Iron Rain

The longest installment yet.

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Part 07

Echo and Voice

It was the beginning of August and the cleansing summer heat was welcome after the nightmares and time recuperating following the bone marrow transplant. On the bright side my father was doing better, he wasn't out of the woods just yet but things were looking up. He had returned home but was forced to wear a sterile mask around the house and especially outdoors like now. He couldn't afford to catch a virus or cold in his weakened condition. But I could almost see improvement on a daily basis and everything looked promising for a full recovery. Petra on the other hand was visiting me every other night at least, the fact that dad was home and couldn't touch her was driving her crazy and I guess I couldn't blame her. Kat on the other hand was dragging me out away from the house for our little romps and she was pushing her comfort zone slowly but surely. Everything seemed like it was going so well until...

The spectral image of the Surfer was hovering in the air at the foot of my bed projected from the tablet computer and as always his emotional state was impossible to guess. There had been upgrades since his first incarnation and at times he acted and reacted more human but it felt as if he were holding back. I had learned that this was the only avatar receiving the updates 'just in case'.

"So have we gone over everything that happened in Dunwich," I asked him.

'Yes Milord and I have finished my analysis of the woman you call Morrigan and the woman in the alley and...'

"And, and what Surfer," I asked.

'They are and aren't the same woman,' he said and I realized he was confused and didn't know how to handle the data he had collected for me.

"Take it slow and explain to me why it is her," I said in my best soothing tone and this seemed to calm him.

'I have extrapolated her complete bio-morphic template as if I were creating a new avatar,' he said and with a gesture a full sized image of Morrigan appeared next to him and he rotated it and it was accurate to the millimeter or so he said. 'This is the woman from the alley again having undergone the same process.' A second woman appeared but on the other side of Surfer and he rotated this one as well and as I looked from one to the other they appeared the same at first glance. But even to my untrained eye there were discrepancies and I pointed to the second figure and Surfer nodded and smiled. 'This woman is the same woman exactly only ten years younger.'

"Odds are that it's a sister or female relative," I said and he shook his head.

'Those odds border on the ludicrous Milord, they are and yet aren't the same woman I have no logical explanation. Please note this specific skin imperfection,' and the images stopped rotating and it zoomed to a dark spot on her left ass cheek in the shape of a feather.

"A birthmark, they have the same birthmark and mom and Kat swear she never left the diner. This is impossible isn't it?"

'If you are asking me to determine possible if unlikely solutions for this dilemma two come to mind. The first is that the younger woman is a clone of the first. Unlikely that the technology exists but it is at least feasible. The second and this falls under the supernatural, this Morrigan woman has the ability to bi-locate. That is she can occupy two separate places in space at the same temporal moment.'

"Two places at the same time..." I said aloud and then deferred to the first explanation. "Okay so the younger one is a clone. Have you done her financials and other background search?"

'You are not going to like this, she doesn't exist.'

"What do you mean she doesn't exist, explain."

'There are no records that pertain to this woman in any server, any file... anywhere. She is a 'ghost' as you would say. Also I have detected an aberration in her physical make up.' Surfer added.

I looked at the holographic twins and as I looked at her face and the long red hair, her long kissable neck, gorgeous breasts and the rest of her I couldn't see anything wrong with her.

"Hmm I don't see anything wrong with her," I said.

'Exactly," Surfer said. 'Humans find beauty in symmetry and this woman's left side is identical to her right side.'

To explain his thought Morrigan's image suddenly became a grid display showing her features and body parts in the most basic state. He highlighted her eyes and I could see that not only were they the exact same shape but were located precisely to their opposite to the millimeter. Even her eyebrows were the same shape and length, the same with her nose, lips and chin. It was chilling really to see how one side mirrored the other down to finger shape and length.

"What are the odds of this occurring," I asked.

'You mean in nature? There is a zero probability of any unaltered life form attaining this level of perfection.'

"So she is a clone," I said as the virtual Morrigan returned to normal. "I fucked the perfect woman..." I muttered to myself but Surfer heard me.

'Yes Milord you did,' and this time he actually smiled. 'Does that make your bucket list?'

I blinked a few times and realized he was making a joke. I couldn't help but laugh and my avatar seemed quite pleased with himself.

"So the only way to be sure is to get a DNA sample and have it tested," I offered and Surfer nodded.

'That seems the most likely process for determining whether or not the two women are genetic twins and therefore clones. But it does beg to ask the question.'

"What question," I asked.

'If these women are indeed clones what are their purpose?'

"Any chance they are part of a government black ops project on human cloning? Maybe they were born in a lab somewhere?"

'It will take some time to find all the 'black ops' files hidden away by this government. However there is another reference to the name Morrigan I was able to discover.'

"And that is," I asked.

'It was found under the heading of Celtic Mythology...'

I sat on my bed and pondered all the possibilities of what had happened in Dunwich and shook my head in frustration and not a little anger. Besides the down time the coma had given me I was once more deprived of the luxury of sleep and deep meditation was the only thing keeping me sane. I could and often did go days without stopping to relax mentally. And when I did there were the nightmares and the cacophony of sounds and imagery. It was like I was in the middle of down town New York and I could see and hear what each and every person was hearing and seeing all at the same time and it was maddening! It took pushing it all away and finding that place where there is darkness and silence. I imagined I was walking along the beach on a world where there was no sun and no sound. There was a comforting sensation as my stress drifted away on the tide and I was alone. Sometimes I would sit on the sand and let the tide roll in and carry away my worries with the outgoing waves.

'Nick...'

"Who's there?" I called out to the darkness.

'Nick let me in Nick...' just the whisper of a female voice. 'Let me in Nick..."

"Who are you?"

'Let me take away the pain... let me drink of your darkness Nick... let my lips taste you... lick you... devour you...'

"NICK!"

My eyes snapped open and I was lying on the floor of my bedroom and Kat was standing over me.

"Nick, are you okay," she asked tears sliding down her cheeks.

Kat knelt down next to me and took me in her arms and she rocked me and I closed my eyes and the whisper of the voice faded into nothingness.

'...devour you...'

As always I never actually slept but I did find a place of perfect darkness and perfect safety in Kat's arms. When I came around her back was against the futon and she was fast sleep. Her tears had dried but had left tell tale signs on her cheeks. I looked up and Petra stood in the doorway smiling down at us.

"You okay," she asked.

"No... can we talk?" I asked and she nodded.

"Sure Nick your father is watching television and is playing catch up on some of his shows he missed while overseas. Where do you want to talk?"

I carefully freed myself from Kat's embrace so as not to wake her and stood up. We walked into the next room and she sat down on some of the many pillows strewn about. I went to the fridge to get a soda and found the remaining bottle of sake unopened. I put the bottle of soda back and took out a bottle of the rice wine.

"Sake," I offered showing her the bottle.

Her warm smile was all the answer I needed. After heating it and letting my mind sift through the things bothering me I sat down and I poured our first serving and began to speak. While my mind had been occupied Petra had stripped down and donned a silken kimono that was now loosely tied around her waist revealing some cleavage and a hint of upper thigh.

"When in Rome," she purred.

"Indeed," I said smiling and taking my first ever sip of sake. "Not bad."

"So what's bothering you," she said pouring a second round in the small round wooden cups.

"Quite a bit," I said and then continued. "I think I just need to rant if that is okay with you?"

"Fine by me but first," she said standing and walking over to the closet and pulled a matching kimono and smiled. "You might as well be comfortable besides it'll be easier to suck your cock later with this on."

"I like the way you think," I said. "Come over here and undress me."

She dropped the kimono and sauntered over and began by pulling off my shirt. Then she grabbed my belt and tugged me to her before undoing it, then unzipping my jeans and letting them fall to the floor. She knelt and helped me step out of my pants and licked her lips at my raging erection. I shook my head and mouthed a single word 'after' and she smiled and nodded. Petra folded up my clothes and stacked them neatly in the corner before retrieving the fallen kimono and holding it for me to slide my arms into. She pressed her breasts against me as I did so her purrs growing louder by the minute. Petra moved behind me and as I tucked one side of the kimono beneath the other she reached around and tied the belt around my waist.

"Damn that was hot," she whispered in my ear.

"Yes it was, now have a seat and let me vent please."

"Sure I can't stroke some of that stress out of you," she purred pressing her tits harder now against my back.

"Later..."

Pouting but not unhappy Petra sat across from me and put on her listening face. I sat down and found my next round already poured.

"Where to begin," I said collecting my thoughts again after the very distracting offer from Petra. "I have spent the last couple weeks having Surfer fill me in on what occurred in Dunwich in minute detail and there are some very disturbing facts that have been on my mind lately. Before we left for Dunwich an agent for the Iron Rain arrived here in Arkham." I saw the alarm in her eyes and then I continued. "Then she just left two days later without ever getting anywhere near this place. Why? I have read through the latest traffic in their activity and found it business as usual. Then there is Dunwich and my new responsibilities since leaving there." I said leaning over the table and showing Petra my ring she leaned over and took a better look at it. "This was William's ring that his father gave to him and has passed from father to son for a very long time." I flipped the crest and showed her the seal of the Hidden Master. "You know dad is a member of the Silver Twilight Lodge?" She nodded slowly. "It's not just a gentleman's club it is so much more." I reached under the table and set down the leather bound book between us. It was a huge tome that was hand written and was in effect the diary of one of the previous Hidden Masters. "It is written in Greek and despite the rugged condition of the binding the pages are very well preserved." I said opening the book and the pages were hardly yellowed. "I don't speak Greek or read their alphabet so I had Surfer scan and translate it for me. The passages refer to things that happened during the time of Plato and contain his original lecture on the fall of Atlantis. But even back then the Order had significant influence in many nations. The Hidden Master is the political manipulator and shaper of events. I have already made some life altering decisions that I pray were the right thing." I closed the book and felt her hand on mine. "I have to have dad swear fealty to me in the next meeting and I don't know if I can do it? He can't know who I am and you can't tell him ever. It's as much out of the chain of command as it is for his safety. If anyone discovered his connection to the Hidden Master they would use him and I couldn't have that on my conscience. I had to tell someone I trust and I would have told Kat but I don't want to burden her and I knew that you would understand." She nodded and tears slipped down her cheeks. I reached over with my forefinger and captured a tear and brought it to my mouth. "I have your silence on this matter?" I asked and she nodded as she wiped the other tears from her face. "I am open to suggestions on how to go about doing this."

"Dramatically, make as big a show of it as you can. Involve the entire lodge and have each and every one of them kiss your ring as a show of fealty."

"Sounds like an excellent suggestion I will bring it up when I meet the Grandmaster tomorrow night. I went to the residence of the former Hidden Master and discovered much. I thought the Order was men only however I discovered something interesting. The Hidden Master in order to maintain control within the ranks of the Order established a sisterhood that reported to him alone. They are wives, mistresses and in some cases heads of state but they all followed his orders implicitly." I brought up the ring box from under the table and handed it to her. "The position of Majestrix has long been empty. I want to offer the position to you. I need someone I can trust by my side and can't think of anyone better for the job. But if you say no I will understand completely what with your history with the Iron Rain and all that."

"You need someone you can trust and in turn will follow orders without question," she said making a grim face.

"It's true I need someone I can trust," I said wording the next part carefully. "I also need someone who can call me on decisions I might make that are questionable or worse."

"You are looking for a conscience, is that it Nick?"

"I look at it as an emotional anchor and confidant."

"Let me think about it," Petra said taking another drink of sake. "So what else is bothering you?"

"Morrigan, I know this is going to sound crazy but apparently we hooked up in the alley when I went out to get cash to pay for the meteorite," I said and Petra was shaking her head.

"That's not possible she never left the diner. Maybe you were mistaken?"

I picked up my tablet computer and fired up the video evidence of my not so romantic grudge fuck in the alleyway. Petra watched and I saw her hand slip down and between her legs and I knew she was fingering herself while she saw things from my point of view. Petra's eyes narrowed and her breathing became erratic and with the last thrust of my hips into Morrigan Petra came hard and let out a small cry of release.

"Damn that was intense," she moaned. "Do I look that good when we fuck?"

"Are you asking if I ever recorded us having sex," I asked and she nodded. "M...maybe," I let the word hand in the air.

"Maybe my ass," she said raising an eyebrow in that just show me already look.

Without another word I opened the file of an encounter we had on the back deck with her in her apron and bent over taking it deep in her ass.

"MMMMM I remember that," she moaned. "I came three... no four times!"

"Pushing the chance that one of the neighbors might see us, you bent over the railing with my cock buried in your pussy or later on your ass. The heart racing, pussy pounding good time had by all," I said feeling my cock stir again.

She tugged open the kimono and cupped her tits and looked over at me her lust a blazing thing now.

"I could wrap them around your cock while I suck you off," she purred. "You love titty fucking me."

"And you love swallowing cum," I replied my resolve weakening by the second.

"Do I have to beg Nick," she asked. "I will if you want me to. Please Nick... let me suck you off, let me taste you and let your hard cock slide down my throat. Please Nick let me wrap my big 'ol tits around your shaft and let you fuck them while I lick and suck the head of your cock! See how hard my nipples are and you know how wet my pussy is now. Please Nick..." she licked her lips as she got on all fours facing away from me and lifted the kimono up and away from her bubble butt showing me her wet slit shiny with pussy juice so eager to be fucked. "I'll do anything you want Nick... anything."

I fired up the Morrigan footage again and Petra turned and smiled.

"Do you want to fuck me while you watch that imagining it's her you're fucking Nick? I want you to... I need you to... give me your cock Nick... please." Petra pleaded and then she saw the look of frustration and confusion on my face.

"Pity I can't remember it," I said a little bitter.

"I bet if I stretched out some to limber up I could..." and she fell silent with a wicked gleam in her eye, a smile on her face and then with a heroic effort she reigned in her desire. "...still it doesn't explain what happened to you."

"Take a look at this and then tell me what occurred," I said showing her the side by side of the Morrigan from the diner and the one in the alley.

"What the fuck," Petra said staring at the two and shaking her head as confused as I. "So what does Surfer say?"

"Two crazy theories but only one fits the facts and still it's so farfetched I just don't know what to believe."

"So what are his thoughts on the matter?"

"Bi-Location or Clones... yeah crazy ass shit but for the moment the only options."

"I'll go with clones before the other I mean they could be sisters in a weird sort of way. Ran away from a secret government lab to a one horse town where the chance of them being found is remote."

"That's our working theory for the time being then," I told her. "The next one has got me so riled I don't know if I can even bring it up without punching a wall or something."

"Nick... what is it?" Petra covered herself and moved to sit next to me as I shook in absolute rage.

"When my mom was dying and going through chemo I kept some of her hair as a kind of memento to remember her by, stupid I know..."

"No that's a lovely thought," she said hugging me now.

"Well it has been bothering me for a long time now that they both got brain cancer. So I went to the doctor who treated mom and discovered there was still some of her blood samples kept on ice. He also happens to be the same doctor who is treating my dad. Long story short after some sizable donations for his research I had their blood tested." I began and the tears flowed and I managed to push through the sobs to tell her. "There was viable DNA in my mom's blood and I had an independent lab test both samples." I slammed the report down on the desk and watched as she let go and opened the envelope and read the results.

"I don't understand Nick," Petra said shaking her head. "This says that the DNA is a match. Your mom and dad aren't the same person I don't get it."

"I didn't test their DNA I tested the cancer DNA and it is a match. Dad has the exact same strain of brain cancer that my mom had. That can only mean one thing someone murdered my mother and tried to kill my dad."