The hivemind is conquering for me?

"Open wide!" Orchid said as she sat next to me with a full fork in her hand and a tender affection plastered on her face. I would not deny Orchids doting as my entire body felt on fire after overexerting myself last night.

I opened my mouth and allowed the Void swimmer a landing zone. After swallowing the food, I nodded to myself in satisfaction. "Goodness, I am going to miss this food when I am back home."

Kathrine, who was sitting opposite me, put down her cutlery for a moment as she asked. "Do you not have personal chefs back home handsome?" Forgetting that Kathrine was here for a moment, because all I felt was that I was surrounded by loved ones, I replied.

"I could probably get a chef, but Jewel likes to keep things sort of barebones, isn't that right Orchid." Orchid nodded her head as she readied another mouthful of food onto the fork. "Apollo is right. All we had in our bedroom while growing up was a bed, a blanket and a data pad."

As Orchid placed the fork back into my mouth, I thought longingly for bed bug. 'Goodness I love that thing. So warm, so soft, so snuggly.' Just thinking about it left me feeling sleepy and relaxed.

Just then, Elias wheeled in another cart of food for everyone present with a smile threatening to break off his face. Seeing this I turned my head away from the fork in front of my face and asked.

"What has you so chipper this morning Elias?" Elias' smile broke for a moment, fearing his thoughts had been read. But upon realising Apollo was genuinely asking, his smile returned as he replied. "Oh nothing Apollo sir, Just having a good day is all."

In his mind however, Elias was over the moon with glee. 'Finally, the parasite is leaving Lady Sophia's side. Perhaps I should take these months to ruin his reputation with outlandish claims. After hearing all the horrible things about Apollo, she would want someone safe, reliable, me.'

In a twist of irony, Elias' mind was just read, but not by Apollo. 'Oh foolish prey, I will give you fair warning before you do anything you won't live to regret.' Onyx thought as Killing him straight away would deny her universe his favourite foods in the future. Find adventures at My Virtual Library Empire

After eating enough food for 10, I went downstairs to check on Janine. The Sepiida was awake and eating cereal in one of my T-shirts again I noticed as I stepped off the elevator. Janine turned in my direction upon hearing the elevator and smiled beautifully upon seeing me, before her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she turned away.

Walking over, I sat down next to her and stayed silent for a moment. As I was about to comfort her about last night, she suddenly sprang up and hugged me tightly. "I am going to miss you so much! I am so stupid for acting how I did last night. Please forgive me!"

It seemed she did remember more of her drunken state last night than last time. I chuckled at her reaction and stroked her hair. "Don't worry about it. Having a pretty girl kiss you all over is not a bad thing for a guy after all. And I got my payment in another peak at the goods, so we are fine. I will miss you too."

Janine seemed relieved that I was not mad at her for acting out last night and repositioned herself as she slumped against my arm, resting her head against my shoulder. "So you will miss me huh? No surprise there, I am pretty awesome after all." She said, humbly.

I nodded my head and replied. "When your best friend is the coolest, most badass Sepiida to exist, you will miss having that person around. Especially when they have looks such as yours."

Janine smiled proudly and nodded her head hearing that. "Yeah, like I said, I am pretty great huh? So what do you have planned for the rest of the day until you leave?" She said, changing the subject off her.

"Hmm, Talking to you was all I had planned so far. According to Sophia, Hailey and Valerica have already left, while Kathrine and Nerissa are sort of just hanging around, so there is nothing I need to do. I said goodbye to all my friends last night as well." I replied.

"What time is your leave again? Because if you have nothing going on, you could join me at the gun range? It is only a short drive after all." Janine suggested, but I shook my head. "Honestly, that sounds like fun, but you know me. I am a magnet for shenanigans. I don't want to accidentally cause another war because I broke some sort of record I did not know about or something."

Janine scoffed at my claim. "Wow, someone is full of themselves. You have not fired a weapon in months and you think you can do better than my record? Apollo, I love you, but you are a terrible aim. You use a minigun for a reason. Accuracy via volume."

With the sudden jab at my combative capabilities, I turn and look Janine straight on. "So it's like that is it?" I said as I raised my brow. In response, Janine punched my shoulder before standing up and outstretching her arms. "It appears it is like that. What are you going to do about it?"

...

Roughly an hour later, I was on the floor panting as Janine straddles my chest. She then raised her arms in the air and yelled. "Yes! I win! In your face! What do you have to say for yourself, loser? Can't even beat me now I have Psionic energy coursing through my veins!"

"Well, I am currently in the middle of dying as my Psionic energy destroys me from within and I am also still recovering from having sex all night. So there's that." I replied, causing Janine's face to go deadpan.

"Wow." She exclaimed as she threw her arms out in front of her. "I can't believe you would play the dying card right now. That is so unfair." Janine said, fake angry. We both then stared at each other for a moment before we burst out laughing. After letting out the joy the past hour brought us, she got off my chest and lay down next to me, using my arm as a pillow.

As Janine stared deeply into her best friend's eyes, a smile bloomed across her face. As Apollo smiled back, she decided on her future. Leaning forward, she placed a small kiss on his forehead before saying.

"I have said it before Apollo, but I need you in my life going forward. you provide a warmth in my heart that the coldness of the universe has left behind. I promise I will figure out a way that we can be a part of each other's lives going forward."

I smiled at her declaration. "I want you in my future as well Janine." I said simply. But what I did not know was that that simple reply had created a fixed point in time...

Janine and I talked for a little while longer. When I asked if she wanted to come see my ship off, she said she would rather pass as she wants our last moments for the time being to be what just transpired.

I saw no reason to refute her request as I found the notion to be sweet and comforting. After giving her one final, long ,drawn-out hug, we said our final goodbyes before I entered the elevator.

…

"Take this, and this. This one too. Oh, you looked so hot in that one, taking it!" Keyla thought out loud as she was rifling through all her pictures of Apollo. Thousands were stacked in large piles as she had the impossible task of which ones she should bring with her.

Keyla could not bring too much luggage or else Apollo might grow suspicious of what's inside so she could unfortunately not bring them all. After accidentally putting an entire pile inside of a luggage back without filtering a single one, she screamed in frustration at the ordeal.

"How is anyone supposed to travel with more than one bag when they have loved ones!" She remembered back to when she would planet surf for victims to murder. She would travel with the clothes on her back and find interesting murder weapons and changes of clothes while at the new destination.

As Keyla began to reminisce about her past, the voices inside of her head began to whisper after being good since she woke from her ice nap. "Yes, I do remember the hanging with the intestines. That was a classic work of art. So simple, yet makes people horrified. What? Oh not now... look, I told you I will, but only if Apollo cannot accept who I am after I tell him the truth."

Keyla then began grunting to herself as the voices seemed particularly gossipy today instead of just screaming at her to commit violent acts that will leave plenty of blood pooled on the ground. Eventually, she had enough and shouted to drown them out.

"Everyone shut up! I need to focus on packing my spank material!"