Thicker Than Blood (10 page)

Lucy looked to Mark and Joe and they gave her the thumbs up. Lucy repeated the gesture for the judges at the table nearby. The announcer counted from three and a whistle blasted. The robots rolled toward each other. The enemy cyborg turned and sped away. Marksman gave chase. The guys directed Marksman to chase Black Knight around the ring for a whole minute as the audience booed. Black Knight managed to stay just out of range. Lucy didn't understand the Knight's strategy. I can't tell if they are trying to run out the clock or they're doing a rope a dope. Lucy thought about the old Mohammad Ali trick and if it would work with cyborgs. If they think Mark and Joe will get tired, they didn't study the guys enough. They don't get tired, not of this. When Team A finally cornered Black Knight in front of a large pit in the floor. It swung its mace wildly. The lighter, less armored Marksman easily dodged its awkward attacks. Mark and Joe leaned their RC controllers left and right. Mark was controlling the lesser waist and shoulder shifting while Joe rapidly turned Marksman from track to track, weaving left to right. Then Marksman grabbed hold of Black Knight's mace hand and it was all over. While grappling with Black Knight, Mark's hand released the joystick on his controller. His hand slipped past the joysticks and clicked an awkward button on its edge. Marksman's arms locked the enemy cyborg's arms in place as it writhed. The new doors on Marksman's chest plate opened up and a second set of smaller arms reached out. They quickly wedged open a crack in the knights plate armor. The small arms retracted, pulling out a red foam ball, disabling the Black Knight. "He has his heart he's got the heart." The announcer yelled. Everyone screamed and jumped. Mark quickly reached up and flicked the switch on his controller again, and the smaller arms went slack and began to slowly retract. Marksman's larger arms released the idle Knight and Marksman pushed it into the gaping whole. The screaming was so loud Lucy's ears hurt. She started screaming too. How can they arrest us now, Lucy thought, there will be a riot. Mark and Joe gave each other a high five. "What an unusual cyborg. Four arms, folks I tell you now we've seen it all!" Rick seemed to be loving it. Lucy ran over and hugged the guys. They jumped up and down in unison. Lucy looked up at Joe.

"Oh wait, I'm receiving a letter from the judges. Man I hope they rule that was legal, because it was great." A slim young woman handed the announcer an envelope. Rick read the piece of paper to himself his face began turning down. The audience quickly hushed, as if on cue. He walked down to team A's circle. "Well apparently the judges think there was an oversight in the wording of the arm regulation, it looks like the extra arms will have to be taken off." The audience sighed. The morose announcer put his hand on Mark's shoulder. Suddenly he turned to Joe and Lucy. "But this victory stands!" The crowd went wild. He had played their emotions like a harp. Posters of the A-team logo waved in the stands. They did it again, they couldn't be beat. They really were the best. Joe leaned into the microphone and spoke in a deep Italian accent. "I love it when a plan comes together." Lucy had never been so scared and excited in her life. She was shaking.

"First the men at the shop and now this?" Mark looked disturbed. "I thought for sure they were going to arrest us," Lucy added. "Same guys from the shop?" Joe asked. "We don't even know if those cops were there for us," Lucy commented. "Cops at the shop? When?" Kento asked. "A couple of guys in a Lincoln," Joe remarked. Mark explained. "Joe spotted them by the abandoned warehouse. He ran over, and got there just in time to see them get into a Lincoln. They kicked up so much dust he couldn't see the plate." Lucy squinted at Kento, she was visibly holding back her emotion. "They were packing." Joe looked at Lucy sympathetically. "Don't worry, lots of people carry now." Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Thanks Joe, I feel much better now." Joe turned red. "It could be the same guys, but it's probably not for the nanites. These tactics are too primitive for the company that owns them. They have got to be pretty high up the ladder. They could have just been taxi drivers." Kento looked lost in thought as he talked. "I thought of that." They all stood silently in a circle, eyes at the ground or the sky. "This might have something to do with..." Mark looked suddenly surprised, stopping mid-sentence. Everyone looked at Mark. "With what?" Kento asked. "Amman." Joe looked right at Mark as he said it. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't need to." Joe looked a little angry. "What do you mean?" "Why is an Iranian physicist working with us?" Joe asked. "What is he doing here?" "You think he's a terrorist?" Mark asked looking confused. "Maybe." Joe said. "You have some large ones." Mark said. "You need some." Joe shot back. Kento stepped in between the feuding men. "Guys, look you are both on same side of this. He's just not sure about Amman. Don't let him come in between you. We can't be sure about anything yet." "Especially Mark." Joe's nose twitched. Kento grabbed Joe by the shoulder and pulled him aside. Lucy tried to listen in as they whispered but their voices were too low. She looked over at Mark. He looked uncharacteristically angry. His nerdy look washed away. We can't fall apart right now, she thought, there are too many loose ends. "You should come to the shop tomorrow so you can show the guys what you did." Mark looked surprised that Lucy was standing there. "Oh, right, yea. That would be pretty good." "You have been really mysterious about Amman, Mark." Lucy said. "Usually you are so open about everything." "I made a promise not to talk about it. Trust me, it's okay." "Mark I trust you, but you can't know what he's thinking." Lucy felt faint. Mark looked less angry and more afraid. Joe and Kento returned from their huddle, and Joe looked significantly calmer. "Mark I'm sorry." Joe said. "It's alright. Me too." Mark was trying not to look hurt. "I made a promise not to talk about it. I swear he's alright." Joe nodded his head. "I need to get up in the morning to make some calls, Joe would you mind driving?" Lucy was hoping to let the fragile peace set in. "No problem." "See you tomorrow." Mark walked toward his car. Kento split off toward his bike.

Joe got in on the drivers side of Lucy's van. It was so packed with the team's equipment, the back window was blocked. Joe took the Clarks out his jacket pocket, and tapped the LCD on his arm computer. Lucy watched him as she climbed in the van. She wondered if he was trying to hide his expression behind the faux glasses. Not a good thing, Joe wrecked his car when he was wearing his clarks. "Do you really need those things?" Lucy wondered aloud. She hoped he would talk about it. "What, no. I like them though." Joe looked at her as he started the van. "Easy to spot cops." "Are you planning to speed?" "No, but it sounds fun." Joe smiled a little. Joe pulled away from their spot a little faster than he should have. Lucy felt her stomach wrench. At first she thought it was from Joe's aggressive driving, but he was pulling away more calmly now, and it didn't stop. Kento's prophesy was gnawing at her. Kento was all about reading into things, but something sounded a little more real this time. As real as that awkward microscope taking up an entire workbench at the shop. What would she have to sacrifice to be a part of this. She didn't want to give up her business, but she wanted to give up the guys even less. Lucy didn't have a lot of friends outside of her work. She really didn't want to give up Joe. She felt the tears welling up. "Joe. How can this end well?" "We don't get caught." Joe predictably missed the rhetoric. He sounded cool and distant. Lucy's tears were lost, Joe clearly didn't understand she was upset. Lucy sat back, brooding about every time he had spilled his guts to her. He never sees it when I need him, she thought. He's so self centered. Lucy's face turned stony. She imagined her whole life alone. I just need to admit how I feel for Joe. The words came slowly to Lucy's mind as they drove along the expressway. She looked over at his face. His rugged, almost angry look contrasted with the boyish joker she had seen earlier tonight. Shadows danced across his cheeks as he drove under orange street lights. She wanted to reach out to him console him. She knew just how fragile he was underneath. No, I can't. I have to hold it together. I can't be weak. Joe is our star, Mark is good, but he just can't build like Joe can. No matter how broken the cyborg is he always finds a way to get it running. I need to be in charge, I can't lose that. Lucy turned to Joe. "Joe, was the cyborg damaged at all?" "Yeah a little." Joe paused and nodded his head for a while. "Mostly sheet metal. A few bullet holes from the mace." Bullet holes. Lucy started brooding about the man interviewing their cubical neighbor again. Lucy grasped the door handle tightly as Joe got off at their exit. She looked over at Joe as they drove under some broken street lamps. Eerie blue and red lights reflected off of the inside of his glasses. Lucy felt like she was going to wilt. All she wanted to do was go home and hide under the covers. They pulled up in front of her house. He asked as he got out of the van, "Can I hitch a ride to the shop?" He walked around the front of the van and handed her the keys. She could swear he glanced at her breasts. She looked in Joe's eyes. "No problem. How about eleven am. I want to enjoy my sleep tonight." "Okay see you tomorrow." He turned and started walking toward his house, oblivious to Lucy's attention. "Joe," she called out to him. He turned around and started walking back to her. "Please come in and stay with me a little while. Have some coffee." He stopped and looked a bit perplexed. His eyebrows moved as he contemplated her unusual request. "Yeah okay." He followed Lucy inside, as she searched her brain for some kind of meaning. Her stomach was in knots. I thought I could handle anything, but I can't handle this. My sanity is gone. I am inviting Joe in at one a.m. Even if I didn't catch him staring at me all the time, I know how he might take this. Lucy reached across her shoulder to adjust her bra strap, her body felt more sensitive. He sat down in the kitchen as she walked toward the coffee machine. She focused on the task of preparing coffee. Why had she crossed this line? I have to cut the team loose, that must be why. I care about these guys, I don't want to do it. She flipped the switch on the front of the machine and it flipped a switch inside. The tears welled up in her eyes and she started to cry. "Lucy, what's wrong?" Joe sounded completely confused. "Are you okay?" He walked across the kitchen to her.

She threw her arms around him, and cried on his shoulder. "Joe don't tell anyone, I'm so scared." She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't think." He looked ashamed. He held on to her. After a minute, Lucy pushed him away enough to look at him. "How did we get here?" He stared at her looking more scared than she had ever seen him. He held his embrace loosely. She realized how vulnerable he was, physically and emotionally. She realized how much she loved him. She reached up and kissed him on the lips. Gently touching his lips, feeling their warmth. He responded and returned her kiss. Sorrow turned to affection as his hands touched her neck. He ran his fingers through the hair at the back of her neck, and his kiss deepened. One of his hands ran down the small of her back, over her butt and stopped at her thigh. He pulled her waist closer too his. I want him, Lucy thought. She had completely forgotten about their perilous future. She reached up the sides of his shirt and grabbed the back of his muscular shoulders, massaging them. Their noses brushed as they turned their heads and continued their kiss on the other side. It felt just as right. The kissing aroused her to the point that she wanted to try more. She felt the heat from his excited bulge at her waist. She pulled away from Joe without saying a word. Seeing the terrified look of regret on his face when she pulled away, she grabbed him by the front of his jeans above the zipper and pulled him into her living room. His expression changed to pure bliss. When Joe realized where she was taking him, he spun around behind her and began kissing her neck. He placed one hand on her thigh and the other cupped her breast. His mouth worked it's way down to her shoulder. She reached behind her head and grabbed a fold in the fabric of his shirt with both hands, pulling it over his head. She spun and began to kiss his shoulder. She gently ran her fingers along his back, careful not scratch him with her fingernails. He had shown all the restraint he muster. He reached down and pulled her pants' button open. He pulled her close and kissed her as he unzipped her pants and slowly guided them off. Lucy pulled away from his kiss, and again he looked frightened, as if he had done something wrong. She spoke very quietly but in his ear, "Have you ever done this before?" She pressed her waist close to his as if to reassure him. He started to kiss her neck again as he responded. "Yes." "How many times?" she asked between elongated breaths. "Twice." He worked his way up to her ear. "I have so much to teach you. You're almost a virgin." She ran her hand along his waist and down the front of his thigh. He took her by surprise, gently lowering her down to the couch below. He kissed her as he lowered her body. She quivered with lust. She looked at him and smiled. "Slowly. We have all night."

Daylight peeked in the room. Joe woke up with a start. Where am I? I'm in Lucy's bed! He recalled the night before. Was Lucy just weak or was it something more, he wondered? He had found her attractive for years, but why did she accept him, no wait, invite him now? What did I do? He sat up with a start. He heard her talking on the phone in the other room. He grabbed his clothing off the floor and quietly dressed while he listened. "No mom. Mom there is a ton of work to do now." Lucy paused to listen. "Mom I need you to watch Finny today, I'll be by to pick her up tonight." "I'll see you after eight." What work did she have to do now? What was going on? He quickly pulled his shirt over his head and walked into his sneakers. He walked out into the hall towards her voice. Lucy was naked except for a long pale blue T shirt. Her dark hair was wet and looked jet black. Her back was turned to Joe. Her heart-shaped rear was obvious to him through the thin shirt. He suddenly felt aroused. She dialed the phone and walked to a table with the phone held to her ear. She spotted him and turned around smiling. He was relieved she didn't hate him. He caught himself staring at her breasts. "Machine," she said as she hung up the phone. She walked over to him. He felt his heart flutter. She walked up and touched his arm. She looked him in the eye. "Joe last night," and she stopped. I'm going to lose her friendship, he thought. He felt his skin prickle. He thought of many fun hours hanging out with Lucy and Finny. "Whatever you say, I hope we're still friends. I can't lose that." "We weren't drunk. I wanted it too." He still felt like he had done something wrong. She grabbed his arm and pulled him to the living room. She led him to a chair. "Have a seat." He sat in a recliner. "This is not easy for me to say." His heart sank to the pit of his stomach. "I think I have to sell the team." His dread morphed into confusion. "Why, because of last night? I'm so sorry." "No, it's the other way around. I wanted last night to happen. I let myself be with you because I had made up my mind about the team." "Why? The fans love you." Joe look bewildered. She paused as if searching for words. "Joe, this nanotech stuff is too crazy for me. I need to get out before it affects business." He thought about her daughter. "I understand." He looked at the floor. "Hey don't be bummed." She crouched in front of him. "Somebody will buy the team! You guys are on fire." "What about us?" he asked. "Will we matter?" He cursed his poor articulation. "I mean, will this matter?" She looked him in the eye. "Whatever we want from each other, I won't let anything stand in the way. I just ask one thing, whatever happens we need to have our stories straight, I had nothing to do with the nanites. I don't know about the nanites, I never heard about the nanites, and you guys told me that monstrosity on the bench is a chip building machine you borrowed." "You didn't ask for this." She reached out and held his hand. "Outside of that, I'll help you guys however I can." He recognized Lucy's lie. He had heard her tell a lie like this a dozen times. Really how can she help, he thought. She just wants me to feel better. Well at least she cares. He looked up at her with a big smile. She caught him smiling. "What is it?" Joe had an idea. "I have two tickets to the Olympic trials." He grinned a crooked smile. She smiled. "A date? I'd love to come with you. When is it?" "This Friday," Joe grumbled. He felt his stomach churning.