Decay

by J. F. Jenkins

  “And you want us to bring our charges with us on this journey?” Alan asked. He sat up a little, trying to hide that he knew anything. Sir Oriol would be doing his work for him. Alan might not need to push for the opportunity to go on the mission to retrieve the Ilotus after all.

  “Ideally, yes. There is an artifact we need to retrieve. It is in a holding facility somewhere in the area we are stationed at. The Yumsaltanz think they have the location figured out. It is technically an artifact left behind by their people, but the power it contains is one they are willing to share with us. The area is further north in the state than where we have been doing most of our work. It would most likely be a weekend trip for your charges. Discuss it with them. If they do not seem inclined to come with you, then you can leave them to their side projects, and you can come alone. Your powers especially Alanmendiquixanimackle, will be useful for this mission. Perhaps you would consider sharing them with your roommate.” Sir Oriol gave Alan a pointed look. “You are both free to leave now.”

  Alan stood from his chair without another word. He bowed before exiting, and as soon as he stepped a foot out of the door, he sighed with relief. Sir Tuliy soon joined him.

  His friend smiled and ran a hand through his short, playful, red hair. “Why were you so nervous to begin with?”

  “I wasn't sure if Sir Orioltogorthan was going to like my proposals or if he would continue to have use of me,” Alan explained. He toyed with the idea of telling Sir Tuliy that he knew about the artifact even before Sir Oriol told them. It didn't strike him as a good idea, however. Sir Tuliy would want to know why he wasn't informed as well. All Alan could do, was express the relief he felt when Sir Oriol said he could come along to retrieve it.

  “I thought it was an excellent and plausible plan. Though, it might not be a priority, every little bit helps and that is why your work is so important. You do those small, less thought of things that bring us so much valuable information.”

  “Like the drug?” Alan looked over at him with both of his eyebrows raised, almost challenging Sir Tuliy.

  His comrade let out a weak cough. “Yes, like the drug.”

  “I wasn't sure if that was what really interested you, or if it was the dark skinned girl I've tasked with working on it for me,” Alan said bluntly.

  Sir Tuliy stumbled, something Alan had never seen happen before. He must have caught the great prodigy off guard.

  “I−I do have interest in the drug itself. There is a lot that is being ignored about it. First of all, the side effects are important. My double agent, Dale, you remember him. His ability is not as smooth in function as the rest of my charges. Something about the drug caused this to happen. Plus, the implications of what this could mean for home. The artificial gifts produced on Altura are controlled. Those induced by the drug are not. Furthermore, if this breakthrough is brought back to Altura, the black market would have what they refer to on Earth as a 'hay-day'. Not something I want to see happen.” Sir Tuliy made eye contact with Alan, and then a small blush spread across the young man's face. “But yes, I do wish to see Cadence again.”

  “You know she is dating one of my other charges,” Alan said flatly.

  “I'm well aware of that fact, thank you. I'm also aware of how he treats her, and that perhaps they make better friends than lovers. Or maybe I'm expressing wishful thinking out loud. Regardless of whether things work out between those two or not, every moment I can spend near her is one I will gladly take.”

  Alan couldn't help but laugh at that. It was all too reminiscent of his own lovesick days when he used to dream of Alona, his ex-fiancée. Had he been so badly blinded by love? Maybe if he had paid more attention to the oncoming signs of the war, he would have known she was bad news. Was the girl he dated back on Altura ever the woman he believed her to be? Or did she always live in a lie?

  I can't encourage this behavior or this relationship. “Those are romantic words, my friend, and I'm not sure they will result in much productivity.”

  Sir Tuliy gazed at Alan solemnly. “If you can keep your work and professional life separate, then so can I. By all means, I invite you to supervise my encounters with her to make sure we stay on task. I have no intention of being a distraction. Her mind is fascinating. She is. There is a lot we can learn from each other. One of my abilities is knowledge as well, in case you've forgotten.”

  Alan sighed. He wanted to put his foot down, to make it clear he did not approve and would not stand for it. But Tuliy was the prodigy. There was only so much Alan could protest. In the end, who knew better, Alan, the lowly junior officer who had no experience and no credibility beyond his father's accolades or Tuliy, who had an impressive school record, several military achievements, and an expertise in strategy and research? No way could Alan logically win the argument.

  So he kept his mouth shut, and hoped his disapproval was conveyed through his body language alone. Sir Tuliy had been good at reading it earlier, and he'd no doubt pick up on it again, especially if Alan made sure to slam his bedroom door upon arriving back in their apartment.

  Once he was in his room, he settled onto his bed and grabbed the electronic tablet on his nightstand. Two side projects and one upcoming mission, there was a lot of preparing to do. He couldn't help but smirk a little. Everything was going just how he had hoped.

  Chapter Seven

  Angela sat in her usual chair in The Apartment and gazed out the window, while the group waited for Alan to arrive. He'd told all of them he wanted to hold a meeting so they could discuss the latest work needing to be done. There hadn't been anything solid for a while. Cadence had her research to do, and for someone who was so smart, she seemed to be having a lot of trouble with it. JD still had his task of teaching Alan how to look, and act, like a normal human being from Earth. The guy couldn't have been any older than twenty, but sometimes he acted like he was forty. He stuck out like a sore thumb a lot of the time, especially on days he refused to wear clothes that actually covered his chest in a decent manner.

  Everyone had something to do except for Orlando and Angela. Well, mostly Angela because Orly had to hang out with, and spy on, some girl from his school. Angela would be jealous, but he didn't look too enthused about the idea whenever they talked about it and kept putting it off. Besides, it was wrong of her to even think about being jealous in the first place. While she may have liked Orlando, a lot, he was technically off limits due to the girl code. After all, he had dated one her friends. Granted, Angela and Tait weren't long time best friends. They'd met at cheerleader camp, bonded, exchanged phone numbers, social media information, and talked about two or three times a week when neither was too busy for the other.

  They were definitely friends, and they'd been talking lately, more than usual. Oddly enough, Tait never mentioned her, now ex, boyfriend. Not even when they had been dating did his name or even the fact he existed, get brought up. Angela couldn't help but wonder why. In the past, any time the girl had so much as a crush, Angela had heard all of the details. Now, Tait only seemed interested in what was going on in Angela's life. Generally, the girl was a bit more self-centered than that. Angela loved her to pieces, but there was no point in denying the truth. The sudden change of interest made her feel as if Tait was trying to pump her for information.

  She has to remember I was at the party where The Doctor was injecting all of those teenagers. I'm pretty sure she knows I was one of the kids who got experimented on. Hopefully she thinks nothing has happened to me. She can't ever know the truth. If she found out I actually did get powers, it would get ugly pretty quick. Not to mention, Angela also wouldn't be able to get her revenge. Her friendship with Tait died the moment Tait used her vines to help restrain Angela so The Doctor could force the injection into her arm against her will. A real friend would have stood up to him. No, still meant no right? The guy was scary, but even her brother had managed to do the right thing, and he was quite possibly the most chicken of any person she knew. JD didn't so much as argue wit
h their parents because he was afraid of making them angry.

  Her gazing out the window was interrupted when Orlando walked up to her and handed her a can of soda. “You look tired,” he stated and then sat down in his usual chair by the door.

  “Thanks,” she said and cracked the can open. School had felt even longer than usual. Amazing how eight hours could seem more like fifteen. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that he noticed her exhaustion.

  “If you drink that, you're going to be awake until three in the morning,” JD teased from the couch.

  With a defiant scoff, Angela took a gulp of the soda anyway. He was right, but she wasn't about to turn down a gift from Orlando. The boost would be welcome if she had any hopes of staying awake through training. Her task was to learn how to use her powers more effectively. Orlando was almost always her teacher. How could she pass up the opportunity to get him alone?

  Ugh, stop pining over him. You're so pathetic, she thought with a frown as she went back to looking out the window. But she couldn't help it. Every moment she had Orlando to herself, there was sparks, and not just because of her ability. They clicked, and it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced with a guy before. Too bad the timing was all wrong.

  “Earth to Angela, come in?” JD asked, startling her.

  “Ugh, what?” she snapped.

  He glared at her. “What's your deal? It's too early for it to be your period.”

  “I asked, what?” she repeated and took another drink from her can.

  Orlando raised an eyebrow. “You know when your sister gets her period?”

  “Uh, duh, doesn't everyone?” JD asked.

  “Can't say I pay that much attention to mine,” Orlando commented.

  “There are three women in my house, plus Cadence. This is important stuff for me to observe or I might start World War Three, man!”

  Orlando opened his mouth, but immediately shut it again, shaking his head. He was quickly learning something Angela had picked up on years ago: JD was weird. The best thing to do was keep on task and hope he caught up again.

  She tried one more time. “What do you want, bro?”

  “We were talking about getting dinner after this. You interested?” JD asked.

  “My treat,” Orlando added. Not like he had to broadcast it. Any time the group went out to do anything, he always paid. The guy had cash to burn, and didn't have any problems with sharing the wealth with his friends. Angela didn't mind, necessarily, but she didn't want him to think she was taking advantage of him either. But would he offer if he believed she was? Who knew? The guy was a mystery.

  She made eye contact with Orlando, taking in the sparkling blue eyes that didn't match the rest of his dark sense of style. They stood out against his pale skin, unnaturally black hair, and all black attire he wore. For a moment, she held his gaze and watched as he smirked. Why is he doing that? What does it mean?

  Shifting in her seat, Angela managed a nod, finally breaking the staring contest she was having with him. “Food would be good.”

  She could feel heat on her cheeks which meant she had to be blushing. Angela hated to blush, especially in front of a crush. It made everything way too obvious, and being obvious wasn't something most guys were into. Right? Wasn't that what separated the desperate girls from the sane, datable, ones? She was hopeful he wouldn't notice and was rewarded from further humiliation because Alan popped in and attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

  “I apologize for being late,” he said. “I overslept.”

  No one said anything. Angela herself wasn't sure how to respond. There was never a time when Alan was anything but professional. If he overslept, did that mean something was wrong? She held her tongue, resisting the urge to ask him about it. The last thing she wanted was to be overbearing and mother him. He probably had a good reason.

  Alan found his spot near the window and sat down. “Last night I was up late strategizing. While you have the sun to help monitor the passing of time, on my ship, I do not. I must have lost track and−”

  “It's cool man,” JD said.

  “What were you working on?” Cadence asked. “I'm assuming it has something to do with why we're all here today?”

  The alien nodded and ran his fingers over the edges of the vest he liked to call a shirt. “Yes, I have a number of items to discuss with you. For the past few weeks, each of you has had a minor assignment to work on. Some of you have been more diligent with them than others.” He gave a pointed look to Orlando before continuing. “But you've been doing your part all the same, and with little pushing on my part. It pleases me that you want to take such an active role in the cause.”

  Orlando shrugged. “We need something to do to keep entertained. Please, tell me you have something interesting for us to do.”

  “Yes,” Alan said. He cracked a small smile. “And it is a task in one of the more northern cities of your state. We'll be gone for a few days.”

  “Field trip? Rock on!” JD cheered.

  “Question,” Orlando said. “How exactly are we going to go anywhere for an extended period of time without our parents getting curious?”

  “That's why I was awake last night,” Alan explained.

  “Well?” Orlando pressed.

  Alan's smile faded. “You will be going for a school related club. The trip is all paid for of course, and we have two weeks to prepare for it. We will be working with the yellow tribe. There is a piece of Alturan technology we need you to find and retrieve. There's more, though.”

  “Ooh goodie,” Orlando dead panned.

  The alien was getting good at letting the guy's sarcasm roll right off his back. Alan didn't even glare, which was a step up from their last meeting. “With this new technology, we'll be able to do some incredible things. I'm not even sure what all will happen. However, I've also been given permission to come up with a plan to capture prisoners of war, namely Bean and Sprout. Our other task will be to devise a plausible way to make them go unnoticed for a few days. It hasn't been declared a priority, but I want it on the back of your minds all the same. You know the culture so much better than I.”

  “That shouldn't be too hard. All Orly has to do is ask his ex out on a romantic weekend vacation,” JD said while wiggling his eyebrows. Angela wanted to punch him for the suggestion. Thankfully, Orlando didn't take it too seriously.

  “I'd rather kiss a cactus,” he muttered.

  JD shrugged. “Just an idea. She's hot, so maybe I'll find a way to ask her instead.”

  Idiot. Sometimes Angela wished she could put duct-tape over his mouth or find some way to filter his brain, so he actually thought before speaking. Cadence's eyes glistened with tears, and he didn't even seem to notice.

  Right when Angela was about to say something, Orlando spoke up. “I'm sure your girlfriend would be all for that.”

  “We're not labeled, actually, and if it's for the cause...” JD nudged Cadence playfully. She didn't reciprocate the fun attitude. “Oh come on, I was joking. I wouldn't actually ask her out. You know that right?”

  Cadence shook her head and scooted away from him. “Not labeled, huh?”

  “I don't like them. I thought you knew that already.” JD narrowed his eyes.

  “Your opinions on dating change a lot,” she said coldly. “Or maybe I was an idiot and thought things were different with me, when they're actually not.”

  “What is your problem?”

  Once again, Orlando's mouth opened, but Angela shot him a warning glare. This was not a fight he wanted to get in the middle of, especially since Orlando was so difficult to read. Sometimes he liked to antagonize people for his own personal enjoyment, and at other moments he actually tried to be helpful and understanding. The fact that he stayed silent and listened to her proved he only wanted to help, but whatever he had to say was something that needed to wait until later. Maybe he and JD could have some 'guy time' in the near future.

  “Well?” JD's voice was beginning to ris
e. All Cadence did was sit and stare ahead blankly, head resting on her hand. He scowled. “Come on, talk to me? What's got you so mad?”

  Unable to watch it anymore, Angela stepped in. “JD, maybe you should leave her alone and talk about this later?”

  Cadence's hunched up body, sharp stare forward, and heavy breathing was standard girl communication for 'leave me alone, I'm furious'. Angela's brother did not understand anything about girls, and it was too painful to watch him blunder even further. She'd risked a lot by even suggesting he let it go for the time being. It needed to be said. The room filled with a lot of awkward tension the moment he opened his mouth, and she personally couldn't take it any longer. Plus she didn't want to watch all of their dirty laundry air out, and figured Cadence felt the same way.

  JD moved closer, to his apparently unlabeled relationship partner, and touched her hand. As soon as their hands made contact, Cadence stood from her seat and glowered at him so coldly that even Angela winced.

  “I was an idiot to think things would be different with us,” Cadence said coldly. Then in barely more than a whisper she added, “I never should have slept with you.” She fled the room soon after, JD hot on her trail.

  Silence filled the room. Angela wasn't even aware a place could become so quiet she could hear the hum of the refrigerator which was in a completely different room. The first person to make a noise was Alan, who exhaled slowly through his mouth. His jaw was tightened, his gaze hard. Angry footsteps could soon be heard from above, followed by a door slamming and some muffled yelling. Thankfully Orlando's house was well insulated because she did not need to hear any more details about her brother's personal life. There wouldn't be enough brain bleach in the world to get rid of some of the mental images she now had of him.

  For a moment, Alan only pursed his lips together, before finally speaking. “Perhaps we should stick to our small side projects a little longer instead.”

  Angela shook her head. “No way! We can leave them out if they can't get their act together, but why punish the rest of us? Orlando and I are more than capable of going out on the field and kicking some butt!”