SIX – FUTURE
"I wonder when Nine and Monica are going to wander out here onto the lawn naked," John said in between sips of beer, "should be any time now, the fireworks are over."
Six glanced at John and let out a large smile. Nine's antics were stuff of legend around their house, and one of the sure-fire ways to make Six smile. She rolled the empty can in her hand a few times, grunting loudly at John. "I'm empty brother." she said to John, smiling sweetly.
"Oh don't give me the innocent look, I'm not your slave," John replied with a laugh, "but you're lucky I always think ahead." he continued, reaching out with his hand.
Six could feel the tingle of energy as she sensed John using his telekinesis and she leaned back, rolling her head around she spotted a small, blue cooler drifting across her room and out her window, coming to rest gently next to her and John. Cracking the lid, she snagged a random can and pulled it out, letting the cool can on her hand contrast the heat from the night. "Sam Adams Nitro? Good call." she remarked, reading the label.
"Six, we have been living together for years, we hang out every day, I think it's safe to assume I know what you like to drink."
Six shook her head ruefully as John slid the cooler closer to him with his powers, she loved this, she missed this, she needed this. "John," she said hesitantly, "how do you feel when we talk about him?"
John sat in silence for several minutes. The void went on for so long that Six began to wonder if she had upset him. She risked a glance over at John who looked deep in thought. After several more moments John loudly exhaled and tossed his can off the roof, it exploding into flame and reduced to ash before it hit the ground.
"Sam was my best friend, and, in a very serious way, might be the entire reason we were even able to start the fight, let alone finish it. I'm not just talking about when he pulled you out of the burning school and then fought that Mogodorian while you injured," Six winced at the memory, "I mean he and Zach did...whatever the hell they did. To get the military involved."
"To be fair that was probably more Zach."
"Not really," John continued, "Zach has said on more than one occasion that he was essential."
"You didn't answer the question, how do you feel?" Six pressed.
A loud pop went off as John opened another can. "Sad, Six, I feel sad. I like talking about him, it makes me smile but it also hurts in my chest," John explained pressing his fingers to his heart, "I can only imagine how you must feel."
Six leaned forward in thought, resting her elbows on her knees. "I loved him John, I still do..."
"Yeah I know you do, I remember what it was like the first time we thought we lost him. You were like a hormonal nightmare."
Six smiled again, she remembered, she remembered all too well.
FLASH
"Clubbing?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Think of it like exploring the night life of San Diego." John replied, gesturing in the air with his hands.
"That's what I said, clubbing." Sam said, flopping down and sinking himself into the bed, "I'm real glad we keep going right to my forte all the time. Definitely right up my wheel house."
"Quite your whining Nancy, we are leaving in fifteen minutes," John looked as his friend and wondered where all this negativity was coming from. Sam sullenly stared at the ceiling as John sat down on the bed next to him. "What happened at the zoo brother?" Sam's face immediately began to color red and John's eyes widened, "What did you do with Six, Sam?"
"Nothing! Nothing happened at all! We might have, like, I don't know, kissed a little, maybe?" Sam finally said sheepishly. If you didn't know what was happening in the room, one might think a cannon went off.
"WHAT!?" John practically screamed, "When? Where? Did she mean to?" he asked at a million mils an hour, "Did she hit you after?" he continued with a wink.
"Douche, no she didn't hit me," Sam said, rising from the bed and pushing John off, onto the ground, "And yes she meant to, I think." he finished with a laugh. John sat up and continued looking at Sam, gesturing for him to go on. "Fine," he conceded, lazily sitting down at the table in the hotel room, and told his friend exactly how he had decided to man up and make the move on Six.
"Damn," John exhaled, "Dude, that takes some serious balls, why don't you want to go out tonight? I mean we have a good way to get in, Six is going to make us invisible and it's no big deal."
"Just nervous I guess," Sam said uncomfortably, "What if she was just in the heat of the moment or something and doesn't even want to see me."
"I'm dismissing this as you being a complaining, high-school bitch and am not even going to bother assuring you she likes you. What happened to the man in that story you just told me?" John said, "Clubbing, you know what that is right? Girls move all their curvy parts. Let's use Six for example since, well, since she is going to dance with you," as John kept going Sam's face got whiter and he looked more and more nervous but John plowed on, "So Six," John explained sarcastically, using his hands while he talked, "Is going to take you, put her ass on you, and move around probably to some heavy bass beat. This is a good thing Sam, a good thing."
Sam was about to respond when a loud bang on the door caused him to jump out of the chair.
"Let's go losers! The ladies are somehow ready to go before you!" came Six's muffled voice.
With a look from John, Sam got to his feet, took a deep breath, and grabbed his wallet and coat.
The night had seemed to drag on with no real hope of helping in their quest. The late San Diego air remained dry with a tinge of heat that didn't seem to ease with the sun descending. The packed streets were difficult to navigate and the constant bumping had started to get on Sam's nerves. He cocked his head up and looked a the two story club they had stopped outside of, the seventh one that night.
"So, anyone else gonna say this has been pointless?" Sam asked, drawing an eye roll from Six and a nudge from John.
"Alright we got the drill down guys," Sarah said in a disarming tone, "Six takes me in, then John, then Sam, let's roll!" and with that, she and Six slid into a nearby alley and disappeared.
"So," John began but Sam cut him off.
"No I haven't made a move on Six, other than grabbing me to take me inside she hasn't touched me once and barely talked to me."
John looked at his crestfallen friend and clapped him on the shoulder. "Well dude, she isn't going to do the leg work for you! Tell you what, you get in there this time, she takes you last right? So just grab her by the hand out here for her to use her legacy on you, and then never let go, get in there and then go straight to the dance floor, pull her if you have to."
Before Sam could respond he heard Six's voice cut through the crowd and he and John both turned to see her waving John to the alley. "Just do it man, the scary part is over, show her you are still forceful." and with that, John knifed through the crowd, grabbed hold of Six's shoulder and disappeared.
Sam gave it a minute and then made his own way to the alley to await Six's return. His mind raced with what to say and how to say it, where he should place his hands and when. Sam was on his tenth idea of what to say when a beautiful blonde girl appeared in front of him.
"Hey," Sam said lamely, God she smelled good.
Six didn't respond, she just continued to stare at him, raising her eybrow and crossing her arms across her chest. Sam felt his cheeks begin to heat up and he cleared his throat, shuffling his feet in his uncertainty of what to do next.
With an exasperated sight, Six threw her hands in the air and grabbed hold of Sam's shoulders, pulling him roughly towards her, crashing her lips into his in a fiery kiss. Sam instantly found his arms around her, gripping the small of her back as she pressed herself into him. A few cat calls and 'get a room' came from the mouth of the alley but Sam barely noticed, awkwardly shuffling his feet forward until he felt Six's back against the wall. A small moan escaping from Six was all that brought him crashing back to reality.
"Holy shit, Sam," Six said breathlessly, "if you can kiss like that then what the hell are you taking so long to show me for?"
"I just-" Sam began but Six placed her hand over his mouth.
"Shut up, we have work to do, John and I both felt something...strange...in there. Honestly it might be another Loric. Work now, french later, okay?" Six said with a small smile, grabbing Sam's hand and pulling him, invisibly, towards the entrance.
The first few times they had done this, Sam had been nervous he was going to bump into someone, but after all the practice he had gotten at all the other places they had snuck in to, it wasn't anywhere near as hard. Ducking around the bouncer and avoiding a few stumbling drunks, he followed Six up the stairs, and down behind the bathrooms near the door to the kitchen where she let go, revealing him.
"Follow me," she said simply as she cut her way back towards the club area, rendezvousing with John and Sarah at the end of the bar. Sarah flashed a smile at them but John continued staring towards the other side of the bar. "She hasn't moved then?" Six asked towards John, who shook his head while continuing to look.
"When Sarah and I came in here I was getting a very weird feeling from that girl over there, and when John came in he got the same feel." Six explained to Sam, "We are thinking that might be our Loric."
Sam glanced across the bar himself. The girl was older than them, probably in here legally, and her long black hair was down over her shoulders that she constantly kept flipping shile talking to the man next to her. She was wearing a red party dress that barely made it halfway down her thigh and was visibly on the wrong side of too many drinks.
"So, do we just go up to her then? Tail her or something, maybe?" Sam asked, not really knowing how to approach the situation.
As he was asking his question, the man got up and passed by them, heading into the bathroom hall. Six pinched Sam's elbow.
"Tail him," she hissed, "John and I are going to head over and talk to her." Six gave Sam a little push towards the bathrooms, "Go." she mouthed, turning around to talk to John.
Sam turned the corner in time to see the man disappearing into the kitchen, and Sam jogged to the door himself to peak in. No sooner had he cracked open the door than a hand shot around the frame, grabbed hold of his shirt, and tanked him into the kitchen. Sam barely had time to react as he was smashed against the wall and felt cold metal resting against his head. It was a pistol being pressed against his skull, the man sitting with the woman was holding it. He looked pissed.
"Who are you, and why are you following us? Are you have aliens? You have to the count of three."