Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ All I Have ❯ You Came For Me ( Chapter 23 )

A/N: This is the final chapter. It's posted in full on another site; I censored some things towards the end. I liked these characters, and maybe I'd play with them again. Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment, whether you liked the story or not, cuz I definitely enjoy all sorts of feedback.

 

 

: You Came For Me :

 

 

Hearing its taunting Alien shouts, his translator not recognizing the language, Ken felt annoyed not having any sort of physical advantage on the creature. The Alien was looking for them based on scent, but having trouble getting a pinpoint on their location due to the dust and grime that hovered in the air because of their earlier movement. Hiding in one of the rooms on the third floor, Ken and Andy listened to it move, searching through the rooms with noisy action. It would stand in the doorway and shout, banging weapons or fist off the wall or doors. Sometimes there would be a tremendous crash of sound, as if it were targeting the mirrors it found.

 

Ken used his body to cover Andy's, who was huddled behind him in the back corner of the closet. With the darker material of his uniform, he easily blended in with the darkness. He could feel Andy rubbing at his shin, the movement absurdly loud within the silence of the hotel.

 

“Stop that,” he hissed, using his elbow to jab him.

 

“It hurts, okay? Jeez.”

 

“Why don't you run out there and announce where you are, then, huh? Spare me the waiting part?”

 

“Don't be so dramatic,” Andy huffed, but stopped the movement once they heard the Hunter move up the hall, hissing with breath and dragging his machetes over the carpeted floor. It stopped, both of them tensing as they strained to hear what it would do next. Seconds passed with it doing nothing, and then the floor creaked under its weight as it slowly started forward.

 

Andy drew in his limbs as Ken pressed back against him, holding the closet door in such a position in which he could peer out the slit. Running his hands down his shin, Andy touched his toes, feeling anxiety sweep over him as the Hunter turned into a room, bellowing and causing a mess within it, returning to the hallway a few moments later. Another room was treated in the same way, and he gripped his toes, wishing they were on the move and not waiting in place. He didn't know why Ken chose to hide them, rather than move—but then again, he was self-conscious over the fact that Ken had kept eyeing his leg, and he figured the man knew he was having trouble with it.

 

He then tensed as the Hunter paused outside their room. Feeling the weight of Ken pushing and settling over him in a sprawled position, as if trying to blanket him with his own body, made Andy uncomfortable; but he knew it was only the man trying to hide his lighter coloring from the Hunter's questionable eye sight. He held his breath as he felt Ken tense against him, the lip of his helmet jutting uncomfortably against his temple.

 

The room was immediately filled with sound and furious bellows of Alien words, the walls becoming victim to the Hunter's fists, the mirrors shattering noisily to some head butt. The closet door was flung open, crashing noisily in its brackets, and Andy thought that they were caught. The Hunter's foot lashed out and embedded into the back wall, inches from Ken's vest. It jerked its limb back and ripped the closet doors completely out of its brackets, to kick the wall again, at their feet, causing both of them to pull them up in a bending position. It then stalked out without another sound, to creep up the hallway and perform another search to another room.

 

Ken relaxed, pulling off him, carefully maneuvering out and away from the closet. Once he started to investigate the Hunter's proximity, Andy stood and cautiously followed right after him, stumbling in the dark. He bit back a curse upon stepping onto glass, an ominous cracking sound causing the Hunter to pause in mid-step. Ken whirled around, Andy freezing in place once he heard the Hunter's pause. An immediate stinging sensation told him that glass had cut, and he winced, completely exasperated with the move.

 

The Hunter began moving back toward their location, and Ken hissed as he reached back and grabbed Andy's arm, pulling him hard, nearly dislocating his arm from its socket. With no choice but to follow, Andy stumbled after him, Ken racing out from the room and back down the hall, the Hunter screeching in discovery. Fueled by adrenaline, at the Alien's rapid approach from behind, Andy ran as fast as he was able, keeping up with Ken's longer strides. He completely tripped and fell against the stairway that Ken was moving up, the other turning and pulling him up as the Hunter approached.

 

Hating being unable to see, Andy followed with the wind knocked out of him, trying to feel out the stairway that Ken was rushing up. The Hunter slammed into the banister, which cracked and protested loudly, the wall rattling. Having a sense of the distance between them, Andy used that to hurry his steps, still trying to breathe in some air, his arm yanked at by Ken.

 

There was a flat space that he stumbled over, recognizing it as being the fourth floor, but he felt Ken continue to guide him upward onto another set of stairs. Air came back in gradual amounts, and Andy wheezed as the Hunter crashed into the fourth floor hallway, bellowing with anger but overhearing their running steps nearby. It continued after them, feeling its way up, still lagging behind.

 

By the time they reached the seventh floor, Andy was uncomfortably tense, feeling the rapid sprint on upward stairs in every muscle. Ken still kept a firm grip on his arm, rushing him down a hallway he couldn't see. He trusted the man to know where he was going, rushing to keep up with him and hearing the Hunter nearing the top of the stairway. It wasn't bellowing anymore, telling Andy that it was out of breath.

 

Ken slammed through a locked door, and Andy felt the concrete stairway under his bare feet, the hot air of the night sweeping over him. Sweaty and smelling of it, he was grateful with the sight of the night that greeted them. Ken flipped off his night vision, to briefly examine the map he demanded from Kurt earlier. Upon viewing it, he could see escape routes off the roof.

 

“Waiting for evacuation,” Ken said, slightly breathless, moving them across the rooftop. He gave the location, the Hunter bursting onto the scene with a howl of discovery.

 

Andy turned to face it, looking at Ken with apprehension. Ken pulled out his combat knife, licking his lips as he faced the Alien that held double machetes.

 

“Y'see that stairway, Murphy? Off to yer right,” Ken said, gesturing with a shoulder. “Take that. It goes down to the fifth floor balcony. Wait there.”

 

“You can't hold that thing off with that butter knife!” Andy exclaimed, looking at how the knife paled in comparison to the machetes that the Hunter welded.

 

“I have ta try. No more runnin', it's the last one. We've got backup comin', so it ain't like it could do anything if it passes by me,” Ken said.

 

“It could kill you!”

 

“It won't do much damage, shit, Murphy! Just g—!”

 

Both of them whirled as a couple of Dogs that swept up those same stairs, panting lightly. Once the Alien animals caught sight of them, their ribcages expanded noisily, the Hunter giving a low chuckle as he turned to face Ken with a smug look. The Dogs separated from each other, to give them no other direction to go.

 

Andy noted their positioning. He had no idea where anybody was on the street, but their situation looked dire. Ken's profile looked troubled as he reached back, as if that one arm would shield Andy from the Dogs that slowly approached them, growling, showing their teeth.

 

“You still have your pistol?” Andy asked quietly.

 

“Yeah. Maybe four shots left, though. Not strong enough against those damn Dogs.”

 

Andy took a deep breath, reaching out to clutch onto his vest. “Use it on me, then.”

 

“What?!” Ken reacted with a startled yell, chancing a moment to look back at him. One of the Dogs snapped at him in that instant and he reacted with a slice of the knife through the air, pushing himself and Andy backward. The Hunter continued to look on smugly, advancing slowly, as if it were enjoying their peril.

 

“No one can find Dorsal, right? If they can't, they're not going to find me in time. By then, who knows how many people will be infected with this thing?”

 

“I'm not doing that. That's fuckin' crazy talk!”

 

“It makes sense! Ken, it only makes sense. They're doing all this just to get at that thing, to activate more of a virus outbreak against the civilians. That's part of your job, isn't it? To protect civilians?” Andy snapped at him, feeling frantic as the Dogs taunted Ken by leaning in to snap at him with their rows of serrated teeth. He struck at them desperately with the knife, the Aliens leaping away smoothly, alternating their snapping movements.

 

“I'm protecting one right now!”

 

Almost by some unforeseen indication, two more Hunters emerged from the building stairway, accompanied by another Dog that quickly joined the others. Andy jerked to a stop, touching the edge of the roof. Looking over, he saw the reinforced fence, the presence of construction vehicles that had assisted with breaking up the parking area. It was a long drop, the height declaring its danger.

 

“I'm not doin' that! That's insane! I ain't killin' you!”

 

“Ken—!” Andy then cut himself off, looking down at the drop below. He looked back at the Hunters, one of which tossed a Dog away, their ill-intent obvious as they drew closer. The Dogs were alternating between obeying their given orders and avoiding the Hunters' unpleasant auras.

 

Shaking, feeling completely at a disadvantage, Andy stepped onto the edge of the roof, swallowing thickly, feeling dizzy as he stared down at the broken ground below. He thought of the activator implanted within him, of the effect it had caused to people. He thought of the man that was going to continue using it, to gain some advantage over those that had wronged him. He didn't want to be in that position. With heavy numbness, he knew the fall would kill him if he forced a position in which he'd land head first.

 

As if sensing his intention, Ken reached back and wrapped his arm around his waist to prevent him from moving any further. Because of their proximity to the edge, Andy pushed at him, not wanting to take him with him when he took that next step.

 

Ken turned and looked him, reading his intentions. He jerked him from the edge, to position him in front of him, as if protecting himself from the threats that advanced. “I won't let you do that. Go. I'll find you again. I'll find you, you won't get that far. I'll be right there behind ya.”

 

Andy looked at him, and then furrowed his brow. Caught within a storm of conflict and having determined his decision, he wasn't sure if he registered the words right. He couldn't help but give a shaky smile, saying, “That was really romantic.”

 

He felt one of Ken's hands touch him dangerously close to his groin, and reacted with a start until he realized that the other man was bringing attention to the object in his pocket. Unsure of what it was that was there, he looked at the man again.

 

Ken gave him a dirty look, moving to reply when the Dogs attacked, separating them from each other. Andy found himself on the floor while Ken was shoved toward the Hunters, all of whom reacted with satisfied shouts and bellows, moving to attack with their outstretched hands. His knife was quickly removed and flung away.

 

One of the Dogs settled over Andy with its expanding ribcage, which opened down the middle with a slurping, cracking sound, the other Dogs maneuvering around them in a protective hover. Andy alternated between watching with sick dismay at the opening of its ribcage, and over at Ken, watching as the Hunters punched at his exposed face and throat, moving in to rip at his protective covering, the man having no chance against three of the Alien mercenaries.

 

Shock and terror struck him, as he struggled to free himself from the Dog's wiry limbs, the others standing upright to assist the carrier, shoving at him, forcing him back first into the warm and slick living cave. He shouted for the Hunters to stop their treatment on the other man, tremendously afraid that they'd kill Ken. With their punishing blows, their Alien strength allowing them to tear at the protective covering, Andy knew that that was their intentions. He couldn't see the man anymore, as the Hunters had him surrounded—the rib cage, with its smothering enclosement, suddenly started to close. All around him a thick liquid began to spill, lathering into his clothes and skin, and the last thing he saw was one of the Hunters looking up, and suddenly losing its entire head due to a perfect sniping shot.

 

-

 

“One down,” Adam reported, feeling sick to his stomach as he watched the Dog holding Andy drop to all fours, its ribcage settling around the grown man. Its Alien design shifted and settled until it was certain the man was in place. He recalled from training manuals that the Alien was designed to encase its living cargo within thick, oxygenated goo that would force it to sleep until it was released. This was to prevent any damaging movement from the inside.

 

The Hunters finally noticed one of its own had been dropped, its heavy body falling forward. They dropped Ken's limp body onto the roof and started to look around.

 

Ian didn't hesitate after hearing the confirmation, firing again and hitting another Hunter directly, temples exploding outward.

 

“Two down,” Adam confirmed.

 

The moment the remaining Hunter realized it was alone, its beady red eyes flashed, and it started to shift, to look for cover; Ian's last shot made sure that it didn't, brain matter splashing air as its heavy body fell.

 

“Three.”

 

Lowering his rifle, Ian shouted, “Sam, focus on Powers! He sustained serious injury! We've got the Dog covered!”

 

“He's inside the Dog?” came Sam's frantic reply.

 

“Confirmed! Focus on Powers! Get him ready for an airlift! We've got the Dog!”

 

“I—I copy!”

 

At the sight of their team bursting out onto the rooftop, Ian lifted his rifle and spotted the Dog that held Andy moving down the stairway leading onto the fifth floor balcony. Adam started forward, anxious to get to the Alien before it got away. Ian reached out, pointing down the back wall. “They came in from there. With a Dog carrying its shipment, its not fully mobile. It won't go far, fast, so Dorsal must have a vehicle waiting. Go that way, through the alleyway and go due South! I'll flank `em!”

 

Adam nodded in response and quickly sprinted off, hearing Ian do the same. His thoughts were heavily focused on the orders Ian had given, and he'd turned off whatever else he had been thinking while they'd watched what was happening during Ian's set-up. He wasn't sure what he felt, knowing that Ken's feelings for Andy had been so obvious. He wasn't sure how to feel knowing that Andy had considered throwing himself off the roof just to keep from being captured. All he wanted to focus on was catching the Dog, and having Dorsal found.

 

He shoved aside a few people that were looking at an outside menu of a restaurant, ignoring their blustered shouts. Bursting out from the alley way, he saw two of the Dogs providing a sort of point movement, making sure the area was clear before calling out to its companions, and leading them quickly down another street. Keeping them in sight, Adam rushed after them, spying the Dog heavy with its cargo.

 

He didn't see any telltale vehicle large enough to hold the creature, and glanced around for Ian. He spotted the man a distance away, saying something aloud as he ran, so Adam kept moving, keeping close to the shadows, hoping he was downwind. The Dogs were moving forward in a hasty manner, their long bodies keeping them a distance ahead, no matter how hard he was running.

 

Frustrated, wanting to lift his gun to fire at them, Adam soaked in the feeling, knowing that to do so was a bad mistake. The other Dogs would swarm him, and the one holding Andy would get away in the melee. He looked back to see how Ian was faring, and found the man rapidly catching up.

 

“There are three vehicles up ahead,” Adam heard Ian's slightly breathless words clearly though his ear piece, “and several men standing outside them. They're not Underworld. They're waiting for those Dogs!”

 

How could he know that? Adam wondered bewilderedly, unable to see such things from his position. But he continued forward, picking up speed once the Dogs rounded a street cover, plowing through started civilians. One of them was walking a dog, and one of the Aliens leaned over, snatched it out of the owner's grasp, and choked it down without breaking stride. At the man's startled shouts and screams, he winced.

 

He rushed past him, not bothering to stop as the man called attention out to him. One of the Dogs looked back, saw him, and turned to rush at him. Adam moved to fire at him, but it was felled by one of Ian's sniping shots, the Dog slamming against him. He shoved it aside and continued to move on, the other Dogs looking back at them in alarm. Two more separated from the group, so Adam fired upon the one closest to him, while Ian took out the other with precision work.

 

The Dog was slowed by his assault rifle, but it wasn't enough to stop it. Adam reached out with one hand, his gloved fingers digging into its round eyes, curling against its bony sockets. It screeched loudly as he then jerked it forward, and used his assisted strength to whip it up against the wall of a clothing store, pining it there with one hand and using the other to jam the rifle up against its throat, firing in short bursts.

 

He released it with a disgusted curse, the body dropping heavily onto the sidewalk, much to the disgust of the civilians that were watching the scene.

 

Ian chuckled as he rushed by, Adam moving to catch up. “That was awesome. Only you could lift one of those things to do that.”

 

“It's not that hard!”

 

“Are you kidding?” Ian then dropped to his knees, positioning his rifle. “Skinny guys like me can't do that.”

 

Adam saw that another Dog was coming their way, the one that they wanted still moving forward. It was in that instant he saw a SUV rapidly backing up to meet it in the middle, and he couldn't let that happen. The Dog that was running in to attack fell to Ian's shot, and the SUV lost a taillight to its ricochet. It stopped with a screech, the remaining Dogs moving in to protect the one carrying Andy.

 

“I don't have the shot!” Ian warned him, shooting at those surrounding the Dog. As the Aliens fell, Adam was moving in closer.

 

Before he could even lift his rifle to fire, a Hunter appeared out of the shadows, roaring as it lifted its machete and swiped at him. Adam used his rifle to block it, metal embedding within metal. Each of them were at the disadvantage, but the Hunter had noticed Ian sniping from behind, and quickly moved so that Adam was his cover. Adam jerked at his weapon, the Hunter reacting with a snarl to pull back. Adam moved in with a shoulder and used force to knock it backward, the Hunter reacting to push against him. With adrenaline and desperation fueling him, Adam slammed a fist into the Hunter's heavily muscled stomach, feeling the jarring impact. He punched it again, near the ribs, and used all his force into another into its lower belly. The Hunter stumbled with a resulting grunt, Adam reaching up and curling an arm around its neck, drawing it down into a headlock. He jerked forward and twisted with both his body and his arm, snapping its neck.

 

He then dropped it onto the street, hearing it gurgle, aware that he was only able to paralyze it. With his assault rifle disabled, he abandoned it, running for the SUV that was loading up the Dog. A couple of men with drawn guns moved to shoot at him, only to fall prey to Ian's shots, falling backward from the vehicle.

 

The Dog suddenly yelped, leapt from the vehicle, and scurried off towards the darkness of a nearby alley, tail tucked between its legs. The other two SUVs were suddenly reversing backward to assist the first, but as Adam focused on running after the dog, a sound of crushing metal caught his attention.

 

Upon seeing Samsara landed upon the first SUV, he was startled into a pause, wondering how and why the East Sider was there. He then backflipped off the SUV and raced after the Dog, faster than Adam could match. Picking up speed, Adam shoved aside a man that had emerged from one of the moving SUVs, hearing Ian's reassuring shout that he had them covered. Racing through the alleyway and hearing the men fall as Ian shot them on sight, their dropped weapons clattering to the street, Adam spotted the Dog moving rapidly towards an open doorway of a food packaging warehouse. Startled workers shouted and shifted out of its way as it moved to climb up the stairway.

 

Samsara emerged from the shadows, reached backward along his shoulder holster, and flung what looked like something sharp at the Dog. Adam moved to shout at him when the Dog collapsed heavily onto the pavement, a choked sound emerging from it. The workers, catching sight of the action, were all watching as Adam rushed up to the Alien, flipping its struggling limbs over, prying at its mid-section. Samsara walked over to kick the Dog's head to one side, into an unnatural angle. Adam could then see that the knife he'd flung had embedded deeply within its throat, a disturbing sight to see.

 

Grunting as he pushed both halves of the ribs aside, he saw Andy nestled inside, covered in the goo that forced him to sleep.

 

“Ah. No wonder,” Samsara muttered, reaching down to assist, yanking ribs aside so Adam could pull Andy out.

 

The workers watching exclaimed with disgust at the sight, venturing over to examine the situation even further. Samsara looked at Andy, and then withdrew a pair of semi-automatics. Adam jerked as he then began firing at them, causing them to scatter hastily, abandoning the area in fear for their life. Seeing that he wasn't aiming at the workers, merely scattering bullets along the ground, Adam relaxed slightly, unsure of the other's intentions.

 

Samsara returned to look down at Adam, and seeing that he'd only prevented the workers from becoming infected, he nodded to acknowledge the move. He then turned his attention to Andy, seeing that the light green material had been splotched over his entire body. It was caked within every visible nook, and Adam absently started sweeping it out from his eye corners, his mouth and ears. Ian pulled up, breathing slightly heavy, rifle tossed onto his back. Adam cleared the goo from Andy's face, lightly slapping his cheek to wake him.

 

“C'mon, buddy, a little harder than that,” he said, crouching and slapping Andy hard enough to make Samsara's shoulders to flinch. He then proceeded to shake him, punctuating each shake with a word. “C'mon, Murphy, wake up!

 

Adam shoved him away, but Andy lifted his eyelids with a drugged heaviness, uttering a light groan in response. He then choked, heaving heavily. Adam rolled him onto his side, to assist him with throwing up the goo he'd ingested. But he blanched and looked away, feeling increasingly nauseated with the sound, sight and smell of throw-up. He had to push away for fresh air, feeling as if he were going to vomit.

 

Ian snickered. “You need to work on that weak stomach.”

 

“Will you shut up? Ugh, God, it smells…” Adam groaned, feeling his stomach lurch, throat building with rising bile. Just hearing a person throw up was enough for him to launch into this state of heavy queasiness. He turned and walked away, turning only to see if Andy was okay. The man was hacking and wheezing as he breathed in air, so Adam was assured with that.

 

“Why are you so scared of that stuff? Man, you take a Hunter on hand to hand, but you can't even stand throw-up smells!”

 

Huffing, Ian looked at Samsara, frowning at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I gotta call. Tellin' me to come have some fun,” he replied, mechanical voice relaying his boredom now that the situation was over. “I was in the area, so what's this about?”

 

“Where's Yoshida?”

 

“The bitch got alcohol an' Gin-Gin poisoning. She died, like, twice before personnel figured out how to adrenaline her black heart.”

 

“Jesus.”

 

“Whatever. It was the third time this year.” Samsara shrugged, and Ian looked away, slightly frustrated. Adam noted the expression as he returned to crouch by Andy, finding it irritating that Ian seemed to display some sort of affection for the East Sider. Now that he thought about it, Ian displayed such things prominently, making him wonder what was going through his head. He found himself wondering if Ian harbored homosexual feelings himself; it would probably explain the hate he had.

 

He looked down at Andy, patting his back, letting him know he was still there with him. The man was still trying to orient himself with his surroundings, his movements off. Adam glanced at Ian again and saw him frowning down with the comforting actions Adam was performing, so Adam gave him a look.

 

Crossing his arms with a huff, Ian looked back at Samsara as he asked, “Anyway, wtf? Why isn't this situation over with? Is this the same guy?”

 

“Dorsal. Dorsal planted an activator in him, and he's unwillingly infecting people—”

 

“Is that really necessary for him to know?” Adam asked Ian, irritated as the man shared the information with the East Sider.

 

“Where's Dorsal?”

“We have no clue. But he was intending on using Murphy to spread it throughout the city.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“Steven Dorsal. Formerly one of Dost's employees at NPC Banking.” Ian looked down at the black-clothed hench, towering over the athletic frame Samsara had. Adam was surprised at the twinge of jealousy he still felt over the man focusing his attentions on others. It made him feel bad when Andy was right there with him, and he turned his attention back down to him to avoid looking at the expression in Ian's face.

 

Samsara tilted his head to the side, exhaling heavily. “Haven't heard of anybody bein' all infected.”

 

“It seems to be a certain sort,” Ian said, Adam grabbing a handful of dirt and flinging it at him in order to make him shut up. “Ow.”

 

Samsara turned away, to note the sound of incoming sirens. “You ever think to check the places Dorsal worked? You implant a virus at ATMs, at teller stations, and you get thousands of people climbin' those counters. Once the activator comes on by, of course it's only gonna be a certain sort of peeps that get all infected. I'm assuming you two didn't, cuz the military don't bank with Underworld controlled facilities, right?”

 

Ian's face lit up. He turned and gave an excited crow. “That's fucking genius! I never would have guessed!”

 

“Wow, you guys are idiots.”

 

“Hey, c'mon, now…”

 

Adam looked down at Andy, to see him blearily trying to get his bearings. He touched his chin briefly, wanting to do more than that. The relief in that he was still here in front of him was immense, but he stayed in careful control of his elation.

 

“You okay?” he asked quietly, as Ian continued to blather on about Samsara's theory, the other answering in cranky reply.

 

Andy focused up on him, then moved to sit up. “Where's Ken?”

 

“He's being taken to base hospital. Can you stand?”

 

“…Yeah.” But as he did so, Adam assisting him carefully once he realized Andy's unstudy balance, Andy caught sight of Samsara. “Why is he here?”

 

“He helped stopped the Dog.” Adam couldn't resist reaching out to pull goo carefully from Andy's blond hair, finding it dirty and matted thanks to all the activity that had just happened. His hand trailed over the back of his neck, his uncovered fingers touching cool skin and feeling reassured just from the simple touch. He had the overwhelming urge to rip his shirt from his body, to throw him down and be assured that the man was okay, that he would stay his.

 

Seeing the way Ken looked at Andy only wanted Adam to make sure that Andy looked only at him. Uncomfortable with the way his thoughts were taking, he pulled at his uniform, embarrassed to having a half-hard boner on the job. Sure enough, Larson asked over his ear piece what was making him `hot and bothered', so Adam replied that it was merely the thrill of beating down Hunters, causing a rambunctious round of calls from those listening in on their lines. Feeling confident in that he was more in control of himself, he returned his attention to the others.

 

Blearily, Andy looked at him, giving Adam's torso a light touch of his hand before retracting it as Ian turned to look at him.

 

“You're just full of excitement, aren't you?” Ian declared, standing abreast of him, and Andy couldn't help but feel irritated with the man as he did so. He reached over and slapped some of the goo from his ears, something that made Andy jerk away from him. “Not a dull day around you.”

 

Samsara looked over, hooded head and masked face preventing any sort of telltale expression. But he asked, “Peters. How would the activator be released?”

 

“I…I'm unclear on that. We'd need a head diver for that, I suppose.”

 

“What if a head diver doesn't work?”

 

“I—!” Ian reacted with a start as Samsara pulled his weapon up, pointing the gun at Andy. He immediately pushed himself back against the man, Adam moving to use his large size to cover both of them.

 

“What if there is no way of gettin' that thing gone?” Samsara asked, lightly stepping around them, forcing them to move to keep Andy covered. Andy just wished for him to make the shot so all the drama could stop, wondering if he should just throw himself at the man. Instead, he was startled to feel Ian holding tightly onto the back of his neck, as if sensing that very thought. He hated how scarily perceptive the man was.

 

“Might as well as just shoot `im an' get the city safe `gain. What does this fuckin' virus do?”

 

“Killing him won't answer anything,” Ian said, reaching back to maneuver himself around Andy, keeping his eyes trained on Samsara. “There's answers here. We just got to figure it out on how to get them out.”

 

“What does this virus do?”

 

“Headaches, uncoordinated movement, so far. But they respond to stimulus, I suppose. They know when to duck and cover from an investigation. I haven't found the people affected, I haven't been able to check the missing persons reports—we've been doing this all day. Just give me some time to figure some things out.”

 

“It'll be easier to shoot him and get it over with!”

 

“We still need Dorsal in custody. Dorsal has the information, he has the cure—”

 

“It's a terrorist attack, he ain't interested in cures. This is a threat to my employer. I handle threats to my employer.”

 

“Let us take him to base. Our lift is here,” Ian said slowly, indicating the sky, all of them hearing the sound of an approaching ABAV.

 

Samsara considered it as it began to drop, a gunner focusing her weapon down onto the East Sider and shouting a warning. Samsara took a step back, shoving the gun back into the holster. Adam didn't relax until the East Sider started to walk away.

 

“Fine. Whatever,” they heard him say, before sprinting into the warehouse, disappearing from their sight.

 

Adam moved away from them, to assist the gunner in opening the back doors, the woman harried as she continued to glance around for the East Sider. Ian used his body to keep over Andy's as he directed him into the vehicle. Once they were inside, he took up position at the open doors, pulling out his rifle and training it at the warehouse. Adam sat cautiously next to Andy as the gunner resumed her position and the two pilots hollered hails from the cockpit. Both of them pulled the safety bar over them, hearing it lock into place.

 

Ian fired off a couple of shots, then stood with a shake of his head and a steadying hand on the support rail, the ABAV quickly maneuvering through the crowded sky away from the warehouse. He then pulled the doors shut, locking them from the inside. The gunner looked at him with some admiration. “Nice. Knocked `em right out of the air.”

 

“Fucker tried to shoot us down,” Ian said with a sigh, sitting across from Adam and Andy and locking himself into a seat. “Can't be having that.”

 

“How's Ken?” Andy asked on a croak.

 

“Haven't heard, yet. Don't talk anymore. That stuff you breathe out is nasty.”

 

Adam frowned at Ian, then said, “Sam was taking care of him. He's in good hands. Don't worry about him.”

 

Andy shifted around, then pulled out the object that Ken had stuffed in his pockets. It was a class ring, something male and thick, imprinted with a high school name and year. Ken's full name was also imprinted inside the band, and Andy wondered how it was outfitted with a tracking device.

 

Adam took it from him before he could examine it any further, an annoyed expression on his face. Andy watched him tuck it into his shirt pocket, behind his vest. “I'll give it back to him. Who knows how long you'll be locked up in Center.”

 

Andy ducked his head in a nod. Seeing that Ian was hitting on the gunner, the gunner occupied with flirting right back, Adam leaned over and gave him a noiseless kiss on the forehead. Touching his dirtied cheek, feeling his skin underneath his exposed fingers he whispered, “I'm glad you're safe.”

 

Andy looked at him, lips lifting lightly with a smile. He touched his hand in reply, then sat back as Adam quickly lowered his hand. Ian turned to address Adam with a carefree exclamation on how he'd handled the Dog.

 

-

 

A few days later, Adam approached the room Ken was assigned to, lifting his eyebrows at the sight of both brothers' listed as patients inside. He turned and noted that the nurses' station was down the hall, and there was a lack of occupancy in the rooms around this one. At the sight of a cart sitting against the wall, with half-filled ice cups, broken dishes and dirtied laundry, he knew that the brothers had been here awhile.

 

He knocked on the door once, stopping their heated conversation on the baseball game they were watching. One was bandaged throughout the head and torso, another was wrapped in a fitted bodycast, head wrapped in similar bandages. Adam couldn't tell who was who. Similar blue eyes squinted, and lips turned down with a scowl, causing them to look virtually similar. Usually he was able to tell who was who by the eyebrows.

 

“Byrons,” came a low growl from the twin on the right, so Adam turned in that direction.

 

“Powers,” he replied, with the same level of animosity.

 

“Christ,” Paul whined, from his bed, his fitted bodycast unyielding as he shifted himself into a somewhat comfortable position. “What the fuck, ass face? What you want?”

 

“I didn't come here to visit with you two. I have better things to do.” Adam pulled out the ring from his shirt pocket, and tossed it onto Ken's bed, where the twin investigated the item before he was able to pick it up. “That's yours, right?”

 

“It has my name on it, don't it?” Ken snapped at him, examining it before he set it aside on the table. He gave Adam a frustrated look, kicking at his light hospital sheets before asking, “Where is he?”

 

“Safe.” Adam didn't like having to talk to Ken about Andy, feeling hostility towards the man just for doing the task he promised to do.

 

“So they found that guy, right?”

 

“No.”

 

Ken gave a frustrated look. “Then he's at home?”

 

“No.”

 

“Fuckin' asshole! It ain't like I'm askin' cuz I like to! No one else is sayin' shit!”

 

“Then maybe you aren't supposed to know,” Adam said simply, moving for the door.

 

“Hey! If I weren't in this damn thing, I'd get up and kick yer ass!” Paul hollered, shifting around on his bed, Ken looking over at him.

 

“Si'down, boy, before you break it again!” he then ordered, flinging a pillow at him. He looked back at Adam. “You, son, are a dick. I was just askin' nicely. That's all. Since no one else said anything. After all that effort I put into the task, you'd think I'd get that simple request.”

 

Adam rolled his eyes. He started to leave but then frowned, somehow able to hear Andy sullenly asking him why he'd refuse a small offer. He exhaled shortly, not wanting to spend anymore time within the room with both brothers, but he didn't want to return to Andy with a task he knew he should just get over with. He then figured it'd probably be better, considering that having both Ken and Andy together was something he didn't even want to happen without him present.

 

He turned, pulling out his cellphone, dialing a number, and then pausing beside Ken's bed to set the phone down on the table. Pressing a button, he created an optional holographic projection, the brothers looking at him with some confusion. Hearing the ringing on the other end, Ken gave him a look, Andy's answering greeting causing them to relax slightly. Paul threw up an arm with exasperation, giving the ceiling an annoyed look.

 

A moment after he answered, Andy allowed the projection to filter through, setting aside his phone so that he could inspect the bedridden brothers with some amusement.

 

“What happened to you?” he asked Paul, Ken waving his hand through the hologram with annoyance, throwing Adam a look. Adam crossed his arms and stood uncomfortably behind the projection of Andy.

 

“None of yer business, punk! What, you gotta do all this secret stuff where you cain't even tell us shit? Fucking asshole here can't tell us shit?” Paul asked, gesturing at Adam.

 

“It's a precaution,” Andy said, glancing back at Adam. “But I wanted to thank you guys. I feel bad that you're in here.”

 

“You don't,” Paul muttered, struggling to pick up his water container. His bodycast prevented it, giving him a sort of pathetic appearance in the struggle, and Adam snickered at the sight, causing Andy to turn and glare at him for it.

 

Ken took the situation as it was, looking up at him with a frown. “Well, they catch that guy, then? That why you home?”

 

“No, I'm not home. They didn't catch him yet. I'm only where I am as a precaution to others,” Andy replied. He looked down at Ken with a sort of frown, and from his position, Adam could see the caring and concern in his eyes. “But it's okay. You know, until they can find out how to get this shit fixed up. I don't want to hurt anybody else.”

 

“Please,” Paul muttered, rolling his eyes, giving up on the water container. “Murphy, you're such a fuckin' softie. Hell, if'n it were me in that position, I'd give a fuck. It's all that guy's fault, so why should I be punished for it?”

 

“I guess you'd think that way, Paul, considering your position,” Andy said, causing Paul to glare at him, trying to turn in that direction. With a chuckle, Andy looked down at Ken again. “Did Adam give you your ring back?”

 

“Yeah.” Ken studied him for a few moments. He then seemed to catch himself, glancing through the projection to glower at Adam, who was glaring at him. “Whatever. I didn't care if I got it back. It's just another nuisance.”

 

“Ken, I…just…if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here, today. You did a lot to keep me safe. I want you to know that I appreciated it,” Andy then said softly.

 

“Just did my Goddamned job,” Ken muttered, examining the bandaging on his forearm. Underneath was healing wounds, inches deep scratches caused by the Hunters that had tried to kill him. “Hell, bet if I let you take the leap off the buildin', guess we wouldn't be havin' these problems today. Get it all over with.”

 

“You tryin' to kill yerself, Murphy? Fuck head. Didn't you know Jesus died just to let you live?” Paul asked.

 

Andy merely laughed. “When'd you get all evangelical?”

 

“Hell, all they got in these fuckin' rooms is that piece of shit book. Whatever. Sinner.”

 

Ken threw his brother an exasperated look, then a pillow for good measure. He sat up straight in his bed, Andy reaching out to assist him and remembering that he was nothing but a hologram. Ken swiped at him for even trying, saying, “Get out of here. Byrons is pissin' me off. Might have to get up and sock his ass for glaring at me like that.”

 

“You can call me.” Andy rattled off the number. “I need a phone where I'm at. It's not like it's a bad thing, but…it's safe for everybody.”

 

“I ain't callin' you,” Ken muttered, looking away.

 

“Well, goodbye, then.” Andy looked at Adam, then reached over to hang up his phone. At his disappearance, Adam reached over and hung up his cellphone, locking the keypad and sliding it back into his pocket.

 

“Happy now?” he asked snidely, moving to leave.

 

Ken hurled his water container at his back, missing by inches as Adam left the room. The nurses standing outside glared at him for doing so, but Ken didn't care. He looked over at his brother, who was struggling mightily to dislodge his pillows from off him, his bodycast preventing such movement.

 

Paul stopped, exhaled heavily, and said, “Least you know, now. So stop gettin' all p.o.'d from now on.”

 

“I ain't gettin' p.o.'d over nothin'.”

 

“Shut up! You pissed because he's seeing Byrons! And you know this, son! I know this! It ain't no secret those two fuckin'.”

 

Grumbling, Ken adjusted the blankets, pulling them back up his legs. He adjusted his bed to allow him to sit up, wanting his pillows but not wanting to get up to get them from Paul's side of the room. He resumed watching the game, the television set fuzzy and uninteresting as a holoset.

 

“Won't last long, anyway,” he muttered, Paul resuming his struggle for his water cup. “Byrons' a shit head. He won't `ppreciate what he got. He's gonna fuck it an' leave it like the others he did.”

 

“Hah!” Paul crowed with laughter, jerking himself hard to the side and knocking the water cup to the floor. “My brother's all in love wit' someone he ain't ever goin' to touch! You just a sucker, man. When there's more meat out there at them clubs, and you wanna settle down with something like that. Hah. Domesticated fag.”

 

“Fuck you, dickhead! Hope you fall off that bed and break somethin' some more!”

 

“I'm almost eighty-percent healed, sucka. That's what the doctor said. This shit's nothin' but a precaution,” Paul stressed. He then hollered for a nurse.

 

-

 

Andy smiled at Adam as he walked in, looking hassled after the encounter with the twins. “Thanks, Adam. I could have done that myself, to save you that annoyance.”

 

“Who knows how long you're going to be in here?” Adam replied, sitting down with an exhale, slightly annoyed at the walking distance it took to get from the surface to Center's living quarters.

 

Due to the circumstances surrounding the activator that Major Wintour couldn't find, Andy was told he would have to live within Center's condoned unit until a cure was found, or Dorsal was located. Since neither was visible within the estimated future, Andy had resigned himself to living in the quarters with some acceptance. The highly securitized living quarters were used for visiting Alien diplomats and important persons of the country's highest leaders. His area was sectioned off to ward away possible infections on work staff, leaving him feeling lonely all the time, but he was dealing with it.

 

The quarters were equipped with projections of the city's moving day and nightlife—with the projection shifting day to night with almost natural occurrence. The fake sunlight that streamed in through the windows showed him a partly cloudy New Park day, from atop of a skyhigh. It was enough to mess with his mind, knowing that he was nearly a mile below surface. The living room had minimal furniture but a large holoset; a small kitchen with a smaller fridge, and a bedroom with a small bathroom equipped with a showering tub and necessities. Sam had attempted to decorate it with various posters of games, of upcoming MMA bouts and baseball.

 

The guilt he felt in involuntarily infecting people drove his acceptance in his living conditions. It also helped that the privacy factor for him and Adam was high; there was no one to monitor his every move, no one bothering him to interfere with their conversation. Adam was more relaxed around him, having confessed to having Larson detail their security factors below surface, finding that while Andy was some high priority status, there was nothing more that could happen until Dorsal was found or until the virus was identified. Andy had provided some blood samples and undergone tests to have Wintour retrieve information, but the woman had come up with nothing, unable to figure out what it was that cause the virus to react. Without the information, Andy had to sit in limbo until then.

 

Adam and Sam, constant visitors within the last few days, were examined and checked over for any trace or activation before and after every visit. Since they cleared each and every time they visited, the personnel had gotten familiar with them, allowing them access without much of a question. Sam had spent his nights off with Andy, loaded with video games and recorded shows, while Adam showed up with food and whatever it was Andy asked for from the surface. Both of them had brought down tubs of his belongings from his house, allowing him to use his own clothing rather than the issued clinic scrubs that he had to wear the first day.

 

Before he came down, after the visit with Ken, Adam had gotten them pizza and soda. Andy drank his soda with some relish, Adam finishing off the last of the pizza. Crushing the can within both hands, Andy tossed it into the wastebasket visible from the kitchen, the aluminum bouncing off the rim and skidding across the floor. He shrugged and leaned in close to Adam, enjoying the feeling of being able to do so without having Adam shove him away in alarm.

 

The holoset was bright with moving pictures from a reality show, the characters screaming at each other over something another had done. Adam finished the crust and felt sufficiently better, his hunger alleviated for the hour. Wiping his hands on his napkin, he then tossed that aside and lifted his arm to allow Andy in close, feeling him to cuddle up against him. He felt the other man's lips on his neck, Andy leaning in to nuzzle there. Adam looked away from the `set, unable to understand why Andy liked those shows, finding their reality to be much more dramatic than those filmed by persistent camera crews.

 

He then pulled at the man, to have him sit in his lap, Andy adjusting with a satisfied smile and his hands moving over Adam's chest, feeling his muscle through his shirt. Adam's hands moved over his lower back, tracing down to his rear, to firmly caress the rounded muscle there.

 

“I don't think you should ask me to do anything like that again,” he said, still feeling sour over the hospital encounter.

 

“I didn't think you would,” Andy said, leaning down to kiss his jaw, inhaling the scent of his cologne and skin, Adam's hands shifting over to stroke along the outside of his thighs as Andy straddled his lap. “But thanks. What's going on up there?”

 

“Nothing.” Adam could feel his dick hardening with Andy's positioning, at the feel of his lips traveling along his jaw line. The feel of his hair tickled his skin, and he reached up to slide his fingers through Andy's hair, enjoying the sensation. With his other arm curled around Andy's trim waist, his hand crept up underneath his shirt to touch his back, the heat of his skin warm against his rough palms.

 

“It shouldn't take that long to find him, right?” Andy then asked, straightening. “I mean, considering that Dost is pissed at him. You don't think he'd give the order to kill the guy on the spot.”

 

“I don't know. I don't know Dost's mind,” Adam said, inwardly noting with irritation that Ian did. He'd already proposed a contract of sorts for admin to communicate with the Alien overlord, to keep from killing Dorsal if they should come across him first. He had been out on the surface advocating for the move, and last Adam heard, General West was getting irritated with Ian's way of working around the angles to get what he wanted.

 

He leaned up to kiss the lips that frowned, pushing his head slightly to have him return the action. At the feel of Andy responding, his arms shifting around his neck, Adam relaxed slightly. He enjoyed the sensation of Andy's mouth against his, the smell of him. He shifted restlessly as Andy's tongue swiped against his lips, making him open his mouth to him. Andy pressed against him, his tongue moving against his, teasing the tip, drawing his tongue out. Suckling on it lightly Andy ground against him, Adam noticing then that he was just as turned on as he was.

 

He reached between them, allowing Andy to dominate his mouth, to find his hardened dick through the material of his shorts. Andy gave a light moan against his mouth, pressing closer, wanting more of Adam's touch. Adam rubbed his palm against the hard line of his dick, using his other hand to find the buttons of his shorts, then abandoning the stroking to undo the button and zipper. Andy shifted up to allow him to pull at the material of his underwear, to find his cock with one hand and use the other to draw Andy back down to him, kissing him harshly.

 

Clenching and stroking the silky, hot skin of his uncircumcised dick, Adam enjoyed the sounds of Andy's sounds of approval. He pulled the skin back to expose the head of Andy's penis, using his thumb to circle the tip. He then continued to stroke, shifting in his seat to find one of Andy's hands, guiding it to his own hardened dick. Andy complied with some urgency, jerking open the button to his shorts and carefully releasing the zipper, reaching in to find Adam's straining length. They adjusted to each other, masturbating the other with harried breaths and frantic kisses.

 

Andy then pulled away from him, shifting off his lap. Adam was reluctant to let him go, watching with some heat as he shoved his shorts and underwear down to his ankles, then lowered himself to his knees before Adam. Immediately liking the situation, Adam reached out to slide his slightly sticky fingers into Andy's hair as the man took hold of his cock with one hand and lowered his mouth onto the length in the next instant. Feeling Andy's mouth engulf him made Adam groan, unable to stop himself from thrusting up into that wet heat. Andy almost gagged but caught himself, reaching and holding onto the base of Adam's dick and returning to position.

 

He sucked hard and then licked the head, tasting the salty precome that pearled out. Using his made fist to stroke as he bobbed his head, Andy kept Adam from thrusting at him, his other hand moving up to slide underneath the hem of Adam's shirt, to touch the hard, flexing muscles there. Adam lightly clutched at his hair, groaning as heat built and bubbled within his lower belly, the feeling of Andy's mouth working his dick driving all coherent thought from his head. He caught Andy's hand as it moved away from his stomach, to lean over to kiss and suck on his slim fingers. He kissed the inside of his palm, nibbled slightly on the webbing between thumb and index finger.

 

Andy lifted his head, looking strained as he continued to stroke Adam's dick, using his saliva as a lubricant to do so. He watched as Adam kissed his fingertips, then his knuckles. He climbed back up onto his lap, leaning down to nibble and kiss his neck, stretching the collar of his shirt outward to bite lightly at his collarbone.

 

Adam draw his hands up Andy's hips, to reach down with one hand to resume stroking him again, the other moving his shirt up halfway his back to touch as much of him as he could. Feeling Andy sucking lightly at his throat, the feel of him wiggling in his lap, he impatiently kicked his own shorts and underwear down his legs, kicking the material aside. He spread his legs, Andy adjusting with the fit, leaning back to jerk Adam's shirt up and off of him. Adam repeated the action with him, finally seeing the man's exposed skin and finding it completely appealing. He touched Andy's chest, rubbing over his coral colored nipples with his fingertips and watching them harden. His stomach constricted with Adam's touch, Adam looking down to find it lightly muscled and tight, something he liked on his men. A sparse trail of blond led down to the darker blond pubes that he felt against his own dick.

 

He drew the man closer to him, reaching between them to line their penises together, closing both his hands around them and stroking both simultaneously. The feel of Andy's uncircumcised dick against his was a new feeling, and he played with it, Andy leaning back with his hands upon Adam's knees to watch him perform the action.

 

Adam pulled him forward, to kiss him heatedly, pressing his tongue into Andy's mouth and searching his out. Andy returned the action, giving soft whimpers of pleasure that Adam felt clear down to his dick. Andy wrapped his arms around his neck, pressing up against him, Adam releasing their cocks to hold him closer. Lifting to his knees, with Andy's dick pressed insistently against him, Adam ran his hands down his lower back and over his backside, fingertips delving into his crease. He kneaded and pulled apart Andy's cheeks, making sure Andy's mouth stayed on his as he did so.

 

With his left ring finger, Adam found the entrance into his body and pushed in, feeling the muscle clench around the tip as Andy moaned into his mouth, distracted by the sensation. Adam paused in the action, his other hand moving up to the back of his head and capturing his mouth again, his tongue lathering heavily against Andy's. Once he had the man responding, he pushed up a little more, growing more and more excited at the feel of Andy's body clenching around his finger. Withdrawing it slowly, he played with Andy's balls, rubbing lightly at his back with his free hand. He returned to the clenching hold, pushing his ring finger up into his warmth, withdrawing to push in again, until the second knuckle of his finger touched up against Andy's body.

 

Andy pulled his mouth from his, pushing back against his hand, driving Adam's finger deeper into him. Adam shifted, to lean forward and bite lightly at his shoulder, slowly withdrawing his finger, rimming the muscle with his fingertip. He then shook his head, Andy writhing against him, his mouth moving over Adam's thickly muscled shoulder, his tongue creating wet trails over his skin.

 

“Let's go to your room,” Adam managed to say harshly, prompting Andy to stand.

 

With wobbly knees, Andy bobbed his head, leaning upward when Adam turned to lean down to kiss him. Adam didn't think twice about lifting him up, feeling the strain in doing so, Andy wrapping his legs around his waist and kissing him frantically as Adam continued the slow walk into his room. Once they reached the bed, Adam dropped him back first within the center. He moved over him, forcing his legs apart with a knee. Andy reached up for him, surprisingly small underneath him. Conscious of his size, Adam pulled back, scooting down his body until he became face level with Andy's dick.

 

Pulling the silky covering back, he lapped at the stickiness there, and then sucked lightly at the exposed head, hearing Andy moan. Adam then leaned over, to pull his cock into his mouth, tasting the musky, smooth skin, the hard length hidden inside. He listened to Andy's hissed breath, the urgent moans that left his throat. He found the noises hot, playing with his balls with one hand, the other moving over Andy's hips to hold them down as he sucked at his own pace. He adjusted again, nudging Andy's leg over his shoulder, shifting upward until Adam could see his tightly clenched center. He let Andy's dick drop from his mouth, pressing his face against the underside of his balls, inhaling deeply of the scent there. His tongue lapped out, to trace over the skin that led him down to Andy's hole, where he traced and nudged that with the tip, his saliva glistening as he did so.

 

Andy pressed down against him, moaning his name, spreading his legs and bending them at the knee, Adam shifting to lower his face down between them once more, rimming him with an increased sense of urgency to do so. He inhaled of the musky scent there, surprised that he'd find it so enticing, reaching down to stroke and pull at his own dick.

 

Andy's fingers clenched into his hair, and he gave a wince as Andy forced him up to face him, urgently pressing against him. “Everything's in the drawer. I need you to fuck me,” he whispered, reaching down to stroke on Adam's dick with both hands.

 

“I like that order,” Adam muttered, pulling away to rummage within the drawer Andy mentioned, finding a tube of lube there, along with condoms. He wrinkled his nose, thinking of the ones he'd left at home, his favorite brand that felt as if nothing was there. But once he felt Andy shift against him, his mouth moving over the muscled vee of his lower stomach, Adam snatched the condoms anyway and fiddled with one. He accidently snapped the rolled rim and winced.

 

Spreading more lube over the sheath, he turned to Andy, finding him rolling onto his stomach. He reached out, prompting him to roll back onto his back, Andy frowning at him slightly.

 

“You're too big. You'll smush me,” he complained.

 

Finding that the words were too close to what his mother had said, Adam frowned at him, forcing his legs apart. With his fingers slick with the lube he'd used over the condom, he rimmed the still wet muscle, and gently worked in a finger tip. Andy stopped whatever it was he was going to say next, his face reddening as Adam pushed into his body, noting the resistance. Slowly working his finger in and out, the slick sounds audible over Andy's pleasured sounds, Adam watched the bliss move over the expressions of his face. He considered Andy's earlier words and a change of position.

 

But he enjoyed watching the expressions of his lovers, and having Andy's back against him wasn't something he was looking forward to. He wouldn't be able to see Andy's face as he entered him, to see it constrict and loosen with the act of sex. He pulled his finger out and slowly worked in both middle and ring fingers. Watching Andy's face, Adam pleasured him with those motions, working the muscle loose with the movement and finding more things about the other man that pleased him.

 

Leaning down, he captured Andy's mouth with his own, his tongue simulating the act he was to perform. He felt Andy's hands move over him, his arms wrapping around his neck, chest pressed against his. He wanted to feel the man clench at him with his slim fingers, to hearing his panting breath in his ear. Positioning himself, he lifted Andy's hips, arms trembling as he did so. He pressed forward, the head of his dick pressed up against his body, Andy sucking in a large breath in preparation. Pushing in slightly, just enough for the head to penetrate, Adam pulled out, then pushed again, going slowly, inching in little by little. Andy reached around him, to hold onto his buttocks and guide him, pulling at him as Adam pulled out. Once Adam pushed in a little further, he pushed out so that Adam could slide in, feeling the strain of his body as it reacted to the action with some resistance.

 

Pushing in, Adam heard himself grunt, feeling Andy's body close around him, hearing his eke of a moan. Andy pressed against him, causing Adam to fully penetrate him, until his balls touched the warmth of Andy's skin. Breathing tightly, Andy lifted himself up onto his elbows, to kiss Adam's bowed head, his mouth moving over his jaw line. Adam felt the urgency to start pounding away at him, to make Andy's body his, feeling how hot and tight he was around the length of his dick.

 

He could feel it pulsing deep within Andy's body, the other leaning back against the bed with a gratified groan. Shifting to withdraw and thrust in again, repeating the motion slower as he watched Andy's face alter with some pained emotion, Adam leaned over him, adjusting his legs over the crook of the inside of his elbows. Stilled deep inside of him, Adam breathed slowly, feeling absolutely floored that he and Andy were connected at this moment. He shifted up onto his knees, to thrust a little faster, a little harder, finding Andy looser than he was earlier. Now Adam could move quicker, finding the flash of pleasure along his dick and deep within his own body. Hearing the sounds of sex, of smelling the musky odor and hearing their alternating grunts, moans and sighs was something incredibly satisfying. Andy held onto his hands, which were clenched over his hips, holding them up so Adam could thrust in and out without moving their position.

 

Now the man was his, all his. Sex wasn't just sex, it was a signed contract. He knew that after today there would be something different between them, the knowledge of the other's bodies binding them together in an intimate way. He knew he wouldn't be able to look at the man without knowing exactly what it looked like after he was penetrated, and Adam felt some satisfaction in that. Moving again, he was quite satisfied that Ken wouldn't know what Andy sounded like as he was being fucked into the mattress, prompting him to thrust hard, the bed protesting the current activity.

 

Andy clenched around him, his throat and jaw tightening, and his hands flew up to press against Adam's chest, signaling for him to stop. Adam caught his breath, slowing his thrusting but not stopping, too caught up in the sensations that heated him. Being clenched so intimately made it hard for him to think, sweat dripping down his brow. Awkwardly he reached down, to grab and stroke Andy's dick with his still slick hands.

 

The man made a protesting noise, Adam thrusting into him at the feel of his body reacting to the stimuli, groaning at the wash of sensation that blew over him. Andy cried out loudly, splash of white splattering over his stomach and chest, and the sight of him coming was something Adam stored away for future reference if he found himself with hand and lube in the quiet of his own room. He thrust fiercely until his own body erupted, his dick pulsing deep within Andy's body, the feeling of orgasm causing all his muscles to flex and relax in different order.

 

He caught himself from collapsing forward, shifting out of Andy and rolling onto his back next to him, wondering if he'd catch his breath. He looked over at him, to find him trembling, face flushed with the aftereffects of an orgasm. Shifting onto his side, propping his head up with a palm and an elbow in the sheets, Adam reached over, to draw his fingers through the semen splattered on the other's body.

 

Andy reacted to the movement with a slight start, touching his hand with both of his, one set of fingers intertwining with his while the other hand curled around his wrist, to draw Adam's forearm against the length of his torso.

 

“That…was awesome,” Andy then said minutes later, surprising Adam with the sound of his voice. Adam had been occupied with studying over the blonde's sleepy features, the sight of freckles on his chest and upper arms. “I thought I was going to be scared. Or nervous.”

 

“Why?” Adam asked, drawing his eyebrows down, then remembering what Andy was talking about. He looked away, feeling that now familiar sense of shame and guilt wash over him. “Oh.”

 

“But I guess I was just so horny, I wasn't even thinking.”

 

Andy shifted, to reach for the towel that was poking out from the drawer. Adam had noticed it earlier, but hadn't paid any attention to it. Now he watched Andy clean himself with it, and realized what it was for. Andy then turned to him, pulling the used condom from his deflected dick, wrapping it within the towel and wiping Adam with it. He then tossed it onto the floor, facing him as he snuggled up against his front, pushing a knee between Adam's.

 

“Ugh, you're a snuggler,” Adam muttered, feeling overheated as the warmth of Andy's body seemed to fuse with his, warming him more than he was.

 

“I am. Uh, you didn't mind my, uh, awkwardness, did you?” Andy asked, closing his eyes, slipping an arm around Adam's waist, listening to the steady thump of his heart beat. “It's been so long. I had thought I'd forgotten what to do.”

 

“No. Didn't notice anything like that,” Adam replied, turning onto his back, Andy adjusting to the movement.

 

“Fuck, I think I'd get addicted to you,” Andy murmured against his pec, Adam able to feel his breath against his nipple, feeling it harden in response. “You and your dick.”

 

“Nice. I want you to ride me, then, when I get hard again.”

 

“I don't mind being fucked hard. I want you to do me until I can't walk.”

 

“Sure you'd be mouthy in bed, too,” Adam said on a groan, finding it hot to hear such words come from Andy's mouth. It didn't seem as if the man were capable of such talk, but to know the contradiction was something appealing.

 

Andy chuckled, lifting his head. He mouthed Adam's nipple with some casual appreciation, pulling away to blow at it. Enjoying the sight of the pebbled skin, he pinched it and then reached down to play with Adam's balls, jiggling them loosely within his palm and feeling the bigger man react with a grunt, swatting his hand away.

 

Andy propped himself up and kissed him, tasting their combined scent and flavor, feeling Adam's hands moving up slowly the front of his thigh. At the feel of his callused hands on his previously spent junk, Andy moved to straddle Adam's hips, to have him comply with his earlier order.

 

-

 

“They aren't getting any closer,” Ian said with a sigh, stuffing his sandwich into his mouth. The six of them were sitting at an outside table, with Sam texting furiously, Larson cleaning off his goggles. The summery mid-afternoon had cooled slightly, allowing them to feel more comfortable in their uniforms. Autumn was around the corner, the trees starting to lose their green color.

 

Nearly a month had passed, and the squad was frustrated with the circumstances that they'd dealt with. It seemed, without capture of the man, that the situation wouldn't ever end. The city was still regrouping from the shock of having its occupants infected by an unknown virus they'd inadvertently caught while using the NPC Banks owned by Dost. While the panic mode was still within its stages, with media blasting off on Duncan Jones military and the South Side overlord over their failure to protect its occupants, no one was displaying any unusual symptoms.

 

Bridgette had her helmet off, swiping absently at her hair while Cooney looked at her with disapproval. “This Dorsal guy's a real ninja. I'm so pissed off with him. I mean, he causes all this drama, and then disappears, and then what?”

 

“Murphy still in Center?” Jensen asked.

 

“Sitting cozy. They still can't figure out what it is that's in his head,” Ian reported, glancing at Adam. “Huh, Adam?”

 

“Yeah,” Adam answered, finishing off his sub sandwich, picturing the man sitting in arranged quarters deep within Center's depths. He had been lost in thought, feeling the now familiar sensation of wanting to jump the man as soon as he saw him. Sex was fun and incredibly fulfilling, and now that he was having it consistently, Adam couldn't imagine going without it again. The most amazing thing about it was that sex with Andy was much more satisfying than it ever was with some nameless face, or a one-night stand.

 

Ian finished off his sandwich and slurped at his drink. “Well, at least nothing else can happen, huh? I mean, with Murphy being in there, there's no more infected.”

 

“Where did those people go?” Bridgette asked, twirling strands around her finger. “The infected. If they aren't home, if they aren't wrecking havoc on the masses, where are they?”

 

Those missing Ian had investigated, and found them to be a patron of the bank—but without those in custody, there just wasn't actual proof. The man being held had no more information about his transports carriers' or suppliers. Dorsal was the only one that knew the information needed.

 

 

Ian shrugged. “When the hasty team performed a search on NPC Banking, they find the virus being filtered through the air within the building. Every patron, worker, maintenance, accounting staff—they were infected. Dost is paying through the ass to have it cleared up as quick and as good as possible—”

 

“But he's talking about selling,” Jensen said with a snicker. “Ain't gonna look good on him for potential customers if they know they gettin' infected if they bank with him.”

 

“Yeah. Hah! Those infected were informed. They still being checked out?” Ian asked Larson, who nodded as he slipped his goggles back into place.

 

“Yup. Our scientists found the virus within their systems, but without being activated, it doesn't do much. So they're currently looking on a way to kill the virus, but that could take months to figure out its structure, figure out ways to kill it. Months without Dorsal.”

 

“Anything weird with Murphy?”

 

“No. He's good. Bored and irritated, but he's okay,” Sam answered, barely glancing up from his texting. Once they realized Ian hadn't gotten in trouble with having his cellphone with him on the field, he'd done so as well. “As long as he's safe, it's all okay.”

 

“Does he get visitors?”

 

“Me and Adam check him out. And the Powers twins. Those guys can't leave him alone, I guess.”

 

“His parents don't?” Ian asked.

 

“His mom could care less, actually. She told him to call her when the situation blew over. Heartless bitch,” Sam muttered.

 

Ian shrugged and finished off his chips. “It's impressive, Dorsal's hiding skills. I mean, think about it. He's hiding from Dost and his minions, and from us.”

 

“Merrick even bothered by this?”

 

“No. He's starting to consider a banking service of his own. Steal Dost's customers to provide him with a few more riches he really doesn't need.”

 

“Typical.”

 

“I'm thinking, if I get to talking, maybe I can enlist the East Side's help with finding this guy,” Ian said, squinting. “I mean, if we get everybody into the action, it should be easy to flush him out! There's only four ways off of Earth, and he hasn't made it to either of the space stations!”

 

“The one south of the border allows anybody off planet, no questions asked,” Adam said in an annoyed tone, figuring he'd better stop thinking about nosing Andy's balls and fingering him until the man begged for his dick. He glanced at Larson to see if he'd noticed his rising levels of body heat, but Larson was frowning at his goggles, using his sleeve to wipe at a smudge within the inside corner. “He could have left weeks ago.”

 

“But I'm bettin' he didn't,” Ian said. “Believe it or not—”

 

Larson looked at the table, and frowned at the shadow that grew there. Then he startled, looking up and shouting, “Incoming!”

 

They jumped away from the table, all startled to see a man flopping back onto the surface with a grunt and flailing limbs. Cooney walked over, shoving aside Larson and Ian, surveying the man, recognizing his features. He looked up with a scowl, Adam moving over to pull the man off the table, apprehending him with a rough grumble.

 

“Found him outside of bumfuck, Michigan,” Samsara said, having positioned himself atop of the awning of the sandwich shop. A couple of the customers pulled back from their ordering to look up at him with bored expressions, saw the soldiers, then returned to their previous task with nothing more than shrugs. “Under an alias. Get the situation fixed up so's I can move on wit' my life.”

 

“Holy shit, it is him!” Larson crowded, reading the contents of his holographic screen, Jensen assisting him with identifying his fingerprints on a separate pad.

 

“All the way in Michigan?” Ian asked.

 

“It was scary. Also, check out the 5th hangar within the Bakersfield airstrip. You'll find people there. But I warn you now, they ain't in good condition. Ya'll can thank this sad sack of shit. Maybe he can be put away for awhile, eh?”

 

“Who the hell made you the investigator?” Bridgette snapped, throwing him an irritated look.

 

“Your momma.” With that, Samsara activated his camo tech, but the awning bounced as he took an unseen motion off of it.

 

Bridgette scoffed as she flipped off the area she thought Samsara had disappeared to. “Asshole. My mom don't give the orders. I do.”

 

Ian turned to look at the others, pleased with the situation, as if he'd accomplished it all by himself.

 

Cooney eyed him with a frown. “You always get an h.o. with that guy around. Why is that?”

 

“What's an h.o.?” Ian asked, furrowing his brow.

 

“Hard on, idiot,” Bridgette muttered, kicking Steven Dorsal in the gut in order for Adam to cuff his hands behind his back.

 

“Oh…ew. No. I'm not a fucking homo.”

 

Cooney muttered something underneath his breath as he walked over to assist the group, Ian frowning after him.

 

“I'm one hundred percent straight! I only look at chicks! Cooney! Don't be telling people stuff like that! Sir?”

 

Adam rolled his eyes, Jensen shooting him a look as he pulled Dorsal to his feet. “He still thinks that guy's a chick?”

 

“ `Parently.”

 

“Fuckin' idiot.”

 

“Don't be jealous, Byrons. You've got a blondie of your own,” Bridgette said snidely, hauling Dorsal to her side. The moment he moved to steady himself with a protest, she jammed the nozzle of her gun into his face and roared, “Don't you fuckin' move, asshole! I will shoot you where the sun doesn't shine, and make sure you eat my boot with that huge hole I made!”

 

Adam winced and turned away, but he noticed Sam was texting happily, Cooney catching sight of him and roaring with displeasure.

 

He had to wonder if it were all over, now. Dorsal was now in their custody, and as he looked over at Bridgette hollering more threats over the man's beginning resistance, Larson hailing an ABAV over the unexpected drop-in, and Ian whining to Jensen over how he wasn't getting hard-ons by looking at guys, he felt as if the situation had ended. Andy would finally be released once Dorsal was forced to confess; he was looking forward to the future.

 

He would have the man meet his family, to shut John up if his younger brother tried to start anything. He would be able to go places with Andy, to have sex with him in small places; to hear him talk excitedly over his new job, and to resist thinking incredibly naughty things about both Sam and Andy once they were connected at the hip again. He was completely looking forward to being with him for a long run; he knew that Andy felt the same, having tentatively questioned him on the subject the day before.

 

Maybe he'd never get along with the squad, but that was something Adam now felt he could work with. No matter what Ian did or said about him, Adam wasn't going to turn his back on him. He was confident, now, in keeping such things separate. He accepted his team would talk shit no matter what, but they had to accept that Andy was part of his life, now, no matter if they knew their true relationship.

 

He licked his lips, feeling excited in transporting Dorsal back to base and getting to Andy right afterward. Anticipating the taste of Andy's body, of his sex noises and the way his ears reddened when he came, Adam absently reached out and jerked Dorsal out of Bridgette's grasp, Larson and Jensen pulling her away from the sputtering man as Adam dragged him out to meet with the incoming ABAV.

 

The future looked bright and inviting, and he couldn't wait for it to start.