She's gone, Myra thought. Blair's gone. She could sense it, but she couldn't say it; she tried to push it out of her mind. She looked down, thinking of her womb, thinking of her lost child, and saw her now completely flat chest. Something snapped inside her -- a sudden obsession took hold of her.
"She'd have to feed me energy already processed by her body into pure orgone. Like I was an infant. Or don't you remember the only way pure orgone can be given by a Supremis? I refuse to be breastfed at the age of nineteen! If you would just get my bathing suit and carry me out into the sunshine then I would eventually absorb enough to heal myself."
Ben felt uneasy. This isn't like her, her thought. Whatever happened in there may have affected her mind. But he didn't want to talk about that, and pretended to ignore it.
"Sure! After weeks or even months!" he said. "I can't just stand by and let you do that to yourself if I can prevent it."
"Well it's my body and my pain..." she broke off as Jason strode in looking completely healthy. She knew he had to have been hurt worse than she and could not imagine how he was well so soon.
Then when she saw Klara come in behind him she thought she knew. He'll probably decide he prefers Klara to me. She tried to sit up to greet him and her bruised muscles protested.
Jason winced at the pain he saw on her face and turned to ask Klara, "Can't you do anything for her?"
"Well if she’d let me I could. She needs more energy to complete her healing and can't get it in the usual way since she is too weak and too injured." Klara replied as Myra slowly eased back down into the bed.
Jason, not understanding what was involved, turned to Myra to ask but she answered his question before he could ask it.
"I refuse to suck on her boobs to heal," she shouted. "Or even my mom's. I'll heal eventually just from absorbing sunlight. Once I am healed enough I can go home and use my overpowered heat lamps to recharge. It may not be the Velorian way but it works if a bit slowly. It's a lot less strenuous than bathing in lava or whatever else Klara was thinking. It's slower but I don't care about that. I refuse to be treated like an infant."
Myra's face was a mask of some hidden pain..
"Or like a Supremis apparently." Klara replied, "Since that is what Supremis do for others of our kind who are badly injured."
"Well I guess you convinced Jason of that at least."
She turned painfully towards him. "Did it fulfill some infantile fantasy of yours? Did you have sex with her too afterwards? I would have thought you a bit too wary to do that with a strange blonde, especially after Aayla almost killed you but obviously I must have been mistaken..."
Jason interrupted her rant with, "I did neither. I healed myself through my own abilities once I was conscious again."
A series of emotions chased themselves across her face with hope being only the last one. "Is this true Klara? Did he heal himself with no help?"
"Yes. It looked supernatural. I know it's supposedly just energy manipulation but it looked like he was touched by the divine. All his wounds healed and he stood up." Klara looked impressed but Myra snorted in contempt, then winced at the pain.
"Divine huh? Well since our creator was a Galen and his powers come from the other side of the war I think you mean demonic. Oh you'll make a great couple, the goddess and the demon."
Jason interrupted what was starting to sound like a rant again. "So do you want to be healed or do you just like pain?"
"What?" Myra angrily turned to him, "And have you boys miss out? We should sell tickets!" She started speaking like a carnival barker, "Come one, come all! See the amazing flat-chested Myra! Watch as her oldest sister forces her into a 69! See Klara heal people with her amazing boobs!" She stopped briefly as her bruised muscles protested a particular gesture and they all tried to speak.
Ben: "You only did what you had to Myra..."
I just wish I knew what's bringing this on.
Jason: "You saved me and that was noble. I just wish..."
I wish I knew what’s behind this tantrum, but I guess you’re not ready to talk about what’s really bothering you yet.
Klara: "Oh, come on! It’s not like it's the end of the world..."
Stop being such a brat! I thought you were more mature than this.
Then they all stopped and only Klara continued. "You saved Jason from death and got injured. Think of it that way if you can't bear the thought of how. And if the mere thought of my breasts repels you than let Jason heal you."
"Yeah and what do I have to suck of his?" Myra retorted still angry, embarrassed, and in pain.
Jason had been preparing another healing spell while Klara talked. He had slowly eased more energy past that peculiar drag and now he said, "Nothing."
Then he reached out and grabbed her hand. Healing energy flowed from him and her wounds and bruises vanished, leaving her whole and well but still seriously depleted in energy. He let go of her hand and stepped back.
"I don't need anything in return. No sucking of anything required. I owed you at least that because you got those wounds saving my life. If there is anything else I can ever do for you just let me know. We Diaboli take our debts seriously."
"You saved mine earlier so I guess we're even. I'm sorry I'm taking my problems out on you guys. I should just go home." She started to sit up and Klara pushed her back down.
"You're still too weak to go off by yourself," Klara reproached her. "Especially if that trap in the house was specifically designed for you. I've alerted Paris and after we get you recharged we'll all go to the police station to see if we can find out what those kidnappers really wanted and where they got those weapons. I can't let you go off by yourself as weak as you are. So lean back and I'll recharge you."
Myra was no match for Klara's strength even when completely well so she lay back down, but still she complained.
"I don't want this," she said. And then, more in resignation than in acceptance: "Ben can you go to the apartment and get my bikini for me? If I let her recharge me inside I'm likely to burn something down and I can't go outside naked." Myra asked him.
Klara started to say something but Myra stopped her with a raised hand, "Please Ben? If I'm dressed at least a little I'll be able to go outside with confidence." Ben agreed and left. After he was too far away to hear Klara nodded.
"Ok, he's gone now. What's up? I know you and I know you just sent him on a needless errand to get him gone for awhile." Klara said puzzled. "Why? He has no reason not to see the recharging and it can be done in what's left of Aayla's Salle D'Armes. So what gives?"
Myra temporized.
"Well it's not a totally useless errand since I'll want to leave here wearing something but you are right. I wanted him gone because I'm going to ask Jason for a favor."
She looked faintly embarrassed and guilty.
"I was worried that Ben might get upset at that. You know, jealous."
Klara thought she understood. Knowing how Ben felt about Myra, his favorite, the mother of Todd. Thought she understood.
Myra turned to look at Jason who looked a little puzzled. "Will you recharge me Jason?"
"Of course..." Jason started when Klara interrupted.
"He can't recharge you alone. At least not all the way. I doubt he has enough energy storage to bring you up past a quarter of what you need. You'll need heat vision from one of us with more energy storage capacity. What does this have to do with Ben being jealous? I mean, sex is not the fastest way to recharge and Ben has no reason to be jealous of Jason even if it was. If he ever gives you static like that just tell me and I'll hit him so hard he won't wake up for days! Is that it? You want some time alone with Jason first?"
"Ben was born on Earth and Terrans can get jealous about the silliest things, still what I'm worried will bother him is not who I have sex with but who I care for. My feelings for Jason have grown into something much stronger than friendship despite the short time I've known him. I was hostile to him at first but his actions wore that away and I like his personality. I like him. I..."
She paused then continued seeming to say something other than she had planned.
"Did they tell you he may have saved my life? He cut down a man pointing a very odd gun at me while I was incapacitated by that damn gold paint. I don't know what it shot but the gunman sure seemed to think it would work."
"Yes." Klara replied. "I heard that disturbing story. We need to find out where those guys got there stuff and who hired them if anyone did. That's why Paris isn't here yet. She's checking with the police first. When she gets here we'll know more. I'd hoped to have you well and recharged by the time she gets here so we could all plan what to do next."
Jason broke into the conversation, "I am glad she is checking that. It could be vital information. We need to know if there was anybody behind those men. If there was then he, she, or they might try again." He turned to Myra,
"I've been considering how to recharge you and I think I can do it if we are outside. I'll concentrate the sunlight reaching you and channel it where it can be best absorbed. But you would need to be outside and probably topless if breasts are where Supremis best absorb energy."
"It is for us women. Men cannot absorb much so it hardly matters for them." Klara replied, "If we are going outside then the top of the hill this house is built into will be our best bet. Its bare rock, it's close, and nobody will see. Which means you," she said pointing to a frowning Myra, "can stop frowning at me like that."
"Why doesn't Aayla have a heat lamp or something?” Myra grumbled. “I have one at home but its too big to fit through the room door intact or I'd have asked Ben to bring that too."
"She doesn't have one for the same reason I don't. If I need emergency recharging then I call mentally and one of the others come and recharge me or if I can I fly out to Mt. Vulcan and bathe in the lava. Paris has her surfers to take of her and to call us if needed and she is out in the sun most of the time anyway."
Myra looked angry and was about to start ranting about her sisters and Ben and how she couldn't fly or transmit thoughts -- anything to take her mind off Blair -- when Jason interrupted.
"Well for the next month I'm supposed to be sticking close to her so I can alert you or her mom telepathically if necessary and I have an idea how I can recharge her by myself. It needs to be done outside but if she is willing to try I think it will work. No heat lamps or magic boobs required."
"Well I want to observe to make sure you do her no harm. You are still on probation for the rest of the month remember? Still I will be glad if you can talk her into getting rid of that ridiculous contraption. No local technology can generate enough power to recharge one of us in less than a week or more and that is too long to wait."
"It’s fast enough for me!" Myra stated forcefully.
"If there was an emergency you would be at a huge disadvantage. By the time you were recharged the emergency would be over!" Klara was getting loud herself.
Jason interrupted again, "Then it is fortunate there is an alternative. I have no problem with you watching Klara. I want to prove myself to you. Will you come outside with me Myra?" He held out a hand, "We can do it on the granite hilltop Klara mentioned or anywhere in direct sunlight."
Paris met them as they left the room. She asked what was going on and the two ladies dropped behind Jason, who was carrying the still weak Myra, and watched him warily from behind as they talked.
At the top of the hill Jason laid Myra down on a patch of sun-warmed granite. Then he told Paris his story with add-ins from Klara and Myra. After all the explanations Jason turned towards Myra to begin.
"I'm going to concentrate sunlight into you. It will be easier if I can touch you. May I?"
Myra stretched lazily on the sun-warmed rock, "You can touch me anywhere you want."
She smiled and it seemed sincere. Jason smiled back and kneeled next to her. He laid his palms flat across her nipples and closing his eyes concentrated. He frowned. He could feel the energy flowing into her but the drag he'd experienced ever since becoming enhanced was stronger now. Some of the energy really wanted to go somewhere else.
He would have to explore this soon to find out what was wrong but for now he forced his will upon it and it went where he directed it. He heard Klara gasp and opened his eyes. The area around the hill was dim and shadowy although the sun was high in the sky and unobstructed by any clouds.
He looked down and eye-wateringly bright light was leaking from the edges of his palms. He grinned at Paris and Klara and closing his eyes once more he struggled to pull in as much as possible. The flow of energy was becoming more unruly and as he molded it to his will he heard Myra gasp. He opened his eyes and looked into hers, "Are you alright?"
"Oh, yessss," was her breathy reply.
She was more than alright it seemed she was enjoying it! He felt her nipples harden under his palms and struggled for just a wee bit more energy to pour in. He succeeded and the process became even more pleasurable for Myra. She was moaning and panting and her sisters were staring and wondering what it could be feeling like.
Unfortunately her pleasure distracted Jason just a little. That little was enough that he was unable to fight the increased drag and the energy went where it wanted. It flowed through him and into her and connected them intimately on a level even few Diaboli experience.
He began to experience her every memory and she began to experience his.
Blair? Who was Blair? And then he knew, and she knew that he knew. But even the pain of that knowledge was soon lost of the flood of other memories -- lifetimes of memories. As the recharging continued, their senses were overwhelmed from the inside.
This must be the Ceremony of Ultimate Commitment, Jason realized but he could not have stopped it if he wanted to and he did not. He was learning everything about Myra and the more he learned the more he loved her.
He was only mildly surprised when The Knowledge, the data block passed to all Diaboli at puberty that contained all the data originally passed to them by the Elders and everything their scientists had learned up to year Jason had received it at age 13, passed into her as well.
Myra received all his abilities as well as all his knowledge as they became connected at a level deeper than even most telepaths could reach and her brain altered slightly to contain those few changes the Elders made all those years ago to the proto-Diaboli. Afterwards spent, dizzy, and confused they both passed out.