Sorry this took so long. I won't bore you with the real life travails that have been delaying this story.
As per usual, please post comments and stuff in the
Discussions thread.
The original story, of course, and all its commentary can be found
here.
Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite
*******
THE COURSE OF SUPERHERO ROMANCE II: COURTSHIP AND CRIME FIGHTING
Chapter Four - Mixing Business and Pleasure
"Ray? Hey, Ray? Yo, Earth to Positron!"
Engrossed as he was in recreating the bomb's schematics in his computer, Raymond didn't hear Steve calling his name until his roommate finally gave up and zoomed over to smack the back of his head. Startled, Raymond leapt out of his chair with a yell, only to bang his knees into his worktable, sending precariously piled stacks of paper sliding to the floor.
"Damn it, I HATE it when you do that!" he cursed through gritted teeth as he half-fell back into his chair, rubbing his knees and glaring at Steve, who wore an unconvincing look of innocence.
"Hey, don't yell at me, I tried three times to get your attention." But in a gesture of apology, he raced around the lab, picking up all the paperwork, sorting it, and placing it back in neat stacks on Raymond's desk in less time than it would have taken Raymond to get out of his chair. "Anyway, it's past quitting time. Psyche and Manticore wanted to know if you, me, Sorina, and Andrea wanted to go to dinner with them."
"Did they say why?"
"Probably because they're hungry," Steve said dryly. "Other than that, no."
His mind still on his work, Raymond's first impulse was to decline, but then his stomach rumbled loudly enough to be heard and he sighed. "Yeah, why not? Have you already called Andrea?"
"Nope, not yet - I figure we'll swing by the Patrol's base and collect them."
Dinner did sound good, now that he thought about it, especially since all he'd eaten today was a sandwich and about two pots of coffee, and a quiet evening with Sorina would certainly be welcome after the hell of the last few days. It might also be a good opportunity to talk with Justin and Shalice about the recent change to his relationship with Sorina.
He glanced back at his computer, wondering if he should send a copy of his work to his ops center at home, but compared to the idea of spending time with Sorina, it was definitely the less appealing of the two options. Setting aside his paperwork and turning off his terminal, he rose to his feet and stretched, wincing at the twinge in his knees from where he'd banged them against his desk.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Where'd they have in mind? If it's someplace upscale, I'll need to head home to change clothes, not to mention a shower sounds really good right about now." He looked down at his t-shirt and jeans with a faint grimace.
"Lemme ask," Steve replied, blurring out of the lab and re-appearing a second later. Raymond opened his mouth to ask what the others had said, only to close it again when Shalice and Justin came into his lab.
"Actually, I was thinking Chinese," Sister Psyche said in response to his unasked question. "The Plum Blossom Inn on Talos Island is fantastic, if you haven't been there before. It's a quiet little place over in the New Sparta district."
Steve frowned in recollection. "Isn't that near where the Paragon Dance Party used to be?" he asked, and Manticore nodded. "Yeah, I've been there - nice place." He looked over at his roommate. "Yeah, you'll wanna change clothes. Not quite suit and tie but better than the jeans and t-shirt look, that's for sure. But man, I hate eating with chopsticks."
"Oh, stop complaining," Manticore told him. "If it bothers you so much, use a fork."
"Dude, I do have
some social standards. I only use a fork with Chinese food when I'm at home and no one's around to care."
Raymond glanced at the clock on the wall - quarter after five. "So, let's say seven? Time enough for me and Steve to collect Sorina and Andrea, head home, clean up and change, and then meet you guys there."
"Sounds good. Mind if I borrow your phone? I just want to make reservations," Sister Psyche explained, and while Raymond finished cleaning up his worktable, she called the restaurant and reserved a table. Hanging up, she smiled and said, "Okay, that's done. We'll see you four there at seven o'clock."
"Deal," Steve replied. "All right, Einstein, let's blow this popsicle stand and go collect the ladies."
"You guys need to borrow the cars again?" Manticore asked, but Steve and Raymond shook their heads.
"Nah, we should be fine. Thanks for the offer, though. We'll catch you guys in about two hours."
*****
On their way out the door, however, Raymond and Steve became aware of a loud and rather heated argument coming from the main conference room of the Freedom Phalanx headquarters. Pausing to listen, they recognized the voices of Statesman and Ms. Liberty, apparently in the middle of another 'discussion' about Longbow's actions in the Rogue Isles. With a sigh and a shake of his head, Raymond kept walking down the corridor.
No way am I getting in the middle of that
one. While he had no problem with honest disagreement or with actual combat, personal conflict often left him a bit unsettled.
Steve, however, paused and grinned before catching up to his roommate and crossed Freedom Court toward the glowing ring that denoted a base portal entrance. "Well, that at least explains why Psyche didn't even them to join us tonight. The two of them are ready to start trashing the furniture."
"I was wondering about that," Raymond mused as they stepped outside. "But Longbow
is Ms. Liberty's baby, even if States helped found the Freedom Corps."
"Word of advice, by the way - don't get Andrea started on the subject of Longbow," Steve said, and Raymond looked over in surprise.
"Really? What's her problem with them? I thought she was a former member like the other Star Patrol leaders."
"Nope - she's the only one who wasn't." Steve's cheerful expression faded, becoming more serious. "She hasn't mentioned all the details, but I gather it's more of a grudge about the fact that there's so much that Longbow could be doing here in Paragon as opposed to harassing Arachnos in the Rogue Isles."
"They do a lot to keep Arachnos and whatnot in check there, though," Raymond reminded him, but Steve shrugged.
"Sure, you and I know that, and so does she. She just doesn't particularly like them as a group."
"Interesting," Raymond murmured. "I'll have to ask her why someday."
"Just not tonight," Steve warned. "I get the feeling she'll rant something fierce if you get her started, and I don't know about you, but I just want to relax after the crises of the day."
"No argument from me there." Together they stepped into the glowing circle, and a moment later arrived at the headquarters of the Star Patrol. Standing in the main entryway were Agents Sharpe and Garrison, who both turned in surprise and then nodded at the newcomers.
"So what brings you two here?" Sharpe asked, coming over to shake hands, while Garrison did the same. "More about this morning?"
"Nope, we are officially off the clock, and it's Miller Time," Steve said, looking around. "We're actually here to see if Andrea and Sorina are around."
"Andrea's here... someplace," Garrison replied, waving one hand toward the living quarters of the base. "And Tava's due back any moment from the Hollows. You're welcome to hang out in the TV room or the library if you'd like."
"What happened in Eastgate?" Steve asked with a frown, and Garrison shrugged while Sharpe answered instead.
"Nothing new, it's just one of the places we use as a training ground for search-and-rescue operations. We do a lot of work with Officer Wincott in the area, freeing up the SWAT teams for actual law enforcement and the like."
Just then, Andrea came breezing into the entryway, and both Steve and Raymond were hard-pressed not to stare. Wearing a skintight black dress that left almost nothing to the imagination, along with black high heels, she was clearly ready to party. "Heya, Steve! Dr. Keyes!"
Steve recovered first. "Well, it looks like you're ahead of me for once - you look
fantastic!"
"Thanks!" she grinned, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek and then waving to Raymond. "Unfortunately, I can't stay to chat, I'm already late!"
"Late for what?" asked Steve in confusion. "I haven't even had a chance to ask you to dinner yet."
"Oh, sorry," Andrea said, her face falling briefly. "I've already got plans, I was supposed to meet Chris in Pocket D ten minutes ago, but I lost track of time."
Raymond tried not to smile at the irked expression on Steve's face as he asked, "Chris? Chris who?"
"Chris Thales." At his blank look, she went on. "You know - Castle."
"HIM?" Steve's question came out a bit louder than he'd planned, and Andrea grinned.
"Yep - sorry, I gotta run! I'll catch you guys later!" And with that, she headed past the group toward the teleporter bay, leaving Steve staring after her while the others tried not to say anything.
The silence lengthened for several moments than Raymond would have thought Steve could stay silent before Steve finally blurted out, "She's going on a date with CASTLE?! And dressed like THAT?!"
"My, my, Synapse - if I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous," Agent Garrison drawled, her eyes alight with amusement, and Steve turned on her in a huff.
"I am NOT jealous, I'm just... surprised, that's all." He looked even more disgruntled. "And damn it, now I don't have a date for tonight."
"I'd offer to join you, but I'm on duty this evening," Garrison said with a grin and a sidelong glance at Sharpe standing next to her, and Raymond knew from Sorina that Garrison and Sharpe were something of a couple themselves.
"On the other hand, Valentino just got into town - maybe we should hook them up," Sharpe suggested.
"Who?" Raymond asked.
"Marisa Valentino - you've not met her, but we've mentioned her before. She's one of our operatives in the Rogue Isles... our insider on the Family, as it were. Normally she works Port Oakes and St. Martial, but she occasionally comes back here for debriefings and whatnot. She got in earlier this afternoon, maybe she'd like to join you."
"Maybe she'd like to decide for herself," came a cool voice from behind them, and Raymond and Steve turned to see a tall, dark-haired woman standing in the doorway from the conference room.
"Marisa, meet Positron and Synapse," Sharpe said, waving her forward, and she approached to shake hands with the two of them. Raymond tried to hide his smile at the look of interest on Steve's face, for the brunette was rather attractive in an aloof sort of way.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Valentino," Steve said, holding her hand a moment longer than necessary. "And if you'll forgive the abruptness of the invitation, would you care to join us for dinner?"
Her eyes went from Steve to Raymond and back, then she asked, "And who else is 'us'?"
"Myself, Einstein here, Sorina, Sister Psyche, and Manticore. A little Chinese place over in Talos."
To his surprise, Raymond saw a brief flash of worry cross her face, but then she nodded.
"I'd be delighted. What time?"
"We're meeting there at seven," Raymond replied. "Steve and I need a change of clothes, and I'm sure Sorina will want to get cleaned up too when she gets back."
The entry portal flared briefly, and on the platform appeared eight figures, all wearing the colors of the Star Patrol.
"
Pozhalujsta, Bozhe, skazhi mne na sledujushhij den' zakonchilsja."
At the sound of Sorina's voice, Raymond looked up at the platform, feeling a slightly foolish smile come to his face, but not particularly caring.
"Rough day?" he asked, and she glanced over, surprised, before a smile of her own curved her lips.
"You could say that, yes." She looked at the rest of the group with her and nodded. "Dismissed. Get cleaned up, and I expect your reports on my desk by tomorrow morning. You'll receive your assessments by the end of the week." Her expression softened slightly. "And well done."
The agents straightened up and saluted, then clambered down off the platform, but several stopped to stare when they realized that Positron and Synapse were in the base. Sharpe, however, gave them all a look, and they quickly dispersed.
As Sorina came over, she slipped her arms around Raymond's waist and rested her head on his chest with a slight groan.
"What was that you said a moment ago?" he asked.
"I said 'Please, God, tell me the day is over,'" Sorina replied wearily, and he chuckled quietly and kissed the top of her head.
"Dare I hope you can muster the energy to join me and a few others for dinner?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "Dinner sounds wonderful. Who else?"
"You, me, Steve, Shalice, Justin, and Miss Valentino there."
Sorina turned and saw the other woman in the doorway. "Welcome back. When did you get in?"
"Earlier this afternoon," Valentino replied. "I wasn't actually due back for another week and a half, but word got to me that you needed some info on the Isles, so Agent Wright ordered me back here. Takimura is slated to head out early tomorrow in my place, heading to St. Martial."
"That teenager?" Raymond said in surprise, remembering the petite Japanese girl who had been with the spec ops team at Manticore's party. "You're sending
her to the Rogue Isles?"
Sharpe nodded. "Yeah - you might not believe it, but she's one of our best operatives when it comes to the Tsoo. But don't worry - she'll be teamed with another of our Spec Ops team, Cende, and God help anyone who gets in their way. Anyway, if you guys are going to head to dinner, you should get a move on."
"Andrea's not coming?" Sorina asked, looking over at Steve, who looked slightly discomfited.
"She's going out with Castle tonight," he replied, and she chuckled.
"Let me get my paperwork done and then head home to change. Where and when?"
"The Plum Blossom Inn on Talos Island, New Sparta district, at seven."
"I'll meet you there, then."
Raymond hugged her one more time, then he and Steve shook hands with the others and left to head toward their house in Steel Canyon.
The trip to their house was surprisingly quiet, but Raymond had the suspicion that after the morning's attempted bombing, with the heroes on heightened alert, the petty crime rate would subside for a little while at least. He was, however, not expecting the under-his-breath grumbling from Steve most of the way there.
Strange, he thought to himself,
I wouldn't have thought he'd get that bent out of shape about her not being available. After all, neither of them is exactly known for long-term relationships, or even monogamous short-term ones. It was possible, of course, that it was just ego, but Raymond decided to leave the issue alone until Steve brought it up himself.
At any rate, all he wanted now was time with Sorina, good food, and good company, and he kicked in some extra power to his flight systems as he headed home.
The world's problems could wait until tomorrow... I hope.
To be continued...
Hmmm Earth Eternal? I dont know this one... time to google it...Yep, Sparkplay Media commissioned me to do their second official teaser trailer.Quote:Originally Posted by Dr_Mechano
