurts my ego, I'm not the only one here," Shemhazau stated. He actually had the audacity to look hurt.

"Thanks, but I'm not in the mood," Shelly said with a sidelong glance at Sonia. It wasn't that the woman was unattractive, but the thought of doing a machine with her grandfather right there, and after everything else that'd happened... Physical pleasure wasn't something that she felt justified or desirable of.

"I'm not sure if it would work for me anyway," Sonia stated. "My synaptic pathways are connected to her, but I'm not really here and don't possess a soul. Besides, I don't really like sex."

Shelly opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Isn't Sonia a sex-bot...? Er, sex-android? How can she not like sex?

"I know that look," Sonia said as her lips twisted in annoyance. "Yes, I'm was originally designed as a sex-droid, and then later given a few tactical upgrades, but that doesn't mean I have to enjoy the act. I can see that you still don't understand. Look at it this way. I've had to sleep with the worst of the worst in my duties as a spy. I've been with the vilest of scum to keep this nation safe. It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, but it doesn't mean I've enjoyed it. I was made to perform, but my advanced A.I. is my own. I have been given a large amount of discretion on how I am able to think and act. Just because I was made capable of seducing and pleasing men and women... Well, that doesn't define who I am."

"I never thought of it that way," Shelly said, then quickly added when Sonia gave her an incredulous look. "I mean about you having your own thoughts and feelings. I suspect Shlee would understand that a lot better than I do, but I understand what you're saying. You were programmed with certain skills, but you weren't forced to like those skills with your programming."

"Who doesn't like sex?" Shemhazau asked as though neither one had explained. "Did they get your wiring wrong? Maybe they forgot to install the pleasure sensors in the right spots?"

"I assure you, I was built properly," Sonia intoned. "It's not that I'm incapable of enjoying sexual relations, but that there is no emotional desire for it."

"Because you have no soul?" he pressed.

"I have emotions," Sonia ground her teeth. Shelly could tell that the old man was getting to her. "I don't need a soul to have emotions. They were added into my algorithms for behavior. Over three thousand separate emotional identities have been downloaded into my memory. Trust me when I say I have emotions. Not only that, but because of the way I was programmed, I have as little or as much control over my emotional state as you do."

Shemhazau looked at her for a long time. The giddy smile he'd worn was gone, replaced with something else that Shelly almost wanted to call intrigue. It was too intelligent a look for him though, so Shelly assumed it had to be something else. Indigestion maybe?

"Yeah... Um... No. I don't see it," he stated after the pause grew uncomfortable. Shelly didn't understand how he couldn't see it. Hell, Sonia was glaring at him. Shelly understood what Sonia was saying. Why couldn't he? "Oh, I believe you have emotions, and can sense things, but I think they missed something in your programming."