Chapter 14: Introductions

The flight was quiet, for the most part. There was an awkwardness in the air; no one really quite knew how to break the ice. For seven years, experiments and humans were at odds, and even today, both parties weren’t on the best of terms. They wouldn’t be at their destination for seventeen hours, so Armin decided to get up and sit by Anthony.

“So tell me, Mr. Romanova,” Armin said, “What do you know about advanced biology?”

Anthony looked around, then pointed at himself. “Are you talking to me?” He asked.

Armin nodded and said, “There’s no other person with the last name Romanova on this flight.”

Suddenly, Anthony started to get butterflies in his stomach. He couldn’t believe his idol was sitting right beside him and actually making conversation. In reality, it never even dawned on Anthony that they were in the same space together. The young man had wanted this for years, and now that it’s happening, it simply doesn’t feel real. His palms got clammy, and his throat became dry.

Anthony took a deep breath and responded, “Well, you know, I dabbled in biology for like two years. I only did it because my mother was in the profession, but I came to realize it wasn’t for me. So, I wouldn’t say I’m ill-versed in the subject, but I don’t know nearly as much as you. Obviously.”

“I see,” Armin replied, “so astrogeology is your true passion?”

Anthony silently nodded.

Armin continued, "Fascinating. I personally never had the time to get into astronomy and the like, but the subjects have always intrigued me. Your mother has told me you’re quite the top dog in your field.”

Anthony smiled embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head. “Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m all that,” he said. “But, I do my best.”

Cello, sitting crossed-armed in the corner, snorted. “How hard is it to study space pebbles?” She commented.

Those sitting in the same row as her turned their heads when they heard this comment. Cello had her head leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Laura, who sat beside Cello, smacked her shoulder.

“Don’t be so rude,” Laura scolded.

Cello moved her eyes to look at Laura and said, “What? It’s just a question.” Her voice was haughty as she replied.

“If you must know,” Anthony said, "Astrogeology is important to have a better understanding of the evolution of the Earth in comparison to the rest of the solar system.”

He smirked and added, “But I guess that’s not as special as being able to hit things really hard.”

The five soldiers sitting on the other side, who had been watching the conversation, laughed at Anthony’s jab. Cello looked down at Anthony, her brows furrowed and face flushed with anger.

“What is that supposed to mean?!” She snapped back.

Anthony shrugged and leaned against the wall. “Take it for what you will,” He replied.

Cello was ready to get up and fight the young man, but Laura and Berus stopped her.

“Calm down, Cello,” Laura said.

“Yeah, he didn’t say anything wrong,” Berus added, “Anthony was just joking.”

Cello scoffed and sat back down, crossing her arms again. Armin took the sudden energy in the helicopter to spur more topics of conversation. Those that would ease the tension.

“Now, now, we’ve had our banter,” He said, his voice calm and proper. “How about we keep the chatting going? Why don’t we all introduce each other, yeah?”

The soldiers didn’t seem so thrilled. Two of them rolled their eyes, while another two groaned quietly. One took a glance at the group and shrugged, not overly opposed to the idea.

Laura energetically stood up and said. “Oh! I’ll go first!” She cleared her throat and continued. “My name is Laura Amber Clare. Princess of the Amber Empire of Australia."

Some of the soldiers raised an eyebrow. The one female soldier in the group whistled and said, “Princess, huh? Didn’t know we were escorting royalty. I would’ve worn a cleaner uniform.”

The other laughed, but that didn’t bother Laura.

“Yeah, and to my left is my younger brother,” She pointed with her thumb at Berus, who smiled and stood and waved.

“Hi hi,” He greeted politely, “My name is Berus Amber Clare.”

A couple of the soldiers furrowed their brows and tilted their heads.

The one named Hudgens pointed at the siblings and commented, “You two are siblings? Interesting, the boy’s got a little more…uh, melanin than you, princess.”

The female soldier smacked the back of Hudgen’s head, and the man sitting beside him smacked his shoulder.

“What?! It’s just an observation, ya animals.”

The siblings laughed, and Berus replied, “Our mother has dark skin, so I inherited that.”

Laura nodded and added, “Yeah, and our father had lighter skin. That’s where I got mine.”

“There, see?” Hudgens said to the other soldiers. “How quickly y’all to jump down my throat, shit.”

The male soldier beside him sighed and shook his head. “Word it better, dumbass,” He said.

Laura pointed at Cello and said, “This is my best friend, and our bodyguard Cello.”

Cello looked at the soldiers and lifted her hand, then said, “Hey.” Her voice was filled with uninterest.

“Well,” a soldier on the far right spoke, “if we’re doing introductions. I’ll go first on our end. Name’s Mike Fischer. But, you can call me Fischer.”

The man’s voice was gruff but nonchalant. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, with a short, puffy blonde beard. He appeared to be an older man, maybe in his mid-forties.

“I’m Mark Taylor,” The man who was punched raised his hand and spoke next. “But, I like to go by Taylor.”

He had an accent, it was light but sounded British. His hair was a sandy brown, with black eyes. He was young and handsome. Not quite the same age as someone like Anthony, perhaps three or four years older.

“I will go next,” the woman soldier said, “my name is Emily Sanchez, but like the other two, I mainly go by my last name, Sanchez.”

She had golden brown skin and olive green eyes. Her hair was long, brown, with a few blonde streaks in it. She was older, like Fischer, but you couldn’t really tell because of how near perfectly smooth her skin was. Sanchez was beautiful for her age. She had a stressed Latin accent.

“Is it my turn yet?” The red-haired man sitting in the corner asked, tiredly. “The name’s Duncan Gordon. I go by Gordon blah blah blah.” He was very animated, always moving his hands as he spoke and giving various facial expressions. Most of whom seemed irritated, and he spoke in a thick Scottish accent.

“My name is Nathaniel Hudgens. Yeah, you get the gist by now.”

Hudgens didn’t seem to have much of an accent, but you could almost pick up on a very minor southern twang. He was the oldest of the group, looking roughly in his late fifties. His hair and eyes were black, with his hair becoming very gray. His face was rugged and wrinkled. He had a scar that went from his forehead to the left side of his face. Its origin was most likely from a fight against an experiment.

Though the introductions sparked some minor discussion within the group, that awkward, gray cloud still hung over everyone. Much to Armin’s disappointment. He should’ve expected as much. Throughout the rest of the flight, every so often, a decent conversation broke out. Laura asked the soldiers why they went into the military. She would then talk about how she made all her tools to keep up with her fellow experiments. Taylor and Sanchez asked questions about her tools, being the only two actually interested.

At night, everyone struggles to sleep. Armin told them of the threat they were facing, and the thought of some masked man who could spit up monstrosities certainly left the group on edge. So, Laura decided to pull out her flute and play a tune. The soldiers were curious to hear her music, as well as Armin's. Laura lifted the flute to her lips, closing her eyes before playing a calming, peaceful tune. It was the melody she would often do when on her night patrols. Her fingers danced along the holes, and the captivating sound filled the space with a sense of security and ease. The soldiers watched with smiles on their faces, and Sanchez and Fischer quietly hummed the tune after a while. Even Gordon, who leaned against the wall pretending not to care, couldn't help but give a very faint smile. Everyone seemed to collectively begin to close their eyes, their minds more at ease as they fell asleep.

Laura played for a minute longer before ending the song. She lowered the flute and opened her eyes, seeing all of the slumbering faces. She smiled warmly, sliding the flute under her belt. Laura looked around to see that almost everyone had gone to sleep. She looked to her left to see that Armin was still awake.

Upon hearing the song was over, Armin looked up and smiled at Laura. “You’re pretty good with that,” He whispered the compliment.

“Thank you,” She whispered back. “What are you still doing up, Uncle Armin?”

He lifted an electronic tablet and said, "Research. I’m doing some minor investigating about that incident in Kinshasa, not to mention checking the progress on all the drones we sent out.”

“Any luck?”

Armin shook his head and said, “Nothing so far. He might be hiding, the little rat.”

Laura yawned, rubbing her eyes as they began to feel heavy.

“You should get some rest, kiddo,” Armin said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so you’re going to need all the sleep you can get.”

“What about you?” Laura quietly asked.

“I’ll join you guys in another minute or so. I just need to finish a few more things.”

Laura nodded and said, “Alright, good night, Uncle.” She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall.

“Night, kiddo,” Armin softly replied, looking back at the tablet and resuming his work.