Chapter 3.7

CHAPTER 5

 

Mary put on her bravest smile, to counteract the oncoming tears.

“It’s great to see you, Drakken,” she said cheerfully, her voice shaking slightly.

Instinctively, she froze like a deer in headlights. Suddenly, she had an inkling of what was coming. Sure enough, as her eyes adjusted to the loom of the interior, she made out the bearish, dark skinned figure sporting a bright white, Cheshire Cat style grin, barrelling down on her. Before she had a chance to dodge, she was seized by the man mountain, picked up high and swung around the room, twirling too fast, the centripetal force dragging on her legs. Her screams of dismay and cries of ‘Aaaahputmedownputmedown!’ were drowned out by the big Caribbean man’s booming laughter. She was literally a doll in his arms.

She endured the theme park ride, crying out as she always did, for nearly a full minute. It was pretty much the reason he greeted her this way, He liked the sound of her anxious voice, squeaking high pitched and carrying probably as far as Becky’s cabin.

It made him laugh, and earned her the nickname ‘Mouse’. What a great pal he was.

Eventually the rollercoaster ride came to a stop, and Mary was lowered to the ground. Like a cat exiting a washer, Mary was unsteady on her feet for a few seconds. She shook as Drakken heartily slapped her on the back.

“Aw, poor Mouse not like her wheel? Gonna bring up some cheddar, now? Kobes, get ov ‘ere and give poor Mousey a hug. She wants a hug from her blanket…”

“Hi Mouse,” said a smiling, slender Japanese man that suddenly loomed in front of her woozy vision.

Mary’s heart melted.

Kobi. What a sight for sore eyes.

Mary automatically wrapped her arms around him, in the manner that she always had. Her cheek found his shoulder, and she relished his comparative gentleness.

“I missed you,” she moaned, dramatically.

“I missed you, too.”

”Drakken was being too rough again,” she mockingly sobbed.

Drakken’s laughter boomed out again, in the background. “Shut up, woman! You love it!”

Kobi nodded his understanding, his long fringe brushing her eyebrows. She could feel his wide smile next to her ear. “We’ll report him to PETA later. Cruelty to small rodents…”

Drakken laughed again. Mary didn’t stop holding Kobi, but gave his arm a hard slap.

Eventually, Mary released Kobi, and found herself embarrassed. Michael had been standing at the door to the shack, watching their reunion, for its entire duration. He stood upright, his hands crossed on his lap, sporting a well-mannered smile, like a gentleman politely awaiting a turn to speak.

It occurred to Mary that Kobi and Drakken had no idea who he was.

“Guys,” she said, addressing her friends. “This is, uh, Michael.”

Michael silently waved, his smile remaining.

“Watcha, Michael,” said Drakken. He approached their carer, and the two men shook hands heartily. Kobi also advanced, engaging in the gesture.

“So…you da one wit da news, mon?” asked Drakken. “All we had so far is Mista Personalitee outside, but me an’ Kobes talk ‘bout it, and we’s like remember our station collapsing, mon. How’d ya find us, yah? Everyone ok?”

“It’s amazing we made it out alive,” noted Kobi. “The winds were too strong for any aircraft. We should have froze to death.”

Michael stayed silent. Mary saw his gaze shift to her, and she shrugged. His eyes returned to her two friends.

“Yeah…” he began, slowly. “About that…”

 

The revelation took about ten minutes, which to Mary was uncharacteristically short, for such grand news. They were now located in the men’s bedroom. Kobi and Drakken were each sitting on their single beds. Michael leaned against the doorframe, his arms folded, and Mary sat on a chair that she had pulled from under a nearby dining-style table.

Michael had given them the spiel, and they had responded with the exact doubt that Mary had. As with Mary, it had taken a demonstration of advanced technology in order to shift their perspective.

That was why, right now, a small device that Michael had termed a ‘probe’ was zooming around the room.

“Jesus!” bellowed Drakken, as the Probe suddenly darted towards his face, coming to a sudden stop only inches from his nose. It remained perfectly still, giving the impression that it was held by something solid and not floating on thin air as it appeared to be. It displayed an apparent interest in Drakken, and began to make robotic clicking noises.

“What’s it doing?” asked Kobi, suitably anxious.

It was about the size of a golf ball, and flew about with absolutely no evidence of any suitable propulsion, practically seeming to fly by magic. It was coloured a dark, dull silver, and sported a round, tinted lens on what appeared to be its front. The lens, Mary could see, was moving ever so slightly forwards, then backwards, apparently zooming, and randomly changing colour, as though the device was adopting different spectrum filters.

“Taking pictures,” replied Michael, levelly.

“Why?” breathed Drakken, his eyes wide.

“I’m going to upload them to the network. People would pay to see the look on your face,” replied Michael, his mysterious smile showing.

Eventually, the probe returned to Michael. He grasped it casually in his hand, and pocketed it in his thick woollen trousers. Then he surveyed the shocked scene in front of him.

“We…we’re in the future…” Kobi accepted. Mary admired his radiating calm that only he could muster. 

Drakken had a little more trouble. He nodded vigorously, his eyes wide.

“Heavy, huh?” said Mary. She regarded her friends sympathetically. She had felt shock similar to this not long ago.

 Michael was silent. He looked at the other occupants in the room intensely. Mary guessed he was weighing their responses to the news.

“So…it goes without saying that we have questions,” said Kobi, in his analytical way. He was looking at Michael when he said this.

“Like…WTF…” Drakken observed.

“Of course. It’s why I’m here,” said Michael. “But seeing as we have yet another survivor who hasn’t woken yet, I would like to let you all rest and adjust to the news gradually. Time is a luxury we actually have in plenty, so there is no hurry.”

He took a moment to consider his next move. “Would you all be ok to stay within each other’s company for a few hours? Give you a chance to catch up? You seem close…”

Mary nodded, dismissively.

“Sure, mon,” conceded Drakken. “We know each other from way back…”

 “Good. If you need anything, talk to Rodus, out front. There should be some food, fresh vegetables and the like, in the kitchen. Help yourselves. You may go anywhere you like, but know that Rodus is instructed to follow you. “

“Sounds like fun,” replied Kobi, dryly.

 Michael looked at Mary. “Do you know your way back to your cabin? I should get back there and keep an eye on Becky.”

Mary wasn’t known for her astuteness. Subconsciously, she exhibited a behaviour which illustrated her feelings perfectly, if only to those who knew her.

“Just go. I’m not an idiot…” she growled, coldly.

Michael winked at her, smiled and strode towards the door. “I think I’ll ask you all to relax until tomorrow. Then I’ll fill you in on what’s going to happen from here. See you all later, ok?”

“Later, dude” said Drakken. Kobi nodded.

Michael had left, and to Mary, his lack of presence affected the room distinctly. Silence continued for a while, with Mary staring at the floor. When she finally looked up, she realised Kobi and Drakken’s eyes had remained on her since Michael had exited.

“What?” she said.

Drakken grunted a stifled cackle. Kobi rolled his eyes.

Mary continued to eye them, her displeasure growing. She felt she was the brunt of a joke. It became eventually more obvious.

“What?” she demanded.

Drakken smiled slightly, and then hid his lips from her, seeming to gaze out a nearby window.

“Most of all, I want that man…I want that man,” the Caribbean man sang, softly.

“What was that?” challenged Mary, her cheeks colouring.

Kobi smiled knowingly. “We can read you like an open book,” he informed her. “Poor Michael. His days of bachelorhood are numbered…”

“Yah, he dead man walking. Dere a man-eating Mouse on the loose, and she gonna tear him up…” Drakken grinned widely, and then held a fist to his chest, solemnly. “God help dat man…”

“Oh please! I hate his guts.”

Her comment helped none. Drakken erupted in laughter, and Mary swore she could see tears.

“She doin’ it again, mon!” he cried.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Kobi shook his head, his bright smile radiant on his face. “You must suffer with an embarrassment of feelings, Mouse. Some kind of insecurity, because we can tell you hate to seem vulnerable.  We watch you closely, watch you interact with the fellows, and we saw how you behaved when Michael was around. It was brutal. You despised him, and we know you save that kind of contempt for the men that make you hot,” he said steadily.

"Hot!" whispered Drakken passionately, fanning his neck with his hand, chuckling. “We watch you, Woman. You almost take him against his will in front of us. You so hot for da man, dat de morning after, he cook pancakes for breakfast on ye belly.”

Mary stared at them. Fury was caught in her throat, but it was outweighed by an overall less desirable sensation. Embarrassment.

“Shut up! I am not!”

Drakken laughed again. “She got it bad, mon!”

“Like clockwork,” said Kobi, sighing mock-forlornly.

"You guys talk such s**t!"

Drakken cackled at her harsh words. “Poor Mouse, crushing hard on randoms, and tryin’ ta woo dem with abuse. It's even better when you get stroppy. We knows it, girl. I knows it, Kobes knows it, and if I’m any judge,” he pointed out the window and whispered “your man knows it, too.”

Mary blanched, and Drakken chortled. “Hah! It’s in da eyes, girl. She admit it!”

 “I don’t have to listen to this,” Mary continued. Unfortunately, her face was on fire.

“You could tell he thought something was up when he left…” Kobi sensed astutely.

“Totallee, mon,” Drakken. agreed. He held his open palms out beside his ears, impersonating a flower, and raised the tone of his voice to imitate Mary’s.

“Ooh, Michael, please help me, ye fine-looking mon. I’m all lost and alone and feeble. Please help me find my friends. Ooh tank God, we found dem. You da best, Michael, now F**K OFF!”

As Drakken roared out the last of his impersonation, the two men laughed outright.

Drakken howled with mirth. Beaming, Kobi covered his mouth to hide his quiet laughter as he watched Drakken lose it completely. Mary attempted to scowl, but couldn’t hide her sheepish grin.

“Shut up! You guys suck!”

“Shut up! You guys suck!” impersonated the boys like bullying big brothers. Drakken insanely cackled, and Kobi began to laugh out rightly. Mary giggled at them as they ridiculed her.

It would have been the worst thing imaginable, if she had to adapt to a new, strange life without the two men of her life. It felt so good to be together again, the three of them, that a part of her almost cried at the thought that she had come so close to losing them.

She also blushed like a beetroot, especially when she thought of Drakken’s comment.

She knew she had a crush on Michael. He knew, too.