by Noah Barnett
"When are they leaving?"
"Twenty minutes, sir."
"Thanks," he said letting go.
Charlie boarded the first dropship and found the girls waiting in a storage room. He paused in the doorway watching them. The twins climbed over the walls using the tie-down rings. Fara and Elva were quietly making plans in the corner while Sofie dozed on a bunk. For a few seconds, he changed his mind. Charlie would return to Earth, and go back to screwing them daily. Remy was right. He'd paid for his harem with too much blood and sweat. Then the moment was gone. Monty pushed into the room after him and went over to Grace.
"Love, I have news."
"My heart is aflutter," Grace said rising to her feet.
"We are going to space."
"I hate to point out the obvious, darling, but we already accomplished that feat."
Montgomery laughed and wrapped an arm around the woman's supple waist. He turned her around in a circle then gestured toward the ceiling. "I meant permanently in space," he chortled in a theatrical voice.
"You're selling the manor? Say it ain’t so." Grace gasped.
"We are upgrading, and looking to the stars." Monty agreed.
Charlie looked at the girls. All of them had stopped after hearing the conversation. He pulled his determination up by the boxers and walked toward them. "It's true; unfortunately we can only take one person with us into beta." He said, stopping before the group.
"What about the others?" The twins asked.
“You’ll be able to transfer into Star Nova at the beginning of the year, but we're being barred from logging into Gun Meister for the next two months." He said looking at them.
The twins grabbed each of Charlie's arms and clung to him. Amethyst eyes searched his face expectantly. Elva and Fara both straightened while Sofie came out of sleep mode. Her red hair was a bouncing mass as she floated toward Charlie, and long muscled arms wrapped around his neck. He smiled up between her heaving cleavage. Each had grown special to him in their own way, but he had to make a decision.
"I'm taking Elva with me," he said extracting himself from Sofie's grasp. He turned and saw Elva was hugging her batch sister. Charlie approached Fara first because he felt he owed her the most.
"I know—you don't have to say it. I'm a broken girl." She said, and he cupped her face.
"That was a mistake, and I wouldn't change anything about you. Well, except the biting.” Charlie said with a chagrined smile. Fara made a soft sound and he flicked her nose.
“You’ll join me in Star Nova?” He asked.
“I make no promises,” she said with waterlogged eyes. Her black makeup smeared as she furiously wiped them away, then smiled more naturally.
"That's the Fara I know, and love." He said lowering his hands to the black collar at her throat. She lifted her head proudly, even though her eyes streamed liquid. Charlie pulled yanking the collar, and it broke apart. Fara gasped and fell to the decking as a glow encapsulated her. Gun mods appeared in the air and shattered in a shower of crystal glitter. For a second the teen was naked in the light, then she was wearing a black bikini.
"You vill not escape me so easily,” Sofie said, grabbing him from behind. Charlie laughed and turned in her embrace.
"I look forward to seeing you, but I hope you’ll join Star Nova for more than just me. Space is amazing, and it's something I've secretly yearned for." He said hugging her around the hips.
"I vaited so long, and just when I find a special man, he leaves. Such is my life." She said in a husky sob. Charlie reached up touching her face, and wiping the tear away from her cheek. Before his resolve failed him, he tore the collar from her neck. Her steel colored eyes closed as she released him, and fell back. There was a quick flash, and she was reset to factory default.
Charlie turned to Thelma and Luise last, who were clutching each other in panic and staring at him. Lips trembled as they pleaded with their eyes. "You two are unique, and I would never dream of breaking you up." He said.
"We really liked you, Charlie."
“Will you join?” He asked and the two looked to one another. They shared a conversation without speaking.
“We might,” they replied suggestively.
"I'm going to miss all of you." He said taking one of their collars in each of his hands.
"Ready?" he asked. They whimpered but nodded in unison. Charlie pulled yanking the collars free and stepped back. As he did Elva took his arm.
"Stay aboard the ship. It'll be headed back to earth." Charlie said and wrapped an arm around Elva's waist.
That was a lot harder than he wanted to admit. The girls had quickly grown on him like family, and he sympathized with Elva. The weapon clung to him for support as she wept. She was losing her friends and being dragged into a strange new world, but Elva followed him as he turned away from the uncontracted girls. Tobias and Monty had already collected their weapons and left the dropship. That just left him and Jen in the room. She was on the other side of the compartment locked in a dilemma of her own. He approached interested in what was taking the woman so long.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"I can't decide who to bring," she admitted.
"Ahh, well…" He considered the four handsome men surrounding her. That must have been nice. It wasn't often a woman got to experience a reverse harem, and she even dressed them up as butlers to serve her. In a way, all of them were identical except for hair color and facial features.
"How about this, you take them into one of the extra rooms and have a blast fucking them. Whoever lasts longest comes with you into Star Nova."
"That's awful," Jen gasped.
Charlie shrugged and said, "It's fair, and it gives them something to remember you by."
The four men quickly exchanged looks and said, "We agree to this."
"I am not going to—" Jennifer was interrupted by the weapons taking each of her arms and legs. "Hey, let me go!" She insisted, but they carried her from the room and off the dropship. Charlie followed with a sly smile, as Jen continued to struggle in vain. She looked genuinely annoyed, but couldn't stop the hot flush from her face.
"Consider it a final hoorah!" Charlie called as they dragged her into an empty room.
"I'll get you for this," Jen said as the door slid closed.
"Shall we?" He asked holding out an elbow. Elva smiled slipping a hand into it, and they headed down the hallway. He randomly picked a direction until they came to a green line. The first room was open, and he poked his head inside.
"Excuse me?" He asked seeing a very young girl laying in bed. She had a tablet in hand and was reading, but as he spoke, she sat up blushing. The girl had brown auburn hair, and flannel pajamas on.
"Sir, I'm sorry… I umm."
"What are you doing up here on the Moon?"
"This is the Lunar Naval Academy, and I'm studying to join the Space Defense Force." She said coming to attention in her nightwear. The girl was maybe twelve or thirteen, and Charlie felt a little strange seeing someone so young talk about joining the military.
"I'm looking to sign up for the Beta."
"You can access the admission page from any console," She said. The girl scanned Charlie's face blushing like any teenager, then tried vainly to push her hair into order. Simultaneously she hid behind the tablet in her hands. "You can use mine if you wish." She said pointing to a desk in the corner. Elva stood behind him with a sympathetic smile.
"I'm not intruding?" He asked.
"No—no sir." She stammered taking her tablet and rushing from the room. The girl sprinted down the corridor in her PJ's and vanished into another open door. A high pitched squeal and girlish laughter followed her entry. Damn, the developers did excellent work. That girl had acted precisely like a flustered teenager, and it made him nostalgic. To be that young again…
Charlie entered the room and sat down at the desk. He put a palm on the screen, and it flashed to life with his statistics. Immediately he noticed the number of kills. Wow, th
e civilian Roth had been like wheat before his scythe, and every one of them had given him another thousand credits in his account.
_____________
Player ID - NA1339872
Registered Competition Name - Charlie
Clan - Misfits
Hours played - 332
Wins - 56
Losses - 20
Kills - 188
Deaths - 30
K/D Ratio - 6.2
Battle Rank - Gold Master
Player Score - 1984
Credits - 260,482c
“This account has been assigned to join the Star Nova Online_09A3 Closed Beta. Please fill out the following forms, and sign the attached Non-Disclosure-Agreement.” It said after a few seconds.
Charlie spent about ten minutes inputting his personal information, including his dive helmet model number. It even asked him if he was claustrophobic, or agoraphobic.
"Well, I managed to climb into your Power Armor," he thought to himself and selected ‘No' to both.
"Please select the weapon you'd like converted to Star Nova," it asked next. Charlie had already sent the others home, and the only option was Elva. Afterward, he was forced to read through a rather lengthy NDA and sign it.
"You will receive a download link in your email shortly. Welcome to the fight." The screen said at last. He closed the console and turned around. Elva was sitting on the bed kicking her heels and toying with some of the knick-knacks on the shelf.
"That's it," Charlie said pushing from the desk.
"I'm going to log off and download the Star Nova Client. I'll see you on the other side?" He asked, and she rolled over on the bed.
"Thank you for picking me. I'll miss everyone, but I want to be with you."
"You were always the first and only choice," Charlie admitted.
Elva bit her lip before saying, "I'm excited and nervous."
"I hope everything works," he said joining her on the bed. Charlie reached up and touched his temple with two fingers. Whoever owned this room would just have to live with his body occupying her bed for a while.
"Charlie?" Elva asked eyeing him with her baby blues. He paused with his finger over the logout button.
"Would you like one last, hoorah?" Elva asked reaching down and thumbed the top button of her shirt. Her red bra became visible, and she pushed her chest out seductively. There were seven days before the Roth arrived, and twenty-four hours before the Beta deadline. He technically had time to burn. Charlie closed the system menu, went over to the door, and locked it. By the time he turned around Elva was already naked and waiting.
The End.
