24-42 opened her eyes and yawned loudly. She’d had a very good sleep that night. She stretched out, until her foot hit another leg.
She froze. It dawned on her that she WASN’T in her room. It was then she remembered the night before.
–
“Good morning!” Daniel and Tytus walked into the lunch room, where the girls were happily eating breakfast.
“So anyway, where were you last night? We knocked on your door but there was no answer.” Alexis asked 24-42, who was digging into a big pile of mushrooms.
“In bed.” 24-42 replied. To be fair, she wasn’t exactly lying. She HAD been in bed – just not her own!
“You’re working too hard, what with all the counselling you’re doing.” Suzie said. “You need to chill out a bit.”
“And if you ever need a good time, just call me.” Tytus winked, earning him dirty looks from the girls.
“I’m fine, just catching up on my beauty sleep, which is something you should definitely look into.” 24-42 smirked at Tytus, who poked his tongue out at her.
Just then, M42 walked in.
“Before anyone says anything, YES, 24-42 and I slept together last night.” He droned as he got himself a chocolate bar from the vending machine.
Five mouthfuls of cornflakes went spraying across the room, and 24-42 simply dropped her spoon into her bowl and her face into her hands.
“Wait…you didn’t tell anyone?” M42 looked confused.
“No. I was saving it for you.” 24-42 deadpanned.
“You two are…seriously?!” Suzie glared accusingly at the Major, who raised his hands defensively.
“She started it.” He pointed at 24-42.
“I KNEW it!” Alexis grinned at Henna, who was now laughing.
“You two are bonking?” Daniel looked incredulously at the pair, who were now beet-red.
“Eloquently put.” Tytus snickered loudly.
–
Team A42 were happily working out in the gym later that day, each of them doing their own thing. Harmony reigned supreme, even the music was to everyone’s liking. M42 was working with Henna to improve some of her weaknesses, 24-42 was working on her legs, Alexis and Tytus were bench pressing, Daniel was doing cardio and Suzie was working on her flexibility.
It was a peaceful, fruitful hour, until Team B42 showed up.
“We’ve been given priority access to the gym.” 07-42 snapped. “You guys are to get out of here.”
“Hang on just a minute Experiment.” M42 narrowed his eyes at the team. “There’s plenty of room in here for all of us.”
“We’ve been given priority, M42, so I suggest you leave now.” MB42, who was a weaselly little pig of a man, showed M42 his paperwork.
“Why can’t we all work together, we’re all really on the same team!” 24-42 stood beside M42, while the rest of Team A42 got up too.
“We really DON’T want to be working with the base psycho if you know what I mean.” MB42 sneered at 24-42, whose eyes immediately flared red.
“Why don’t you watch your mouth, you scrawny little hog!” 24-42 growled before M42 could stop her.
“Be careful Experiment, you might be screwing a Major but you still sit below me in the pecking order.” MB42 smiled triumphantly.
Until M42 wiped the smirk off his face with his robotic fist.
–
“Overall I think we won.” Tytus dabbed tenderly at his lower lip with a cold towel as they sat in the lunchroom.
“At least none of us are in the infirmary.” Daniel added as he held an ice pack to his head.
“You boys.” Henna scowled, her hands bandaged.
“Hey, YOU took out the most of them!” Tytus defended himself.
Alexis giggled.
“You have to admit they had it coming to them.” She said carefully, the cut on her cheek still sore.
“I’m just impressed that it was M42 that threw the first punch. He must really like you 24-42.” Daniel said cheekily, earning him a friendly punch from 24-42, who was blushing (although that could have also been the pain from her twisted ankle).
“He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.” She said. “Even if he is a bit gruff.”
Speaking of, just then M42 and Suzie walked in. The Major had a lovely black eye and Suzie just looked bemused.
“So, how was the lecture from C42? Anything as bad as what we got?” Tytus asked.
“A tonne of extra paperwork for me.” M42 shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t had before.”
“I just got a stern telling off for not stopping you.” Suzie giggled.
“They deserved it though. They started it!” Henna protested.
“We know, but C42 didn’t want to hear about it. We all have to learn to get along.” M42 shrugged. “Anyway, we have the rest of the day off.”
“Sounds good to me! I’ll see you guys later!” Tytus sped off before anyone else could say anything.
“He’s trying to get into the pants of one of the scientists. 97TYB32-42 I think.” Daniel shrugged.
“Ah. He’s figured that since these two are getting some he might as well get some too eh?” Suzie grinned, earning her two filthy looks as the others laughed.
–
24-42 was lying on her couch after her psych appointment that afternoon. Three of the five cats were lying on the couch with her, and she felt at peace for the first time since him, which had been a year before she’d joined Project 42.
They’d met at school, being paired up for a project in one of their classes. Since that day they’d been inseparable, until the day he left. She sighed.
He wasn’t part of her life anymore, not now. She smiled as she thought of the Major and what had happened the night before. They’d talked a little bit, and ate dinner together. She’d found out he’d been married once, and had a son who had died in a car accident after he’d divorced his wife. She knew that his father-in-law had been a terrorist, and that the Major had been the one to kill him (hence the divorce).
It was understandable that he was a grouch.
The buzzer on the door went off. 24-42 lazily got up to answer it.
“Sir!” She straightened up the moment she saw who was at the door. He was wearing a grey Project 42 shirt which was a contrast to his usual uniform, and 24-42 thought he looked gorgeous.
“May I come in?” M42 asked with a small smile.
“S-sure!” 24-42 let him in, cringing slightly at the folded laundry which was still sitting on the end of the couch, the magazines which were all around the coffee table and the multiple cats scattered across the room. The Major sat down opposite the clothing and looked at the TV.
“Reality television? Really?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Leave me alone you old fogie.” 24-42 smiled at him. “Can I get you a drink?”
“Water please.” M42 continued to watch the TV as 24-42 got him a drink. She settled down on the couch next to him.
“You probably shouldn’t have punched MB42, y’know.” 24-42 pointed out, sipping her ginger beer.
“He’s had to coming to him for a while. Trust me. He and I served together on Project 24.” M42 slipped his arm around 24-42, who happily cuddled up. “24-24 was my designation, and thanks to him I was the only survivor.”
“You mean, your implants?” 24-42 looked up at him, curious. She tried to ignore the light stubble that was starting to adorn his manly jawline.
The Major sighed.
“He used to be a combat scientist. He was pretty deadly on the battlefield because of how much he knew. Anyway, after the initial implants on us, he got too far ahead of himself and decided to try and turn us fully cyborg. I only escaped death by locking myself in a broom cupboard.” He looked at his water, eyes burning with anger at the memory. “He got himself demoted for that foolishness.”
“He killed the other Experiments?” 24-42 looked scared. “He wouldn’t kill Team B42 would he?”
“HB42 and KB42 were assigned as his Captains to make sure he doesn’t.” The Major leaned back. “I’ve hated him ever since that day, and the fact that he had a go at MY team didn’t exactly endear him to me either.”
“The guys are really starting to like you now, you know.” 24-42 rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at him like an expectant puppy. M42 laughed, the first time 24-42 had ever heard the sound.
“Then please explain why my desk drawer exploded with glitter this morning?” He grinned at her.
24-42 turned pink, making the Major chuckle even more. He leaned in and kissed her, turning her to mush.
“They glitter-bombed your desk?” She gasped when he pulled away.
“I’ll be finding the stuff in the carpet for a long time yet.” He finished off his water. He couldn’t help but smirk at the look on her face. “Anyone would think you’d never been kissed before.”
“Well…there was one guy when I was about 14, but that’s about it.” 24-42 went from pink to red.
“Well, we can fix that.” The Major kissed her again, deepening the kiss this time.
Just then, the buzzer on the door went off again.
“I should get that.” 24-42 tried to escape, but the Major pinned her to the sofa.
“Leave it.” He commanded.
“Eeep.” Was the reply as he kissed her a third time.
Outside, Tytus, Alexis and Daniel were pushing the buzzer.
“C’mon 24-42, we want you to help us paper the Majors desk!” Tytus groaned.