Chapter 22
After a night of partying that had ventured into the early hours, it fell quiet until the late morning. M, Will and Daine had sprawled themselves across the desk, after their dance-off had turned into a fiasco. David, Jess, Samson, Jason, Pete and Jet had collapsed on the staircase. Luca and Fi had fallen asleep at their desks. Siobhan, Ella and Olva were asleep at the bar. Sofamke was the first to wake, and as she cleared up, Jason awoke from his unconscious state. He had very little idea what had happened the night before, but as his eyesight became accustomed to the mid-day sunlight, he noticed Jess' arms wrapped tightly around his bare chest. The morning after curse had appeared to have caught him cold footed. Prizing her arms off him, he stood up, and strode over to Sofamke.
"Morning," he grunted
"Morning, she chirped back, apparently with very little hang over. She had a much clearer vision of what had happened at the party. "You had an eventful night last night!"
"So i figured," Jason sighed, looking back at Jess. A cold sweat ran from his forehead, "Did I?" he dared ask.
"Oh no!" Sofamke assured him, "Unless something happened after 1:30, i was one of the last ones down, you were fine up until then."
"Thank goodness," chuckled Jason, breathing a sigh of relief.
"So don't you like her then?" Sofamke probed, almost expecting Jason to tell her it was none of her business, but he seemed surprisingly open about it.
"No!" he protested, "Of coarse i like her, i just didn't want to put her out of action for nine months with a little one. I'm also rather weary of the under aged sex laws!" he joked
"That doesn't sound anything like you!" she joked back.
"No, i was talking about her! She might have rules surrounding that sort of thing!" Jason laughed
Sofamke, though thoroughly amused at first, then dropped a far more serious bombshell,
"You do realise you asked each other out don't you?"
"WHAT!?!" Jason yelled, causing a few people still asleep to stir, but thankfully fall back asleep almost instantly.
"Yeh, around midnight you too started snogging, and you asked her out, and she said yes about a million times over!" Sofamke recalled, "You can ask Luca too, she was there, and Will, and Ella, they all heard the two of you."
"I'm still morning the death of my first girlfriend!" he exclaimed, before muttering, "Thanks to David,"
"Well now you have a new one," Sofamke rubbed it in a little harder
"But i don't want to, I'm not ready! God i hope she doesn't remember!" Jason panicked
"What's the matter darling?" came Jess' voice from behind him. Turning on the spot, Jason ran over instantly, kneeling in front of her.
"Jess, do you remember last night?" he asked
"I most certainly do!" Jess beamed from ear to ear
"Well forget it, please forget it!" he pleaded
"Why?" Jess sounded a little taken aback, "i thought..."
"i know," Jason tried to reason with her, "but I'm just not ready yet. My last girlfriend died less than a month ago, I'm just not prepared to replace her in my heart yet. I'm so sorry. Please tell me you understand, this is killing me!"
Jess looked close to tears through his speech, but in a blink of an eye, they disappeared, and she looked at Jason fresh and relaxed
"Of coarse, I'm just sorry I've put you through this. Of coarse I can put things on hold for now, until your ready."
"Thank you." Sighed Jason "Thank you so much!" He pulled himself to his feet. As he turned away, Jess asked him,
"Jason; when you are ready, are we still...?" she asked hopefully. Jason just smiled.
"We'll see!" he said in a calm, yet optimistic voice. Jess smiled back, as Jason walked off.
"looks like you've caught yourself a lad, and a very good looker at that!" commented Sofamke.
"Indeed i have," smiled Jess, who stretched, and walked off into her office.
23 minutes later, David, Fi, Ella, Olva and Jet had all gotten up. Sofamke and Jess were eating breakfast.
"Well, how are you after last night?" Jet asked Jess excitedly.
"Don't, we've broken up temporarily." Jess informed, to be met by a chorus of "Oh Jess"s and "Oh babe"s and "I'm so sorry"s
"It's all right, he's just still morning the death of his last girlfriend." Jess said
"oops" David groaned through gritted teeth.
"Don't feel bad, if you hadn't killed her, i wouldn't have him at all. The relationship's just postponed till he's ok."
"Well, when you put it like that, mass genocide doesn't sound so bad anymore does it?" David mocked, his upbeat mood hadn't deteriorated since the last night. He'd almost forgotten about Althea, although the thought hadn't fully left him of the task ahead. Skipping breakfast, he headed off to the control room. Olva hurried after him.
"I forgot to ask, who are the new guys?" he asked
"Mutants that come from an ancient city." David replied
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Mutants have been around for a long time, the government has only just realised them. But they built a big city in the sky. The called it Atiome. They lived for centuries. The thing with old fashioned mutants, they reach a "perfect age" Some feel that's reasonably young and energetic, others feel older and wiser, some say whatever age is the most powerful. i have a feeling our perfect age will be when we defeat Althea. They may be 15 human years, like us, but that's their perfect age, mutanicly they could be centuries old. They, for all we know could be the ones who founded Atiome."
"Wow, centuries, are we...?"
"Immortal." David finished, "to a certain extent. Only death by another mutant can kill us. That's why Althea has to be stopped by us."
"But what's with their names, i mean Jet? Luca?"
"Not sure about Luca, but Jet's a captains honour. I reckon she's leader of the three of them. Captains got recognition, not by being called Captain, but by getting a fake name. I reckon Luca is real."
"A bit odd isn't it?"
"Now now, let's not get racist, it's just from a different culture." David informed
"I just wondered, cos Jet's hot!" Olva exclaimed
"Oh not you as well!" David moaned. "What is this, Lonely Hearts Club? Don't let it interfere with work, like Jason and Jess."
"I promise!" Olva looked as if butter wouldn't melt."
"Well go on then, I've decided to let everyone take the weekend off business. Althea can't take over the world in the next two days." David sighed hopefully, as Olva saluted and dashed off.
At reception, M was tidying up her desk as Samson walked up to her.
"what do you think of the new guys then?" he asked her
"I don't know, they seem familiar. I wonder if i saw them in the revolution?" M queried, looking at an empty bottle with some illegible words on it. "Can you read this?" she handed the bottle to him.
"No, sorry," he said squinting at it.
"Oh well," sighed M, taking it back from him. "I can't remember what it had in it, or what i used it for. I had it as one of the few positions from my home i had with me at the time of my arrival in Durham. That's when Morgomir had ruined my life. I can't even remember my home! My own home!!" she sobbed, as Samson hugged her, and comforted her.
"My boyfriend, was killed by him!" she wept, now holding onto Samson, as if he life depended on it.
"I never had time for girlfriends," sighed Samson " i was diagnosed Mutant when i was 4. The world had never seen a four year old run that quick when the police came knocking." He chuckled "Since then I've been lonely." his tone turned sad again.
"Sounds like we both need a lover to sort a few things straight," stammered M, now looking tear struck into Samson's eyes, who himself felt like welling up.
"Yes it does!" he agreed, before tilting his head to the right, as M motioned hers to the left. Then, slowly, but passionately, the exchanged a kiss, just as David strode in.
"Oh my God!" he cried in disbelief, as both Samson and M looked to him, in amusement "This is getting out of hand!" He exclaimed; but they didn't care, as, dragging him into the dormitories, M peeled Samson's shirt off, they made out once more, toppling onto M's bed. Stripping totally bare, the climbed under the sheets.
"I promise you this'll be the best you've ever had!!" Samson growled, as M squealed with delight, her bosom pushed against his chest, his lips locked onto her neck, as he smuthered her, and they connected. Her grunts echoed through the hall.
"She sounds impressed!" Siobhan commented, as she, David, Luca and Will sat at the bar.
"It must be bigger than i thought!" gasped Luca, as the 4 of them laughed into their drinks