Crazy Seduction(erotica)

“This select committee was formed to investigate what is now being called the Aurora Skyfall event, which took place six months ago on June 10th, and the subsequent crisis which transpired in Manhattan, New York in the early hours of June 11th to determine their part, if any, in the massive loss of lives experienced all over the world. The committee members sitting here with me were all given access to the Tennison Clip. This video recording was taken by US Army Sergeant Michelle Tennison on June 11th. After multiple viewing and an in-depth review, we are left with more questions than answers. We were informed that the video contained proof of who was responsible for those deaths, but the video looks like the work of one of Hollywood’s big special effects houses. Aside from the pretty redhead’s outburst about killing Humanity and the timestamp on the video, we didn’t see anything that clearly connects the film’s events to the sudden loss of what might be billions of lives.”

There was a sudden emotional outburst from the gallery as this was likely one of the first public acknowledgments of the scope of the loss.

Cressman banged the gavel to quiet the room as Roy glanced back, seeing the fear and rage in the eyes of people looking for someone to blame for the deaths.

When the room settled, the chairman focused on Roy. “Please state your name and occupation for the record.”

“Roy Duncan. Head of Security for VRL Investments in Manhattan, New York.”

“Yesterday, we heard testimony from US Army Brigadier General Gordon Crane that you worked closely with VRL Investments CIO Henry Gable, the same Henry Gable who wrote firewall application software that our government’s largest security departments have now deployed.”

Roy nodded. “Yes.”

“May we assume you’ve seen the Tennison Clip?”

“Yes.”

“We have also heard testimony that the being called Henry in the Tennison Clip is, somehow, the same Henry Gable. Is this the case?”

Roy sighed. “Yes.”

“The final moments of the video show the beginning of the collapse of the rooftop castle. The last remaining persons alive in the castle were Henry Gable, the unknown woman, and Sergeant Tennison.”

Roy cleared his tight throat. “To my knowledge, that was the case.”

Cressman stared at Roy with a pensive expression.

“Did Henry Gable die inside that building?”

“No, he did not.”

“So, where is-”

Roy cleared his throat again to open it, and the mic squealed slightly. “Sorry. During the event, when the castle began to fall apart, most of the group I was with was dumped from the castle’s fourth floor into Eden, a planet in an alternate dimension. It took a little time to arrange it, but the Glass People there prepared to open a rift to bring us back. Sergeant Tennison joined us on Eden and had them open the rift further up the street from the building where our vehicles were due to the collapse of the castle and debris falling from the building. When we stepped back onto Earth, we found Henry on the roadway. The body of his friend Nathan Walker was nearby. A witness on the scene indicated Nathan caught Henry as he fell from the roof and attempted to carry him to the ground, but he was too heavy. He managed to slow them until his wings broke, at which time he spun them to break Henry’s landing. They struck the ground hard.” Roy took some deep breaths then continued. “Both sustained critical injuries from the fall, and neither showed life signs when we arrived. The witness, a transformed woman who’d been waiting for us to open a way to Eden, carried Henry’s body through the open rift which the Glass People then closed.”

The committee members shared grim looks. “We had hoped to speak to him dir-” The man squinted as orange light suddenly shone on his face.

Roy stood as he turned to face the tear opening at the beginning of the aisle in the gallery. Two Glass People slowly walked through and stepped to the sides. Next came two identical, red-skinned, black-eyed Succubi-with wings! The clothes they wore were little more than bikini tops and short shorts. The only feral Succubi twins Roy was aware of were the ones Baba Yaga took from Mab, and these looked… different, aside from the inclusion of wings.

A large shape was following them through, silhouetted against the light of sunset.

Stepping through the rift was a sight Roy’s brain couldn’t comprehend.

Henry, in his Satyr form.

Roy leapt forward to pull him into a hug, feeling the reality and solidity of this apparition. It wasn’t just wishful thinking. He held Henry out at arm’s length to stare him in the eye. “Henry? You died! How…”

Henry’s smile was brittle. “Yes…” Something slipped past the back of his eyes, something dark he was trying to forget, then his relieved smile returned as he clung to Roy. “But… I didn’t cross over. I came back. I won’t abandon my family.” His body shuddered, and tears welled up in his eyes but didn’t fall. “I was pretty busted up, so I had to repair my body. It took… so long.” He shook his head as his eyes lost focus for a moment, then looked at Roy again. “As to how?” He shrugged. “It’s one of the last tricks Baba Yaga taught me. One star. Would not recommend.” He tried to crack a smile.

Henry looked back and waved to them, and the Glass People stepped back through the tear before it snapped shut.

Mary gave him a firm hug, and Mahati was right behind her. When she released him, Henry pointed to the chairs. “Is anyone sitting in that chair? Did I mention there are no chairs on Eden?”

Roy put his hand on Henry’s shoulder and realized his body was trembling. He helped him over to a chair and frowned in worry as he picked up that Henry was limping. Considering how shattered his legs had been, the limp was the least he’d expected. Mary and Mahati added an additional chair behind the table.Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Henry turned to Roy. “How long have I been out?” he asked hesitantly.

“Six months,” Roy said.

“Tish and Marisa?” he asked.

Roy smiled. “Baby girls. All are healthy, and they’ll be happier now that you’re back! You are back, right?”

Henry snorted quietly, infinitely relieved to hear the news. “Yeah, I’m back.” Mary and Mahati were grinning happily at him in return.

Only then, Roy, Mary, and Mahati realized the congressmen and women were missing, and secret service agents were in their places, covering them with drawn weapons. Roy noticed the two Succubi sitting on the floor in front of the table before Henry. He’d ask about them later as they seemed remarkably calm at the moment. The press, brave enough to remain in place before their table, were busy getting footage never before seen anywhere.

Roy raised his voice and called out so he’d be heard by the congresspeople hiding in the next room. “You wanted to ask Henry Gable questions, and he’s come back from the dead to do it. The least you could do is ask them and not waste his time!”

Congressman Crestline was the first to push his way back onto the raised dais and gape down at the group.

“Henry Gable,” Roy said with a big smile as he gestured to the big Satyr in the chair.

Crestline nodded and called out for the agents to put their weapons away and gestured for them to get the other congresspeople to return.

It took at least ten minutes to find and convince them there was no danger, but soon enough, they were all in their seats staring at the large horned man and the lovely red-skinned ladies sitting at his… hooves.

Then they were ready to ask their questions.

-=-

Once Tish and Marisa got their babies settled for their afternoon nap in the crib at Tish’s place, they joined the others in the living room. The big TV was tuned to the special report on the congressional committee meeting as they all wanted to see their friends. They could see Roy fidgeting with his shirt collar and Mary slapping his elbow. Camila and Sigrid chuckled at the frustrated look on Roy’s face.

Sandy was cuddled in next to Dayshia. The two of them were doing their best to raise the spirits of the other. Sandy’s parents, and most of their friends, had disappeared while they slept. She hadn’t gone home to settle affairs, though she knew she would have to soon. She also missed Henry terribly.

Dayshia was sad because she’d missed her chance to tell Henry how she felt, and now she was worried she’d never find love. In the interim, she’d decided to take a break from dating for a while.

Meixiu was in deep discussion with Michelle and Eleanor as Raymond spoke softly with Lorelei and Siobhan. Lorelei’s group had been working on new daily music dispatches since the night of the crisis. Raymond had the heart of a poet and worked closely with Lorelei to work out a series of messages to ease the populace’s hearts and minds. They were having a subtle but profound effect on the survivors.

Siobhan’s part was uploading the completed music to multiple content aggregator websites and managing their trending. The demand for the recordings had become so high, they hit the front page of these sites within minutes of upload. The big Media outlets were always just a step behind these newer media distribution channels, but their reach was much broader.

Tish smiled at the gathering, then sat on the couch next to her besties. Her place had become a kind of unofficial hang out for everyone. VRL was paying the mortgage payments, and Camila assured her that would continue for as long as Tish and her baby lived there. Camila was completely infatuated with Henry’s and her child.

She glanced at the TV and saw Roy had begun speaking. The room went quiet as he described finding Henry after the castle collapsed. It was a hard memory for all of them, and tears welled up.

When the orange light suddenly bathed the face of Congressman Crestline, Sigrid and Meixiu both blurted a blunt exclamation of sound as their memories took them back to an evening behind Meixiu’s inherited mansion.

The Glass People stepped through, and the group held their breath.

The arrival of the feral twins pulled a gasp from Camila as she knew Baba Yaga had stolen them away. What were they doing on Eden? Then she saw differences hinting that they’d evolved, one of them being major. “WINGS!” she cried.

Then everyone was screaming and crying, except Eleanor and Raymond, who watched the reactions with shock.

They watched Roy hugging Henry’s impossible image and saw how shaky the younger being was as Roy guided him to a chair.