The Society Ch. 07

"And to analyze the bond feature, measure the efficiency of the growth of the bond, or the link between two devices." Ethan chimed in.

"As well as the coding and software, figuring out which one allows for this connection to happen the best. Also, for experimenting..."

"You think it should be us, each of us wearing the link devices..."

"Well, yes, actually." She was surprised at how easily they were conversing about this, so seamlessly.

"I don't think it would be enough to just test the link between the devices themselves. If we are theorizing that the relationship between bodies, and their familiarity with one another can open the gateway for new health care possibilities, we need to see if there are any tangible results with human subjects that can support that theory. And since we're the only ones who know about it..."

"Yes, no one else knows about the Phantom Link, Kodi." Ethan coldly replied, noticing her convenient pause.

"Great! So, since we're the only ones that know about it, we should do it. We'll understand the technology the best anyway, so it makes the most sense."

Ethan thought for a moment and then responded.

"Sure, I think that will work. Who knows, maybe it'll be fun."

"I just love your enthusiasm and excitement about this. The energy, really is amazing." Kodi replied sarcastically.

"I'll be excited when we see some decent results, and don't get seriously injured."

There was that textbook nonchalance. Not a completely different person, I suppose. Kodi thought to herself.

"But actually, I came down here to talk to you about something else, Kodi."

"Oh, what is it? Everything alright?" She noticed his body language changing, gently scratching his knee and rubbing his hands together, looking around. His eyes in continual movement, attempting to avoid her own. Eventually he gave in and looked in her eyes, unable to avoid their depth and warmth.

"Yea, everything's fine. Look, I just wanted to apologize about what happened yesterday, when I came here and just kind of man-handled you. I don't know why I was so aggressive, so forceful."

He's apologizing for this? Kodi couldn't help but be surprised, trying hard not to give her feelings away with a wide-eyed look or a gaping mouth.

"I'm not even sure if I was thinking about you, or how you felt in that moment. I mean sure it felt like you liked it, sounded like you liked it, but I was clearly frustrated. Clearly upset. And I shouldn't have used you like that, like a vessel for my own emotions."

"Is that all it was, Ethan? Is that all you felt?"

"No, it's not. And that's the thing, I came here wanting one thing, and ended up experiencing something different, something better."

"Because it felt good? Like really good?"

"Yea. It felt...amazing."

"And because you were thinking about how I felt, even though your intentions were to use me?"

"Right."

"Soooo you don't think of me as a vessel to release your emotions?"

"No, it doesn't feel right."

"Then why did you do it Ethan? Or why did you have those intentions?"

"I'm not sure, I was just frustrated about something, something that I didn't think I had to worry about anymore. Something that came back to haunt me."

"And so you wanted me-

"Needed you."

Kodi was taken aback by that word: Need. It made her pause for a second, looking deeply into him, seeing things she hadn't seen in him before.

"And this thing that returned, that haunts you, are you afraid of it? What is it?" She slowly uttered from her lips.

"It's just something that's disruptive, that could cause some real trouble if I'm not careful. Something that's caused trouble for me in the past, and that's worse now."

"Well I understand, I mean I have things that haunt me, things that worry me, things that bother me."

"You do? What am I saying, of course you do. After everything you've been through on Earth..."

"Yea. And it's not easy, dealing with that, enduring that. The dark memories, the pain, it follows you, stalks you like you're the prey. It's a relentless predator, and you don't know what it wants, but you know it's after you. It's hard to explain."

"Yea it is. How do you deal with it?"

"Well I just try to keep in mind what's important, what matters to me. Helping people, that's always been super important to me, so it motivates me to keep going."

"What about you, what about taking care of yourself?"

"I mean I do, I-I'm fine, I'm good so that's all good."

"You ever want someone, need someone?

Kodi thought about her haunting nightmares, which seemed to overtake and bury her happiest memories as a kid with her parents. How dark it felt, constantly being taken back to that pool of melancholy, stuck in it like quicksand. And then she remembered how she felt just before Ethan came down, how she didn't want to be alone. How she wanted to be that close to him again.

"I mean yea, sometimes it feels good to be around someone. Being close to someone." She noticed that he was scooting closer to her, inch by inch. She also noticed that she was doing the same, without thinking about it.

"The pleasure, the way it feels, does that help too?"

"Yea, yea it does actually..." She could feel the airiness in her voice, as her normal sounds were replaced with sensual, soft tones, light as a feather. It contrasted with the deep bass that Ethan's voice emitted, the vibrations creeping up her legs as their distance closed even further. Eventually, they were close enough to reach out and touch each other, and he rested his hands on her thighs, slowly rubbing upward and downward.

"I'm glad it helps, even if it's only for a little bit." He said as he began unbuttoning his shirt. The sight was almost mystical to Kodi, enamored with the gradual process of him undressing. Each button that was undone seemed to represent the undoing of her inhibitions, and the increase in the pleasure building in her loins, wanting to escape once again. As the shirt became completely undone, and he took it off, she climbed upward until her head was eye level with his crotch, her hands resting in between his legs.

This seemed to awaken his desire further, because Kodi noticed the bulge growing in his pants as she rubbed his legs while looking at him undress. Then, he even took his white undershirt off, leaving his upper body bare to see. His chest was toned, shoulders broad, and he looked hard as a rock. His muscular physique and the dark hair that graced his chest only added to her attraction and desires.

Seeing that he was continuing to grow in his pants, Kodi took her hands further up, until they met the bulge, and it twitched as it was touched. She gestured towards the buttons, looking up at him for reassurance that it was okay. He gave a slight nod, and as she took his pants off, he began breathing more heavily in the chair. The anticipation mounted within both of them, rising like boiling water in a heated pot with a simmering blaze underneath.

When it sprung out of his pants, she saw how thick and hard it was, and remembered how it felt in her mouth the last time. It looked as if it had been begging to be released, longing for her. Kodi wanted to feel the warmth, the hotness of it, how it pulsed when pressed against her lips. She rubbed his now bare legs, and they both moaned slightly as her soft touch met his thighs. Finally, she took her fingers and grabbed his hard dick in her hands, stroking the shaft slowly. She could feel the pulsing against her palms, almost like it was coming alive. Those reactions were always amazing to her, how he responded so vivaciously to her touch. It was so big, so strong, so hard. She wanted to feel it inside her mouth, filling her mouth.

Ethan grazed his hands through her thick soft afro, and then firmly leaned her head forward, expressing his desires through his movements. Kodi obliged, understanding what he wanted and pressed her full lips against him, before opening and taking him inside her mouth. She felt the transfixing combination of his rigidity and softness of the head and shaft, and sucked deeper. She took time to revel in these sensations as he rubbed his hands through her hair and down her back, feeling her soft skin.

Eventually she went deeper onto his shaft, at least at deep as she could. It was so big, but she wanted more of him. The sounds of her sucking intensified and filled the room, saliva building in her mouth. She was almost creating a cocoon for his hardness, as it rarely left her mouth. Wanting to feel more of him, she took her hands and rubbed up and down his strong chest, feeling around the edges of the muscles and the prickly sensations of the hair. She felt his breathing intensify the longer he was in her mouth, the exhaling motions moving her hand back and forth.

Ethan then took her afro firmly in his hands and guided her head off his shaft, as wetness escaped Kodi's lips and dripped on his thigh and pelvic area. She looked up at him with intense lust, eager to see what was next. He then took her hand, helped her stand up, and guided her to his sleeping area, where the bed with the soft sheets was. Without him asking, she climbed onto the bed and lay down on her back. Ethan followed, climbing on top of her, his hard length pressing against her legs and making her even more wet than she already was. She could almost feel the heat emanating from it, how it wanted to be inside.

As this happened, Ethan leaned in to kiss her, pressing his thick beard and soft lips against her own soft full lips. There was intense passion in this kiss, as Kodi grabbed his face and pulled him closer, wanting him to go deeper. It seemed to last forever, based on the sensual tempo with which they both kissed each other. They seemed to savor the taste of each other. Kodi then lifted her shirt, revealing her soft pillowy breasts to him. Her nipples ached for stimulation, for his warm mouth to envelop them. And so he did, grabbing them and squeezing them in his hands before leaning inward and suckling on her dark nubs, making Kodi moan softly.

Licking, pulling, sucking, he was making her breasts feel so good, and she dripped from the amazing sensations. God, they were so sensitive. Her most sensitive area, and he knew just how to please them. Ethan then thrust his pelvis forward, and the hardness that was throbbing against her leg with desperation and fervor entered her wet hot sex with ease. Kodi gasped from the intensity of suddenly being filled by him, then spread her legs to make it easier for him to push deeper inside of her. As he continued to suckle on her thick nipples, he slipped his hardened length in and out of her, quickening the pace slightly but not too much. He made sure to maintain a consistent rhythm, not going too fast or too slow.

As Kodi became wetter and wetter from the nipple stimulation and how good she was being fucked, her walls gripped tighter on his turgid length, not wanting it to leave. Eventually the pleasure intensified too much, and it exploded in an orgasm that made her grab onto his head and push it down further into her cleavage. She grabbed his hair so tight that in the back of her mind she hoped it didn't hurt him. But the sensations were so intense rippling through her body, causing her moans to become more primal grunts. Her legs shook and trembled, along with her body thrusting forward in the pleasant release.

It felt like bliss, even though she'd just cum the day before. She loved that even after her orgasm, Ethan remained inside her, thrusting slowly but surely while kissing her lips, then returning to pleasure her breasts.

What was most amazing about this encounter was that there was almost no need for them to speak or voice their desires beyond their moans, groans, and grunts. Their bodies moved in a sensual waltz, like a dance, understanding the rhythm of each other better. They continued like this, with sounds of orgasms from both Kodi and Ethan flooding the room, until they were both spent and fell asleep on the bed. Kodi drifted to sleep feeling immense pleasure, and happy to have been able to escape her demons, if only for a brief moment.

***

"Hi Alyssa, have you seen President Conners anywhere? I've been trying to locate him for a few minutes now."

"No, I haven't actually, what seems to be the problem? Is there an emergency?"

Alyssa was in Ethan's office in her usual all-white uniform, sifting through some digital paperwork that he needed organized before his next stint of meetings later that day. It was only hitting the halfway point of the day, but already he was swamped with things to do, and thus, Alyssa was too. The announcement of the special election had come as a complete surprise to most, and so the hectic wave that ensued in preparation for the election made things much busier than usual. It didn't make things any less busy when an agent from the commons division came in, looking somewhat frantic.

"No, well, it's not an emergency per se, but it is something that the President needs to know about immediately." She replied.

"Okay, well I think he took some time for lunch and a little rest, but let me go call him." Alyssa then went to her communicator:

"Mr. President, are you there? There's an agent that has an urgent message for you."

She waited and leaned into the device, listening to his response.

"He said he will be up in just a few minutes. You're welcome to have a seat while we wait, if you like."

"Okay, sure, thank you." The agent replied, still looking a bit nervous as she sat in the armchair adjacent Ethan's desk. While they waited, Alyssa continued organizing the documents, not wanting to waste a second on her task. However, after about 5 minutes, she wondered what was taking him so long. Finally, after about 2 more minutes, he came up the elevator with his usual suit on.

"Sorry I'm late. After my lunch, I took some time to work on a project or two before my next round of meetings." Ethan said as walked to the agent, who immediately stood up and shook his hand as soon as she saw him. Alyssa continued what she was doing, but moved slower as she paid close attention to their conversation.

"Mr. President, Hi, sorry to bother you, but I have a message from your fa- um, Marshall Conners regarding the special election scheduled to take place in 12 days."

Alyssa's eyes immediately widened a bit, and she felt a nervous pit in her stomach. Now she knew why the agent seemed so nervous. Mentioning Marshall's name, after what he was doing to Ethan, wasn't the best idea. Plus, Alyssa had her own issues with Marshall, after the conversation with Fran and her questionable future with working with them. She was in a state of limbo, not knowing where to land, which side was best. This made her uneasy, and she was sure Ethan was uneasy as well. Surprisingly though, she noticed that he maintained his composure after hearing Marshall's name brought up.

"Sure, what does the old man want this time?" He said with a smile that Alyssa could tell was forced, but believable.

"Well, even though this is a special election and is thus happening under unique circumstances, he would like to continue the tradition of a presidential debate before the vote."

"Hmm, okay, and he couldn't come here himself to tell me this?"

"He regrets that, but he's busy preparing for the election and getting re-acclimated to everything. He does send his regards."

"Well that's no problem, I understand. Did he mention why a debate is so important to him?"

"Besides tradition being an important trait of the Society and important to him personally, he said that he felt it was important for the voters to understand both of your opinions clearly on various subjects. It'll provide some solid ground for them to make the most accurate decision."

Ethan just stared at the poor agent, not responding to her statement.

"So, when does my old man want to have this debate?"

"In 8 days, leaving four days for the voters to think over everything they hear. It's enough time for them to think about their decision, but-"

"Not so much time that memories of the debate get fuzzy in their minds. Yea, he's been thinking about this one. Okay, I think it sounds interesting. I agree to the debate, in 8 days. Tell him to rest up. Don't want him falling asleep at the podium." Ethan replied while smiling.

"Okay, I'll let him know Mr. President. Thank you, and I'm sorry again for wasting your time."

"No, you didn't waste it at all. Don't worry about it, agent. Thank you." Ethan smoothly replied as the agent hurried out the door. He wondered if Marshall was aggressive in his request for this, and scared her at all.

"Ethan, are you alrig-

"Alyssa, I'm fine. Try to clear out as much time in my schedule for the rest of the day. Anything that isn't urgent or an emergency, reschedule. And make a new folder compiling all of the new security codes, plans for the new construction for the Termination Chambers' space, and the technological updates for the medical division."

"Okay, sir, it'll be done."

"And get a hold of Marshall for me, he can't be too busy."

"No problem, Mr. President. What are you going to be doing? Do you need any help?"

"No thanks, I'll be fine. I'm going to begin writing a speech." He said as he sat down at his desk and pulled out a pen and paper notebook, something she hadn't seen him with in a long time.

"Well we have speech writers that can help out with that Ethan."

"No, just me. Thanks Alyssa."

"No problem. I'll get right to it."

Alyssa didn't know what was going on in his head, or what was happening with Marshall, what his plans were. But now that a debate was happening in just over a week, she didn't have time to worry about it. There was going to be so much to do, and not much time to get it done. She could tell that Ethan was in working mode, and made sure to get in working mode herself, no matter what her trepidations were telling her.

***

"Well hello Ethan, I'm surprised you're here, bothering a poor old man. I thought you'd be out doing...president stuff, whatever that means for you."

"It means doing what you should've done, taking care of the Society and its citizens."

Ethan found time at the end of his day to meet with Marshall, after spending most of the day explaining to the other divisions why their meetings were postponed so suddenly. He was once again meeting in his office, since Alyssa had already left for the day and it would remain vacant.

"Well, I've got to say son, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but you've been doing a shit job at that lately."

"It also means cleaning up your messes apparently, and you've been giving me plenty to clean." Ethan coldly replied as he sat at his desk.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, I think I'm making improvements all around this place. I mean, who knows it better than me? And the improvements are almost done, just a little bit longer now."

"You know I figured that you'd eventually be coming back for your position. Power has always been your true love. But what I didn't expect is for you to do it so quickly. I mean, calling a special election? I don't even think you liked that rule when it was created. And now you're using it yourself. What's the rush, Marshall? Afraid you won't live to see the results of the election?" Ethan noticed the expression changed in his father's face from confident to annoyed. He knew he'd gotten to him.

"Haha, fucking ha. No, I just started getting kind of bored you know? I mean sure, I'm appreciative for life and being back here, but I just couldn't wait and watch you plunge the Society into the fucking toilet. I'm here to clean up."

"I don't know what kind of warped mind you need to actually think that you're doing anything good here. You've really convinced yourself that you're the magic savior, that you're going to save the Society from the lowly abyss it is. Wake up, Marshall, your little stunt is only causing more chaos around here."