Transmissions || Dustin Bates

The Future is Now

Sitting in my lab was quite boring when I didn't have a full out project raging through, destroying everything a chaotic hurricane of science. However, when I became unproductive, I found myself laying on top of one of the tables listening to the team screaming below the glass wall that overlooked the training area, soft rock music playing under it all.

I rolled off the table, going to look over the team. I saw Shay and Adam laughing over something, Brock and Ron going back and forth testing new weapons against older ones. They were having fun. Shay looked up to me and waved, grinning. Her blue eyes glistened, shining so bright. I smiled and waved back.

Since she had explained to me her status as a Carnivore, she allowed for more of the inhuman traits to bleed through a little. I saw her outrun everybody by yards, lift hundreds of pounds with ease, and dent the steel railing with her hand- but that was by accident. She continued to fascinate me.

We had been spending a good bit of time together, her afternoon even excursions to wherever occasionally including me. We would talk, laugh from time to time, and never got too touchy like she was with Ron or Brock. I questioned why she wasn't as cuddly with Adam for a little while, but then I learned that Adam had a girlfriend, as did Brock, however, she didn't necessarily care. I had never met the two.

Ron and Shay were the only two without partners, saying their dedication to the team overrode any romantic ideas they had. Sometimes when they talked about the responsibilities of the team, they seemed almost saddened. From what I had seen, there wasn't too much to do with it. I still believed that there were things hidden from my knowledge. I would always be on the outside looking in.

The sky was as brilliant as it always was. You could see so many galaxies from the position of the planet, staring many in the face.

"Ya know, Dustin, if you're going to keep doing this, you should really start bringing your own blanket and stuff. Or wear a shirt, at least." I turned to see Shay carrying out a small bag, walking away from a few blankets and pillows. She walked past me over to two of the spaced out trees that still provided a view of the stars in between them.

She opened the bag and a long piece of fabric and two straps fell out of it, tumbling to the ground. She threw the straps around the trees and tightened them before hooking the fabric to the straps. It was a hammock. She then threw the blankets and pillows on it, laying down sideways and looking up. I walked over, laying down beside her. The hammock dipped with my weight, sliding her closer to my body. I sighed, putting my arm around her. We sat there, slowly rocking back and forth as we stared at the stars.

"Is it really that late that you were up, too?" I asked. It hadn't been too long since I had gotten up. At least, that's what I thought.

"No, no. I think Adam is still awake working on his bike. It isn't that late, actually. I just wanted to join you." I didn't bother to look down at her as she spoke, my eyes still following the flow of the stars. We stayed silent for a while, watching the stars move around us. It was almost picturesque.

"You know, if people were to see us, they'd talk." I smiled at the thought. So many Engineers and Astro-fighters had gotten married it was almost like people expected it. With how Shay acted toward me in the first several months, I figured Ron and I would be together before Shay and I. I still believed that.

"Let'em. I know what I know, so fuck the rest," she shrugged, moving her head onto my blanket-covered chest.

Every now and again, her knuckles or fingers would brush against my bare side under the blankets, sending shivers down my spine each time. It was soft and gentle, but enough to make me want her fingers touching me on purpose.