The Kineticist Ch. 03

Kyle let out a low whistle as he was greeted with two-tiered rows of various clothes; all were made for women. It looked to Kyle like a boutique stored its catalogue in the closet and was amazed it all seemingly belonged to one person.

"You won't find anything to wear, Kyle," a soft voice said from behind him.

Kyle turned to look at the speaker, his face flushed with embracement. The voice belonged to an elegant looking woman, though Kyle wasn't sure if woman was quite the right way to describe the creature before him. Her skin was various shades of muted green that looked to be covered in scales, down to the long tail, reptilian legs and clawed feet. Her upper body was very much human looking with its soft feminine curves under a long black sweater that was cut to settle low over her hips and around her tail.

"My name is Mercy, and from the look on your face you've never seen my species before," She smiled warmly at him. Kyle noted two small, yet obviously very sharp fangs poke out over her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry to be snooping around, I was just trying to figure out exactly where I am. The last thing I remember was being put to sleep on The Cerberus," Kyle admitted sheepishly.

Mercy looked him up and down, her lower lip pursed, "You were. We decided to let you wake up on your own in a warm bed instead of those uncomfortable ones in the med bay. This is Kara's room. This is our 'base' if you would."

"Ah, but why am I in her room?" Kyle asked, confused.

"She is away on business. I've been instructed to keep an eye on you to make sure you recover properly and enjoy your time here. Kara's bed is the most comfortable one here, if I say so myself," Mercy winked at him.

"Personal experience, I assume," Kyle arched an eyebrow.

"You could say that," Mercy said nonchalantly.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you? I've never seen anything like you before," He gestured at her body. "You aren't human obviously."

"How very astute," She sniggered. "I'm a Komodus. We are a race of people that have evolved from reptiles to become more like mammals while we still retain certain traits. You would have to talk to a Xenobiologist to get the specifics."

Kyle was suddenly very aware of his own near nakedness as the cool air of the room washed over his exposed skin, "Uh, do you know where I could find something to wear?"

Mercy tapped her chin, "Most of the men in Kara's employ have a more...robust physique. You are rather scrawny for a human male."

His jaw clenched, "I'm sorry forced captivity didn't agree with me."

A look of confusion flickered across her angular features, "Of course it wouldn't! You were in critical condition when we found you. It would be exceedingly strange if you thrived under such conditions."

He glared at her, "You just said—"

Mercy raised a hand, "If you took offense to my observation I do apologize. I was merely stating a fact. Water is wet, fire is hot, you are malnourished and weak. It is simply the truth."

Her response took the wind out of Kyle's sails. She was right, and he felt guilty for jumping the gun and assuming she was being malignant, "I'm sorry, Mercy."

"For what?" Her brow furrowed, "Your reaction is completely within the realm of normal human coping. Kara has similar reactions when she is in one of her fouler moods."

Kyle was at a loss. The Komodous' straight forward nature was oddly soothing. She was right too, he was on edge. His nerves were all but flayed and he had a multitude of emotions roiling inside of him. It looked like Kara had kept her word, and now he could start over. No more running and hiding. The revelation was like a balm, allowing him to release some of the tension that had become dangerously normal.

"So, what now?" Kyle asked.

Mercy smiled, "Now we get you clothes and you can meet everyone. I assume you'll be staying here with us for a while you recover. Kara has also given Nico permission to watch over your physical recovery and if you so wished, train in a respective discipline of any of the officers."

"Train?" Kyle forced down the rush of angry emotions that reared up. Now that he was aware of his emotions, it was jarring how much of a powder keg he was.

"Kara mentioned that you hate people ordering you around and deciding things for you," She said matter-of-factly.

Kyle nodded, "So what is this about physical therapy and training, what do you people want from me? I'm not a soldier."

"Physical therapy so that you can get your body strong and healthy again, obviously. Training so that you can defend yourself," Mercy patted his arm. "If you don't want to, no one will force you. Kara thought it would be in your best interest to proceed in that direction."

"Let's just take it one step at a time, alright?" Kyle conceded.

Mercy smiled and nodded exuberantly.

The Komodous left for a time as she went out to scrounge up something for him to wear. Kyle had just finished showering and took a brush to his unkempt mane, forcing the resistant hair out of the tangle of knots and clumps. When he was finished, his black hair fell past his shoulders, providing an almost ghostly visage when combined with the still emaciated features of his face.

A surge of pity and sorrow flooded him but boiled away as he stared at himself in the mirror. He could fix this. He could become whole again. There was no room for self-pity now. New life, new rules, new Kyle.

Mercy appeared behind him and gave him a triumphant smile as she brandished a pile of clothes, "The pants and shirt are a bit large, so I brought you a belt. Luckily you're tall so it wasn't hard to find your length. These should suffice."

Kyle inspected the pile of garments. The tattered red shirt was well used and had loose threads where the hem had split in a few places, the jeans she had procured were heavily faded and the knees were visibly stained. He shrugged and dressed himself. The shirt felt more like he was wearing a tent and Mercy's intuition that he needed a belt was spot on. The belt was made of a braided gray material that made it able to be used in a wide array of sizes, and to his own amusement he realized that they just so happened to match his faded sneakers.

"Thanks, Mercy. I appreciate the help. If you don't mind me asking, are these someone's work clothes or something?" Kyle gestured to the stained knees of his pants.

"Those are from Hunter, he was the closest to your approximate size. He is what some would call a 'handy-man'. Things will make more sense once you meet everyone and then we can explain our operation," She held out her hand and offered him a small black band.

Kyle took the object from her and experimented with it for a moment. He found it to be moderately elastic, "What is this for?"

"Your hair, Kyle," Mercy giggled.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Kyle looked at the band dumbfounded.

Mercy bit her lip to suppress her mirth. She wrapped the band around her fingers as she pulled his mane into a single bundle. Deftly, she pulled his hair through, twisted, and repeated the motion until it was secure, "Since I do not have hair, I found it amusing when Kara taught me the basics that human women use to keep theirs under control."

"I guess I'm four years overdue for a haircut," He chuckled. Mercy smiled at him before ushering him out the door.

Outside the bedroom was a long walkway in the same dark wood as the room. Railings guarded the edge that overlooked the foyer before ending at a sweeping staircase that led below. Kyle spotted more rooms further down the hall which he assumed is where the others slept. Mercy led him down the stairs and into a large kitchen off to the side.

Once the door opened, a heavenly smell entered his nose and his stomach gurgled in anticipation. He almost couldn't remember what real food tasted like. A group of people were clustered around the center island, some sitting while others stood. They turned to look at him as he entered.

He could feel six sets of eyes watching him, appraising him. He felt exceedingly awkward and painfully aware of his current condition. He recognized the dark haired doctor, Nico. But the other five were a mystery to him. Mercy looked between Kyle and the group before smiling at him encouragingly.

"Uh, hello. Thank you for your hospitality and for rescuing me from the Imperium. If I caused any trouble, I'm sorry. I hope you can understand that I've got some stuff to work through," Kyle said haltingly.

There was silence as they all stared at him. Long moments passed before the largest of them roared with laughter. Kyle was perplexed by the sound at first, as the man stood nearly two feet taller and wider than him. Dark eyes twinkled down at him in amusement, the light shining off the smooth chocolate colored skin of his bald held.

He flashed a brilliant white smile, "I'm Celtic, it's good to see you awake and walking around. After the show you gave us in the hanger, I've been itching to see what you can really do."

"Hey," Kyle responded in a small voice. "I must admit, I don't remember what happened too well. Bits and pieces, but it's all foggy and jumbled."

Nico walked to his side and tentatively touched his arm in a sympathetic gesture. The hesitation wasn't lost on Kyle as he vividly remembered their last meeting, "I owe you a bigger apology. I must have scared the daylights out of you, I've spent so long with people hunting me and trying to kill me that it's almost a knee-jerk reaction."

"A very violent knee-jerk reaction," Nico smiled at him. "Everything is fine. It was quite a shock I'll admit, but completely understandable. I like to think you learned your lesson when Kara force fed you a revolver barrel?"

Kyle visible winced and rubbed his neck, "Yeah, I don't think I'd survive a repeat. You seemed pretty confident she would feed me lead whether I liked it or not."

Nico squeezed his arm. She looked back at the group and asked, "What is the most important rule aboard The Cerberus?"

Dark shadows passed across all of their faces. Kyle caught a similar look flicker in Nico's eyes and he noted that Mercy had a distinct predatory gaze as she watched them. The look quickly vanished as she noticed him looking at her and she winked. The group chorused in equally haunted tones, "Never piss off the captain."

"You got off lightly my friend," A sandy haired man grinned at him. His green eyes had a mischievous glint that was compounded by the thin scar the cut cleanly across the bridge of his nose. The man was lean and perhaps only an inch shorter than himself, Kyle got a distinct impression of who this man was.

"Hunter, if I'm not mistaken?" Kyle nodded at him.

"Sharp, I like that in a man," Hunter eyed him appreciatively. "You'll clean up nice once we get some meat on your bones and give you a man's haircut."

The comment's meaning eluded Kyle, but apparently was enough to earn him a sharp elbow to the ribs from his neighbor. The man rolled his eyes as Hunter doubled over, "Never mind this idiot. I'm Scotts, the navigator aboard. You nearly gave me heart failure with that stunt you pulled. I thought I ran us into a gravitational riptide!"

Kyle looked sheepish, "Yeah...my bad."

Scotts glared at him for a moment before his round face lit up in a cheery smile, "I'm just fuckin' with'ya. Come, sit and have a beer. Don't be stiff as a board, you have two lovely ladies on your arms!"

Mercy and Nico shared a look before they linked arms with him and pulled him forward to a vacant stool. Celtic pulled a chilled bottle from under the counter and slid it his way. Kyle caught the beverage and took a tentative sip. The bitter flavor of barley and hops was chased around his mouth with subtle hints of honey and pine. He blinked in surprise at how good the combination seemed to be, he eagerly took another sip. "This is delicious! I've never had beer like this before. Who makes it?"

"We do," said a tawny haired man who he hadn't been introduced yet. He was the same height as Kyle, with the same wiry build that Hunter possessed. His shaggy hair was forced back under a black beanie, paired with loose fitting clothes and multiple piercings in his ears gave him the look of a hoodlum. "Name's Dino. I'm glad you like my new recipe. Judging from your stomach earlier, I suspect you're hungry. I'll whip you up something while the others catch you up. All you need to know about me is I'm the cook. You want a sandwich? I got'chu. You need a special thermite infused flashbang with a side of concussion and a dash of fragmentation? I got'chu."

Kyle stared at him as he walked away from the group, whistling a jaunty tune under his breath and he pulled pots and pans from various locations around the kitchen. He looked at the rest with wide eyed surprise, "I don't entirely know what that was supposed to mean. Was that code for something?"

The remaining member clasped his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile, "Nope. He was being serious. He'll make you a thermite infused sandwich grenade if you ask him."

"A sandwich grenade?" Kyle felt like he was having his leg pulled but with Dino's, for lack of a better word, Confidence; He wasn't going to write off the idea as fantasy.

"The crazy bastard could do it too," Scotts shook his head. "Sometimes I have to remember that we're all lunatics and our Captain is the worst of the lot."

"She's one beautiful lunatic," The other man said wistfully.

"And here I thought I was the only woman for you," Nico said airily.

"You want her too, Nicky. She's such a tease, it's driving me nuts!" Buck complained.

Kyle's mind replayed the electrifying kiss he had shared with the golden haired captain, his heart picked up pace as his cheeks warmed. Nico glanced at him and smiled wickedly, "Well you're in luck Bucky-boy. Now Kara has a new toy to play with, what do you think Mercy?"

The group turned to the green-skinned woman. She regarded Kyle with the same pondering expression she had given him before. She leaned in closer to him, her delicate nose sniffing him. To Kyle's surprise, a long thin forked tongue flitted from between her lips. The vertical slits in her eyes flared wide, the black seeming to swallow up the mesmerizing nebula of green speckled with stars of sapphire and amethyst.

Kyle's mind felt heavy as a strangely pleasant fragrance filled his senses, it reminded him of spiced honey being heated over a smoky campfire. The world around him faded into a muted awareness, Mercy's nebulous eyes bored into him. She leaned in closer, her lips parting as her tongue flickered out periodically.

Their lips touched, their tongues met, and Kyle's mind was flooded with more of the scent. The word 'Pheromones' drifted lazily in the back of his mind, and was quickly forgotten. He bathed in the smell and sensations of her mouth. The scent began to fade, like a fog being blown away on a breeze. Kyle froze, as did Mercy.

They looked at each other in a hooded daze as Mercy's scent faded to nothing before being replaced with the smell of rain and the tang of saltwater. Thunder echoed in his mind as his blood seemed to buzz with energy. Mercy's eyes became entirely black, a thin ring a green at the edges. Her breath caught, a strangled squeak escaped her throat.

Kyle could taste the storm on his lips from where Mercy had kissed him, but it was just a strong breeze driven far by the winds. The fire in his mind crackled hungrily at the thought of the storm, to feed endlessly on the howling gale like it had before.

He shook his head violently, the haze lifting. The spell seemed to break on Mercy as well, and they were both suddenly aware they had an audience. Mercy looked away, her cheeks flushed a dark green. Kyle turned to meet Nico's quizzical gaze. "Doc, that's the second time something like that has happened."

Nico went over to Mercy, who was struggling to catch her breath. They talked quietly for a few moments. The men at the counter had a variety of reactions. Buck looked confused and curious. Hunter and Scotts grinned at him with knowing smiles. Celtic's eyebrow was cocked as if to say, 'well, well, well. Even more suprises."

"I've never seen Mercy's pheromone's in action before. She is Kara's lover, but since she is a woman it doesn't have the same affect. She just smells really pleasant. It seems to have the desired effect on men, despite the species difference." Nico told the group.

"I've never liked men, either." Mercy said quietly. "I've only ever been attracted to Kara. The males of my species don't hold my attention. Their scents are designed to attract biological mates, whilst the female's scents induce the instinct to procreate."

"Well, we all know our Captain," Celtic said sagely. "Our crew is filled with the most skilled individuals in their fields and all of us got here because we had a problem with authority or conflict of interests."

"She scares the pants off all of us," Hunter agreed.

"But she's so hot!" Buck groaned.

"That she is, and she's accomplished things that take others decades to do. She's the Captain of her own ship, she isn't beholden to the military and leads the private sector in terms of contracts and assets. We all too quickly forget she is the youngest here." Dino called over to them. "She lets us do whatever we want, be who we want, because none of us have the death wish to invoke her ire."

"Respect is a powerful thing. Most of us feel the same way though. We are free to be the best we can be, and she trusts us to be no less. In return, we trust her to keep us fat and with heavy pockets," Scotts glanced at Hunter and smiled to himself.

"I can see why you are so smitten with her, Mercy," Kyle shrugged.

Mercy looked conflicted, "Yes. She is wonderful. Forgive me, I'm going to take my leave. I feel somewhat faint."

The Komodous stood quickly and exited the kitchen in a rush. Nico looked like she wanted to go after her, but held herself back. She turned to Kyle, "What did you feel when you kissed her?"

Kyle fought down the embarrassment of discussing this in front of an audience, "Like my brain turned heavy. She tasted like something sweet, like honey."

Nico frowned in thought, "I've kissed Mercy before, I never experienced anything like that though."

Buck looked at her wide-eyed, "When did you kiss the sexy lizard lady?!"

Nico smiled, "Girl's night can get wild sometimes, I hope you don't mind."

He slumped in defeat, "I've got rotten luck."

Celtic smacked the downcast man across the back of the head, "Boy, you might not be tappin' the alien, but you're sleeping with the doctor! What's the matter with you?"

Kyle cleared his throat as the group broke into their own conversations, "Nico, Something weird happened at the end there."

Nico pursed her lips, "What do you mean?"

"Mercy's pheromones wore off after a bit and then I had the same feeling I did when you walked in on me and Kara." Kyle took another swig of his beer as he thought back to the feeling. It was strange, the affect Kara had on him. He had been with women before, had his fair share of passionate nights while he was on the run. But this was something else entirely.

"Kara mentioned something about it, but she couldn't be specific. She just got more confused and frustrated." Nico sat down next to him. "Can you tell me anything more?"

Kyle shook his head, "Honestly, it wouldn't make any sense to you. It's like..."

"A jumble of sensory data? Images, tastes, smells, not just emotions?" Nico interjected. "That was the closest Kara could come to explaining what happened."

Kyle nodded, "that's somewhat accurate. I wasn't aware of it the first time, and this time it was like...an echo. Like I could sense her on Mercy. Like how animals mark their territory maybe? It's not a physical sensation; it's like...a breeze through my mind. That's why I found your earlier description of Kara so amusing. She very much feels like a hurricane wrapped in a summer breeze."