Chapter 11: Chapter Eleven: Science of Attraction

Rain fell from the dark sky as the three of us walked. I glanced to Nora, seeing that she was not bothered by the rain in the least. Hope walked on my other side, still holding my arm. It was a little weird, since we barely knew each other, but there was an attraction there, from both of us. When I glanced to Nora, she looked away, trying to hide that fact she was just glancing at me.

“I know this great place. It’s just a street over,” Hope said as she gently steered me and Nora at a corner.

Nora and I simply nodded, before glancing at each other again. We both looked away at the same time.

I never considered myself a ladies’ man. I spent most of my time working, camping, and trying to sort out my weird life. Which by the way, became much weirder in the last few days. I had girlfriends, but they never seemed to last. In dating scenes, everyone was looking for their happily ever after, and here I was, trying to make a difference in a world filled with indifference. It wasn’t something I chose to do, it was just who I was, much to my detriment.

Rain water slipped over my features as my mind worked. I was preparing for a dangerous mission, I had these amazing, almost cosmic powers, and now I had two beautiful women at my sides as we strolled toward dinner. Again, if you asked me if I was doing anything like this over a week ago, I would have never said what was currently happening.

“We should get out the rain soon. Despite the filters in the clouds, we may still get acute radiation poisoning,” Nora said with water running down her smooth features.

“We’re almost there,” Hope said and hugged my arm a little tighter, while rubbing her cheek on it.

As weird as it was for Hope to hold onto me, I didn’t want her to let go. It was nice to be around someone who just wanted your company. Even after all the fighting and craziness, it didn’t seem to deter her for one moment.

We reached the next street. Rain continued to fall as neon lights light up the area in blues, reds, and purples. Some locals walked by, wearing long, black trench coats. A few did a double take as myself, Hope, and Nora walked across the small street and toward a place with a large, neon sign with the words “The Port” in purple letters. The place itself had large dark windows, but I could easily see past them with my improved eyes to see a place half full with customers.

We walked into through the front door and varied scents of cooked food touched my sensitive nose. An inviting warmth washed over me, my clothes nano drones already drying me out.

Hope pulled me by the arm and I again went with it. We moved to a triangular table and sat down on each side. Holographic menus appeared, floating right before each of us.

“This is our treat,” Hope said to me with a smile.

“Thank you,” I said before glancing at Nora. She looked away.

“What do you like from here?” I asked Nora.

She turned to me with amber colored eyes and a dash of annoyance in her brow. “I like the noddle soup,” she said flatly.

“Then that is what I’ll have,” I said with a small smile.

I thought my smile would be inviting. Instead, it made her brow crease further in annoyance.

“Soup is good for the soul. I’ll have a noddle soup too,” Hope said and touched the dark glass table.

I looked down to see Hope tapping a few glowing squares. And to my astonishment, three big bowls of noddle soup materialized right before us, complete with utensils and napkins.

I looked down on my steamy soup. It was filled with noodles, pieces of meat, and a golden broth. The scent was mouth-watering. I knew I didn’t need to eat much, but this was much too tempting to not have some.

“Do they have food synthesizers on Urth?” Hope asked.

I shook my head. “No. People have to cook it in a kitchen. Servers bring it from the kitchen to the people at restaurants. It’s a whole process.”

“Sounds time consuming,” Nora said plainly.

“It can be, but often times, part of the experience is simply sitting with people and enjoying casual conversation.”

Nora simply blinked.

“Let’s enjoy our meal before it gets cold,” Hope said while giving Nora a quick glance.

I picked up a utensil that looked similar to a spoon and began scooping broth and noodles up. Hope and Nora did the same.

The moment it touched my tongue, my eyes widened. It was the best tasting soup I ever had in my life. Xull Prime was an alien world, but their food and drinks were beyond amazing.

“What mission are you training for?” Nora asked.

“Nora, he isn’t allowed to tell us,” Hope shot back.

Nora’s eyes narrowed. “He destroyed our work. The least he could do is tell us what he is doing.”

“Again, sorry about that. It wasn’t on purpose,” I said.

“You don’t have to apologize again. We all know it was an accident,” Hope said to me, but gave Nora a hard stare.

Nora sat back in her chair and crossed her arms against her stomach. “Why are we even here? He’s just training to help Xull is some way. After that, he will be on his way and we will be starting our research from the beginning again.”

“Nora!” Hope growled.

“Can you tell me a little more about your research? I’m very interested in it,” I said before sipping up some noodles.

Nora turned her gaze to me and blinked. “You’re interested in learning more about our research?”

I nodded as I wiped away a drop of soup from the corner of my mouth. “I am. Back on my world, I spent a lot of time around nature and trees. Sometimes, when I went for walks in the forests, it was almost like I could hear them whispering to me.”

Nora’s eyes softened as she sat up a little in her chair. “They do communicate, with each other and us. We developed software that can hear what they are trying to say and translate it to us. Often times, they only want water, or light, but some of my experiments called to me, wanting me to talk to them.”

Nora seemed to catch herself as she quickly looked away. “If you’re really into that sort of thing.”

I nodded. “I am into it. I have favorite trees I liked to visit. When no one was around, I talked to them. It was very therapeutic, for both of us. I always imagined we were old friends, shooting the breeze.”

“Shooting the breeze? Is that an Urth saying?” Nora asked as she became a little more attentive to the conversation.

“It is. It means just talking about things. But, spending time in nature, was always the best feeling in the world.

“I can tell you really love plants, that’s why I want to learn more about your work.”

Nora gave me a timid look before she parted her lips. “Xull most likely already explained about ionized radiation blasting our planet. It killed off a lot of vegetation in a short period of time. What we learned is our sun is going through a prolonged flare. It stripped most of our natural ozone and damaged our magnetic field.

“Our research is only one of a hundred, trying to help plants develop a stronger resistance to the radiation and live longer on the surface. But we keep running into difficulties. The plants are not taking the alterations we added to their genetic makeup. It’s not something as simple as slowly exposing them to the radiation. They have to be altered to become stronger.”

Nora looked down. “My plants were at the second stage of genetic alterations. After two more stages, we were ready for prolonged exposure to the sun. It was years’ worth of work, and now we have to start again.”

“You’re trying to save your world with the help of plants,” I said with my full attention on her. I was deeply fascinated.

Nora looked up at me with a small smile. “Precisely. It’s he closest we’ve come to a solution for Xull Prime. She has assisted with our research. With the work of other labs, we might have a breakthrough in a few years!”

There it was. Nora’s eyes widened a little. There was gleam in her gaze. Her entire face brightened up as she explained her project. I could see her true self come out, and I had to admit, she was beautiful.

I glanced to Hope. The wolf woman was leaning an elbow on the table while stirring her soup with her spoon. She looked at me and Nora with dreamy eyes and a knowing grin.

I looked back at Nora, and she as looking away, a sudden shyness overcoming her.

“Considering how you smashed into our dome, I thought you were more like Davin Korr,” Nora said with a small voice.

“Davin Korr? Your former planet protector?”

Nora nodded. “He was like you. Strong, and a little full of himself.”

My eyebrow raised. “I don’t think I’m full of myself, am I?”

Nora let out a giggle and quickly snuffed it out. She looked away, trying to hide her smile.

“What I meant to say was, he was powerful, but not powerful enough to prevent his own death. Davin was a figure in our lives, meant to bring hope and protection to our world. Xull often chronicled his exploits for the populace to know and witness his missions and adventures, until he fought a battle he couldn’t win.

“It doesn’t take great wisdom to know, no matter how strong you are, there will always be someone, or something stronger.”

Nora turned her gaze and looked me in the eyes. “You should return to your world. Xull Prime is dying, and you shouldn’t be dragged into what is happening on our world. In a hundred years, we won’t be able to even be out in our cities as the radiation boils our surface away.”

“Thank you for your honesty, but I promised to help Xull, and I don’t break promises.”

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“But we are not your people. This isn’t your world. If you die, you would be dying for strangers.”

I sat back in my chair and gave Nora an understanding look. “I get it. Everything right now is so alien and difficult, it’s easy to leave and not look back. I can’t speak for every Urthen on my world, but many of us still believe in helping anyone who needs it. It’s something I believe.”

Nora eyed me. “Doesn’t your world have many, what are they called, superheroes? Don’t they have to protect your world from enemies, monsters, and natural catastrophes? Why endanger your life for us?”

Something within my heart twinged. A dark memory rose up in my mind and it let out a sad, sinister chuckle.

I made an internal decision, and the dark memory pulled back, but didn’t go away.

“Because, this is my second chance to do the right thing, especially since I failed the first time,” I said with a serious tone.

Nora and Hope glanced at each other with concerned eyes. The two of them returned their gazes to me with attentive eyes.

I continued, “In my home town, Spiral City, we have many heroes. They protect people against threats our system cannot not handle. There are supervillains, with powers that can hurt, corrupt, or even kill many people with little to now effort. Despite our advances in technology, normal people cannot compete against people with great powers.

“When I was a kid, all kids looked up to the heroes of our time. They were able to do things we only dreamed about. It is always a fantasy to be a hero, but most of us were not born with powers, so we could only dream.

“Battles between super beings can create a lot of collateral damage, that is why, the Hero Auxiliary Corp. was created to aid during and after those conflicts. It is a para-military organization, meant to help people evacuate and lead during a conflict crisis. For many kids growing up, if we didn’t have powers, we could still be heroes and make a difference.”

I shifted in my seat before I continued, “I took formal defensive martial arts training during my teens. When I turned eighteen, I joined HAC, so I could help make a difference in the world. I had no powers, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be useful.

“When you join HAC, you must endure a grueling three months of training. You have to train, not only your mind and body, but also take on a whole set of skills, like field medical aid, handling equipment that will protect civilians, and crisis interventions. HAC agents were a supplemental force for dangerous situations. We were never armed with weapons. Our role was meant to help other forces, during dangerous situations and encounters with super powered beings.

“I was nearly finished with my training and ready to join HAC field agents. We had to complete a few more training operations. I was excited, ready to do my part when a conflict crisis happened.

“One of my last training operations was helping get survivors out of damaged structure. We had plenty of experience moving weighted dummies, but this training dealt with live people. Trainees often had to take turns as agents and as survivors.”

I could feel my eyes half-close as I relieved the memory. “I was in the agent role, and I had to lead three trainees as survivors, out of a crumbling structure and to safety. There was a fellow trainee by the name of Beth. I didn’t know her well. I remember seeing her during meals, but we never spoke to each other.

“I was standing in a large, destroyed room. We were on the third floor. The floor was destroyed and I remembered looking down to ground level. It was a deep enough drop to break bones. Across the crevasse, three trainees were wearing survivor vests. All of us had harness lines, for our safety.

“The mission was simple, help the survivors across the damaged room, one at a time. I had to be calm and talk them through it. In a crisis, panic sets in and we had to help them overcome it to get to safety. Beth was first. She had a confidence in her eyes that I wish I had.”

Nora and Hope looked at me with sad eyes. They knew what was coming, but I had to finish it, for my own sanity.

“The crevasse was small enough to jump. I talked to Beth, just like I did in my classes. I told her I was there to help. I told her of the danger, and we had to evacuate. I was kind and understanding, showing her that everything was going to be okay.

“Beth nodded, ready to jump across. I held out my hands to help catch her. What we didn’t know at the time, was the training areas took a lot of wear and tear. When Beth jumped across, I grabbed her hand, but the edge where she landed gave way. She fell backwards and my body slammed down, while still holding her hand.

“Beth’s harness line went taut, but the metal ring holding it to her harness malfunctioned and snapped. It was the worst possible scenario. I tried to keep my grip as she calmly tried to grab my wrist with her other hand. At that moment, she slipped and fell.

“When she fell, I saw real fear in her eyes. She spun as she fell, and struck the ground at an odd angle, breaking her neck.”

I let out a small exhale and continued, “The investigation concluded it was an accident, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Due to the traumatic event, I was told that I needed time to recover and I could take the HAC training again the following year, with earned credits still withstanding. I agreed, but when the new year of basic training came around, I didn’t go back.

“At the time, it didn’t feel like I was deserting what I wanted. It felt more like, I needed more time. I enrolled in college and focused on life studies. It was when I was in my second year of college, I knew I gave up on trying to be a hero.

“Since my realization, I focused on taking classes to help people. After I graduated, I took a human resources position for a bank. It was a far cry from helping people on the street, but I knew I would be helping people in my own way. It was much less exciting, but not everyone can be a hero.”

I blinked as my recent past experience caught up with me. I began talking like I was possessed.

“I thought I would never see a look of fear in someone’s eyes again. Not like Beth’s before she died. I thought, I would lead a normal life, helping others sort through their problems at a job. It seemed fate had other ideas.

“I was in my office, helping two employees handle a dispute, when the entire building shook. I remember telling the employees to get under my desk as I leapt over it. I wasn’t grandstanding, or anything foolish like that. I was genuinely worried about what was happening. I rushed to my office door when I heard the small explosions just on the other side. When I opened it, two superheroes were fighting a supervillain. They caved in half the bank as people screamed and ran for their lives.

“I couldn’t even tell you who was fighting. The news often spoke of superheroes and supervillains, and if I stood just a few seconds longer, I would have figured it out, but I heard whimpering and crying to my right. I turned to see a few of my co-workers, frozen in terror as the building was coming down around us.

“Air from an explosion blasted at me as I turned and darted to my co-workers. I was calm as I helped them up, putting me between them and the battle behind me. I talked with soothing words, instructing them to get to the emergency exit. I saw the look of fear in their eyes, and it was the same as Beth’s.

“I thought I would freeze up, but I didn’t. Seeing what happened to Beth, helped me decide what needed to be done. I remember having a confident smile as I tried to move them away from the danger. One of them glanced back and screamed. I didn’t have time to look back, all I could was act.

“I opened my arms and leapt at my co-workers. I slammed into them and we all fell. An explosion went off not far behind me. I covered two of them with my body as I waited for shrapnel to hit my back, but it never came. A thick table on its side took most of the damage.

“When the pain never came, I helped my co-workers to their feet and we charged out of there. My hands were shaking as I led them to the emergency exit. When they rushed out, I turned and charged back in to get the two employees under my desk, but by then, the battle was over. The heroes stopped the villain, and thankfully, no one died.”

“I was given leave, to rest and recuperate from such a traumatic event. I had some time, and decided to go camping, to clear my head a little.”

I then told Nora and Hope what happened to me just a few days ago, and how it all led me here.

“But, after all of that, if I didn’t rush in to help what I thought was a dog in danger, I knew deep in my heart, I was going to sign up for HAC again. It took time for me to realize, this is what I always wanted to do. I could help people, not just from my world, but all worlds.

“That is why I’m still here. That is why I want to help Xull with a problem she can’t face alone. It’s what I’m meant to do,” I finished.

I blinked as I saw the wide-eyed look from Nora and Hope. A second later, I chuckled as I rubbed the side of my head.

“I have to apologize. I don’t know what overcame me. Here we are, having a nice dinner, and I just spilled my guts. I can’t remember the last time I was this open with anyone outside of my family,” I said with a small grin.

“It was your instinct,” Hope said with a knowing nod. “Your senses have been improved, beyond normal people. You know, we will not judge you.”

Nora tilted her head forward and looked to the side. “Hope may have already told you, here on Xull Prime, we try to be open and direct, to avoid any confusion or false leaps of logic. You’re doing what we always do here on our world.”

“It’s still a little weird for me. On Urth, many people hide their true selves. They afraid of being judged. But I have to say, I never agreed with that way of thinking. I think that is why I never had a lot of friends. Not that I need lots of friends to prove my self-worth. I…just like being myself, if that makes sense.”

“It does, doesn’t Nora,” Hope shot her friend a sly look.

Pink touched Nora’s pale cheeks as she glared at her friend.

Hope turned her attention to me with a smile. My left hand was on the table. She reached over and placed her hand over mine.

“On Xull Prime, the science of attraction dictates, when you’re interested in someone, you show affection by words or touch,” Hope said as she squeezed my hand.

“It’s similar on Urth,” I smiled.

“The science of attraction also says, you should get to know someone first,” Nora said with a pointed gaze at her friend.

“That’s what we’re doing, getting to know each other,” Hope said as she eyed me like I was also on the menu.

There was a lot going on between Hope and Nora. Despite liking the attention, I couldn’t allow what was happening. Xull’s words hung in my thoughts, explaining that if I even attempted to be romantic with anyone, they could be seriously hurt or even killed. At this rate, I had to end what was happening before feelings got hurt, my feelings included.

I pulled my hand away. Hope’s sly smile melted away and was replaced with a look of concern.

I picked up my spoon and began scooping up some broth. Hope looked at me for a few seconds before she picked up her spoon and did the same.

My enhanced senses could see and feel beyond simple sight. Nora eyed me for a moment, before shifting her gaze to Hope. She then looked down at her soup. She picked up her spoon and dipped it in the broth.

I started to feel uneasy. They were being friendly, and it was I who was retreating.

“I would like to hear more about the plant-life on your world,” Nora said after sipping some broth.

I looked over at Nora, seeing a shyness in her eyes, but also a level of confidence she hadn’t shown before.

“I’m happy to tell you anything and everything I know. It won’t be professor grade information, but I’m happy to talk about it.”

I then looked at both of them in turn. “I want to know much more about your lives. It will be good to have friends when I come to visit.”

Hope and Nora both nodded and smiled before the conversation continued. The evening carried on, and it didn’t take long before we started laughing and talking half the night away.

It was true, I had no idea what to fully expect once I started Xull’s mission, but I did have a good feeling that once it was over, it will be nice to have some friends to celebrate with.

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