Ecstasy

Those hotel pancakes were not a good idea. My stomach churns as I crawl through the vents, and it's all I can do not to vomit.I had greatly overestimated the quality of online-bought clothes, and with every inch I move, I feel a stitch in my jacket come loose. The protein bars and cleaver stashed in my pockets jostle loudly, but I keep moving. The docking bay is abuzz with life, possibly more crowded than it was when I arrived. Any noise I make is consumed by the loud whirring air vents, and the chatter of travelers below.It takes half an hour before I reach the opening I'm looking for. My movements are clumsy, discombobulated as I peer through the vent slits. Cool air pushes past my hair, and despite my layers I start to shiver.I'm an entire hour early, the ship isn't scheduled to arrive until five in the morning at the earliest. But the private gate I'm situated over is anything but empty. Several mid-sized ships are already docked, men hauling large crates off their ships.I lower my head to get a better look at the ships. None look like the Vessel, nor do any of the men resemble the grainy image of Elias.One man, however, does catch my interest. While the others hurry back and forth from the ships, he sits in one of the lobby armchairs. The man is old, white lines marring his already unpleasant looking face. Four burly men surround him, their shoulders tense, and hands on their blasters.After another few minutes of waiting, I pull out a protein bar. Despite my nausea, I force myself to eat. The red indicator on my vitals stops flashing, and my blood sugar rises to normal levels after my third bar. If tonight turns into a confrontation, I'll need more than an MRE packet and pancake.I'm just finishing my fifth bar when an unmistakable hum starts from below. The men below notice it the same moment I do, and the man on the coach stiffens. From my vantage point, I can only see the opening of their airlock, which seems to be at least five times the size of my pod alone.Air hisses, disinfectant gas and pressure releasing from the latch as the doors rotate down into a ramp.And then I see him.He descends the ramp, gloved hands clasped behind his back as he says something to the older man I can't hear.The older man stiffens even more, rising to his feet to meet him. Then he stops dead in his tracks, eyes locked on whatever is coming out of the Vessel behind Elias.My eyes travel to where he's looking, and I freeze.A missile the size of five crates combined rolls out, carried by two men behind him. The markings on the missile are plain, minimalistic. Yet I recognize the build and markings. It's a missile nuke. Made of antimatter, more antimatter than I've ever seen in my life."Is it big enough for you, Blanc?" This time, Elias' voice is loud enough for me to hear, and I wish I hadn't. His voice is soft, smooth like calm waters, almost calming in its effect. There's an old English lilt to his voice, an accent I can't place to any specific geographical region.The old man's face has gone completely pale."Yes, of course. It's more than enough. Thank you for coming out on such short notice. These will be-""Don't flatter yourself, I'm not here for you," is Elias' clipped reply. One of his men opens one of the crates, and I squint, trying to see the contents.The crate is filled top to bottom with blasters, organized neatly in foam barriers. Elias's machinery company doesn't sell rovers, rockets, and chips. He sells weapons. Bombs. Nuclear missiles.In any other situation, I would have been excited. Bombs aren't easy to make, and my fingers twitch to see if his bombs are nearly as beautiful inside as they are outside. But instead my stomach drops with dread. One wrong move, and those bombs would be turned against me.After more exchanged words, the older man carries the dozens of crates out, along with the missile. How on earth he plans to get through security is beyond me. But then again, the rich and influential live with a different set of rules.The men trickle out of the gate, their steps leisurely as they exchange pats on the back, laughter filling the air along with lively chatter about the strip club they plan to visit after weeks spent in open space.Elias doesn't move. It's only when the gate is nearly empty, does he fully step off his ship. He pauses, then his eyes flick up.I jerk backwards, nearly slamming my head against the vent ceiling. Cold sweat dots my brow, and I can feel my heartbeat fluttering in my tightly clenched fists. I wait two full minutes before I peek through the vent again, just in time to see him disappear through the lobby exit. I slam my fist against the vent opening, gripping its edges tightly as I swing my body through the gap. It's a 15 foot drop at the least, but I manage to land on one of the plush couches below.Pain shoots through the leg that I landed on, but I ignore it, bolting through my feet to follow Elias. It's almost six in the morning, and I nearly crash into a crowd of busy traffic. I rise onto my tip-toes, trying to catch a glimpse of where he could have gone.It only takes me a couple seconds to spot him. He's headed towards the main exit and into the adjacent mall.I shout half-hearted apologies as I shove my way through the crowd, determined to not lose sight of my target. His strides are confident and long as he makes his way through the mall, and I almost have to jog to keep up. I'm out of breath when he stops.It takes me longer than it should to process what establishment he had just entered. The shop windows are just as bright as the first day I passed it. But this time, I stare at them directly, reading the bright neon pink cursive above the glass revolving doors. Ecstasy.Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.Shoulders slam into me as people walk around my frozen body, confused as to why I've stopped in the middle of my path.You're not a prude, Mira, I remind myself as I enter the revolving doors. Heavy music fills the space inside, girls in tight skirts, and shirtless men sauntering table to table with trays of food and drinks.It smells like salt and alcohol. It smells like sex. I try to avoid looking at the couples entangled in passionate embraces as I scan through the room, looking for Elias. He's nowhere to be seen. My gaze falls on a set of velvet red stairs that lead upstairs, but I decide I'm not going up regardless of whether or not he's up there."Table for one?" A curvy girl dressed in what I believe is a maid costume comes up to me, clipboard in hand."Yes, table for one," I reply. "Can I have that booth over there?" I point out a darkened table at the very corner of the room. From there, it'll be easier to search the room for Elias."Of course, right this way please." She leads me to the table, then hands me a menu along with some drinks. I thank her, then sip on my complimentary water as I tap my finger impatiently on the table.I had sworn I saw him enter. Yet as I scan the room for the third time, I find nothing. Perhaps I should call it a night for now. It wasn't like I was ready for a confrontation anyway.I sigh loudly, swirling my water with my straw. I hated month-long missions, and something told me this one in particular was going to take more than just one month.Trying to kill a man like Elias, would be like trying to kill the President. Killing the President would probably be easier. The President didn't own antimatter nukes.Consumed with my own thoughts, I didn't feel the man's presence beside me until too late."Apologies, I kept you waiting. I've been looking all over for you."My hands instinctively shoots for the cleaver in my jacket, my heart lurching into my throat. I nearly choke as I lock eyes with the man standing in front of my booth. Elias' gloved hand trace the tables rim as he slides into the seat beside me."Put your kitchen tool away, I'm not here to hurt you."Panic encloses my throat, and my eyes dart up to the ceiling, where several cameras are pointed in our general direction. I can't bring out my cleaver and stab him to death in the middle of a busy sex club.But I wasn't ready to meet him yet. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I shouldn't have tried anything without a blaster, and on my second day off-earth. I was a fucking fool. My back is pressed flush against the velvet red walls, completely cornered, as I rake my brain for a solution on how to deal with this situation. There's no way he doesn't know. He must have seen me in the vent, or seen me trailing him. But to my surprise, he doesn't reach for me, nor does he point a gun at my face. He grabs the menu I had left on the table, and begins tapping away.He doesn't look up from the menu screen for several seconds, then tosses it on one of the passing robotic trays.We sit in silence for a full minute, my brain nearly producing smoke with all the scenarios it runs through. All of them end with a hole in my skull.A server approaches our table, carrying a cart laden with what looks like everything on the menu. Other than the steak, wings, and fish, I don't recognize any of the other foods.He was ordering food? "I'll have a bottle of white baijiu wine." The server then turned to me, an expectant look on his face as he waited for me to say what I wanted to drink.Elias leans in close, a hand closing around my upper arm as he whispers in my ear."If you act any more suspicious, they'll drag me out of here on an account of harassment."That snaps me out of my stupor, and I consciously relax my shoulders, pushing myself away from the wall. Leaning my elbows on the table, I rake my brain for the first drink that comes to mind."I'll have an irish whiskey on the rocks."The server nods, piling all the dishes onto our table, before leaving for our drinks."Eat something, bellflower. You look pale.""Get your hand off my arm before you lose it."He does as he's told, taking his hand off me and raising them in a show of innocence. I don't buy it for a second."Don't paint me as the villain when you're the one with murderous intentions.""Who said I'm here to kill you?"He raises an eyebrow, as if to ask, really? Then he smirks, leaning back into the plush seats."Enlighten me then. Why were you following me with a kitchen knife?"I need to get out. Talking with him any further is not going to end well at all for me. There has to be a way to get out. I spot the server returning with our drinks, and I prepare myself to start screaming, to get him kicked out of the club.Suddenly, two arms close around me, blocking off my view of the club. Elias' body is almost flush with mine, and from up close, I finally get a good look at his face.He's young. Dark hair framing smooth, beige skin. His eyes are light gray, glowing ever so slightly in the club's dark lighting. I don't dare look at his mouth."Keep your eyes on me," he breathes. "Not on the server. You won't like what happens if you try to scream."My hands fist on his chest, and my breathing becomes labored as I debate whether or not I should scream. By the time I make my decision, the server is already gone, the drinks placed onto the table untouched.Relax, Mira. Think. I can't punch him in the face, and he would easily overpower me in a physical altercation.I let my muscles relax, and loosen my fists on his chest."You have really pretty eyes," I whisper back, running my hands up and down his chest.His dark eyes narrow onto me, suspicion written all over his face from my sudden change in demeanor. Whatever he's about to say next dies in his throat when I slide one hand underneath his jacket, and the other under his white tunic.His muscles are solid, beyond just toned, and more defined than anything I've ever felt before. And for a split second, I forget what I'm looking for. Elias eyes slide closed, and his hands ball into tight fists beside my head.His jaw is tight with tension, and he opens his eyes to glare at me. My hand slides lower, and he takes another shuddering breath. He doesn't move to stop me.Then my hands close around what I'm looking for. In my next breath, I have the barrel of his own blaster pressed firmly against his stomach. I click the safety off.*Authors note*This chapter a bit longer than usual, thank you so much for reading!Sorry it took longer than usual. Finals just finished for me, and I spent the entire day sleeping lol. Next week are my AP exams. Wish me luck!