by Ted L C
“Will be ready at once, madame,” the man curves his abdomen downward.
“I’m hungry, though,” Derek caresses the bones bulging from his abs.
“We’re supposed to give off the appearance of a wealthy couple. A wealthy couple does not eat at a buffet. I understand you need to eat an island of Mammoths to feed your abilities. However, for now, you have to endure.”
“Fine,” Derek watches as Alyssa swivels the wine’s label toward him. She tilts the bottle’s lip against his glass. “You know—I’ve never met anyone as wise and exquisite as you.”
A salmon tint overlays her mahogany cheeks. “Awe—you’re making me blush.”
“I’m serious, though. I understand that again you’ve been alive for a long time, but you’re still wise—”
“Derek, four o’clock—don’t make it obvious.”
The boy’s eyes make their way toward a mirror. His pupils inflate as a familiar face engraves itself within his mind. “Holy pig balls.”
“What?”
“I saved that girl from some white guy on meth in an alley a few days ago—” his eyes latch to the reflection of flaming hair attached to a pale body. “Right before shit hit the fan—”
“You saved Emma?”
“No,” Derek flattens the chilled glass’ lip against his. A torrent of grape fluids mixed with unknown herbs floods his throat. “The carrot-top.”
Alyssa’s sights lock on a distant brunette beauty.
The women’s hands dart through various directions as her lips flap without stopping. A berry taste brushes Alyssa’s palate. Her eyes shift toward the boy; whose face glows like a tomato.
“Y-you need to pace yourself,” the lass rests her glass against the table. “This is some powerful wine.”
“What’s d-Daisy saying?” his voice sends a ring through Alyssandra’s ear. “Is she talking about the roe-bit?”
Alyssa’s fingers drag a cup of water to the boy. “Sober up a bit. W-we need to be sober once she’s on the move—”
Daisy’s emerald gaze shifts toward the two as a thick black line between her dimples emerges. The assassin’s hand brushes against the hulking man across from her. She slips a card underneath his palm. She rises, arcs her upper body downward, and makes her way to the archway.
Derek’s trembling palms mashes the tabletop, jacking him to his feet. He stumbles toward the doorway.
“Derek,” Alyssa says.
The boy flashes a palm at her while flicking the napkin on his lap.
“Derek!”
“What?” saliva shuffles through his mouth.
“You’re going to give us away.”
“I-I’m pretty sure she just needs to pee,” his fingers clasp Alyssa’s shoulder. “Which reminds me, I need to pee pee. Bee-are-bee.”
The five towering men from Daisy’s table rise from their seats and arc their paunch chests toward one another.
A legion of eyes cements themselves to the boy as he jerks himself into every direction.
Derek’s body hurls itself into the archway.
* * *
Striving
Stumbling into the bathroom, Derek makes his way to a hovering porcelain box.
Unraveling an ebony zipper, he gazes at the neon-lit signage.
“Forward—osmosis in our restrooms,” the sign ahead of him spins as a rumble emits from his stomach. “U-uses a concentrated sugar solution to draw the water out of urine. Next, enzymes in a bior-reactor convert the leftover pee into ammonia. Which feeds into an electrochemical cell that uses the ammonia to generate electricity for—this faci—”
The running yellow fluid trickles.
Two metal sheets drag against each other, vacuuming into the wall. Alyssa jerks her legs toward the sink and her stare transfers to the mirror.
With pants hugging the floor and hands gripping his package, Derek’s eyes follow her fingers. They reach into her bag for a pen. The stick makes its way to her eyes.
“Whatcha,” a burst of trapped air bursts through chapped lips. “Doin’?”
Her shrinking pupils shift to a thin oblong face on the reflective surface.
“Oh no—this—I forgot you were i-in here!”
Derek’s fingers yank the zipper pulley upward.
Tightening his palm into hers, he yanks the girl into the closest stall. His fingers weave into her hair while pressing his mouth into hers.
A floral aroma fills the booth. Their lips press against one another and retreat in unison. Her teeth nibble his lower lip.
“What are you doing?” her palms dig into his chest. “This is a public bathroom—”
“Go with it,” calloused palm shrouds her face.
Rotating her body, Derek presses her chest into the frigid steel walls. Sliding his finger up her quivering leg, he drags the skirt’s bottom over her waistline. The boy uses the other to tug her panties downward, exposing a toned ass.
While unzipping his pants, he pecks her shoulder. The boy follows with a series of kisses until reaching her ear. He presses his teeth against the lobe.
Her rear muscles tighten.
Hums from outside of the stall echo through the room. His palms pet the insides of her thighs and ascend.
A moist sensation fills her legs as a finger drifts closer and inward. It flicks a bean-shaped object.
As the hands make their way toward her head, a silken rod presses the center of Alyssa’s legs. It enters her.
He thrusts while digging his nails into her hair.
“Derek—”
His hips thrust forward.
“Just—like before—” she digs her teeth against the bottom of her lips. “M-mm!”
“U-uh-uhh,” the muscles on his shaft flexes while going in and out of her.
A warm liquid erupts from within as her calves tremble.
A series of loud rings hearken. Alyssa slides a hand into Derek’s pant pocket and flashes a phone into view. A hologram of Liam materializes, hovering above the gizmo.
“Shall I call you back later, lass?” Liam’s voice reverberates.
“No—” Alyssandra’s thighs flutter. The mind replays the scene of the eruption within her body. “What—what’s up?”
“I noticed that you two ran off to chase Emma. I would like to know the status of your pursuit.”
“You know,” her hand presses against the lad’s stomach, pushing him into the wall. “We found her location. En-route. Nice of y-you to listen in on our conversation.”
A click comes from the device as her fingertip grinds into a button.
Potato loving asshole.
Panties ascend through her legs whilst shimmying into them.
“Buckle up,” she slams the door to the stall while departing. “We need to go.”
“Why can’t we—” a burst of air fires through Derek’s lips. “Keep going?”
“I have a bad feeling about pissing off this potato lovin’ fuck,” the metal doors grind against each other.
A symphony of clicks beat against the marble flooring.
The clank’s racket fades.
* * *
“Hands behind your back,” a figure holding a pair of handcuffs approaches Derek.
“You are under arrest for indecent exposure.”
“What—” The boy’s withering pupils drift toward the word ‘Police’ embroidered on the breast of his jacket. “evidence do you have?”
“You do understand that this facility can detect what you’re doing based on sound, right?” the man points upward, Derek’s eyes follow until he sees a circle with a series of vents. “The sounds were dissected by A.I. and it told us that you were having sexual relations. Are you willing to fight that accusation?”
“N-no sir—” forearms circle behind the lad’s back as the officer wraps the cuffs tighten against the boy’s wrists. “At least buy me some dinner before you handcuff me.”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Nothing.”
While the lad’s
leather dress shoes drag through the doorway, the host’s wide-open gaze follows them while nodding. A person presents a thumb up while smiling. Another records them with their phone while following the group.
Her stare moves to Derek’s handcuffs. The surface of them mutates into trickling bubbles. Droplets of silver smack the floor, solidifying upon contact.
The vines forming a bracelet on Alyssa’s wrist evaporate. The NanoLites skitter toward the keyhole her bindings.
Such primal tools.
A click fades through the restaurant patrons’ murmurs.
Two armies with millions of Nanos crawl to each officer their weapons. She slides a leg under the man ahead of her. His body collapses.
“Alyssa, eyes!” a flash materializes inside of Derek’s mind. His eyelids collapse.
Upon his vision returning, the agent to the boy’s left rubs their own eyes.
Alyssa and Derek sprint, making their way toward an alleyway.
“Halt!” one of their voices echoes.
An orb ejects from the purse. “Coordinates one, two, seven, six!”
“Yes—Sophiel!” the orbs says while drifting right. “Follow me! E.T.A. is—six minutes—on foot based on your—current speed.
“Follow the blue light!” another officer’s voice echoes.
Derek’s legs hurl himself into a wall.
“Ah—balls!” a burst of Turmeric tinted fluid erupt from the lad’s mouth and on his suit.
He swerves and crashes into the brick surface.
A memory flashes through Alyssa’s mind of a cobalt aura surrounding the bone bag when within the Temple of Yama.
When he was close to biting it—his body went into an automatic mode.
“His Final Offer!”
“What?” More fluid bursts from the boy’s lips. Upon rising, his legs sway in opposing directions. They heave him forward.
A dagger materializes in her grip—she lunges at Derek.
The tip hovers above Derek’s eye.
“W-what are you—doing?” Alyssa’s hand rests on his wrist, feeling his pulse hasten.
The scent of wine and stomach acid circulates through her nostrils. Several clear droplets cascade across her cheeks.
“Daisy—” her whisper flows through the lad’s ears as his eyelids collapse.
They widen, unveiling cobalt spheres with faint black balls in the center. An image of blonde hair topping an oblong face fades into his thoughts.
His body dissipates. Ashes collapse into her vibrating hands.
A snivel reverberates throughout the alleyway surrounding her.
* * *
“Sug!” a voice echoes throughout an abandoned warehouse as Derek manifests. A dark blue aura engulfs his body. “Ahv been expectin’ yah.”
“Eliminate,” Derek says.
A chill spirals through Daisy’s spine. A cool breeze overwhelms the warm air behind her.
Throwing both arms to the side, she hurls herself over a catwalk, landing with all fours.
Derek’s middle finger and thumb brush against each other.
A spark follows as a snap echoes through the arena. A ball made of fire forms within his palm. He fires it toward a sprinkler on the ceiling. Water dribbles as a cone formation.
Webs of electricity leaks from the boy’s feet, spreading through every end of the warehouse. It creeps up Daisy’s knee-high boots, bare legs, and the rest of her body.
She drops to the ground.
The woman transforms into a pallid silhouette—flickering from white to black. It fades into a raven tint. The electrical currents vanish into the air.
Sprinklers continue to coat the abandoned factory equipment.
“Objective complete,” liquid droplet beats against his pale cheeks.
Ivory skin reemerges from the assassin’s shadow. Daisy’s soaked honey locks dance throughout the puddles.
Derek’s eyes return to their crystalline hue. Every breath he takes, the aroma of vanilla and lavender, flows through his nostrils.
An image of him sitting beside her on a sidewalk overlooking a body of water illustrates inside of his mind. Her purple sundress rides through the wind as they watch the sunset on the horizon.
“Derek—” Alyssa bursts through the door.
Oil oozes from her glands. The raindrops become beads as they roll across the surface of her skin and clothes.
“Oh no,” her eyes make their way toward the corpse and Derek kneeling beside it.
“Hands behind your head!” a deep voice emanates from behind Alyssandra—she turns. Two barrels stare at her face. “This is your final warning, ma’am!”
Alyssa’s pupils shrink. Her dagger flashes, scraping the surfaces of both cops’ throats.
Crimson fluid leaks from their necks as they drop.
Both of the girl’s feet dash toward the lad, whose grip tightens against the fallen woman’s back.
“Why do I care for this woman, Alyssa?” his eyes glue to the corpse. “Why am I having memories of her?”
Alyssa lifts her skirt upward, curls both legs underneath her butt and descends.“I-I don’t know.”
A symphony of clanks echoes through the warehouse.
“Is there any scenario the two of you can’t make a catastrophic impact?” a grafting voice overpowers the noise of running water.
A hulking figure in a cobalt suit appears behind Derek. The sprinklers come to a halt.
“Intercourse in a public restroom, public intoxication, vomit all over your body, and the culprit we need is dead.”
The boy is more powerful than I thought. Liam’s eyes shift to Alyssa.
“Police slaughter, lack of communication, and encouragement of Derek’s reckless actions. I thought you were better than this, lass. The two of you are now wanted criminals on Earth. Faces cannot be seen; otherwise, an armada of police units will hunt you.”
Liam reaches fingers between Daisy’s cleavage. He tugs a chip, the size of an ancient micro S.D. card.
“The chip containing Reivscere’s data was short-circuited due to your electrical burst.” His eyes face the duo as they gaze at the corpse.
Did he manipulate her body with the electrical burst, preventing her from resurrecting? He needs to move to the next phase. I am stunned about Alyssandra’s sudden change in behavior, the lass is usually restrained. I must keep an eye on her. It is not normal for her to care about the demise of others, especially Daisy.
“Twenty-one S.H.H.A. units en—route to your current location,” a voice emits from Liam’s wrist. “Cage formation—two minutes with their current pace.”
A syringe flashes from Liam’s pocket. “Teleport us back to my office!”
“Did your A.I. say S.H.H.A?” Alyssa presses her palm into the boy’s forearm.
The man’s sandstone desk illustrates itself within Derek’s mind.
* * *
Acquiring
Liam’s fingers fasten against a chip and yanks it toward his face.
“Care to tell me what data this chip contains?” a syringe flashes from the man’s suit jacket. He kisses Daisy’s nose with the needle’s tip.
“Ah’ll pass, sug,” her arms swivel within the shackles. Her spine rolls against the bed. “Thanks for bringin’ me back, though—”
“With the boy’s blood, I can alter your thoughts through voltage,” Liam’s sausage fingers dance above the woman’s chest. “Shattering the barriers of your mind. Guiding you to the edge of suicide’s firm embrace. Possibly numerous times because of your reincarnation symptom. Also, I will unlock the contents of that chip myself in one minute if you do not tell me.”
“Fahn,” Daisy’s pupils gyrate. “The men whom I met with gave me a strategeh to mail tuh Suhbasa.
“At twenty-three hundrah November twenty-nine, he’s supposed tah attack Tokyo. With threh hundred mechs, one collosai, and three—hundrah thahsand droids at his sahd. All ah know.”
“Much obliged,” the floating cot follows the man as he makes his w
ay through the doorway. “Under article twenty-two eighty-seven of the United Nations, I place you under arrest. For human trafficking, and political bargaining. Also for attacks on consulates in; fifteen Earthen counties, twenty-one on Clarum, one on Seig, and eighteen on Faxian.
“Refrain from resisting arrest and I will not need to put you down.”
The sound of a revving engine followed by a muffled boom flows through the building. A myriad of trinkets encasing the desk vibrates.
“What?” Derek faces Alyssa, whose pupils pursue Liam’s onyx blur.
“If he can track us around the world,” Alyssa’s appendages waltz along the surface of her thighs. “Why can he not track Tsubasa? Or Jinzo?”
“What do you know about Tsubasa?”
“After his daughter went missing during the Deity War due to the human forces, Tsubasa went insane.
“Everyone who I’m in contact within the HESTEK Communion hasn’t heard from him. Flattening an entire city with an army of robots, though—”
“What’s the HESTEK Communion?” Derek faces the window, an ivory cone propels through the sky. Clear waves erupting from the ship’s rear crash against the mounds of snow below. The ship transforms into a flea-sized dot as it vanishes into the bleached clouds.
“An anonymous chat room that lets you talk to other HESTEKS throughout the cosmos. Where I learn about urban legends and what theorists have to say about our heritage.
“You should check it out one of these days. Tsubasa used to be popular. He posted videos teaching people how to better themselves with metal manipulation. Afterward, as I previously stated, his daughter disappeared.”
“I agree—that would suck to lose a daughter,” the boy’s nails caress the stubble lining his chin. “Liam mentioned Daisy’s reincarnation abilities. Is that common in the world of HESTEKS?”
“Quite the opposite,” the rings layered underneath her eyes darken. “The Seven Angels: Warden, Ajanda, Squire, Ra, and Daisy are the only ones that I know of. Warden can bring living beings back to life. Ajanda can bring living beings into the afterlife. Moreover, Daisy can bring herself back into the realm of the living.