Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation

[wolfman]

Every muscle in the prisoners body, screams with pain as she comes to her senses. She pulls uselessly at the tape still welding her to the chair and tries to scream in pain, until she feels a familiar hand on her shoulder.

She dares to look up and gaze into the eyes of the mark she fell in love with. Despite the mass of cloth in her mouth, she manages to swallow.

His gentle but strong fingers trail across her shoulder, crackling slightly with electricity. She cannot help but utter a moan of pleasure, from his touch and the myriad tiny arcs dancing across the back of her neck.

Jim withdraws his hand and begins unwrapping the tape around her mouth. He takes care to remove it without pulling her hair too painfully.

As he works, she looks up at him with a sense of hope. “He is treating me with care. This might work out OK.” She thinks before a the sight of something beyond him, chills her blood.




Tight steel cables bind each of Jim’s sisters to a separate storage racking support beam. Their arms are bound behind the beam, secured with a single cable wrapped from their wrists to their elbows.

More cabling pins their bodies to the beams around their chests and stomachs. They rest on their knees with their ankles crossed and bound behind the poles.

Their mouths are filled with microfibre towels held in with a layer of tape.

The only difference between them is the shell of chicken wire around Nikita’s bound body.

Dani feels the biting of the cable as she begins to rouse and begins thrashing against her bonds when she realises she is too immobile to side step. Flashes of memories flood her mind from her captivity at the hands of Edward Arno and she begins to hyperventilate.

Jim crouches before her and places a gentle hand on each of her shoulders, bringing her back to herself for a moment. “Do not be afraid. This is necessary.”

She gazes into the pure blue of his eyes and thinks, “His abilities are far beyond what I thought he could do. I have no idea what he is capable of.” She nods and tries to slow her breathing.

He hugs her gently and kisses her on the cheek, whispering in her ear, “You are safe. I will not hurt any of you. But I cannot say the same for her fate.”

Jim notices Nikita start to stir and crouches in front of her. When Nikita wakes and finishes thrashing and shouting, he speaks softly. “I am sorry for this, but I need to deal with our guest. The wire around you is electrically charged and will incinerate any insects you shed.” He pauses, for a moment, “I’m sorry. This is necessary.”

Without a further word he stands and walks back over to the prisoner, removing the last of the tape and gently teasing to cloth from her mouth, with the tender care he has shown throughout their relationship.

“Thank you.” She whispers hoarsely, watching him pull up a chair and place it less than a foot from her before taking a seat.

He sits and stares at her for what seems like an eternity before he speaks, “You don’t look like I expected you to.”

She takes a chance, firing back, “In a good way, or a bad way.” Her voice is soft, with a gentle Louisiana lilt.

He shrugs, “Just different, that’s all.” He takes a moment to drink in her appearance, letting his eyes wander from her close cut, almost shaved head, to her fear filled brown eyes, thin lips and modest physique. “What’s your real name?”

She pauses, thinking for a moment before answering, “Sadie.” She blurts out, before calming down. “Sadie St Claire.”

“Nice to meet you Sadie.” He says, calmly, “So you are American. Let me guess, rogue CIA? NSA? DEA Undercover?”

“A lady needs her secrets.” She says, more bravely than she really feels.

“To be fair, your cooperation is not needed. I know your face now.” He says closing his eyes, “Ivy Woods. Studied languages and graduated with honours from Harvard. Recruited by US Air force intelligence then disappeared off of the grid.” He pauses for a moment, before adding, “Your parents are still looking for you.”

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat, “That is not possible. My file was buried.”

“First off it is possible. Secondly if you lie to me again, I will bury you in a much deeper hole than your file was.” Jim says, coldly. “Do not make the mistake of thinking that the feelings I had for your persona as Natalie, will protect you.”

Ivy considers her options and swallows nervously, “What would you like to know?”

“Why?” Jim asks, watching her expression.

“You were identified as the easy way in. Arno’s people wanted me to get close to you, so I could report back on the girls. They wanted me to pinpoint patterns and routines that could be exploited to enable an extraction.” She explains, pausing for a moment, “When Dani was on his trail. Edward wanted any info on her I could give, plus help subverting efforts here.” Her lip quivers, as she catches her breath.

Jim stares at her, the looks over to the recently conscious Sasha, before asking Ivy, “How did you subvert efforts here?”

Ivy looks up at him pleadingly, shaking her head. He places a gentle hand on her shoulder and softly says, “Your honesty will be your salvation.”

“I sent reports back to Arno’s people. On who was where and doing what. I provide details on Dani’s movements and state of mind.” Ivy confesses, then bites her tongue.

Jim simply sits in the seat opposite and leans forward, “And?”

She hangs her head in shame, and weakly continues, “And I extracted information from you in the bedroom, about Dani’s time working in a brothel and her other exploits and passed the details on.” As she finishes speaking she wants the world to swallow her whole.

He leans forward from his seat, placing his hand once again on her shoulder. He almost feels the line of daggers from Dani’s eyes to the woman before him. “Shhh, you are very brave. If there is anything else you did, now is the time to confess.”

She begins to cry, as the words tumble forth, “Edward wanted the girls tempered in the crucible of war as he put it. It was clear that if Nikita went to Spain, that would not happen.” She pauses, trying to regain her composure, “I was ordered to prevent Nikita from travelling.”

With ice in his voice, Jim speaks quietly, “Why don’t you tell everyone, how you managed that?”

“He knows.” She thinks, with a sinking heart before resigning herself to her fate, “I introduced avian flu into Liam’s incubator and bribed a Doctor, so he would say how serious the babies condition was. That left Nikita with no option but to stay.”

Jim ignores the muffled growls behind him from Sasha and Nikita, “How did you feel about that?” He asks, pausing before continuing, “Honesty is your saviour.”

She begins shaking and sobbing, before uttering the words, “I was following orders. I did what I had to do.”

Jim looks deep into her eyes with a mixture of pity and disdain, “They must have paid you a lot of money.”

She shakes her head solemnly, “Not as well as you’d think, that’s why I.” She stops herself, wide eyed with fear at what she nearly said.

“You? What?” Jim asks in an innocent tone.

“I sold the information to another party. I tried to warn you in the note.” Ivy admits, reluctantly.

“The first letter of every paragraph spells Kim titan wyrm. What does it mean?” Jim asks coolly.

“Kim is a descendent of the Titans, just like Timor Arno. The wyrm wanted details.” Ivy says, resigned to her fate.



Dani listens intently and her blood runs cold in her veins, “Wyrm is an old English word for Dragon. That bastard Maerig. I will kill him.” She pulls at her bonds feeling them digging in, “Screw you Jim. I will kill you for tying me like this, knowing what Edward did.”

She glares at her brother and the imposter and watches their interaction, then frowns, “Jim’s stance and the cadence of his speech are right but the touches on her shoulder are stiff and almost forced. His body language is relaxed, so I am not thinking coercion.” She twists again trying to find some slack in her bindings, “He has used the phrase, This is necessary, a couple of times. Maybe he is following a script.”

She leans her head back thoughtfully against the beam and spots the necrotic crafted armour she and Sasha wore. She reaches out and crafts a small pair of bolt cutters from an out of sight section.

It flies out of sight and Dani smiles to herself, “I am an idiot.” She realises, “I cannot move. But I can move necrotic items and I think I can use the momentum from that to cross over and free myself.”

She prepares to launch the pliers and sidestep when she pauses, “Actually, I am curious to see where this script goes.”



Sasha glowers at Ivy, breathing slowly, focusing on every inch of her body and the cables that hold it. Methodically testing every cable, flexing adjacent muscles to maximise slack and work the cables on her arms down, ever slowly.

“For what she has done, there is no force on earth that will save her from my wrath.” She pledges, coldly.

She remembers the fear she felt when Liam relapsed and the desperation in her heart when there was a plan to sweep into Spain. “Until Nikita said she was staying, I was in such despair and it is this bitches fault. If that’s not enough, she sold our families secrets on for her own gain.”

Sasha spots a movement out of the corner of her eye and glances at Dani. Seeing the thoughtfully look in her eyes, “She is holding back. I wonder why.”

She feels a coil of wire slip past her hands and smiles, “Shouldn’t be much longer.” The warmth in her eyes, is replaced by a cold hardness, as she stares back at Ivy, “What I did to Timor, is nothing compared to what I will do to you.”



To Sasha left Nikita watches everything unfolding and sighs to herself. “Jim seems convinced that this will hold me. The chicken wire bug zapper in a nice touch but if I become a snake, I will shred these cables with a combination of strength and size.”

She glances at Sasha and feels the spike of elation in her lifepulse, “She has torn herself up a little on the cables, but is well on her way to free herself.”

She looks with pity upon Fey thinking, “She is afraid. The fear comes off of her in waves. I don’t need to see her lifepulse, I can smell it. Question is, is she afraid of Jim’s wrath of her former prisoner getting free?”

“Dani on the other hand is calm. She always knows what’s going on. Her lifepulse is calm and steady as if she is is just watching a play, where she had read the script.” Nikita observes, grinning beneath the tape covering her mouth. “A script. I bet Carl has primed him.” She muses.




“If you were me, what would you do?” I’m asks, keeping his tone light.

Ivy looks up at him, searching his eyes for mercy but finding nothing but the crackling energy of his wrath. Her heart sinks, knowing her doom, “I would kill me.”

She thinks she spots something shift in his eyes, before he speaks. “I thought that, but.” He pauses, without betraying his feelings, “I had feelings for you and despite everything, that means something.”

He shifts his posture, uncomfortably before continuing, “I will not execute you. You will be released when we are done talking.“

Her heart leaps, grasping onto a wisp of hope, before Jim continues, “I will give you three days grace to hide as best you can. At that point, every device on the planet will become your enemy. Cameras will betray your location, microphones will capture your words, cars will target you and the world of technology will hound you to your death.”

She cannot bring herself to make eye contact as she considers her fate, “l wouldn’t be able to set foot in a town again. I would need to avoid people at all costs.” She nods quietly to herself and thinks, “I have some survival experience, so could survive off the grid for a while, but this is a life sentence.”

“Do you accept your fate?” Jim asks, breaking her concentration.

With all the strength in her body, she is unable to raise her eyes to meet his. She nods, thinking, “I cared for you Jim. I would have loved you, but now it is either you or me and I am a survivor. I will kill you in less than three days.”

[GreyLord]

Wonderful complexity, [mention]wolfman[/mention]. Jim has neutralized the sisters. Is it a possibility that he will need them and they won't be available, because of him. Ivy doesn't have the upper hand, however Jim is surely giving her a break.

[Caesar73]

That was quite the interesting "conversation" Jim has with the imposter. Her revelations are shocking - and Jim gives her a chance at the end, or is he just playing with her?

And what will his Sisters do about that? It is clear that they will intervene - the bonds will not hold them, this much is clear. And if Sasha gets loose ....

[wolfman]

Wonderful complexity, @wolfman. Jim has neutralized the sisters. Is it a possibility that he will need them and they won't be available, because of him. Ivy doesn't have the upper hand, however Jim is surely giving her a break.

Thank you for your kind words. The siaters are woeking towards escape that much is true. The question is not if they will get free but why they are restrained as he says this is nesseccary.

That was quite the interesting "conversation" Jim has with the imposter. Her revelations are shocking - and Jim gives her a chance at the end, or is he just playing with her?

And what will his Sisters do about that? It is clear that they will intervene - the bonds will not hold them, this much is clear. And if Sasha gets loose ....

Jim gives a chance, but a chance to run and hide but what lf Ivy's threat.

However, that could be a moot point if Sasha gets free.....

[wolfman]

Dani watches the exchange and scrutinises Ivy, “Her body language is too guarded. She is planning something.” She closes her eyes for a moment, “I don’t blame her. She will probably kill Jim before the time is up. If she doesn’t the strain of a lifetime devoted to hunting her down will kill Jim. I can’t let him do it.”

She flings the blade forward and uses its momentum to pull her through the barrier, only to step back through a split second later, free of her bonds. She stands tall, in a skin tight NAKI style suit and fixes him with her gaze, “Jim. This is not the way.”

“Don’t give me that after your eighteen month revenge spree.” Jim declares angrily.

“I know the cost I am paying for that and don’t want that for you. When I was on the hunt as the Zombie, I devoted myself to it and lost a part of myself as a result, which I am only now getting back. It breaks my heart to think of you doing the same thing.” Dani pleads, reaching out to him.

He hesitates before brushing her hand away and then allows her to hug him. He holds her tight as if she is the only thing anchoring him to the ground. Softly he weeps.

Dani holds him close imagining that her embrace is a shield that can protect him from all the pain in the world and he whispers, “It hurts so badly, I just want to hurt her for what she did.”

“I know you do, but you are not a murderer. This is just vengeance not justice.” Dani says, softly.

“She has broken no laws, she will never be prosecuted, so it is down to us.” Jim says, trying to compose himself.

Dani and Jim ignore Ivy as she thrashes in her bonds. “You can’t do this Jim. We had a connection.” She pleads.

“A connection? We had a doomed relationship based on a lie, in a viper’s nest of deceit. You broke my heart.” Jim says, fighting back tears.

“It wasn’t all a lie. In the beginning yes, but after we made love, I felt something grow in my heart for you. Every day of the lie became harder.” Ivy says, trying to force tears from her eyes.

“Not as hard as it was for the real Natalie.” Jim spits back. “We could have had something real. But you took her away and corrupted all Nat and I could have had.”

Ivy hangs her head and hides a smile, before speaking in a solemn tone, “ You are right. Take me to the police, I will confess to her kidnapping and my part in her death. I deserve to face justice.”

Jim hesitates before speaking, “Do you mean that?”

“Yes.” She says, keeping her voice low, “I felt the love, she should have felt and have denied you a chance at happiness, that I could never give you.”

Jim nods, accepting the weight of her words, “This could be the best way.” He says, thoughtfully.



Sasha’s eyes flash with rage and she shrugs and tears off the cables that bind her, heedless of the damage caused. Ripping off the tape she screams, “No! You are not getting away with this.”

She leaps at Ivy, with fury in her heart and blood dripping from her arm and legs, where the cables dug in during her escape.

Jim leaps to intercept her, crackling with electricity and sends Sasha rolling away stunned. “Do you really want to put it on the line for her after all she has done?” She spits, regaining her composure.

“She has given her word that she will turn herself in. I want her to have the chance.” Jim says, bracing himself.

“Just remember that this is your decision.” Sasha says, spinning and hammering Jim in the chest with a spinning back kick.

Jim staggers back, too slow to avoid his sister follow up kicks, as he slammed back into a wall. Sasha chokes back tears, as he brother cowers before her.

Her attack lasted only a few seconds, but it was long enough to brutally wound her brother. Jim cowers in the foetal position at her feet, protecting himself from her wrath.

“I am so sorry Jim.” Sasha pleads, the turns her gaze malevolent to Ivy, “This is your fault, bitch.” , she snarls, then leaps at the prisoner.

She finds herself held in mid air in a necrotic sack which pins her arms and legs together and holds her a foot off of the ground. “Dani, I swear to God I will bury you in a deep dark hole and you will never escape. Get me out of this.” She bellows.

“I’m sorry but I can’t let you do this. If you kill this woman like this you will never forgive yourself.” Dani says tearfully, hating herself for having to use her powers on her sister like this.

“So noble of you to say so, but, she tried to hurt my son. Her life is over.” Sasha says coldly.

Nikita listens silently, not testing her bonds, but satisfied to watch and slowly heal Jim’s wounds. Unknown to everyone else, she releases a light cloud of rage quelling pheromones.

“As it stands, you will beat yourself up for lashing out as it is.” Dani asks gently, “If you stay on this path, it will taint any love you feel for your son from now till the day you die. Do you really want her to take that away from you?”

Sasha feel her anger slowly ebb away, replaced with the image of Liam smiling up at her. She thinks to herself, “Damn it. She is right, I want him to feel nothing but love from me.”

She hangs her head and nods, “Fine. I will let her live, but for Liam, not for her.”

Dani lowers the bag containing her sister and allows it to dissipate, freeing her. “I’m sorry.” She whispers.

Ivy senses the tension in the air, quietly says, “First you hit your husband, then you tear Timor limb from limb and wreck your brother. Now you want to kill a helpless prisoner. I fear for your kids, with you and your temper.”

Sasha feels the rage in her heart and pushes it down. She stalks up to Ivy and grabs her smirking face by the chin, “Careful now. I have said you can live, but not for how long and in what condition.”

Ivy sees the humourless look in Sasha’s eyes and knows she made a mistake, “Please, I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me.” She begs, hoping that the tone will trigger a protective instinct from Jim.

“Steady on now.” Jim says, shakily rising to his feet, “She has agreed to go to the police. Let’s just take her there and get on with our lives.”

“Wait. She agreed to turn herself in a little too easily. She is planning her escape already.” Sasha says, suspiciously.

“No.” Ivy says, wary of any other slips, “I don’t want to die. This is my best option. Besides if I escape, I will spend my life waiting for one of you to tap me on the shoulder.”

Dani shrugs, fixing Ivy with a suspicious gaze “She has a point.”

“I still don’t trust her.” Sasha says, quietly seething.

“What alternative do we have? Kill her or turn her in.” Jim says exasperated.



“This is ridiculous. She is either buying time, or just messing with us to save her skin. This ends now.” Nikita thinks, triggering a change.

Everyone in the room gasps as Nikitaconda rises above them and then resumes Nikita’s normal form, free of her bonds.

“Deception permeates her lifepulse with every word she utters.” She declares, “She has a plan, not sure if it is too escape, or screw us over, but there is something.”

Nikita stares at ivy with hard eyes before glancing at Jim, “We’ll talk about this.”, she turns her gaze back to Ivy and begins, “Pretty much every word you have uttered has been a lie, except that you don’t want to die. If that is true, then here is the deal.” She pauses, waiting for one of her siblings to intervene, “Fey learned a lot about what is going on from your phone. You will tell us everything that is not on your phone. In exchange, I will take you away from this place, change your appearance and let you go and you will never cross our paths again.”

Nikita pauses and lets her words sink in, then turns to her siblings, “Killing her or monitoring her, for the rest of her life does nothing to heal ourselves and that is what we need.”

Sasha nods and reluctantly agrees, ”She’s right. This does nothing to heal our wounds, I have already been away from my family for too long.”

Jim glares at Ivy and nods, “Fine. Get her out of my sight.”

Dani looks Ivy in the eye and nods, “She is a scared rat in a trap and will say anything to survive. Between my training and your skills we will get the whole truth out of her.”

“If not, I am sure Fey and I could assist.” Sasha says coldly.



Ivy sits in her chair, still ruthlessly bound, unable to hear what the siblings are saying in the next room. “If this works out and I make it out of this alive, I will destroy them with all.”

She pulls at the tape pinning her arms and body to the chair and the slumps back to catch her breath, “I could have loved Jim but he is beyond my reach now. Maybe I could somehow capture him and win back his heart, by using his family as leverage.”

Ivy bitterly laughs to herself under the mass of tape covering her mouth and shakes her head, “One, you are not getting out of this alive. Two, there is no way you could take Jim. Three, even if you did there is no way it would work.”

Returning to stillness, tears run down her face as she comes to terms with her situation and prays, she has told them enough.



The siblings, including the now released Fey, sit in the stashes living room on separate chairs, before Dani breaks the silence, “She didn’t say much, but there is one big thing for me. The Wyrm is English. My first thought was Maerig, his call sign is Dragon. But he is Welsh and the Wyrm is definitely English, from what she was saying.”

“For me, the callous way she talks about infecting Liam. I don’t know if I can let that go.” Sasha says, regretfully.

“I have put her through hell. Give her back to me and I will turn her inside out.” Fey pledges, through obligation rather than desire, knowing her heart is tired of torture.

“She has given us access to all the data she sent to Arno and the Wyrm. We wouldn’t have had that without her cooperation. She has upheld her part of the bargain.” Nikita says calmly, trying to be the voice of reason.

“I’m not happy about it, but she is right.” Sasha says, silently seething that they will have to let Ivy walk away.

Jim broods in the corner and slowly nods, “Yes she is.” He says with a tinge of sadness. He looks at the ceiling as if seeking guidance, “I need to get out of this place.”

“Sure. We can go home once this witch is dealt with.” Sasha says, forcing a smile. She thinks to herself, “Snap out of it Sasha. This is not just about your pain, Jim and Fey are hurting too.”

“No.” Jim says with a finality to his voice “This place and Nirvana are places of war. Home has so many memories of my life with her as Nat. I need to go to a place of peace to heal and to forget.”

Fey bites her lip, thinking of all she has done to the woman next door, “That sounds good. There is a lot of darkness here. From Hel to today there is pain for me too.”

Jim softly nods and gently takes his sister’s hand, “Carl feels it too. I spoke to him while you were all out cold. He knows a place we can go.”

Dani nods then leaves her head hanging down, her eyes hidden from everyone else, “I can understand that. In our own way we all need to heal.“ She pauses to light a cigarette, “Where will you go?”

“Carl has a place set up in the jungles of Belize. We’ll leave the coordinates before we go.” Jim says solemnly, then looks at his sister’s, each in turn, “There is a place for everyone if you want a break from your normal lives.”

Dani conceals her inner turmoil, thinking to herself, “A chance to heal sounds great but at the same time, I want to be there for Niki, Sasha and the girls.”

Nikita sighs to herself and thinks, “After I do what I need to do, I need a break but I think I will head to the ocean for a little solitude.”

“Much as it is tempting to take the girls and their sister’s into the jungle to keep them safe, I am not sure Liam is up to it. Not to mention Moses and Ali’s folks probably wouldn’t go for it.” Sasha muses to herself, “But, before anything else, there is something I need to do.”

Sasha swallows her guilt and reaches across to Jim, placing a gentle hand on the back of his neck, “Jim. I...” She is cut off by a finger pressed gently to her lips.

“I forgive you.” Jim says, softly before embracing her.



With a sense of peace once again, the siblings settle back in their respective seats.

Dani stubs out her cigarette and exhales the last of its smoke from her lungs, slowly, “Shall we sort her out?”

Everyone nods, as Nikita speaks softly, “I will do this alone.”

“Are you sure?” Dani asks, concerned.

“Yes.” Nikita says, with a grim nod, “As I said, I will take her away from here, change her appearance and let her go.”

“Where will you take her?” Sasha asks, calmly.

Nikita sighs, “I will never tell. Once I do this, I will never reveal where I let her go or what her new appearance is.”

Dani opens her mouth to speak, but Nikita cuts her off with a firm but gentle, “Ever.”

Sasha nods and places a hand on her shoulder, suspecting the heavy burden her sister feels “We will never ask. But if you ever need to talk, we will listen.”

“Thank you. Would you mind waiting here for an hour after I leave and then head home? I’ll be back later.” Nikita says, gently, despite the darkness of her thoughts.

[Caesar73]

Another quite intense chapter. Dani trying with all her might to hinder Jim to act out his desire for revenge and Sasha to follow through on her own. And it is Nikita in the end, who seems to find a solution. But if this really works out? I don´t know. I think, Ivy is still playing a game to screw them over.

[GreyLord]

This was a powerful chapter, [mention]wolfman[/mention]. This family's love shines bright. But I suspect [mention]Caesar73[/mention] has it right to suspect Ivy.

[slackywacky]

It is a shame that only the same three people are reacting (2 of them a little more than me ), as this story deserves better. But as I said before, it is not always an easy read and that might deter people from reading.

[wolfman]

Another quite intense chapter. Dani trying with all her might to hinder Jim to act out his desire for revenge and Sasha to follow through on her own. And it is Nikita in the end, who seems to find a solution. But if this really works out? I don´t know. I think, Ivy is still playing a game to screw them over.

This was a powerful chapter, [mention]wolfman[/mention]. This family's love shines bright. But I suspect [mention]Caesar73[/mention] has it right to suspect Ivy.

You could be on to something there. Ivy is not the innocent that she first appeared to be and who can tell how this will end. The family are a force to be reckoned with to be sure, but what if ivy lives to make them regret their mercy.

It is a shame that only the same three people are reacting (2 of them a little more than me ), as this story deserves better. But as I said before, it is not always an easy read and that might deter people from reading.

That is a fair comment and the length of the tale may put some off. It is heartening that despite this, there are loyal fans like yourself, [mention]Caesar73[/mention] and [mention]GreyLord[/mention] who continue to follow and comment.

[slackywacky]

It is heartening that despite this, there are loyal fans like yourself, @Caesar73 and @GreyLord who continue to follow and comment.

I would not know if I would keep a story going if it was just for only three people reacting. I commend you!
And yes, I know there are lurkers

[GreyLord]

... And yes, I know there are lurkers

We must keep the hope that a lurker will see the light at some point and grace us with a comment.

[wolfman]

It is heartening that despite this, there are loyal fans like yourself, @Caesar73 and @GreyLord who continue to follow and comment.

I would not know if I would keep a story going if it was just for only three people reacting. I commend you!
And yes, I know there are lurkers

It is sometimes tough, with only a small number of comments, however, i take heart that the commentors are consistent in their support.

... And yes, I know there are lurkers

We must keep the hope that a lurker will see the light at some point and grace us with a comment.

It would be nice to hear from a lurker, however, i am content with the comments i recieve.

Due to a change in lifestyle, the pace of updates will be slowing down for at leasr the forseeable future. My time is limited like never before and i would prefer to take longer to produce something quality than churn out short, disjointed updates

[Caesar73]

It would be nice to hear from a lurker, however, i am content with the comments i recieve.

Due to a change in lifestyle, the pace of updates will be slowing down for at leasr the forseeable future. My time is limited like never before and i would prefer to take longer to produce something quality than churn out short, disjointed updates

I wish you the very best [mention]wolfman[/mention] - and I think it is the right choice to aim for quality more than for quantity. This outstanding Saga deserves that - I I think your audience will wait gladly-

[wolfman]

Ivy tries to make herself comfortable in the passenger seat of the saloon. Sightless eyes stare out from her face. The black contact lenses, allow no light in and render her blind.

Her hands have each been wrapped into fists and covered with gloves that give the illusion of having fingers.

The ultra fine fishing twine, woven around her and into the seat, practically sewing her in place. The intricate weave of line criss-crossing her arms, pinning them both to her sides and to the seat in places it digs into her skin causing the helpless woman to fear being cut to ribbons if Nikita stops sharply.

Between her clenched teeth is a simple electrical switch. As long as her mouth is closed, she is fine. However, if she opens her mouth, releasing the switch, a series of powerful shocks are delivered to several parts of her body.

She reflects on her current situation and sighs to herself, “Could be worse. I am not uncomfortable and at least, I am dressed, even if it is just a t-shirt and shorts.”

Ivy shifts in the seat, feeling the seat belt slightly dig into her, near her left collar bone and shifts slightly to ease the pressure. “OK Ivy, get your head in the game. Nikita is honourable and not a killer like her sisters. She will let you go. Once you are on the move, get online, get new ID and accounts.”

She continues her consideration, turning her attention to what comes next, “Aruba or Santiago? Aruba has the weather but Santiago has much cheaper property and is more anonymous.” She smiles subconsciously to herself, “It’ll take at least a couple of weeks while new op is set up in Santiago, maybe a little break in Aruba to recharge?”

She imagines the warmth of the sun on her skin and the taste of an ice cold mojito against her tongue.




Ivy feels the vehicle pull up to a stop, tenses for a moment as Nikita softly says, “Hold still.” She feels Nikita gently part her jaws and pull the switch out of her mouth.

“You can talk if you want to.” Nikita says, betraying no emotion to her captive.

“Thank you Niki.” Ivy says, stretching her jaw.

“No. Friends call me Niki. You can call me Nikita.” Nikita says, in a firm but warm tone.

Caught off guard ivy backtracks, “I am sorry, Nikita. I forgot we are not friends anymore.”

“We never really were to be fair.” Nikita says calmly, “That said, I wanted to talk to you woman to woman, before I release you.”

“Sure. What would you like to talk about?” Ivy asks, continuing to flex her jaw.

“Your actions.” Nikita says calmly, pulling the vehicle back onto the road, “I can monitor your vital signs and tell if you lie to me.”

“Fair enough.” Ivy says uneasily.

“Did you really care for Jim?” Nikita asks, before following up, “No one is listening, it is just us.”

Ivy pauses considering her words, before speaking, “Not at first. Initially, I just wanted him wrapped around my finger so I could use him. But over time, his gentle and loving nature made him more than just a mark.”

Nikita’s eye twitches a little and she presses Ivy further, “Did you ever think of abandoning your assignment?”

“Honestly, yes I did. Towards the end I wondered about ending the lie and throwing myself on your family’s mercy. But when Bernhard was killed and the glamour faded, I knew it was too late and I had to run. I did try to reveal the truth in my note to Jim.” Ivy explains and pauses, wistfully, “A part of me even dreamed of a future with Jim with the real me.”

“She is telling the truth.” Nikita thinks, before saying, “Do you still want that?”

“If I am honest, yes I do.” Ivy confesses, “Jim is an amazing guy and in time I could see us falling in love, given time and space.”

“Jim is a sweet guy and to know him is to love him.” Nikita says with a smile, thinking of the gentle and warm nature of her brother. “Would you have still tried to sell our secrets, if it had worked out?”

“No. God no. I would never have done that.” Ivy says, defensively.

Nikita senses the fluctuation in her lifepulse and knows that she would try to profit from her and her siblings. “That’s what I thought. But I needed to be sure.”



Ivy feels the changes in the vehicles movement, suggesting that they are in a multi storey cat park, then slowly coming to a halt and hears the click of the hand brake being applied. “Are we here?” She asks, trying to contain her feelings.

“Yes we are.” Nikita says, inscrutably watching a flock of large gulls wheeling and circling overhead.

“Wait. I have a request.” Ivy says, wanting to chance her luck.

“Go for it.” Nikita says speculatively.

“When you change my appearance, would you keep it a secret so that Jim and I could have a genuine chance?” Ivy asks, hopefully.

Nikita thinks on the question for a moment, before answering, “I will not tell anyone about your new appearance.”

“Thank you Nikita.” Ivy says elated.

“I have already sworn not to reveal anything about your fate.” Nikita says, knowing she is not lying.

“Thank you so much.” Ivy says, excited about the possibilities.



Nikita sighs helping Ivy out of the vehicle. “There is just one thing though.”

Ivy pauses confused, “What?”

“Liam.” Nikita says, without emotion, “You had your orders, but why him?”

Ivy shifts nervously in her seat feeling caught off guard, “He was the easiest target. Jim would have lead back to me and I would not get the drop on anyone else. I needed to keep you out of Spain.”

“Or you could have said no.” Nikita says, without emotion once again.

“Bernhard’s people would have killed me and if they hadn’t, the Wyrm would have.” Ivy says, almost pleading.

“So to save your own skin you made the choice to put a baby in harms way?” Nikita asks, faking an innocent tone.

“When you put it like that, it does sound bad.” Ivy says, sub consciously pulling at her bonds and trying to flex her fingers.

“It is bad.” Nikita says, with an edge to her voice, “How bad could this Wyrm be anyway? You refused to talk about him. Is he that much of a threat to you.”

“I can’t put my finger on it. There is an aura around him. He exudes power.” Ivy says, remembering the crushing force of his personality, “He wanted to know everything about you. Never said why, however, he was paying good enough money that I didn’t question him wanting you out of Spain using any means at my disposal.”

“Even if I did believe you, you are a master of your craft, you could have disappeared.” Nikita says, coldly.

“No, I couldn’t. He threatened my family.” Ivy says, firmly.

Nikita catches the fluctuation in her lifepulse and sighs, “And that was a lie.” She says, sadly then let’s the point hang in the air.

Ivy closes her sightless eyes and hangs her head, waiting for a death blow that never comes.

“Try again. This time, make me believe.” Nikita says, impatiently.

Ivy pauses for a moment before speaking and takes a deep breath, “He said if I made it happen, he would pay extra.”

“So you infected a baby, to earn a bonus and save your own skin.” Nikita says, releasing her grip on the steering wheel, before exhaling slowly.

“We had a deal. You would change my appearance and release me in exchange for the information I gave you.” Ivy pleads, feeling tears pricking her eyes.

“I did give you my word, don’t worry.” Nikita says, without emotion.

“Thank you. I appreciate that you are a woman of your word.” Ivy says, swallowing hard.



Following an awkward silence, Nikita takes a small pair of wire cutters from the glove box and begins the slow process of freeing her prisoner. She sighs, softly, “We have tied you up well haven’t we? Still could be worse, I guess.”

Ivy laughs nervously, “I guess so.”

“Sasha would have torn you limb from limb. Jim would have hunted you to the ends of the earth. Fey would have tormented you till your heart gave out.” Nikita says nonchalantly, shrugging to herself, “Dani would have just snapped your neck. I guess you’re lucky you got me.”

Ivy feels the fishing lines, slacken before they are removed and sighs with relief, “Thank you so much.” She pauses, thoughtfully, “Thank you for keeping your word.”

“I figured you had been through enough, with everything that Fey did to you.” Nikita says, lightly.

Ivy feels that enough of the lines are free that she can raise her arms from her sides and stretch slowly, “Yeah, to be fair, she really put me through it.”

“Sounds like she put you through almost the whole range of sensations.” Nikita says, unpicking the tape from around Ivy’s right fist.

Ivy snorts, “Ha. Almost? She did everything she could think of to me.”

“Pretty much.” Nikita says lightly, before a dark edge creeps into her voice, “Except the sensation of being a baby with pneumonia, after catching the flu and feeling your lungs fill with fluid.”

Ivy feels her blood turn to ice as she sits there numbly, allowing Nikita to free her other hand. “Wait..” She begins, as Nikita starts speaking.

“Liam felt himself drowning in his own body fluids and could only lay there.” Nikita explains, calmly, “Over and over, he felt his life slipping away, as I fought to keep him alive.”

Ivy feels her other hand being freed and reaches up to try to remove the contact lenses in a panic, but is held in place by one of Nikita’s tentacles.

“Because of his age, he didn’t have the language to understand what was happening and because he was in an incubator, we couldn’t even console him with a hug.” Nikita explains, with a hint of anger.

Ivy begins to feel her heart race and starts to panic, unable to fight against the iron hard tentacle, “Please. You gave your word.”

Nikita releases the tentacle and uses it to open the door, “Get out. Remove your clothing and the contact lenses.”

“You have got to be kidding?” Ivy says, with a mixture of fear and indignation.

“I need you to be free from artificial accoutrements. They will interfere with the process of changing your appearance. Don’t worry, there are no cameras and no one watching. It is just us and the gulls.” Nikita explains, calmly.

Ivy huffs to herself and begins removing the contact lens in her right eye. Nikita watches dispassionately, as her ward removes first one and then the other contact lens and begins to peel off her clothing.

Ivy catches her eye and asks, “Like what you see?” She slowly begins to remove her t-shirt revealing her firm breasts and taut stomach. “At this point, I will try anything to survive.” She thinks, nervously.

“Sorry, men only.” Nikita says, dismissively.

“So why are you watching so closely?” Ivy asks, casually dropping the garment on the floor. Subtly, she glances outside of the vehicle and thinks to herself, “Looks like we are on the top floor of a multi storey car park, as I suspected. I am glad it is warm out, I wouldn’t like to be stepping out naked into the cold.”

“Because, I don’t trust you.” Nikita says, while Ivy hooks her thumbs into the waistband of her shorts and wiggles her hips, as she works them down.

“Can’t blame you for that.” Ivy says, taking her time to slide the shorts slowly down her legs. She thinks to herself, “Even though I have her word, there is no guarantee I will get out of this. I need to keep my options open to make an opportunity.”

Once Ivy has divested the last of her clothing, Nikita nods, “Jump out and we will get this over with.”

Ivy slowly opens the door of the car and winces when she sets foot on the sun baked tarmac. “Shit, that is hot.”

Nikita gathers the bundle of clothing from Ivy’s seat and steps out of the car, “Don’t worry it won’t be for long.” She says, striding towards the centre of the roof level parking area.

Ivy covers her nakedness with her hands and arms and follows her captor, hopping from foot to foot on the sun baked tarmac.

In the middle of the car park Nikita pauses, closing her eyes and inhaling the scent of the sea, blowing in on a cool breeze.

Despite the heat, Ivy feels a shiver run down her spine watching Nikita, perfectly still apart from her long dark hair, blowing in the breeze. “Every instinct is telling me to run. But I have heard what she can do and I don’t want her chasing me.”

Without warning, Nikita speaks softly, barely audible about the cacophony of gulls over head. “It is time. Are you ready?”

Ivy nods and with trembling lips replies, “Yes.”

Nikita turns to Ivy “When this is done. I will return to my car and drive away. You will never see me or my family again. Do you have anything you wish to say before we part ways?”

Ivy shakes her head, wordlessly and closes her eyes.

“And there was me thinking, you might take the chance to say sorry for the suffering you inflicted on that poor, sweet, innocent boy.” Nikita sighs, “Or that you were sorry for breaking Jim’s heart and betraying our trust.”

Ivy feels a wave of panic and begins to run. Nikita exhales slowly and twists the woman’s lifepulse, changing it irrevocably.

Ivy runs hard, getting twenty feet away, before her left foot crumples under her. She tries to raise herself up on her arms but they begin to collapse too. She can only look in horror, as before her eyes, her entire body mass is transformed slowly into sardines.

She feels each fish’s body scorching on the searing heat of the tarmac. She is overwhelmed by the desperation of each fish that comprises her body, gasping for water. “This must be like Liam felt as he fought to breath.” The shoal of Ivy thinks.

Nikita watches the sardines writhe in the heat and solemnly whispers, “You are free to go.”

She turns on her heel and strides towards her car, as the ravenous gulls overhead, descend.

[slackywacky]

Nikita exhales slowly and twists the woman’s lifepulse, changing it irrevocably.

So much power, so many responsibilities. Great chapter my friend!

[Caesar73]

So justice is served. Nikita gives Ivy a real chance to come clean - but she tries to doublecross Nikita and Nikitas retribution is swift and merciless. And we should not forget that Ivy is fully responsible for what she did.

Another fantastic Chapter [mention]wolfman[/mention]

[GreyLord]

Good things are worth waiting for, [mention]wolfman[/mention]. It is good to get this chapter.

[mention]slackywacky[/mention] and [mention]Caesar73[/mention] are right on point. Nikita certainly gave Ivy every chance to show that she could change. Ivy chose otherwise and she has paid the price. Wonderful chapter!

[wolfman]

[mention]slackywacky[/mention] [mention]Caesar73[/mention] [mention]GreyLord[/mention]

Thank you for your kind words gentlemen. Alas I cannot say when the next chapter will be ready but i will endeavour to make it a good one

[slackywacky]

I cannot say when the next chapter will be ready

Quality over quantity is what we prefer anyway
We will read it when it is ready.

[OldTUGger]

Superbly done, @wolfman!

[Caesar73]

Quality over quantity is what we prefer anyway
We will read it when it is ready.

I can only agree. [mention]wolfman[/mention] take your time. When the next chapter is ready it is ready. It is as simple as that.

[wolfman]

So dear readers, it has been a while. I hope you have been keeping well.

Enough small talk?

Good. Let's get into it. Soon, I will start to post the next arc of this tale, with a few things to bear in mind

There will not be a tie up in every chapter, but there will be plenty to keep everyone going.
Characters will be pushed harder than ever before.
We will go places we have never been before.
At least some of the characters, will get a happy ending.

I hope you are on board, as I intend it to be a wild ride.

[Caesar73]

[...]

We will go places we have never been before.
At least some of the characters, will get a happy ending.

I hope you are on board, as I intend it to be a wild ride.

You know me my friend, I am all in Or to quote Star Trek: Scotty beam me up!

[slackywacky]

I intend it to be a wild ride.

A typical [mention]wolfman[/mention] story therefore

Glad to see you continue to write, we missed your type of story on the site, although [mention]GreyLord[/mention] took a good stab at it in one of his stories.

At least some of the characters, will get a happy ending

Going soft?

[wolfman]

[...]

We will go places we have never been before.
At least some of the characters, will get a happy ending.

I hope you are on board, as I intend it to be a wild ride.

You know me my friend, I am all in Or to quote Star Trek: Scotty beam me up!

Good to have you on board Caesar

I intend it to be a wild ride.

A typical [mention]wolfman[/mention] story therefore

Glad to see you continue to write, we missed your type of story on the site, although [mention]GreyLord[/mention] took a good stab at it in one of his stories.

At least some of the characters, will get a happy ending

Going soft?

Soft? Not sure I understand that word.

I have just caught up with [mention]GreyLord[/mention] 's posts and they are epic