Chapter Thirty-five -- Something in my pocket

I believed our salvation stood in the doorway. I whispered her name again:  "Angela..."

"Angela?" Sid whispered back.

I saw her stare turn from spark to glass as she looked into Sid's eyes.

"How do they know my name?" she asked, turning to Deal. He didn't answer. Instead her mouth set firm as she fixed her eyes on Sid, then cast her eyes to mine. I searched her face to find the same good-hearted soul I knew. She looked into me. I saw confusion, horror, pity. 

"You're the one, aren't you?" she asked. 

Deal ignored her and stepped between us. 

"He knows a lot more than he's telling us," he said. "From what we saw on the video cam a moment ago, he has a remarkable ability."

"Am I that transparent?"

"Can I hit the smart ass?" Frank asked.

Deal shook his head no, and Frank unclenched his fists.

"Enough with the jokes. How did you do it? How did you disappear?" Deal demanded.

"It's magic," I shot back. "I don't know how-- it just happens."

"You're a smart fellow," Deal said, leaning back against the wall. "You know exactly how. Are you going to tell us or do we have to hurt your friend here?"

"Can't we all  just get along?" Sid asked.

Frank grabbed the front of Sid's shirt and went to slam him against the wall next to Deal, but Sid was quicker. Frank ended up face first with his arm twisted behind his back in his place. Frank threw all his weight into Sid and they stumbled back and onto the floor. Sid grabbed his hair and proceeded to pound Frank's face into tile. 

Peter yanked him off Frank, who was howling and cursing, just as two steroid filled goons rushed in. Frank staggered to his feet, blood gushing from his nose. Most likely broken. 

"Teach you to touch what doesn't fucking belong to you..." Sid spat. 

Peter Deal pushed Sid up against the door, his hand caressing Sid's cheek and turned away from his touch like it was poison. Deal grabbed his hair, forcing Sid to meet his eyes. 

My heart pounded. I'd been scared shitless before, but this...

I stepped forward only to have one of their strong men pull me back. I struggled, squirming away didn't break the hold. I tried pushing my weight against the biggest one, but he was like a tree. Fuck, and he smelled like home-baked bread. The least he could do is smell the part, like his pal did-- whiskey and cigars. 

"Get your hands off me," Sid hissed. 

"Sid, Sid, Sid. What no please?" Deal said, as rolled his hips into Sid's. I thought I'd be sick. Mr. Pop-n-Fresh Dough jerked me back. "You still haven't learned manners I see. I know we had a parting of ways, but no need to be so rude. I have friends here who will teach you to be more respectful. Or better, I could give you a lesson. I remember when you used to like my lessons."

"That was somebody else. The Peter I knew would never treat me like this."

"Yes, well that is part of it, isn't it? You're not exactly the same are you? How did you both do it? Tell me." 

"Like Wes said-- we don't know."

I elbowed the guy's chest, then tried to spin around. Instead he caught both my arms and locked them tight behind my back.

"Stop squirming you little queer."

"At least I don't smell like the Pillsbury Dough Boy."

"Shut up!" Deal yelled at us. "Angela, give me the serum." 

Her head jerked up as he said her name. She reached inside her lab coat.

"Don't do it," I begged. Angela's hand hesitated as our eyes met. "Please."

Her eye twitched, then she handed the syringe to Deal. One shot of that and Sid wouldn't care who was squeezing his ass. 

"Don't," I said, stomping the man's foot. His buddy slapped the side of head. 

"Then tell me what I want to know," Deal demanded.

"I'm not going to tell you a thing," Sid said,  flinching as Deal stuck him in the shoulder. "Neither is he."

Sid's head turned to me as he choked out the word, "no." His eyes were black. 

"Leave him alone," I choked.

God, the serum was working already. I couldn't watch. I couldn't let this happen.

"We have to be together for it to work," I blurted out. "And I need the sand that's in his pocket."

"Here?" Deal asked, and he took his time rubbing the front of Sid's jeans, feeling for the sand. 

Sid moaned, "Wes, no." What could Deal or Shackleton do with the sand anyway, I reasoned. Besides, they had to know it was already there. All I knew was that I needed it to get us out of here, and I needed to know how much they knew. If I gave them a taste of what I could do, maybe they'd go away long enough for us to get ourselves out of this mess.

Deal dug inside Sid's front pocket and drew out the plastic bag. 

"Take this to get it analyzed."  

"No!" I said as he dropped the baggy of white sand into Angela's hand. She held it like it was radioactive. Sid looked at me. I was puzzled. What game were they playing? Deal had to already know that Sid had the sand in his pocket. They'd searched us. They must have already analyzed it and found it was just ordinary sand. Why this production? The only answer I could reason was they must not be certain. They obviously didn't understand its purpose. Two could play this game...

"Give it to me."

Angela's eyes locked with mine. I thought for a moment she might just give it to me. But Deal grabbed her wrist, twisting it.

I felt bad when I saw her wince. Still, I could have used that sand.

"Take it, now," he hissed. I watched as Angela left, her eyes glassy as she took one last look at  me over her shoulder.

I let my knees go weak as I watched Sid trying his best to push Deal away. Dough boy's grip loosened, and I saw my chance. I kicked with every ounce of strength I had at the fucker's kneecap with my heal. He screamed like a girl.

I was satisfied with myself for all of one second, then he hit me in the jaw so hard I saw all my previous lives flash before my eyes. 

"Come on," said Deal, "you can have fun some other time."

I think the guy wanted to pound me, but instead he limped out of the room with the others.

I was confused. Why did they leave? I turned to Sid. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't need to ask. He gasped for breath, squeezing his crotch. 

He stepped next to me then leaned in and pinned me to the wall with a predatory smile.

"Very horny," he whispered in my ear.

"You know they are watching." I looked up at the camera. My breath hitched as he bumped his cock into mine. It could smell the roses in his breath and through his skin. Every point of contact, I tingled. My body chemically reacted.

"Let them," he said, unzipping my jeans. He reached in and began fondling me. My mind blurred, my chest pounded. I thought I'd come apart when he brushed his thumb against my jeans. I jerked helpless into his hand. 

"God, yes," I whimpered, biting my lip to keep from calling out his name as he grasped me tighter.  The room reeked of roses.

"I'm going to come just listening to you moan," Sid said, licking my ear. 

I was trapped with him in that desperate place-- feeling him, hearing him, made me all the more desperate. The drive to be him, inside and out was almost irresistible. I could smell the want coming on me too. 

He increased his tempo. I gave in. The whole act was quick. We didn't bother removing clothes. We slid down the wall to the floor. He pushed inside me in such a rush, I didn't notice where we were anymore. Time, place didn't matter-- all I understood was him-- his mouth sucking my neck until it burned, his hands holding my arms so tight they tingled. I clawed at his back, begging him to fuck me harder. 

We came. It hadn't mattered that we were semi-dressed with come smeared on us both. I held his head as he sobbed into my neck, whispering how much he loved me.

I began to sing to him softly, not any melody I knew-- instead a new song came within me-- he sniffed and I held him.

Then I felt it on the other side of the door--the familiar void that was Shackleton. The door opened. I held Sid all the tighter; Sid shivered as he raised his head to see who came in. 

Although the door was to my back, I could see Shackleton enter like I was seeing him through my own eyes. He was alone.  The door slammed shut, and he stepped behind us with purpose. I turned to face him. The cold barrel of this gun met my temple. 

"This is cozy," he muttered. The barrel drew a shivering trail from my temple to my mouth. The cold steel tugged at my bottom lip in an obscene caress.

"Don't reach for the gun," he said to Sid, "or I'll pull the trigger. I know he heals amazingly well, but I don't think even he could survive getting his head blown off at point blank range."

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Open your mouth," he ordered. I hesitated then opened as he pushed it inside.  I could just as easily be Sid. I shut my eyes as I put my lips around the barrel. The metal bit into the roof of my mouth. "You have lips made for sucking cock,"  he said, staring down his eyes taking in my open fly and come smeared clothes. He held a test tube in his other hand. He inched that hand down, grazing my spent cock. 

Sid stepped forward and the gun twisted. I gagged. 

The door opened and in walked Deal with Frank in tow, his nose swollen. 

"Mind if I observe?" Deal asked.

"Certainly," Shackleton said.

"It seems I may have been mistaken where the answer lies, not just in his blood," Shackleton explained. "You see the answer was always right here, between his legs and here in his brainstem. What I need now is a sample, and I see Sidney has helped to provide one." Taking his finger from his free hand, Shackleton scrapped a glob of come off my shirt into the test tube. 

He pulled the gun out of my mouth and waved, motioning for Sid to step over. A bitter metallic taste lingered in my mouth. 

"Of course I'll need more later, but this will due for now," he said, shoving me to the floor. He grabbed Sid by the hair, yanking him around then leveled the gun to his head.

"Leave him alone," I said, getting to my feet. "You got what you wanted."

"But I do need more," Shackleton smiled.

"What?" I asked.

"Him."

"No. You can't. You can have me."

"He's coming with me," Shackleton said. "Insurance. I'll keep him some place safe. You'll see him when ever it's necessary."

He began stroking Sid's cheek with the gun and I began shaking. Safe?

"This could prove to be very entertaining for me," Shackleton said, running the gun across Sid's lips.

Sid rolled his eyes, then bit Shackleton's finger. 

"You little fuck!" He screamed, then slugged Sid in the head with the butt of his gun.

Deal stepped up between them, grabbing Sid's arm and twisting it. 

"I'll take care of him," Deal said, pulling Sid away. "I don't want him damaged..." 

Deal rushed out the door, dragging Sid.

Shackleton snapped the rubber stopper on the test tube, handing it to Frank. Shackleton nodded to him. 

Frank wiped his nose on his sleeve, then left. 

"Now it's just us," Shackleton said. "We can be straight with each other. I know you're not the Wes that was here before. You know I'm not the same handsome guy you first met. Tell me, what it's like when you jump?"

"It's nothing spectacular. Not much happens, but it's never the same..."

"We saw you earlier in this room with your boyfriend. It looked like you were transparent-- like a shadow. What does it feel like? What do you see? Do we look like shadows to you?"

"No."

"Now, now Wes. Remember, I have your playmate tucked away. You wouldn't want anything to happen to him? Be cooperative. I might even treat you nice."

"Nice? I rather you weren't."

"Answer."

I was silent. What choice did I have but to give him a taste?

"Most of the time I don't realize it's happening to me."

"Most of the time? How many times has it been?"

"Three or four."

"Which is it, three or four?"

"I haven't been keeping track."

"A man with a photographic memory can't remember-- enlighten me how that works..."

"It's easy if you don't recall who you are," I reached.

"You are suggesting you have no memory?"

"More like I have many memories-- so many that I can't trust them."

"You really shouldn't lie. You don't do it well. You know precisely where you've been, what you've seen. You've met me, Angela, that worm Deal. I see it in your eyes. Those eyes of yours don't hide much. Then there's Sidney. Ah, yes. You were awfully familiar a moment ago for a first encounter. Both of you fit together so well in such an awkward position. Not an act done well without practice. Very talented the both of you. I could sell that tape and make a profit, or better, I think I'll keep it for my personal vault."

He smiled and stepped closer. "No, you don't fool me. You remember everything. How close am I to the truth? You jump through doors in time, planes of reality? What is it?"

"Both, neither. How the fuck should I know?"

"Explain. Now."

I hesitated. The room was still, but there was a distinct vibration. I couldn't tell if it was real or not. 

"It's not time travel," I said. "So forget trying to make yourself some all powerful being by going back and altering an event. You can't change history. You can't go back. I don't go through time. I guess I go through other planes of existence. That's just a guess though. There's no controlling what will happen. I can't. It's random. If you think that you can bend it for your own purposes, think again. It bends you."

I felt the vibration in my legs. Shit.

"Ah, but the experience. The curiosity. All the little unknowns make it all the more irresistible doesn't  it Wes? But most of all, the experience has altered you more and more each time."

"Of course it's changed me. My life's been turned upside down."

"Still evading. You know exactly what I mean. You're not the same being physically. You're superior. Psychic."

We both looked at the chrome table next to me. The objects shook-- metal on metal rattled.

"If I'm so superior and psychic, what the hell am I doing here?"

"Look," he said, pointing to the table. "You don't  understand. You don't have the intelligence to comprehend the limitless possibilities..."

"But you do?"

"Yes and also you're hindered in other respects..."

"How hindered?"

"You're distracted. You aren't alone."

"What?"

"I said, you aren't alone. You brought him with you. You're familiar. I've seen it before today. I've seen you both. You have the power to take another. I know what you are, and you're going to take me this time. I will learn. I will become like you."

He laughed. 

"No way," I stepped back.

"I will be superior in all  respects. Breaking lamps, moving objects? Nothing! You don't understand the possibilities... What I could do with your powers."

"There's no way I can take you. It's not possible."

"Sex. Arousal. I didn't need your sperm-- I just needed to be alone with you, with this sand," he pulled the bag from his pocket then a syringe from his lab coat. "It will happen. First I'll make you beg, then I'll make you come. You will take me." He stepped toward me and I took another step back. I opened my mouth to speak when the door opened. I was never so relieved to see Deal.