Back aboard the carrier; Reece, Angel, and a handful of mechanics were going over a their newly acquired Sand-Skimmers. They had just acquired a dozen of them in part of the trade deal they had made with the Madagascans. In addition, the carrier was several thousand people lighter. Most of the community were noncombatants and had chosen to stay in Madagascar for the time being.

The carrier had been overcrowded and the Madagascans were more than happy to add numerous farmers, horticulturalists, scientists, engineers, mechanics, industrious laborers, and other assorted folks with skills and knowledge to help make their community thrive. During the early days of the undead infestation, the Order had sunk many vessels from various nations. Re-armed with stockpiles of munitions and missiles salvaged by the Adaro, the mood had lightened for the crew and remaining passengers.

Taela had become an almost permanent attachment to Reece. To her credit, the Adaro girl proved her worth by becoming the carrier’s spokesperson when dealing with her shy and untrusting people. Through her stories about the Adaro’s history, Reece learned that the people were much more friendly and outgoing in the past.

However, numerous run-ins with unscrupulous drylanders had soured the relationship to the point where the Adaro shunned anyone that was not of the sea. This had happened centuries ago, and the knowledge of the Adaro had faded into stories to frighten children and then finally into myth and legend. It was only out of self-preservation that they sought out new alliances with the drylanders, as hordes of drylander zombies, and then undead Adaro began terrorizing their homes in the deep.

To make matters worse for the Adaro, when one of their kind was killed by the zombies, they wouldn’t turn into zombies. Instead, they became aquatic ghouls; what Taela referred to as lacedons. These lacedons would not simply trudge across the seafloor like drylander zombies but could swim as well as any living Adaro. Because of this and the fact that the lacedons were much faster overall than even the fresh drylander zombies, they were much deadlier to the sea folk.

That’s when the Adaro decided to form an alliance with the remains of the living drylanders and why they first contacted those on the island of Madagascar. The alliance quickly became strategically advantageous, as well as materially lucrative for both sides. The Madagascans gave them safe harbor and much-needed muscle, while the Adaro provided early warning detection and sunken treasures. This treasure didn’t come in the form of gold or jewels, however.

The Adaro had been instrumental in procuring armaments and sunken ammunition for the Madagascans, and they had a stockpile available for the carrier and two remaining battleships. They even assisted Captain Schwarzenegger in locating, repairing, and re-floating several ships as part of the deal.

This worked in the Adaro people’s favor as well. The battleships were great at tugging sunken ships and subs out of their homes. When the plague had first begun, many sought refuge from the zombies on ships, carriers, and subs. The Order had foreseen this and had managed to sabotage many of the vessels with plagues and explosives, sinking them to the ocean floor. Some had landed right in the middle of the Adaro’s cities, their first warning that something was very wrong on the surface. It wasn’t long before zombies came pouring out of the sunken vessels, laying waste to the more curious Adaro.

Now, the battlegroup was growing its fleet as well as clearing a couple of the Adaro cities of derelict wrecks. Some of what the survivors had lost in the past was being reclaimed in the present. Reece hoped that what as recovered would turn the tide in their favor and help them secure a workable future for everyone left alive.

All aboard the carrier were busy, either working on the Sand-Skimmers like Reece and Angel or checking and cleaning the new munitions that had sat at the bottom of the sea for several years. Some of the ammo crates had been breached and the contents were useless, but most were watertight and good as new. With the help of the Adaro and a couple of experienced underwater welders, they added three amphibious assault ships to their battlegroup. These would help support ground forces in the event of a land battle. The work and relocations were expected to take nearly six weeks to complete, but all parties would make out well from the deal.

Reece had decided to split his time between repairing their new acquisitions and practicing his newfound ability. He took Karina and Aika with him to a remote area a few clicks south of Antananarivo. There, they planned on testing out Reece’s ability and would see if he could improve with practice and training. Karina found a large rock to perch on as she watched her two companions.

“Okay,” said the analytical lilitu. “Let’s have you face each other. I jump in and stop things if this goes awry. Now, Aika, clear your head. Reece. Do your thing. We need to get a solid baseline. Make her do anything naughty, and I’ll kick your ass.”

Reece nodded before giving her a double-take at the last crude comment. Shaking his head, he stared at Aika, looking her deep in the eye. Breathing deeply as Thato had long ago instructed, Reece reached out with his mind to find hers. Unlike the brain-dead zombies, her mind was bright and powerful. Reece instinctually knew that it was a power that came from her intelligence and experiences, not the fact that she was now a vampire. Taking things slowly, he decided to try and communicate with her first, much as he had done with the Kraken. He carefully latched on to her mind, creating a connection between them. It just seemed natural. Then he sent his thoughts to her.

“Aika, can you hear me?” he asked through the connection. “I’m speaking to you in your mind.”

“Hmmm, mmm... yes, I can hear you,” she responded, a slight stammer from the newness of the experience infecting her response. “Wow, this is so weird but good. This could come in handy.”

“You’re right. It had crossed my mind as well,” responded Reece. “Now, I’m going to attempt to take control of you. I want you to fight back, okay?”

“Sure,” she responded. “Bring it on.”

Reece took the established connection and strengthened his mind, forcing a command through the link. It was a simple command; to ‘dance’. What happened next surprised them both. Reece and Aika appeared on a flat, nondescript battlespace. Another instinctual realization told Reece that they had to battle each other for dominance. The winner would then be able to control the loser’s mind. After a moment, several thoughts flowed through Reece’s mind in a single moment. Most were assumptions, but he didn’t have time to test out his theory. He simply had to prove it.

He imagined a sword appearing in his hands, his trusty hand-crafted scimitar-like blade. Aika just cocked her head and glared at him through narrowed eyes as he rushed her. She tried to spring out of the way, but her normally quick reflexes and incredible speed were absent in the battlespace. This was a battle of wills and not of the body. Unfortunately for her, Reece got the jump on her and landed a slicing blow down her entire front. The moment he finished the slash, Aika winked out of the battlespace as it collapsed in on itself.

Reece was back in his body staring into Aika’s eyes, only this time, she wasn’t staring back at him. Instead, she was dancing, her enhanced dexterity giving her dance a sensual feel. He could still feel the link and sent another command, ‘strip’. He reasoned that he had to get her to do something embarrassing to prove his dominance, and besides…she had a beautiful body. While she continued to dance, she began unbuttoning her shirt. When she finally removed it, swung it around in the air, and tossed it off to the side, Karina figured out what she was doing. Smiling wickedly, Karina jumped off the rock and planted her spear in the ground next to Aika. Not missing a beat, the mind-controlled Aika began dancing around the pole as she worked off her undershirt, freeing her ample breasts.

Karina walked over to stand next to Reece, watching Aika the entire time. Standing next to him, she continued to watch Aika as she slid herself up and down the pole, almost riding it like a lover. It made for a wonderful prop and she used it to twirl around. Bending over to give the pair a lewd view of her ass, she lowered her jeans, peeling the skin-tight denim from her flesh one centimeter at a time. She knew what she was doing, making Reece wonder how she paid her way through software school before she became an astronaut. Karina folded her arms and leaned away from Reece, putting all her weight on one leg while staring intently at the spectacle.

“You told her to strip,” she stated dryly.

“Yep,” answered Reece curtly, his eyes never wavering from the erotic sight in front of him.

“You’re not telling her to stop,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Nope,” replied Reece, just as curtly.

“You’re having her do this just to make sure she isn’t faking,” she stated, making a face that showed she didn’t believe it for a second.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, this time interrupting his concentration. “Hey, I thought you were going to stop us if things went too far.”

“Oh, I did,” she said, smiling wickedly. “I’m still waiting.”

“You’re incorrigible,” he said, laughing as he glanced back to Aika.

Despite him no longer channeling his control, the exotic beauty continued to dance around the pole. She still had a pair of slinky panties on but was otherwise naked. Reece and Karina regarded each other, both puzzled.

“You need to fix her,” commanded Karina matter-of-factly.

Reece merely nodded sheepishly as he returned his gaze to Aika and re-established the connection. This time, he withdrew it consciously, finally breaking his hold over her. Aika finally stopped dancing and began collecting her discarded clothing.

“Nice,” she said, neither cold nor friendly as she put her undershirt back on. “Just wait until I win one.”

That sent a chill down Reece’s spine, from excitement or fear, he couldn’t tell. Aika finished dressing as she sauntered back up to him. She had a determined look on her face this time.

“Again,” she demanded.

Reece obliged while Karina sprung back up to her perch on the large rock. She left her spear where she had planted it. Aika and Reece squared off again, and Reece reached out, quicker this time. The battlespace opened before them. While Reece materialized his sword, Aika had thought up a pair of pistols and unloaded two clips into his body. A moment after the battlespace appeared, he was back in his body. Fear gripped him until he realized he was still in control of himself.

“Bullshit!” exclaimed Aika. “That’s not fair. I won. Why can’t I control him?”

“Maybe it’s more difficult since he’s the one initiating contact or because it’s his ability. Let me try,” replied Karina.

“Be my guest,” answered Aika as she stomped off the field, staring daggers into Reece.

“Okay lover,” said Karina, smiling innocently. “Try me on for size.”

Reece nodded, then reached out with his mind and found hers. It was significantly more powerful than Aika’s, though not nearly as powerful as the Kraken's mind. He swallowed hard, letting his mind form the connection before beginning the attack. By the time the battlespace had fully formed, Karina had sprinted across the flat ground, willed a spear to appear, and decapitated him. She dropped her spear to catch his tumbling head in her hands. He couldn’t feel his body while her eyes bore into his. Then all went black. Slowly, like finding his way through a dense fog, Reece began to regain his senses, but he was no longer in control of his body.

He could feel cool air over his naked flesh. He could also feel warm flesh pressed against his own. Altogether, his senses came rushing back in and he found himself performing some rather lewd services for the two women. Of course, he was doing all the work while they were simply enjoying themselves. Karina was making sure she gave Aika her payback while getting a little herself.

Aika was under him, and Karina was facing away from him as she straddled Aika. Aika was licking between moans, while Reece found himself doing the same. They were both enjoying themselves immensely and their sighs betrayed the pleasures they were receiving. He could feel himself getting a bit sore from the physical exertion but couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t even wiggle a finger. Incredibly, he couldn’t release either. After a while, the pleasure started to turn to pain.

Karina finally released him, and he went off like a rock out of a slingshot, the band being stretched back almost too far. Equal parts relief and ecstasy flowed through Reece’s body. He heard Aika squeal in surprise from beneath him. The three slowly extricated themselves from each other and Reece couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Soon, all three were laughing as they sought out their clothes.

“Payback’s a bitch,” said Karina as she gave Aika a high-five, both ladies smiling mischievously at Reece.

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Reece responded wistfully, before smiling playfully in return.

“Yeah,” added Aika. “He didn’t really seem like he was suffering.”

“Oh, it got a little rough near the end,” replied Reece.

“Alright,” cut in Karina, a half-smile playing across her lips. “It’s time to get back to work.”

Aika and Reece both nodded. Reece knew they had a lot more work to do before he could even pretend that he had mastery over this newfound ability. Reece entwined his fingers together as he turned his palms outward, cracking his knuckles in preparation for the coming battle of wills. Aika merely cocked her head to the side and cracked her neck, smiling wickedly at Reece.

They each nodded their readiness to the other, and Reece started the connection. A second later and they were on the battlespace. A second after that and they were both dodging bullets from the other. Aika had a pair of handguns while Reece opted for a quad-barreled assault shotgun, attempting to make up for his aim. Another second and they were both hit and returned to their bodies.

“Well,” said Reece. “We’ve got the offense down.”

“Yeah,” agreed Aika. “Now we need to figure out how to defend ourselves.”

“Right,” replied Reece. “Ready to try again?”

Aika nodded and Reece established a new connection. This time he imagined a wall of stone in front of him, one with a hole to shoot through. Four seconds later, the wall had taken several blasts from Aika’s shotgun while taking several hits from the pistol that Reece had shoved through the hole. The battle was over, and Reece had won. He made Aika do a quick twirl before releasing her.

They kept at it for the rest of the day. Aika soon learned how to create her own shields and such, but Reece had the sole ability to alter the battlespace as it was being created. They fought in forests, hallways, towns, deserts, mazes, and everything else that Reece could think of… or Aika or Karina suggested. It turned out that Aika and Reece were evenly matched.

They continually went back and forth in their victories, but Reece was the only one who could gain control over the other. That began to frustrate Aika even though Reece would release her almost immediately after gaining control. They also determined that he could get her to do something, and she would continue to follow the command even after Reece had started a battle of wills with Karina. Of course, if Karina won, it broke the control over Aika too.

Reece was able to improve his defensive skillset with Karina, but he never had a chance at beating her. She was just too strong. Three thousand years of life experience was extremely difficult to overcome. For her part, Karina usually let him go right away. However, after the fiftieth loss, Reece began to get frustrated.

“How about you let me win just once?” he suggested.

“How about I shove my spear where the sun doesn’t shine?” she retorted.

“I’ll take that as a no,” he replied dryly.

“You think?” asked Karina rhetorically, clearly irritated by his question.

“I think we should call it for the day,” cut in Aika, trying to defuse the situation.

“Thank the gods,” sighed Reece. “I’m starting to get a little woozy.”

“Fine, whatever,” spat Karina, still bugged by something.

“I’m sorry I suggested letting me win,” said Reece, attempting to mollify the angry lilitu. “I’m just frustrated. That’s all.”

Karina’s face softened and she spoke in even tones. “Apology accepted. Just don’t ask me that again or we’re going to have problems.”

“Understood,” answered Reece summarily, sure he had stepped into forbidden territory with the girl. It seemed clear to him that something bad had happened in her past. With her long life, it may have been several bad things.

They headed back in a dour mood, but by the time they reached the rebel’s headquarters, the mood had lightened significantly. Aika and Karina were both joking with each other at Reece’s expense while he took his punishment and let it slide off his back. Feeling a bit sorry for him, they grabbed him in a group hug. He desperately hoped neither one of them would crush his ribs as they squeezed him tightly. When they finally released him, he had to take a deep breath to refill his lungs with air. That just made the ladies giggle playfully.

The next few weeks went by much the same as the first. Reece worked on the carrier during the mornings, then went out to the clearing to practice his ability. At first, it was just Aika, but soon he was able to try his mind against Bjorn, Naeva, Aspen, Angel, and a few others. By that time, Karina was the only one who could beat him, and she beat him handily every time. He had a couple of lucky breaks that had him last longer than a few seconds but never came close to winning a match of wills against the long-lived lilitu.

After one of the longer battles with Karina, Reece was on his knees. He was covered with a sheen of sweat and breathing hard at the exertion she had put him through. He gazed up at her and smiled through his discomfort, a newfound respect for the unassuming girl.

“I should call you the iron maiden,” he quipped. “You have a mind like an inescapable prison, deadly to the prisoner trapped in you.”

“I had that nickname once,” she replied pensively. “But for entirely different reasons. I hated it back then, but I kinda like it now.”

“Good,” said Reece, smiling at her. “That makes me kinda happy.”

That night, the dream came again. It had been weeks and Reece had almost mercifully forgotten about them. Unfortunately for him, this one came on like a freight train, refusing to be denied.

Again, it was the wind-swept landscape. The red pyramid stood above everything. A massive black cat crossed his path and stopped to look at him, its eyes emitting a golden glow. It sniffed twice and wiggled its whiskers before lazily licking its paw and brushing the moistened appendage over the top of its black-haired head. So suddenly that it made him flinch, the cat stared directly at him, its eyes blazing brightly. Forced to blink away tears from the blinding light, Reece opened his eyes to see a humanoid woman standing before him. She had cat ears atop her head, obsidian skin, and her irises burned with the almost familiar gold. She didn’t look pleased.

“Bring yourself and the twins to the red pyramid before it’s too late,” the woman demanded. “There isn’t much time left. Fail and the world falls. Now go!”