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Chapter -11- The Guiding Hand

Monday, November 15 - midday East New York Continental United States

Carmen opened her arms. She delighted in the cool sensation of Kalen's embrace, and the way he drew her close. "I have missed you."

Kalen Kincade sighed through his nose, resting his chin on her head. He cleared his throat, pressing his neckline against her forehead. "I fear your role in this may be less than starling."

"What? How have you been? I haven't seen you since before the nuke. For a while, I thought you died in it! And then, with Conner off gallivanting around with that nine-tailed jezebel, Tamamo, everyone is split up; nobody is talking to one another."

"You only swear like this when you're angry."

"That's due in part to my training abroad; I picked it up over there."

"Yes, I am aware. It's where we met."

She smiled a bit. "True."

Kalen put his hands on Carmen's shoulders and stepped back to look at her. "Why would you refer to the nine-tail that way?"

"Conner told me everything she did. And now she's hiding. She won't even reply to him anymore, the little bitch."

"I'm afraid I'm out of the loop." He cleared his throat.

Carmen frowned. "That's a first." She licked her lips and said, "How's your neck?"

"Attached," he said. "I'm afraid I still have occasional night terrors. Rather, day terrors as it were." Again he cleared his throat softly. "Let's get out of the sunlight. I'll take you to Natalia's new estate north of the city."

"So_that's_ why you asked me to meet you here."

"Yes. She has two locations here. One west of Binghamton, and one in Syracuse hills, north of New-New York."

"New York, the country's self-proclaimed 'most patriotic city.' We'll stand out there."

"How do you mean?" Kalan walked her from the café on the corner to a limo. He opened the back door. "Because I'm so pale?"

"Well, to put it mildly. That city is, like, six percent white people."

"You're not racist are you?"

"No, I feel awkward about standing out. I don't want everyone is staring at me, Kalen. I'm a Master Thief. We like to blend in and go unnoticed. When everyone is staring at me, I'm the center of attention. And if I'm the only white girl in town, I'll be scrutinized."

Kalen smiled and gestured her into the limo. He slid in behind her and leaned up to the driver. "Sero, how are you eyes?"

A pale woman turned around, facing Carmen and Kalen. "I'm wearing sunglasses, sir. I will be fine."

Kalen smiled. "You do not have to call me sir anymore."

"Like with Mistress Natalia, you prefer not to call her 'mother.' I prefer not to call you 'father,' if it's all the same to you."

Kalen smiled and turned to Carmen. He gestured up to Sero. "It was time to raise the numbers of our family. You know Sero and Mela - they're not servants anymore. They're full-fledged members of the family. But Sero is still adjusting to daylight. It bothers her eyes."

Carmen nodded to Sero. "It's been a while."

"Yes, Ms. Parker. It has indeed." Sero put up the window between the front and back of the limo, mumbling something about how she 'still felt like a servant at the wheel of a limo.'

Kalen grinned and pulled the rear door shut. "They're both brilliant young women. And they're still a source of amusement to me."

"More like comic relief." Carmen leaned back against the cushy seating.

"You mentioned Tamamo, earlier. What's wrong?"

Carmen frowned. "I thought that slip of the tongue was going to stay behind me."

"She's upset you. Why?"

Carmen grimaced. She took a deep breath and said, "She practically raped my brother, not to mention Karla."

"Excuse me? Did I hear that right?"

"She possessed Karla and used the body of the succubus to make my brother sleep. Then she fucking got on top of him, and used Karla's body to fuck him. And if that wasn't bad enough? She made Karla forget about it. Karla remembers surfacing during that weekend just long enough to talk to Conner as herself, briefly, before things happened. At this point, everything else is a blur that is coming back in pieces."

"I thought you hated Karla?"

"She keeps trying to prove herself, and now that someone hurt her, I feel bad. God," Carmen trailed off with a sigh. "Karla probably thinks both Conner and I want nothing more than to make her life miserable at this point."

"So you're okay with Karla now?"

Carmen sighed. "She went to help my grandmother out of a bunker, and risked her life to do it, by going to an irradiated area. She isn't my favorite person, but she's not so bad, I guess."

"How are they handling the situation with one another?"

Carmen shrugged. "Conner is mad enough to talk to me, which is rare. Karla, well, she's avoiding Conner because, deep down, she knows something is wrong."

"I'm surprised he went to you instead of Reno or James. He seems to show attachment to his uncles."

"I'm Conner's big sister!" Carmen opened and closed her hands. "He needed to vent. This has been awkward for him. Besides the fact Tamamo is hiding, I don't want him around that cougar anymore. But the fact is, he will need someone's help in trying to find the third nuke."

"Yes, but every time someone closes in, the weapon is moved again."

"Then we need a think tank to outfox the people who have it."

"Mm, a think tank." Kalen grinned at her. His smile faded. "I'm worried, Carmen."

"How so?"

"About you. I'm worried about us. About your mortality. I'm worried you won't survive this ... this whatever."

"I need to tell you something important."

Kalen nodded. "I'm listening."

Carmen cut her eyes to the left. "Cybil said something weird to me when I woke up from my surgery a few weeks ago." She reached a hand up and touched the back of her neck where the disposable stitches had dissolved. She ran her fingertip over the scar tissue of the old incision. "He said you turn me."

"I've been considering it."

Carmen bit her lip with an unsure smile.

"It's up to you. Oracles have been known to be..."

"It's_not_ that," she interrupted, adding, "You don't embrace me until after I become a mother. Now, you can't get me pregnant. It's physically impossible. And I don't want anyone else. So, it's a little awkward to consider that I'm a mother in his version of the future."

Kalen nodded. "That's humbling."

"I would never cheat on you."

"Carmen, the reason I've never asked you about considering the curse is because it means you could never experience what it's like to have children. It's something I've missed in my life. I will never experience fatherhood. So I thought it would be best for you to have those options available to you instead. I want you to have what I never did."

"I'm not going to get myself knocked up for the sake of having 'an experience.' If I were to consider motherhood it would be something I'd want to plan out. But you're a vampire, so the point is moot. I've already resigned myself to focusing on my ability, my body, and my man - you."

"Cybil sees two possibilities because of his aneurysmal hemorrhagic stroke. He sees the world as we live in it, and sometimes he sees the world as if the quake never happened."

"Yeah, he told me. He said he's 'broken,' but it got me to thinking ... what if we could somehow fix the world?"

Kalen smiled inwardly. "You mean, like - what would happen if we all got together and bullied Raul Poliandro into taking us back through time to stop Aris Falcon in 2024?"

"I already tried cornering Raul about it," she said with a crooked sort of smile. "He got snarky, I got snarky, and he explained that such a sharp, radical change would have unforeseen consequences. He explained that changes have to be done slowly, in layers, to ensure nothing radical happens. And these controlled changes have to be carefully planned. Then he said he has 'something in the works,' and refused to go into detail beyond that."

"I see. Well, perhaps the baby you see yourself having will happen in the universe where the quake never happened."

She grinned. "Smart ass."

"Yes, but I was being serious."

"Well, then there's your answer. It never happens for me. Maybe it happens for another version for me, but not for me-me. So, let's move on from the subject. With any luck, the other universe that Cybil sees ... is one where Tamamo does right by my brother. I used to like their relationship because I felt like he was safe with her. But how can she keep him safe if she has a selfish agenda? It's frustrating."

"You rarely display such emotion."

"I know, and when I do it's only ever to you. I had to bite my lip and play things cool when Conner told me about the whole thing. Our parents are under the Atlantic Ocean. It's up to me and my grandmother to keep him in line. And Sinopa won't speak out against Tamamo, and if I do, he will push away from me. So ... what else can I do but complain to you?"

"I'm glad we have one another to unload our burdens." Kalen cleared his throat again.

"Yeah." She rested her head on his chest. "So Natalia is awake again?"

"Yes, but she has decided to 'play dead.' For now, you're one of a handful of people that know she is alive. We will have to work to manipulate situations on various fronts in order to ensure the success of our loved ones."

"How?"

"We display influence over them and guide them to make the right decisions. It's more complicated than you can imagine."

Carmen glanced out the windows and tilted her head. "We're making good timing. How fast are we going?"

"Nice of you to notice."

"I guess my mother was right - I need to control my emotions. All these years, I thought she meant I should bottle my feelings. But I didn't notice we were doing well over ninety on the interstate."

"It was something you needed to learn on your own. We're nearly there."

"So what's so ... complicated?"

"You'll see." The limo pulled off an exit and took a side road from the main surface street. The road became smooth unpaved dirt. Trees lined the road on either side.

"Well hidden." Carmen smiled weakly. "What if we have a child together, Kalen? IVF. You can experience fatherhood. I can have the experiences you want me to have."

"It's worth considering," he said with a soft smile. The limo pulled up to a large one-story home.

Carmen noticed, upon arrival to the new Kincade estate, that it had window wells. "Basement, huh?"

"You're looking at the tip of the iceberg," Kalen confessed. "Take it literal, or as a metaphor. Both work in this case."

The limo came to a stop. Sero stepped out. Instead of going to the back door, she went straight to the house, opened the front door, went inside and pulled it shut.

Carmen blinked. "She resents you making her drive the limo now that she's supposed to be a vampire."

Kalen smiled. "She's upset with me."

"Why?"

"I told her that she was now in charge of finding trustworthy servants. Until she finds a worthy staff, she and Mela will be the staff. Unfortunately three of our four servants were killed by Falcon's ... whatever it is that he calls his creatures. The fourth expired in the detonation of San Francisco."

"Jesus." Carmen opened the car door and slid out. She looked around at the gorgeous tall trees shading the house. "It's beautiful here."

"And shielded from satellite photography." Kalen slid out of the limo, closed the door and took Carmen's hand. "What you see, here, has to stay between us. No one can know."

"You can trust me."

"I know, that's why you are here."

She smiled.

Kalen and Carmen approached the front door. He opened it for her and gestured for her to go inside.

The living area was to the immediate left. Sitting in a circle of comfortable chairs, around a rectangular conference table, Carmen counted a number of people, some of whom she did not recognize.

Kalen followed her into the room and gestured with his hand, moving clockwise. "Everyone, this is Carmen Nevada-Parker. She is trustworthy and intelligent. She will be our eyes and ears. She will also be part of our guiding hand to encourage the changes we require to win."

Carmen nodded to the group.

Kalen continued. "You already know Mistress Natalia Kincade, head of the household. She is faking her death so as not to become a target."

"Mistress," Carmen said with a curtsy.

Kalen panned his hand to the right. "This is her relative, Justus Loupe. His mastery of shadows is unrivaled. It allows him to see things many never will."

Kalen's hand continued to pan to the next person. "This is Charles Foster. He manifested his ability twenty-five years ago. And he called his brother, Johann, looking for answers. By the time Johann arrived in Chicago, Charles was forced to flee. We created a convincing backstory by keeping the brothers apart for a while. We had to lie to Johann and Charles for a number of years. But they are both sons of Paul Foster, who was loyal to the Esoteric Council his whole life. Charles is the only known telepath to exist."

Charles smiled. "Charlie, just Charlie. And yes, Carmen, telepathy is illegal. Ironically, my father was sent to kill one. And the boy managed to save his life from Falcon's creatures in France. And then he saw how the council treated the boy later on. So when an oracle told my father that I would be born a telepath, I was put into hiding shortly after birth."

Carmen frowned. "And they still caught up with you as soon as you manifested."

"Yes, my mother paid the price for it. When I free my brother, we will start the Esoteric Council anew. Things will be different."

Kalen gestured to a woman. "This is Saundra Moore. She brings a measure of humanity to our group, but is equally valued in every way."

Carmen's eyes went to the last man at the table. She waited for the introduction.

Kalen placed his hands on Carmen's shoulders and walked her to the man. "This is Peter. No last name is necessary. Not a real one, anyhow. He's had many, many names."

Peter stood up and approached Carmen. He took her hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. "Ms. Nevada. Or do you prefer Parker?"

"Carmen is fine," she said. "You look familiar."

Charles looked to Peter and said, "You can trust her. She's as genuine as Ms. Kincade said."

Peter nodded to Charlie and cut his eyes back to Carmen with a gentle smile. "I watched you grow up. At the time, I went by the name 'Lance Patterson.' Going back further, I went by Methos. If you go back further than that, I called myself Niall Kincade. I masqueraded as a vampire. Only those in this room now know my secret."

"Under protest," Natalia said. "We have gone fourteen decades without letting it out."

Peter gave Carmen's hand a gentle squeeze. "Yes, but we've never had a telepath to tell us who is trustworthy until now. I have run the council on mystique in the past. It's time we reinvent ourselves and create a council built on truth between those who are deserving of it." Peter sat back down at the table.

"So, you're the legendary Niall?" Carmen asked, head tilted. "If you ran the council, how come they hunted down telepaths before now?"

Peter nodded to Charlie. "Would you like to explain, Mr. Foster?"

Charlie smiled. "Sure. Uh, long story short, Niall was in charge of the Esoteric Council until there was a huge civil war in the summer of 1908. Niall was wounded and presumed dead by the other side. With the help of other man, Nathanial Carrington, Niall reinvented himself as Methos. He laid low, using Nathanial and others to help mold the new council. However, telepathy was so rare, that sometimes the world would go two or three generations without seeing one. And then one or two might show up here and there. And quite a few of them proved themselves to be manipulative. So the council had been hunting them for centuries."

"But not you?"

"Well, the kid that died in 1999 was the source of a huge argument. Methos, here, felt he could be used to make the world a bit better. Especially at such a young age, where he was impressionable. Uh, the kid - his name was Marcus, he surrendered himself in return for amnesty for his girlfriend. I'm told you know her."

"I do?"

"Karla Howard." Charlie corrected himself, abruptly. "Sorry, Loupe. Boy, that awkward moment when everyone else at the table knows something, and it's the first thought in their head to correct ya'. So, Karla Loupe. Anyhow, Methos, here, was going by the name Lance Patterson at the time, and he approached my father and revealed himself as Niall Kincade. And then he introduced my dad to an oracle. They convinced my father to let them take me."

"My god," Carmen said. She approached the table and sat down adjacent to Kalen.

"Yeah," Charlie said with a shrug. "I had a good childhood. I even wound up reintegrated with my mother and brother later on. I was given a free fancy education my whole life. They trained me with my ability when it manifested. I was able to use it to stay two steps ahead of the people that killed my mother. I've been working with these guys ever since."

"So," Carmen licked her lips. "You all brought me into this because you guys trust me. I'm honored. What now?"

"We lay low," Peter told her. "We act as a guiding hand to restore order soon, because order will be lost when the last members of the current Esoteric Council fall. Loki is hunting them down. He won't use his remaining nuclear weapon until he feels there are no supernatural people left to oppose him."

Carmen frowned. "My brother's girlfriend seems to think that Loki and Falcon are working together."

Peter nodded. "Justus has confirmed that much. I took steps to bring a man named Steven Milford over to work with Karla and the others of her group. Steven worked with Falcon but blames Falcon for my death. So Steven has left Falcon's side in order to extract revenge."

Carmen pursed her lips. "You faked your death to bring Falcon's right-hand man to the other side? I don't understand."

Natalia reached her hand forward and gently placed her fingers atop of Carmen's left hand. "My dear, they are the last two living humans from the First Age. Their bond transcends their latest agendas. My husband faked his death to bring Steven to the other team, knowing that Steven would take the death of such a deep and lasting friendship so personally."

"Oh. Wait a minute. Are you serious? You lied to your best friend?"

"We're older than Cane and Abel," Peter said with a weak smile. "No one seems to understand what we have. He will forgive me. We have betrayed one another many times over the course of the eons. I held him when the last of his mortal bloodline died, childless, from old age. We have a bond few can understand."

"So he won't be upset with you?"

"He will likely punch me in the face," Peter said with a smile, "And then he will hug me because I'm alive. And he will praise me for such a clever move."

"Move?"

"Yes, Carmen. A move, like in chess. That is what our lives have become. And at the end of every game, we stand up, we shake hands, and we compliment one another on a well-played game."

"God. How can you trust one another?"

"We don't need to. For humans who live a lifetime, love and understanding matter. For humans who live a lifetime or longer, trust is key. For people who live as long as we have, we have always trusted one thing - we'll both be around after the dust settles. So our bond goes beyond trust. As I said, it's difficult for many to understand."

"I'm honored to join you."

Peter smiled. "We are honored to have you."

"I just have one question," she asked.

Peter nodded.

"I see you've got your warrior champion of fighting, here. Kalen is resourceful and he knows a battlefield as well as guerilla tactics. He knows how to fight in any small battle. But he's here at the table. How do you guys keep the house safe from any possible threat?"

Peter smiled. "You're worried for your safety with a telepath at the table? He can sense the proximity of minds coming into range, and warn us."

"Yeah but how would you guys fight if there was another invasion? Let's face it - Natalia's home was overrun with those creatures. Nobody saw that coming. So how can you be sure you're safe if there is an attack?"

"You've met Laura Báthory, haven't you?" Peter folded his hands. "She is part of our group. But she is currently somewhere outside. Nothing can kill her. She was an obvious choice of defense. Kalen is the offense. Every piece has incredible purpose."

"So we're all just chess pieces?"

"Yes."

"And Natalia is the queen?" Carmen furrowed her brows.

Peter smiled. "She is, indeed. In many different ways. But, if you know your rules of chess, then any pawn has the potential to be promoted to any other piece, even another queen. It is up to the player to determine how to use the second queen."

Carmen's eyes widened. "You're using Karla as the second queen?"

Peter's smile brightened. "Very astute! And she is currently paired with a knight, the only chess piece on the board to have an odd attack pattern. A player who is an expert with their knights will find clever ways of covering the spaces the queen cannot directly attack. The two of them, together, are the perfect couple, as they can attack everything around them, even things that would normally hide in the queen's blind spot."

"Jesus Christ. You take this stuff seriously."

"I do indeed. Now," Peter placed his palms on the table. The length of the large conference room table changed, becoming a long flat screen. "Let's begin today's session by discussing Loki in juxtaposition to Aris Falcon. I would like to determine the best course of action for driving a wedge between the two."

"Where do we begin?" asked Natalia.

Peter smiled. "We're still making opening moves." He pointed to numbers in one of the boxes displayed on the table screen's desktop. "I've crunched numbers and we're still not able to stop Loki's plans. So it's time we bring in the werewolf messiah."

Carmen cringed at the term. "I know I'm new, and please excuse me speaking out of turn, but ... werewolf messiah? Are you serious?"

"Have you met Rufus Darken?" asked Kalen, sitting on her right.

"No."

"His son, Rama, is one of the last few werewolves. There are enough males and females left to restart the species, but Rama is the one that will ensure it happens."

Carmen nodded. "I mean no respect, but I need to understand what is on the line, here. What happens if the werewolves become extinct?"

Justus, quiet up to this point, said, "It's assumed that a werewolves' strength comes from the spirit of Fenris. Whether or not it's true, or you believe it, that doesn't matter. With every werewolf alive, Fenris' power is divided up among them. If they all die, Fenris becomes whole again."

Natalia, in a sullen, serious tone, said, "Carmen, dear, if the werewolves die, Fenris wakes up and breaks his chains. It becomes the first in a long line of chain reaction events that lead to the end of the world."

Peter nodded, adding in, "If that wasn't enough of a reason, Fenris is Loki's son. Loki has another nuke. Do you really want him to have more help?"

"No. So we have to recruit this other member to the group?"

"To a degree," Peter said. "The boy does not necessarily need to sit at our table. There is little he could offer to help us, but there is a great deal of things we could do to help him."

Carmen leaned back in the chair, waiting for an explanation. When it didn't come, she leaned forward, looking at the statistical figures on the table display.

Peter smiled, seeing her curious gaze. "Rama will need our help. His fiancée's father will be interfering with them soon. I would like to guide him through their problems. Rama's father has proven to be an incredibly useful ally in the past."

"I'm listening."

"We may have use for Rufus. We can put him into dangerous situations that would not be suitable for his son, because we need his son to stay alive and lead the werewolves back into a golden age."

"So the father will put himself in danger for us to help the son? Why not just help his son, himself?"

"It's delicate, and there are times we will need to manipulate people to get what we need." Peter folded his hands. "Have you wondered why you are here?"

"Yeah, it seems a bit weird. Everyone here is willing to do what needs to be done, and I can do that. You guys seem comfortable with morally grey situations. I can do that. I assume I'm here so I can steal things for you guys."

"Partially. You're also here so you can manipulate your brother and his friends into doing what has to be done. But this table weighs difficult decisions. There will be times we have to send someone to their death so that thousands, or possibly millions may live. Can you do that? Can you live with those decisions?"

"How can I not?" Carmen said. "If I could sacrifice myself to save everyone that died, years ago, on the District Coast, I would. But it's too late for that. One thing my mother taught me early on - if I have to sacrifice a friend to save my family, or if I have to sacrifice my family to save the world, then that's what I need to do."

Peter nodded firmly. "I think we're ready to get started." He turned to Charlie and said, "Bring Patty in, please."

Charlie closed his eyes and appeared to be thinking.

A moment later, Patience walked into the room. She took a moment to look at everyone assembled. Her eyes stopped on the new woman in the room.

Carmen nodded. "Hey."

"Hello. I'm Patience Balmoral."

"The last name sounds familiar, but I don't think we've met."

"We haven't. Perhaps you've met my husband, Evan, though."

"Oh, right. Just a little. We haven't really talked."

"I'm his wife." Patience took a seat at the table. "Welcome to our little think tank. We even have a clever name for our group."

Carmen paused, glanced at Kalen with a grin, for having made a comment about think tanks earlier, and then she turned back to Carmen. "So what's your part in this?"

Patience grinned. "I'm the token black girl at this otherwise dull round table. I bring my flavor to the group."

Peter grinned at her. "You know, you never struck me as such a personality the first time we met."

Patience grinned at Peter. "I was a bit more shy and reserved twenty-six years ago. And then I became a mom. I started hanging around other black social circles when living in New Atlantis. We kind of took what culture we brought from up top, and we even had our own church group."

Peter tilted his head. "You started a social circle?"

"It all started with the PTA, Peter. And then I came out of my shell a bit. I never exposed myself to socialization like that until after Haley was born. I want those people to walk away from all this. We're not just going down there and blowing things up." Patience cut her eyes back to Carmen and asked, "And what is _your_roll in all of this?"

Carmen frowned. "Master Thief. I have supernatural agility, dexterity, and..."

"Like your folks," Patience said with a grin. "I was educated in anthropology but all my experience is in archeology. Funny how things work out sometime, and we do something different than our academic field."

"Yeah. So, you're a mom. Is your child here?"

"She's in her room, drawing. You and I will be working together. I'll figure out what relics you need to get for us, and how to use them. Your job is to bring them to me."

"Well at least I'll be useful," said Carmen.

"Oh, child, you'll be useful alright," said Patience with a tone of sparkling personality. "If you're as legit as your parents, then I can guarantee the next few weeks will be amazingly productive."

Peter nodded. "Now that we're all aquatinted, we can get down to business."

"Can I ask one small question first?" Carmen turned back to Patience and tilted her head. "Why didn't you come out until now?"

"Because I have a daughter and I am very protective. So they agreed to vet you before I came out here." Patty shrugged. "A woman can never be too careful when her baby-girl is involved."

Carmen smiled, deciding she liked the woman a lot. "I was just telling everyone, here, that we need a group of people to outsmart all of our foes. This is perfect."

"Everyone here has been great," Patty said. "We all pull our weight, even me. I feel like I belong to this group even more-so than the scientists I knew back in New Atlantis."

"How old is your daughter?"

Patty leaned back in her chair. "Older than a toddler, younger then a teenager."

"That's ... vague."

"I'm protective of her. Once we bond and establish trust, I'll let you meet her." Patience cut her gaze to Kalen, and then back to Carmen. "Sorry. I don't mean to be untrusting. I'm still new at this whole 'spy world' thing. I just want to see my husband again. Sooner the better."

"I can arrange that," said Carmen. "He's working with my people. My people are starting to work with the oracle, Crybil. I might be able to arrange for things to happen, so that Evan is the one in charge of bringing the oracle here, to the group."

Natalia smiled. "That would be wonderful. I haven't seen Cybil in some time."

Patty smiled. "Well, let's get started, then."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Quite right, everyone. The next order of business today should be in regards to a relic that we will need to obtain. Everyone, let's focus and get down to business."

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Next Chapter: https://www.sofurry.com/view/836105