Fate of the Alphaverse

7 - Joseph and Amaya

*Quick note - small bit of language in this chapter, for comedic purposes.

All three men were practically silent on the way out, a surprise to all of them. Usually they all wouldn't shut up. Joseph tentatively cleared his throat to break the silence. "Well, that went okay, I guess." All that met him were blank stares.

He silently turned back to face forward, steering the craft. He blinked one, slowly and deliberately.

"Hey Joe?" Jacobi's voice, husky from lack of use, wavered, before breaking.

"Yeah Cobes? What's up?" Joe's voice was light, innocently unaware of Jacobi's worries and turbulent thoughts.

"We gonna be in some seriously big trouble." Pressing autopilot, Joseph turned around to see wrinkles decorating Jacobi's forehead. "We're tryna bring a whole entire nother race to our planet, then we gonna say nah fam you can't mix with em, no relationships, no hybrids, then we gonna have to deal with the rebels who wanna get with em, and don't give a damn about no hybrid laws. The royals are gonna have our hides for this."

To Jacobi's surprise, Joseph let out a barking laugh. "Cobes, you forget one thing. I AM the most royal thing that our planet has right now. I was next in line, should Jaymi die, which she has." A look of sorrow passed over his face before he could mask it, but he quickly hurried on. " I am the future. I am the new leader, and so when I introduce it, on behalf of Jaymi, people will love it." A glazed look took over his features as he day dreamed about the future. Jacobi shared a sideways glance with Justin. Justin raised his eyebrows dramatically.

Once again the craft was swept by silence, and it stayed that way for the remainder of the trip, bar Justin and Jacobi's whisper judgements in the back seat.

~

From Amaya's living room, the teen drama she was watching on the Visualiser cut off suddenly. Confusion overtook her. "Mams!" She called out. "The Visualiser is fucked!" Her mams swept in, broom in hand, ready to sock her for running her mouth with such colourful language. As she did so, the Visualiser whirred again, and breaking news flashed on the screen.

The young intern's green leaves were straightened to neatly frame her face. However, a worried expression was taking over her features. "Breaking News, citizens of A!" She even sounded distressed. This girl is very convincing. Amaya thought to herself. She tuned back in for the intern's next words. "We have all been told to leave A, tonight! Pack your bags, boys. Stow you brushes, girls. We are leaving tonight." A shocked gasp left Amaya's mouth. Her mams' face had paled significantly, but at this proclamation, drained of colour entirely.

The intern continued breathlessly. "The royal butler, Albert, has just informed us that His Highness has agreed to a deal set up by two Jungelns. They have agreed to move us all to Jungle to help them fight the Betaverse, and save our race from the destruction of our planet. There is one rule during the duration of your stay; no..... erm..... Alexander! I can't say that on planetual Visualiser!" She must have received a cue offscreen, for in the time Amaya and her mams had a chance to exchange glances, she had continued as though there was no interruption. "There is to be no.... inter-race hybrids, by accident or on purpose." To her credit, thought Amaya, she showed little outward reaction, bar the flush creeping rapidly up her face. "That's all for now!" The intern concluded. "Stay tuned Ayans, for what craft you will be boarded on." She winked at the camera.

Amaya's mams looked at her, and they made eye contact. A deeper realisation hit both of them, and suddenly no words need be said. Amaya's teen drama came back on the visualiser, right in one of her favourite bits, a juicy kissing scene, but she got up and walked away, murmuring on her way out, "Well I guess I better get a move on then."