Sweet Eternal Torment

Hi all! Is there a way to respond to comments that I've missed...? It would be nice to be able to answer some questions directly that have been put to me about the story ... Oh well - it'll have to go here for now!

I'm not too surprised that the premise of this story seems a little 'out there' (to put it nicely) or just plain unbelievable as the barebones of it was conceived when I was in my early teens. Yes, I have always been a pervert, but you get used to it after a while.

The world of S.E.T is based on a corrupt future ruled by Industry as evidenced so far by the mistreatment of 'clones' by TLT. In this theoretical future the powers that be don't consider clones to be "real" people and that is why they are able to experiment on them and alter their DNA. Sorry, I believe I haven't explained that in the story yet.

Thank you for reading - I'm happy to hear some of you are really enjoying it so far. Reading your comments made me very happy - and laugh some too. I enjoy hearing what people think of it and please do tell me if I've created any issues in the plot; it's very helpful because I don't often see the problems until much further down the track.

(By the way, sorry it has been so long since I updated! I quite enjoy pursuing my other hobby, that is; anime art as well. These two pastimes of mine happen in phases, but I do try to interchange between the two where possible.)

This chapter is story-heavy!

-Love,

ChaosRaven

*****

Chapter Five

He hadn't touched her in almost two weeks. -Though Scott still kissed her every now and then and held her at night. Catsy wasn't sure whether there was really something wrong or whether this was normal for a "relationship".

She pretended not to notice at night when he would wait until he thought she was asleep and then place a pillow between them to hug her. In the dead of night he would do things to her in his sleep. Catsy would awaken to his hand pressed between her legs and his hot breath on her ear. He would angle his hips as if to enter her with the pillow flattened between them. The feel of his body curved around hers as he fondled her sleepy body was usually enough to bring her to climax. She could only speculate as to how he managed to sate his own desires.

He did spend a lot of time in the bathroom.

Together they'd moved all of their belongings and furniture into the new apartment. After the first few days they had basically settled in. Scott had brought the surprisingly extensive library he'd stored in his rooms, and Catsy had been immersed in it ever since.

Catsy was curled up in the armchair with one of his books when he came home. Although she heard him come in and felt his momentary assessment of her, his gaze slid away. There definitely had to be something wrong if he could hardly look at her. Instead of confusing her it just made her angry. Out of stubbornness she refused to put down the book to greet him even though she could no longer concentrate on the words in front of her.

'I've been at the gym. You should come with me some time and boil away some steam.'

He had no idea

. Catsy schooled her features behind the tome so that when she finally pretended to finish the page and lower her shield; she only looked vaguely interested, but looking at him proved unwise. He was sparsely dressed in his thin tank and sweatpants, both of which clung to his broad frame with sweat. All of the muscles that she could see were pumped and glistening from his recent exertions. Every time he moved even a little, she found she paid far too much attention to how his muscles would shift beneath his skin. His arms were the hardest to ignore for her. She kept thinking of them around her; locking her to him. Or supporting his upper body as he strained above her - using his arms are leverage to—

'You look hot.' She found she was unable to break the eye contact they currently had. Scott was paused midway through mopping his neck with the towel he'd taken with him. 'I mean you look a bit warm,' Catsy blushed.

Scott appeared pensive. 'Mmm.' He broke the rigid air by taking a hefty swig from his water bottle. 'I think I'll shower.' With that parting explanation, he made for the bathroom.

Catsy dropped the book in her lap and let her head fall back against the cushioned top of the chair. Sometimes she had to wonder if he desired her as much as she did him. No matter how she took that exchange, it was hard to interpret his reaction as one that bespoke desire.

Though the state of their relationship was the biggest drain on her mentally, there were other troubling thoughts battling for precedence in her head. It was what had led her to escape into Scott's library in the first place. It did a halfway decent job of distracting her. But every time she left their apartment she would gaze down the hall at the door she knew was there. -The one which she remembered yet could not have known of in the first place. The memories were as if from a dream. Snippets of being led down bright hallways to dark rooms. Dappled colours in a painting that she felt could - and had - taken her far away. The name beside the door had tolled no resounding memories but the painting had been something altogether different. It gave her the oddest feeling. -Complex, to say the least. It gave her the impression of being a haven from danger but the feeling was years old and outdated. With her more experienced adult mind - it reeked of something more sinister. Time brought with it the distance that allowed objectivity.

Scott emerged from the bathroom wetter and more naked than when he'd gone in. She barely noticed. Her attention drawn inwards rather than on the frustrating topic of

him

as it had been moments before.

She must have been frowning up at the ceiling in a way that would cause concern, because she got a whiff of a fresh, spicy cologne just before Scott's face appeared above her. He was braced with his hands on the arms of the couch. The steam still sweeping off him in warm waves.

Jeez, his forearms were distracting.

'Catsy? Are you okay? You're awfully distant,' His eyes searched hers. She gave him more of the same back before answering.

'I

was

okay. Now you're dripping water on my face; not so much.' She squinted comically and coiled her arms up to umbrella herself. A mischievous glint entered his eyes, making her suspicious. Scott began to shake his head like a dog all over her. Her limbs did little to protect her. Laughter trickled out despite her efforts to keep it in. After grappling with each other for dominance on the sofa; she wasn't sure whether it was by accident or on purpose, but they ended up on the floor. Scott laughed, pressing his wet hair to her stomach and dampening her clothes. Catsy's shrieking and tugging seemed to delight him rather than remove him.

The phone rang and cut through the moment with its high-pitched trill. His expression sobered as he got up to answer it. Catsy thought he looked surprised at his own playfulness. It had taken her unawares as well so she couldn't keep the smile from her face when she reclaimed her seat and once again raised the book to her eyes.

Scott raised a quizzical brow at the sight of her giggling over H.P Lovecraft as he picked up the receiver. 'Naughton.' He quickly moved into the kitchen upon hearing who it was. 'Irving. Good news I hope?'

Catsy stayed half tuned in to his half of the conversation but it didn't make much sense to her. She heard him tell this "Irving" that he'd be right over and hung up the phone whilst simultaneously donning a shirt and jeans. Her pride stopped her from inquiring into the reason for the phone call or why he was rushing to see this person. She thought she'd known herself well enough to know she wouldn't be a clingy partner but lately she'd begun feeling somewhat insecure for obvious reasons and her sense of identity was fraying at the edges. With disappointment in herself beckoning to her from the shadows below, she wasn't likely to risk lowering herself further.

'I'll be back before tea, Catsy.' He affectionately ruffled her hair on his way out the door. Catsy barely restrained herself from pulling him back by the front of his shirt and devouring him. Instead she dug her nails into the hard cover of her book.

'Seeya.' No sooner than the door shut behind him, she gave up on reading. The book landed with a dusty thud on the coffee table. The noise it made on the glass top made her wince. She really had to be more careful, she wasn't used to such fine furniture. The bathroom door ajar in front of her was expelling the steam from Scott's hot shower and the enticing smell of him along with it. She couldn't stay in the apartment any longer.

Since the day Scott had first sought Irving's expertise, nothing much had changed. Scott remained very much affected by the

jack-up

he'd been given. The injection was named as such not just because it forcefully started an immortal's reproductive cycle - it also multiplied their libido. It would have been okay if he'd activated it himself but they'd forgone giving him that choice after his confrontation with Sparks.

Due to having such a potentially long lifespan, immortals had been forced to develop the ability to manipulate their reproductive organs in order to continue being a breeder for as long as possible.

There were two weeks left before Scott's body would automatically reset the cycle.

As soon as the electric doors admitted him to the main building, Della was there to intercept him. He didn't have the time, he had to be back soon as he'd promised Catsy - he'd have to make it quick. With a cursory check that the coast was clear in each direction, he ushered her quickly down a darkened hallway. Once they were out of earshot of anyone nearby he pinned her to the wall. -Trying to keep the pain from showing on his face took some effort.

'Were you looking for me darling?' Della lightly traced his jaw. It tensed. 'Relax. The ache will go away soon. Let's go back to my room.' She took his hand to lead him away. He wouldn't budge. When she looked askance at him he only smiled and shrugged.

'What's wrong with this storage cupboard?' She relented and stepped in when he opened the door for her, dragging her nails across his chest as she did. 'I've warned you not to do that sort of thing in public.' Scott's quelling look did nothing to vanquish Della's smile. She simply backed into the dark confines of the cupboard and pulled him with her.

Catsy let herself out and flattened her back to the door. Thankfully, the hall was empty. For some reason lately she had been more desperate for touch - and

attention

- than she would deem normal. Not getting it was making her frustrated and irritable. They had been having their share of tiffs in the last two weeks. Though she had to admit it was usually her that caused the fights and she always felt huffy and guilty afterwards. Today they'd had been a rare moment of light-heartedness. And somewhere in her mind; the need for him made sense. She hadn't felt such a desire for a person before but she knew she had been taught that it would be normal after intercourse to feel the way she was feeling. She was obviously forming an addiction to Scott's touch since she'd lived almost a lifetime without physical affection. It still grated that she was dependant on someone else for her own wellbeing.

She sighed.

Standing in the hall as she was, the painting was almost in sight. It beckoned. Her eyes went in its direction and her body automatically followed. When she came to stand in front of it, it was as familiar as ever though no memories surfaced. The longer she stood scrutinising it - the further away any recollection of it would slip.

The eerily even-toned voice behind her fit so snugly into the sense of déjà vu that at first she didn't realise it existed outside her head.

'It could never be you - Catsy? Come to keep me company?'

Her body chilled at the voice. She didn't want it to sound so familiar.

'I'd like to say it's good to see you but you're so horrendously

old

now... I've lost all interest... -Unless you came to persuade me... Let me have a good look at you.'

Catsy didn't want to see him but the nearness of his voice made her turn in the fear that he might be too close. His door was shut firmly between them. Only his thin slash of a mouth was visible through a hole suspiciously like a cuff port just above hip level. Whoever this guy was, he was put in handcuffs enough to necessitate such an opening in the door.

The mouth twisted. She realised it was meant to be a smile. She'd seen one just like it often enough to recognise it. -Recently too.

'I'll come closer if you tell me... what your relation is to Dr Harrison.' There was silence for a while. She'd turned her back on him again. -Rather that than give him the "good look" he wanted.

He scoffed behind her, 'pfft. What has that got to do with you?' Then, 'have you developed an interest in me, sweet-thing? Dreaming of my roving hands in the night?'

'What do you mean...?' The question spilled from her lips negligibly. Terrible curiosity mixed with the denial she had ready to pounce on whatever he said. -A toxic-tasting brew. She turned to face him without intending to. Catsy found herself pinned to the spot by a pair of black eyes peering through the cuff port. They were unblinking; fixed on her face. For the longest moment neither moved. She thought the eyes couldn't be real. -Blank as they were. They could almost be glass.

His harsh laughter made her jump. He'd vanished from the cuff port but the laughter continued around his cell. Its volume increased and became nearly manic. Catsy was already fleeing the building. She had to get as far away from Matthew Harrison as possible. She couldn't stomach anymore of his laughter.

Catsy almost knocked the coffee out of Dr Harrison's hand as she passed him headed in the opposite direction. The coffee sloshed over the rim of his mug onto his shirt. It was burning hot if his grimace was any clue. His face went red. He took a quick glance back at where the cameras were. Catsy was shaken. Mid-way through her garbled apology he blocked the closest camera with his body and back-handed her quickly across her right cheek, dropping his files to do so. Afterwards he bent to pick them up. The anger hadn't left his face. Presumably, he wished to take it further but the surveillance cameras prevented him.

Harrison then strode away as if she'd been a fly he swatted, leaving Catsy holding her cheek. The blow had made her nerve endings spark painfully in affront to the contact. She wanted to believe he had forgotten that a mere touch to her skin would have been unbearable from him. Of course given who it was; she could be reasonably sure he had forgotten nothing. The only good thing about being slapped instead was that the contact was comparatively brief.

The lingering burn sobered the part of her that had been fighting to outrun demons. However, this demon wasn't pursuing her at all; lying in wait was more his style. -Like a snake.

She felt dizzy. What did she think Matthew Harrison had done? He hadn't actually

said

that anything had transpired between them and yet she had jumped to the conclusion that something had. The man could be teasing. She allowed that it felt as if she had met him before. In the interests of her sanity, she wasn't prepared to go further than that. As for

his

sanity; it was clear that he need not be concerned at the loss of it any longer. Evidently that was a path he'd strayed from long enough ago to be lost in the woods by now.

Catsy was sure there would be nightmares in store for her tonight that would require her sedation. Those black eyes alone were giving her shivers. The thought of Dr Harrison being the one with the syringe made it worse. Would Scott let them this time? More to that point - would he ever consent to take her away from the Centre? They hadn't spoken on the subject so far but she'd thought about it plenty. The new apartment did have its small part in distracting her from that final goal. If the two of them hadn't been fighting—tainting the peace she'd found with him—she may have been tempted to drop the idea altogether. -At least temporarily. As things were, even if it didn't work out between them they could always part ways. -But he needed to get her out of there first.

On reflection, she felt foolish to have expected more dedication from him after he'd admitted caring for her. What did she want from him? It was a question that looped over endlessly in her head.

Catsy didn't want to go back to the apartment with Dr Harrison headed that way so she just continued in the direction she'd run. She didn't really have a destination in mind as she went into the main building. Taking a moment to consider where she might be headed, she forced herself to smile back at the receptionist who had looked at her inquiringly.

It was quiet. The slamming of a door made her look down the hallway to her right. Scott emerged from its depths looking flustered.

'Has something happened?' Instead of answering her, Scott reached for her cheek. At the remembered pain she had to stop herself from flinching back.

'How about you? I sensed something a second ago. -Your cheek is red.'

She faltered. She was unsure how much to tell him. There was no way of knowing how much he'd "sensed". Why was he able to "sense" things about her all of a sudden? Was there nothing sacred between them?

'I was resting on my cheek while I was reading, that's probably why it's red...' He rearranged himself, dragging her thoughts away momentarily. 'I... um... but on my way I bumped into someone and I caught skin so it hurt.' In the following instant of silence she thought he wouldn't accept her excuse.

'Were you looking for me?'

'No, I just felt like a walk, I suppose.'

'Tell me? I still have to go see someone but I can hurry back,'

He knew something was wrong. She decided a couple of centuries was plenty of time for him to have mastered reading people; even women. 'What can you tell me about Matthew Harrison?' Nothing about Scott's expression seemed to change; however, his eyes were distinctly darker than usual. They appeared to change with his mood. At the moment they resembled moss in colour though they were as hard as the stone it grows on.

'He is confined in our wing. Did you have a run-in with him?' Catsy nodded once - no elaboration. 'Stay away from him. He's not that old but he's a nutcase. Apparently he's only interested in adolescents, but I'd still rather you weren't on his radar.'

'Is he related to Dr Harrison?'

Rather than answering her he studied the way the light played on her dark tresses. Scott sighed. He was displeased with her—going by his expression. 'Since you don't intend to volunteer the information - which one of them slapped you?'

'Neither!'

It had been a while since she'd given him her daggers. Scott relented, 'okay. -At least tell me you'll be going back to the apartment after this?'

Both of her brows shot up. 'I haven't decided yet.'

'Mmm... Well I'll meet you back at home.' Scott turned to leave.

'You said he's a nutcase - but has he ever hurt anyone?'

Scott laughed humourlessly, 'I know he has the longest psych record in the history of TLT. -It spans three volumes.' Looking back at her frowning off into space; he couldn't stop himself. There was only so much he could take. Scott closed the distance between them and angled his face to hers. Catsy was still distracted though she knew he was there. She looked him in the eyes without believing he would really kiss her - it happened so rarely. Scott put his hands around hers to put an end to their fidgeting. And then he kissed her.