Chapter 52: Cockblock
Right when Charon was pushing into me slowly, the intercom buzzed. It wasn't just this one. It was all of the intercoms.
"You two better not being doing what I think you are doing," Dad grumbled into the speaker. "There is a job that needs to be done and I would much rather you find something more productive to humanity instead of jamming yourself into my teenage daughter, Charon. As for Eleanor, don't do anything that your mother and I did in this basement. That led to you." The words bounced off the walls in echoed through the basement.
Charon stood completely still inside me with an irritated look as Dad talked. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing hysterically. I bit my cheek and shook my head with a smile at Charon.
"I can't get anymore pregnant, Daddy!"
Charon slapped a hand over my mouth, shocked and trying not to laugh. "You are going to get me fucking killed, Elle."
The room was silent for a few seconds before the intercom buzzed back on. "Please, for the love of god, just backup the mainframe and come back. Charon," Dad sighed. "If you two are going to... do things... just be mindful of her."
My eyes widened in horror. "Dad, stop talking! We'll do what you want, just please stop talking!"
Charon suppressed a giggle and started pull himself out of me. "Not a problem, sir."
I swatted his arm before pulling my pants up and tugging my leather jacket on. "I can't believe that just happened."
Charon shrugged as he stuffed himself back into his pants. "He knows what's up."
He picked up his armor and strapped it back on before following me out to the upper level of the basement. I knocked over small objects on my way out of poor impulse control and Charon sighed, picking up everything and placing them back in their spots.
"Must you make everything difficult for me?" He asked as he pressed the button switch to open the utility door to the mainframe.
"Yup," I smiled.
I walked over to the blinking lights and array of buttons, not knowing where to start. Charon tapped a button and a loud whirring noise came from all around as the mainframe booted back up. My mouth opened to ask how the hell he knew that.
"You pick stuff up in two hundred years of exploring the same area."
My mouth closed and I nodded slowly. The intercom buzzed again.
"Alright, the mainframe is back up. Why don't you two come back up here... Actually, there seems to be some sort of blockage in one of the pipes. Charon, I would like a word with you. Eleanor, would you mind seeing about that blockage?"
I huffed and looked at Charon. "I wish you could see about my blockage."
He laughed and shook his head. "I gotta date with your father."
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that, Eleanor. Please hurry up, Charon." Dad said. He sounded almost in pain.
My face heated up as I watched him jog up the stairs to the ground level. I slumped against the frame of the utility door. Today was not going as good as it could, but it wasn't all bad.
Apparently, Dad hadn't remembered to turn off the intercom. I heard Charon's voice in the back of.
"Sorry about that, sir." Charon's voice was fuzzy and faint.
I leaned towards the intercom to hear as best as possible. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but this directly involved me.
"Don't give me that, Charon. You come into my place of work and try to fuck my daughter?" Dad's voice wavered, giving an idea of how pissed he was.
"Forgive me James, but if I remember correctly, she's old enough to have a baby so she should be old enough to make the decision of who she wants to give herself to. At least I have to decency to love her."
My heart dropped and my body followed it as I slid down the wall. They were really talking about me like that? Who was I to them?
Dad cleared his throat and ordered the other scientists to leave the room. "Let's get this straight, boy. She may be with child, but you must have forgotten that you are old enough to be her great-great-great-great grandfather. For fucks sake, she's nineteen!"
"Our age difference has not slipped from my mind. That was why I was reluctant to follow through with my feelings. But I have not let our relationship affect my duty to her. I keep her safe to the best of my abilities and she wouldn't be here today if it weren't for me. As for you," he must have gotten closer to Dad since his voice was clearer. "You sure as fuck wouldn't be standing here today either if it weren't for me. Your stupid ass would still be licking your dick in the park in that simulation. So some fucking respect is due."
Way to completely diss my abilities, Charon. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't make myself believe that I could have made it this long without him. I was pretty useless.
"Are you threatening me, son? Because if you are, you might as well show yourself the door and never see my daughter ever again. I don't care what kind of inappropriate feelings you have for her."
Charon took a deep breath before speaking. "I do not answer to you. I only obey Eleanor's orders."
Someone was clapping. I assume it was Dad. "Good for you. Now we're getting somewhere. Why do you 'obey' my daughter? Is it some kind of sexual thing?"
Charon growled and hit something in the lab. "No! It's not fucking like that. You don't know shit, so stop making disgusting assumptions," he punched something else and got closer to the intercom. "You have no idea how much hell I've been through in these past two hundred years of my awful existence. Eleanor came along and she's the only person on earth who cares enough to want to help me. For some reason, she loves me and wants me to be happy. I am happy with her and she is happy with me. At least I think she is."
Charon's voice grew quieter as he spoke and Dad had remained silent in the fit of anger. My stomach lurched at the sound of them fighting about me and I felt like I was about to pass out.
"So, you latched onto her because she was nice to you," Dad said nonchalantly.
Charon choked out a laugh. "You still don't get it. She's the most perfect human I know. She's smart, she's funny, she's gorgeous, she's caring," he took a deep breath. "And she loves me. I'm a mean, ugly, hateful killing machine with no mercy. But I'm only like that to everyone but her. She's killing me, but I could never intentionally hurt her."
I stood up and shaky legs and my feet felt like lead as I inched closer and closer to the intercom. Dad started saying something but I couldn't hear it over the rushing blood in my ears. I cleared my throat and they both stayed silent.
"Dad," my voice was hoarse. "You forgot to turn the intercom off. I hope you're both happy about this."
Charon cursed and his heavy footsteps grew quieter over the speaker. "Honey, I'm sorry you had to hear that."
I ignored him and ran out of the basement. Charon hadn't seen me slip into the gift shop area and towards the drainage pipe. I would just hole up there until I calmed down after I cleared whatever blockage. My fingers wrapped around the metal grate lid and I lifted it. I slid in and closed it back over me.
The pipe was dark and damp and littered with random debris. This could be whatever is blocking the water maybe. I started picking up traffic cones and tin cans and wondered how the hell any of this even got here. I reached the wheel to unblock the pipe fully and squinted in the sudden brightness leaking in from a rusted patch of the pipe.
I set down all of the junk and wiped my hands off on my pants before bracing myself to turn the wheel. With a grunt, the wheel budged. My arms burned already as the wheel seemed to stick from the rust. I blew on my hands, as if that would fix it, and tried again. With a loud squeal, the wheel turned and loosened enough to easily rotate it.
I wiped my sore palms on my pants again and settled into the pipe. A loud noise came from outside. It sounded like air being whipped around like a fan from an air conditioner, only much larger. I shielded my eyes from the sun and a blast of wind slapped at my face and tussled my hair around. Something wasn't right.
