"We can get into that later, Elena."

She sighed. "You're not good at answering questions, are you?" He had evaded every one that would have given her a hint about the Center's final agenda.

He caressed the side of her face. "It's easier my way, trust me."

There went those words again. Trust me. So far he had done nothing to earn her trust. Sure, he was something else to behold. And probably had the smarts of a scientist. But for all she knew, he might just be some young Derek-type nerd asked to manipulate her.

You don't believe that.

This time she glared. Stop it. You're probably a fat geek, and gay.

He laughed. And what's wrong with that? You created me to look like this.

She hadn't heard him laugh before. She liked the sound of it. Don't tempt me. I'll turn you into a hairy Big Foot and give you lice.

You won't enjoy lice on you when I kiss you.

Did he have a comeback for everything? Helen watched as he punched in the buttons to activate the biofeedback machine. All of this was virtual reality, but doing the same things that would happen in preparing for a real remote viewing session readied both their minds and added even more focus. Actually, she no longer needed to use a biofeedback machine when she worked by herself these days, but she was taking someone along this time, and since he'd been coordinating his brain waves with hers, their going "under" together added another layer to the "mind illusion." A brain wave synchronization within a brain wave synchronization. She was getting a headache trying to analyze what was happening. A headache within a headache. Ow.

His hand came behind her neck suddenly and jerked her forward. He planted a brief hard kiss on her lips, driving away all thought and analysis. Which was what he wanted, the jerk. She frowned. He had on that expression again. Cool, with that hint of something else, in his eyes. What was he thinking? Planning?

He didn't let her go, although it couldn't have been comfortable to be bending over her like that. His hand felt hot. Her head fell back as they stared at each other, and as the minutes went by, she heard their breathing becoming more even, the beta wavelength humming in the background.

"You have it on at your end, too, don't you?" she whispered. "You're in sync with me out there and in here."

"Yes."

She could feel their chests expanding as they took in their breaths. The hard imprint of his body. The soft air of his expelled breath. As she focused inward, she could hear...

Is it my imagination or can I hear both our heartbeats?

His hand gave a light squeeze. It's all in the mind. Believe it and you'll see it.

It's supposed to be the other way round. See it and you'll believe it. She was strangely excited and restless as she tried to figure out what was happening in this strange environment. For some reason, it was hard to concentrate.

He stepped closer, inserting his leg between hers, forcing her thighs open. Your mind's too busy analyzing what's happening.

With her head against his chest, his heartbeat thumped louder. A lot louder than normal, as if she heard him through a microphone in her head. Why was it she could hear his heart beating? His hand slid under the front waistband of her pants and inside her panties. Without preliminaries, he cupped her intimately.

Helen jerked. All thought flew out of her head at his sudden invasion. Shocking heat. And total internal focus. Strapped in the chair, her face hidden against his chest, her feet parted, he had total access. And he was taking advantage of that fact, ruthlessly stopping her questioning mind. Her breathing involuntarily grew heavier. He slid one finger inside her.

She pulled at the straps that were attached to her right hand. It was all in the head, anyway. She wasn't held down by him or anything. His finger glided upwards. Pleasure shot through her system. The sound waves from the machine mingled with her heartbeat. His heartbeat. His finger glided downwards. She forgot about fighting.

She should...kick...his...Her mind clouded as a slow heavy pleasure bloomed. His finger explored lazily, its slow movement shifting all her focus to her senses and the sensations he was causing. He pressed his body harder against her face, or maybe it was the other way round, she couldn't tell. It didn't matter; it just gave him better access to everything. Her body was his to control. Her eyes closed of their own volition. Sound waves and heartbeats mingled and merged, until she couldn't differentiate his from hers. She opened her mouth and tasted his bare flesh. She forgot about questions and analysis.

He knew exactly how she wanted him to move. It was as if he was reading her mind, giving her what she wanted, and then doing exactly...the...opposite. She strained against his touch. She locked on to the sound waves; she could hear the tones changing to theta wavelength. Within seconds, she would feel weightless-no arms, no legs-that floating sensation of bilocation. Hades' touch slowed, too, fragmenting her sense of self even more as her senses stretched outward while he brought her up and held her there. She couldn't think anymore. Almost...almost...

"Not yet, sweet Elena. Checkered flag," he whispered in her ear.

Her trigger code. Her mind was his, too. Bastard. She growled softly as her mind obeyed. She let go, tumbling into the ether like she'd never done before, her whole being singing with pleasure. She was so going to kick his ass.

Nine.

There were two kinds of remote viewing. The most basic was coordinated RV, one in which beginners were disciplined. There was a viewer chair and the target was given in coordinates, and the beginner would then draw his or her impressions in an ideogram. This beginning phase gave the monitor a chance to see how the remote viewer was improving; as he or she took more control of "seeing," the ideograms would change from basic cartoonish lines to detailed artwork.

During her training with the CIA, Helen had surprised her monitor at how quickly she had been able to view with remarkable detail. She had graduated into Phase Two at record speed.

Part of Phase Two was ERV, extended remote viewing. No viewer chair was needed. No ideograms were drawn afterwards. The viewer was encouraged to stay out in the ether longer. Helen preferred this. It was more free-form and with her in control behind the wheel, she could set a certain number of laps in order to time herself.

The use of the trigger helped the remote viewer to focus. They could be a camera or a computer, or whatever they desired, as long as they were very good with their choice. For Helen, cameras were too slow and wouldn't work well in certain areas. She wasn't that great with a computer. She hated VCRs, could never record right.

A race car was perfect. She could choose her speed, lap as fast as she wanted, or slow down to quietly take in the scenery. And she was very familiar with a car. Hell-On-Wheels, her fellow operatives fondly called her now and then.

All beginning remote viewers needed guidance. It was a safety rope, in case they got lost out in the ether. With T. watching, Hell had allowed a trigger code to be embedded in her subconscious as a way for the monitor to interrupt a session or to call off a target search.

She'd remove it soon, she vowed, as she opened her eyes and looked around the cockpit of her race car. She looked out of the windshield and a checkered flag waved at her mockingly.

How dare he? She wanted a fight and there was no one around to hit. She was so pissed off she could spit nails.

Are you ready for the coordinates?

"I don't need any stinking coordinates," she yelled.

She had remote viewed enough times to be able to get to the target by just focusing on the envelope. The coordinates were meaningless anyway; it could be empty for all remote viewers cared. It was the universal agreement of the target point that the envelope represented. But she was too pissed off to explain that detail to her monitor right now. Damn him, damn him. She was still aching for his touch.

Later.

"Fuck you," she told him off.

Later.

"Don't ever do that again," she said fiercely.

You weren't focusing on getting us into sync. I was just getting your attention back on the job.

"Getting my attention back..." Helen growled in frustration. "There's the issue of privacy here. I didn't agree to any sexual harassment in my contract."

Correction. In the physical realm.

Helen gripped the steering wheel. "Don't play words with me. You know what I mean, Hades! I won't let you do this to me."

Do what?

She bit down on her lower lip. What could she say that wouldn't put her at a disadvantage? Don't turn her on again. Don't make me feel this sexually excited again. A thought occurred.

"Tell me your hand isn't still in my pants," she said.

Not physically.

She had a nasty suspicion that he was truly enjoying his control of her mind and body. "Hades," she warned, "if you don't stop this right now, I'm going to cut off and return back to VR and then I'm going to find you and kick your little avatar ass."

Not while we're in VR, Elena. You can come back but you'll be back with Kirkland and T. because that's where your physical body is. You can only come back to me if I let you.

There was a ruthless edge to his voice that she'd never heard before. Helen sat up straighter, frowning as she tried to understand him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Think about it. A remote viewer just returns to her physical body. Look at the VR sessions as extended remote viewing, only synchronized. I control you here-your body, your mind. You're my virtual Elena. And you need to trust me.

"Trusting has nothing to do with what you just did!"

I'll work on it. Next time I'll have you in a more comfortable position.

"What!" He was mocking her! Helen couldn't remember a recent time when she felt this frustrated and aggravated by a male answer. She considered the satisfaction of taking time to pound the dashboard in front of her to bits. She was practically rendered speechless. A wave of pleasure almost shot her out of her seat. His hand was still..."Hades!"

I need you to focus on the envelope now, Elena. Take that spin to our target.

"If I do it, will you take your hand away?" she demanded fiercely, still shaking inside.

It seems to be the only way to keep both our minds connected while you're out there. The more you're aware of me, the more I'm aware of what you're seeing, believe it or not. If my hand is making you conscious of me all the time, good.

By not mentally preparing her for the sensual assault, he'd attached himself to her psyche, so that she remained aware of him, even in her phantom body. One couldn't just get that close to achieving orgasm without an overwhelming sense of need for more. And the yearning for more of Hades' touch acted as a mental link. He was totally evil.

He had planned this all along. That was why he'd kept emphasizing trust being the issue. His use of NOPAIN was admirable, if she was in any mood to admire. He had tied her in so many knots, there wasn't any room to maneuver. She would not admit that the thought of the location of his hand was bothering her. It wasn't real anyway. It was all VR.

Exactly. Now for this time, let me read the coordinates, so I can go with you without...umm...giving you fits. Or would you prefer I...

Of course even that trailed-off suggestion was meant to zoom in her focus on him and his hand again, enforcing that mental link.

But you're so wet already.

His murmur was like potent wine in her mind. "Read the damn coordinates," Helen spat out.

She turned the key in the ignition. She would not think about his hand. She stared out at the checkered flag as she listened to his voice. She would get there and get the job done. She would not think about that hand.

I'm losing your thoughts. Come back to me.

Hades' soft command broke through Helen's concentration. She had been focusing on the tiny screen, trying to get closer to figure out what the electronic key was for. She had been too far away to see what was being typed. Dammit. There must be a way.

Not yet. Just a few...minutes...

Elena, come back to me.

It occurred to her that she hadn't thought about Hades' hand ever since she figured out the electronic key was the target. She'd felt danger and had sidled closer. There was danger in that room. Dangerous people. And that key was dangerous, too.

With her switching her focus and acting on a whim instead of describing to her monitor, she'd managed to block Hades. Somewhat, she amended. After all, just the sound of his voice immediately brought back the awareness of him. All he needed was the power of suggestion, the bastard.

"I was checking on what they're doing with the key," she said.

No need. I've a feeling we'll know about that when we come out of VR. The task was to verify the target and give a specific location.

She had perused the place for a clue to the target's coordinates. Finding location was very, very tough in remote viewing. If she were to look for a trailer park, there were thousands of them in the United States. Here, the clues had been the computer and the transactions those people were making. They were in German, with the Frankfurt address right on the top of the screen.

"Let me reverify the location to make sure," she said. "I don't want to rely on a computer screen."

Agreed. But you must work in tandem with me. I'm seeing the same things you are, sometimes disjointedly because I'm not actually sure which way you're turning. I have no control over this, since you're in charge.

"Hey, this is the first time I like the idea of you in my mind," Helen said. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around your being able to see through my eyes, period. I mean, you aren't a remote viewer, so you can't be here here."

Exactly. Brain sync. I'm your VR here and you're my VR there. That's why I need you to tell me where you're turning. Remember that it's your point of view I'm looking from. The snatches of thought are a plus that no one had considered possible, though.

His explanation was, as usual, uniquely simple.

"Tell me more about the snatches of thought," she asked, curious.

Let's verify location now.

He also had a bad habit of changing the subject when she started to ask too many questions.

She looked around her once again. "I'll go through the door and quickly check out the layout of this building to see where we are. Then I'll go move upwards and confirm that we're near or in Frankfurt."

No need, on the second part. I've been inside this building before. I need you to confirm a few specific things. Find the main floor. There are two bronze horses in the main area, their front legs in the air. There's a plaque on the pedestal which should say Deutsche International.

"Okay, that makes things easier."

She looked at the people in the room one last time then went through the door. There was a long passageway, with only three doors, and then an elevator that had no buttons on the outside. There was a slot for an electronic pass.

"Going through," she told Hades.

Her phantom body easily passed through the door. The elevator stall was still there, waiting for occupants to enter.

"There's only one button." She closed her eyes, ran her hand over it. "This whole place feels very protected-I mean, very monitored. There are many people in this building, all above us. It feels strange, as if most of them don't know of this place we're in. Yet, those who know, I feel danger, that they have a different agenda from those who don't. I also feel nothing below us."

Her eyes flew open. "Hades," she continued, "we're underground."

I'm experiencing some of your feelings. Are you sure about the location?

"Remote viewing is all about the senses. I've to learn to trust what mine tell me. We're deep below the earth. By expanding my consciousness outwards, I can smell it. Can you where you are?"

Only when you give me the feedback, Elena. I'm not the one remote viewing.