Moral Degeneration

“All I’m saying is we need to slow it down on the pregnancy talk,” I said to Luna as I got in the car.

“But it’s so hot,” she whined as she got in the passenger seat. “After seeing you with Willow…I can’t get it out of my mind.” 

“I know, you’ve told me,” I said. “But Luna, we are building something. I don’t have all the money in the world yet, and I’d appreciate your help trying to get there.”

“How?” 

“Graduating high school for one. College for another,” I said. 

“College?” She asked, annoyed. “Why do I need college? You’ve been cursing it up and down.”

“For me, yes,” I said. “But I have been rethinking it.” I could see she didn’t like that. I left the neighborhood as I drove us to school in the Elle. “You said you wanted to be overtop the other girls, right? That’s not going to happen by just planning orgies.”

“What are you implying?”

“I’m implying that some girls I could bring to the bedroom might be doctors,” I said. “How do you think they would react to you if you said, ‘Hi, I’m Luna, Russ knocked me up in High School and I don’t have a diploma.’” I side eyed her. “They wouldn’t respect you. Mentally or otherwise.” 

“I’m top of my class,” she said, annoyed. 

“I know you’re smart. But you have to show others you’re smart. I don’t think you need a doctorate, but getting a degree would help. I plan to own a lot of businesses, and I’d prefer my wife is able to help me manage them.”

“Fuck,” she said, crossing her arms as she looked out the window. “You got me there.” She quieted and I put my hand on her thigh. “What about the other girls that are pregnant? They’ll have a kid, couldn’t they just watch-” 

“Nope,” I said, cutting her off. “You remember that Mormon girl I told you about? I went to her church Sunday.”

“Ohhh that’s where you were,” she said. “I told the others you were meeting with Agent Reels. So what happened? Spill the beans.” 

 

“I am,” I said. “It was…enlightening to say the least. They had a man at the church, he was the husband of all of them.”

“Even the Mormon girl?” She asked. 

“No, she was his daughter. So the guy had something like 200 wives. Pretty sure all of them went to the church and their daughters too. They were basically this gigantic ass family. It was weird.”

“Isn’t that a lot like what you’ve been talking about?” She asked. 

“Honestly, yeah, but Jess was able to point out a lot of the issues. The guy had like 200 wives. Would spend like 1 or 2 nights a year with each family and wife. So the girls at least knew who their dad was, but that was about it. And the wives, jeez you could practically smell the lust for the guy. None of them were getting satisfied on the regular.” 

 

“Oh wow,” she said. “Yeah, I guess that’s a little much.” 

“Yeah, so there is an upper limit to this sort of thing,” I said. “So our…group efforts are important. But also keeping the kid’s feelings in mind. They were this huge community. They helped each other out, but there was no compensation for it. Mom’s made their daughters watch their half-sisters, and all the money they made would go to the church. It was this huge pyramid scheme.”

“Pyramid scheme?” 

“Yeah, the top gets all the benefits, so the guy. The moms below him got some as well. Then the kids on the bottom got shafted,” I said. “Really don’t want to have kids that resent the hell out of me or you.”

“Yeah, me either,” she said. “When do I get to meet her?”

“Next week?” I asked. “I helped her get her own place. She is all excited about it since she moved in Monday. Oh shit, you have any tests tomorrow?” I pulled into our parking spot as I asked. 

 

“Uh yeah,” she said. “Why?” 

“I got out of my test tomorrow, so I’m skipping,” I said.

“How the hell did you manage that?” I asked. 

Leland talked to the one teacher I had tests for and was able to get the test done the day before instead. “Lucky,” I said. Luckily I was sleeping with the principal. “You want to play hookie?” 

“Hookie?” she asked. “I’ve never done that.” She blushed as she got out of the car. “What would we do?”

“Besides each other? Whatever you want. We could go to the water park,” I said.

“Nope, you’re taking me next week,” she said. “I’ll think about it. Like you said, I can’t have people thinking I’m stupid.”

“I didn’t say that,” I said.

“Sure sounded like it,” she said, turning up her nose as she sped up her walk away. I chased after her but she caught up with her friends and I ran into Ryleigh. My arm over her shoulder, I reminded her of our own plans for Spring Break. 

 

My last school day for 11 days straight I was pretty stoked throughout the day. Only a few tests left I spent more than my fair share of time with Brianna, Luna, and Tina. The latter and I were risking quickies and it was made all the hotter since they were conducted without protection and in very little seclusion. Her office or the supply closet was our go to and I was getting to use her whenever we had a moment. 

 

The school day ended without issue. I was giving Luna and Ryleigh a ride home. Ryleigh and I had our weekly evening date scheduled with her parents so she was all smiles as well. Girls all around me as we headed off to our respective rides I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. 

 

The extraction was flawless and by the book this time. This team had even thought ahead and not brought a van this time. I would have been cautious if a van was nearby.  

 

Parking an older Buick on the leaving traffic side of the cross walk, I didn’t even register the trunk opening. One of the women dressed in a schoolgirl uniform she blended in far too well as well. She walked beside me and stabbed a needle in my neck before I had time to react. Another kidnapper in a schoolgirl uniform beside her, she grabbed my feet while the other took my shoulders. I lost consciousness after that but did hear more than a few screams from all the schoolgirls around me.  

 

—

 

When I woke up my mind was very foggy on the details. I had worried the Nightingales caught up with me. Eleanor hadn’t been the most confidence inducing, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she spilled the beans about my part in recent events. But as the drugs wore off I put together that this was much more professional than the Nightingales. 

 

My eyes covered, body restrained, and the sound of a small plane around me, I was on my way somewhere new and exciting. 

 

For a few days now I’d been struggling with the circumstances I’d been in. Gothika, the Nightingales, the rapes and forced sex affecting me more than I cared to admit. But this…wasn’t so bad. I understood this. People paid for my capture and dropping me off somewhere. They couldn’t care less about sex or me. They were driven by the almighty dollar. These were women I could respect. 

 

Too bad for them I was in their line of work not too long ago. I knew the ins and outs of kidnappings. The blind spots and risks that could affect them. But those were only possible when I wasn’t blind and my hands weren’t tied behind my back.  

 

I had awoken from the drugs when the small plane took off, so we weren’t too far away from Minneapolis. I guessed just outside of the city, at a private airfield. We hadn’t been in the air too long since we were still angled upward. But with my eyes covered I couldn’t tell the direction. I guessed north since we were so close to Canada. I really doubted they would kidnap and keep me in the states. No, they’d get me out then fly me to wherever the hell I was being sold. 

 

My ears still working well. I could sense 3 women around me. The plane was larger than a puddle jumper. But it wasn’t a passenger plane since I wasn’t strapped into a seat. I was forced to sit on my knees by the side wall of the plane. The entrance into the plane was opposite me. 

 

The women in seats along the sides of the plane there was a woman a few feet away from me and the 2 other women were opposite near the entrance. The cockpit to my right I heard the buzzing of the propellers. 

 

“I need to piss!” I yelled over the propeller noise. 

 

“Piss yourself!” Girl next to me yelled instantly. She had a Western Russian accent like the last group. For all I knew these were the same girls. 

 

“Fine,” I said, forcing myself to pee. It took a moment but piss began to trickle down my leg. 

 

“Jesus! Get a towel!” A girl yelled. 

 

“Leave it. He can stew in his own piss,” the last woman said. She must have been the leader. The girls that had been getting up sat back down in their seats. 

 

“So you’re the leader,” I said, facing the last voice. “I’m not sure how much you’re getting paid but I can get you $150,000 cash. Just turn around and take me home.”

 

The 2 girls closest me considered. But boss lady shot that down. “Nope. Shut up and enjoy the flight.”

 

“You see, I don’t think I can. My leg is cold now cus of the pee. I gotta shit too. You want me to stew in that too?” I asked. 

 

“Yes, yes I do,” she said. “You’ve been a pain in my ass for a few weeks now. But it’s almost over. Shut up. Sleep if you can. Either way you’re stuck here.”

 

I cursed internally. It had been a long shot but the leader was a professional. We shared in that regard. I finished picking the locks of the handcuffs, the noise outside the plane hiding the sound easily. My recent run in with handcuffs made me ensure I had a way to get out close to my hands just in case. I kept the cuffs on and pretended to still be restrained. 

 

“Can I at least sit down?” I asked, acting resigned. I slowly got up from my knees.  

 

There was a pause but the leader ordered, “help him.”

 

The girl near me got up and grabbed my shoulder and elbow to help ease me down to sit on my ass. My head fell into her chest and pushed my blindfold up so I could see. My head flinging it away she cursed and moved for the cloth. 

 

My eyes adjusting to the light I took in my surroundings instantly. Everything was about what I expected. I twisted the cuffs off and attached them to the woman’s wrist then to the bar of the back of a seat. 

 

No gun on her there was a knife. I grabbed it and moved out of her reach as the other 2 reacted. The lackey unholstered a gun but the leader yelled, “Don’t!” I guessed she had orders to keep me alive. Good for me, bad for them.  

 

The lackey hesitated, giving me enough time to rush and hit her in the temple with the butt of the large knife. She fell like a puppet whose strings were cut. 

 

I made a move for her gun but the leader was on me. Her palm smashing into the side of my head I twisted with the force and moved the blade to stab her. She stepped back then chopped my wrist. My hand numbed from the attack. I dropped the knife but closed the distance. 

 

My hands and fingers straight as if I was going to do a karate chop, my strong fingers went for her jugular. She blocked and made a move for my ear to box it. I moved back and we began a dance of hand to hand combat. 

 

Slap, punch, kick, thrust, elbow, knee, headbutt, we were always on the move. The smaller plane was a confined playground for us. The leader was experienced and deadly. If I didn’t block a few of the blows they could have incapacitated me for sure. 

 

I was more than a little impressed as we continued. Where my strength was mental experience, hers was mental and physical experience. There was a far cry difference to your mind knowing what to do and your mind and body knowing. In the end it came down to muscle memory and she had a lot more than me. 

 

Her elbow swept up and her other elbow cracked me across the chin forcing me to see double vision. Stumbling back she had a wide smile on her lips because she knew I’d lost. But I’d made a life in Minnesota. I wasn’t about to be whisked away to impregnate more women…if I was lucky. For all I knew I could be some sex slave of a powerful man. No, I couldn’t let it end like this so I fought even dirtier. 

 

My arm throwing a haymaker, she blocked it but didn’t see the real attack. My finger extended with my other hand I poked her in the eye with all I had. Her head rocked back confused and caught off guard by the eye poke. 

 

I used that moment to rush in and move behind her. Wrapping my arm around her throat I pulled her to me with a burst of strength. Grunting and groaning she scratched and elbowed me over and over. Desperation gave her intense strength, but I was more desperate. She went limp after over 2 minutes of choking her and I continued to choke her. 

 

I decided not to kill her though. Releasing her she dropped to the floor boneless. She’d start breathing on her own in a few seconds. 

 

Blood in my eye I stumbled to the knocked out woman with the gun. The girl I handcuffed was cursing and kicking at me but I ignored her. Getting the gun I went back and dragged the leader to be with her subordinates then notified the pilot there was a change of plan. 

 

—-

 

I walked up the drive of Audrey’s house around the Fed’s vehicles. Scratched up, dirty, tired, and exhausted I stumbled but made it to the front door. Opening it there were a dozen sets of eyes turning to focus on me. 

 

Then Luna was on me, crying and kissing me as I finally let myself relax. Wincing in pain I rested my arm on her shoulder to help stay erect. She stopped kissing me but was still all questions and worry. 

 

“What happened?” Reels asked. Concern in her voice it appeared all the field agents in the area were in Audrey’s living room.  

 

“I don’t know,” I said. “Just popular I guess.”

 

The room was a cacophony of questions after that. I yelled at everyone to shut up and explained very simply what I remembered. I made up a lot. I said I escaped before getting on the plane. I did tell them the plane’s ID and where the field we flew out of was. The field had been private, so after I got off the plane I had called a cab to get me back home. Expensive but worth it, I was sure the kidnappers were getting an ass chewing from their boss. 

 

The feds took me and I gave descriptions of the women. A sketch artist had their likenesses pretty close. Since I left them all alive they were out there, but I doubted they would get caught. I wasn’t too sure why I left them alive in all honesty. Professional courtesy maybe. Or something else. 

 

The world of mercenaries was smaller than most people imagined. Today’s enemy could be tomorrow’s friend and maybe I’d see them again in a more hospitable moment. Either way they failed again and it was dark by the time I got home. 

 

Audrey, Violet, Ava, and Willow were waiting for Luna and I. Since Luna had seen the women take me she had to be there to help describe what she saw. She was latched onto me most of the time as it was. The women of the house all sitting at the table, staring at us as we walked in, I knew my night had only just begun. 

 

“What happened?” Audrey asked. 

I looked around the kitchen for anything new that might hide a listening device. Checking out drawers Audrey asked, “Wh-” I stopped her by putting a finger over my lips. The girls slowly understood and I continued to check everything. Salt shakers, under the table and chairs, everything. 

When I was satisfied there were no listening devices I explained. “My dad tried to take me again.” 

“You said to the feds you didn’t know anything,” Luna said, annoyed at me as she chewed a nail. She was next to me, her hand on my thigh as I sat at the head of the table opposite Audrey. 

“I might have had more of a conversation with the kidnappers than I let on,” I said. I had stashed the gun before going with the feds, but the girls didn’t need to know about it. 

“Fucking hell,” Ava scoffed. “Can we go a few months without getting kidnapped?”

“Did you…get anything else out of the kidnappers?” Audrey asked. 

 

“Just that they were on a time crunch. They didn’t straight out say that my dad ordered this, but it has to be him,” I said. I eyed the women, letting out a long sigh. Tired and still beat up from my fight I really wanted to sleep, but I doubted I would. Too many thoughts going through my mind. 

“What will you do?” Willow asked. The smaller girl was next to me opposite Luna. As the only one pregnant with my kid at the table, she appeared pretty worried as well. 

 

“I’m changing my Spring Break plans,” I said.

“What?” Luna asked, very annoyed. 

“Sorry. I’m sick of this,” I said. “I’m done looking over my shoulder. I’m going to confront him. Let him know what it means to fuck with me.”

“How?” Violet asked. I ignored the question. 

“Can I help?” Luna asked, perking up. 

I smiled wide. “I don’t think so. Let me work on my plan. If I need help from any of you, I would appreciate it,” I said, but I knew I wouldn’t ask for it. 

 

“Whatever you need,” Audrey said. 

“I need to know who my dad is,” I admitted. “I let the mystery drag on long enough.”

Most of the girls shared a look, but all eventually turned to Audrey. Frowning, she got up from her seat. “Follow me,” she said and headed into the living room. Everyone did, walking in a long line she grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. 

 

She just so happened to stop on the channel that was showing my picture on the screen. I did a double take as my eyes widened. My 50 year old face, the one I remembered before dying in my timeline stared at me. As I studied the image more I noticed slight differences though. Different colored eyes, slightly darker hair, longer nose, it all added up to a different person. The image disappeared and a news anchor began to talk over a video of my older self talking. 

“Jacob Hodgins recently wrapped up the acquisition of Holliander and Mayfield. A New York based company run by various groups with ties to China. This will be the largest…” And she continued on, talking about the history of Jacob Hodgins and the new company. 

 

“Fucking hell, that’s an older you,” Luna said.

“Yep,” I said. “That’s what I get for focusing on pop culture and local news.” The national channel had focused on news about men or wars that could maybe happen. I’d watched the national news for a while but it had pissed me off since they never really talked about anything, just brought up the same old stuff over and over again. “I’m guessing my kidnapping was part of this acquisition.”

“It’s likely,” Audrey said, her hand on my knee as I focused on the TV. “What do you want to do?” 

I let out another tired sigh. “Think,” I admitted. “I need to think.”