The journey was the same as always. Boring and uneventful. Although I didn’t need to travel a lot to my workplace, but it always felt like the worst part of the day. As I arrived in front of the building I noticed a commotion. The parking place was full. People were running in and out constantly. At the reception, instead of the usual safety procedures people were passing by in a hurry. Things weren’t this chaotic even a year ago.
It was the same for Floor 23. Everyone was in the office by the time I arrived. Or more like, they were still in the office. Andrex even had his sport bag with him. He was so focused on his monitor he didn’t even notice me. I waved to the others then put down my things at my desk and went to talk with him nonchalantly.
“Did they throw you out from your house or what?” Andrex looked at me slowly, seemingly not recognizing me for a moment but he started smiling soon.
“Hey! We will collapse soon with the amount of work we have to do,” he said and went back clicking some things before turning to me again.
“I figured it won’t be something trivial when you said you can’t discuss it on the phone. What happened?”
He sighed. “Every contact has been lost with the aliens. Nobody is sure why. We are certain it will be something on their side, our systems work just fine. Some people said it was the Easterns who did something, though. Not to mention the press, they say whatever bullshit they can come up with,” he said and sighed again. “Currently all we can do is denying all their hogwash as we also lack the information. We can’t do much. At least we contacted the big news agencies to prevent them from publishing conspiracy theories.
“It does sound complicated. Do you know when was the contact lost?”
“Around Saturday night, to my knowledge. Interestingly, they switched back to text messages around a week ago. That’s why everyone thinks it will be some technical issue on their side.”
“I see. What about the Easterns?” I asked. Andrex’ words matched avry’s story. But I didn’t know what to do.
“Full alert mode. Although it’s not surprinsing, they are trigger-happy all the time.
“Maybe they are right to do so,” I said. “Send me the list of agencies we need to contact. I’m ready to go full throttle.”
“Alright. Just a sec. Right, my boss said to send you to him when you arrive. He only comes by around 10 so just go to his office once he is here,” Andrex said then went back to work.
I did the same, turning on my computer. By the time I logged in Andrex already sent me the list. It was huge. Three of them couldn’t get through half of it in two days. So I also got to work. I could only finish wih three of them by 10 am.
After a short break I went to the boss’ office. I knocked on his door then entered. It looked like he has been here for a while, but the morning fatigue was still clearly visible on his face.
“Hi! Andrex said that you called for me.”
“Good morning. Yes, please take a seat,” he said while pointing at the table in front of his desk. I sat down and he continued. “As you must be aware, we have a policy here that says in case of emergency we should be able to reach every employee,” he said with a somber expression.
“Yes, I am aware,” I replied. “In case of a Level 3 or higher emergency everyone, regardless of their condition, need to come into the office in 4 hours.”
“Yes. And do you know that our current situation has a Level 4 warning? Which means zero tolerance.”
“No, I did not. But I was not notified either.”
“I am aware, but it is not an excuse. We are bound by the policies. That is why, although I very much hate doing so, I need to fire you. You are a good employee, there were no complaints about you, but my hands are tied. I am sorry,” he said with sad eyes. “The good news is, you will still get redundancy pay.”
“It does not make sense. We have got tons of work to do suddenly, yet you need to fire me? Won’t our situation become worse because of it?” I said with a slightly joking tone. I smiled but his words were like knives, stabbing deep into my chest. I knew very well that he can’t make exceptions. “It will take a while to find someone to replace me, and the situation will only worsen until then.”
“Truth be told, we already hired three people. Not for your position only. They will start this afternoon.”
“I see. Where should I sign?” I asked, accepting my fate. The boss prepared the papers and I signed all of them.
“Your last paycheck will arrive in two weeks. I hope you can find a new job soon,” he said then offered his hand. We shook hands and he added, “It was a pleasure working with you.”
“Likewise,” I replied then walked towards the door. Before I left, I turned around and with a little sorrow in my voice bid him fareweel. “Goodbye!” (Talán a viszlát elhagyható, mert előtte mondja hogy elköszönt? /A)
I went back to my office, sat down on my chair then sighed while I leaned back in it. I wasn’t mad at my boss, it was my fault. It’s only coincidence that I was met with this misfortune right now. I turned off my PC and gathered my remaining stuff. That’s when Andrex arrived.
“So, what’s up?”
I’ve got fired, so good luck with your work,” I told him then picked up my bag. “We will meet sometimes,” I shook his hand then approached the exit.
“Hey, cheer up. You will manage somehow!” Andrex shouted after me.
As I left the building I stopped for a moment and turned around. I looked up at the towering building then at the sky. A lot of things happened during last weekend and the start of this week wasn’t easy either. All in all, I was neither sad nor happy. Deep inside I felt something cold, something that might have been there for a long while and just started to surface inside my heart now. I got teary-eyed. I felt an impotent rage clouding my mind and spread through my whole body.
Someone shouldered me out of the way. It was a man who hurried into the building while fervently apologizing. It distracted me totally, which I was glad for. I pocketed my anger and went my way.
On the way home I went to various stores. I bought prepared food and some ingredients. Around 1 PM I was done with my shopping and thirty minutes later I was already home.
When I entered I was met by dead silence. My home waited me the usual way. It was empty, silent and you could usually feel the loneliness in the air. But this time was different.
“Avry! I’m back!” I said a bit louder.
“I- I’m here,” she replied a few seconds later. She left my room with a scared face. She still only wore that one shirt I gave her. “I thought you will only return in the evening. I was so scared, I couldn’t imagine who would enter.”
“Well, I also wasn’t expecting to come home so early. But one thing is for sure, I don’t need to go anywhere anytime soon,” I said and when I saw the confusion on her face I added, “I was fired.”
“I am sorry,” she said and averted her eyes.
I wasn’t sure she understood what it meant, but I continued after a sigh.
“It’s true that a lot happened in the past few days. But we will manage somehow. And truthfully, my life was never this exciting before!” Even I was surprised by what I said. But it was true. Nothing exciting happened to me until now. Except for what happened a year prior. I lived an ordinary, dull life. “Still though, I’m not happy they fired me,” I added frankly. “What have you been up to while I was away?” I changed topics while I went to the kitchen to put away the things I bought.
“I got myself familiar with your computer. I learned things about your culture and history. And I tried bettering my language skills,” she said then followed me to the kitchen. “Your technology resembles ours a lot, but it is more primitive.”
“Resembles? Then it must be why it was easy to implement the things you gave us. It explains a lot.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked after a small silence.
“Not yet, but I will be,” she said.
“Do you prefer cooking or prepared food?” I asked while I was busy putting away everything.
“Cooking?” Avry asked curiously. “I heard about it before but I never tried it.”
“Alright, then let me show you how it’s done.” It made sense, though. You can’t cook on most spaceships, so why would she be able to?
I went to my room and changed clothes. I put on something loose and comfy to wear then went back to the kitchen. After a good drink I left Avry behind and sat down on the sofa in front of the television. I turned it on but didn’t really focus on it. I’ve checked my phone to see if I can find any news article related to what happened and didn't sound like some crackpot theory. I couldn’t find anything meaningful.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
After Avry finished using my computer she sat down beside me. She moved a bit until she was able to nuzzle close to me. She was clearly in a playful mood, she was like a cat who wanted something. She didn’t say anything just looked at me with a grin. (talán shit-eating grin? /A)
“Do you want something?” I asked in the end.
“To eat,” she said briefly.
We went to the kitchen and I opened the fridge. I didn’t have anything in mind when I did the shopping so I bought things for various meals that we can make. After some thinking we decided on spaghetti.
The cooking went well. Although Avry was a bit clumsy but she tried her best to follow my instructions. I couldn’t understand her motivation but thanks to her we finished in no time. We set the table and heartily dug into the spaghetti. It wasn’t anything special but seeing the smile on Avry’s face as she ate got me into a good mood too.
We left the unwashed dishes to the dishwasher and sat down in front of the television. It was my habit to rest a bit in front of it after eating. And I was glad Avry felt the same. We got comfortable on the sofa and watched the TV silently.
“I- Is it okay if I move closer?” Avry asked shyly. I wasn’t too surprised by the question.
“O- Of course,” I answered in a shy tone and moved so it would be more comfortable for her. As she leaned next to me I could feel her bodily warmth and I felt my worries disappearing. It was a rather calming and soothing feeling. She moved a bit for a while then looked at me.
“I- I know it wasn’t that long ago,” she started speaking, giving me the feeling it won’t be an easy topic for her. “Just two days ago. But... I feel I need some of your blood too,” she said while looking at me with puppy eyes. Still, I could see it’s just as difficult for her as for me. After some thinking I reached out my right arm for her.
“I hope it won’t hurt a lot,” I said jokingly. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to expect.
“I will try being careful,” she said and grabbed my wrist with her hands. “It is better if you are not looking.”
I haven’t said anything, just turned my head away and closed my eyes. I felt a sharp but not too strong pain under my wrist, then I felt my blood run down my arm. Just moments later Avry lifted my arm to her mouth and I felt her lips press against the cut she made. I could feel as she slowly but steadily drank the blood flowing out of me. I didn’t know how much time passed. After a while I felt her stop and she pushed her tongue against the cut on my wrist. Her grip on my arm loosened then she let it go. As I looked at it closely I could see that the cut wasn’t bleeding at all.
“Thank you,” she said in a low voice. Her eyes were sparkling.
“Y- You’re wecome,” I replied silently.
Avry started moving again. Even pushed me away a bit, too. We ended up in the corner of the sofa, half-sitting and half-laying down. She lied on me with her back and put her head on my chest. After some more squirming she calmed down. I’ve never like this before. I was so anxious I focused on the TV and rarely looked at Avry. She laid there motionless. Her chest moved evenly, she most likely fell asleep.
After a while I also got sleepy. I felt my head buzzing. I didn’t want to disturb Avry so I also drifted into sleep. Then I suddenly felt her moving a bit. It made me wake up but I felt a strange numbness all over my body. I felt her moving on me and her warm breath on my lips. Her usually blue eyes were glowing red.
I woke up to my phone’s buzzing during the night. It was still dark outside, only the TV screen provided some light in the room. I was laying on the sofa and I noticed Avry laying on top of me. She had a blanket on so only her head and left arm were visible. Her head was resting on her left arm and she faced towards the sofa.
I had a mild headache, similar to the one I felt up in the mountains. My whole body was numb but I could still feel Avry’s warmth. Few minutes later my head cleared a bit and I tried reaching for my phone on the table. I couldn’t reach it. While reaching for it I noticed I didn’t have any shirts on. I found it strange so out of curiosity I reached under the blanket. I touched Avry’s waist and ran my fingertips up until her shoulder. She didn’t wear anything either.
Avry started moving around at my touch then she sat up. The blanket slipped off her. She showed her back to the TV screen and its light formed shadows on her front. Despite this I could see her curves in the dim light that came from outside.
„H-Hey,” I said a bit shyly.
She turned towards me and opened her eyes. In the depths of both her eyes, there was a faint reddish glow. She yawned and stretched. While stretching, the curve of her back accentuated her curves. When she was done, Avry looked at me again, but the red was gone from her eyes.
„Hey,” she said in a sleepy voice. Then she smiled. She turned her body towards me and laid back on top of me. I shivered a little as Avry's breasts pressed against my chest. I didn't mind the situation at all, but something was wrong. Maybe things were moving too fast. And why were we naked?
„I am also anxious a little. I-it was my first time as well,” Avry whispered.
„W-what? T-the first what?” I asked in a more anxious tone. I felt like my heart skipped half a dozen beats. „What happened?”
„I cannot remember clearly,” Avry said. „I do not know what or why happened but I remember an irresistible desire. But it was nice. Very nice. All of them.”
„I-I see,” I said. All of them? I asked from myself as joy, disappointment and fear mingled inside me. I was afraid of what would happen next, especially the way it had all happened. The joy was clear. My disappointment was that I remembered almost nothing. „I can’t remember anything. Nothing bad happened, right?”
„I would not call it bad,” replied Avry with a giggle. „I would have done it with you eitherwise. Although, I wonder what caused this intense reaction in us.”
„Yeah. Me too,” I said, then reached down for the blanket and slowly wrapped us in it. I reached under the blanket and hugged Avry. „Dumb question, but how did you know it was my first time?” I asked.
„The taste of your blood. I can assess some information based on it. One of the first things we learn is how to recognize and distinghuish between different, distinctive flavours.”
„It sounds useful,” I said and closed my eyes.
It was already morning when I woke up. Avry was gone by my side, only the blanket pressed against my chest. I felt rested and energetic. I remembered the things that had happened during the night. Interesting situations seem to happen one after another. I looked at the TV, it was off, and then I saw my phone. I picked it up, saw that it was past nine, and then checked to see why did I get notifications during the night.
Andrex sent me some messages. Nothing unusual, he just asked me if everything was alright.
„Good morning!” Avry startled me. „Did you sleep well?”
„More than well,” I said. „I’ve never slept this well.” I turned around to look at her. I was surprised to see her more or less properly dressed.
„I have figured out a few things. About the night,” she started explaining. „The PDA can perform basic health checks even without a network. I had my blood analysed and found a modification of a mind-control enzyme that also affected me.”
„The PDA is capable of something like this? And… what?” I asked confused. It was a bit much information after just waking up with an empty stomach.
„Yes. It is likely that your body has modified the enzyme and this may have caused a response in my body too. But, I’m not sure.”
„Ironic,” I said with a small laugh. Avry also liked the joke as she followed my laughter with her own.
I got up from the sofa and went to Avry. After my morning greeting I added a kiss too. Then I went to my room. Chaos welcomed me inside. I remembered that I had hidden the PDA and that she was probably looking for it. I quickly undressed and went tot he bathroom for a morning shower.
I was feeling happy, but in the shower, realism came over me again. What if she was lying about not being in control? I don't remember anything about the evening, which means it doesn't prove anything. These thoughts broke my spirits a little, but I pulled myself together and brushed them off. Even if that's the case, it's still good for now, we'll see. I concluded briefly to myself.
I got out of the shower. I went to my room and got dressed. Not the same clothes as at home, but comfy clothes that can be used outside too. Then I went to the kitchen to make something for breakfast. Avry was sitting on the couch, fiddling with the PDA.
„Want some coffee?” I asked.
„Yes,” she replied. „With milk and two sugar.”
„Wanna go shopping after breakfast?”
„It would cause problems if we went outside carelessly, would it not?” she said. And she was right. I am the only one who got used to her presence.
„We will figure out something. Nonetheless, we need to buy some clothes for you, you can’t wear my clothes all the time.”
„They are comfortable, though.” She said but then she continued. „You are right. I will take a bath while you prepare breakfast.”
I didn’t think too much about breakfast. I just made some scrambled eggs. Avry also finished her bath fast. She put on some of my clothes and sat down at the table.
„How did that enzyme enter my body?” I asked from her. It wasn’t in the front of my mind but I remembered it suddenly.
„Do you remember? I licked your wound before I finished,” she said after thinking for a moment. „Then. It also helped to stop the bleeding.”
„Useful, yet devilish,” I said. Avry gave a little snort. „You know what I meant.”
After breakfast Avry put on her disguise, which was a little better than last time. She put on a hat and scarf to cover as much of her face as possible, and I rummaged through my closet to find something less bulky for her to wear. With more or less success. Then we set off for the city.
It was around noon when we arrived at the mall where I usually shop. A lot of people were having lunch, so not many people were wandering around outside the cafeteria. We went to a few shops. We started at lingerie and then moved on to outerwear. Avry was at first apprehensive, as were the salespeople, about her ornate figure, but, I thought, that's not quite how things worked towards them, but she soon got into it. By the time we were done, it was a real scene out of a movie as I wobbled around with lots of bags everywhere. The afternoon passed in a good mood. We headed home around 6pm.
When I got home, I laid down on the sofa to catch my breath. The whole day's lugging had drained my energy. I had left a good amount of money in the shops, but I felt it was necessary. It might make things easier for us later if Avry had her own clothes. I turned on the TV. Meanwhile, Avry was happily sorting and packing her clothes.
"You're no different from us in that respect," I said. "The girls love to shop here too.
„My overall or your clothes would have been fine for me too, you wanted it.” She said, a bit upset.
„Alright, alright. No need to be so worked up.”
„Why would I work upwards?” She asked curiously while stopping what she was doing.
„It is an expression. Don’t be so angry over something like this.”
„I see,” she said but her tone wasn’t convincing.
Fortunately, we didn't have to worry about dinner. Before we left the mall we ate at a fast food restaurant.
„Alright, I’m done with everything,” she said.
"Then we can do the laundry," I said, and then I got up from the couch and went to her. I picked up a load and headed for the bathroom.
As I was in the bathroom anyway, I took a bath. My morning energy was completely drained by the end of the day. I decided to call it an early night. After I was done, I went to my room.
„I'll be in bed soon. I don't know about you, but I'm tired," I called out to Avry in the living room.
„Then so am I," she replied, and then I heard her go into the bathroom.
I sat down on the bed. My life was pretty upside down. If someone had said that to me last week, I would have laughed. I don't really have a problem with Avry. She's nice, sweet, very attractive. But, I had the sword of Damocles hanging over my head that it could all turn out to be a lie. But I don't want it to be.
Deep in thought, I didn't even notice that Avry had finished in the meantime. She turned off the lights and then flopped down on the bed next to me.
"You know what I was thinking about?" she began suggestively. "I'm interested to know how it is when we are not under any influence..." she said, as she gently scratched my chest.
„Yeah…”