The cost of Infinity

Chap 15. Lions, Tigers, and Dire Wolves??? OH MY!

When I get back to my quarters, I fall face-first onto the bed. As I turn my head, I see the closet and go inside. All of Sins things have already been removed, and seeing it gives me a somber feeling of emptiness. Niko walks in to find me sulking on the couch. "Now, why do you look like someone has kicked your puppy?" I watch him through my fingers as he starts putting away the clothes he collected from my dresser.

I know I asked for this; choosing my mate seemed like a great idea at the time but, my voice trails off. "But something has changed?" both of his eyebrows are raised sky-high as he looks at me while asking the question. Yes, She washed my hair this morning. My sigh is as deep as the Mariana trench. "and that's important to you because?" I turn to face him as he sits down on the couch next to me. It's important because she didn't have to do it. Her mission is to procreate with me. He cuts me off and finishes my thought for me, "Not take care of you or be nurturing; she bathed you and wiped you down because she wanted to. Not because she felt obligated."

Niko looks into my eyes, and I try my best to hold back the tears. My voice wavers; I wanted to be mad because she sounded so smug and condescending this morning when she told me to carry myself like I'm worthy. But I've realized that she said that because she sees me as worthy and wants everyone to see me the same way.

I can't stop the tears from falling anymore, so I just let them fall. What if I'm more than just a mission to her now? Maybe she wanted something real with me, and I ruined it. I start sobbing into my hands as Niko rubs my back. "If she genuinely believes you two have a future together, then this won't deter her, trust me, I've worked with her for a very long time. If you're what she wants, she will have you. She always gets her way in the end." I laugh; yeah, I have a feeling Tempest isn't going to give me up that easily.

"Speaking of the new Commander, a cookie for your thoughts?" he wiggles his eyebrows. Penny, I correct him; the phrase is a penny for your thoughts, but I would kill for a turtle cookie right now. He pulls his device out of his pocket and starts taking notes. "I've been studying the ways of your people since we first discovered your planet, and I've never seen a reference to a flavored turtle cookie."

That's because it isn't made of actual turtles. It's a chocolate cookie with chopped walnuts, a gooey caramel center, and just a sprinkle of sea salt on top. My mom would make them for my sister and me when we were kids. My dad loved to dunk his into a big glass of milk... I really miss them. The thought of my family only adds to the pain I'm feeling. But, before I can spend any more time thinking about them, Niko makes one more hard tap on the glass and then jumps up from the couch. "come with me," he says enthusiastically, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the room.

When we make it to the kitchen, a big plate of turtle cookies is waiting for us with two big glasses of milk. "Tah Dah!" Niko does his best magician pose in the direction of the cookies. Niko! How did you do this!?! thank you so much! "We gathered every edible resource from your planet before we... acquired you. With some simple modifications, I can create any meal you can think of." I thank him again as I grab one of the cookies and the milk. We sit at the bar, and right before we dig in, I raise my glass to Niko. I propose a toast. He smiles, straights his jacket, and holds up his glass. To us, I say. May our friendship last as long as the stars. "To us," Niko replies, and we tap our glasses together. When Niko bites into the cookie, his eyes roll back. "This is divine," he groans. I can't help but laugh at him.

So back to the Commander, he waves at me to continue because he's stuffed his face with so many cookies he cant talk. If you could be a spokesperson for an idea or theme, Tempest would definitely be the poster girl for Bad Girls INC. He cocks his head to the side and sports a look of confusion. I saw how she was posturing to Sin when she first walked in. They have a history, and I'm willing to bet it isn't a normal friendly rivalry. Niko takes a big drink of his milk then lets out a satisfied ahhhh before he begins speaking.

"You're right, Tempest, and.... he looks around as if he is being watched. Tempest and Sin go way back, he whispers. They were created as a part of a gene-splicing experiment. We wanted to make our warriors stronger, faster, and quick-witted. we hadn't found another species that was advanced enough to accomplish this, so we added animal DNA directly into the fertilized eggs and..."

This time I cut him off; let me guess, that's why they have canines that they can make grow on command, eyes that unnaturally glow when they are mad or aroused, uncontrollable sex drives, and cocks that even the Gods envy. Niko nods, "Precisely, We injected male animal DNA thinking it would give us the best results, and it has, but some of the babies are born with the opposite sexual organ of what they would usually have."

When I joked that Sin was in heat that night, I would never have guessed I was right. I point at him accusingly, THIS! This is why you need to breed with my people. You've played God with your DNA for so long that you can't successfully procreate with each other. You've whored yourselves out to the entire universe, and it has made it impossible for you to have children with one of your own! "Yes, You're correct. But we're hoping that mating with your people can change that for us and give our genes some stability." He looks at me with hopeful eyes. Niko, I place my hand on top of his. I can't promise you that my people will go for this. We've thought we were alone for so long that this might terrify them and cause my world to descend into chaos. Maybe some people will welcome you and will be willing, but not if you enslave them. He holds my hand tighter. "I understand, Infinity; thank you."

I redirect the conversation to the part I'm most interested in... So back to this animal DNA, what animals are the terrible two? "Well," he starts, "They aren't an animal you would be familiar with. The closest animal I can relate them to that you might know of is what your people call a dire wolf and the Pantheras Antiguas. But, the animal we took DNA from is two times larger than your average Dire wolf. The other DNA comes from an animal similar to the Pantheras Antiguas, a prehistoric lion that your people found remains of that lived centuries ago.

Okay, wait, let me guess, I squirm in my seat. Sin is the..... Wolf and Tempest is the lion. I can't hide my anticipation. "Ding ding ding, Correct again." He puts an imaginary microphone up to my mouth. "Infinity, You just guessed all the correct answers. How does it feel?" I throw my hair back over my shoulder with extra exaggeration. I feel like the genius I am, of course.

Tempest is a lion, huh. She did remind me of Simba when I first saw her. "Simba?" Niko looks confused, and my expression is one of shock. I thought you said you studied my people? "I have, but there is only so much I can learn in a few short years." I yank him off the chair and start shoving him to the door. You, go shower, change into some comfy pajamas and come right back here. You're spending the night, and we are binge-watching the Disney classics.