This is where I introduce Eve's nemesis - the hangover! Oh, and Johnny. And we haven't even gotten to space yet!
R&R and enjoy!
Chapter Four - Hangover
The day of the launch, I was late.
I awoke on the floor – a usual occurrence these last few weeks – with a nasty bruise on my knee, a brain-splitting headache, and a soiled dress.
"Shit!" I cried, jumping up and whacking my arm on the coffee table. "Shit, shit, shit!" I hobbled to the bathroom and fumbled to turn on the shower. As the steam filled the room, I peeked through the doorway and saw the time.
10:13.
I was supposed to be at the launch site an hour ago.
"Holy shit!" I yanked off the ruined dress and threw it in the trash can, then jumped in the shower. "Shit!" I howled in pain. The burning water pounded painfully on my skin, but as I fumbled to cool the water down, the phone began to ring. The pounding in my head increased, and I let out a groan and pressed my head against the cool tile wall. The ringing ended, and I raced to wash the grime, alcohol, and what smelled suspiciously like vomit off my body.
I turned off the shower and, attempting to ignore my reflection, dried off as well as I could. I half-hopped, half-ran to my bedroom and pulled out sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. Trying to be gentle with my knee, I yanked on the clothes and dug through a pile of laundry for my backpack. When I finally found it, I reluctantly picked up my phone and checked who had called.
"Shit." It was Leonard, three times. I was so screwed.
I called him back and gathered my laptop, snatched a box of granola bars and a bottle of aspirin from the kitchen, and nearly tripped over Tessa. I faintly remembered ending up here with her last night. Her dress was in worse shape than mine, and her turquoise hair was hacked in messy layers on one side. I dropped a few aspirins next to her as I heard Leonard pick up.
"Where are you? You're late! Everyone but Johnny has shown up, but you were supposed to be here early for preparation! What are you doing? Where are you?" Leonard sounded hysterical, but it might have just been my hangover.
"Sorry, I had a rough night. I'm on my way." I really didn't want to argue with Leonard, especially when my head felt like it was about to split open.
"You had better be, or you're fired."
I pressed my fist to my temple as I locked up my apartment and sprinted to the street, stuffing my laptop into the backpack. Unfortunately, I did not own a car, for rational reasons. One, I got drunk a lot, and two, why own a car when I could take a cab? Its New York, for God's sake!
As Fate would have it, not a single taxi was empty, and I was not in the mood for sharing. Anyway, I doubted that anyone else was going to the launch site. I resorted to jogging down the streets, looking for an empty or emptying cab. Three blocks over, I caught one.
Tired, frustrated, late, and hungover, I nearly snarled the address at the driver. I leaned back and rubbed my face. I probably looked vicious, or possibly like I was on drugs. Maybe both. But the driver didn't complain, and I didn't puke or have a breakdown, so the ride itself was uneventful. Of course, until we neared the site.
"The hell..?" said the driver. I looked up and out the windshield, then promptly groaned and put my head in my hands.
Outside, a familiar figure was leaning over the car door of a convertible and kissing the female driver. The one and only Johnny Storm. He pulled away and sped up on his motorcycle, leaving the starstruck woman behind. I pinched the bridge of my nose and leaned back, trying in vain to ignore my headache. It didn't bother me that Johnny was a womanizer. It bothered me that he was obsessed with the spotlight. He was my polar opposite, and although we hadn't formally met, I knew plenty about him.
Susan's younger brother thought that being famous was everything. Getting girls and making money. He chased anything over the age of 16 that wore a skirt. He just made me want to punch him. And kick him. And possibly stab him. Childish, I know, but all I saw in him was a younger, less devious, and blonder version of Victor.
The cab pulled up to the double doors, and I payed the driver and jumped out. It was only after he was speeding off that I realized I never got his name. I always got the driver's name. The headache was messing with my routine.
I almost made it through the doors without freaking out or interacting with anyone. Almost. The moment I decided to enter the building and face Leonard, a hand touched my shoulder. Maybe it was the drinks last night, maybe it was my malfunctioning head. Or maybe I just lost it, the recent events getting to me and making me volatile. But for some reason, my body decided to try and give Johnny Storm a shiner. He moved at the last second, though, and my fist went through air instead.
"Whoa, what was that?" he asked, staring at me. "You look like crap."
"Thanks," I spat, yanking the door open. Now I was angry.
"Rough night, huh? You should really go back to bed."
"Eve! There you are! Oh, and Johnny, you're here. Go on, go on, your equipment is over there." I was never so happy to see Leonard in my life. He practically kicked Johnny into one of the rooms down the hall, then turned to me. "You look terrible. What happened last night? And why is your hair all wet still? And what are you wearing?"
"Because. Now where do I go? And where's the bathroom?"
"The woman's changing room is over there," he said, pointing, " and there is a bathroom inside it. Hurry up, Victor still needs a lot done before the launch,and your late. Now, we need -"
I never caught what he was about to say. I was busy running to the changing room and, upon finding the bathroom, locking myself inside. I spent the next few minutes feeling like I was about to hurl. When I finally mustered the will to leave, I came out and found Sue sitting on a chair, adjusting the skin-tight, bright blue suit that Victor designed himself. It was obvious he had modified Sue's because the zipper didn't go very high, exposing more than what should be on a space mission.
"Hey, Eve, how have you been..." Her voice trailed off when she looked up at me. "Wow, what happened to you?"
"Life. Do I really have to wear one of those?" I already knew the answer – the fittings four weeks ago had given me a new meaning of uncomfortable, and I had seen the designs before. Sue smiled and pointed to the closet where my own suit hung. I yanked it out and glared at it. I changed quickly, not wanting to have someone barge in while I was half-naked. Changing in front of Sue was awkward enough, but the bathroom was too small to change in without getting a new bruise. My tender knee had already screamed bloody murder at me when I knelt on the tile floor earlier. At least I was lucky and Victor looked at me as an employee and assistant, not a girlfriend. He let my suit zip up to my neck.
"I'm going to deliver these to the guys – you want to come with?" I looked up to see Sue holding the cover suits. I remembered my assignment, had a mental argument with myself, and gave in.
"Fine," I said, rubbing my head. I had taken some aspirin, but I knew it wouldn't help much. She smiled, and I grimaced back. I followed her out, stopping to pull on the knee-high boots – another thing styled by Victor. Sue's were heeled. We stepped into the changing room just as I heard a voice say, "... but I don't know if I should be flying or doing Swan Lake in these suits. I mean, who the hell came up with these?" I had a déjà vu moment when Sue stepped in and started to speak.
"Victor did. The synthetics act as a second skin, adapting to your body's individual needs." I saw Reed look up and stare at his ex, and Ben watch him with pity in his eyes. Johnny smiled and winked at me, then spoke up.
"See, that means it keeps the hot stuff hot and keeps the cool stuff cool." I ignored him, rubbed my forehead and leaned against the wall, fighting the urge to puke all over the carpet.
"Wow. Fantastic." I glanced over and saw Reed standing in front of Sue, giving her an up-down with his eyes. Then he grabbed the suit Ben was holding and inspected it. "Material made from self-regulating molecules. I've been working on a formula for this."
Sue's smile vanished, Johnny shook his head, and Ben looked down, embarrassed for his friend. I snickered, then groaned and pressed my fists to my head. Johnny looked over at me and grinned, then mouthed, "hangover." I glared at him.
"Great minds think alike," said Sue, giving a professional smile. "Here you go, Ben," she said, handing him a suit.
"Thanks sweetie."
"Reed." He had drifted over to a mirror and was in the process of unbuttoning his shirt when he turned around and caught the suit as Sue threw it at him. He watched her leave with a confused expression. Johnny shook his head again, then turned back around to me.
"Must have been quite a party to show up like that. Victor's gonna fire you the second he sees you. Even I wouldn't dare to show up today that messed up."
"He's not gonna fire me."
"You sure about that, sweetheart?" He looked smug.
"I'm gonna punch you."
"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."
"I still don't know your name," said Ben, looking over at me expectantly.
"Good," I muttered, wincing as my headache increased.
Reed looked up from his laptop. "I thought I told you. Ben, this is Evonna Reyes. She's Victor's Technology and Research Adviser. She's the last crew member I told you about." He looked over at me. "Evonna, this is Ben Grimm, my-"
"I know who he is," I said, cutting him off. "Don't call me Evonna. Only Victor does."
The two looked taken aback, but Johnny just grinned.
"Can I call you Eve? Great, okay. Eve?" I looked over to glare at him. "Say cheese!"
His camera flashed off, and I stumbled back into the wall and covered my eyes. "What the hell was that for?" I roared, stalking up to him. My headache worsened, which only made me angrier. Now all three looked freaked out, but I didn't care. I just wanted the mission to be over. Unfortunately, according to the clock, I had over 15 hours with them.
So I reeled in my anger, turned away from the pains, and went back to the changing room. I took out my laptop, sprawled myself on the floor, and rested with my head on the cold plastic of the keyboard.
I can't wait until later! So many surprises!
Review, please! Love all you readers! Next chapter, coming soon!