Supernova on Twine (2 page)

Would you like it if I pleasured you within your own
space?
Motac offered, rather
cheekily.

What?

When we’ve got Tink and Mirko, I’ll show you what I mean. Then
maybe you won’t be so negative that I’m here on this journey with
you
.

You’re here inside me for the long haul, aren’t
you?

I sure am. Where else am I going to go? We’ve got to ensure
Zoltan and any other coalition eternals are safe before we make our
move. When we get to Supernova on Twine, that’s when we act. Until
then, we’ve got to behave like we’re a fully possessed being with a
shadow eternal inside him. Got it?

Zane
thought about Motac’s words. He also thought about how he’d never
heard of this Supernova place. From that he could only imagine they
were heading into the future. The far future, because humanity
hadn’t done anything in space when he was on Earth except launch a
few probes into the solar system and land on the Moon.

He had to admit, things had been better and it was kind of
reassuring having Motac inside him, especially while they wandered
through the inner workings of Parenthesis. The guard had left them
long ago. It seemed their ruse had worked so far, because Motac had
told Zane a few choice words to say to convince the Banshan he
wasn’t needed as their chaperone. The alien reptile seemed to
accept that
—
probably because it was feeding time or whatever the hell it
was reptiles did on their off time.

He needs a fuckin’ shower. That guard dude, I mean,
Zane said.

Try living with them long term.

You get used to the smell?

Nope.

Zane
laughed, catching himself before he did it too loud. He didn’t want
to draw attention to himself, not after they had come so far. They
were within the prison block. Many more guards loomed, looking
sinister.

Time to
put on his act.

Zane approached the guards and they looked him up and down
with the same disdain for his species Erkla had done.
I take it Banshan don’t like
dick
.

Now it was Motac’s turn to laugh, and Zane’s mind reverberated
with that laughter.
I like the look of your
dick, even from within your own eyes.

Gee, thanks.
Zane then said out loud,
“We’re here to escort the prisoners to Erkla, as
instructed.”

The
Banshan grunted. “They are sedated enough for you to move without
bother. But be quick about it.”

Zane
nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Ooh, that was good, Zane. You sounded just like me
then
.

You kind of pick things up when someone’s in your mind, you
know
.

Don’t you want me here? Because if you really don’t want me, I
will leave at the first opportunity
.

Zane pondered Motac’s words for a moment while he walked
behind the Banshan who were escorting him to Tink and Mirko’s
cell.
You’ve got a promise to keep. After
you’ve done that, I’ll make up my mind then. For now, yeah, you’re
useful, I suppose
.

Gee, thanks
, Motac said, emulating
Zane.

Hey, don’t take it personal. Us gay guys always try before we
buy. If you’re no good in the sack, I’m afraid you’re ditched.
Saves time that way.

Then I’ll have to make sure I’m good, won’t I?

Zane
smiled, but added no more to their internal conversation. The
Banshan had opened a cell door. The sight of Tink and Mirko brought
him great joy, and his heart skipped a beat. He wanted to rush in
there and embrace them both, but knew if he did that, his
cover—their cover—would be blown. Instead he said, “Bring them to
me.”

The guard did as instructed. Yes, Mirko and Tink were sedated,
walking like zombies as they were grabbed around their arms and
forced to move toward the door. Whether Zoltan was still inside
Mirko was anyone’s guess. All Zane knew was, the cat being had to
have an eternal within him if he was to remain alive. What
eternal
—
shadow or
coalition
—
he
couldn’t be sure yet.

“
They are yours to take to Erkla.” The guard handed Zane a
chain. In that moment he realised their hands were bound. He licked
his lips, anger building up inside him. He fucking hoped they had
been treated well, otherwise there’d be hell to pay.

Calm down, Zane.

Yeah, yeah, I know. But if Tink has so much as a scratch on
him, Erkla will be one fucked up reptile, and not in a good way,
either.

That’s the spirit. But we’ve still got to be
careful
. There was a pause.
I have a plan, but it will require some
timing.

What’cha mean?

I can sense there is an eternal inside Mirko, but I can’t
sense its allegiance. Then again, if it were a shadow eternal, why
would they need to keep it here in prison and drugged?

Zoltan?

Perhaps.

Zane
didn’t waste any more time. He understood if he hesitated, that
could be a sign that something wasn’t quite right. He grabbed the
chains tight and pulled. Tink and Mirko had no choice but to be
taken wherever Zane wanted them to go.

So what’s the plan?
Zane asked. They’d
left the prison block and were travelling in a turbo lift back into
the heart of Parenthesis.

Motac replied,
We’ve got to get to the
control room so we can stop this planet reaching anywhere
inhabited
.

Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.

All right…well, now that Tink and Mirko are out of the prison
area they will no longer be affected by the sedative drug that’s
pumped into their cell
—

Zane had a feeling the good news Motac delivered was going to
be a double-edged sword, and instinctively asked,
How long does it take to wear off?

That’s the problem. If my plan is to be enacted, Tink and
Mirko must be fully cognitive. They will have to wake up so they
can overpower us and therefore let the guards monitoring the
close-circuit holocameras that cover the main areas be fully aware
that we have been captured. Sure, it will cause a general alert,
but we should be able to avoid capture if we stick to access
tunnels and unmonitored rooms.

Ah, I see. So then we can sneak around and do our thing while
all along the eternals will think Tink and Mirko have kidnapped us.
I am guessin’ from all this, you pretty much know where to hide
from sight around here
.

Sure do
, Motac said, his voice
gloating.
The trick will come when we have
to enter the control room itself. That’s guarded well and
monitored
.

Zane
didn’t want to think about things too far into the future. He liked
to work in the here and now. He pressed the emergency stop panel on
the turbo lift. All he knew was he had to buy them some time so
that the drug could wear off and they could then enact Motac’s
plan. Sure, it was going to be a close call, but as far as Zane
could see, the idea of being captured by Tink and Mirko was the
best chance they had of turning this situation around.

Straight
away, a Banshan voice boomed through the intercom. “What is the
problem there?”

Zane
pressed the reply button. He assumed the turbo lift was monitored,
so decided to play it cool. “The caution panel lit up. As a
precaution I stopped the lift. We don’t want Erkla’s prize
prisoners plummeting to their deaths, now do we?”

“
I see no warning light on my control panel for that sector.
Are you sure?”

“
Let me check again.” Zane pressed a few more buttons. There
were no warnings or anything that could even remotely resemble a
problem, but he had to give Tink and Mirko the best chance they had
of waking up from a drug induced haze. Time…no, seconds were
important. “Oh, my mistake. Seems the panel is a bit loose here and
it may have caused a short or something like that. False
alarm.”

“
Very well.” The Banshan didn’t sound convinced. Zane hoped he
hadn’t blown it before they even had a chance to get out of the
turbo lift. The last thing they needed right now was a half a dozen
warriors waiting for them when the doors opened, weapons at the
ready and attitudes to match.

Zane
switched off the communicator and flicked the lift reactivation
switch. In that moment, Tink came to life. He swung his bound hands
around wildly, striking Zane and Mirko in the process. Zane was
thrown to the floor, but decided to not say or do anything until
they were clear out of the lift and they were no longer monitored.
To try and soothe his lover now, to reassure Tink he wasn’t
controlled by a shadow eternal, could possibly result in them being
re-captured and the nasty variety of eternals inserted into their
bodies.

Mirko
also became animated.

Both cat
beings assisted each other as soon as they must have realised their
predicament. Tink said, “Get my Zane, Mirko. Tink will get us out
of here.”

Mirko
leaned down and picked up Zane as though he were made of cardboard,
but again Zane didn’t do anything. For now, he needed the monitor
station officer to believe his abduction was real—well, it was real
for now…until Zane could tell them of Motac, anyway.

Tink
clawed at the roof of the turbo lift, removing an access panel
after breaking his shackles. Seconds later, he had disappeared into
the darkness beyond, offering a hand down to Mirko. One thing was
certain about cat beings, they were strong. Zane was lifted out of
the turbo lift as if he held no weight—sure, he was a skinny assed
twink, but still, if humans were to try what the cat beings did
with ease, he’d still be inside the thing.

It worked
, Motac said.

Not yet. We’ve still got to convince Tink and Mirko I’m on
their side.

That will be the easy part
.

How?

Kiss Mirko.

Chapter
Three

Emergency
entry, Zane’s implanted data storage device. Ship time, unknown.
Location, Turbo Lift Access Shaft. Date, unknown. Internal
input.

Zane decided to make a mental entry this time.
Man, things worked like a charm. As soon as I
kissed Mirko, everythin’ was revealed….that, and my boner. Zoltan
is still inside Mirko, good news for a change. I missed Zoltan.
He’s cool…for an eternal. It also seems Tink saw the moment where
we locked lips and swapped spit and straight away said that we all
need to get to a safe place. Motac’s plan worked.

Of course it worked. I wouldn’t have suggested it if it
wouldn’t have had a high probability of success,
Motac said, interrupting Zane’s
entry
.

Dude, you need to stop buttin’ in when I’m in my own private
zone.

You didn’t announce you were making a diary entry. You just
started blathering on. How am I supposed to know you weren’t
talking to me?

“
Fine. I’ll announce it next time,” Zane blurted.

“
Announce what?” Mirko asked.

Zane
blushed with embarrassment. “Sorry. I was just arguin’ with my not
so imaginary friend.”

Mirko
chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Zoltan and I took months before
we established our mental routines and etiquette.”

Tink came
to them. He had been scouting ahead, making sure the coast was
clear as they made their way through the access shafts that seemed
to honeycomb through the living crystal of the planet. “Tink has
found an antechamber where we can rest.”

Motac said,
Ask Tink if the room is
shielded.

What do you mean? Why would the eternals shield rooms from
themselves if this is their homeworld?

Because the eternals are takers
, Motac
said matter-of-factly.
They took this world
from the crystal beings who once lived here eons ago. Many tried to
create sanctuaries, but ultimately failed when they were starved
out of hiding
.

So the crystal dudes were the first hosts of the
eternals?

In a manner of speaking, yes. But their bodies weren’t fully
compatible with for hosting, so they killed them all, moving onto
easier prey like the Banshan and humans.

Zane
asked, “Tink, is the room you found shielded? Motac believes there
are still pockets where the original inhabitants of Parenthesis
hid.”

Tink
nodded. “Yes, my Zane. Tink sees that the room is
shielded.”

“
Good,” Mirko said, “We can rest there until we have a more
solid plan.”

We mustn’t rest for too long
, Motac
said.

Why the fuck not? I need to get me some cock and you’ve got
your promise to keep, buddy
.