Chapter 20
I didn't have to wait long for that package. Not even a day later as 11-7 and I were about to go out for a walk around the neighborhood, well, a walk and a slither, there was a mysterious package at my door with what appeared to be official labeling. I didn't waste any time and called Manny about it right away. He told me to not open it and said he would be right over.
11-7 and I waited in silence until I heard a knock at my door. I answered it and saw Manny with two Advent troopers behind him. "May I come in Mr. Hickey?" He sounded chipper.
"Yeah, come in. The package is on the counter." I turned and led him to my kitchen. He shut the door behind himself leaving the advent troopers out front.
He pointed at the small brown box sitting on my counter. "Is this the package?"
"Yes"
He smiled. "I am pleased to see you haven't opened it. You did well calling me." He tapped on his wrist a few times and a red beam of light shot out of it. The beam traced over the box a few times and cut out. Manny brought his wrist closer to his face and stared at his phone. "Hm. There are no explosives detected or any power sources. That is good news."
I felt a chill run up my spine. "You thought he was going to send a bomb?"
He shook his head. "It is unlikely, given the circumstances, but it is wise to be cautious. I was looking for things other than bombs, listening devices as an example."
I couldn't help but see the irony there, but before I could say anything, he looked at 11-7. "Unit 117, go wait outside with the troopers."
She stood to attention and went outside without saying a word.
I raised an eyebrow. "Why did you send her away?"
He picked up the box and looked at the labels. "We are discussing sensitive matters that she does not need to know about. And it is of vital importance you continue to not inform her of what you will be doing at Mr. LaRue's party."
I had already told her about the meeting with my brother, but I hadn't said anything about the party to her yet, as I was still trying to get out of doing it.
Manny grunted as he looked at the labels. "These labels are impeccable. Everything on the surface appears to be in order. It's possible this was processed through a shipping facility even. I will send the box to be analyzed when we are done here."
"Did you get anything from the letter?"
"No, the ink was not produced by Advent and the paper is pre-Advent, but this is not helpful. There was no DNA on the paper either." He sighed. "Let's not waste more time." He used the thick finger nail on his thumb to cut the tape holding the box closed and pulled out what looked like a small fabric pencil box. It was about the size of a can of soda and had a zipper on it.
He unzipped the bag and pulled out four things, setting them on the counter one by one. A note, a generic-looking keycard, a large vial of white powder, and something that looked like a flash drive. The note said that the flash drive was the device I needed to plug into the computer, the keycard was for getting inside the office building, and the powder was a tranquilizer to be put into my viper's drink so I could do the operation without her knowledge. The note also said I had a brief window, 10:20pm to 10:40pm, where there would only be one guard posted at the entrance to the office building through the skywalk that could be accessed by going to the party.
Manny looked at the flash drive while I read the note. He mumbled to himself. "Hmm, yes, this is a transmitter. A powerful one. This was likely fashioned from Advent tech."
I looked up from the note. "Does that help?"
"It could provide a lead to where they acquired it, but this transmitter could be long range. Tampering with it could alert the terrorists, so we cannot analyze it further." He set it down and looked at the keycard. "The keycard is not from the office building. It must be programmed with an employee's credentials. We will analyze it and question the employee when the operation is over. It is interesting that they know the guard scheduling as well. We will look into that." He set the card down and looked at the powder. "What is the powder for?"
I read that section of the note to him again. He examined the vial like everything else. "A tranquilizer... and a dose large enough to kill anything smaller than a viper. We may be able to utilize this to our advantage."
I wasn't sure where he was going with this. "What do you mean? Like for the guards? I'm pretty sure this needs to be put in a drink."
He furrowed his brow, taking some time before speaking. "I'm well aware of your - sentimentalities." His eyes darted to the front door and back to me. "However... Unit 117 is ill-equipped to handle any quandaries of a moral nature when it comes to Advent's handling of humanity. Many humans suffer from the same problem." He paused for a moment, no doubt trying to find the right word that wouldn't piss me off. "They lack the perspective to understand the end goals of Advent when viewing the things done in the short term." He saw the dissatisfaction on my face and elaborated further. "In dealing with these terrorists, it is not enough to shoot them when they attack facilities. That is only a treatment of the problem. The only way to cure it is to remove the cancer at its source. And, we are trying to locate that source. Fighting them conventionally often serves as a way for them to create propaganda and bolster their ranks, thus adding to the problem."
What he was saying made sense. "Ok, so you're forcing me to help them to further some greater goal? What goal?"
He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "The complete dissolution of the HLA, and ultimately the destruction of all terrorist organizations. There are rumors of a larger organization that ties some of them together, but Advent is still looking into that. Did you even listen to what I was saying?" He sounded annoyed rather than angry.
I nodded. "I understand the broad strokes, but how exactly does giving the HLA intel help Advent?"
He thought for a moment and eyed me suspiciously. "I suppose you deserve an explanation, considering I've placed you in this situation. We will track where the information is going from the transmitter while the download is in progress. Once we've triangulated their position, our soldiers will converge on the terrorists collecting it. The plan is to capture as many alive as possible for interrogation."
I shuddered. "Like how I was interrogated?"
He nodded. "Yes, but it is not always as effective as you might suspect. If it was, we would have stomped out all resistance years ago. The more beholden a subject is to an ideology, the harder it is to collect information from their mind. They are more resistant to our techniques. Perhaps because they have more of a reason to be resistant to them. Given enough time though, we always at least get a piece of what we want in the end." He said the last part matter of factly, like he had been involved with the process many times before.
I wanted to get off the topic of interrogation. "Ok, that all makes sense. But, how should I use the drug?"
His eyes widened slightly. "Yes, we drifted from that topic. What I am suggesting is that Unit 117 cannot know what we are doing. She, like many other soldiers, is of a certain mindset. A balance of many factors holds that mindset in place. Giving her a moral conundrum of any size serves no purpose. All it would do is make her upset. It is better for her, and for you, that she remain ignorant to the purpose of the party."
I felt some anger rise up in me. "Are you saying I should drug her?"
Manny was unfazed. "I do not care how you keep her from getting involved. I am merely suggesting it is an option if she is uncooperative the night of the party."
"I would never drug her."
He sighed. Then I suggest you find an alternative to it. You will be acting alone until we have triangulated the terrorists' position. Advent cannot in any way appear to support you in this. The terrorists will, no doubt, be observing your actions at the party. You will not contact us, and we will not contact you."
"Is there anything you can do to help?"
"I have already sent to you the layout of the office building. You will study it and delete it before you go to the party. That is all I can do, Mr. Hickey."
I leaned on the countertop and sighed. "This is gonna suck."
"It will indeed be difficult for you, Mr. Hickey. And because of that, should you be successful in doing your part without arousing the terrorists' suspicion, I shall see you rewarded for you efforts. What that may be we can discuss after the operation. But, you have something to gain here Mr. Hickey." He grinned widely. "Helping Advent is in a way, like helping yourself."
"I understand."
"Good, then I shall leave you to your day. Enjoy the rest of it and prepare yourself for the party."
As he left he took the box, and I threw everything the terrorists gave me back into the pencil case looking thing. His presence was replaced by 11-7's.
She looked at the empty counter and at me. A curious expression adorned her snakelike face. "What did you speak about?"
"I got invited to a party."
Her face lit up. "That is exciting. When are you going?"
"Tomorrow, I guess."
"You don't sound very excited."
As much as I wanted to tell her what happened, it wasn't the right time. Manny was here a few seconds ago, and I didn't trust this house much anymore. I don't think she'd freak out considering her relations with me were against Advent policy, but if what Manny said was true, she wouldn't like it. I'd have to wait until tomorrow when Advent wasn't around. "That conversation with my manager was exhausting."
Her hood drooped. "So we will no longer go walking?"
"Uhh, nah. We can still go. It is a nice day after all."
She brightened up. "It is good, you need the exercise."
I chuckled. "You better be careful yourself. All those advent burgers will go straight to your ass."
She blinked and craned her neck to look at her back. "I do not know if I have what you would consider an ass."
This conversation took a weird turn. "Let's just go on the walk."
The walk was pleasant and the rest of the day went by quickly. Tomorrow was shaping up to be one of the more interesting days of my life.
0-
It was the day of the party. I had set out some nice clothes the previous night on my bed. They were next to a few cardboard boxes. I had been using my bed like a shelf for a while. It has seen little use since I started sleeping in 11-7's room every night.
Pushing that thought aside, I threw my towel on the floor. Taking some time to slip into a red polo and my tan sports coat with matching dress pants. I dug around for my father's leather shoes and topped off my look with a few sprays of the cheap cologne my neighbors got me as a housewarming present.
I chuckled to myself as I read the name: Electric Eternity. Daring on the manufacturer's part for giving a 0.67 credit bottle of cologne such an exciting name. Tossing it on the bed, I headed out my door to find 11-7 in the hallway.
She was wearing her armor and looked content. As soon as her tongue flicked into the air, she froze and looked at me. "What is that scent on you?"
I chuckled. "Oh, this, it's a little cologne. I'll sometimes put it on when I go to parties."
She blinked and got closer, wrapping an arm around my back. "I like it." She lowered her head to eye level. "It is a masking smell."
I didn't know what she meant by that. "You don't like how I smell normally?"
She blinked in confusion. "No. I said it is… masking. Em, Macs-liin, mask-ileen… Male smell."
It took a second before it clicked. "Ohh, you mean masculine."
She nodded. "Masculine, yes. It has a good smell. I did not intend to degrade your normal smell."
I smiled. "Well, thank you."
She poked me in the chest with two of her claws and traced them up to my chin before pulling her hand away.. "Maybe I could explore that scent, and you, further." She flicked her tongue and raised her scaly brows.
I chuckled. "I'm impressed. What movie was that from?"
She raised her head proudly. "I produced that line myself."
"I don't believe that for a second."
"You are making this process difficult."
"Well, yeah." I looked down at my phone. "We have two minutes tops until Ron gets here."
She huffed and moved away from me. "Very well, but you are not fun."
"We'll have plenty of time after the party. The host was nice enough to get the VIPs, in attendance, their own rooms."
"This is acceptable."
I wasn't really looking forward to talking to her about what was going down. It was hard not to consider what Manny had said. How would she take finding out that Manny wanted me to drug her? Guess I'd find out when that time came. For now, I had to play the part of the happy partygoer. Maybe my acting would come in handy for this. I had played the part of the action hero, terrorist, and the infiltrator before. Maybe... maybe I could get my mind back into those roles and just do what those characters would.
A honking sound from up front interrupted my thoughts. Ron was here. As we exited my house, I was surprised to see what he was sitting in. It wasn't the sedan he had been driving since the gene clinic attack. It was a black limo. Sleek and shiny. Ron walked away from the driver's side door and closed it.
He smiled. "Impressive, ain't she?"
I nodded. "It's got a cool retro look to it."
He looked down and rubbed the hood. "She looks like a Men in Black car, real FBI shit. She's not as new as the one I used to drive for ya, but she's snazzy for sure. Can't have ya showing up to a fancy party in a sedan. There's gonna be press there."
I took a moment to admire it before walking up to it and tugging on the handle. "It's locked."
Ron looked shocked. "Sheeet!" He ran to the driver's side door. And tugged on the door handle.
"Did you seriously just lock us out of the limo?"
"Well, I woulda." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a keyring. "If I didn't have the keys in my pocket." He clicked a button on the keychain and the doors unlocked.
I sighed and shook my head. "You dick. You really had me going there for a sec."
He laughed heartily and said, "Keepin ya on yer toes," before climbing in.
The drive to the hotel was uneventful. Ron talked at length about all the people that were gonna be there and about how it was good I was putting myself out there at a public event to mingle for some new acting work. I was absorbed in my thoughts, and only saying something occasionally to look like I was involved in the conversation.
Ron spoke loudly, pulling me from my thoughts. "We're here. Shit... That's more than I thought there was gonna be."
"What do you..." I looked out the window as I spoke. There were a shit ton of reporters, paparazzi, and no doubt people that were hybrids of the two occupations. They were clustered around the outside of the hotel, hungrily searching for someone to talk to. The paparazzi were like a hyper pack of starving wolves, and I had just pulled up in a fresh moose carcass. They converged around my limo and started taking pictures.
I looked over at 11-7. She got the message and slithered out of the car and got the paparazzi away from my door enough so that I could open it. I took a deep breath and tried to put on a cheerful face.
"Enjoy the party." Ron said from the front.
"Thanks."
"You'll be staying at the hotel tonight then?"
"Yeah."
"I'll be back to pick ya up tomorrow, then. In something less flashy. Don't get into too much trouble." He winked at me.
I chuckled uncomfortably, and said "You too," before stepping out of the car.
The paparazzi were all around me as I shut the door. Luckily, 11-7's large body could create an effective mobile barrier as we moved up to the large glass doors of the Olde Marriott Hotel. There were some Advent Troopers at the entrance I could make out above the paparazzis' heads. Probably the only reason they hadn't broken down the doors yet.
I got asked many questions as we got closer to the doors, but one invaded my mind. "What are you doing here Mr. Hickey?"
I looked in the direction of where it came from. It was a younger looking man holding up a smaller camera than the others. Probably from some internet show. You could always tell that by their age, and how they were dressed. This guy was dressed like it was autumn, even though it was spring. The question was generic and might help me build up an alibi if it came to that.
I smiled and looked into his camera. "I'm here to have a good time and blow off some steam. And ladies," I winked, "I'm still single." After I responded to his question, the volume of the others' questions got exponentially louder. Thank god we were at the doors now. The guards asked me for my name and scanned my EID on my phone before letting me in.
As we moved through the colossal lobby I heard 11-7 snort. She sounded annoyed. I wondered what she was upset about and realized it as soon as the elevator doors closed.
I looked up at her. Her face displayed no emotions because she was on duty, but I could tell by that snort she wasn't happy. "You know they need to think you and I aren't a thing."
Her head snapped in my direction, and her eyes narrowed. "I understand. However, I don't want any females to think they can getting close to you. You - are - mine."
I would be lying if I said I didn't find that kind of hot, but she really needed to lighten up, so I tried to lighten the mood. "It's a two-way street, you know." I said before smacking her on the ass, or at least I smacked where her ass would be if she had one.
The sound reverberated through the elevator like I had smacked a muscular thigh. "You and your friendly slapsss." The extra S's were accentuated. She flicked her tongue at me, but her features softened. "I understand what you tried to do, but I do not have the anatomy for that." She made a gurgling sound for a few seconds before I heard the elevator ding.
We both straightened out instantly and stood two feet apart. The doors slid open to reveal a small group of guys and girls who looked at me and 11-7. Their eyes rested on 11-7 for a moment as they decided if it would be worth it to wait for another elevator. Then, they awkwardly shuffled inside and stayed close together. They went up with us for a few floors before they got to their floor and quickly cleared out as soon as the doors opened.
I heard 11-7 make that gurgling sound again. "Maybe they fear actors."
I laughed with her. "Yeah, I think they do."
We went up a few more floors before we made it to the right floor. There was more security to go through, but it didn't take long, and soon after, we were at the party.
The room was enormous, about as big as my high school gymnasium, maybe even bigger than that. It was darkly lit, dark enough to not be able to make out people's faces from a distance, but bright enough that I could see everything in the room. There was a long bar that went along one side and on the other was near endless tables full of appetizers and food. In the middle section, there were tons of tables and chairs for people to sit at. Some were full of people talking and eating food. Further beyond the tables was an empty floor set up for dancing. It was full. At the back edges, there were couches and tables, probably comfier than the metal chairs at the tables.
The music selection was harmless, wordless, softer edm that anyone could reasonably enjoy. The other attendees were dressed formally, like me. Which was good. I was concerned that I might have over dressed.
Seemed like a decent party, course I didn't really come here for the party. I had to mingle at this party long enough so that people would believe that was why I was there. And while I was dreading what I would have to do, I had all night to do it, so there wasn't any reason I couldn't enjoy this part.
I took a deep breath and 11-7 and I walked out into the party. The first thing I did was get a drink to calm my nerves. When I spoke to the bartender, he rattled off a bunch of drinks I had never heard of, so I picked the one that sounded the tastiest. He handed me a tall glass filled with a lime green slushy with red at the bottom. I'd have to limit myself. Getting drunk would add to the many challenges I'd have to overcome.
As I walked around and chatted with other attendees, I realized there was quite the mixture of people here. I expected most of them to be from industry as the host was an industrialist, but there were people from all walks of life. Actors, chefs, computer specialists, and anything you could think of. But they all worked directly for Advent one way or another. Guess I shouldn't be surprised it was so easy for Manny to get me in.
Most of the people I spoke to I had never met before, but I ended up running into someone I knew. Kent was a guy I worked with on the first movie I was in when I started acting. We were both extras, and were only in a few scenes, but we had a good time cracking jokes in between shooting. We exchanged numbers, but as I went to talk to more people, he pointed to a guy sitting alone at a table, and told me he was the host.
That had piqued my curiosity. So I went over to speak to him. He was wearing a black suit jacket and tie. From his appearance, I could tell he was young. Young, but older than me. There was no way he was above early thirties. His demeanor and the way he nursed his martini implied he wasn't bored, probably just sitting alone for a few minutes.
As soon as I got close enough to the table, he looked up and smiled at me. "Good evening."
"Hey, how's it going?"
"Splendid." His eyes drifted over to 11-7. "Is she your… bodyguard?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
"I have some of my own, but I didn't bring them. Security at this party was ensured by me to be in tip-top shape. You did not have to bring her."
I shrugged. "I bring her everywhere with me."
He squinted his eyes and looked closely at me. "Do I know you? You seem - familiar."
"I'm Lucas Hickey. The actor."
"Ahh yes, you were in that comedy show about the terrorists that was popular."
"Yeah, that's me, Private Johnston. So, you're Delan LaRue, what do you do?" Heh, that rhymed.
"Besides hosting this party…" He took a drink from his martini. "I manage factories, some of which were once owned by my father. But, to put it bluntly, I'm a glorified accountant. Back in the day, before our time, I might've been considered a CEO."
"Oh, I bet it's interesting work."
He chuckled. "Maybe for some. But, to me it's like having to deal with the stress and headaches of owning a business, and reaping none of the rewards from it." He stopped talking and rubbed his temples. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that," he groaned, "it's been a busy week for me."
I held up my free hand. "Hey, I get it. If you want some alone time, say no more."
"No, it is alright, nothing you said wrong. I just don't enjoy talking about my job... I must admit I've heard of you, but I don't know of your acting all that well. I've seen some things you were in. The plots were mediocre, but your acting was serviceable."
It wasn't much of a compliment, but I'll take it. "Thanks."
"I've mainly heard about you from that speech you gave at City 4-47. Caused a stir around here."
"Really?"
"Oh yes. You managed to appeal to a lot of people with your speech. I'm one of them, to a degree."
"That's awesome. I didn't know they broadcasted it over here."
He nodded and took a sip from his drink. "It was broadcasted to the surrounding cities; there were a few news stories running on it. If nothing else, I'll bet you'll get some extra work from it."
"No doubt."
We talked some more about movies I had been in and what that was like before I moved on.
"Enjoy the party, Mr. Hickey, and good luck on your future endeavors. I hope we meet again when I am not as tired."
"I'm sure we will. Thanks." I'll need to claim that luck tonight.
There was still more time until the entrance would be less guarded, so I continued to mingle. As the night went on, I noticed how bored 11-7 looked, and she was only getting more bored. It wasn't standard procedure for her to speak with people unnecessarily, so she kept quiet. She could perfectly withstand it, but I still felt bad. There wasn't exactly much room for people to try anything, there was plenty of security for the building and the party. I took her over to a somewhat secluded table and ordered us some food. Two plates of braised snapper with a rich parsley sauce, and diced Italian seasoned roma tomatoes. There were other things on the menu, but neither of us liked salads.
She naturally swallowed her entire plate all at once when no one was looking. I took my time and savored the delicate and flavorful meal. As I swallowed a bite of my fish, I asked her a question. "Are you bored?"
She licked her scaled lips, sopping up all the fish grease and olive oil she had smeared on her face in one smooth motion. "Am I unable to hide that?"
"I mean I noticed. I'm not sure about everyone else."
She sighed and looked at the table. "It is annoying when I am not permitted to speak because of my duties, but I will manage as I always have."
"We have a hotel room. You could go wait up there until I'm done if you want."
Her eyes widened. "And leave you alone?" She looked around the room for a few seconds, likely noting the security they had in place. She scratched her chin with a claw and looked back at me. "If you feel safe enough, I would prefer to be watching the television."
"You can go to the hotel room. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be down here."
"Very well." She seemed happy to be released from duty.
She stayed until I finished my fish and slithered out the way we came in. As I watched her leave I realized now might be a good opportunity to go to that office building. Now that she was gone I was free to scout the area. I walked through the ballroom to the secondary entrance by the dancefloor crowded with people. This entrance wasn't guarded because it wasn't connected to the rest of the building and only served as a skywalk over the road to the office building across the street. There were three guards there by the door. Two of them were standing directly in front of the office doors and the other one was by a wall in the skywalk. They were armed with Magnetic Rifles. This was going to be difficult.
Fuck. What was I gonna do? What was the time that paper said there would be only one... 10:20 I think. As I planned my next move, I walked back to the party and heard someone call my name. The voice was familiar and as I turned to look; I saw someone I was kind of hoping I wouldn't run into again. It was that scientist guy from the club. He was sitting on a couch with a bottle of wine, and he was waving me over.
The thought of disappearing into the crowd sounded appealing, but then he held up the wine bottle and pointed at it. Fuck it, I still had time to burn. I walked over to the couch he was sitting on.
He was wearing a blue suit jacket and a white undershirt, and seemed to be in good spirits. "Lucas, my friend, enjoying the party?"
I nodded. "It's been alright so far, but that snapper was delicious."
"Was it? I had the salad, I'll have to procure some of it to take home later." His eyes widened for a second. "Oh, why don't you take a seat? I have with me here a bottle of Advent Reserve. The good stuff."
I wasn't much of a wine guy, but Advent reserve wasn't cheap. The couch's cushion squeaked as I sat across from him. "So how have you been?"
He took a sip of his wine and looked around the room. "Never better, never better. As of late, I have been focused on developing the next generation of vipers for this city. It has kept me.. busy. - Tonight is my break from that work."
"So, work's been getting you down?"
I could tell from the look in his eye I got him started on something I didn't want to hear. "On the contrary, I absolutely love what I do. I feel like a modern day Nikola Tesla, except my expertise is in biology. And, with the Elders' help I'm not held back by the technology of my time like he was. I have so many tools at my disposal..." He noticed my disinterest. "My apologies. Sometimes I get excited about my work, not necessary to give a speech about it. You get the picture, I'm not taking this break because I dislike my work. - How have you fared since we last spoke?"
I was happy he got the hint. "Good. I've been through a lot of shit, but I'm doing good, all things considered."
He nodded. "I heard about some of it on the news. Though, I'm sure you've spoken of it many times to many people." He poured some of the wine into an empty class and passed it to me over the short glass table the couches were around.
I grabbed it and took a sip. Bitter, but with a smooth finish and it had a strong aroma of raspberries. "I've had my fill talking about being kidnapped and all that."
He raised his glass to me and took a sip from it. "Then let us find a different conversational topic we both enjoy."
As we made small talk, I found out he was quite the video game enthusiast before Advent. He may be weird, but at least he was capable of holding a conversation. I started feeling more comfortable around him, but I'm sure the wine and whatever that lime slushy was helped with that. So much so, I built up enough confidence to ask a question that's been burning in my mind for a long time. "I've got to ask you a question. It's a weird question and I don't want you reading into it."
He chuckled. "Please, I am a scientist. I read into everything. But what I am not is a cop, so you don't have to worry what I glean from it."
I sighed and tried to ignore social ineptitude. "For Vipers, I've noticed they have aggressive personalities. But, is it normal for them to be, em... sexually aggressive?"
His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned forward on his knees, putting his fingertips together. "Hmm, that is an interesting question. One that makes me seriously wonder what you have been up to since we last spoke." He smiled and feigned ignorance. "But I am a man of my word. You'll have no questions from me." He scratched his chin and looked around the room. "What I am about to tell you, you cannot tell others, not even your bodyguard. You keep this to yourself, understand?"
He had gotten serious all of a sudden, and it captured my attention. "Alright. I won't tell anyone else."
"Good." He sighed and scratched the patch of hair on his chin. "As annoying as it is, I have little control over vipers once they leave their gestation tanks. And, as soon as they are released, they are subject to the Advent propaganda machine, indoctrinated so that they will all behave a certain way." He chuckled. "Completely controlled nature and nurture until they reach the ripe age of 3. Then they are ready for combat."
"Jesus, three?"
He nodded. "It sounds young, but they are all clones genetically crafted to be as perfect as possible. They've been engineered to grow up fast, and we pump them full of growth hormones. However, they reach their maximum size quickly, even without the added hormones. Believe me, they're completely capable of killing at three years."
"And, you don't like that they do that?"
I saw worry in his eyes. "It's more complicated than that. It's not as though what they learn isn't important, and what they do is - of the utmost importance. Advent needs them to keep the peace. But they are all so similar..." He looked at his hands. "I wish I could give them more individuality, and I don't mean different phenotypes. They should be able to have distinct personalities, temperaments,- interests and ideas. My girls at home are living proof that they can have all of those thinks. They all have interesting hobbies they've chosen all on their own, and live fulfilling lives. Maybe they could even be integrated into society in other ways." He was looking happy as he spoke, but that excitement faded. "But Advent doesn't care about that. They want the same soldier who follows orders and stays inside the lines, over and over again. We produce models other than the combat ones, but they go through the same processes. They are not much different."
What he was saying was interesting, but it wasn't answering my question. "What does this have to do with what I asked?"
He raised his eyebrows and took a drink of his wine. "Well, - everything. If you extrapolate a little. Their whole lives, they are oblivious to their sexual desires. The frustrations and negative emotions from that build up over time. And where is that directed?"
"Uh..."
"Humans." He pointed at me and himself. "Us. It's easy to direct someone's emotions when they are brimming with them. Easier still if they are frustrated and angry with everything. All Advent has to do is point and say shoot. Eventually, they don't even have to say it anymore. They don't question it. And why would they? It's all they know. Vipers, like all biological assets, aren't told anything about their bodies beyond how to kill. Vipers are lied to about what sexual things are and taught to direct that aggression against enemies in order to keep them loyal."
I thought back to that time I was almost molested by one outside the club, and what I saw outside the limo. "And, that can cause problems..."
"Yes. If you encounter a crazed one. It is because all of that has been locked away for most of her life. When they discover these things one way or another, it all comes out at once. It's even possible they are genetically predisposed to have a higher libido than humans, but unsurprisingly Advent doesn't have an interest in subjects like that."
"Then why doesn't Advent just remove their genitals, or something." Shit. That probably just revealed way too much. I blame the wine.
As I said that, Xavier got a funny look in his eye and laughed. Raising his eyebrows as he raised his glass to his lips for another drink. "That is privileged information Lucas, but I won't ask how you obtained it. No questions asked."
I could respond with nothing other than silence.
"This question requires a lot of explanation. And normally, this knowledge would be privileged information as well, but seeing as you already have some. What's a little more added to it?" He set his glass down on the table and gestured to the air as he spoke. "The Elders practice genetic frugality when it comes to modifying the genotype of their - assets. It's easy enough to tweak a gene to change a physical or behavioral trait, here or there. An increase in height or fang length as an example. But changing a major part of them, completely removing their reproductive organs, would likely throw their homeostasis out of whack and lead to defective or ineffective units." He must have noticed my blank stare. "To put it simply, DNA is like a tower of precariously balanced blocks. Change too much of the sequence at once and you can easily topple the tower. Does that make sense?"
"I - guess. I don't really know what a sequence is."
"It's another word for your DNA, the blueprint for your body that is present in most of your cells. But, let's not get into that."
"Okay, I think I understand." I took a drink and was silent for a few moments. Since our conversation was so controversial already, I figured what was one more question. "Can they deviate from the mindset Advent provides them?"
Xavier once again obliged me. I'm sure it's because he thought I was just as weird as he was. "It is possible. Unlikely, but possible. Their Ideology, and their genetics keep them in line, and when both of those fail their - implants, straighten them out. In a manner of speaking."
"What? They have implants?"
He nodded. "Of course. Most important humans have some form of implant."
Maybe I could help 11-7 with her implant. I was learning so much about her and was starting to understand why she was struggling with her feelings so much when we got to know each other. "How do they work?"
He looked around the area and whispered to me. "I do not know how they work because Advent implants them after they are done gestating. That's not my jurisdiction. But, I know two things about them: they subtly control the subject, and if the subject receives repeated shocks to the worldview given to them by Advent. They can build up a tolerance to its influence. And when they break free of those methods of control, things can get nasty. Like we discussed previously."
"Can they recover from breaking their conditioning?"
He nodded. "Giving them that..." he cleared his throat, "relief is an easy solution. But it hits them hard, like a brick to the face. Explaining what is happening works much better. But, when they get past those feelings, they change. They have an easier time focusing and have a calmer disposition. They find solutions other than violence to the problems they face." He nodded at me. "As long as you support her and keep trying to help her she'll be fine."
"Thanks." I looked down at my phone. 9pm. It was getting close to when I had to get into the office building. I had to talk to 11-7 before I did it. "Shit, I gotta go."
"No worries, I enjoyed the conversation. Have a good night Lucas. You have my number. Feel free to come to me again if you have any other questions about Vipers."
"I'll be sure to."
0-
I left the party and went to the hotel room. Room number 734. I opened the door and found 11-7 wearing a white shirt and lazily draped over one of the two beds watching something on the tv.
Her eyes immediately shifted to me. "Greetings Lucas. How was the party?" She seemed excited to see me.
I quickly closed the door. "It was a good time. Um, we need to talk."
A spark of curiosity flashed in her crimson reptilian eyes. "What is the topic?"
"One we'll need privacy for. Turn off your electronics." I turned my phone off, and she did the same. "Are there any cameras in here?"
"Cameras?" She looked around the room. "I did not detect any, but I was not seeking them."
I sighed. "It'll have to do." Walking over to her, I took a seat on the other bed across from her. "The party isn't the only reason I came here, and I'm not sure what to do." My eyes drifted down to look at the tan floral carpeting that covered the floor. "I should have told you sooner, but Manny could have been watching us. I wasn't..."
"It is alright, Lucas." I looked up to see her smiling. "You had your reasonings, excuse is not necessary. I trust you. - Now tell me what this is about."
I explained why I was really here and what I had to do in an hour. She stayed quiet and listened. ...and that's why Manny wanted me to drug you. He thought you couldn't handle knowing this."
She made a grumbling noise and leaned back on her coils. "I do not understand why. Why he would think that necessary?"
"People are not always as they seem. Especially aliens. He's just doing whatever it takes to achieve Advent's goals. Even if it means possibly helping enemies in the short term. If the rebels get away, they would have the data."
She tilted her head to look at me. "Your manager was right."
"What?"
"This is difficult to process for me. I am not sure what to think. I have never heard of others behaving in this way."
"How many people higher up in Advent do you know?"
She flicked her tongue out. "My associations were only ever with my sisters, and you. The claim I make is unsubstantiated."
"He could still be a bad egg. But he's made it seem like his actions are unknown by Advent but still sanctioned by them."
"I dislike this. If I was as I was before I met you, this knowledge would have affected me more. After I have seen what he has done, I am not entirely surprised by this course of action he has taken. Forcing you to do this is outrageous. I should be the one risking my life for Advent, not you."
"Hey it's not like I'll be sacrificing myself."
"But it is dangerous. You must understand. You tell me to value my life, but you go and - and plan to risk yours without telling me anything for an entire week."
"Look, I have to. My hands are tied. If I had a say I wouldn't have agreed to it."
She calmed down and sighed. "Do you know why I like you?"
Strange change in direction, but I chuckled because I realized I had never asked her why. "No, actually I don't. Because you were horny?"
"Horny?" She crossed her arms and scoffed. "N-no, I..." She uncrossed her arms and pointed at me. "You are ruining this moment. No, it is not just because I have sexual desires and you were the closest male." She put her hands together and pressed against her chest. "You've made me feel like I have more value than I should. That I have more than tactical value to you. You'd even foolishly put yourself in dangerous situations to help me. I am invaluable to you, and Advent does not feel the same." She let her hands rest in her lap.
I leaned forward and held her big clawed hands. "You're so special. I've never met anyone like you before."
She chortled. "You don't have to tell me I'm special. I know what I am. There are no genetic distinctions between me and my sisters. There are millions of my kind just like me. I am not special. They look like me, they sound like me, and they think like me. I appreciate your sentiment, but I am not unique."
"I'm not talking about your genes or whatever. You're special to me."
She put a finger to my lips to quiet me and smiled. "We're two lonely souls that found each other in strange circumstances. You don't have to speak theatrically or romanticize it. Just tell me you love me, and I'll tell you the same. And unlike that old girlfriend of yours, I'll mean it."
I looked away from her sharp eyes, out of embarrassment, and was starting to understand what she was trying to do. "I, uh, I don't know. This is something I have to do. I don't know what to do, but I don't have a choice. Staying here isn't an option."
Her hands left mine, and she reached her arms around me to pull me into an embrace. I didn't fight it. "I understand, but I cannot help but worry about your safety. Are you going to fight the guards?"
"No, I'll have to find some other way of getting past them. This is a stealthy mission, and I have to wait until 10:20 so that there is only one to get past."
She let go of me and slithered further onto the bed. When I looked up, she was lying on her side in a suggestive position. "Then it will not take much convincing to make you stay a little longer?"
I looked at the clock on the wall. It was an hour before I had to leave. "Yeah, I've got time." I kicked off my shoes and took off my shirt before hopping on the bed with her.
Instantly, she pressed her hard lips against mine and gently pushed me down on the bed. Her thin bifurcated tongue carefully slipped into my mouth and intertwined with my own.
I pulled away from the kiss for a moment "Aren't you gonna try and stop me from leaving. You usually freak out whenever I'm in harm's way." I chuckled. "Unless this is your plan to stop me?"
"I cannot stop you from carrying out an order given to you by Advent. But I've learned that you are capable. I trust you will come back to me." She leaned close to my neck. "And if you don't, I'll bite everyone that stands in my way, and then I will bite you." She closed her mouth around the front of my neck and gummed it with her folded fangs.
I pulled my neck out of her mouth. "Alright I'll come back."
There was a hint of mischievousness in her slitted pupils. "See that you do."
I closed my eyes as we were locked into another passionate kiss. I tried to feel around her lower body for her entrance, but all I could touch was her abdominal muscles. 11-7 understood what I was trying to do and grabbed my hand. She gently led my grasping digits to their mark. The problem was my arms were short compared to her, so I had to take a perpendicular position on her body. Good thing her neck's length and flexibility made up for my arm length.
The area was slick and engorged. I teased the outside of it, running my fingers over and around the edges. She grumbled happily, as I did. After some light teasing, I stuck two of my fingers inside without warning and she moaned into my mouth. Her entrance pulsed rhythmically, and I swear I could almost feel her heartbeat when I touched it. We had done this a few times since and her reactions to my stimulation were becoming more reasonable. I forced my fingers in and out of her, feeling her warmth and tight muscles enveloping them. She did not leave me hanging as I pleasured her. I felt her tail move up to my pants. My belt was pulled off, and my pants taken with it.
She rubbed her tail against my shaft, which was almost at full mast. As she did, I pulled away from the kiss. "Why do you always use your tail? Not that I'm complaining, but wouldn't it be easier to use your hand?"
She scratched the top of her head and looked away from me. "I, my hands... I'm more confident with my tail, and I have claws." She flashed her long black claws in front of my face and gauged my reaction. "I wish to not accidentally prick you with them."
"You don't have to worry about pricking me. I trust you..."
My words got caught in my throat because her tail curled tightly around my member. "Then you will trust that I know what I am speaking of."
I groaned, "alright," as she squeezed the length of my cock with her tail. I couldn't say much else with her tongue keeping mine busy.
We have had sex a few times, but I still felt like I was fumbling around in the dark with her anatomy. She had no clitorus, or at least one that I could find. There's probably a joke in there somewhere. I had developed a technique where I would press firmly against the inner walls of her vagina and move in a circular pattern to touch all of it. Then I would move my fingers in and out to mix it up. She seemed to like it, but I wasn't sure if it was the right way to pleasure her. It'd probably take a lot of practice before I could really understand what got her off.
As I was knuckle deep in her snatch, giving her the double twist Lucas special, I was edging closer and closer to my own orgasm. I was so focused on my technique, and her subtle reactions to it, I was neglecting to focus on my own condition. Shit, I almost climaxed as I yanked my hand out of her. That was such a sloppy move that I felt her warm juices spatter across my face.
She understood why I did that and chuckled. "You're almost done already? I suppose you couldn't wait to get your hands on me." Her tail released my member.
I took a few deep breaths. "I could say the same. You made some new noises this time." I pushed her onto her back.
She smiled. "Eager to finish?"
"Maybe." I stared as I lined myself up at her slit.
"You're staring again." She mumbled. "You do this every time"
"I know, it's just. Well. Why is it yellow? Is that normal?"
She looked confused. "My genitals?"
"Yes."
She sighed. "The same reason the inside of your mouth is pink. My blood is yellow, that is why the tissue is that color."
That only added to my questions. "If that's the case, why is the inside of your mouth pink?"
I saw shock in her eyes. She was silent for a few moments, pondering what I had just asked her. "I'm not sure. I hadn't thought about that before." She grunted. "Stop spoiling the mood with these strange questions and put your dick inside me."
I slid it in carefully and felt that tightness and warmth that I have been becoming familiar with. Gripping the sides of her body with my knees, I stabilized myself and thrusted against her toned body. My body made loud slaps as I pounded against her. If she wasn't so muscular, I'm sure it would be quieter. Her expression was a far cry from when we had first done it. She looked directly into my eyes with a loving expression on her face.
I thought about what I had talked to Xavier about tonight. She really had been calming down since that first time.
Lost in my thoughts, I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, and I pulled back too far. Her genitals had suctioned to my member, and as I pulled it all the way out, it made a popping noise.
I went to realign myself, but 11-7 flipped over me and was now on top. "You seem distracted, Lucas."
"Sorry. I was thinking about things."
She smiled. "You should relax and enjoy this. It might be your last time."
Before I responded, she lined me up using her tail and pressed her body into me. Her ribbed insides rubbed against my glans and the whole length of my member. It only took a few pumps for that suction to build up again. How she acted now was also different from the first time we made love.
It was less primal, more sensual and loving. I'd be lying if I said her primal side wasn't enjoyable, but this was much easier on my body, considering her size. She coiled around my legs partially and used the rest to steady herself as she wrapped her arms around me, pushing her sizable venom glands against my chest. Surrounded on all sides by her warm embrace as she lovingly grinded against me.
I looked into her red eyes and saw nothing but compassion. She wasn't a monster, and if she was, she was a monster that cared. I wouldn't trade this for the world. Her body wasn't completely restricting my movement, and I thrusted as she moved against me.
Our pace and breathing quickened in sync as we both reached our climax. I held on until she shuddered against me, and I did the same.
She untangled her body from me and relaxed. We both laid on the bed next to each other, breathing heavily.
After a few minutes of silence 11-7 spoke. "What does the future hold for us, Lucas?"
"I, I don't know. I'm worried more about what tonight holds for us, than the future."
"Do you think there's a chance for us? - To be together."
I sighed. "I hope so. It's not bad, there are others like the scientist guy. We could be an exception. And, we wouldn't have to do anything crazy. I think we could be together. I just don't know if Manny or Advent will let us. It's hard to say."
She slithered over to me and wrapped herself around my body loosely. "You'll find a solution, I know you will."
"Thanks, but you can't coil around me. I have to go soon."
"You still have 30 minutes. Please, just lay with me for some time."
I scooted closer to her. "I guess I have time for that." I closed my eyes and enjoyed her cuddling. She happily squeaked when I relented to her.
"Are you really gonna let me leave in half an hour?"
She hummed a short tune. "Maybe."
I let myself relax in her arms. A short nap couldn't hurt.