Divine Artifact in a Scientific World-Chapter 124: Isabella (6)

"The thing I did with Isabella, can I do that to the others even though the bond is already formed?"

"Perhaps, a little, but not nearly as much as you can accomplish while a soul bond is still forming. Once your soul strength increases, you will gain a better perception of and control over your soul bonds."

Part of him, the part that wasn’t hampered by modern societal values, saw immense value in what he had discovered. The rest of him decided it was best to wait and see what happened with Isabella before trying again to dominate someone during soul bonding.

He didn’t want to do that to people he cared about, and was reluctant to do it to people he considered allies.

Now he needed to deal with Isabella. The last thing he wanted was for her to come running to him in the middle of class, begging him to command her. In the physical world, they needed to remain strangers, only meeting when it was natural to do so via Vincent.

"Stand," he said in what he thought of as his command voice, where he spoke verbally and over their connection at the same time.

She jumped to her feet and looked at him expectantly.

"In the physical world, you will act as if I do not exist. And if your bother introduces me to you, you will not reveal any prior knowledge of me. You will not try to manufacture circumstances in an attempt to meet me. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master!" She nodded fervently. "I will do nothing to reveal my knowledge of you and behave appropriately if we ever actually meet."

"While here in my soul space, you will meet my other soul bonds. You will treat all knowledge you gain from them as secret. You will not use any of it for personal gain. If you meet one of my soul bonds in the physical world, you will act as if your prior knowledge of them does not exist."

She nodded fervently, "Yes, master!"

"Finally, Madison Kavanagh is one of mine. You will continue to act towards her as you have in the past. While in jail, you will not try to help her unless not doing so would look suspicious. If you learn about a plot to harm her, do not interfere. Inform me instead. Only interfere if not doing so would look suspicious. Do you understand?"

"Yes, master," she said. "Watch over her, but don’t behave towards her in a way that is inconsistent with how I would have acted prior to soul bonding with you."

"Good, you understand."

"Now," he said, in a normal voice, "Let’s get some clothes on you. I want you to help me interrogate Agent Jackson."

A few minutes later, Isabella was clothed and Jack had summoned a copy of Agent Jackson to interrogate. Like he did with Rose and Isabelle, he modified the copy so he could not harm Jack and would be unconsciously obedient. To start with, he had Isabella leave the room so he could see how Agent Jackson reacted without being influenced by Isabella’s presence.

As soon as Agent Jackson appeared, he reached into his jacket for his pistol. Then froze when he found it missing. Jack had deleted it as soon as Jackson’s copy appeared.

"You’re just a copy, Agent Jackson," said Jack. "Your original is completely ignorant of this conversation."

"Ah, fuck me!" exclaimed the agent. "I’m so screwed. Are...are you with the FSS? Some dark black-ops group?"

"No. Worse, an average citizen that now has powers from a divine artifact."

The agent’s eyes widened. "Um, what are you going to do with me? I mean, not just this copy," he waved a hand at himself, "but my...um...real? self?"

"That depends on the answers you give me. Have a seat."

Jack pointed at one of the wood chairs. Then sat across the table in the other. For a moment, he wished he had started with a bright spotlight shining in the agent’s eyes, old school spy movie style.

After the agent sat, Jack asked, "Was it you that trashed my house?"

"Yes."

Fucking knew it!

For a brief moment he thought about handing the agent a knife and command him to cut off his hand, but the memory of Isabella’s tendons squirming under her forearm skin squashed that idea.

"Why?!" he asked.

"Because I was certain you and that hacker bitch were dirty and I thought if I tore the place apart, I’d find something. But I just couldn’t stop thinking about how much of a lucky bastard you were. Six hundred million credits! You’re barely an adult and you’ve already surpassed the one percent! It just...it was too much, and I just switched to trashing you house. You can afford to replace all that junk, anyway. It’s like pocket change to you now."

This ignorant asshole! Mementos cannot be replaced!

"Do you love your mother?" he asked, almost growling.

"Yes?" the agent sounded puzzled.

"And how would you feel if she died, and all you had left to remember her by was destroyed? Her precious knickknacks, the picture and frame of her and her husband when they got married. Maybe a scrap book. All gone. Could you replace any of that? Is there any amount of money that can undo that kind of destruction? Can a home ever be un-desecrated?!"

By the end, Jack was nearly screaming.

"Oh," was all the agent said.

"’OH!’ Is that all you have to say for yourself?!"

"I...didn’t think about it like that. I maybe went a little overboard."

A little?!!!

Jack wanted to yell at the idiot, but realized it wouldn’t do any good. So he took a few deep, calming breaths, then moved on to the next question.

"Did anyone help you trash my house?" he growled.

"No, I did it all by myself. Took me all night. In fact, I’d left only a few minutes before you and your lawyer arrived."

"And agent Franks, did he know?"

"No, not at the time. I told him about it afterwards. He was not happy."

And now he knew. Only Agent Jackson was guilty.

As for Agent Franks, he’d also been annoying, but had seemed more level-headed. Just doing his job. Jack would still interrogate a copy, just to be sure.

Next on the agenda was Isabella’s family.

"What’s your involvement with Damien Macklin and the attempt on Isabella’s life?"

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