Synopsis:

Scott was on his way west to meet up with his friends to start a new life in L A. What he came across in the desert after his car broke down would change him forever. He wondered if his friends would recognise him once they finally met again. He didn’t think this was what his friend’s intended when they said, "start a new life."

Chapter Nineteen

"STOP! THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice familiar to the gestalt demanded. Breaking the union, the two minds returned to their bodies, and spun to see a familiar person standing behind them.

Seeing Kim standing there came as no surprise, having recognised her voice. She was striding towards them and waved to the man with his weapon dismissively.

"But they made a Nexus," the man protested, still keeping the weapon trained on the pair.

"I said enough. They have passed the test now go and take them with you." Kim ordered, her voice taking on an authoritative edge.

Sara and Kevin turned back to see the two men and Maggie walking away. Kevin made as if he wanted to go fetch Maggie, but Sara held him back, whispering that it wasn't Maggie, but another of the Shelke. As she spoke, they saw 'Maggie' shimmer and become a similarly dressed man as the others.

"I guess you have a few questions," Kim asked when she reached them, standing quietly by their sides.

"A few," agreed Sara, looking at an older looking Kim with a raised eyebrow.

"Let's go talk somewhere comfortable, your place or mine?"

Thinking about the not so nice place they had found, the answer was easy.

"Your place."

"Okay, but I'll drive, I love the old Vumerkoln, it has more features than the later models."

"Vumekoln?" Sara and Kevin both chorused.

"Sorry, the truck... car, that you have been driving."

Kim had started driving, the minute they had got in, and it looked like they were headed into the city. Kim touched a bare section of the dashboard with her finger. At once, the panel, which hadn't had any features on it to draw the eye, suddenly folded out, revealing more pad-like panels. Kim seemed to be deciding which one to press. She looked at the others in the back seat and grinned.

"I think you'll like this," her eyes twinkled charmingly.

She pressed the one she had decided on. Immediately, the car morphed into a white silver ghost Rolls Royce. Kevin found himself back in his original body, stylishly dressed in a black tux with a red cummerbund about his waist. Sara found her vision partial obscure by a white gauzy veil. She felt the clothing constricting her gently and heard the rustle of her gown. She looked down, 'OMG, I'm in a wedding gown,' she thought, surprised. Kevin looked at Sara, sharing what he saw, to her mind, so she could see herself from his viewpoint.

The gown was gorgeous and felt wonderful as she moved in it. The sensations of satin sliding against silk sent rapturous tingles throughout her body. The bodice with it's thousands of seed pearls finished at the empire style waist. The satin sleeves came right down to her hand partly covering the back of it and held in place with a loop round her middle finger. She had a short veil that came down to the middle of her back. It was almost too much to take in at once.

"We have a suite reserved for you at the Hilton Hotel," Kim said, forestalling the obvious question. "You are newlyweds for the moment. Isn't this cool? There are some classic cars in here for special occasions; you can even program more in. I think this one even has a Hum Vee added." Kim told the flabbergasted couple.

Kim drove them into the entrance of the hotel and helped Sara get out. She told them to ask for the Thompson suite, while she drove the car into the parking provided. Sara felt like every eye was on her as she walked with Kevin to the front desk. Kevin asked for their suite as Sara looked at herself in one of the mirrors adorning the columns. A bellhop guided them to the suite on the tenth floor and unlocked the door, then handed the key to Kevin. He seemed to be waiting for them to enter first and Kevin clued in by a silent thought from Sara, picked her up and lifted her over the threshold. Oddly, the bellhop closed the door behind them, seeming to forgo the chance to get his tip.

Kevin took Sara to the bedroom and lowered her to the huge bed. She plucked at the gown, wondering what they were doing here rigged up as newlyweds. Although the gown was beautiful, it was hardly practical for what she assumed would be a long explanation from Kim.

A knock at the door heralded the entry of Kim, who smiled at them encouragingly. Sara and Kevin sat with Kim in the lounge and waited for her to speak.

"I know it's late and you still have your questions, but I suggest we start fresh in the morning. I will say this, before leaving you. As you suspected, I'm one of the Shelke race, I was born here from the union of two humanised Shelke. You have been under observation by those who remained here after our emergency recall, from when you first started using the Krin." Kim paused, seeing their confusion. "The Krin is our name for the bracelets you're wearing."

"How?" interrupted Sara, seeking more information.

"They are more than just a portable means of body changing. For us, they help us in our telepathic communication. They help us broadcast our thoughts without needing concentrated thought processes, which drain mental energy."

"So while we were wearing them, you could pick up our thoughts?" asked Sara, seeing the link to their own telepathic abilities.

"Yes, to a degree. At first, your thoughts were very faint, but the longer you wore them the stronger they grew. The others wanted to neutralise you as a threat to our security, but with your constant shifting around and then your travel to Australia, it made it difficult to arrange."

"You were going to kill us?" Kevin asked, with a shocked voice.

Kim laughed. "No silly, we aren't that barbaric, we would have erased your memories like you did to Robert. By the way, you did an excellent job there. In fact, that act, gave me the ammunition to fight for you to be allowed to continue. The others agreed, but insisted on testing you, to see if you could be trusted not to use your baser instincts."

"We passed?" Kevin asked.

"Both you and the others passed. Your test was more prolonged, as you were the leaders in your group. I'm sorry that we put you through the stress of it all, but in fact, you were not in any danger." Kim paused, looking at her watch, "Look it’s late, and you'll need to be alert for tomorrow. Enjoy the room, and I'll see you in the morning, around ten."

"One more thing," Sara asked, kicking herself for not asking earlier. "Is Maggie okay?"

"Of course, I should have mentioned that your friend knows nothing of us. We wouldn't have dragged an innocent into this situation." Kim answered, smiling as she saw Sara visibly relax. "See you in the morning. Oh, I forgot to mention, there are clothes in the wardrobe for you." With that, she let herself out, making sure the "Do not disturb" sign was up on the outside of the door.

Sara looked at Kevin. Trying to take in all of Kim's explanation was making her head whirl. She still had a million or so questions, but fatigue from the day’s activities was making her head spin.

"Take me to bed please, I need some loving." She told Kevin.

Never one to allow a suggestion like that to pass, Kevin took her literally, scooping her up in arms and carrying her back to the bedroom. Kevin looked at Sara in her gown and thought to himself, 'one day that will be for real.' He started taking her gown off as she shifted to allow him to get to all the tiny pearl buttons. She felt sad that this wasn't for real, but then smiled, knowing one day soon, it would be. Kevin was all man, but having experienced being female with all the attendant sensations from wearing sexy clothes, he felt a moments pang of jealousy at not being the one in the gown, as he reverently put it aside, laying it carefully on a padded foot locker at the end of the bed.

"Silly boy, you could always be me if you wanted to wear it," Sara offered with a grin, seeing the longing in Kevin's eyes.

"But if I'm you, who will be me?" Kevin laughed, pouncing on the scantily clad Sara and attacking her ticklish spots.

"Hehehe, hey stop that," gasped an out of breath Sara. "I guess I could... for a short while anyway," she emended, seeing if he'd pick up on the opening.

"You calling me short?" Kevin snorted stripping off his pants and demonstrating just how wrong she was.

"Hehehe, well that worked," she crowed, reaching out and grabbing him by his convenient handle.

"I think you made your point," laughed Kevin, as he took off his jacket and shirt.

"No, I think you made the point," Sara giggled tugging on the warm handle in her hand to emphasis her meaning.

Kevin let himself be pulled willingly on to the bed, where he looked at Sara's aroused nipples.

"Two points to one... love," he returned, with a smirk.

Not to be outdone, Sara served a last volley.

"The balls in your court, my lover," she giggled, kissing him quickly before he could say anything more.

The game changed in the next few minutes, as they wriggled out of their remaining clothes, to tonsil hockey. Then Sara stopped, pushing gently at Kevin.

"Wait, I don't want this moment to be shared with anyone," she said, slipping off her bracelet, and placing it on the table beside the bed. Kevin did the same, before taking up where he left off. As Sara's orgasm started to build, she shared the feeling with Kevin. Kevin reciprocated, feeding her his feelings as they neared climax. So tight was their mental bond that their mutual orgasms pulled them back into the gestalt, or Nexus, as the Shelke had called it. They wondered if this was something new or could the Shelke do this without the bracelets as well. They could see their bodies locked together in sexual union just as their minds had done the same. With a thought, they flashed away, seeking their friends in California.

It seemed that the others had formed their own nexus as they arrived. Both William and Julie were in Mi Ling's forms, as they lay on their bed in Huang's home. The two Nexi touched, flooding each with their own shared experiences. In a dance of thoughts, they filled in the gaps that the others hadn't been aware of. The minds of William and Julie were told of Kim's revelations and they promised to try and be there when Kim came in the morning. Making them aware of the nature of the bracelets power to leak information to the Shelke, they promised that they would try and achieve a gestalt without using it.

Leaving them to experiment, the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara, left with a mental hug to the others, before heading home to get back to their bodies. On the way, they detoured to see if Maggie could be found. It wasn't hard to sense her, seeing the bond that they had formed with Maggie. It wasn't like flying over the land looking for a physical body; all they needed was a mental image of her to guide them. Maggie's thoughts stood out like a beacon; her former desperate longing had turned to newfound joy as her situation had changed. At the moment, she was sleeping, dreaming of her future as a child, the nexus hovered near, sensing the chaotic images associated in dreamscapes. Maggie must have sensed them being near, as she smiled in her sleep and reached out her arms. The nexus gave her a mental hug, whispering to the slumbering mind that they'd be together soon.

Reluctantly, they left her then, seeking their own bodies, so they could get some much needed slumber themselves. Slipping back into their individual bodies, they noticed that although it seemed longer, they had in fact only been away for a few minutes. This mind to mind thing was bit like the internet, the better the connection, the better the speed. Kissing one another again, Kevin and Sara snuggled against each other as they relaxed into sleep.

Morning came exactly on time, with Sara waking first as usual. She felt the need to go, as her bladder was complaining. As she slipped out of bed, she grabbed a robe and slipped it on, before heading to the toilet. She felt a little crusty from the previous nights romp, so as soon as she finished, she headed for the bath. Deciding on a bath was a no brainer, once she saw the scented bath salts supplied.

She luxuriated in the bath feeling the tensions from the trip, become a memory. She lay there, head back with her eyes closed, smelling the herbal scents wafting up from the steamy water. Suddenly her lips were attacked with the slightly bristly face of Kevin. She smiled, not opening her eyes, as she felt him step into the bath and straddle her body. Kevin turned his attentions to her breasts as they poked out of the bubbles like lost continents. The combination of his raspy tongue and the bristly unshaven face started to send signals everywhere like an all points bulletin.

"Hey that tickles," she giggled, pushing him gently away, as her body spasmed in delight. "You need a shave," she added handing him a triple bladed razor supplied by the hotel.

"So do you," was Kevin's cheeky response, as he ran a hand down her leg.

"Shave me, I don't feel like moving," Sara pouted, as she lifted one shapely leg up for inspection.

Kevin did as she commanded willingly, taking advantage of Sara's closed eyes to ogle her sexy body as he stroked the razor over her silky skin. Both legs done, he handed her the razor. Knowing what he wanted, Sara opened her eyes to see where the can of shaving foam was. She sprayed Kevin's face till he looked like a Father Christmas with white foam, instead of a white beard. She shaved him carefully as so not to nick him, feeling a sense of joy at this simple intimacy.

They might have explored the possibilities of sex, had not a quiet knock on the door of the suite interrupt them.

"Ma-am- Sir, breakfast in 5 minutes," came a woman's voice.

Grinning, Kevin pulled Sara out of the bath and handed her a towel. They dried each other and headed to the bedroom to see what clothes had been supplied for them.

Dressed again in casual wear, this for Kevin was jeans and a polo top, and for Sara, was a blue cotton skirt worn just above the knees and a white stretchy ribbed top that clung hungrily to her curves.

Breakfast, when it came, was French toast, and a grilled breakfast, with bacon and eggs and sausages and tomatoes, with coffee and orange juice. As before with the bellhop, the woman bringing in the breakfast trolley refused to take a tip. Shrugging, Kevin put away the wallet that was supplied with the clothes. Kevin tucked in; eating all of his plate and half of Sara's that she said he could have. Breakfast over; they tried to relax while they waited for Kim.

Kim arrived 5 minutes later, along with someone who took away the breakfast trolley. Kim sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her, indicating that they sit there.

"What's with the staff here?" Sara asked as she sat next to Kim. "They refuse to take tips."

Kim laughed. "The hotel is owned by us, much of the staff are Shelke. One can find out a lot of information about guests in a hotel." She explained. "Especially in one that frequently has politicians staying here."

"Ah I see, I suppose the rooms are bugged." Kevin asked.

"Yes, I make no apology for that, we are here to observe. The devices were turned off here last night, as a sign of good faith. We did know you were awake and having a bath by monitoring the water flow in the bathroom. We had estimated the normal time taken to have a bath, before announcing breakfast." Seeing them blush, Kim knew she made an error. "I take it, that you weren't ready for breakfast then? If so, I apologise."

"It's okay Kim, we were just getting a bit carried away," Sara giggled.

Kim reached down and pulled out the laptop from the bag she had brought with her. She set it up, explaining that we could contact William and Julie with it, so they could participate in the question and answer time.

"No need Kim, we have a better way." Sara interrupted, taking out her cell phone. Kim looked puzzled, as Sara spoke to the others on the phone.

"Julie? We are ready."

After a minute, the nexus that was William and Julie were settled in the nexus formed by Kevin and Sara.

"I feel a very powerful nexus, but I notice your not wearing the Krin, how is this possible?" Kim asked, looking at them in surprise.

The combined nexus of the four decided to let Sara do the talking for them all.

"We have made a nexus with the four of us together, we found that once we knew how to do it, that using the bracelets is unnecessary. We all can hear and see everything, so let's get started."

"You are astonishing; it's no wonder that some of us had concerns. You're doing something in months that it takes the Shelke many years to achieve, and we are born telepathic," admitted Kim in a look of awe.

To be continued.

  

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 © 2005 by Prudence Walker. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, and compilation design) may be printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without the express written consent of the copyright holder.