Quaranteam Ch. 47

"You already have some ties to the base, Mister Watkins," Niko said to the millionaire, "but your new partner will need to be coming in regularly to help with the research. She's got more knowledge about the Quaranteam serum than just about anyone else, so she's going to help us get back on track with it."

"Of course, Miss Redwolf," Nathaniel said. "I know you must think me one of the annoying rich one percenters who had considered building a penis shaped rocket to get off planet, but I'm personally trying to use my wealth for good as much as I can. I understand how important she is to the research efforts around ensuring not only my survival, but that of all men and women across the globe. I'm a bit of a rich cocksucker, but I'm not the entire asshole, if you will."

Niko smirked a little bit, giving him a little shrug as she tucked the vials of blood into the sample transport box she'd brought with her. "Actions speak louder than words, Mister Watkins, so time will tell, and only time."

Nathaniel walked over to Andy, a tired smile on his face. "I'd say we're even Andrew, but I somehow suspect I probably owe you for other things I don't even know about yet. So I'll consider my ledger lessened, but not cleared."

"I'm not the kind of man to keep track of who owes me what, Nathaniel."

"Mmm," he said, shaking Andy's hand. "Maybe I'll break you of that eventually. Keep your eyes on him, Niko. I have a sneaking suspicion all of us are in danger these days. Not just from threats near but also afar."

"The Russians aren't in great shape," Niko told him. "So if that's what you're referring to..."

"I'm more worried about the Chinese, personally," Eliza said. "Even with their massive losses, they're still got a population too large to be dismissed out of hand."

"That's way above my paygrade, ma'am."

"Mine too," Eliza replied with a wink, "but we'll just have to keep on trying to do our best to keep up with whatever trouble our boys get up to."

"Yes, ma'am. You take care of yours and I'll take care of mine."

"We should be going, Nathaniel. We have that meeting in a few hours regarding my brother's status and what can be done about it."

"Of course, my dear," Nathaniel said. "Stay safe, Andrew. I suspect there's dark times just over the horizon for men like us."

"What do you mean 'men like us,' Nathaniel?"

"Men who are protected from DuoHalo. Men who can be used to protect additional women. I'm not entirely certain what the President has in mind, but it sounds like we'd better get used to not leaving the safety and security of our houses all that much," Nathaniel said. "Basically, we're security vessels for our semen, and that's about all our functionality for the rest of our generation."

"That's a bit harsh, Nathan," Andy replied.

"Is it, my friend? Is it? Anyway, talk soon."

Nathaniel and Eliza headed out of the room as well, leaving Andy, Niko and Fiona alone with Andrei, Sergei and Lieutenant Pak. Niko looked over to Sergei, slowing her speech down a little. "You have something for me?"

"Da," Sergei responded, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a flash drive the size and shape of his thumb, holding it out to her. His voice was heavily accented with Russian, and Andy realized it was the first time he'd ever heard him speak since their arrival earlier in the evening. "You vill ensure home and safety?"

Niko nodded. "This is your home now, Sergei. Yours and Andrei's. Pak and Rodriguez are going to stay with you for a while, and will put you in contact with the base. We're going to take care of you."

Sergei nodded, a weary smile on his face. "Is good. Is safe. Tell Eve to call when she wakes up, and to drink plenty of... vat is vord... orange juice. Anyting wit Vitamin C. She vill need it."

"I'll pass on the message."

"You..." Sergei started before stopping. He paused for a long moment, as if considering his words. "You vill ensure safety of... vat is English... homosexuals?"

Niko smiled, taking Sergei's nervous wringing hands into her own, squeezing them. "I like girls just as much as I do boys, Sergei. I'll make sure we're looking out for everybody."

Sergei nodded with a soft smile, reaching down and hugging Niko, who looked almost tiny in comparison to his hulking, muscular form. He kissed her forehead then released her, grabbing his boyfriend's hand, turning and walking out of the room, leaving them with just Pak.

"I'm gonna miss having Eve around here," Pak sighed. "That woman had the sort of iron will you just don't fuck with. It's nice seeing a boss bitch not having to take shit from nobody. She's probably just gonna be another cog in the machine over at the Watkins house."

"Eh, I dunno about that," Andy told her. "Nathaniel's the sort of 'go your own way' kind of guy, so I don't think he'll cramp Eve's style all that much. And you can always just reach out to her when she wakes up."

"I'm only a bodyguard, sir, so I doubt she'd want to keep in touch."

Niko shook her head, placing her hand on Pak's shoulder. "None of that, soldier. We're good people, and we deserve any friends we make in this new world, so if she's your friend, you're obliged to keep it that way, you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am," Pak said with a sort of awkward smile. "It's almost like we're having to learn how to be people again."

"We're not the fucked up ones, Pakky," Niko laughed. "It's just the rest of the world. But we'll get through it like we always do - together."

"Gotcha boss. Anyway, haven't you got a party to get to?"

"They'll wait," Niko said, a wide grin on her face. "The man of honor's not there."

"Oh yeah?" Andy chuckled. "You should've told me he was coming," he shot back, implying it was someone else she was talking about.

"He's not even breathing hard yet, but I'm sure we can fix that before the party gets started. Anyway, you're right, Pak, We should be off. But you know where to find us, so don't be a stranger. We've been friends for a while, and just because I've got a slab of man meat in my pocket now doesn't mean any of that's going to change."

"It was good to meet you, Lieutenant Pak," Fiona said, shaking the woman's hand. "I'm sure we'll get to actually know each other sometime soon."

"Take care of our girl, ma'am," Pak replied. "She's one in a million and I'd hate to lose her."

"We take care of each other over at the Rook house, Pakky," Niko shot back with a grin from ear to ear.

They headed back to the car, Niko being sure to load the kit into the trunk and securing it in place with a couple of velcro straps so it wouldn't slide around the large Tesla trunk. Everyone loaded back into the car, and they started headed back towards the house.

"So that's what Piper was like when you first came across her?" Fiona asked Andy, the two of them in the back, Niko and Alexis in the front, Alexis taking a turn driving, as Niko seemed to be typing a text message into her phone, probably to contact Phil or Linda, Andy decided. "Completely out of her mind, desperate to fuck anything that moved?"

"Yeah, although she'd clearly been that way for at least a few hours," Andy replied. "And she'd basically been locked in that room for who knows how long."

"A few days," Fiona told him. "She told me her whole story for the book, although I'm sure she's going to tell it to you as well."

"If she'd rather I just read your notes so she doesn't have to relive it again, I absolutely understand," Andy told Fi. "I've sort of avoided asking about it so she didn't have to think about it. She didn't bring it up to me, so I guess I just thought she was trying to put it in the rear view and never looking back."

"Just mention it to her and let her make her own mind up," Fi told him. "Even by just asking, it shows that you care. Not that she thinks you don't."

"What time are people supposed to be showing up tonight, Niko?" Andy asked. "It's been such a chaotic week, I'm pretty sure I've forgotten everything."

"People are going to show up around four, with the President's speech live at 6 pm our time, followed immediately by the 60 Minutes Special Edition," Niko replied. "I told Jenny to prepare everyone a light lunch, but to mostly just focus on having an endless cavalcade of appetizers and finger foods tonight, so people can graze to their hearts' content. And when Phil and Linda show up, I'll give them the kit and the thumb drive then."

"Don't lose it," Andy teased.

"How the hell would I lose two vials of blood?" Niko shot back, a hint of annoyance undercutting her voice.

"Where there's a will, there's a way," Alexis replied. "I once lost a C-130 for about three hours."

"Wait, you lost a 75,000 pound airplane? How the fuck can anybody do that?"

"Hey, it was a dense jungle, and I sort of lost the airfield with it."

"Christ," Niko grumbled, "I am never letting you drive again."