Dare: A M/M Sci-Fi Romance (Mindset Duet Book 1)

12. Chapter 12

Jason Stravetta returned to his suite following his confrontation? lesson? with the empath. He said nothing to Derek, allowing him to pace him as they made their way to the upper deck where he berthed, then dismissed his bodyguard for the rest of the evening.

The older man walked around his suite, too anxious, too overwhelmed, to sit down. Taking deep breaths, he quelled his incipient panic attack by looking at what had happened as coldly as he could, admitting that he was more afraid than angry.

Reviewing what he knew of Mindsets, he realized he knew little about what a Mindset One could do. Obviously, the empath could take custody of his body without hurting him, although the entire experience was a nightmare of losing control. He shuddered while taking his third transit of the room, then forced himself to sit on the couch.

He needed more information to know what level of threat Dare represented, not just to him, but the ship. Picking up his pad, he inputted ”mindset one” and waited for the results to load.

The amount of information available was disappointing. He knew Ones were kept cloistered apart from society, so that bit of information was a non-starter. Reading the paltry articles available in the ship”s library, he gleaned that a Mindset One could take over the mind of another—and could use them however they wished—although the words used did not include ”take over” or ”use”. Putting his pad down, he closed his eyes before taking more deep breaths to calm himself as much as he could, then replayed the events of his encounter with Dare Munro.

The empath had, surprisingly, invited him into his room, even knowing that he was a threat. The Mindset had been polite and non-threatening until Jason stood and went for him. He”d then effortlessly taken control of Jason”s physical body after grasping his hand, using that to gently put him back into his chair. There had been no pain other than the knowledge that he could not control his own actions, which was terrifying. The soft voice telling him what he was, unerringly knowing what Jason suffered, and then delivering a subtle threat, only added to his fear.

Jason fell back against the cushions of the couch. He had to be honest with himself. His hatred of empaths had nothing to do with them as a group. It was his own fear, his own hurt, of being found wanting, of not being good enough, that fueled that loathing. He hated himself and his need to be cared for by his family. Or someone, for Gods” sake. That was such a cliche. It made him want to cut out that part of himself that was weak and wanting, but that would solve nothing. Yes, he”d almost been scanned against his will by that crappy VA empath but reporting him had taken care of that problem.

No, he wasn”t afraid of empaths because of the hapless one at the VA. He knew genuine fear now. A Mindset One was capable of a nightmare”s worth of games played with live subjects. How much of a threat was Dare Munro, given the level of his gift transcended any Mindset?

Jason shook his head ruefully as he contemplated what could happen. Dare could kill them all with a thought or use them for whatever he wished.

The seemingly gentle empath was an unexploded ordnance, a danger no one could defuse.

Jason wished he could remake the day and had never gone to the empath”s quarters, never known what he actually was.

In the cold, dark of space, Jason Stravetta accepted he was afraid and helpless against this empath, knowing too that he needed his help for his own sake. Closing his eyes again, he had one thought.

Irony is a cruel fucker.

Stravetta ordered a light meal even though his appetite was nil. He knew going without food didn”t serve him, actually causing him to feel worse, so he”d eat, whether or not he wanted to. He tried reading while he ate, but work reports didn”t hold his interest, so he switched to a favorite author, almost losing himself in its prose.

The simple act of eating while reading calmed him. Shaking his head, he metaphorically smacked himself for assuming the worst. The empath had been on board for almost seven months. He”d behaved with perfect propriety as a professional. Jason looked for reports of any problems with his conduct otherwise and found none. He reasoned if the Mindset was going to ”take over”, he would have done so by now. Perhaps he worried for nothing, not that this would be the first time he”d done that. He smiled grimly into the otherwise empty room.

He would speak with the captain tomorrow to find out how much he knew about Dare Munro and discover if there were any fail-safes in place to control the Mindset. Jason shook his head. He did not know if it was possible to control one who could so easily infiltrate and control minds, but he supposed he would find that out. Until then, worrying got him nowhere.

Taking a calming breath, Stravetta resolutely put his concerns aside, his feet up on the ottoman, and attempted to lose himself in his book. He counted it a win when he finished and felt actually tired.

Retiring to his bed, he left a message for Lewis to make him an appointment with Captain Arends for the next day, preferably late morning or early afternoon. Sleep came finally, his dreams thankfully forgotten.

Rising earlier than needed, Jason readied himself for his day. A shower, shave, then breakfast before dressing in a formal suit. He wanted to look professional and ”boss-like” when seeing the captain. He suspected Arends saw him as ”dead weight” on this voyage. If that was the case, he needed to up his act to work beyond that perception. Being the owner”s son wasn”t enough to win Captain Arends cooperation.

Stravetta wanted answers about Munro. He was going to get them by asking the right questions and offering solutions if he could. Tugging his close-fitting suit jacket into place, he motioned to Lewis to follow him, then made his way to the captain”s office, arriving at exactly eleven am.

The captain”s assistant, Riis, stood respectfully when Jason came in, giving the company man a polite smile. ”Please have a seat, Mr. Stravetta. I will let the captain know you have arrived.”

Riis disappeared into the captain”s office, emerging a few minutes later. ”Please go in, sir. I”ll bring some refreshments in a few moments.”

Jason stood, signaling Lewis to remain with Riis. Giving the assistant a distant nod, he strode into the captain”s office as though he owned it, which, of course, he did.

Captain Arends composed his expression into one of pleasant attentiveness as Stravetta came in. Standing, Arends bowed his head, indicating that Jason should sit, then waited until he did so. Inwardly sighing, the captain sat down again, maintaining a look of openness as he gazed at his owner”s son.

”How can I help you, Mr. Stravetta? Your aide said that you urgently needed to speak to me.”

Jason stared at Arends’s bland expression, composed his own, then nodded. ”Captain, I went to Dare Munro”s berth last night to thank him for his blood donation and to find out why he did so. My experience is that no one does anything without a reason or wanting something in exchange.” Stravetta glanced up at Arends, noting he was slightly frowning, then sighed.

”Look, I”m going to be honest with you. He denied any reason other than it was the ”right thing to do,” then asked me to leave. I felt he was lying. That made me angry, so I stood up, intent on forcing him to tell me. He stopped me before I could touch him.” Jason felt the same fear envelope him again, then he took a much-needed breath, before folding his trembling hands in his lap.

”Let me be clear. He stopped me with his mind after he grasped my hand. It wasn”t painful. He didn”t physically hurt me, but it was more frightening than anything I encountered in the war. Munro told me what he is–a Mindset One–then told me to remember what he”d done, and that he could do worse if he wished it. I couldn”t move or speak until he ”let” me go.”

Stravetta pinned the captain with his eyes. ”I want to know if you knew what he was when he came on board, and if there are any precautions in place, if he uses his abilities on any of us. Mindset Ones are never allowed to leave Earth, so how is he here?”

Captain Arends stared back at him, then shook his head, leaning back in his chair. ”Mr. Stravetta, since we”re dealing in honesty, I”ll tell you I knew what he was when he came on board. I received a communication from the Office of Gifted Services, asking if Mr. Munro was on board, and if so, ordering me to return him at the end of the voyage. From that message alone, I knew he wasn”t a Mindset Three. He told me his true rating when I told him I denied he was onboard to the OGS. I do not agree with how Mindsets, or any Gifted, are treated on Earth. So, I lied with no remorse.” He leaned forward on his desk, hands casually folded together.

”Lest you think me an idiot for allowing a One on this ship, I looked into Dare”s background. He was…is a respected therapist with no violations noted against him of any kind. He lived in a subsidized room, took public transport everywhere, and subsisted in poverty while working in public health. He fled Earth because he didn”t want to be a research subject, incarcerated, and generally used. As for precautions, there are none to be taken. Outside of killing him by stealth, nothing can stop a Mindset One if they”re bent on doing evil.” Unexpectedly, the captain grinned.

”Dare is what he seems to be. A professional therapist with rigorous ethics and a strong conscience. He will not go berserk and take us over for whatever nefarious scheme you think he might have. I was going to say I trust him with my life, but I guess I already have.”

Stravetta shifted in his chair, his expression carefully blank. ”You”ve made this ship culpable with your lie. What about the crew talking about him? What if this gets back to Earth? Whether or not you want to admit it, he”s a danger to everyone on this ship.”

Captain Arends”s expression hardened. ”Mr. Stravetta, I understand your concern, but I feel it is baseless. The only reason Dare stopped you was to prevent you from harming him. You”ve admitted that. He would have never shown you his true self without that provocation. As for the crew, those that know him will never give him away, and those that don”t, won”t. He plans to go down to the planet with the colonists, to live his life out with them.”

Arends narrowed his eyes. ”Frankly, Mr. Stravetta, I am more concerned about your reputation for violence than I am of Dare”s gift. I would be very suspicious if anything untoward happened to Mr. Munro while he is under my command. I remind you that while we are on this ship, I am the law. The penalty for murder is being cycled out an airlock without protective gear.”

The captain leaned back, steepling his fingers. ”If you wish to report that he is here, that is your prerogative. We will be in the black for over three years. A lot can happen in that amount of time.”

Stravetta straightened in the chair, staring at the captain, who wore a slight smile. ”Are you threatening me, captain? Do you think I wouldn”t be missed?”

Arends shook his head slowly. ”I was merely pointing out the hazards of space travel, Mr. Stravetta. As for the other, answer that question yourself. Do you have anything else that requires my attention? I do have a meeting on the Engineering deck in a few moments.”

The captain was surprised to see Stravetta slump a little in his chair before rising stiffly to his feet. ”No, captain. I see my concerns are mine alone. Mr. Munro is fortunate to have you as a protector, for all that he doesn”t need one. I have no desire to harm him, as I know that would be suicidal. I”ll keep his presence here quiet as you have, for the time being. Good day, Captain Arends. I appreciate your input and your time today.”

Stravetta gave a brief bow of his head, turned, and left. Arends huffed out a breath just as Riis came into his office.

”Mr. Sorenson, I didn”t call for you.”

Riis ducked his head. ”No, sir. But I was…sir, is Dare alright?”

The captain met his assistant”s worried gaze. ”Mr. Munro is going to be just fine, Riis. Don”t worry.”

Riis relaxed, his shoulders lowering. ”Thank you, sir. Mr. Stravetta…”

”Will no longer be a problem, Mr. Sorenson. Hand me my pad. I”ve got to get to Engineering.”

Riis pulled it out of a spacious pocket. ”It”s been updated for today, captain. Do you have anything else you need me to do?”

Arends smiled. ”Yes, find Mr. Munro and let him know he doesn”t have to worry about Mr. Stravetta anymore, although I still recommend he stay away from him. Same goes for you, Mr. Sorenson.”

”Yes, sir. If he has questions?”

The captain shook his head, grinning. ”I”m pretty sure he”ll know why he”s getting that message, but if he needs to talk to me, make him an appointment. See you tomorrow, Mr. Sorenson.”

Riis smiled in return. ”Of course, sir. Have a great meeting.”

”With Engineering? Gods know I”ll try.”