The cost of Infinity

Chap 10: Level playing field

I'm sitting on one of the steps near the firepit in the sunken living room. I have a hot cup of what I've dubbed "The devil's Adderall, " AKA alien coffee resting in my hands as I stare into the fire. I'm trying to avoid sleep for obvious reasons. Every time I start to drift off, I swear I hear the door open or see my new "phone" light up, but no one enters the room, and no new messages pop up on the transparent screen when I tap it. Sin has been gone for quite some time. Whatever she was needed for must have been significant. I set the cup on the stand next to me, lay down on a pillow, and start to close my eyes. If I can sleep for just one hour, that would help.

I'm so tired that I don't move even when I hear the door open in my half-sleeping state. Well, whatever happens, happens at this point, I say to myself. I feel someone sit next to me and lightly touch my foot. "Infinity," the voice calls out to me; it sounds so familiar. When I open my eyes, I don't recognize the person's face. Who are you? I ask. "It's me, Infinity, 9782," he replies. Why do you look so different? His change in appearance is so drastic that I can't help but doubt him, even though his voice is the same. "I have been taken off the project. Therefore, I am allowed to choose another form; you like?" he stands up and casually spins around for me as if he is showing off a makeover instead of an entirely new body.

I can't control the word vomit I spew on him. "I'm so sorry; I got you fired. I didn't mean to. She's just soooo..." he waves his hand at me to stop me, "it's not your fault; when I left that door partly open, I was just hoping you would hear some details of the experiment I wasn't being allowed to tell you. But I never expected that you would hear THAT" HA, I knew it was him. Not to brag, but I'm a genius.

"I proposed that I would relinquish my position as head of this experiment, and instead, I will act as your guide. This way, I can be more informal with you, and hopefully, we will build a strong connection. And In turn, I will be able to provide better insights to the scientists still on the project. My superiors loved the idea, so here I am." His face is full of brotherly affection for me as he says this.

I hold out my hand. Okay then, friend, allow me to reintroduce myself; My name is Infinity. He takes my hand and shakes it. "Niko," he replies. I make the most shocked face I can manage and clutch my imaginary pearls. "He has a name!" I fondly tease him. "Does your other half have a name as well?" "Hugo," he says flatly. I nod my head slowly. "Hyde...Hugo, yeah, that checks out." We laugh like we've been best friends our entire lives. "You hate him, don't you," he asks. "No, his existence just annoys me 99% of the time," Niko smirks at me.

So now that you are my guidance counselor instead of my doctor, what can you tell me? "Well, Commander Sinumbra or Sin as you call her," I cut him off; she hates that, doesn't she? I ask. "I studied her body language when you called her that. It excites her; she also likes it when you call her trouble. She took it as a challenge from what I saw," he replies. Why that little sadist. I knew the name got under her skin, but I didn't think it was like that. "Please continue. I'm sorry for interrupting. I just had to know."

"The Commander runs the entire 19th fleet. 26 Ships, to be exact. She is on the fast track to becoming the admiral of one of our permanent stations. This mission might be the one to put her ahead of her competition. Commanders are raised and trained to act on very few emotions. It's logic, mixed with a little anger and a lot of blood lust. I'm sure after being on this mission for more than two earth years; she is very anxious to move on to something new. this is the most time we have spent in one place," Niko tells me. No wonder she keeps coming at me like a dog off the leash.

Two years? I question. "yes, she has studied you and only you for two years before ever knowing you had the possibility of becoming mates. We sent her and her team to do reconnaissance, and she was also the one sent to..." his voice trails off. "kidnap me," I finish the sentence for him. he nods, "but you evaded her so many times that she had to plan out how to do the job meticulously, I know that was new for her. Usually, she just gets what she wants the first time; you have been a difficult target for her from the start," he says with a smirk.

Have I been a challenge for the mighty commander? Nikos nods, confirming my thoughts as if he is reading my mind. That's it! She likes the thrill of the chase. I also think of all the women I talked to online or in passing that made me so anxious I would leave right before meeting them. She was all of those women, somehow changing her appearance every time to learn about me just to trap me. I saw her as if it were the first time, but it would appear that I had known her for quite a while. And now I know her motives, and when you learn what motivates someone, you also learn how to defeat them.

She wants this to be over just like I do, but she's willing to do things to see this through that I'm not. If she plans to attack, my main plan has to be to defend, but I've got my counterattack already playing out in my mind, and she will never see it coming.

When you haven't been loved your entire life, you have no idea how to handle it when it happens, and that's what I'm betting it all on. I push all of my chips in front of the imaginary casino dealer in my head. When he flips over the next card in his deck, I see it's the queen of hearts, and it's exactly the card I needed.

Niko waves his hands in front of my face. "Space fleet to infinity, come in infinity, ET phone home!" he says, and I burst into laughter. Just as we are about to resume our conversation and I'm about to tell him everything, I hear the door open. Sin dismisses the goon squad for the night, and Niko stands up and faces the doorway. He bows in her direction, and Sin stops dead in her tracks upon seeing him. At first, I thought she was seeing him as an intruder because of how she narrowed her eyes at him and since he changed his appearance. Suddenly I remember Niko telling me that they can recognize each other's proper form no matter how they look to anyone else. I clear my throat, "Goodnight, Niko, thank you for coming to check up on me, and please don't hesitate to stop by again,"

I try to say this loudly so Sin can hear me and know that Niko is a welcome visitor and not an uninvited guest, even if it did start that way. He turns to me and bows, "of course, thank you for making time for me; I'll take my leave now," he says. His words show the utmost respect, but his face is one of pure gratitude. He turns and heads towards the door. He turns one last time before he exits, "Infinity, I sent you a message; if you have any more questions about the process, don't hesitate to contact me" he bows again as he closes the door on us. I'm starting to like him. He understands that we are playing chess, not checkers, and we are on the same team.

Time to put my plan into motion. I can't show Sin any fear. I confidently walk past her without showing her any regard. I grab my book and turn to sit back down on the couch, but I see her hand travel across my face. She grabs my chin and forces me to look at her, then she kisses me on the forehead and walks away. I watch her unbuttoning her top as she walks into the bedroom. What the fuck just happened!? Psychological warfare, huh? Now, this is a field that I can play on.