The hivemind is conquering for me?

Few words were spoken as we tucked into the meal before us. Either the meat was just simply incredible as is, or the old woman on the communicator was a magic chef.

Finishing my food first, I smile in satisfaction before my train of thought brough me to inform Kathrine. “Oh Kat, When I called for the food, Your niece from the checkpoint sent an image to you.” Kathrine proceeded to accidentally inhale the piece of food she was chewing on, temporally choking her. I was ready to stand up and help her, but she raised her arm signalling she was fine.

After coughing a few more times she asked. “You did not open the message right?” She asked nervously. “No, just the head line as it was in my eyesight. I think she has a date or something as she asked for your opinion on something, I assume the picture was a dress or something.” I commented while picking up a fruit and peeling it.

“Excuse me a moment you two, If my niece is messaging me, it must be important.” Kathrine said as she walked away to her desk.

Looking over at Mindy, I smiled kindly and asked. “So Mindy, we talked earlier about how you have been a mercenary since you were 16. What’s the hairiest situation you have been in?”

While Mindy began her story, Kathrine temporarily slinked out of the tent to call her niece. “Ah Aunty, Did you get my message? What did you think?” Hailey asked, sitting in her office chair. “I think you are losing your senses sweetheart. Sending me pictures of yourself wearing such skimpy lingerie. Did you know Apollo was using my communicator when you sent that message?”

Hailey’s face drained colour at hearing that remark. “Did… Did he see?” “No he did not see sweetheart, He saw the heading you sent and assumed you had an upcoming date. He is a good man and would not snoop like pretty much everyone else we know.” Kathrine joked making Hailey laugh, as that was 100% the truth.

“Wait Aunty. Why was Apollo on your communicator?” Hailey asked raising her eyebrow. “Apollo and I have become close friends sweetheart and we are currently hosting one of the mercenary leaders for dinner. While I stole her away while I was getting dressed, Apollo called for the catering.”

“How close?” Hailey asked, oblivious to everything else her aunt just said as her eyes narrowed cautiously. Kathrine proceed to spend five minutes lying to Hailey that nothing was going on between the two of them before she finally ended the communication with a long drawn breath and headed back inside.

As she walked back to the table, she heard the end of Mindy’s story. “-So there we are getting bombarded by Drakoshi fire in our little fox hole. Our men are falling all around us in their own holes. It was then a Drakoshi grenade was lobbed at least 40 meters and landed in the hole, directly between Alex and myself.

I had only been with him for two weeks at that point, but I could tell he was made of whatever heroes were, thats why I fell for him so hard and so fast. I was still a child then and love was easier to fall into. On instinct, he jumped on top of the grenade and In the next moment, his whole body simply turned into dust.”

“Fuck me!” I muttered before she continued. “As I was giving what I thought was my last stand, The Phalanx had decided to stop being pussies and had just initiated a counter attack sending The Drakoshi into a tactical withdrawal as they were just meters away from me at that point.” Mindy’s face turned painful a moment as she carried on. “I remember the sombre feeling that I had survived.

I turned to where Alex was just a moment ago and collapsed inside of my foxhole and stared at the spot for hours.”

I could tell Mindy was beginning to grieve again and I felt terrible that I brought it on. Reaching over the table, I grabbed her hands with my own. “Sorry Mindy, You don’t need to go on. I’m sorry I brought up such a subject. I don’t know what I was thinking.

Staring at her with care and unconsciously stroking the back of her hands with my thumbs, Mindy’s grief turned into shock and confusion as she just proceeded to sit there staring at me while blushing.

Kathrine seemed to notice Mindy’s reaction better than me and cursed me for my lack of emotional quotient. With a swift under the table leg kick, she pulled my attention from Mindy and managed to express a full conversation with just her eyes. Turning back to Mindy, I said. “Sorry.” Before removing my hands from her own.

With contact cut off, Mindy’s neurons started firing again. “O-o-o-o Don’t be sorry Apollo, Its not your fault. I did not have to tell that story, please don’t feel bad.” Although she felt sad a moment ago, she felt sadder thinking her friend was now upset.

“Ok, ok. I feel like our counter Apologies could go on for a while. I have a compromise. Since I am the root cause of the down in our friendly meal, You both get three wishes or commands from me for the rest of the evening.” I said, feeling this to be the best cause of action to fix the evening. I closed my eyes a moment as a flash of a memory made its way through my mind.

A sense of Deja vu, It felt like I had done something like this in my past life, though I cannot remember how it ended.

“Three wishes…” Kathrine thought aloud. Her eyes became predatory at the prospect. “How… regulated are these wishes? What are the restrictions?” “For you, very restricted, those eyes are scaring me. But for my friend Mindy.” I said looking over and smiling charmingly.

“Nothing is off limits.”

Mindy felt a knot in her stomach for some reason at that comment, but was distracted by Kathrine already enacting one of her wishes. “Go to the liquor cabinet and drink until you know you are drunk.”

I smiled knowing how Kathrine was intending to use her wishes. “Sure thing, just let me head to my storage trunk a moment.” Heading behind the divider, I opened the trunk I was leaving in the room and took out something from a whittled out hiding spot. A vial, the same size as my thumbnail that contained a clear liquid. “Sophia’s concentrated poison.” I whispered.

I wanted to stay true to my word and so I had to get drunk. these few drops are more than enough to get a nice buzz going.

Quickly changing my shirt so I had a reason to go into my trunk, I entered the common space and walked towards the liquor cabinet. Picking up six bottles at random, I then walked back to the table and placed them all down. I slid over the tequila Kathrine likes before opening a bottle of whiskey and sending it down the hatch.

Mindy watched on in awe at how I was handling the drink without gagging. “If I drank that much so quickly, I’d have been sick already.” “And that is why we are starting out small lovely.” Kathrine said as she pushed over a glass of the tequila to Mindy. “Its more fun watching a drunk man while drunk, otherwise your sober brain starts to find everything awkward. Now drink.”

As the two women pounded their glasses, I took a quick breather and placed a drop of the poison in the remainder of my drink before finishing it off. Noticing I had finished my first bottle, Kathrine looked at me with a gloating face. “Now now Apollo, I’ve partied with you before, It takes more than that bottle to get you drunk. Carry on, well be here when you are done.”

The cheeky look she of smugness she just gave me would not go unpunished later. For now though, I opened a bottle of vodka and placed in two drops of poison before continuing my chug fest.

With the poison consumed and the alcohol drunk. My face felt particularly warm and I could tell I was drunk, though I was not close to feeling sick or anything. With 5 bottles down, I had to give credit to the girls as they, mostly Kathrine, had finished the tequila.

“Aww handsome look!” Kathrine said as she pointed at Mindy.” Our little snakey leader is a lightweight.” Mindy’s face had turned a hue redder due to the alcohol. “I’m not a lightweight!” She yelled having trouble with her pitch. “Its just been a while since I have had a drink.” She then eyed Kathrine’s chest and whispered. “Besides I don’t have all that chest fat helping absorb it all.”

It was at this point Kathrine got up and went to the cabinet for another bottle of tequila. Once she returned she placed the bottle in front of Mindy and said.

“Ok lady, my first wish has been used. Its your turn now. How can we tortu- have fun with this handsome man here?”