SIX - FUTURE
Boom! Crack! The explosions of fireworks lit up the night sky like they did every year on this night. V-Day, victory day, the day the Mogadorians finally surrendered. Six slammed the bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold to her mouth and took a long swig, coughing as the icy burn seared the back of her throat. It had been eight years since the end of the war, eight years since the Earth was finally free from the destructive power of the mighty Mogadorian fleet. Six watched sadly as more fireworks blanketed the night sky, sparking more and more cheers from the people of Earth that were filling the suburban streets below her.
Six raised the bottle again but decided against another drink, letting her arm fall limply to her side. She was exactly where she wanted to be on this night, alone on the roof of her house, no one to bother her, just her alone with her own drunken thoughts. This night was never about celebration for her, she always ended up dwelling on what she had lost. She always thought of the same thing, the last words she ever heard Sam say to her. The tears began rolling once more as Six replayed it in her mind again and again.
"Six...I love you, stay safe." she heard crackle weakly through the walkie-talkie in her hand.
"NO!" she screamed back into the little black box, tears streaming down her face. She didn't care that everyone else was next to her, listening. She didn't care that they were still in the middle of a battle. All she cared about was the weak voice on the other end of the transmission. "YOU PROMISED ME! YOU FUCKING PROMISED ME THAT YOU WOULDN'T DIE!"
Silence met her, agonizing silence, seconds ticked by, suddenly a burst of static. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me Six...Maren, Maren Elizabeth. But you said it yourself, it's just a myth that Lorics only fall in love once...you will be okay, I mean..it's only me after all." Sam said, laughing a little at the end, brash even staring death in the face.
"Please," Six cried, pleading, "please don't leave us, leave me. I need you, I NEED YOU. SAM!" she shouted, staring a mile and a half down the mountain they had scaled, down where Sam had locked himself in the bunker to help contain the explosion and radiation. She stared as a massive shockwave knocked everyone off their feet and slowly the reactor site started to collapse on top of itself.
"SAM!" she shrieked over and over into the walkie-talkie, "SAM! SAM! SAM!" cold silence was all that met her.
She chugged down another few gulps, ignoring the burning intensity on her throat. A quick glance at the bottle indicated it was empty, and she tossed it away with disgust. She wanted another, she wanted not to feel, she wanted to die. She had been wrong, her Cepan had been wrong. Lorics indeed only fall in love once. Sure she had slept around with a few other guys, but it was just that. Physical. It wasn't Sam, it would never be Sam.
Six heard a shuffle from behind her and knew that it must be that time of the night where the others started to worry about her. Something cold was rested on her shoulder and she instinctively snapped around, her eyes being greeted by a cold Newcastle being offered to her. Talking the already opened beer, Six turned back to the fireworks display as John roughly sat down next to her. John typically was the first one that came out to see if she was alright and had become exceedingly efficient by her standards at being a good friend. John simply sat in silence with her as they both took gulps from their beer.
"He was a great warrior," John finally said after a few minutes of silence, "and a good friend."
Six's face held a faint smile, "That sounds like Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars." she said with a hint of a giggle.
"Damn your getting good at spotting those nerdy quotes, Sam would be in shock." John said with a laugh, taking another drink from his Blue Moon.
"He always loved those stupid movies." Six said softly, draining the last of her beer, "Got another?" she asked, glancing at John who had already produced a Bud Light can from his pocket and popped the tab open.
"You know, when I think about Sam one memory always sticks out. It was the zoo, remember? Emily had already ditched him for that Italian douche-bag and you being just a giant..."
"Bitch?" Six finished for him with a smile as she relaxed back onto the roof.
"Yeah that's a good word for it," John replied jokingly, "I remember always knowing he had such a massive crush on you the whole time and just didn't get the nerve to say anything. You know it was I that finally made him man up with you."
"Yeah." Six agreed wistfully. The sky was dark again as the fireworks had just gotten over and people were milling about, cycling back into their homes. "Yeah he was such a dork. An adorable, lovable dork." she said as she laid her head back against the roof, remembering.
FLASH
Sam roughly zipped up the pocket of the backpack after acquiring the bottle of water he had brought from outside. Unscrewing the cap he gulped down mouthfuls of water into his parched mouth. The beading sweat still falling down his forehead from the intense heat he was not used to. Wiping his sleeve across his head, he squinted his eyes as he glanced at the scorching sun.
"Hey man, mind if I get a swig of that?" John asked, his damp shirt showing his own amount of sweating was going on.
"Sorry man, I bought this stuff outside because I didn't want to pay forty five dollars for a bottle of water loser." Sam said with a smirk, drinking the last of the water and casually tossing it into a nearby trash can. "Plus, all gone." he said, again grinning.
"Hey idiot," Six said from behind him, snatching the backpack from his hand, "We all know you packed one for Emily, you know, that chick that literally ran off with that Italian hottie when we entered the park?"
At the mention of Emilys name Sam's ears went pink and John, being so close to Sam, noticed his friends discomfort.
"Hey Six, pump the brakes okay? It's probably still a little raw..." John said but Six plowed on.
"No way it's too funny. I mean she seriously just saw a hott guy and poof! I mean that really has to suck for your self confidence Sam." she said, shooting a beaming smile at Sam as she pulled the water bottle out and tossed the backpack back to him. "Ooohhh speaking of which, I'll be right back."
and with that Six practically skipped over to the tiger pen where a group of three college boys were leaning on the railing, admiring the creatures.
"You know she can be a real bitch," Sarah said softly to John, glancing over at a very sullen looking Sam.
"You don't know the half of it. Sam has a massive crush on Six, he has for a while. It was a big mistake bringing Emily, I think she might have totally killed his confidence." John replied, with a slow smile creeping onto his face at the end. "But I might have an idea."
"What are you thinking, and try to keep in mind that you're a guy and therefore have terrible ideas." Sarah teased, wrapping her arm around his and leaning her head in close.
With a quick kiss, John explained his plan. "We are going to split up, you and me and Sam and Six. Reasoning will be that both me and Six should be able to spot the next Garde even if we don't know how, but the likely hood that they are here is low, so let's give Sam some much needed alone time with Six and see if a few sparks fly."
"They will,"said Sarah firmly, getting a strange look from John, "Hey I'm a girl, and she might bean alien but you're pretty similar in emotions, I can just tell...she practically jumped for joy when Emily bailed."
"That was because it upset Sam so much." John argued but Sarah shook her head.
"Just trust me John," she replied, running a hand through his disheveled hair, "we both know I'm smarter than you." she finished with a giggle.
Sam was actively trying to busy himself with his phone but John kept catching him stealing glances over at Six, who was now in full flirt mode with one of the boys she had isolated. She kept bouncing her hair around and loud giggles could be heard cutting through the crowd noise. Sam watched as she went to her tip-toes to whisper something in the boys ear when he finally turned away in disgust, jamming his phone back into the backpack.
"I don't know," John said looking back at Sarah, "certainly looks like she's into that guy."
"It's supposed to, remember how I would sometimes talk to Mark because you were being weird with me, telling me stupid stuff like you couldn't see me? Jealousy, she's trying to make him jealous. I just don't really know why. She seems like she might be really shitty at trying to get a boy she likes, or she doesn't want to admit she likes Sam, even to herself."
John had a confused look on his face as he listened. "That's pretty insightful babe," he said as he scratched his head, "I wonder how much of it is true."
"Let's find out, split us up into our teams Mister Leader." Sarah told John with a sarcastic grin, already starting to walk in the opposite direction of Sam.
John walked over the few yards that were separating him and his best friend, stopping over a kneeling Sam who was still fussing with his backpack. Sam's light green t-shirt was starting to gather a few darker spots due to the sweat bleed through, and John knew Sam must be absolutely dying in the jeans he for some reason decided to wear.
"You're burning guy. Your neck is starting to get red." John said with a laugh as Sam stood up to face his friend.
"Wow, how weird, a computer nerd that spends all his time inside is burning like a steak the first day the whole crew is out in the sun! You're so clever for noticing John, write that shit down and put it in a book, everyone will laugh." Sam muttered almost under his breath, refusing to look in the direction of the tiger pen.
"Woah someone is being a total Grumpy Gus, balance your hormones and listen up." John retorted as he outlined the plan Sarah and him had come up with. "So we are going to Hit the south end while you and Six take the rest of the north, but the other Garde probably won't be here so don't have your hopes too high." John finished, ignoring an extremely skeptical look on Sam's face.
"This is a stupid plan."
"You're a stupid plan."
"Good one," Sam said with an eye roll, "well if that's what we are doing then I had better get over there and break the bad news to obligatory frat boy over there that I have to steal his new date to go try and save the universe."
"Hey," John said, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Sam's shoulder, spinning him back around, "Look at me, in my eyes man."
"This isn't going to get weird is it?"
"Shut up I'm trying to help. Be direct, like super direct. She knows who you are, you have been around, been yourself, and helped us out. If she doesn't like you now, she never will. This isn't a movie."
"I know it's not a movie you dick." Sam said defensively, trying to pull away from John, who only gripped harder.
"Then act like it, grow a pair and get the hard questions over with. What's she going to do that would be so bad?"
"Laugh at me." Sam replied glumly,
"She already does that, what else?"
"Treat me like crap...I guess she already does that too," Sam conceded as John nodded, smiling, "Yeah I guess fuck it, I'll see what I can do."
"Be assertive, don't be an ass, but be assertive," John assured him, giving his shoulder a squeeze, "Good luck, I have faith, and Sarah has a lot of faith!"
Sam stood silent for a moment, blinking away the sun as John walked away. "Sarah?" Sam called out questioningly, and John turned around and nodded with a thumbs up. "Huh, I wonder why Sarah thinks that." Sam said quietly to himself, hoisting his backpack over his shoulder and turning towards Six.
Sam strode purposefully towards Six, deliberately talking long even strides. Assertive, assertive, assertive, what the hell do you have to lose? He kept telling himself over and over in his mind. Six was wearing a baby blue tank top layered with a short denim coat, showing about three inches of her stomach. She had correctly decided on faded jean short shorts and had a brown belt looped through four of the five belt holes. Her stunning blonde hair was pulled into a pseudo-side ponytail that was messy and had a large amount of strands of hair flowing around in the wind. When she glanced over and made eye contact with Sam she had started chewing on her lip, a response Sam had noticed was often attached to him being close by. Sam had begun to associate the behavior with anger or irritation.
Sam stopped a few feet short of Six and locked eyes with her, not even glancing at the boy she was talking to. Assertive, assertive! "Hey, I need to borrow you for a second," Sam stated, reaching out and grabbing her arm, pulling Six with him and away from the boy. Sam expected Six to pummel him into the ground but instead she just stared at him in shock, her eyes wide and mouth slightly open, almost in disbelief that Sam would have the audacity to just grab her. Assertive, not a dick but assertive. "John and Sarah have decided we going to split up and since him and you are Garde, he says you two can spot the other in some...way," Sam said, making a weird gesture with his free hand but still holding on to Six's arm, "So I'm sorry to break up your date but he wants us to keep going and cover the north of the zoo."
"Excuse-" Six started but Sam cut her off.
"No, shut it Six. I'm sure you're not thrilled at all to have to team up with me but guess what,I'm a good team member, I know my shit. So we are going to go together on this hunt and you are going to be at the very least pleasant to me. The make fun of and pick on Sam train ends here okay? I'm getting sick of it. You don't have to like me but you don't have to be so mean all the time." Sam finished, his heart pounding. He could literally feel the sweat build up on his body as his adrenaline was pumping. He couldn't believe all the things he had just said to Six, who just stood there, staring at him.
Six moved her mouth, licked her lips a few times, and moved her mouth again, but said nothing. Finally a small smile started to creep onto her mouth. "Okay Sam, fine. Lets go have some fun."