by Jamie Hawke
“Oooh, I like the sound of that.” Twitch turned my way, impressed. “I bet I could alter the hill nearby to get us in there, as long as Shimmer can keep us hidden. We stash the ship for when it’s time, and then get the lay of the land.”
It sounded like a fun plan. Although it wasn’t Paris, maybe I’d like this place more. So, we headed over, and given the speed of our ship, arrived almost straight away. As decided, Twitch made a temporary hole in the back of the hill while Shimmer disguised any sign of us, and we worked our way into what was clearly once a large, open section of the fort. Twitch was able to maneuver parts of the ground to fit around the ship, so that soon we were snugly tucked in.
A faint smell of sulfur hit our nostrils as we exited our craft and entered the underground fort. We quickly made our way to the surface with Shimmer creating an illusion of light, so we could see where we were going. Once we were out on the hillside Twitch closed the exit hole behind us, leaving no trace of our passage for prying eyes to see. A slight chill was in the air, telling me it might have been winter at our point of arrival.
Looking out over the city, I had to pause, take a deep breath, and remind myself why I’d once loved Earth so much. In spite of its rampant crime and poverty, there was still so much culture, so much history—at least, in whatever hadn’t been destroyed in the Syndicate Event and other struggles over the years. Here we had the grand church at the top of the hill to one side, a city with rows and rows of red-roofed, white buildings interspersed with rocky hillside and trees, all leading to the harbor where sailboats were docked, just as if we still lived back in the twenty-first century.
“Not a bad place to lie low,” Gale said, followed by a whistle. “Taste that air.”
“Earth has its pros,” I admitted. “But it’s not as… exciting?... as being out there with you all.”
Shimmer laughed. “Exciting. Good word choice.”
Twitch motioned for us to follow, starting to lead the way down to the city. “Come on. If we’re going to get some down time before the chaos breaks out, we’d better get a move on.”
We strolled along, all enjoying the view, the fresh breeze, and the calls of the seagulls.
“And when it’s all over?” Charm asked.
I glanced back to where she was walking with Laurel at her side, Harp directly behind. With Laurel there, I wouldn’t be able to hide my thoughts, so it was a good thing all I wanted to say at the moment was truth.
“Wherever you all are will be home for me.”
Charm rolled her eyes. “Um, of course. I meant, would you want to come back here, or somewhere on Earth, anyway? If everything was finally at peace, no more fighting. Say there was a guarantee, somehow.”
“Big hypothetical,” Andromida grumbled. “There’s always some new asshole out there.”
“Play along,” Aegriss scolded her.
Before Andromida could shoot back, I said, “No.”
“No?” Laurel asked, then frowned. “Part of you wants to.”
“Can you not read my mind or whatever it is you do?” I walked for a moment, wondering what she meant. Did part of me really want to return? “Maybe somewhere deep down, I do. But honestly, exploring the universe, righting wrongs… It’s what calls me. When I was here, life was simple, it was—”
“Certainly lacking in pussy,” Gale said, winking my way. “Am I right?”
“Gale,” Shimmer chided her. “Don’t be crude.”
“I’m just saying, our boy has it good.”
I laughed. “I won’t argue that. But ‘pussy’ isn’t the reason to go back up there. Please tell me that’s not how you think of me.”
Gale considered me, but forgot to look where she was going and tripped on a rock, grunting as Andromida caught her. “No, I guess not,” Gale admitted. “But if we withheld for a week, I bet you’d go insane.”
“Please don’t make us do that,” Charm said. “I’d be the one suffering in that situation.”
“I think we all would,” I replied, then winked at Gale. “You like it as much as I do.”
She grinned, shrugged, and kept on.
“How does every conversation revert to sex with you all?” Laurel asked.
Harp covered her mouth to stop from laughing, then her machine said, “She has a point.”
“Wait, I thought it was connected to the superpowers or something?” I turned to Charm, then Twitch. “Isn’t that what you two said?”
Charm shrugged. “Might be. Might not be.”
Twitch laughed. “In your case, Breaker, I think it is—but it’s not that superpowers make us all like that. It’s that you have all this new energy, a new sense of worth.”
“The rest of us are just horndogs,” Gale replied.
“Speak for yourselves,” Shimmer countered. “You all convinced me to get involved. Now I’m addicted, but it’s not… ah, shit. Yeah, you’re right.”
“I’ve seen it from the outside, and now the inside.” Andromida looked very serious. “I’ll say this—when you have a bunch of adrenaline in your system, constantly fighting for your life and winning, wanting to celebrate… worrying about people you care about,” she glanced my way then smiled slightly before hiding it again, “and everyone looks as damn sexy as we do, I think the better question here is why you two aren’t trying to seduce all of us yet.”
Harp flushed but Laurel laughed.
“Maybe we just need some more life or death situations,” Laurel said with a shy smile, one that I was starting to think might be a cover for the fun-loving freak hidden within.
More laughter rang out as we reached the edge of the city and started down a windy road that led between houses. People were looking at us.
I glanced back at Shimmer. “Think we should illusion normal clothes on ourselves or something?”
“No need. Right? Pretty soon the world is going to be under attack. What do we care if some people look at us like we’re weirdos?”
She had a point, so we continued on, and soon found ourselves on a street packed with tourists. The most interesting part about them though, was that on the far side there were several in the white robes of the Elites, walking briskly away. My guess was they’d just received an evac order. But nobody else there was reacting, so it was obvious that only the Elites knew. If they had a way off of this planet, it made sense for them to run. For everyone else, their chances were just as good dancing in the streets as cowering in their houses.
And two people were actually dancing in the street at that moment, putting on some sort of show. At first I thought they might just be a bit off or drunk, but then I noticed the hat for money. That made me think about our situation. I sure could use some fresh fruit and water, but we didn’t have any Earth money with us to buy some.
Eyes were already starting to turn in our direction. When enough of them did, even the dancers stopped.
“Charm, can you…?” I nodded to the dancers.
“Are you serious?” she hissed. But when I shrugged, she sighed and stepped forward. “Everyone likes my costume, yes?” Some comprehension, some not. “Costume,” she repeated, holding her tails and then touching her ears. “For this…”
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t dance,” Laurel whispered to me. “You might have to step in, here.”
“Me, dance?” I scoffed.
But Charm had no intention of dancing, it turned out. Instead she motioned Laurel forward, and together they started a martial arts demonstration. I had to hand it to Charm, it was the perfect decision. Not only were both very skilled, but with Laurel’s ability with minds, she could move in perfect unison with Charm, narrowly avoiding each strike.
While everyone was watching, I felt a hand on my ass. At first, I thought someone was trying to pick my pocket, which made me laugh, since I had no wallet to steal. But when I looked around I saw it was Aegriss. She leaned in, whispering in my ear, “Time to pay up on that rain check.”
“What? Here?”
She nodded to
a nearby building with a stairwell. “We might not have down time in a while.”
My eyes went wide. I was about to argue, but everyone looked so enraptured with the show, I figured why not. We both wanted this, in spite of my confusion on the subject of what she really was and how I was supposed to feel about that.
We darted over like teens who were breaking curfew, quickly checking the stairwell to ensure nobody was around, and I gave it a sniff to ensure it wasn’t a popular pissing spot. We seemed to be in luck, so I looked around for a spot to lay her down. She shook her head, pulling me back under the stairs. “Just like this, standing.”
Hey, this wasn’t my first rodeo, so I grabbed her, pulled her in tight and pressed my lips to hers, and began exploring her body. Every inch of it felt as real as the others, and soon she was doing that connection thing again where I could feel the pleasure of my touch on her as she also touched me. She had my cock out, stroking it, and then adjusted her outfit so that I could get it in, right there, pressing her against the wall while I thrust.
There was no ulterior motive to this, no power-play or need for her powers, just the two of us, two horny… people? The thought caused me to falter. FUCK! I hated that I kept thinking of it like fucking an android, and she saw it in my eyes.
Only, this time instead of making a big deal out of it, she wrapped her arms around me, nibbled on my ear lobe, and said, “Fuck me, hard.” Thrust. “Harder.” Thrust, thrust… “Tell me you want me.”
“I want you.”
“Tell me you need me.”
“I need you.”
She let me go a few more times, my hands grabbing her ass, caressing her breasts, my tongue meeting hers. Then said, “Tell me I’m not a fucking android.”
“You’re not… a fucking… android.” I wasn’t sure if she’d really wanted me to say that or had been messing with me, but as the words left my lips she turned me, threw me to the ground with her on top still, and then finished, making sure I felt the pleasure of the connection so that I came at the exact same time.
We lay there, staring into each other’s eyes. She pulled me out, adjusted herself, fixed her clothes, and then put my cock away for me. Her eyes met mine again. “You know, you’ll figure it out.”
“What?”
“This… thing you’re dealing with.” She waved her hand in my face, as if that was a symbol for my brain trying to cope with her being an android. “I’m not even going to worry about it anymore. Just keep fucking you, just keep caring for you. When you’re ready, and you will be soon enough, maybe then we can make love instead of fuck.” She stood then, grinning. “Either way, I’m going to get mine and have a damn good time along the way.”
With that, she started walking off. No cleaning up, no lingering and cuddling. And her little speech? I had no idea what to think of that, but it made me like her more, made me laugh as I stood up and chased after her.
I caught up with her halfway back to the others. My hand found hers. She smiled, and we walked over to the crowd without another word. She was right, I was pretty sure. I would get over it, just needed time. Everyone was clapping while Charm and Laurel walked around to collect money. The people of Earth didn’t know aliens existed, so of course they went along with the ruse that these were costumes.
“Where’d you two go?” Gale asked with a sly grin.
I was sure I was blushing, but Aegriss simply smiled and turned back to the street performer—now a juggler.
“Wow,” she said, grinning. “Impressive.”
“And we have to wonder if she’s talking about the juggler now, huh?” Shimmer chuckled, waving us on. “Come on, let’s find a place to lie low.”
Charm and Laurel returned, hand-in-hand. Laurel glanced my way briefly, then laughed. “Enjoyed the demonstration, did you?”
“It was amazing,” I replied, trying not to look at Aegriss. Of course, by trying not to, I defeated the purpose.
“I’ll go look around, bring Aegriss with me if that’s okay.” Twitch was already breaking off from the group. “I think it’s good if we check out the networks, what’s being broadcast. See if we can pick up any sort of news.”
“Good thinking,” Gale replied. She watched Aegriss walk away with Twitch, nodded, and we started off, heading toward what looked like the commercial district.
“How much did you get?” Shimmer asked Charm.
“Honestly… I have no idea.” Charm held out a handful of bills. More than I was expecting.
“Enough for us to have a little feast,” I said, grinning from ear to ear.
Our next stop was a restaurant just off the square. It was crowded inside, but there was outdoor seating available and even with the chill in the air, none of us minded. We used our translators to order mussels, some bouillabaisse soup, and a pizza for the table. When the food arrived the others were hesitant, especially with the mussels, but I dove right in.
Each bite was a pull back to Earth, a reminder of all the things I’d loved about this place. But then, I’d swallow, look around the table at the women here enjoying the feast with me, and remember that the universe had bigger things in store for me. Every moment with them was worth a thousand trips to Marseilles, or anywhere else for that matter.
As I tried the soup, I was reminded of a time with my foster-father. We were at this classic restaurant on the cliffs of what had once been San Francisco, watching the waves and sharing a bowl of clam chowder. He’d never been much of a talker, but didn’t need to be. The pride in his eyes that day, the way he’d look out at the waves, smile, then nod at me—it said it all. Seafood was a hell of a delicacy, considering all of the bullshit that had gone into the ocean over the years. They treated it, of course, or the government would’ve never allowed it to be served. But that’s what added to the cost, and what made that day with him so special.
It had been the day I’d gotten my first job offer working on the space station parts. Having watched my brother go off to the Marines and quickly rise up to the elite forces, my father had always been proud, but worried. I think he was glad I was taking a job that didn’t put my life on the line.
Oh, if he could see me now.
Speaking of which, I wanted to call him. To tell him I was okay. That would be too hard, though, I thought. Bring up too many memories, maybe even make it impossible to leave, to do what needed to be done. The thought of how he’d take that made me chuckle. His convicted murderer of a son, the one they probably all thought was dead that day of the crash.
I checked the money, excused myself, and found a postcard. All I wrote was, “I love you both, we both do,” and signed it “Your sons.” I wasn’t sure if the mail would ever get there, not with everything about to happen to this world, but when I mailed it and nodded my appreciation to the electronic box that managed all of that, I felt at ease.
It also felt damn cool sending a post card, because only tourist cities like this still had such things. Another reminder of how special this moment was.
I returned to find the others had finished eating and were laughing over half-glasses of wine. Without a word, I sat, relaxed, and stared up at the clouds as thin wisps flowed past the larger ones above.
Someone tapped me on my shoulder. I turned to see Charm nodding for me to follow and quickly ducking back into the shadows, then moving along the wall to a gate.
“Just… we’ll connect back up?” I said to Gale, then jumped up and went after her, catching her at the gate. “What’s up?”
Her smile was like that of someone excited for you to open the amazing Christmas present they had gotten for you. She looked like she was about to explode with excitement.
“Come on, you’ll see.” She took my hand, pushing through the gate and leading me down a small path that led to an old French café. Since it looked closed, maybe even out of business, I had no idea what she had in store for me, but was damn curious.
17
“I talked with the others, and they were okay with this” Charm
led me back into the deserted French café, where Laurel and Harp both stood waiting near the kitchen.
“What?” I asked.
Charm grinned. “Don’t you know me yet at all?”
I gulped, now having an inkling of what was to come. “You… made me a nice crème brûlée?”
“A nice ménage à trois,” she said, “plus one.”
I laughed. “Oh.”
“I figured, this way Laurel and Harp don’t have to feel shy.”
“Charm, we don’t have time. We—”
She put a finger to my lips. “For this, Breaker, there’s always time. Plus, you might have use of their powers.”
Now that we were on Earth, having Laurel’s power to be able to manipulate nature could, in theory, come in handy. But with the type of battle I was imagining, it seemed like a stretch. Harp could fly, but I doubted I’d get wings, so that was probably off the table, too. As for the crazy thing she could supposedly do with her voice? I wasn’t sure I wanted that.
But the two of them, now that they were standing there, looking at me with curiosity and anticipation… yeah, them I wanted.
Charm walked over to them, kissed Harp first, then Laurel, running her hands along their breasts, looking at me.
“Get into it,” Charm told Laurel, her fingers walking along the woman’s hip and then moving down between her legs, caressing her. “You two watch, touch each other, then join when you’re ready.”
With that, she turned to me, pulled off my top, and then knelt. She pulled out my cock, already a full erection with the anticipation, and showed it to her friends. Kissing the tip, she stroked it once, then flicked her tongue along the bottom of the head before taking it in her mouth.
Laurel was looking very uncomfortable, but then Harp stepped up behind her, moved her hair to the left, and started kissing her exposed neck. Laurel’s eyes closed and she moaned, a hand reaching back to caress Harp.
When Harp reached into Laurel’s superhero outfit and moved the top aside, exposing a full breast with turquoise nipple, I nearly doubled over with the rush of blood to my dick. Charm felt it and moaned, stroking me faster, and when she looked over, she took my dick out of her mouth and grinned.
