Author's notes:

This chapter have taken a long time to finish and I can only say that I'm sorry for that.

That is what happens when Real Life gets in the way of writing.

About the language and notation:

The Baylon language is a predecessor to Latin, which is why it looks like Latin at a glance.

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

P.S. I haven't gotten an editor yet, so any mistakes are mine. Interested editors are welcome :)

P.P.S. While you're here anyway, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

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Chapter 35 -- Long distance call

Thursday, 6th of July 2000, the Atlantic Ocean

Despite Captain Wolf's concern about the weather, the first days of the trip across the Atlantic went without a hitch. The weather was excellent, we had favourable winds all the way and Dream Weaver proved to be just as fast and stable in open water as it had been on the coastal trip from Malaga to the Canary Islands.

I enjoyed it tremendously. With all the things that had happened since I woke up, it was good to be able to just lean back and appreciate the smooth ride, while learning a few new things about sailing a modern ship and using most evenings to search my stolen memories to see what Parker had been doing in Spain.

The answer had been both straight forward and strange at the same time: Parker was searching for the recipe for a potion, that would rejuvenate him, giving him back his youth, as his plan on ruling the world didn't mean much, if he would die of old age within ten or twenty years after achieving it.

However, one of the artworks he had stolen over the years was an old book, describing the life of an alchemist named Ferdinand Hayan, who had been hundreds of years old, but looked to be thirty due to a secret potion he had taken. Just as important was a passage in the book, saying that Ferdinand Hayan had inscribed the recipe on the wall of an old building near his home.

Another book, written a few hundred years later, described how another alchemist who had found Ferdinand Hayan's recipe and made the potion, but couldn't get it to work because it had lacked one ingredient, as it should be mixed with 'good will of the soul'.

Parker had a theory that 'good will of the soul' wasn't an ingredient, but mental powers, and was sure that he could get the potion to work.

Ferdinand Hayan had lived somewhere in the Malaga area, and as Parker been too paranoid to let others do the research for him, he had spent a lot of time and resources looking for the house with the recipe there.

I had used some time to consider that. Far out as it sounded, there was a very slim and remote possibility, that Parker had been on to something, but that would depend on several conditions, some of which required timing. The potion had to have a composition like the peaches from the garden of the Queen of the West. That was difficult enough in itself and would require some human magic. In addition to that, rejuvenation required a huge amount of power, but as I had witnessed, Malaga had a seasonal Leyline, so if the potion was taken on the beach during the summer solstice or in the hills a few days earlier, it might actually work.

Parker haven't known about the Leylines, but he had been so sure that he would find the recipe and get the potion to work, that he had meticulously planned and prepared how he could take over his own company: He could go away, take the potion, and come back as his own nephew, leaving time enough get a plastic operation (whatever that was) to change his appearance. This would enable him to change identity, while retaining control of everything he owned, as he became the heir to his own empire.

The plan was so good, that I had decided to use it to take over the company, by simply taking the identity of the unnamed nephew, and then follow the rest of the plan with a few additions, mostly with the aim of transferring the focus of the loyalty granted by Parkers loyalty codex from him to me.

The reason for that was more one of necessity, than anything else. The loyalty codex of the board members was keyed to Parker and if they haven't seen him for a year, it would dissolve, releasing its energy into the brain of the victim, frying the brain, and killing them.

Considering that the Interpol would was unlikely to release Parker within a year, that was a problem I needed to address before people started to die, so I needed to find and transfer their loyalty to me before it was too late.

Using Parkers own plan wasn't ideal, but it was the easiest way to do it and while using Parker's loyalty codex for my own gain didn't set well with me, I didn't really have any options, that didn't involve just letting people die.

Of cause, if I really wanted it, I could do it without using Parker's plan and the identity of the nephew, but Parker had set it all up so there would be minimal problems with the law, and not taking advantage of that was just dumb. Especially since I operated in a world, I knew very little about.

So, when we reached the Island of Oldenburg, where the company headquarter was located, Captain Wolf would request that the Managing Director met us at the docks. Then I could transfer his loyalty from Parker to me, ensuring me access to the rest of the members of the Board of Directors, so I could transfer their loyalty as well.

Sighing, I stretched. At some point I would have to come up with a way to change the parameters of the mind-control, so I could transfer the loyalty to somebody else than me or change the time limit to more than a year, but I simply didn't have the time. According to his own memories, Parker had been away for months already, cutting into the time I had to fix the problem. Parker might have used modern technology to meet the people he had mind-controlled, but before I had transferred their loyalty to me, I had to meet them in person to renew the time limit.

-----------------

"I think I'm suffering from culture shock." Commented Ester with a little smile, as we were all sitting around the great table on the aft deck, eating dinner. "In just two months, I've gone from being a member of a counter-terrorist unit, to become a prisoner, to end up sitting on a luxury yacht, eating a delicious meal in the most luxurious surroundings I have ever experienced."

"I think we all do." Said Delina, her smile almost impossible white against the dark skin. "Especially since we're not supposed to do anything but enjoy life."

"Yes, my heart bleed for you." Chuckled Petra. "Treated like a princess on vacation. So hard."

That made them all smile.

"She does have a point." Remarked Esther. "As long as we're listed as deserters, we can't return home, so we need to find a new purpose in life." She drank from her glass. "That isn't always easy."

I looked at her. "That would depend on the purpose. What would you like to do?"

The Persian beauty smiled at the question. "To be a teacher. I was a substitute teacher when I was younger, and I loved it."

I nodded. Both Petra and Esther were twenty-five but looked a little younger than that. It also made them the oldest of the five women, as Riya and Delina were both twenty-two and Ayanna was twenty-one.

"That's cool." Remarked Riya and hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth. "I've wanted to become a doctor as long as I can remember. That's why I became a combat medic. It was the easiest way to get an education in that field."

She looked over at Ayanna, who smiled. "I don't have any wild plans. Ideally, I just want a little café somewhere peaceful, find a man and raise some children."

"Sounds like a good plan." I said and turned towards Delina. "What about you?"

The Gambian looked a little embarrassed, as she answered. "IT-specialist. I know it's nerdy, but I love computers and I think the internet is the future."

"Petra?"

The gorgeous Ukrainian shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know. When I was younger, I wanted to become one of the first high-ranking female officers in Ukraine, but during my time in the military, I discovered that all the bureaucracy and juggling for position in the officers' corps really get on my nerves. I just want to do a good job and not spent my time and energy dealing with career officers, that want a promotion no matter the cost of others." She looked thoughtful for a heartbeat, but then smiled. "I'll figure something out and it's hard to complain while being pampered like this."

"Well, at some point, pampering gets boring," I said. "Let's see if we can't make some of those dreams become real at some point."

That made Delina look at with a startled expression on her face. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious." I said, slightly surprised by the question. "Why would I like or joke about your future?"

She shook her head. "I don't know, but from time to time you sound too good to be true."

To my surprise, the others nodded in agreement, and Petra said. "Delina got a point. You're a little hard to believe from time to time... even when I know that you mean it." She thought for a heartbeat. "Like when you just gave us thousands of dollars to use on clothes and stuff."

"It's just money." I said with a shrug. "It's earned, stolen, used, and lost easily. Money doesn't really matter, except to help people who needs it... like you did."

"You're a strange man." Said Petra and leaned over to give me a kiss. "But I like it."

The others smiled and continued eating. So did I, but my thoughts were elsewhere. Parker had made a lot of money over the years and I knew that he had put funds aside for charity work, though as he drifted deeper into megalomania and insanity, he had lost interest in charity and from his memories, I knew that he hadn't touched it for at least a decade.

There was also a lot of people out there who needed help, so perhaps I could use those funds to make life bearable for some of them. At least it was a possibility, but as just about everything else it would have to wait until I knew more about Parkers company and the world in general.

------------------------

Since I had spent a lot of time with Petra and Delina, I used the rest of the evening getting to know Ester, Riya, and Ayanna better. Aside from their good looks and military backgrounds, they were as different as any group of people tended to be. Riya was outgoing and talkative, while Ayanna was a little shy, and Ester was somewhere between the two others, but they were all interesting to talk with. Mostly because they came from different places and cultures, telling widely different tales of their lives so far, and it was late when I left the deck, heading for the master cabin.

The sight that met me when I entered was both breath-taking and arousing, as Petra was sleeping on my bed, snoring slightly. More to the point, she was laying on her side on top of the silk covers, naked as the day she was born.

I took a moment to admire her beautiful face, with the high cheekbones and full lips, before I let my eyes wander over her body, enjoying the sight of its curves. The full breasts, the slim waist that flowed into generous hips and long shapely legs.

A glint of something white on the bedside table caught my attention and I walked over to take a close look at it. It turned out to be a note, reading "Fell asleep waiting for you. Wake me up when you come back. I need sex"

With a slight chuckle to myself, I walked over to the closet, undressed, and then turned back towards the bed.

Taking off my clothes must have made more noise than I thought, because Petra had woken up and was looking at me, a little smile playing on her lips.

I smiled back at her. "Yes?"

"Just admiring you." Petra said as the smile turned into a laughter. "I've rarely seen guys built like a Greek statue."

"Well, thank you." I said with a slight chuckle as I walked over to the bed. "Unfortunately, I can't say the same about you, since you're way more beautiful and seductive than any statue I've ever seen."

To my surprise she blushed a little, making me wonder what men in this age were doing. Alice, Rita, and Karen had been the same, with no calms about being naked or almost naked, but as soon as I complimented them, they suddenly got shy or blushed, like they weren't used to people telling them how attractive and alluring they were.

Reaching the bed, I bent to kiss her full, soft lips, while my hand found her full breasts almost by itself. It filled my hand with its firm softness and I massaged it gently, wallowing in the feeling as Petra moaned. A moment later, I could feel her cool fingers close around my warm, stiff cock. Exploring and teasing at the same time.

Combined with the kiss, it made my lust soar to new heights, and I felt like my nerves were on fire, as out tongues intertwined.

Petra radiated lust as she kissed me back and started to move faster, massaging the shaft.

Kneeling on the edge of the bed, I kissed my way down her neck, over her collarbone and onto her breast, letting my hand slide down her body at the same time, so I could kiss and lick her breast.

Sucking the nipple into my mouth, I gently bit it, before swirling my tongue around it, flicking the top of the nipple with my tongue from time to time, making Petra gasp every time I did it. I moaned as well, but that was because Petra had pulled the foreskin on my dick back and was running circles around the head with her fingers.

Moving a little, I switched to the other breast and did the same, while my hand travelled to her legs.

With a groan, Petra spread them slightly to allow me access, but instead of going for her pussy, I caressed the soft skin of her inner thighs, sending shivers through her body.

"Oh wow..." she breathed softly. "You're making me go insane."

I removed my mouth from her breasts, to say, "That was part of the plan." and when I returned my lips to her skin again, I started kissing my way down her flat, strong stomach, turning slightly as I went lower.

Her navel was just as perfect as the rest of her, but she giggled when I licked around it and stuck my tongue into it. "That tickles!"

Instead of saying sorry, I went lower, tucking slightly with my lips in the triangle of light brown hair above her pussy, inhaling the wonderful aroma of an aroused woman. For a moment, I was tempted to go directly to the source of the aroma, but instead I kissed my way down the inside of her leg, moving on the bed to be able to reach.

It also brought me so far down the bed, that she couldn't continue caressing my dick, but with the state I was in at the moment, that was almost a relief. I was way too worked up and needed to cool down if I were to last as long as I had planned.

Standing up, I quickly walked to the end of the bed, grabbed Petra's legs, and dragged her closer. That made her yelp and then giggle as I kneeled between her legs and began kissing her skin again, while I caressed her thighs. As everything else on Petra, they were soft, yet firm, and felt great under my hands.

She shivered as I slowly kissed, licked, and caressed my way up the leg, almost reaching her pussy, before I stopped for a moment to admire it. It was the first time I had seen it up close as it was as beautiful as the rest of her, with perfectly sized lips opening as a flower, revealing her clitoris.

With a little smile to myself, I blew air at it, making Petra gasp again, and causing me to look up over the little patch of hair to see her smiling flustered face between those perfect breasts.

Just to see her reaction, I moved my hand to her pussy, letting the back of a finger stroke up and down along her wet opening.

Petra inhaled with a gasp and a shiver, the smile on her face widening.

Satisfied, I used the fingertip to part the lips and did the stroke again, this time going in between the wet lips and finishing with dragging my finger over the tip of her clitoris, making her tremble.

Giving in to temptation, I followed the move with my tongue, licking her lips from bottom to top, slipping a finger into her soaking wet pussy as I came near her clitoris, timing it, so my finger slid into her as my tongue circled her clitoris.

"Shit, that's good!" Petra hissed, lifting her trembling hips so her clitoris pressed against my tongue. Satisfied with the response, I worked my tongue from side to side over the little sensitive organ, while I added another finger inside her, spreading her lips further and making it easier for me to lick her. As always, the wonderful feeling of a wet, tight pussy around my fingers sent shivers down my spine. A moment later, Petra shivered as well when my fingers found her internal pleasure zone and massaged it.

She also tasty wonderfully, so I took my time playing with her clitoris, letting my tongue caress it softly, while I slid my fingers back and forth inside her, putting pressure on her the internal pleasure zone each time each time I moved.

I kept the same speed for a time, enjoying the feel, taste of her, as well as the sensation of her steadily climbing towards a climax. Her breathing became faster and faster and the shivers spread to her whole body. One of her hands found my head and pressed it against her pussy, while the other massaged one of her breasts. Then she hissed "I'm coming!" and exploded in a powerful orgasm, that lifted her body from the bed for a heartbeat and made her groan loudly, before she collapsed back onto the bed.

Placing the other hand on her chest, I lifted my head to look at her, two fingers on the other hand still inside her pulsating pussy.

"Wow!" Petra gasped after a moment and lifted her head to look at me. "That was wild!"

She was still looking slightly dizzy from the orgasm and her eyes looked like they had trouble focussing, as they sought me.

Without answering, I began moving my hand again. This time there was nothing slow or gentle about it, as I moved swiftly in and out while pressing the tips of the two fingers inside her against her pleasure point.

Petra slammed her head back against the bed, moaning loudly, while her hips moved up and down, trying to follow the speed I had set. The motion made her pert breasts bounce invitingly, so I moved the hand on her chest to one of her breasts and massaged it, catching the stiff nipple between my fingers and pinched it, as I did so. The moans got louder and with an enraptured look on her face, she arched her back, her face a picture of pure pleasure. Taking the cue, I changed the angle of my hand, so that the palm hit her clitoris every time my fingers went all the way inside her.

"Oooh, fuuuck yess!" Petra moaned loudly and shuddered as my palm hit her clitoris repeatedly. I could feel the muscles inside her tightening around my fingers as I moved them, and one of her hands moved to the breast I wasn't massaging and started pinching the hard nipple.

Then she screamed as another orgasm tore through her, pressing her legs together which prevented me from continuing.

"Wow!" She gasped, her chest heaving. "That was good!"

"You had me inspired." I replied with a smile, as I watched her breasts rise and fall with the rhythm of her laboured breathing. "And if you relax your legs, I'll remove my hand."

She giggled and spread her legs a little, allowing me to slide my fingers out of her, which caused her to jump as the fingers glided over her clitoris. Lifting the fingers to my mouth, I put the tips of the two digits I had been using and sucked her juices off.

Petra lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "You really like the taste?"

"No, I love it." I answered. "It tastes wonderfully and there's something about the smell and taste that really get my juices flowing."

She laughed. "Well, you got my juices flowing as well." She sat up. "I want you inside me."

Without even waiting for an answer, she got up on all fours with the knees on the edge of the bed and presented her well-shaped ass to me, while looking over her shoulder with an expression of lust and eagerness that almost smouldered. "Do I need to say please?"

Grinning, I shook my head, took a condom from the nightstand, and put it on, before I positioned myself right behind her, placing the tip of my cock between her wet lips, feeling them part for me.

Before I had the chance to grip her hips, Petra lowered her upper body until her head was on the bed and pressed back against me, making my hard cock go into her drenched pussy. As I had discovered last time we had sex, she was incredible tight, but she was a bit more relaxed this time and as she kept the pressure, my dick sank slowly but surely all the way into her.

"Easy!" Petra mumbled, arching her back with pleasure, as her internal muscles caressed my cock, sending shivers through my dick and down my spine. The changed angle made my dick go even further into her until the head hit the end of her vagina and my hip bones bounced off her firm, sweet ass. Some women found it painful, other found it arousing and apparently Petra was part of the last group, because she groaned and pressed harder against me. "Shit, that's good!"

Taking hold of her hips, I began to fuck her in a slow, steady pace, with her fucking me as much as I was fucking her. Enjoying the feeling of her tight, wet pussy around my dick, and her pushing back against me, I let my hands move from her hips and instead started caressing her back from shoulder to hip, luxuriating in the feel of her silken skin against me.

"Damn." Petra grunted between thrusts. "Even... your... hands... feels... good... on... me."

"You're a pleasure to touch and admire." I said truthfully. There was a sexy beauty in watching her muscles flex beneath her smooth, tanned skin in time with her motions. The shape of her body just added to that. Naturally curvy, the swelling of her hip and the curve of her ass was greatly enhanced by the position and I smiled happily as I admired the sight, while enjoying the sensation of her tightness around my stiff cock. Even in this position, her inner muscles were caressing my dick and each stroke felt incredible.

Petra groaned and moved a arm under her body. Something rushed against my shaft and a moment later, I felt Petra's fingers caressing my balls and shaft as I moved in and out of her. It felt heavenly and I closed my eyes in pleasure.

For a while we just enjoyed the sensation, but my senses detected a rising need to come in her, which meant increasing the tempo. Under normal circumstances that wouldn't have been a problem, but the last time I had done that while a female was caressing my balls, she had accidently hit me with her fingertips as I was moving forward. The result was not fun, as pain had shot through me and ruined the mood for a while.

Determined not to let that happened this time, I whispered. "Play with yourself."

She didn't argue and the fingers disappeared from my balls, but the muscles in her shoulder and arm were flexing as she rubbed her clitoris, groaning with each breath she took. I lengthen my strokes, making sure to pull all the way out and then slide forward to fill her completely, pausing for just a moment at the bottom before I pulled out again.

It didn't take long before her breaths came faster and I started to gradually up the tempo, following her breathing and doing it so slowly, that Petra automatically followed suit and we moved in perfect unison. Small sounds of pleasure escaped her lips with each stroke, and I could her busy fingers brushing against my balls each time I hit bottom.

Moving my hands back to her flaring hips, I gripped her firmly and thrust harder and faster, slamming my hips into her firm ass. Petra froze in place, holding still as I rammed into her, hitting bottom each time. Her hand was moving even faster now, and her breathing was ragged.

"Keep doing that!" She moaned, as shivers rippled over her back and shoulders.

I kept the pace, and it didn't take long before I could see her free hand clenching the bedsheet, as her body twisted as waves of pleasure ran through her. Knowing that she about to come, I put a little more power in the next few strokes and was rewarded when Petra buried her head in the bedsheet and came with a muted scream. I kept my dick inside her, enjoying the feeling of her pussy pulsing around me and her muscles quivering with ripples of pleasure, as well as the sudden rush of lubrication that bathed me.

We kept that position for a while, as small waves of pleasure ran through her, making her pussy pulse around my dick.

Finally, she lifted her head and looked at me over her shoulder. "This is fucking amazing!"

"Oh yeah... It's really good." I replied and flexed my cock inside her, causing a shiver to run through her body.

"I hope you're close to coming." She moaned. "I'm getting too sensitive."

"That might take a little while." I admitted.

"Take the condom off," she said. "I have a ... " she paused, searching for the right word, but then shrugged. That made her move, which again caused her hips to change position and my cock to press against the sides of her wet tunnel. She shivered again. "I don't remember the English expression, but I'm protected against pregnancies."

"Nice." I smiled and pulled out of her to take the condom off. "Move up and lean against the bulkhead."

"The bulkhead?"

"The wall." I explained as I took off the condom.

"Oh." She nodded and moved up in the bed, leaned against the bulkhead and arched her back, again presenting her lovely ass to me.

I crawled onto the bed and moved up to her, starting with hugging her from behind and kissing her neck. Smiling, she turned her head, so we could kiss. Her lips felt wonderful against mine and like the rest of her, they were soft and firm at the same time.

My hands wandered to her full breasts, gripping them firmly for a moment, before I eased up and caressed them gently, while I teased her nipples with my thumbs. She groaned into my mouth as we kissed and reached behind her to take hold of my stiff cock, and guide it in between her buttocks, so it pressed against her dripping pussy.

Feeling playful, I straightened my stance and when she pushed back against me, the head slid over her lips and clitoris without going inside. The dick to clitoris contact made her groan with pleasure, so I started to move my hips, dragging my cock repeatedly over the outside of her sensitive pussy.

Petra moaned in equal parts lust and frustration as her hips moved with me, trying to change the angle and get the dick inside her.

I was loving every heartbeat of it. Her pussy was slick with her juices and the feeling of the head sliding over it was divine.

She broke the kiss. "You're evil!"

"Yes." I admitted and caught her nipple between two fingers. Then I pinched them, pulling them slightly.

"Oh god!" Petra moaned. "I'm gonna die."

"Not even close.." I chuckled. "But I am going to fuck you until I come."

"Will you tell me when you're close?"

"Yes." I said and changed the angle of my thrusts, so the next one made the head go inside her. Instead of pulling back, I kept the pressure up, driving my cock all the way inside her with one smooth glide until I hit bottom again, causing her to give off a small shriek.

I moaned in response. Without a condom, her pussy felt even better as it pulsed around my cock, the muscles contracting every time I hit a pleasure point and gripping my dick, caressing it as I started to fuck her with long strokes, that let my cock slide from the entrance to her channel all the way into her, hitting first her internal pleasure point and then the bottom with each stroke.

Taking a firm hold of her perfect breasts again, I picked up the pace a little as I kissed her neck and shoulders, licking and gently biting her.

Petra was groaning almost constantly now and I knew that she was close. To help her along, I cupped her breasts harder and pinched the nipples again. That drove her over the edge and she came with a short scream, as her body twitched and her pussy clenched around me.

It felt wonderful and instead of stopping, I fucked her harder, groaning at the feeling. It wouldn't take long before I erupted and I was determined to make Petra come along with me. A job that wouldn't be too difficult, judging from the way she was moaning and shaking.

"Oh, god...I'm going to cum again!" Petra suddenly moaned between breaths and cried out as pleasure washed over her, making her shiver and gasp.

"Mee too." I said a moment later when I felt the tell signs of an incoming orgasm. To my surprise, Petra suddenly moved forward towards the bulkhead, making my dick leave her pussy.

Then she turned, bowed down and a heartbeat later, her warm lips closed around the head of my cock, while she gripped the shaft, stroking it.

"Oh God." I mumbled and closed my eyes in pleasure, as her tongue made slow circles around the crown and her hand began to squeeze the shaft rhythmically, timing it with the rhythm of her strokes. Then she stopped using her tongue and started to bob her head, sliding her lips over the sensitive skin of the crown as she fucked me with her mouth, sucking me in with every move. Her other hand found my balls and caressed them gently, adding to the pleasure.

It didn't long before my balls tightened and a heartbeat later, I erupted in her mouth.

With a moan, Petra swallowed and kept on sucking, stroking, and swallowing as stream after stream of sperm left my cock and into her waiting mouth. It was only when she was sure that I was finished, that she released the head from her lips and sat up, looking at me with a satisfied smile on her face.

I returned the smile and let myself fall back on the bed. "That was awesome, but why did you want me to come in your mouth?"

I had expected her to say something about being one the safe side, but instead, she said. "Because you taste so damn good. I don't know why, but you do, and I wanted a snack."

It's not often that I'm speechless, but the only reply I could come up with was, "Oh... Thank you."

With a chuckle, she lay down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. "That was without any doubt the best sex I've had in my life." She yawned. "And you managed to make me come so hard, that all I want to do now, is to sleep."

"Then sleep."

That caused her to lift her head and look at me. "You don't mind?"

"No. Why would I?"

She thought for a moment and then chuckled. "I have no idea."

"Neither do I, so let's sleep."

True to her word, Petra fell asleep almost immediately and I used the chance to delve into her mind, looking for languages. I sighed, when Petra once again proved, that people in this age were immensely more educated than they had been two thousand years ago. Not only did she know English and Ukrainian, but she also spoke Russian. Taking a decision, I chose Ukrainian since it was her native tongue and started to absorb words and knowledge from that language, using the advanced version of the trick I had used with Alice and Karen, meaning that it was faster and more effective.

Since I wasn't as immersed in the language as I had been with English and later Spanish, it would take longer to learn, but as I had the time, it didn't worry me and knowing the languages could be helpful later, if I were to use mental commands. It was for that reason, that I had learned all the other languages, including French from Delina, after I had discovered, that the French language was spoken by at least a quarter of a billion people.

When I had absorbed as much as I could, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

---------- Department 55 ----------

Friday, 7th of July, London, UK

Maya sighed tiredly, as she unlocked the door to her apartment. The week had been filled with debriefings and while she knew it was part of the job, it still felt like somebody was looking over her shoulders, second-guessing every action she had taken in Malaga. Not that she was worried, since everything had been by the book, but it was still draining.

Yawning slightly, Maya opened the door and then gasped in surprise when the scent of roses hit her nostrils. On the floor of the corridor just inside the apartment a trail of red roses led towards the living room, lit by numerous small candles that was placed in intervals along both walls.

Moving carefully and as silent as possible, Maya stepped inside the corridor and closed the door behind her. For a moment she considered drawing her gun but decided against it. If someone were out to hurt her, they wouldn't leave a trail of red roses on the floor. Especially not one lit by rose scented candles.

It was far more likely that Hector had decided to pay her a surprise visit.

Smiling, she took off her coat, placed it on the rack and walked towards the living room, trying to avoid stepping on the roses.

When she reached the half-opened door, she peaked inside the room, and her heart fluttered when she saw the dining table. Lit by two tall red candles, it was set up for a romantic dinner for two, complete with two plates, utensils, wineglasses, and an opened bottle of red wine. There were even rose petals spread on the white tablecloth and soft music playing from the stereo.

The sight made the smile on her face grew wider and it turned into a grin, when she saw Hector Zavala come walking out of the kitchen, carrying a large pan.. Maya almost laughed. The last meal they had eaten together had been a seafood Paella and it looked like Hector wanted to repeat the success.

The handsome Spaniard placed the pan on a large coaster on the table and looked over at the door. "Welcome home, honey. I thought you could use some food and romance in your life."

Maya resisted the temptation to shake her head. There had been no indication that he had discovered her and yet he clearly had.

Opening the door, she stepped into the living room. "Thank you and I have to say that both you and the food look delicious." Suddenly realising something, she asked. "Wait a minute, how did you get in? I'm sure I locked the door when I left."

"Well, to quote Dean Martin." He said with a slight smile. "Every lock ain't locked when no one's around."

"You broke into my apartment?!" She blurted in surprise.

He snorted with another one of his charming smiles, as he walked across the floor to give a hug and a kiss, before replying. "No, I usually don't break anything when I enter."

That made her laugh and give him a kiss. "You're crazy."

"Well, I couldn't let a locked door stop me from surprising you." He chuckled and placed a hand on her back, so he could lead her to the table, where he pulled out the chair for her. "Please, my lady. Dinner is served."

"Oh, thank you so much, good sir."

----------------

"God, that Paella was divine!" said Maya with a satisfied smile, when she placed the utensils on the empty plate.

"Good." Commented Zavala and he sipped from his glass of wine. "Then I haven't ruined my grandmother's recipe."

"You cook?" asked Maya flabbergasted. None of the men she had known so far have had any talents in a kitchen.

"Si." Said Hector with a slight shrug. "That's how I survived living on my own."

"Oh." Said Maya with a nod. "By the way, what brings you to London? I mean... I love that you're here, but when we talked in the phone two days ago, you said that you didn't have any time off."

"Yes, and I don't." Zavala said with a little smile. "I'm here on official business."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Something you can share?"

"Oh yes. It's nothing secret." He leaned back in the chair and studied her for a moment. "Do you remember what we talked about in Malaga... that you wanted the two of us to be together as much as we could?"

Maya nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Do you still mean that?"

"Yes."

Zavala lit up in a smile. "Good, because I feel the same way and I've talked with both my boss and Mr. Newport. To make a long story short, starting next month I'll be on loan to Interpol's Department 55 as a Protector."

An intense feeling of happiness spread in Maya's body and with a grin she got to her feet, walked around the table, and sat down on Hector's lap, kissing him passionately. "That's wonderful! Do you know who you're going to act as a protector for?"

Hector hugged her as he nodded. "Yes... You." He smiled at her widening eyes. "That was my condition." The smile vanished as he got serious. "I almost lost you once and I have no intention of letting that happen again."

Maya looked into his dark brown eyes for a moment and then kissed him again in a lengthy, heated kiss, before she whispered. "Just you wait. As soon as I've stopped being so full, I'll drag you into the bedchamber and do unspeakable things to you!"

"I'll look forward to that, mi amor"

---------- Ivan ----------

Sunday, 9th of July, the Atlantic Ocean

We were about halfway to the Caribbean's when I started to feel a tingling sensation in my body. It was a feeling of power, like the Leyline in Malaga, and as the hours passed, the feeling grew.

I was perplexed. Such power was usually only felt on solid ground, but there wasn't any land around us. At least not from what I could see.

Chuckling at myself, I walked up the stairs to the flybridge, where Captain Wolf was standing as she usually did when the weather was good. At first, I had found it strange, that the yacht had both a bridge and a flybridge located on top of it, but the flybridge had a duplicate of the navigational instruments, allowing the captain to control the ship from both places. This allowed the captain to pick the best position to control the ship from, without being subject to the changing weather conditions.

"Good evening, Mr. Ivan." Greeted Captain Wolf as I came nearer.

"Good evening, Captain." I replied. "I was wondering if you could tell me if there's any Islands around here?"

She shook her head. "No, sir. It's open water from here to the Leeward Islands some fifteen hundred nautical miles away."

I nodded as I translated the distance into two thousand seven hundred kilometres in my head and walked over to the side to look into the darkness. There had to be something out there that made me feel like this.

Then I stiffened, as I realized that in open water and with the wind in the back, Dream Weaver travelled at about the same speed as a Baylon ship, which was impressive considering that Baylon ships had been highly magical, and Dream Weaver wasn't. An indication of the enormous progress in sails and hulls the humans had made over the years.

However, I clearly remembered sailing from Dog Island to Baylon had taken about five days, meaning that we were almost at the location where Baylon had been, and with that, the position of what once had been the greatest Leyline Node on the Planet.

Even more interesting was the fact that I shouldn't be able to feel it. When Baylon had returned to its home dimension, all the lines connected to the node had snapped, in effect destroying it, and yet I could feel it now, which had some interesting implications.

First of all, the earth had obviously healed the damage caused by the Return. Otherwise, the Node wouldn't have regenerated.

Secondly, regenerating a power node takes a very long time, like thousands of years, meaning that the node had only been complete within the last four or five hundred years or so.

Third, judging from the level of power I felt, the node had to have returned to being one of the greatest Leyline Nodes on the planet and that normally took even longer. In fact, according to what I have been taught, so long that a Leyline Node shouldn't even be here yet and most likely not for a thousand years. So, something must have happened to speed up the process a lot.

Activating the knowledge, I had gotten from Alice, Rita, and Karen, I did a quick search to see if I could find an event big enough to influence Leylines. Considering the amount of power needed to affect Leylines, that should be easy enough, as it normally took meteor-strikes, giant earthquakes, or huge volcano eruptions to affect the Leylines in this area of the world.

It wasn't as easy as I had thought.

According to their knowledge, no major catastrophes had hit earth in the last few hundred years. At least not of the kind I was looking for.

Puzzled, I searched for human-made catastrophes instead, as that was the only option left, and struck gold almost immediately. According to Rita's knowledge, a thing called a nuclear bomb emitted some sort of pulse, that could knock out electronic devises, and that sounded like something that could influence Leylines.

Feeling the tingle in my body, I chuckled to myself. If other Leyline Nodes had resumed functioning as this one had, the humans were in for a real surprise, as ancient human magic would gradually start to function again, including some of the items that, according to Rita, was placed in museums around the world.

No matter what, I guessed that the Interpol would have some interesting years in front of them, hunting small-time spell casters, that was using their newfound powers to commit crimes, while keeping to truth hidden from the public to avoid panic.

The timing was also interesting. The humans had started testing the nuclear bomb at the end of their second world war and apparently that had led to the development of even bigger bombs, that were tested numerous times as the development moved on.

Considering that Parker had been somewhere between fifty and fifty-five years old, he must have been born between nineteen forty-five and nineteen fifty, which was just within the timeframe. That left a distinct possibility that there was a connection between the two. Especially since I doubted these abilities could have remained hidden if they had been around for hundreds of years. As I had considered before, the very fact that the public didn't know about them, indicated that humans having power was a recent development and that there couldn't be many of them.

The tingling in my body increased and after considering it for a moment, I walked back to captain Wolf. "Captain, can I persuade you to take a little detour?"

She looked over at me with amusement on her face. "Mr. Ivan, we're in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There are no 'detours' out here, only course changes."

That made me chuckle. "Fair enough. Could you turn five degrees northward from your present course for a while."

The captain glanced up at the sails and nodded. "Ja, I can do that."

I stood next to Captain Wolf for a couple of glass, giving slight course corrections, while we sailed closer to whatever was out there.

Then there was a glowing light in the dark waters. Not like another ship, but the glow of power from a Leyline nexus, a large node where more than two Leylines crossed each other.

For a moment, I expected Captain Wolf to ask me what the glow was, but then remembered that unless people had power and training, Leylines and their nodes were invisible.

The glow intensified as we came close, without reaching a level where in was irritating to the eyes.

"What is that?" Captain Wolf suddenly asked, surprising me. Since she could see it, it obviously wasn't the glow from the Leylines she was asking about, so I concentrated for a heartbeat to negate the ability to see Power. The glow disappeared and I discovered a faint light shining in the dark. Not in the water, but it looked like it hoovered about eight cubits (4 meters/13 feet) over the water.

"I don't know, but please sail over there."

The captain looked at the instruments for a moment. "We can do that. We got ten thousand feet of clear water under us, so whatever it is, it's not a reef buoy."

She used the controls to strike the sails, lowering the speed of the vessel before she started the engine and use that to steer us to the light.

"I'm gonna take a closer look at this. Please sail as close to it as you can." I informed the captain and walked down the stairs. The flybridge was too high and I wanted to see it up close.

I had just reached the deck, when Petra came out, looking like she had just woken up. "What's happening? Why're we on engines?"

"Come." I said and led her around the superstructure, so she could see the hoovering light. "Because I wanted to take a closer look at that."

She looked puzzled as she studied the phenomenon. "What is it?"

"No idea, which is why I wanted to take a closer look." I said and walked over to it, followed by Petra.

Using Ars Mentalis, I reached out to examine the light, but as soon as my senses touched it, it dimmed, revealing a silvery pyramid shaped object that looked like it was made from the metal-glass alloy my people called adamant. The sides were engraved with a fiery script that glowed a reddish yellow against the silvery adamant. However, the whole pyramid was semi-transparent, like it wasn't quite there in reality, and I had no doubt that if I tried to touch it physically, my hand would go right through it.

"What the fuck?" whispered Petra.

I snorted to myself. Despite the elaborate way the script was created, the inscription simply read. 'Imple virtute capiens ', which in Baylon meant 'Channel power into this and catch.'

Walking closer, I did as the inscription said. It took some time, but suddenly the pyramid gave off a flare of light and started to fall apart, light coming out of the cracks the energy made. I blinked in surprise. Adamant was one of the hardest and toughest materials ever made. I had parried elemental attacks with my adamant sword without damaging the blade at all and yet, the magic in this one was powerful enough to tear the adamant pyramid apart.

"Get back!" Shouted Petra. "It's gonna explode!"

I risked a glance over my shoulder to look at her. "No, it's not."

I turned back towards the pyramid, just in time to see it dissolve and an egg-like black object appeared. Unlike the pyramid, however, it didn't hoover in the air, but fell as soon as it appeared.

As the inscription had said, I caught it before it could hit the deck.

It felt warm to the touch and I immediately recognized it as being made from black diamond. Another very hard material and, like Adamant, very resistant to power of any kind.

The black diamond gave of a glow and suddenly a semi-transparent illusion of my sister appeared on the deck, looking exactly like she did the day Baylon had left this world, though her dress was different, which was strange. Not the dress, but the fact that she didn't look older, despite it being almost three thousand years since I had said goodbye to her.

"Hey, crazy brother. I don't have much time, but you need some explanations." Pandora said and made a little pause before she continued. "We arrived in our home dimension two years ago and while the storm is still raging, they're at a level where the shield can hold them, so we're good. Just as important, the transition through the rift took no time for us, because no time exist between the dimensions." She paused again. "However, according to the magi, the transition took thousands of earth years."

My jaw dropped. I had never thought about what would happen in a trans-dimensional crossing, aside from the question if the shield would hold or not, and I've certainly never considered that there could be different times or no time at all between the dimensions, which explained why she hadn't become older.

I could also feel an enormous weight disappearing from my soul, making me ears flow from sheer relief.

Ever since Baylon had disappeared, there had been a small part of me doubting that they had really made safely through the rift and having it confirmed meant a lot more to me that I would have thought.

Then I felt Petra approaching and a moment later I was hugged from behind. Thankfully, she didn't say a word, but just hugged me, taking the top of the piercing feeling of loneliness I felt just then.

Pandora continued. "The time the transition takes are dependent on the size of the object coming through, so this capsule should only take a year to reach you." She smiled. "Some people think you have died from old age, but Verina and Jia claims that there's a Vis meditation that will keep you alive and the Ordo Mentalis healers says, that you know an Ars Mentalis trick that can do the same."

I nodded to myself, tears still running down my face. Both were true, though the Ars Mentalis trick she talked about didn't work quite that way. It was a high-powered healer trick that forced your entire body to rejuvenate, taking years off your physical age and while that sounded good in theory, there was a limit to how many times you could do that, before your body gave up. There might be an advanced version that worked better, but as I had already used the Peaches of Immortality, it had been useless to me and I had used my time to learn other things, instead of that single and extremely complicated trick.

"Now for the important part. When this contact capsule arrives at earth, it will give off a warning signal that will penetrate everything and alert you to its presence, as well as telling you where to find the contact capsule. We tested it and it will pull you out of even the deepest healing or Vis-trance, though you will most likely not know exactly what woke you up. For that reason, the signal will be repeated once a moon until you have found this."

Well, at least that explained why I woke up, I though and then blinked in surprise as I realized that it hadn't even been a moon since I had stumbled out of the cave. Either the Goddess of Luck had a serious sweet spot for me, or she found my mistakes to funny to be without.

"Getting you back," continued Pandora. "Is more difficult and I honestly don't know when it will happen. Fortunately, you're now a national hero and the High King have ordered that the magi must find a way to get you back to Baylon, so we will send a new contact capsule when we know more but expect it to be at least thirty years. It's really not easy." She smiled a bit. "And now I've used all the time I had. Verina, Jia, Ivanka, Kaeso, our parents, Tia, and everybody else sends their love." She suddenly looked serious. "I love you, crazy brother of mine... Oh, and your kids are still adorable."

She waved to me as the illusion faded away, leaving me to look at the gently rolling sea, while I cried.

Being hugged by Petra helped a lot. Especially since she had the sense to not ask questions, but just let the hug and the mere presence of her console me, while I wept out three thousand years of uncertainty.

---------------

Cleaning up took some effort, since I had to lock the memory in captain Wolf, meaning that she couldn't access it or talk about it. It would have been easier to simply erase it, but after having seen what Parker had done, I didn't want to go down that route unless I really didn't have another choice.

Petra was another matter. I could lock the memory, but I've had hundreds of years of keeping secrets, and I was sick and tired of it. Anyone should have at least a few people, they could trust. That didn't mean that they, or in this case she, should know everything, but a little would go a long way.

"We need to talk." I said sometime later, when the two of us were sitting in the den, drinking tea.

That made her smile a wry smile. "Are you going to tell me what happened on the foredeck?"

I nodded. "What you saw and heard on the deck was a memory, projected into this." I said and held up the black egg-sized stone. "It's a mental technique and not because this is some kind of magical item."

"Got it." Petra said with a nod. "So, who was the hot chick and why did it make you cry? You don't really strike me as the emotional type."

"Let me start with the last question." I said and drank some of the tea. "For years, I thought my family was gone forever, but this proved that I was wrong, and after years of uncertainty the feeling just overwhelmed me."

"As a soldier, I can understand that." Petra said with a slow nod.

"And the 'hot chick' was my sister." I said and chuckled when she looked like she regretted saying Chilli was hot. "And yes, she's a beauty."

"How can..." started Petra, but then stopped herself. "Oh, sorry. I forgot you're from Croatia."

I didn't want to lie any more than I had to, so I just shrugged my shoulders and let her draw her own conclusions. It also gave me a little time to compose myself, so I could talk without tears coming in the way all the time.

"And now that you know that she alive, what're you going to do?" Petra asked softly.

"Nothing." I said, "she'll contact me when she thinks it's time. To be honest, I'm just happy she's still alive."

"I get that." Said Petra slowly and looked thoughtfully into the air for a heartbeat, before focussing on me again. "While we're on that subject, can I send a message to my family to tell them I'm alive?"

"As soon as we figure out how to do it, without bringing them in danger." I agreed.

She shuddered. "Good idea. Those assholes have no qualms killing anyone they think will expose them." She was silent for a moment and then asked. "What language was it anyway? It didn't sound like Croatian."

"An old version of Latin." I said with a smile. "Using it ensures that most people won't understand what we're saying. Pandora and I have used it for years."

"Smart." She commented and stretched. Usually, I feel a flash of desire when a attractive woman did that in front of me, but not this time. There was simply too much on my mind.

"So," she said with a little smile and stood. "How about we go to your cabin and have some sex?"

I looked at her, thought about it and shook my head, as I stood up as well. "For once in my life, I need to say no. I have too much to think about and it wouldn't be fair to you." She looked stunned, so I continued. "Don't get me wrong, you're gorgeous and I would love to share pleasure with you some other time, just not today."

She looked at me in disbelief. "You really mean that?"

I nodded. "Yes. As I said, it wouldn't be fair to you."

She shook her head. "Damn... you're the first man ever to say no to sex with me."

That made me laugh. "That's because you're incredible sexy and smart, Petra, and almost any other day in my life, I would have carried you to bed immediately, but not today."

She took a step forward as she nodded and gave me a hug that I returned. Then I gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks for the emotional support on the foredeck. That meant a lot to me."

She lit up in a surprised smile, said "You're welcome... and now, I'll go back to bed", and walked towards the stairs leading to the lower decks.

"Sweet dreams." I said and sat back down again.

I would have loved to see Verina and Jia and everybody else I knew, but I guessed there was some sort of limitation on the spell, that made that impossible.

The information, that it was the contact capsule that had waken me up was interesting. Until now, I had assumed it was hearing the Twins talking to each other, that had woken me up, but apparently I had been wrong... unless the two events had happened at the same time, which was entirely possible.

One mystery solved at least, but it still left me wondering why I had gone into the trance in the first place and why I couldn't remember anything from that time. I had no idea how I got to Spain or why I decided that going into a trance was a good idea. In fact, one of the last things I remembered was Commodus becoming emperor of Rome and even that was vague.

According to Rita, that happened in the year 180, but while it was possible that I had gone into the Vis trance right after that, I had no evidence for it. In theory, I could have been wandering around the world for hundreds of years before something erased a part of my memory and perhaps even caused me to go into a trance.

The upper limit was determined by how long it took for the magical items to be consumed or the clothes and leather items to dissolved. I didn't have any knowledge about the last things, but magical items had a maximum lifespan of three thousand years and I had been told, that the captains seal that had turned to dust while I had been in a trance, had been almost a thousand years old when I had received it. That put the upper limit to around year eleven hundred.

I sighed. That didn't help much. A difference of eight to nine hundred years was way too large to be useful and nothing else I had could give me some clues. Not even the gold coins helped me, as they were only used in the Roman Empire and I wouldn't have used them for the gold value alone unless I really had no other options, which rarely happened for me. Mostly because there were always rich people who needed healing and were willing to pay handsomely for it. At least in ancient times.

With another sigh, I stood and walked towards the master cabin. I needed sleep and time to digest all the information I had just gotten.

---------- Alice, Rita, and Karen ----------

Wednesday, 12th of July, California

"Training this hard have to be illegal." Rita grunted tiredly as she sat down on the bunk bed in their room at the Volleyball camp. "Doesn't the Geneve convention outlaw torture?"

Karen laughed as she sat down on the other bed. "Yes, but unfortunately the Geneva Conventions only concern prisoners and non-combatants in war, and not student athletes in a training camp."

"Right now, there isn't much of a difference." Sighed Rita and looked up as Alice walked into the room with one towel around her body and another around her wet hair, looking almost as fresh as she had been in the morning. "How can the two of you be so energetic after the training we've just been through?"

The tall blonde grinned. "Well, after twelve years of being a mother to a pair of active twins, I've built up quite an endurance and in case you didn't notice, Karen trained a lot during our vacation... unlike some others whose name shall remain unspoken."

Rita sighed again. "Guilty as charged... Well, I better go take a bath."

"One second," said Alice and leaned against the bunkbed. "I have something I want to ask the two of you."

"Oh... Go on then."

"Well, after we returned from Malaga, with the kidnappings and everything else that had happened, my house suddenly felt very big and empty."

Both Rita and Karen nodded. Alice was the only one on the Volleyball team that lived by herself in a large house and to make it even better, it even had a pool large enough to allow the whole team to be in it at the same time. Built to look like a Spanish mini estate, the house was known as Casa Baker among the team, and located a mere mile from the university, it was a favourite hang-out place. Surrounded by a tall wall, it was also a secure place.

"I talked with Zena and Cyra about it, and we agreed to ask if you guys want to move in with us." She smiled at the stunned expression on her friends faces. "I'll have to charge you for the added expenses, but even then, it should be cheaper than living in the dorm."

"Are we talking about the two big rooms on the first floor?" Asked Karen curiously.

Alice nodded. "Yes. Those're the only one left and the Twins don't use them as playrooms any longer."

Rita and Karen looked at each other as smiles started to form on their faces. The two rooms Alice was talking about were not only a lot larger than their dorm rooms, but they also had a bathroom, a walk-in closet and even a small balcony each.

"Are you sure the owner of the house is okay with you renting out two of the rooms?" Asked Rita.

Alice hesitated for a second, but then nodded. "Yes."

Karen tilted her head. "That didn't sound convincing. Please tell the truth, we don't want to cause trouble for you."

Rita nodded in agreement.

Alice hesitated again, but then said. "I only tell you this because I know you can keep a secret." She paused briefly, but then said. "The owner is me. I own the house."

There was silence in the room for a moment, but then Rita said. "Holy shit. Did you rob a bank or something? A house that size is expensive."

The tall blonde blushed. "If I tell you, you'll have to keep it secret."

Both Rita and Karen nodded.

Alice hesitated a moment, but then said. "After I finished High School, I worked as a private chef, but that didn't pay well enough for me to both have a babysitter, as well as saving money for the future, so I started to work as an ... exotic dancer." She smiled a bit. "It paid rather well... especially since I managed to dance at a few of the internet companies' parties. These guys threw money around like it was yesterday's newspaper. I'm not joking, one night I earned more than twenty thousand dollars just for dancing and talking with people."

"For real?" exclaimed Rita and when Alice nodded, she added, "That is awesome!"

"If it was so good, why did you quit?" asked Karen.

"Well, I got the modelling job, but even more important, dancing began to give less money and there was a pressure for the dancers to work as prostitutes as well and I didn't want to do that."

"So how much did stripping pay?" Rita wanted to know. "In total, I mean."

"Enough for me to buy this house and make sure that the Twins and I had enough money, while I went back to school. To be honest, I lucked out with the house. The guy who sold it had inherited it from his parents, but he already had a house in New York and didn't want to keep both... so he just wanted it off his hands as soon as possible for a reasonable price."

"Sorry for being fixated on the money, but how much did you give for the house?" asked Rita.

"One hundred and twenty grand." Said Alice. "Fortunately, it had been renovated the year before I bought it and the house prices here in LA was a low at the time, so all things considered, it was a good deal."

There was silence in the room for a moment, but then Karen laughed. "Alice, you're awesome!"

The tall blonde blinked in surprise. "What?"

"You're awesome." Repeated the Asian, still grinning. "You come off as a regular, if somewhat older, student, but as soon as you dig a little deeper, all kinda of awesome skills start to show up."

"She's right, you know." added Rita, before Alice could say anything. "I went to high school, played volleyball, and worked at the local museum and library. Then I got a volleyball scholarship for the university and now I'm here. You, on the other hand, had two kids, finished high school, got an education as a chef, a career as a tall model, owns a house, got a scholarship for the university and now we find out that you've been an exotic dancer as well. You rock, girl!"

"You model as well." Protested Alice.

"Only because you recommended me for it... I would never have thought about that on my own." Said Rita with a wide smile. "And unless something unexpected happens, you just got yourself two happy house mates."

Alice smiled. "Good, but you do know, that this not gonna be like Malaga, right?" She paused as she looked from Rita to Karen. "I mean... We're house mates, not ... partners and there's gonna be a lot less sex than we had on the vacation."

Rita laughed softly. "Relax... I'm bisexual, not lesbian. It's not like I'm going to give up dick, just because we moved into your house."

"Crude, but true." Said Karen with a grin. "Alice, I love having sex with both Rita and you, but let's face it... We're very good friends, with fantastic benefits, but we're not romantically involved with each other."

Rita nodded in agreement. "She's right, Alice. Stop being so serious. You know this as well as we do."

The tall blonde nodded with smile. "Yeah. I just wanted to make sure that our expectations were the same, so nobody got hurt or disappointed."

"That's fair." Smiled Rita and stood up. "And now I really got to go take that bath."

Karen waited until Rita had walked out and then looked at Alice. "This reminds me... did you ever get around to ask Zena and Cyra about what happened in the warehouse in Malaga?"

Alice blinked a few times. "Wow... that's a serious change of subject."

"Sorry, but you haven't said anything about it."

"No need to be sorry." Said Alice, as she sat down on the bed Rita had just left. "Yes, I did ask them, and you guessed right. They didn't give me any details and I didn't ask for any, but they did tell me that it was Ivan who rescued us."

Karen showed her pearly teeth in a wide smile. "Nice."

"Nice?"

"I like it when I'm right." Chuckled the Asian. "And it's not like I can ask him yet."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "Yet? You think we're going to see him again?"

"Yes." Said Karen slowly. "He liked us enough to risk his life rescuing us." She shrugged. "He'll contact us at some point, and I look forward to see him again."

"Can he even find us?"

The Asian snorted. "He knows our names and that we play volleyball for the Trojans. He can always ask the university to pass on a message... Not to mention that as far as I know, I'm the only Karen Chai in San Diego. He's smart. He'll find a way."

"Good point... and as much as I hate to admit it, it's been good for the Twins to have a male role model." Alice said, and then added. "Especially one as good at math as Ivan."

Karen chuckled. "Yeah, he does make it sound easy."

Alice nodded. "I don't know how he did it, but the Twins are almost faster when calculating in their heads, than I am on a calculator... And yes, his explanation made sense, but it doesn't work for me."

"Me neither." Admitted Karen. "But as long as it works for them, it's fine... and despite how worried you were before we went to Spain, the Twins are going to crush Math this year."

"I hope so."

---------- Ivan ----------

Wednesday, 12th of July, the Atlantic Ocean

While Dream Weaver was a lot more luxurious than the ships of the past, sitting on a ship with nothing to do but think was nothing new to me and after another few days of thinking, combined with uneventful and relaxing sailing, I was in a better mood. The simple fact that Baylon, and with that my family and friends, had survived was the main reason for that and I had decided to leave the mystery of when I had gone into the trance alone for now, since there was no reason to wreck my mind over an unsolvable puzzle.

Instead, I enjoyed life and was sitting on a sun pad on the afterdeck, drinking a cup of tea while enjoying the fresh evening air, the sound of the ship and the sight of the moon and stars above my head, when I suddenly felt a focused mental communication. I laughed softly to myself as I recognized Zena's mental pattern. It was weak, most likely due to the distance, but it was there.

"< Yes, Zena? >" I answered.

There was a stunned silence, but then she said "< It worked!! >"

"< Yes it did. Now take hold of Cyra. It works better when you're two >"

A few heartbeats later, the connection firmed up and then Cyra was there too.

"< Hey Rascals. How are you? >"

"< Oh, we're fine >" came the happy reply from Zena. "< We're on a summer camp for mute kids in Corpus Christi, Texas, while Mom is on training camp >"

Recalling the map in my head, I discovered that Texas was a whole lot nearer the Caribbean than California, which had to be the reason why they could reach me with mental communication. No matter what, their range was still impressive for their age, even by Baylon standards.

"< Where're you? >" Cyra wanted to know. "< We've tried to reach you for days without luck >"

"< On a ship in the Caribbean >"

"< A cruise ship? >" asked Zena and sent a mind-image of one of the metal giants I had seen in the harbour of Malaga.

"< No, a sailing yacht >" I answered and sent a mind-image of Dream Weaver back to them.

"< Niiiiiice >" sent Cyra "< Sailing is fun... The camp has a boat named Black Swan." A mind-image of a single-masted sailboat followed.

"< That's loads of fun >" Added Zena. "< Then again, many things here are fun >"

"< I have a stupid question... What do you do on a summer camp? >" I asked.

"< Oh, we ride horses, sail, swim, help out, and shoot targets... a lot of stuff >"

That turned into a longer explanation about their vacations, and I drank my tea, while enjoying the mental conversation. It was clear that they loved outdoor activities of every kind and used a lot of time on it. The only surprise I got was when I discovered that the target shooting was with bow and arrow. I would have thought that using a bow was a lost art by now, but apparently, it was alive and well to the degree where some of the older kids at the camp used it for hunting.

"< Oh... have you figured out when you can come to LA? >" asked Cyra after their explanation had finished.

"< That'll take some time >" I sent along with a feeling of regret. "< There's some stuff I need to fix first, but then I'll come visit you >"

"< How long will that take? >"

"< I don't know for sure, but I hope to have it done by winter solstice >"

There was a moment of silence and then Cyra asked. "< What is that? >"

"< The shortest day of the year >" I explained and searched my memory for what people called it now. As it turned out, Christianity had turned it into one of their holy days or at least so close that the few days of difference didn't matter. "< Around Christmas >"

"< Cool! >" said Zena. "< Then you can come celebrate Christmas with us! >"

Cyra sent some happy feelings. "< Ohhh... That would be so cool! >"

"< Well, I can't and won't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do... Hmm... I'll need Alice's phone number >"

"< Okay... but we have phones too now! >" said Zena with pride. "< Mom gave them to us, so we can keep in touch with her by SMS >"

I suspected it was more a concern for the girl's safety than anything else, that had prompted Alice to give phones to the Twins, which was quite understandable.

"< Nice... I would like those numbers as well >"

"< You'll get them >" promised Cyra. "< Along with our emails... one moment >"

That reminded me, that I really needed to learn more about modern technology. I didn't care how it worked, but at least I needed to be able to use it. Especially since the crime organization used it almost exclusively.

"< Are you ready? >" Asked Zena and when I said yes, she sent me phone numbers and emails.

I committed them to memory. "< Thanks... I'll send my number as soon as I figure out if it works here >"

"< That's cool >" replied Cyra "< We need to go to sleep, but can we contact you tomorrow? >"

"< As long as you focus, I'm never more than a thought away >" I sent along with some amusement.

"< Thanks... Talk with you later >"

"< Sweet Dreams >"

The mental communication vanished, and I walked over to the rail. It had been an eventful month and there were many things I needed to learn, but overall, life was better than it had been ever since Baylon disappeared. The people were healthier than in any other time-period in the ancient world and as a result of that, the women were generally both attractive and very sexy. The reinvention of birth control along with easy access to it also helped, as it allowed the women to seek out pleasure without the fear of getting pregnant.

Added to that, the music was incredible varied and easily available no matter where you were. The food was as diverse as the music and much of it was very, very good, while the level of technology was amazing and rivalled the magic of Baylon, making life in general easier for just about everybody.

Looking out over the ocean, a piece of a song from the Irish pub in Malaga popped into my head. The lyrics were jumbled as I put the pieces together to fit the melody and then softly sang.

A man may drink and not be drunk

Goodnight and joy be to you all.

For a moment, there was only the sound of the ship traveling over the ocean, but then I heard Petra's voice say. "Not only do you look good, but you also have a very pleasant singing voice."

I turned to look at her. Standing on the wide deck near the table, dressed in a tight fitting, short, red sports dress, that showed off her fabulous body. The wind tucking playfully in her long dark blonde hair made a perfect frame for her beautiful face, where a little smile showed off her full lips and gleaming white teeth.

That she also emitted lust and desire only made it even better.

"Thank you." I said, as I crossed the deck. A moment later I had her in my arms, kissing her deeply.

Petra returned the kiss with a passion, pressing her body hungrily against mine.

The passion built as we kissed until it reached a level where I couldn't take it anymore. Without stopping our kiss, I simply lifted her up and carried her towards my cabin.

That made her break the kiss. "So, you do want me."

"I did say, that 'on any other day, I would carry you to bed', didn't I?" I replied with a smile, as I opened the door and walked inside.

"Yes, you did. I just didn't think you meant it literally."

"I didn't, but I felt like making a point." I chuckled and kicked the door shut behind us.