by Chucho Jones
“To a certain extent,” the boy answered amused at his uncle’s focus. “The thing is, maybe we need the nexus in order to be able to manipulate the core,” said the boy.
“Ok I get that, but maybe we don’t need that much power. Maybe you could place the core in your wielder and we could use Greg as a nexus. We’re only trying to change my Intro-Phase into reading the core, instead of my body. Am I right?” said the uncle with an uncertain tone. The whole endeavor made Oliver feel uneasy, but Leon was the only other mind close to understanding the complications of quantum computing.
“I think it’s worth a shot. Let me call Greg back in,” said Oliver.
After a few minutes of intricate work, as both young men analyzed and worked the information on the mirror, Greg entered the room.
“It is fascinating the resonance in the molecular energy that it takes to manipulate between dimensions. My analysis shows there might be a reason to believe that there is, in fact, another world or an ‘else world’. A place of energetic origin. An ‘after cosmos’, if you will. I believe this molecular anomaly is a remnant of that same energetic display. Oh, sorry Master Hawke, I hope I didn’t interrupt,” said the robot in a polite tone. Leon glared at the robot.
“Nah, you’re fine, just dump the information, the core will need it,” said Leon to the robot. “Great work Jukebox,” said the man to the robot. Oliver’s heart rate increased. He was excited to try to bring the core to life.
“Greg, I’m going to need you to use the energy I stored to help me channel the remnant information of the core to Leon’s Intro-Phase. Said Oliver reassuring his uncle’s theories. Oliver bravely took the core and placed it in the back of his alien hand. The thing began to engulf itself into the Vitro-Plasma sack and began to glow bright blue. Oliver’s sheen from his glasses turned blue as well. He could feel the presence of the Omnimaiden inside of him. He felt multiple Jolting sensations. He anticipated a seizure but he kept mind strong, for a moment he controlled it all. A millisecond of clarity felt like an eternity. He poured the energy onto Greg’s chest cavity.
“Greg, I can’t hold it much longer. Get ready to channel the energy,” said the boy abruptly. Leon jumped off his seat and help the boy remain seated.
“Keep it together jets, you can do this,” said the scoundrel in a concerning tone. Leon’s Intro-Phase began to glow a teal blue. A blue projection began to manifest on the mirror. A glowing blue beauty manifested. Everyone in the room recognized her… it was Connor. Oliver felt a bit faint, but he noticed his uncle’s expression. He hadn’t seen Leon smile so strong since he beat McCoy in the drag race all those years back.
“Oliver, Oliver, you did it. You’re crazy jets. That was something. Here, have some water.” Leon tended to his nephew and handed over a glass of fresh water. The boy gulped at the glass and refreshed his palette with the liquid.
“What happened? Where am I?” asked the synthetic beauty. Leon’s eyes watered a little.
“Connor it’s you. I thought I’d never see you again,” said the scoundrel with gusto behind his words. Oliver began to feel that this whole thing was done so that Leon could talk to his girlfriend of the future.
“How are you doing? Remember me? Worthington?” Leon said in expectation. Oliver reiterated his theory and interrupted.
“Are you sure this will help us? Maybe we could have saved the energy for the future,” said Oliver to the scoundrel.
“This is the future, don’t you see? Here, ask her. Ask her about the Phantom technology,” said Leon, encouraging the boy.
“I do remember you. You’re the impetuous Captain Thunderbolt,” she said to the scoundrel. “I remember you were afraid of flying, and that didn’t stop you from going after your nephew’s captors. A fine move for a captain. Of course, I remember you, Worthington,” said the maiden to the scoundrel. Hello, master Hawke, I’m happy to finally meet you. Your uncle seemed awfully worried about your well-being,” she said to the boy. Oliver’s heart pounded fast. For a second he felt a sense of belonging to his broken household.
“Tell me a child. What do you want to discuss?” she asked.
“We want to figure out how to use the phantom technology. We might need it so that I can use the wielder’s full capacity and reinstate everything the way it was,” the boy answered, looking for a response.
“Well, the good news is that you’ve figured out that these theories transcend time, space, and planes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here,” answered the maiden.
“What are you then? Are you here?” Leon asked.
“I am an instant, as real to you as it is to me and to Oliver. Or anyone around me. You must understand that in this flow of energy instances can happen anytime anywhere anyway. You’re just conscious of your reality, but there are mirrors and light ways to other existences,” she answered to the crew.
“Like an ‘after cosmos’,” The boy added.
“After cosmos? like an after party? how does that work?” asked the scoundrel aloof to the matter.
“Do you remember when Dr. Dickens and I worked on the Silicone to Carbon Paradox? We suggested that when the two remaining atoms from the transformation got lost they went to a remnant place so that the remaining energy could consolidate with a whole and return on new energy. The Silicone Carbon Paradox is the theory I’ve been using to channel the wielder’s energy,” said Oliver, as the blood rushed to his brain in a jolt of happiness.
“Jets, I try not to think of the past. I can’t remember what we did before the aliens,” said, Leon, as if brushing every single bad thing off his shoulders.
“That’s only half of the theory Master Hawke. I’m glad you looked into the Intro-phase. It will give you the answer you seek to work the wielder at its full capacity. People are drawn to energy and power for a reason. Magnetism also transcends time, space, and planes,” said the maiden.
Leon and Oliver jumped static at the news. They grabbed each other by the arms and leaped on their position.
“This is Fantastic. Ok, we can’t tell the girls that we are talking to Connor. I just feel this might be too awkward for them already. Let’s just say that we both linked out information to your wielder and my Intro-Phase,” said, Leon, as if looking for the best plan.
“Starlight,” said Leon to the Connor in an endearing tone. “How can you be sure?” he asked curiously.
“Starlight, your nicknames are getting better. I am what I am inside of your Intro-Phase. I will be bout to you if I remain in your personal Intro-Phase. My natural ability will allow me to communicate with the wielder, but it cannot host me,” said the maiden to the researching boy and man.
“Bound together. Connor, it is so good to see you. You have no idea,” said the scoundrel in a flirtatious tone. The door creaked as it opened. The dashing beauty, Justina, walked into the room both well and rested. Leon quickly took his coat and covered the mirror.
“Oh, hello. We didn’t see you there. How, how are you? Did you sleep well?” said the young greaser to distract the lady from their endeavor. Oliver noticed his uncle getting nervous. He wondered if he wanted to keep the maiden a secret from the dashing rogue for a reason. He began to feel awkward.
“We were just going over some information. We needed to coordinate our Intro-Phases so we could be on the same page for Thaddeus’ briefing,” the boy said to distract the lady. Leon looked at the boy and nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, it’s just future stuff. Boring future stuff. For the mission. You know?” said, Leon, as he rolled his eyes to the door at the boy gesturing for him to leave. The subtle movement was caught by the boy and he took his robot and left the room.
“Yeah, boring future stuff. I will make sure to brief my Mom and Victoria about this. Come on Greg. Let’s go.”
“The pheromone levels in the room are off the normal charts. Might I suggest playing some music to set a tone for the mating mood?” The robot suggested to Leon.
“What? What do you…? Oliver, I think your robot is broken. Why do
n’t you go ahead and fix him,” said Leon trying to get out of the awkward situation. The European brunette walked over to Leon.
“Boy, your mother is in the briefing room by the deck’s main hall. Keep straight and to your left,” said the vampire to the boy. Oliver and Greg left to the hallway and closed the door. He felt happy that his robot friend tagged along, a sentiment that got quickly shattered by the sound of George Michael’s Careless Whisper on the saxophone.
“Ugh! What’s that music?” said the disgusted boy to his robot companion. The robot blinked its frames and raised his hand.
“It’s a successful mating call chant. It’s usually played to woo the mate into mating. I believe it’s a primitive tradition,” said the robot to the boy. “The pheromone levels on this vessel suggest that I set the tone for successful mating. Oliver felt a shrieking feeling from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.
“Ugh, why is that a directive of yours,” said Oliver in aggravation.
“It’s my prime directive to set the needs of the travelers for their best scenario. Seeing as the coast has been clear for hours it seems to be the right time to allow your life forms to blow off some steam,” said the confident helper. Oliver’s heart raced and he felt warm as he walked into the briefing room.
His mother was tending the strong man’s wounds as he sat on the briefing table and she stood between his legs caressing the injuries with a vitro-plasma sponge. Oliver’s stomach felt as if it turned inside out. He strolled out into the open deck. His heart raised in palpitations he needed to get his mind off things. His robot companion kept the song playing into the open.
“Ahhh, Please! Shut that off. We don’t need it,” he yelled at the robot. The metallic companion immediately ended the music and focused on the boy.
“I believe you do master Hawke. You seem to be carrying too much data inside your brain. Your heart seems like it’s about to explode. May I suggest maybe talking to somebody more familiar?” said the robot to the boy. The mechanical being raised his left arm and pointed his finger at Victoria. She stood by the edge of the promenade deck of the ship. The starry night and the boats dim lighting made Oliver feel soothed and warm. He suddenly felt compelled to talk to the beauty. He walked up to hear as his knees weakened. He hesitated, and came to a halt, he looked down at his feet and felt nervous. The gaze down seemed cuter than before. He remembered he was a full teen now. He shook his head and raised his sight. He turned to see the window to his left. He gazed at Leon standing in awe. The brunette had her shirt laced down as she showed him her scar’s around her neck and down to the top of her chest.
Oliver shook his head and felt butterflies in his stomach as he kept walking to the girl. She noticed his clumsy stroll and smiled at the boy. Oliver smiled back. The butterflies raised up his chest and his knees weakened once more. The boy took the courage to speak to the girl.
“Hey, beautiful night huh?” He said to the girl.
Victoria smiled and coiled at the considerably taller nerd.
“All things considering, I’d say yeah, it is,” she said as she looked up into the sky. Orion shown bright in the night, and the moonlit on Gibbon.
“How are you holding up?” Oliver asked as he touched Victoria’s arm gently with his alien arm.
“I’m fine, I guess. I’m happy to be around all of you. I like Chuggy and I’m grateful for your mom, but I do miss my Dad every day. Maybe it’s because I feel that I’m becoming more like him, or that I need to be more like him. I don’t know yet,” Victoria said, as her eyes watered. Oliver saw her right into the eyes. His heart raised. He couldn’t find it in him to reach out to her. He gazed up at the sky and pointed at Orion’s belt.
“You know, when we were little and you began to babysit me, I used to dream about giving you a star. I’m sorry that with time I learned the idea was foolish,” said the boy looking at the girl’s arm. “I think I learned something that can help with this,” Oliver said as he placed his hand on the girl’s injury. He lights his arm’s palm in a white glare that lit over the girl’s arm as he grabbed it. Victoria grunted slightly. Oliver felt how her skin stitched together as it grew back and dissipated the injury.
“Wow, that was awesome,” reacted the boy, to his own alien feat. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just that…” said, Oliver, as he coiled.
“Don’t be,” said the girl as she grabbed his alien hand. “I think that in a way, you have given me a star. We’re stranded off, who knows where and when. The sun we see might be any of these stars we now see tonight,” she said to the boy as her eyes glared with the brief moonlight. Oliver felt that if he corrected the girl he might miss his chance. His heart pounded strongly. He felt it could rip out of his chest. He felt a rushing sensation in his heat and his sight went fuzzy. He closed in on the girl and kissed her – embracing her firmly against him. The girl responded to the kiss and embraced the boy back. They locked lips for seconds as the young couple enjoyed each other’s embrace. The moment got interrupted by the howling sound of a human that resounded loudly from Leon’s window.
* * *
Laura felt uneasy around the middle-aged stout man. Her heart raised and she felt the baroque quarters where warming up. She felt the sudden discomfort of wearing the hard dresses under gown as she stepped in and out of the man’s squat as she caressed his wounds.
“Thank you, for giving my boy hope. We’ve been needing a strong leader to help us on our way. Someone we can trust,” said the Laura as she felt her lungs too big for her chest. she noticed the man staring at her rapid breathing as she healed the wounds. She wondered if the swaying of her bust distracted the gentleman from his manners.
“Thinking about something interesting I imagine?” said the lady as she forced the vitro sponge into the man’s wounds. The man reacted in howled at the lady. He grabbed her by the arms and pulled her close.
“I’m a sorry lass, but what if I was? I deserve to suffer for find me fond of you?” the man replied, with a charm in his look that showed complete confidence. The man got off the table and placed his robe back on. He held Laura from her hands and took a slight step back showing respect.
“I’m a man of composure, you need not worry; however, I do notice that you have impetuous thoughts that you leave bottled up,” said the man, with a confident smile. Laura’s heart raced every time the man’s wrinkles showed the distinction of his good manners with every spoken word. They really don’t make them like they used to, the thought crossed her mind. She focused back on the conversation as the man began to lecture her.
“Look, stand right up on your posture. There’s is a way that you can channel your energy to the right way to find serenity. The man grabbed the lady by her sides and raised her arm into a cross as he stood behind her. Laura felt a rushing sensation going up her legs. Her breath was slightly heavier each time. It had been such a long time since a man stood so close to her with such little coverage. Her thoughts betrayed her stoutness and caved.
“Sometimes we don’t need meditation, we need tangible solutions. Have you ever thought of that Thaddeus? Have you?” she said as her chest raised up and down from her heavy breathing.
“I understand you, Lassie, I was just being careful.” He said as his mustache caressed the young woman’s neck.
“Fausto, leave the room,” the man commanded in a firm tone that made Laura lose herself in his embrace. The door closed tightly shut and he gently pressed her against the table. She felt sudden comfort as her rear pressed against the table’s edge, but was immediately countered by the feeling of the strong man pressing against her.
For a few minutes, she left her thoughts for Oliver and lost herself in the moment. She grappled the man’s shoulder’s lustful as he gently thrust his hips towards her and raised her gown. Laura replied by locking her legs behind the man as his robe fell off. They both thrust their bodies onto the table top as each other embraced their lips with one another. The room felt warm as a sauna. The sweating of the mo
ment made it feel like a sticky steam bath. Laura thought of nothing other than what she was feeling. She grasped the man’s arms and felt a little too much hair. She caressed the man’s back and her hand felt like running through a fur coat. The man growled as his human gracious features mixed with his gracious wolf features. His eyes turned a pale silver as they locked eyesight. The swaying of the sea allowed for the moment to last longer. The rocking back and forth made the couple forget about the sudden change in movement of the vessel. As Laura culminates her feelings, a loud thuds interrupts the well-connected couple.
Greg busts into the room for an interrupted coitus.
“Mating sessions unsuccessful,” said the mechanical man.
“What the hell is wrong with you, tin man?” yelled Laura at the robot as she hastily robed her body with her gown. She went the extra mile and cleared her sweaty face and fixed her hair briefly and tied it up in a bow.
“Leon is injured, and miss Justina is nowhere to be seen. Fausto is having trouble navigating due to the fog. And the vessel is being swayed by the heavy current,” said the robot as it ran outside. The crew gathered on the main deck. The old man was assisted by Greg. Oliver and Victoria stood suspiciously side by side as Oliver rubbed his mouth with his left hand. Laura felt an awkward silence as the two couples met the Old man in the main deck hall.
“Where’s Leon?” Oliver asked.
“So that’s what the tin man meant. I think he’s in real trouble,” she said to her son. The team had no time to do anything other than run towards his room. Greg trotted towards the reading team.
“Tin man, our weapons,” Laura yelled. Greg spun his chest and threw their respective weapons to the girl and lady. Victoria cocked her weapon and ran behind Laura. Oliver readied his wielder and opened his palm outward. Chuggy stood next to the crew. The ship began to rock side to side. Wooden debris got torn and suddenly the night sky got exposed. The IFO’s thrusters tore the ship apart. Fausto did his best to keep the debris off the team but concentrated his efforts on saving the helpless old man.
