Tevun-Krus #86 - International V: LovePunk

Just One Drop - A Short Story by @johnnedwill (English)

Just One Drop

By johnnedwill

The pod door slid to one side, allowing the noise and light from the club to flood in: brilliant flashes of neon and the pulsing rhythms of loud music. A trio of would-be lovers - one male, two female - stumbled through the door, holding tight to each other and laughing. They collapsed on the padded bench that ran around the interior of the pod and lay there for a minute, giggling to each other. Both of them were dressed in tight clothing; both of them were wide-eyed and dishevelled from their revelries.

"Privacy."

At the man's command, the pod door slid shut, sealing it off from the world beyond. Light panels flickered on, illuminating the pod interior in a subdued, blue-white light.

"Lights."

The lights dimmed and changed colour, becoming tinged with red; turning the pod into a padded womb.

"Music."

Hidden speakers sprang to life, and subdued notes filled the air.

The three occupants of the pod moved closer together, until they were resting on each other. "Totally wild!" one of the women said and reached out to run her hand over the man's shoulders and arms. She grinned at her companion.

"Yeah," the other woman replied. She held out a large plastic bottle full of a dark, syrupy liquid. Hands reached out for it and touched. "I'm Maria," she said.

"And I'm Hirani."

The man tightened his grip on the bottle and pulled it away from the others. He took a long draught from its contents before speaking. "You can call me Jay."

For a moment they stared at each other, exchanging glances full of lust and desire. It was Maria who spoke next. "Shall we?"

Jay shrugged. "Well, we didn't come here to talk, did we?"

Hirani giggled. "Maybe afterwards. But, right now ... !"

The two women rolled off the bench and onto the floor of the pod and began to undress. There was no finesse, no attempt at seduction. Everyone in the pod knew why they had gone there. Jay, after a moment's hesitation, slid down to join them. Laughing in delight, they pulled at each other's clothes, discarding them haphazardly. Half-naked, the trio clung to each other: lips pressed to flesh and hands clutching. Then, just as suddenly as they had started, Maria pulled away. She reached for a slender chain that hung around her neck and held it up. A gold-coloured tube about the size and width of her little finger dangled from the links. "Do you have your probatine?" she asked.

Probatine. It was a product of modern biotechnology - a mixture of enzymes and nanoparticles keyed to its user's unique somatype.

Hirani tugged at the chain around her neck, holding up an identical cylinder still warm from contact with her flesh. The two women looked at their companion.

Jay fumbled at his chest, the expression on his face changing from one of anticipation to one of panic. "I had it," he stuttered. He looked around the pod. "It must be in my shirt." Jay fell to his knees and pawed through the discarded clothing. Maria and Hirani watched in amusement until Jay held up his own tube for them to see. "There!"

The three of them took a step back from each other. Hirani held up her phial of probatine; the others did likewise. "One," she began. "Two. Three." As one, they twisted the tops from their tubes to reveal the liquid inside. In the warm, red light of the pod, the liquid seemed to quiver in time with their heartbeats. It was like the love philtres created by the witches and alchemists of old; but, instead of ensnaring the drinker in a web of magic and forced love, probatine guaranteed bliss and ecstasy. Once imbibed, the fluid would flood through the endocrine system, stimulating it and sampling its secretions.

"One drop to happiness," Maria said.

"One drop to bliss," Jay answered.

"One drop to ecstasy." Hirani completed the ritual.

As one, they swallowed their draughts. The probatine began to work. Their senses expanded, their nerves sung at every touch. The three embraced, pulling each other to the floor, their limbs wrapping around each other, their lips touching ... .

The nanoparticles would carry their precious cargo of molecules to the soft membranes of the drinker's body, to await the touch of a potential lover. If the two were compatible, then they would taste sweet to each other - a sweetness that promised delight without guilt! And all it took was one drop of probatine.

Maria pulled back and wiped the back of a hand across her mouth. "I'm sorry," she said, and looked into Jay's eyes. "It's not happening."

Jay looked back at her and licked his lips, tasting the probatine. "No," he said, then looked at Hinari. "You?"

Hinari shook her head. "No."

Jay extracted himself from the tangle of limbs and started to pick up his clothes from where they had fallen. "I understand." The two woman watched him dress. "Thank you, anyway," Jay said. The door to the pod slid open to let him leave, to go back to the club in search of another potential partner.

"Privacy," Hinari called out. Then she raised her head and pulled Maria's lips to hers, to taste the sweetness one more time.