Lost Children of Atlantis - 4. Chapter 4

All at once, I came up out of the aquamarine room, seeing the familiar ceiling of my room above me, taunting me with the realization that, even though everything looked the same, nothing really was. I wasn't the same Damien that lived here. And, from the looks of things, I never would be again... which would seriously take some getting used to.

I got up, still wearing the strange azure jeans and boxers, and promptly stripped both off, choosing boxers, shorts, and shirt almost at random from the dresser, throwing them on without really paying attention to what I was wearing, walking as I did so out towards my little corner of the house... well, aside from my room. My Playstation, my TV, where I spent most of my "trying to ignore everyone" life. My eyes watered, as though not ready to process the early-morning sun, barely filtered by the thin curtains over my TV, and I squinted against the light, partly wanting to go back to bed and try again later. Glancing at the open pack of cigarettes next to the console, I leaned over and picked it up, grabbing the lighter and a cigarette from it and lighting it.

Nothing. I knew it'd been long enough since I'd had a cigarette... since before I was "abducted", at least... and I expected a head rush, a bit of coughing... nothing. The cigarette was lit... I was inhaling, the smoke was clearly going into me, and back out... but nothing more.

::What is the point of this?:: Ty asked me, a hint of bewilderment in his 'voice'. ::As you know, there are now devices in your system to neutralize poisons and viruses that enter your system. Hence, none of the components of cigarettes have any effect on your system, due to the neutralization of each of the 4000-odd chemicals which make up cigarettes. In addition to the tobacco and such.::

Annoyed, I put out the cigarette. :I thought you didn't know anything more than I did,: I shot back sullenly. :I don't know all about that... and I don't know how to stop the chemicals.:

::As I told you, I reviewed your memory... anything you ever heard, saw, read, or even were expected to notice, I have,:: he reminded me... and I could swear he was smirking at me. ::Since you started smoking, you have been lectured numerous times on the various dangers of smoking, and as a result, all the information during those lectures is readily available. For example, formaldehyde is a chemical commonly used to...::

:OK, OK, I get it,: I snapped, more annoyed still by his smugness. :So now, what, I'm no longer addicted to smoking? That's weird, but I guess I'll manage.: And then I realized, my morning boner wasn't going anywhere. :Now, if you'll excuse me, it looks like I'll have to deal with this before I can get on with the day.:

I didn't expect a response, and was moderately pleased when I didn't get one as I walked back to my room, closing the door and stripping back down. Pausing to grab a bottle of hand lotion from the desk drawer, I laid down on my bed, squirted a handful of the lotion, and started jerking off...

It was the greatest sensation I'd ever felt in my short life... as I moved my hand up and down, nothing I'd experienced thus far... admittedly, very limited aside from self-pleasure, but it existed nontheless... could even compare to the wonderful feelings I was giving myself. I started falling into the patterns, time and events losing all importance... until I heard the doorbell echoing back through the house.

"What lousy timing," I grumbled, reaching for a towel to wipe my hand off on... only to realize that the lotion on my hand was completely used up, and there was nothing to wipe off. I quickly threw my pants and shirt back on, not bothering with boxers as the doorbell kept ringing, and glanced at my alarm clock as I walked out of my room. And stopped, staring at it. "How is that possible?" I wondered aloud... the bright, early-morning sun had only just been blinding me in the living room, and now... it couldn't be more than 10 minutes later, and the clock was reading 1:30.

::The clock, based on information I am able to ascertain, is correct to within 5 minutes,:: Ty informed me. ::I show that 4 hours, 58 minutes elapsed while you were... beating off.::

"Tha-that's impossible!" I said aloud, confused. "How was I going for 5 hours?"

::Technically, you were simply pleasuring yourself. You had not yet ejaculated. Your body is, as you might recall, significantly improved.::

:Well, we'll have to talk about this little improvement later,: I shot back, :but for now, is there some way you can get rid of this, so I can answer the door?:

Instantly, with a single word of assent, I felt myself growing soft, and sighed with relief as I continued to the front door. Opening it, I saw Tyler standing there, looking depressed. He looked up, relief warring with... something I couldn't quite place, flashing in his eyes as he walked towards me, effectively pushing me back with his momentum.

"Tyler, we need to talk," I said, taking control of the situation and moving around him to close the door, him following immediately behind me, like a lost puppy.

"I was stupid," he said, before the door was even closed. "I need you... I didn't realize..." His words seemed to trail off, as he continued walking right in time with me, constantly pushing closer. His hands were reaching for my jeans button, and I had to back away quickly to keep him from grabbing onto it. "I need you so badly..."

"What's gotten into you?" I asked, confused. I mean, I wanted him badly, but at the same time, something didn't seem right. "You're acting really weird... are you OK?"

"No," he murmured softly, still moving towards me, tugging at my shirt as soon as he was close enough. "I don't think I can be... without you... please..."

Almost simultaneously, Ty piped up. ::He is reacting to your pheremones, released when you stopped yourself from masturbating. Your body viewed the abort as a failed attempt to procreate, and immediately released the pheremones to counteract this.::

:Great,: I thought, still trying to dance away from Tyler, leading unconsciously towards the back porch. :I don't suppose that can be stopped?:

::I have just stopped the pheremone release,:: he informed me, as a barely-audible click sounded, seeming to come from just behind my head. ::However, the concentration of pheremones throughout the house will take time to dissipate, during which time he is still susceptible to them.::

Realizing where I was, just inside the back porch door, I pulled it open and stumbled out onto the patio, Tyler still just behind me. Almost as soon as he stepped outside, his eyes grew wide, and he stepped back, trembling. "Damien... I..." he started, his eyes starting to tear up.

"Ssh, it's OK," I said, pulling him into an embrace, knowing that now, the pheremones would clear out of his system and he would be all right. "I missed you too... I feel the same way, but we need to talk, first."

"No, it's not that... it's like I had no control over what I was doing, like I just wanted to have you, and that was all that mattered. I came over to apologize, to try and work it out... and I only made things worse." I could hear the tears in his voice, even though it seemed like he was trying to fight them back.

"Don't worry about it," I said, one hand holding him tightly to me, the other caressing his hair, marvelling at the sensation of running my hand over it, the silky texture under my hand distracting me from what I was saying, even as I tried to comfort him, his body slowly becoming more relaxed in my arms, his arms closing firmly behind my lower back, his face buried into my chest.

After what could've been either a few seconds or a couple hours, I pulled back slightly, one hand pulling his chin up to look into his eyes... and as I did so, the words of only a day before came flooding back to me...

"Go, now, and see to your personal affairs. You will have two days to do so, before you will need to return, having severed all your familial and mortal ties, prepared to begin your service to humanity free of any loyalties save to mankind itself. After you are of the blood, you have no family save the Brotherhood, and you shall never again see the faces of those who know you now."

Benito's words slammed my heart up into my throat, and I realized, now that me and Tyler had a chance of working things out, I'd never see him again after today. Like Hel, I thought. I'm not going to let anyone ruin this for me... and if they think they can just kidnap me again, they'd better revise their plans.

"Don't worry," I said again, pulling him close to me again. "I love you, and I need you, and I don't want to ever let you go. And no one is going to make me change my mind, no one." And before he could respond, I pulled him up slightly, bringing his face even with mine, and kissed him, feeling almost like everything was back to normal... and refusing to even think about all the ways that everything had changed. That could be dealt with later... and as far as I was concerned, they could take their little toys and peddle them elsewhere.

::I wouldn't be so sure of that,:: Ty said, butting in on my thought. ::By analyzing data you picked up during your meeting with the Guardians, it is entirely likely that they will simply pack up and go elsewhere. For one, I sensed from the Chris individual a strong set of physiological reactions that tied in directly with any interaction with you.::

:So, what, you're psychic now too?: I asked, letting more than a hint of scorn creep into my mind-voice. :You can read people's minds or something?:

::Not as such, no. I can monitor the physical and physiological reactions of others to surroundings, stimuli and so forth, and based on that, I can... in the terms I have available, I can give you an empathic impression of people around you. It is not terribly accurate, because your mind deliberately distances itself from emotion, making it difficult to cross-reference physical symptoms with emotional reactions using you as a reference.:: He paused a brief moment. ::If you were to somehow access information applying to such reactions, I would be able to make more efficient analyses using that data.::

:One thing at a time,: I chided him. :First, you don't think they'll let me stay with Tyler, apparently?:

::Aside from their own wording, I have no information on how they might react. However, based on their wording, I would expect that they would prove most displeased if you attempted to remain in contact with anyone who is not a Guardian. Which Tyler, clearly, is not.::

:Well, then they'd better get used to the idea,: I replied stubbornly. :I've got Tyler back, now, and I refuse to leave him, for them or anyone else.: