Hi everyone, this is the second installment to my series. If you haven't read chapter 1 yet, you should go read it first! Some of the background info will be necessary to understand some parts of this story.
Enjoy!
We reached my house slightly before noon. I lived in my own house, set in a quiet neighbourhood but not too far from the busier parts of the city. Due to its size and location, it had obviously been quite expensive. Thankfully, my parents paid the initial down payment for me without question - they've long since known I'd go my own way, and they could never control me. Since then, the powers I've gained have allowed me to earn enough money to complete my purchase.
At my mental suggestion, Aria set her one duffel bag of possessions on the floor near the door and followed me to the kitchen. I was getting hungry, and she must be too. I could use her to satisfy my sexual needs at any time, but we both had other physical needs to take care of first.
I opened up the fridge and started looking for what I wanted. "What would you like to eat?" I asked.
She didn't respond, and I looked back at her only to find her wide-eyed. A quick look in her mind allowed me to realize what was going on. She had never been inside of a house like this before. She'd been born poor and had grown up poorer after her parents died. Even during the years she spent on the run, she rarely set foot into expensive houses to avoid attracting attention due to automated security systems and recording devices. Living in such a place was a foreign concept to her.
"This is your house? How could you afford this?" She asked, incredulous. I guess it does seem strange. After all, I was only two years older than her. It probably is hard to believe that I have the means to live like this.
I considered for a moment, and decided that now that she was totally in my thrall and my territory, I could afford to let her in on some secrets. I'd honestly been itching to tell someone for years, but my self-preservation has always triumphed over my urge to brag.
"Well, my parents did make the down payment for me, but the rest of the expenses were fully paid by me." I explained, but she didn't seem to buy it, so I continued: "How much do you know about the Janusian Division of the FBI?"
Soon after the Janus plague occurred and the first Janusians appeared, the FBI created a Janusian Division, specifically to deal with domestic Janusian threats. Most of the so-called heroes in America were registered as consultants or agents of this division, doing their bidding one way or another. However, the internal workings of this division have been kept a tight secret.
"Not much," Aria answered. "I've been pursued by some of their agents before, but they were all low-level, mostly expendable minions. I don't know much about their higher-ups."
I smiled. "I guess then that you don't know about the Seer."
"The who now?"
"The most tightly guarded secret within the FBI. Information about her is about as protected as information about Area 51. Even her existence is on a need-to-know basis." I explained. "Have you wondered how despite your power and your precautions, they still manage to keep track of you?"
Her eyes grew wider.
"It's because of her. The Seer. The One Who Sees All. She is a Janusian with the ability to ask questions and be given an answer by the universe itself. She can even 'see' the future, though the farther ahead she 'looks', the fuzzier the answer she gets. Her only limitation is similar to yours, in that asking too many questions at a time can exhaust her."
"Oh my..." Was the only answer Aria could give me, as the implications of this revelation dawned on her.
This was why the prevalence of Janusian crime was so low in America compared to other countries. Janusian criminals and criminal groups that originate in the US tend to either get caught or killed quickly or escape to Mexico or further south. The US government had proudly proclaimed that this was due to the exceptional efficiency of our police force, but some astute individuals have noticed that some of the captures of Janusian criminals seemed unexplainable by anything other than insider information. Yet, they couldn't have had undercover spies in all the criminal groups, could they? Well, as a matter of fact, they had a "spy" that could spy on them all.
As for Aria, despite the horrific nature of her crimes, she has hardly caused as much damage as some better-established criminal Janusian groups. The FBI chose to use the Seer's time for more critical projects instead.
"How do you know about this Seer if she is being kept so secret?" Aria asked, but as the words came out of her mouth, she already realized the answer.
I confirmed her guess. "It was simple, really. She asked the universe about me. I found out and asked about her back. Her ability has been quite handy over the years."
She nodded, expecting this answer, before catching onto the last part. "Wait, what do you mean, her ability has been quite handy? Can't you only use it on her?"
I let out a little laugh. Aria had finally caught on. "Oh yes, I did use my ability on her. Quite a lot, actually. I got enough answers to blackmail her into never revealing information about me.
"One of these pieces of information that she knows but never got out is that I am, in fact, not a mirror. I don't just reflect the powers of others. I fully gain the ability to wield any power used against me, except I'd be even more powerful or versatile than the original wielder. When I'm shielding myself from you, for example, I'm actually controlling you to stop you from using your power on me, not stopping you directly.
"With the Seer's powers, I'd become quite a successful stock trader. Pretty soon, I'd be able to repay my parents entirely for all their help. After that, money will never be an issue for me again.
"I only kept the true extent of my abilities secret to not attract attention. Let them think that my power is only the ability to reflect the powers of others. The truth is, I am a part of a rare category of Janusians called mimics, and I'm the most powerful one of them all."
As proof of my words, I demonstrated another one of my powers. Using the sheer force of my mind, I pulled a jug out of the fridge and a cup out of the cupboards and poured myself a glass of milk. Admittedly, this took way more mental effort and concentration than if I had physically performed the actions myself. For the purpose of showing off to Aria, thoguh, it had the impact I wanted.
She was staring at me, mouth agape, as if she had just seen a pig fly. I let her contemplate what I've told her while I grabbed a specially-made metal plate of leftovers from the fridge and quickly heated it up with electric zaps from my fingertips. I took the plate, grabbed the bag of sex toys I'd bought earlier, and headed back to my room, telling Aria, "Get something to eat for yourself, then clean up in the guest room upstairs and come to me."
