Date: 14 Oct 99 02:20:40
From: rimshot@planetaccess.com
Subject: The truth about Caymen part 4

There has been more than one message suggesting that the incest in Caymen 3
was just "Nifty Fluff".  To this I respond that no, it was in fact,
sensationalism.  Some people are just never content to wait for a plot to
develop.

Hope this answers a few questions.  I haven't decided if I'll do another
chapter, although the story is very much alive at this point.  Let me know
what you think won't you?

Dan

Rimshot@planetaccess.com



The Truth about Caymen part 4


	Merit knew he was dreaming and struggled to wake up.  In the dream,
he walked through a long passage made of stone.  It was dark, and the walls
seeped nasty fluids that burned his nose.  He was completely naked, and his
feet stuck to the floor.  He had to find Caymen.  He had to.

	A slight shadow near a door had him racing down the corridor, and
for a second he thought he saw Baggy running ahead of him.  He turned
sharply into the open doorway and collided painfully against the wooden
jam.  The room beyond was totally black, and he glanced back the way he'd
come.

	A frightened mew came from the blackness, and Merit turned back to
it.  "Baggy?"  He whispered.  Nothing.  Cautiously he moved forward into
the room, his pulse racing.  All at once the door slammed shut and a light
bathed the center of the room in a reddish glow.

	Caymen and Darius stood before him in each other's arms, tenderly
kissing.  Merit's heart twisted, and tears stung his eyes.  Baggy rubbed
against Caymen's legs, then came towards Merit.  She mewed almost
frantically, and Merit tried to cover his eyes.  "Oh, God!  Please let me
wake up."  He whispered harshly.

	"Idiot," Dare snarled at him, "You are awake!"  With that he
produced a long bladed dagger and thrust it up and into Caymen.  Merit saw
the light in his love's eyes dim, and he screamed.......

	"No!"  Merit sat bolt upright, his chest hammering.  He was bathed
in sweat, and his bed sheets were tangled around his legs and body.  He
took in several ragged breaths, fighting to calm himself.  It was only a
dream for chris'sake.  And yet the images were vivid in his memory.
Crystal clear, he saw again the blade going into Caymen's stomach and the
sneer on Darius' face.  Even Baggy, the one thing on earth that Caymen
loved above all others, seeming to plead with Merit for help.

	He collapsed back on his pillows exhausted.  He wanted to call
Caymen, but the clock was barely past one in the morning.  With a sigh, he
pulled the covers loose and rolled over.  His body had calmed down, but his
mind was still going a thousand miles an hour.  Determined that it had only
been a nightmare, spawned from jealousy, he closed his eyes and moved his
legs to find a more comfortable position.

	Something was in the bed, and it was slick.  He turned on the lamp
and whipped the covers back.  He nearly always slept naked, and thought
that the covers were sticking to his sweaty limbs.  In the light there was
an oily substance on the sheets.  His heart began to pound again, and he
slowly sat up to look at his feet.  They were covered with a sticky brown
mess.  The room seemed to spin as he realized it was the same stuff as on
the floor of the passage.

	Caymen stretched and rolled onto his side.  Through slits for eyes
he observed that Dare and Baggy were both up already, and that it was
nearly eight.  He debated going back to sleep, but decided to stretch again
then rolled up and out of bed.  He was sticky, and he looked down at the
bed with a face puckered in faint disgust.  He pulled the sheets off and
threw them in the hamper, then made his way to the shower.

	Caymen's feelings were a jumbled mess.  He stood and let the hot
water pound on his back, trying to sort it all out.  The winning contender
in the emotions category was guilt, and he couldn't get Merit's face out of
his mind.  What was he going to tell him, and why the hell had he done what
he had with Dare?  Of all the stupid ways to fuck up two relationships,
that took the cake.

	Miraculously, he began to calm, and he moved his shoulders under
the spray, feeling them relax.  By the time he turned off the water, he
felt better, almost chipper.  Pulling on shorts and sandals, he went down
stairs.  He found Darius in the kitchen, and his empty stomach rolled at
the smell of breakfast cooking.

	"Good morning."  Dare said, setting a plate of ham and eggs on the
table in front of him.  "Deirdre has gone to the market.  She asked that
you straighten the garage today.  Something I gather you said you'd do?"

	"Yeah, I promised her I'd get it done before school starts next
week.  Thanks for breakfast, by the way."  Caymen attacked his plate and
took no prisoners, unaware that he routinely hated eggs.  "Did you sleep
well?"  He managed around a mouthful.

	"I did."  Dare sat at the other end of the table with a mug of
coffee.  His eyes were bright, almost electric, as he clasped his hands
together.  "How 'bout you?  Did you sleep well?"

	Caymen wiped his mouth on a napkin and swallowed some coffee.  "I
actually slept really hard last night.  I've been dreaming a lot lately,
and I don't remember anything last night."  He missed the expression of
pleasure that crossed Dare's features.

	They sat in silence as Caymen ate.  Caymen wanted to ask several
questions, but didn't quite know how to phrase what he was thinking.  Again
Merit's face entered his mind, and the guilt welled up.  Again, the calm
returned, and he was able to set his feelings aside.

	"I'll be glad to help you out in the garage, if you like."  Darius'
accent was pleasing, almost hypnotic.  "Then after that's done, maybe
you'll show my Ogden City and it's finest."

	"Sounds like a plan."  Caymen took his plate to the sink and rinsed
it, his thoughts about Merit now firmly squashed.  It could wait.  It was
never that serious anyway.  Or was it?  The calmness drifted through his
mind, lifting him like a breeze.

	Merit stood in front of his new locker trying to work the
combination.  During his fifth try, tears began to course down his cheeks,
and he slammed a fist into the metal door.  The noise reverberated through
the semi empty hallway, startling a couple of girls near the doors.

	He had tried all morning to open the link but nothing seemed to
work.  Now, after several hours of real and imagined hell, Merit was a
nervous wreck.  With one last bang on the door, he turned and stomped
towards the parking lot, nearly colliding with Rick Peabody, one of Merit's
one time favorite enemies and champion quarterback.

	"Watch it, fag."  Rick grumbled, shoving past Merit.

	Something snapped, and a torrent of rage erupted in Merit.  He
grabbed Rick's shoulder and spun him around, then grabbed his neck, shoving
him against the lockers.  Rick squawked, and Merit tightened his grip,
lifting the other nearly off the floor.  He leaned into Rick's face,
stopping with their noses nearly touching.

	"If you ever speak to me again without my permission, I will rip
your head off and shove it up your ass, GOT IT?"  He bellowed.  Rick's face
was beet red, and only a gurgle escaped his lips.  In disgust, Merit
dropped him to the floor and left.  On any normal day, they would've been
evenly matched.  Today, six Rick Peabodys would have been in danger of
dying.  He turned the nose of the truck towards Ogden and Caymen.

	Caymen's garage was not that dirty.  Actually, as with the rest of
the house, it was fairly organized and just needed a few things thrown out.
Caymen grunted as he set a large box of old canning jars in the middle of
the floor.  Several other items already rested there, and the jars teetered
as he set them down.

	Darius dropped his broom and grabbed the other corners of the box.
Caymen mumbled thanks, and the y adjusted it so that it wouldn't fall.  An
old bicycle tire and broken ironing board were the last items on the pile.

	"I think that's it."  Caymen said, wiping his chest and stomach
with his T-shirt.  "I never thought of me and Deirdre as pack rats."  As
soon as he said his grandmother's proper name, a funny feeling went through
his mind.  Not Grandmother, or Grandma, but Deirdre.  It didn't feel right
to call her that, so why had he?

	"Look at this."  Darius said, proudly producing two battered
broomsticks from the corner by the door.  "It's our knightly swords, right
where I put them the last time we used them."  He tossed one to Caymen,
then lifted the other up for inspection.  "Your father...OUR father spent
hours teaching us to fight with broad swords, remember?"

	Caymen smiled and nodded, hefting the familiar weight in his right
hand.  A memory of Darius and his dad in the backyard came to mind, and he
could see his father instructing on proper defensive form.  The were rooted
to his lessons for hours, hearing him and feeling him teach them to be
knights of the round table.

	So lost in the thought was Caymen that he had on a split second to
bring his sword up, blocking Dare's attack.  Without thinking, he spun and
cut, nearly clipping Dare's right leg.  The battle was on.  They moved into
the yard, each thrust countered, their arms and wooden weapons blurring
with speed.

	God, it was great, and Caymen through himself into the fight.  The
link with Dare opened, and he felt the other trying to anticipate his
moves.  "You trying to cheat!"  He shouted, then ducked low and scored on
Dare's bare abdomen.

	"First blood."  Dare smiled, then launched a vicious attack,
driving Caymen almost into the roses.  The tempo had changed, and Caymen
fought the idea that Dare might actually hurt him.  A dark cloud filled the
link, effectively blinding his mind, and he found himself more and more on
the defensive.  This caused a spark of anger in the normally even-tempered
boy.  Each blow from Dare fanned the flame.

	Caymen saw an opening and lunged, missing the arc entirely.
Darius' sword cracked against Caymen's left arm, and something snapped.
Teeth gritted, he started with an overhand chop and a series of cuts to
Dare's right side.  The other was getting winded, but the tight smile of
patronization never left his face.

	With a scream heard a block away, Caymen broke Dare's broomstick in
two, narrowly missing his face.  "YOU GODDAMN CHEAT!"  He roared, tossing
his stick aside and shoving Dare in the chest.  "You never did play fair!"

	Darius batted Caymen's hands away easily and threw him over his leg
to the ground.  "Calm down Cay.  It was a game."  He said quietly.  "Do you
feel that power though?"  He inhaled loudly and exhaled.  "The power of a
victory?"

	"Victory my ass!  I beat your ass, even with you cheating!"  Cay
struggled to get up and Dare straddled his chest, effectively pinning him.

	"Yes, Caymen, you did."  Dare leaned down, his eyes dark and wild
at the same time.  "How did it feel?"  His words were like oil, black and
slick, and Caymen could feel Dare in his mind, but not where he was or what
he was doing.

	"Let's up the stakes, shall we?"  Dare smiled, chilling Caymen.
"Let's fight on the field only you and I can play on, and the winner gets
the prize for keeps."

	"What are you talking about?"  Caymen snarled, finally managing to
push Dare off.  Grass stuck to his bare back, and he swiped at it
absentmindedly.  "What the hell's wrong with you, Dare?  Why are you acting
like this?"

	"You didn't answer my question.  How did it feel to beat me?"  He
advanced on Caymen, his eyes almost seeming to burn.  Caymen retreated,
tripping but not falling over the garden hose.  "I'll tell you how it felt,
Cay.  It felt marvelous, didn't it."

	"Yeah, it did.  Now answer my question."  Caymen sat down hard in
the grass, betrayed by a sprinkler.  He oofed as he hit, then suddenly had
Dare on top of him, those eyes boring into his.  He tried, but he couldn't
look away.

	"In fact, winning is everything, isn't it?"  Dare ran his hand
across Caymen's stomach and chest, stopping for a lazy loop around his
right nipple.  "I'm going to win, Caymen, and I want my dear little brother
by my side."  He lowered his head and kissed Caymen with an amazing
gentleness considering the last few minutes.

	Caymen turned his head, breaking the kiss.  "You sound like a bad
sci-fi movie, Dare.  What the hell are you talking about?"

	"I'm talking about the big prize, dear Caymen.  The only prize
worth having."  He nuzzled Caymen's ear, and the presence of Dare in his
head intensified, almost becoming painful.  "What other gifts do you have?"
Dare asked sensuously.  "Do you levitate, or maybe move objects with you
mind?"  His words were intimate and hypnotic, and Caymen fought against
them.  "Do you see the future, little brother, or implant suggestions into
other minds?"

	In his mind Caymen felt Darius sifting through private thoughts and
memories, searching for the answers to his questions.  Caymen threw up all
the defenses his grandmother had taught him, only to have them knocked
away.  "Get out of my head, Dare, or you're not going to like the future."

	"Still you refuse to answer my questions.  Their not difficult, my
love."

	Caymen winced in pain from Dare's blundering around in his head.  A
white blinding light flashed in his inner eye, and Dare was gone.  He
opened his eyes to see the other land on his back several feet away.
Caymen blinked and rubbed his temple, not remembering exactly when he threw
Darius off.

	"That's it.  That's what I need to know."  Dare stood up and moved
towards Caymen, brushing dirt off his arms.  "I knew you had it in you,
Cay.  It is genetic, I knew it."  Again Dare's mind entered his, this time
going straight for the memory of the last few moments.

	Caymen panicked and held up his hand, and again the flash in his
mind went off.  This time, however, he clearly saw Dare lifted off his feet
and flung backwards.  He landed sprawling, and Caymen jumped up and landed
on his chest.  The anger had begun to build again, and this time he jumped
into Dare's mind.

	"Why are you here, Dare, and why did you seduce me last night?!"
He slammed his way through Darius' defenses, using his own tactics against
him.  "I don't think uncle Marrin is on business, and I don't think you
stayed here because you missed me!"  He dug for the truth, and he could
hear words coming from Dare, but they made no sense.

	As he neared the memory he was after, he could see a paper through
Dare's eyes.  A legal form of some sort.  On it the name listed for Darius'
father was Marrin McCandles, not Andrew.  'YOU LIED TO ME!'  Caymen
thundered through Dare's consciousness.  'You are not my brother!'

	'Idiot!'  Dare bellowed back in the link, 'Look at the plan!'
Images of important people being influenced poured in.  Political figures
and leaders, businessmen, and educators.  Of money pouring into family
accounts through family owned companies.

	Mind control.  That's what this was about.  Getting Caymen to help
control minds to increase the family fortunes.  Dare tried to stop Caymen
from going further, but there was something important in the shadows.
Andrew was the eldest.  When he died it was Caymen, not Darius that became
the heir.  Marrin was only a custodial guardian until Caymen's eighteenth
birthday, three months away.

	The black mist from his dreams was suddenly baring down on him, and
he felt like he was suffocating.  Marrin McCandles appeared from nowhere
and kicked Caymen in the ribs, sending him sprawling on the grass.

	'You pathetic whelp.'  The blackness sneered, burning it's way into
Caymen.  "You didn't even know you had a pot to piss in!"  Marrin hissed,
drawing back for another kick.  "Andrew was a dreamer.  He didn't produce
so much as a coin of the realm.  I did the work!"  Again the foot caught
Caymen in the ribs.  He cried out in pain as he rolled away, trying to
cradle his side.

	"Darius offered you a way to help us, to be part of the future, and
you tossed it a way."  The blackness completely filled Cay's head now, and
his resistance was gone.  "It's time you learned that I don't require your
permission, boy, just your obedience!"

	Caymen's whole body exploded with pain as the mist traveled through
ever nerve and fiber of his being.  Even fear was not left to him as the
mist prepared to take its final form, controlling Caymen's every thought
and move.  The spark of soul that was Caymen was dwindling.

	'Get away from him!'  Merit's voice and thoughts erupted into all
three McCandles minds at once.  He bulldozed through the gate in the fence
and ran towards Caymen.  Darius jumped up and leaned to tackle him, but
Merit dodged and jumped, landing well past the other.

	Marrin frowned, and like flicking an insect, Merit flew against the
bricks of the house.  "Your simple trick isn't impressive.  Die."  The mist
descended on Merit's mind, and the pain shot through him.  He groaned and
collapsed, his eyes locked on Caymen's.

	Caymen climbed shakily to his knees, and the mist receded.  His
eyebrows descended over his brow, and his eyes cleared, focused, and lit up
with fire.  He could hear his father's voice, but not the words, and he
lifted his hand towards Marrin.  He caught his uncle's eye then squeezed
his fist tight.

	Marrin's eyes widened and his hand went to his chest.  Caymen rose
to his feet and moved forward, seeing in his mind the car accident that had
killed his parents and the hand that had orchestrated it.  Marrin sank to
his knees, his eyes locked on Caymen's.  "Ante up, uncle." He said quietly,
then opened his hand.  Marrin tumbled sideways onto the grass, his
breathing shallow and harsh.

	"Daddy's having a heart attach, Dare, what would you like?"  Caymen
turned on his cousin, his eyes smoldering.  "I do at least owe you for one
thing.  I know who I love."  The flash went off in his head, and Darius
crashed into the wall beside Merit, out for the count.

	"Cay, you need to calm down, babe."  Merit wheezed, pulling himself
up.  "If you lose yourself, you'll be just like they are."  He stumbled
forward and put his hands on Caymen's face, terrified of the fire eyes, but
unable to abandon him.  "Please, Cay, don't leave me alone."

	Caymen blinked his eyes and focused on Merit.  Tears started, and
wouldn't stop.  "They wanted to use me."  He whispered, laying his head on
Merit's shoulder.  "Oh, god, Merit, they wanted me to do awful things."  He
began to sob.

	"I know, Cay.  It's all right now."
	The following Friday Merit deposited his books in his locker and
made his way to the parking lot.  One thing he felt positive about, ever
since the episode with Rick Peabody, the respect issue was solved.  He
smiled and nodded at two members of the football team and got shaky waved
in return.  Yessir, it sure was gonna be a righteous year.

	One hour later, he stood in Caymen's room with his hands on his
hips.  "Get out of that bed, or I will throw you and that dusty flea bitten
tabby out the window!"

	"Quite right!"  Deidre McCandles intoned, giving Merit an
affectionate squeeze.  She patted his cheek and left, pulling the door
shut.

	"I'm not kidding, Caymen.  Get out of bed and shower so we can go
to the movies, or I will drag you kicking and screaming."  Merit smiled
then sent through the link 'I mean it, too.'

	Caymen smiled weakly and sat up, using his arm to support his ribs.
"Come here and help me, please?"  He held his hand up and let Merit pull
him to his feet.  He wore only the spandex wrap for his ribs and a new pair
or thong underwear that Merit had bought.  Lemon yellow this time.

	"You're standing up straighter this time."  Merit smiled, carefully
wrapping his arms around the other.  "I think you'll live."

	Caymen's eyes filled with tears.  "I'm so sorry, Merit.  I didn't
mean to hurt you."

	"We've been over this, Cay.  You were mindwashed or whatever.  I
don't hold you responsible."  He guided Caymen into the little bathroom and
got out a wash cloth.  "It hurt, yeah, but it's over. Let's forget it, OK?"
Caymen nodded and swiped at his cheeks with the back of his hand.  He
leaned forward and kissed Merit, feeling the golden glow of love fill up
the hollowness inside him.

	Merit dropped the wash cloth and concentrated on the kiss.  His
Caymen was a little beat up, but he would be fine.  He and Baggy would see
to that.  He leaned back as Caymen held out his hand and the wash cloth
jump up into it.  He shook his head and grinned.

	"You have got to teach me that."