Chapter 17
I dreamed little last night. When I woke, I was lying on my back still and felt 11-7's presence. She was still sleeping, and must have curled around me when we both fell asleep. Her orange and yellow scales glistened in the sunlight that peeked through the curtains.
Her head rested on my chest and she had draped her arm over me and tucked the other behind me. My arm rested on her warm back. She looked fucking adorable. Her hood twitching occasionally as she caressed my chest with her light breaths. I savored this moment. It was the first night in the last few days I had felt her touch again. As I laid here, enjoying her comfort, it hit me: a moment of clarity. The implications of what I had done last night. Never mind the moral quandaries this act presented, that I just ignored; hell, the religious dilemma this should put someone in, more so than Advent's arrival; or even the fucking societal repercussions of doing this. If anyone ever found out about this... No, if Advent found out about this, I was a dead man. I was such an idiot.
All this time I had been so careful, so meticulous, as to not give Advent anything to use against me, and now I just handed them the keys to my fucking kingdom. The motherload of blackmail material... 11-7 moaned quietly and tightened her coils around me, as if to remind me she was still here. She stayed asleep.
I took a deep breath. Reality had smashed its way through the afterglow I was feeling. It was always a gamble: how you'll feel the morning after doing something crazy. This morning was one of regrets. My body ached. It wasn't a debilitating pain, but I felt it; I felt every time we smashed our hips together.
There was a pleasant warmth in my mind, but I felt terrible at the same time. I wasn't sure if I regretted this, but what bothered me wasn't what I thought would. I liked her, I genuinely did, and I didn't care so much that she was an alien anymore, but what the fuck was I getting us into? Like Ron said to me at the bar, I had crossed a line I couldn't uncross. We had feelings for each other that we couldn't just push away. It's not like I want to push her away. I just wasn't thinking long term with these decisions. I couldn't lead her on like this. My thoughts drifted to my feelings last night. What we did felt so right and so strange at the same time. My feelings were mixed. Perhaps I was disgusted with myself for getting off on the idea that doing this would piss off my brother, even if it wasn't a factor in why I did it. She was more than that to me. On the other hand, how long had we really been together? A few weeks? Could we really say we knew each other? I had to discuss this with her. For a brief moment, I considered waking her up so we could talk. But, my strength failed me. I couldn't wake her up when she looked so happy. Maybe I should enjoy this moment a bit longer with her.
0-
Sometime later, I felt 11-7 start to stir. "Mmm, are you awake, Lucas?" she said, shaking off some of her grogginess.
I had tried to relax after I held off speaking to her, but couldn't. "Yeah."
She lifted her head off of my chest and looked into my eyes. "Good morning."
I stared into her crimson eyes and that slight smiling face as she bumped her lips against my cheek. I couldn't bring myself to talk right away, and she picked up on that. "Are you feeling alright?" There was concern in her eyes.
I nodded. "Yeah, but we have to talk." I looked for anything I could, so I didn't have to look her in the eyes; I settled on the blank tv screen which reflected my face back at me. "About last night."
The tv only reflected the back of her hood back at me, but I heard the panic in her voice. "I know I lost control last night. I shouldn't have kept going." She wrapped her arms around me and pressed the side of her face into my bare chest. "Please forgive me."
Shit, now I was feeling even worse. I returned her hug. "That's not what I meant. - I'm sorry."
Now I saw her face in the tv's reflection. Her hood had contracted, and she was looking at me through the reflection of the tv as well. "You don't have to comfort me. I hurt you last night. I should be the one apologizing."
I had to set the record straight. "No, no! It's not anything you did." I put my hand under her chin and lifted it up, so she would look at me. "Look at me, I'm fine. A little sore, but nothing a few painkillers won't solve. It's something else, - something I did." My voice lost its strength as I continued.
She calmed down some, knowing that I wasn't injured. "What?"
I sighed. "Remember when I told you human relationships were complicated?"
She nodded. "I remember."
"Well, humans in general are complicated. I'm - complicated. I like you, a lot, and I think you're amazing, and I trust you way more than I should. - But, two people can't fall in love in a month, or at least they shouldn't."
She looked confused. "But, you said..."
I interrupted her. She had to hear my explanation. "I know what I said. I'm sorry. It's just - saying I love you - was convenient. That phrase is so ingrained into our minds and culture, we often say it without thinking. It's so much simpler and more romantic than saying I like you a lot and I trust you. The first time I thought I was gonna die soon, and the second... I was under the influence of brandy and I just wanted last night to be special for you. I didn't want you to be worried about anything."
I saw sadness in her eyes, mixed with confusion. "Do you regret being with me? The copulation?" she asked quietly.
"No, the issue is more nuanced than that. I do not regret what we did, I'm - concerned about it. I just feel like I led you on and, and I'm worried that I may have forced you into what we did last night because of your - uh libido. Beyond that, I've never put myself into a position to be arrested by Advent for my actions. Honestly, it's been so long since I've had to trust someone." I sighed, "I'm sorry, I should have told you this last night."
She listened intently, and when I was finished, to my surprise, she smiled. She moved to hug me and I let her. "Oh Lucas. I told you last night it was my decision, that's why I made it before anything happened. You did not force me to do anything. - If you - like and trust a lot, as you put it, is that not the same thing?" By observing my reaction, she got her answer. "Explain and I will listen." We released each other from our embrace, and she sat back on her coils.
I itched my arm and looked away for a moment. "Love - is a strong word. There are a lot of connotations that come with it. I haven't used it in a long time, and I got burned before because I believed in it."
I saw understanding in her eyes as she put the pieces of the puzzle together in her mind. "This is about your ex girlfr-and."
I sighed. "Its girl-friend, but yeah, it is."
She smiled. "You must tell me about this. As much as you want to avoid it, you deem it necessary. You can't put it off."
She has such a way with words. "You'd make a great interrogator. First you get me to talk about my brother, and now my ex-gf." I joked. "Two things I've never talked about with anyone before."
She looked surprised. "Am I truly easy to speak to?"
I found another opportunity to lighten the mood and chuckled. "Well, the fangs and the soul piercing blood-red eyes help."
She snorted, and raised her eyebrows, signalling to me that I needed to stop putting it off. "Ok, but there's not much to tell." I sighed. "After I thought my brother died, I became very distant and dissociated from everything for a while."
"Is that normal behavior?"
I shrugged. "It can be, everyone is affected by loss differently. But, when Claire should have been there for me, she instead decided to cheat."
11-7 looked confused. "Cheat?"
I cleared my throat. "Uh, she - she went out and had sexual relations with another man."
Her confusion lessened somewhat. "And, that is not ok." She worded it more like a statement than a question.
I shook my head. "No, when you're in a relationship, you are committed to one another. Losing my brother was like losing a piece of myself, and I wasn't strong enough to move on from that on my own. Maybe I should have tried to talk with her more, but I was too stubborn. I thought I didn't need help. And Claire didn't care enough to see I needed help through that."
The confusion in her eyes was replaced with sympathy. "You felt betrayed by her actions."
My anger flared up. "I was betrayed. I'd never once thought about doing that myself. Hell, I didn't even find out right away because I was so absorbed in my own problems. She kept doing it. One day she just told me about it, probably to get a rise out of me because I hadn't given her much attention, and I had my bodyguards throw her out."
"She doesn't sound very nice."
I shook my head. "That's just it. When I first met her, she was such a sweet girl. I've known her since I worked at the factory, and when I became an actor - she changed. I changed too..."
She cocked her head. "You were correct, humans relations are complicated and complex, but I believe I am understanding."
That caught my attention. "You are?" Thank God I did not want to go into more detail.
She crossed her arms and flicked her tongue out. "You are concerned that I, like the human woman you speak of, may betray you. So, you are fearful of committing to any degree, even if it is verbally. Is that correct?" Despite her question, she looked confident in her assessment.
She hit it right on the head. "Uh, maybe, but..."
She interrupted me and smiled. "Now it is your turn to listen." She moved forward and hugged me again. "It does not matter to me what words you come up with to describe our relationship to me, or to yourself. I like this, these interactions with you. You have difficulty trusting, I understand. Trust is hard to find. Building it is harder more. Our relationship doesn't have to be anything else if you don't want it to. You do not have to call me your girl-friend if you do not wish."
I stifled my emotions and hugged her tighter. My hands gripped harder on her smooth back scales. Dammit, I did not deserve this. After I got myself under control, I found some words to say. I lifted my head off her shoulder so I could look at her face better. "Thank you. Who are you? You're too good at comforting."
She cocked her head. "What are you meaning? I am 11-7." It took her a moment of thinking, but she understood what I meant. "Many movies I have ingested present similar situations. It is not difficult to understand why you are bothered."
"Sorry. This is hard for me. I'm not used to, uh - caring about someone. You're too compassionate, you know that?"
She chortled and started petting my head with one of her hands. "And you are worrying too much. I forgive you, despite the absence of transgressions."
A weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and I felt a lot better. This was right, this felt good. A smile formed on my face. It was at this moment, as we held each other in this embrace, that I realized we were both still naked. "We are in so much trouble if anyone finds out about this, you know that right?
She pulled her head back and projected affection onto me with her crimson reptilian eyes. "Then we should both ensure that doesn't happen."
We both laughed for a few moments, and then she stared down at my waist with wide pupils. It was a tender moment, but her movements on top of me had caused me to get a half chub. I chuckled and tried to brush it off. "Maybe we should get some clothes on."
She chuckled with me, but when I tried to sit up, she leaned forward and kept me down. She focused on my eyes and searched them for any hint of interest. "Are you interested?" She asked in a serious manner.
"I, uh..." Her smile grew as I struggled to say something. "Ok, I am, but we should put it off. I've got to go to that Advent Base today, and we should not go there coated in each other's fluids."
She leaned back, but the focus remained. "You are correct. We can always do it another time." She gave me a sly look.
I got up out of bed and walked to the bathroom. "Speaking of each other's fluids, I'm gonna take a shower now."
She giggled in response.
0-
It took me some time to wash off what we did last night, and it gave me some time to survey the damage. I had a few bruises, notably on my pelvis, but I could cover those up with my regular clothes. Everything was still attached to my body, and no broken bones. All things considered, I was in good condition. My body was sore as all hell, and it probably would be for the next few days, but I could manage. The warm water soothed my pain.
After I left, 11-7 traded places with me. She was probably gonna have trouble washing herself in that small shower, but she was an adult she could figure it out. I left the room with the ice bucket to get some ice for drinking water. The hallway was drab. Uninspired abstract art on the walls to match the faded floral patterned carpet. It was clear to me, in the short time I'd been here, that this hotel hadn't updated its decor since before the arrival of Advent.
As the ice machine came into my sights, I heard a door close behind me. Probably someone else leaving their room, so I ignored it and started filling my small plastic bucket full of ice.
The sound of the ice coming out of the machine was the only thing I could hear, and I was surprised when I heard someone say something next to me. "Morning."
I turned to look and see who it was. It was some guy I had never seen before. He was a little shorter than me, and had short, well kempt brown hair. He was wearing a blue polo, which even that was too formal of dress for this hotel. Overall, he had the look and air of an accountant about him. I looked down and saw he had a similar bucket in his hands, so I could assume his goal was the same as mine.
Not wanting to be rude, I responded back. "Good morning."
I had hoped that would be the end of our interaction, but this guy apparently felt chatty this morning. "Nice weather out, it's supposed to be 72 degrees today."
The ice going into the bucket wasn't getting any faster. "That's nice." I paused for a moment and decided to chat with him. "Too bad I won't be able to enjoy it. I've got business today."
He nodded. "That's too bad." He stopped talking for a few moments and coughed. "The ice machine here is slow."
My bucket wasn't even half full, so I chuckled. "I noticed."
He chuckled too. "I'm willing to bet this ice machine is older than both of us."
Ice was still coming out, but barely. "I'd believe it."
We were both quiet for a bit, until the guy spoke up. "So, what room are you staying in?"
It was a standard question to ask at a hotel, and this guy didn't seem hostile, so I told him the truth. "Me? Uhh, room 269. What room are you in?"
As I said my room number, his disposition changed. He looked uncomfortable. "I'm, - in 270." He was the one that had started this conversation, and now he was acting all awkward. It was strange.
I continued to wish this machine would go faster in silence for a few moments before he spoke up. "Is uh, is everything ok in your room?"
I looked back at him, confused. "Yeah, what do you mean?"
"Well I... When I was taking a shower last night I heard some strange noises coming from your room. At first it was peculiar, then it became violent. I was going to call the front desk to get someone to check on you, but after I finished my shower, there were no more noises."
F-u-c-k. I am such an idiot. I don't know why, only now as I was face to face with my hotel room neighbor that I realized how much noise 11-7 and I made last night. And, if this guy heard that, then other people heard it too. I cleared my throat and looked at my ice bucket, almost 3/4 full. I had to think of an excuse, something to say. "Oh, that - heh. I was watching an action movie too loud last night. Sorry about that."
I didn't have to courage to face the poor man I lied to, and had subjected to violent sex sounds last night. "It didn't sound like explosions and gunfire. It was creaking and pounding noises against the wall."
I laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah, it was a weird movie." Fuck it. My ice wasn't full, but I've got to leave this awkwardness. "I'll make sure to keep it quiet from now on. Sorry to bother you."
I turned and left. He started to say something, but I was already out of earshot. We really should have been more careful last night. Guess a few glasses of bourbon makes you forget about the small details.
As I entered my hotel room, I closed the door hastily and locked it. I heard the shower running, and humming coming from the bathroom. Guess 11-7 figured it out. I set the ice on the end table by the beds, letting out a sigh as I lay down. I hope this doesn't come up again. This better be the best damn ice I've ever had, after all that I just went through. I had a couple hours to enjoy it before Manny arrived to escort me to the Advent base for my statement about what happened with the terrorists.
0-
After some time, I heard the door to the bathroom open. I turned away from the movie I was watching to see 11-7 leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom on her elbow. She had towels draped over her tail and head, but she wasn't covering up her torso. I looked over her body for a moment and back up to her face. She smirked.
I felt confused. "What?"
She continued to smirk and looked up at the ceiling. "Oh - nothing." She pushed off of the door frame, returning to a smug observation. "It's just. You seem so much more comfortable around me now."
I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, yeah. I mean, how long have we been around each other? It had to happen eventually."
She feigned a sigh. "I know..." She crossed her arms and looked away. "It's just - it's no fun, now that I cannot tease you anymore."
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. "I'm sure you'll find some new way to do it. I have faith."
She giggled. "You think so?" Her bubbly disposition was replaced with more of a serious one. "How much time until they transport us to the base?"
I checked my phone. "An hour or so. Want to finish this movie with me while you dry off."
She slithered over to me and smiled. "I'd love to."
0-
Before I knew it 11-7 and I were riding in a car with Manny heading to the Advent base. Luckily, as we left the hotel, reception mentioned nothing to me about noise complaints. And, I ran into no more curious "neighbors".
Manny was sitting across from us in the car, wearing his standard blue suit and holding a cheap liquor glass about half full of brown translucent liquid, no ice. He sipped on a substantial amount of it as we sat in silence. I assumed it was whisky, based on the smell.
He was always reserved, never let on to what he was thinking, but today was different. When I walked up to the car, he caught his shoe on the doorframe as he stepped out to open the door for us. His usual slow, calculated movements were more jerky. The way he acted made me feel like he was on edge. These were subtle things that anyone who hadn't spent a great deal of time around him wouldn't notice. That, and the way he was trying to casually suck down his drink. I didn't like this. It was unusual for him. His behavior was rubbing off on me and making me nervous.
After we settled into our seats, and the car started driving, Manny spoke up. "Do you have your materials prepared, Mr. Hickey?" He spoke with that calm tone that made me feel like I was at the doctor's office.
I pulled out the manilla folder I had next to me and handed it to him. There was a hint of surprise at the edge of his eyes. He took it from me and opened it up, thumbing through the pages it contained as he sipped on his whiskey. As he got to the last page, he closed the folder and handed it back to me. "My, my. You've managed to impress me." A smirk formed on his lips. "All your documents are accounted for and in order. Maybe you're really starting to listen to me."
I shrugged and chuckled. "Yeah, I had some time to get it all together this morning."
"I hope this is an indication of how you'll behave in the future, and not something you have done on a whim." He took another sip of his whiskey. "So, did you enjoy your time last night? Were the lodgings acceptable?"
Instantly, my blood ran cold. His questions were not worded in an accusatory way, but because of the nature of what we did last night, I was anxious. I dared not look at either Manny or 11-7, instead I leaned back in my seat and stared at the ceiling of the car. "I did. Not 5 stars or anything, but I was comfortable."
"Good, good." He paused for a moment. "I'll not hold you in suspense Mr. Hickey, I'm certain you know what I'm about to talk to you about." I held my breath. "I received many noise complaints last night. And, I must ask - what were you thinking?"
I tried to stammer something out. "I, uhh..."
He interrupted me. "Do you have no sense?" His tone had shifted to being annoyed rather than calm. "You do understand that this is the only hotel in the city. If you get yourself kicked out of it by being obnoxious, there are no other options. You'd have to stay at an Advent base, or I would have to fill out mountains of paperwork for a temporary residence. I do not wish to fill out any more paperwork than I am required to."
That was a lot, but what I got from it was he didn't know that 11-7 and I did the nasty last night. And he didn't even seem curious as to what the noise was. "Look at me when I am speaking Mr. Hickey." I looked at him and saw he was frowning. "Do you want to make my job harder?"
I sighed "No, I don't." He had furrowed his brow and did not look happy. "I'm sorry, I promise it won't happen again."
My apology seemed to satisfy him, probably because I didn't deny we were being loud last night. "See to it. There aren't many hotels functioning because they serve little purpose without tourism. And with that tourism bill on hold, we won't be seeing more open up for some time." He said the last sentence almost with delight, like he had some skin in the game when it came to that bill. Strange.
He still seemed on edge, but less so now. "We shall arrive at the base soon. With all your paperwork prepared now, you should be out of that base soon after entering."
For my sake, I hoped he was right. I hated being in Advent bases, increased my chances of running into Ethereals and the like. I especially did not like the Ethereals. Psychic gods as they present themselves, but they had the power to back up a title like that. The one time I did encounter one, it was not a pleasant experience.
0-
Manny dropped me off and saw me through reception. We left 11-7 behind in the car. It wasn't important that she come in too. It surprised me when he turned to leave after I checked in for my appointment, but he said he had some important business to take care of, and that he would speak to me after I left the base. His jitteriness did not change as he left. Advent troopers escorted me to a private interrogation room. It contained a table, two cushioned desk chairs that looked comfy, and there was a tv screen on the wall. I took the seat that faced the door I walked in, and leaned back. I had handed my manilla folder off to reception, so all I had to do was wait until someone came to question and release me.
I played that Advent: Enemy Known game on my phone while I waited. Before long, I heard the door to the room open. I was surprised to see who entered. It wasn't an Advent Trooper, but a human. He was wearing a black jumpsuit with a long black kevlar coat over it. They both had white advent logos over them. The logo on the jumpsuit was at the center of his chest, while the coat had a smaller one on the left shoulder and right breast pocket. His hair was black and short, paired with a short black goatee that was flat at the bottom. His facial structure was strange. Normally it was easy to tell what people's ancestry was, but with him I couldn't tell. His skin was pale, but the bone structure of his face wasn't something I hadn't seen on someone else. It was exaggerated in the chin and cheekbones. They were jutting out just a little too much, and his nose... Maybe I'm just being paranoid; Manny's behavior made me nervous earlier.
He sat down at the table on the other chair across from me. Then, he set my manilla folder and a tablet on the table in front of himself in a robotic manner. He opened the folder up and looked through the documents. I wanted to speak up and get him to hurry this up, but in these situations, it was essential that I be polite. This jerk could keep me here as long as he felt like. I sat there in annoyed silence for two minutes while he wasted more of my time flicking through my documents, that I knew he had already read.
Finally, he looked up from my documents and spoke. "Everything seems to be in order, Mister Hick-ey." God, his voice sounded terrible. It was like he had a giant wad of phlegm in his throat that he just refused to get out. "I need to investigation - about the incident before you can leave. Do I have you-ar consent to proceed?"
Can hardly speak too. There were substantial bags under his eyes, so maybe he was tired. Him asking for consent wasn't out of the ordinary, standard procedure and not something you can really disagree with. If I refused, they'd just hold me here until the proper forms were filled out to question me against my will. "Yeah, sure. What do you want to know? I filled out the documents quite thoroughly."
He laced his fingers together and set his elbows on the table. "When - captured you stat-ed that you were interrogated by a terrorist known as Ginger, is - correct?"
Ugh, I hope this doesn't turn into a game of 20 questions. "Yes."
"You have written up here–" he pulled out a page and set it in the middle of the table– "an comprehensive list of information that you told the terrorists, most of which you claim they already knew, is - correct?"
This guy was really awkward. "Uhh, yes."
He jerked his head to the side for a moment and looked back at me. "Information you passed is acceptable, not unforgivable in circumstance. There is one thing we need more information on."
He was silent for a few seconds too long, so I nodded in response, and vocalized a "Mmm hmm."
He rubbed his face with the side of his open hand and blinked his eyes a few times before continuing his questioning. "You write after this that the Ginger asked you about Project Avatar, of which you say you said nothing about, and claim to know nothing about, is - correct?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Then the leader enters, threatens to kill you, and - on a whim, decides to release you in a populated area?" I swear if he says... "Is - correct?" Dammit.
The direction this conversation is taking worried me. "-Yes."
He stopped talking and observed me for an uncomfortable amount of time before I decided to say something. "I don't understand what you are implying. I don't know anything about Project Avatar, and I never have. I never even heard the name before those terrorists said it to me."
He blinked his eyes, and I swear for a moment I saw them turn a solid pink color. No pupil, no nothing. Whether that actually happened, I started getting bad vibes from this guy. "Yes, as you said, it is non-likely that you know anything. But, in curious situations like this it is good to investigation. We will confirm the truth-findings of your statements, and then you may leave if wrongdoing is no found."
I raised an eyebrow. "Ok, how are you going to do that?"
He unlaced his fingers and tapped on his tablet a few times. The door opened, and a sectoid sauntered into the room. Sectoids were ugly, and I hated looking at them. They were hairless pink anorexic humanoids that walked around with their knees bent in a perpetual creeping gait. And their face... Eugh, their face. Two giant black orbs stuck inside a giant bald fetus head, with a wicked lipless grin that showed off their unsettlingly human teeth shoved on for extra creepiness. No ears or nose either. Honestly, if I wasn't so used to seeing them around the city, I'd be horrified.
I knew why he brought this thing in. "Woah, what the fuck is this? This is not standard procedure, and a complete breach of my privacy. Is there even a form for this?"
The man questioning me reached into his black coat and pulled out a form and showed it to me. The top read Request for Sectoid Interrogation. And, at the bottom, there were two signatures. One was by the text Biological Asset Dispatcher, the other was by the text Commanding Officer of the Interrogatee (If Required). Manny. That fucker knew this was going to happen today. Was that why he was acting all shifty? Fuck, there is enough shit floating around my head to get me in big trouble. Ironically, all of it is unrelated to anything they are looking for with this Project Avatar bullshit.
I stood up and backed away from the sectoid, which sent my chair rolling away from the table. "I did not consent to this."
The man nodded, once. "Your consent is not required. Submit to interrogation, or receive it by force." He looked at the sectoid and gestured to me with his free hand.
The sectoid raised its hand and walked towards me. I attempted to back away more, but my body would not respond to the commands I gave it; I was frozen in place as it walked right up to me. There was this purple glow emanating from its head that flowed along its arm out towards my head. The glow behaved almost like smoke in how it moved, but the air that flowed in through the vents did not affect it. Adrenaline coursed through my body. I tried struggling more. My body's not responding, it isn't! It felt like sleep paralysis. As the purple glow touched my head, I felt a tingling sensation on my scalp. My vision darkened. The only thing I could focus on was its soulless black eyes, and that maniacal lipless smile.
The tingling sensation spread deeper and got more intense. Like pins and needles poking into my head, through my skull and into my brain. It spread across my head and it was all over, even on my face. I felt nothing else but that sensation in my head. My whole body was numb. My mind was laid bare before this thing, and while my brain felt no different, I somehow knew it was probing my mind. It clacked its teeth together as it worked. Random muscles in my body spasmed, and my face twitched against my will. It didn't get instant control, its probing was careful - calculated, almost like it was picking a lock with the skill of a seasoned locksmith.
All I saw, all I felt as this happened was the sectoid. My thoughts became increasingly foggy, and I saw in my mind the memory of riding to city 4-47. The day played out as I remembered it. Then, I saw 11-7 injured, and I was helping her. For a moment I tried to focus my thoughts, skip past what came next, but as soon as I started, I was pushed back on track. I saw myself kiss her. I knew it saw me kiss her. Its grip loosened on my mind, but as I pushed back, it tightened its grip more and pulled me through my memories. I saw Ginger, my brother, my hospital room, Manny, and the mayor. This was well beyond the terrorists. Why was it still going? Seeing what eventually came next wasn't an option. I had to stop this.
I focused my mind on events ahead of what I was being shown. Trying to skip past what it was seeing to get to today faster. I had some success. Seconds, minutes skipped. My memory wasn't focused or forced back to what was missed. As the day went on, it fought against my attempts to skip what we were seeing. Until I saw my hotel room and it jumped to me fucking 11-7. Her eyes alight with a fiery passion.
Instantly I was released. I crumpled to the ground and felt a headache split my head in half. Nausea stabbed at my stomach, and I threw up everything I had for breakfast and lunch. My senses slowly returned as I stared at my vomit on the polished linoleum floor. First, the scent of my puke flowed into my nose, egging me on to add to the pile I had created. Then, my ears were assaulted by squealing. I looked up from my crouched position on the floor to see that sectoid in a frenzy.
It was jumping around and scratching at the walls, while the guy in the black coat tried to calm it down. I turned over and laid down on my back, away from my vomit. I stared at the ceiling tiles above me and tried to recover from getting mind raped by a 5ft tall fetus. Over time, my headache lost its bite, and I was able to sit up off the ground. I looked over at the guy who had gotten the sectoid to stop freaking out.
He asked it one question. "What did you see?"
The sectoid spoke to him in Advent for a long time. It took so long for it to explain that my limbs regained most of their feeling and motion. I was able to stand up, and I hobbled over to my chair, leaning on it for support as I pushed it up to the desk and sat in it. I rested my head on my arms on the table. Only one thought circulated through my mind and that was how fucked I was gonna be.
I don't know how long I sat there listening to them conversing, but eventually the guy who was interrogating me woke me from my stupor. "This is unforgivable!" He looked furious, and the sectoid just sulked in a corner of the room, far away from me. "Do you even realize what you have done, human! Tampering with Advent Property is illegal! Your actions are abhorrent, - you are in serious trouble."
Tell me something I didn't already know, but as he went to tell me how terrible I was again, there was a ding on his tablet and a knock at the door. He paused and looked down at his tablet. He frowned and tapped on it a few times. The door opened, and the last person I wanted to see right now walked in: Manny.
He was out of breath and wiped some sweat from his forehead before straightening his tie and walking over to the guy interrogating me. "Sorry to barge in like this investigator. Thank you for allowing me entry."
The man recomposed himself. "I would not - normal circumstances, but this man." He pointed at Manny. "Your client has broken the law."
He looked over at me and squinted his eyes. "Did he? What law?"
The man grumbled. "Copulation with biological assets."
He scratched his chin. There was a sort of disingenuousness to his actions and tone of voice. "Hmmm. That's not appropriate behavior." I saw Manny reach into his suit jacket with the hand he wasn't scratching his chin with. "Have you shared this with anyone else yet?"
The man shook his head. "No, but we must assemble a court and have Mr. Hickey imprisoned in the meantime."
Manny let out a sigh of relief. "Good." He yanked open his jacket and pulled out what looked like a small silver gun before pointing it directly at the man's face. The side of the gun's barrel was open, revealing a green rod that glowed. The man's skin started to bubble as his bones shifted and moved. A blast of green plasma fired from the gun, splattering pink bloodless goop on the wall.
I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing, and then he did it again. In one fluid motion, he spun around and shot the sectoid five times. He kept his gun aimed at it until it stopped moving. He tried to straighten out his hair, that had become unkempt, and took a deep breath before turning towards me. I instinctively put my hands up in the air.
He sighed and put his gun back into his coat. "Put your hands down, Mr. Hickey. If I wanted to kill you, I would have let the Advent legal process take its course."
Anxiety pricked at my skin. "I - uhh. I didn't know you had combat training, or a gun."
He smirked. "Yes, well, I was assigned work much different from I do now, during the liberation of your planet."
I didn't know what to say. Here I thought I was about to be executed, and the last person I ever thought would help me just saved me. "Uhh, thanks for the - help?" I looked at the two corpses on the floor. The guy, who was clearly not a human, was slowly turning into a pile of pink slop, and the sectoid was lying on the ground in an increasing pool of lime green blood. "But, you let that thing mind - fuck me! I saw your signature on the document."
He put his hands behind his back. "My hands were as tied in that situation as yours were when you consented to the investigation today."
He was probably right. "Ok, but could you please tell me what the hell is going on?"
Manny took off his gold-rimmed spectacles and cleared his throat as he put them in his jacket's pocket. "I figured it would be obvious to you. - You made a mistake Mr. Hickey, a big mistake."
"I..."
He quickly shut me down. "There is no use denying it Mr. Hickey, we both heard what the investigator said."
I cut him off. "There's no proof, and what are you even doing here? I thought we were gonna meet after I left this place?"
He sighed, looking disappointed by my question. "I don't have to take his word for it." He pulled out what looked like a usb drive and plugged it into the investigator's tablet on the table. He tapped through the files in it and showed me a video of my hotel room from last night. The video had both beds in frame and I saw 11-7 and I walk into the room. After a few moments, we embraced, and Manny stopped the video.
He unplugged the flash drive and put it into his pocket. "I don't think it is necessary to show more. Just know that I saw everything. You do understand that intecourse with biological assets is grounds for extermination; for both the asset and you."
Shock overtook me. I couldn't think of what to say. Only one word escaped my mouth. "Everything?"
He sighed. "Yes, Mr. Hickey, I saw everything. I heard every word and saw every - motion." He sounded tired.
I pointed at him. "So what, you put a camera in my room! You can't do that! That is a complete breach of my privacy! Did you bug my house too?"
He crossed his arms. "Under normal circumstances, yes, that would be the case. If you had found out that I had placed a camera in your room, you could complain about it and get me in trouble." He pulled open his jacket and flashed the flash drive at me. "But you won't be telling anyone about that, will you?" He closed up his jacket. "And, no, I did not bug your house. I planted a camera in your hotel room because I became suspicious of your interactions with Unit 117."
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. "What made you suspicious?"
He put a finger up to his chin, and his other hand behind his back. "Where to begin. I suppose the logs of your Mind Revitalizer dream were interesting. When you took that trip down to the ARC. Not something obvious. The human subconscious can be fickle and I have heard of stranger dreams being had on them, but your experience was something to note." He must have seen the confusion on my face. "Advent owns that facility, it's only natural I would have access to the records there, and it's in our best interest that I - understand what condition you are in."
I had to know what mistakes I made. "What else?"
His eyes widened. "You wish me to continue?" He paused for a moment in thought. "Who am I to say no. The frequent reports unit 117 sent me on your growing friendship were fascinating. - Don't worry, I won't confiscate your game console. Despite that, I was certain you hated non-humans to a degree that you'd never consider doing something like that." He frowned and started pacing. "That is a feature I have always despised about humans, you're unpredictable, difficult to categorize and understand." He stopped moving and looked back at me. "The last piece that made me see beyond my established assessment of you was that Unit 117 failed her Licentious Behaviors Test."
I raised an eyebrow. "The test for compromisation? She told me she passed."
He actually chuckled at my statement. "You sound surprised? No, she didn't. These tests are designed to catch every little detail. One slipping past is nigh impossible." He cleared his throat. "Originally, I had planned on following standard procedure and recycling her. However, instead I told her she passed because of how eager you were to get her back after our discussion at the hospital. I was struck with," he looked away for a moment, "let's call it a morbid curiosity. Forming a friendship with an alien was not something I expected you to do, and I was interested in seeing how far you would go, so I installed a tiny camera in your hotel room while you were conversing with the mayor." He turned his head to look at the door. "I went to check the footage, and once I saw what it contained. I had to rush back here to clean up the mess you were about to create."
I knew where he was going with this. I saw many parallels to what happened to my friend Carson. "Then you went through all this effort just to blackmail me?"
"You could say that. I have had nothing to keep you compliant, beyond your creature comforts." He grinned mischievously. "I have been trying to get you on the hook for a couple of years now, but you've always been too clever for me, until now. You didn't even go for that reporter girl who interviewed you. Having materials that could be used as reasoning to separate you from Advent, if necessary, is advantageous. Revealing you were a criminal when you worked in the city would look bad on Advent, since we erased your record. But, with this we could get rid of you and no one would wonder why."
I had always known this on some level, but to be told it directly to my face was demoralizing. What could I even say to him? I could think of nothing to say, so I continued to sit in silence.
He grinned and pushed a strand of his hair back into place. "I'm still in shock after seeing the footage. Never in a hundred years did I think I would get you on the hook for illicit relations with one of my kind."
I had to take a step back, metaphorically. I looked him up and down. He had short black hair that was parted in the middle and slicked to stick to his head. His limbs were long, he was thin, and there were some spots at the bottom of his neck by his shirt collar, but I always thought those were freckles. The only feature he had that even remotely resembled a viper were his reptilian eyes, but even those were yellow and not red. He had to be messing with me. "What do you mean? You do not look like a viper at all."
He rubbed his temples with his hands for a moment before responding. "I am aware of that. The Ethereals changed me before my birth, editing my DNA for the purpose of creating an infiltration unit that could mimic humanity. There used to be legions of units like me, but there are less of us these days. I am an older model than the pile of goo that is now staining my shoes." He snorted and kicked some goo off of his shoe. "It is regrettable that I share more characteristics with humans, than with my own kind, the vipers as most call them."
He doesn't sound too thrilled about that. This may have been the first time he's shared his thoughts like this before.
He looked away from me for just a moment. "But, I digress. I've heard of similar situations happening. Two adults of the opposite sex working together will almost guarantees something will develop; if they are compatible and have no prior entanglements. When I selected Unit 117 as your guard, I ensured your personalities would be compatible for the purpose of cohabitating the same space comfortably. I've heard of humans being interested in things outside their mmm species, but you I never would have guessed." He chuckled. "Maybe I should change positions within Advent and become a matchmaker." He cleared his throat and got a serious look on his face. "This experience has given me new insights into humanity, ideas I am considering sharing with my superiors. So something good came of this colossal headache."
I never liked it when he generalized. "I made an exception in her case."
I tried to sound defiant, but he didn't look impressed by it. "Indeed you did, and now we must discuss what happens next." He sat in the chair across from me. "Your actions put us both in difficult situations. I had to make a decision. It would have been better to acquire this blackmail quietly as insurance for if you ever betrayed Advent. Now that you know about its existence, there is no reason for me to not utilize it, as your knowledge of its existence has already affected your opinion. Which is unfortunate, given your performance at the mayor's press conference."
"So don't use it. I'm not going to betray Advent. You know that." I pleaded.
"That is not how this works!" He took a deep breath and pursed his lips. "You already betrayed our trust by corrupting a combat grade biological asset we provided you in good faith. I cannot say for certain you would not do this again, or something worse. The timing of this is inopportune, but this is the only way our relationship could have developed, Mr. Hickey. My superiors expect results from me," he clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it on the table, "and the only way humans are wholly cooperative is when they are put on a figural leash that has social and punitive consequences for disobedience."
Despite how much shit I was in, my mind still floated to thinking about 11-7. "Does my bodyguard know about any of this?"
He shook his head. "No, and it will stay that way. You will do whatever it is I ask you to do from now on, Mr. Hickey. And if you ever do something I don't like, or say something I don't like; I will take 11-7 away and have her melted down into genetic soup for recycling. Should you decide you don't care for her at any point, I will still be able to expose you for the degenerate you are. Do we have an understanding?"
I sighed. "I understand."
"Good. Now, our relationship will change, but you may still make requests of me. I will control your leisure only as much as it was before. I only ask that you keep in mind the materials I have when you are working." He leaned back and looked at my manilla folder that was still on the table. "As contained in your documents, you mentioned your brother said that he would, in the future, ask something of you. Ensure that when he does, you inform me of what he wants." He looked around the room, taking his time to observe the two corpses in here. "-We have spent enough time in this room. We should depart."
I spat out. "Fine."
He must have detected the hostility in my voice. "Make no mistake, I do regret how things have turned out, Mr. Hickey. They are not as I wanted them to be, but that cannot be prevented sometimes. I hope you do not let this bother you, or affect your performance, but do expect to be doing more work than you usually do because of this."
He stood up, and I followed. As we walked outside of the room, a small detachment of twelve troopers greeted us in the hallway. Manny spoke calmly to them and looked unfazed by their presence. "At ease. The Ethereals have bestowed the authority to act as I see fit upon me." He reached into his coat and flashed a bronze colored object at them. It was maybe 4 inches in diameter and looked like some kind of circular icon. The guards' dispositions changed when he pulled it out, and they relaxed their stances.
Manny put the object away and pointed back at the room we were just in. "And, clean up that interrogation room."
The guards parted and moved past us as we walked back towards the entrance. 11-7 greeted us professionally as we climbed back into the car and headed back to the hotel. Manny continued to drink, and 11-7 sat next to me, completely oblivious to what had occurred in the base.
Manny had said she was sending reports back to him about what we did. She even went so far as to mention the video games we played. I couldn't help but feel betrayed. I had always assumed she was doing something like that, but she really did snitch on me about my contraband video games. What else did she tell him? Did she tell him about that time we held hands too?
I took a deep breath. That was a long time ago. She clearly didn't tell him about the kiss, or what we did last night, so it's not fair to assume she told him everything. I looked between her and Manny. Ultimately, it was a question of who I trusted more, which it was obviously her, but could I ever know for certain that she cared about me more than Advent. She had done so much to flaunt their rules by forming a relationship with me, and she was well aware of the consequences of that. I'd just have to find the time to discuss this with her, away from Manny's prying eyes, and not in the hotel room that will probably remain perpetually bugged. Man, what a shitty day.
0-
As we pulled up to the hotel, I tried to pull a power move by asking Manny for a room with some more privacy, and he said he would consider it. I let out a sigh of relief as I plopped down face first on my bed. 11-7 took off her armor, and I heard her set it on the ground. The bed shifted and groaned as she slithered on top of it.
I felt her poke my shoulder with her tail. "Are you going to lie there all day, or come cuddle with me?"
I sighed and crawled over to her. She pulled me close and laid her tail over my legs. "You must be tired after speaking with the investigators."
I nodded. "Yeah, busy day."
She smiled. "Then let us relax."
0-
We stayed cuddled up to each other, and as we watched a comedy movie about some guy trying to run a boot store, my mind drifted back to 11-7. I wasn't used to situations like this where I had to trust someone, but if she forgave me for not explaining things, maybe I could forgive her. Knowing she reported some of the things we did with Manny bothered me, and I had to find a place where we could speak about it, but in the meantime I could relax around her.
I apparently wasn't the only one who was having deep thoughts because, as the main character told the female lead he loved her, 11-7 asked me a question. "What is love, Lucas?"
It took all of my willpower to not say baby don't hurt me, and think of a proper answer. As I thought she continued to stare at the tv and avoided my gaze. "Eh, I'm not the best person to answer that question."
She turned her head to look at me. There was a focus in her eyes. "I want to understand what you think. It is curious that you used a word you don't believe in."
I shrugged. "I don't know, it's not something I've ever thought that much about." I took a minute to think of a response. "I guess to simplify it, you could say there are two kinds: the love people of the same family feel for one another, and the love a guy and a gal that want to pursue a romantic relationship feel for one another."
"Explain the one that is relevant to us."
"You know, it's like you like each other's company a lot, and you want to do things together all the time. But it's more than that, it's like a desire to build something together - a family. Something beyond comradery and friendship I guess."
She blinked her eyes twice and looked back at the tv. "Hmmm."
She continued to watch the movie silently until she spoke again a few minutes later. "I understand your past experiences affect why you don't want to say you love me, but would you love me if I was human?"
It seems she was not as unaffected by what I told her this morning as she wanted me to believe. It wasn't a good feeling to know this had been floating around in her mind all day. Her question did not offend me; I understood she needed an answer to it. In her position, I might have wondered the same thing. "Hey, look at me." She listened to me and turned her head to face me. I leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. "You not being human has nothing to do with that. I never went out and tried to get a new girlfriend, human or not, after I broke up with Claire. And then you got conscripted into my life, that is when things started to change. I've just been focused on myself for a while, too long maybe. The feelings I've experienced when I am around you are things I haven't felt in a long time, so long I almost forgot I could feel them. I just need time to acclimate to - this."
I had restored the light to her eyes, and she smiled. "Do you truly mean that? Do I make you happy?"
I chuckled. "I meant every word. You make me way more than happy."
She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me closer. I felt her tail shift on top of my legs and slide under them, as she coiled around me with her tail. The tip of it thumped against my calf as she spoke. "And you make me more than happy too."
We held each other in this embrace for a short while, before I realized how late it was getting. "We should be getting to bed here at some point."
She pulled her head back and looked at me. "So soon, but the night is just beginning." She offered me a suggestive look and flicked her tongue out. "Are you certain there are no activities you wish to engage in before sleep?"
"Hmmm, we could, but we'll have to be quieter tonight. We haven't gotten our more private room yet."
She smiled. "I will try, but it will be difficult." Before I could respond she pushed me down on the bed, and kissed me with her long tongue.
Maybe this day wasn't so shitty. As long as I had her, any day could be better.