by Jamie Hawke
She frowned and shook her head.
“There we go,” Lamb said. “Now, if this is done?”
“Hold on,” Threed said, accepting my help up. “Charm’s turn.”
“I don’t need to—” Charm started, but all eyes were on her, waiting. She sighed, lowered herself onto the bench as Drew put the bar back to zero and positioned it for her.
“Seeing as she did six hundred like it was nothing…” Drew made an adjustment, but held his hand over the screen that showed the amount. “Try this.”
Charm did, struggling a little, but then managed down and back up. Drew chuckled and removed his hand to show it was at one thousand.
“Hot damn,” Shimmer said, looking at Charm in a new light.
“And she could go higher,” Drew said. He considered the bar, then shook his head. “I admit defeat.”
“What?” Threed grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him to the bench. “No way are you getting off so easily. Try it.”
He shook his head but leaned back, inhaled, and heaved. When he brought it down, his arms were shaking, but with another deep breath he pushed it back up and into place.
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Threed said, turning to the others in the room. Her eyes landed on Aegriss. “You?”
Aegriss rubbed her new arm while shaking her head. “I can lift a lot but have nothing to prove.”
“None of us do,” I replied.
She laughed. “Sure, sure. But honestly, with the new arm, I don’t want to put extra strain on it yet.”
“Think you can handle it?” Drew asked me.
Six hundred hadn’t been so tough, so I figured what the hell. I lowered myself onto the bench, checked the number, then gripped the bar. My brother stood over me, ready to spot, and I heaved it up. Actually, it was harder than I had thought it would be, but I managed, barely.
When I had the bar back in place I sat up and laughed, my arms and chest shaking.
“Damn, boy,” Drew said, slapping me on the back. “I’d say we have a winner here, unless Charm wants another go.”
“Winner, I thought…” My words trailed off as I saw the screen flashing at two thousand pounds. “Holy shit.”
“Charm?” Threed said. “One for the ladies, huh?”
“Girl power,” Shimmer said, nudging Charm.
Charm chuckled, looked at me, and shook her head. “Nah, I like my man being strong.”
“But you could probably beat me,” I said, having seen the way she handled one thousand so easily.
She shook her head. “Wouldn’t matter.
“This way we’ll never know, though!” Threed said, distraught.
“Well then, we’ll all just have to assume he’s stronger and leave it at that.” Charm kissed me on the cheek, nodded toward Gale and Andromida, and said, “Besides, we’re keeping people waiting.”
“Ugh, your team sucks,” Threed said, then turned on Drew. “Next time, you’d better win so we don’t have to put up with this shit.”
He laughed. “Deal.”
“You’re all done, then?” Andromida asked, still clearly annoyed, but also unable to hide the fact that she was impressed.
“For now,” Drew said, giving me a wink. I had to wonder if he might have gone higher, as well, but wasn’t going to push the matter while I was ahead. Against him, this might have been the first time in my life.
20
Hadrian met us in the planning room, with a group of other supers who were in mid-discussion when we entered. He nodded first to Andromida, then greeted Sam, and turned our way.
“At last.” A look of confusion came over him when he saw how beaten up and bloodied we were but moved on with a gesture to the other supers. “Breaker, I’d like to introduce you to the advisers, as of now.”
“Advisers to…?” I asked.
“To the Elders,” he replied.
“So that you don’t have to be so caught up on everything throughout the day, we are here to serve,” a tall one with a pointed beard and silver in his otherwise black hair said. “If you should need my help, I am Tetramount.”
The name made me very curious about his powers, but I chose not to scan him or ask at the moment, figuring that neither was very polite.
“What can we do for you?” I asked.
“First, I wanted you all to have a chance to meet,” Hadrian said. “Second, they have a thought they would like to share, although I told them what your answer would be.”
“I’m listening.”
Tetramount stepped forward from the rest, eyeing us, but waited. A moment later, the doors slid open and Drew entered with his team, a line of other supers following. There were both males and females among the groups, some of whom I recognized as being close to the dais during the Elder ceremony.
“Your team is strong,” Tetramount said, scrutinizing first me, and then Drew. “Both of your teams. But we have been running the numbers, playing out scenarios, and we think your teams can be stronger.”
Charm laughed. “Is that so?”
“Please,” Hadrian said, gesturing for us to wait to speak. The look in his eye said he wasn’t expecting much from this, but still wanted our patience.
“We can always improve,” I admitted. “How would you advise we get stronger?”
Tetramount indicated several supers behind us who stepped forward, the wall behind him changing to show their names, powers, and more.
“Our analysis has shown that, while you are each very powerful, your teams could be better balanced. Drew, for example, doesn’t have a healer, I believe. Shanown here could be quite the addition.” He indicated a stout woman with a firm jaw. “While Griever would add an element of surprise to each attack, giving the team more stealth capabilities.” This time a man who looked even more Marine than Drew showed up on the screen. Somehow, he looked even bigger and more intimidating in person than on the large screen behind him.
“You’re suggesting changing the teams?” Drew said, voice dripping with irritation.
“Of course. And we could reassign Navani, based on… well—”
“My pregnancy?” Navani asked, and took a step forward. “Hadrian?”
Hadrian held up both hands. “They have been assigned to their positions for a reason, and their analysis is sound.”
“And my team?” I asked.
Tetramount nodded, eyeing Charm. “She, for one, needs to go. Much too powerful. Maybe she should have her own team. And we should get you some infantry, and maybe…” He indicated a tall, lean superhero, a man who had thick sideburns and a crooked nose. “Gooser here can do things for your team you’ve never imagined.”
“We’re not splitting up the fucking team,” Twitch mumbled under her breath.
“See, the thing is that their analysis doesn’t take into account the personal factor,” I countered. “The fact that I’m willing to lay my life down for anyone on my team, a thousand times over. It also doesn’t take into account the fact that we’re stuck on ships together for hours on end and—”
“And you’d rather be fucking each other than focusing on the task at hand,” Tetramount interrupted. “We know all too well what you and your so-called ‘team’ are up to out there, Breaker. It’s frankly disgu—”
A punch knocked the guy back, and Charm was there, standing over him, having apparently teleported over.
“Shit,” Lamb muttered.
“He had it coming,” Gale said with a chuckle.
“We love each other,” Charm said, finger pointed at the rest of them, daring anyone to chide her for what she had just done. Kneeling over Tetramount, she put that finger in the middle of his forehead. “How the fuck do you dare judge us?”
“Charm,” Hadrian said, letting out a sigh. He turned to me, gesturing.
I laughed. “What, you want me to rein her in, put a leash on her? No sir, can’t do it, wouldn’t if I could. This isn’t the old way, and it’s not some random military-style team. You all want us to lead, to save t
he day? We do it the best we can, the way we need to.”
He frowned, but then laughed.
“This is a laughing matter?” Tetramount demanded.
“Help him up, Charm,” Hadrian said. “Apologize, and then… go get ready. We’ll be sending you and your team off soon to save the day. Your style.”
Tetramount glared as she did as Hadrian asked, then strolled out of there, walking past me with a gloating smile.
“Fucking animals,” the man next to him said, and I turned on this guy, fist raised. “Take it back.”
“Damnit, Chad,” my brother said, and I glared at him.
“It’s Breaker now,” I corrected him. “As in, I’m about to break this guy’s nose if he doesn’t take it back.”
“I’m sorry,” the guy said through gritted teeth. His eyes filled with a sparkling light, as if getting ready for trouble. I let him go, realizing what a wonderfully horrible first impression we were making.
“I do apologize,” I said to the man and his team. “All of your work is appreciated, and as an Elder, this isn’t how I want to start things off. Then again, we have a universe to save, and we’ need to get to it. Good day.”
With that, I spun on my heels and made for the door. Drew winked at me as he and his team followed in our wake.
I stormed out of there, pissed that they had even brought up the idea of taking Charm away from me.
“You didn’t need to punch him,” I told Charm when we found her pacing outside, by the ships.
“I know, it’s just… he was an ass.” She shrugged. “Kinda deserved it.”
“He was doing his job, that’s all. Next time, please…?”
She nodded, then took me by the arm. “On that topic, though… The team, I mean. Where do we stand on that?”
“This is the team.”
“I’m referring to two potential team members, specifically.” She pursed her lips. “We need them, or… at least Laurel.”
The others were looking at each other, nervously, and I addressed them before going down that path. “All of you—thoughts?”
“As far as I’m concerned,” Andromida offered, “they’re already part of the team. They proved that on Earth.”
“Agreed,” Shimmer said, and Aegriss nodded.
“Let’s go tell them, then.” I started off, only to pause, look back at Charm, and ask, “Where are they?”
She chuckled, then skipped ahead.
“Why don’t you send for them, actually,” Gale suggested. “Bring them back to Breaker’s room, see how committed they are to being team players.”
It took me a second to catch on, but when I did I turned to her, arched an eyebrow, and scratched my jaw. “Are we… ready for that? The rest of you, I mean?”
“Far as I’m concerned, what we saw from them up here wasn’t them at all.”
“And before, they were well on their way, I’d say,” Aegriss added. “Based solely on their facial analysis and body language.”
“No complaints on our end?” I asked one more time, somewhat surprised, but relieved by that. When nobody spoke up, I nodded to Charm. “To my room then, I guess. Let’s… find out.”
21
“No complaints on our end?” I asked one more time as we entered my room, somewhat surprised, but relieved by the team’s reaction. It wasn’t that I expected Laurel or Harp to jump in bed with me. What mattered here was the teamwork, the sense of comradery, and how we would approach this going forward.
If we were bringing them into the team, there could be no more doubts about their future loyalty. Also, no more qualms about them being in the bed with any of us. I was quite secure in my manhood and the amount of loving I was getting, and I was fine with them fooling around with Charm… as long as it wasn’t behind my back.
I wasn’t that secure.
“Now that Charm isn’t here, we can speak our minds,” Gale said, and leaned up against me, arm around my waist. “I for one wouldn’t mind seeing Laurel as she climaxes, that cute little smile morphing into an ‘Oh, oh, oh,’ face.”
“Gale!” Twitch chided, nodding toward Andromida’s look of disapproval.
“I’m just saying,” Gale replied, free hand moving along my waist, teasing. “Maybe watch Bringer here bring it.”
“It’s Breaker,” I said with a frown, but she knew that.
“This is about the team and mission.” Andromida folded her arms, eyes on Gale. “What, if I suddenly stopped taking it from Breaker, I wouldn’t be as much of a teammate?”
“Of course, you would,” I cut in before Gale had a chance to answer. “And if they want to join, we shouldn’t pressure them to do any of this. Actually,” I turned to see them all. “None of you felt pressured, did you?”
Shimmer laughed. “Do you seriously not remember the way Charm seduced me?”
“Yeahhhh,” Gale added, slapping my ass. “How about you, Charm, and Twitch basically begging me to suck you off?”
I blushed, turning next to Twitch, who shrugged and said, “We did kinda do that.”
“Now I feel like a dick,” I admitted. Gale’s hand went lower, and I moved it aside. “Not an invitation.”
“Did I ever need one?” Gale laughed. “I’m only checking.”
“Even with a little guidance,” Twitch said, “it was everyone’s choice. No reason to feel bad—not like we drugged them. Or…” She scrunched her nose. “Did we?”
“Meaning Charm’s charms?” I laughed. “She drugged me, but no, I don’t think anyone else got it from her without her asking first.”
“Let me get this straight,” Aegriss said. “When you and Charm first got together… she drugged you with her powers?”
“Yes. But… If I had it to do over again, I’d still have her do it the same. Believe me, no regrets.”
She chuckled but cocked her head. “Still, feels… sketchy.”
I shrugged, ignoring it. Moving on. “Point is, we’re all good with this. Those two being fully on the team. Now, we have to make sure they are in return.”
“Are what?” a voice said, and we turned to see Laurel entering first, but pausing in the doorway. Charm came next, pulling Harp with her and giving Laurel a bit of a nudge to enter all the way. The door closed behind them.
“We want to know where you stand,” Gale said.
Charm frowned, then turned to her friends. “They mean, after all this, they want confirmation—you’re still on the team, right? Still want to be, still interested in the next leg of the journey?”
Laurel pursed her lips, wide eyes narrowing. “Why wouldn’t we be?”
Harp’s machine made a sound, then said, “Actually… I wanted to apologize. Before we get into any of that, I’m sorry.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” I countered. “Far as I can tell, Asterisk put something in you when she kissed you on Earth, just before we took her out.”
Harp nodded, but her machine said, “Still. It was horrible, like I could see what was happening, but do nothing to stop it. Supers died because of us—”
“No.” I was at her side in a minute, taking her hand in both of mine, staring into her eyes. “Don’t ever blame yourself for that. You hear me? None of this was your fault. If anything, it’s mine for not thinking to use the troubleshooter on you sooner.”
She nodded, but Shimmer was at my side, clearing her throat. I realized my hands were still gripping Harp’s, so I released it.
“Oh, not that,” Shimmer said. “Hold hands all day long. It’s sexy, if Harp’s into it. What I was going to say was that you have a good point.”
“It was my fault?”
“No. I mean you should have used your troubleshooter on them earlier. Them, and all of us. We still haven’t done that.”
“She’s right,” Gale interjected. “I, for one, am curious.”
“I’m not sure I want anyone poking around in my head,” Andromida said. “As much as I’ve seen the value of it. But… if everyone does it, and nobody ends up fried.�
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“Nobody will end up fried,” I countered. “But we’re getting off track, and can do that later.” I turned back to Laurel and Harp. “First… ladies?”
Laurel’s antennae lit up, looking at me, and she clucked her tongue. “It’s odd, how many minds in here are imagining me naked right now.” She paused, tilted her head, then said, “Yes, they’re doing the same about you, Harp.”
“Not something you’d have to partake in,” I said, frustrated that she could read our minds. That was an upgrade to her powers that she’d told us she had learned thanks to Lamb’s teaching. To be fair, I had been doing my best not to imagine anything of the sort, but then again, when trying not to is often when it happens the most.
At the moment, I had a clear image of Harp kneeling and pressing her breasts together around my cock as Laurel licked the tip. Laurel eyed me while slowly shaking her head.
“Listen, all that, sure, it’s part of the group dynamic.” I turned to adjust my pants, hating that the thoughts were causing a reaction. “But this is about fighting the enemy, ensuring they can’t ever hurt someone again. We have rooms on the ship. We can control ourselves—or at least keep it off the bridge, where you don’t have to see anything you don’t want to.”
More than one set of skeptical eyes swiveled my way. Charm even scoffed. Laurel glanced over at her, seemed to consider something, then looked at me again as Charm blew a kiss my way.
“Show us,” Laurel said.
“What?”
“It’s why we’re in your room, right? So… go ahead, take it out. Someone—you,” she pointed at Shimmer, “go down on him. Let’s see what this team is all about, so we can decide for ourselves.”
“You’ve… seen.” I scratched my head, then adjusted my crotch again. “I mean, right? Did… you forget?”
She grinned. “Show us.”
Before I could say another word, Shimmer was there and already kneeling, pulling out my hard cock. Our eyes met and she shrugged.
“They want something, and you know we both want it.” She gave my shaft a slow, turning stroke. “Why are you arguing?”
She had a point.