Three Square Meals Ch. 129

John kissed her cheek. "Intelligence... the potent aphrodisiac."

She laughed, her shoulders shaking with amusement. "Really?"

"Of course! You and Dana are prime breeding stock... I'm expecting incredibly gifted children from the pair of you," he said, his tone light-hearted, but his words sincere.

The brunette moaned as she pressed herself against him. "Oh, don't turn me on like that... we haven't got time."

"How about tonight?" he asked, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "With Dana, or on your own... the choice is yours, my lovely beautiful genius."

"Dana would never forgive me if I didn't include her..." she murmured, her grey eyes hooded with lust.

"I spent an entire day in bed with her just last week," he said with a grin. "I love that flame-haired vixen, but I think it'll do Dana some good to watch her girlfriend getting straightened out for a change."

"I don't need any more convincing," Rachel said with a gleeful smile of anticipation. "Tonight then..."

"I'll look forward to it."

John slid off the bed and walked hand-in-hand with the overjoyed brunette back to the Engineering Bay.

Dana looked up when they entered the Workshop, her curious gaze brightening when she saw their happy expressions. "You two had a good chat then?"

"Mmm... it was wonderful!" Rachel gushed, kissing John on the cheek.

"Hey, wait a minute..." the redhead said, her eyes narrowing with suspicion as she studied her girlfriend. "What are you so giddy about? I thought you were supposed to be focusing on perking him up?"

"She really did, Sparks," John replied, putting his arm around the brunette. "So I'm planning on rewarding her tonight to show how grateful I am."

"John gave me the choice of being alone with him... or have a threesome," Rachel purred, flashing a suggestive smile at her lover.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Dana exclaimed, her face lighting up with glee.

"The thought of being with the two of you was such a turn on," Rachel murmured, running her fingers over John's chest. She turned to grin at the redhead. "But then I remembered you hogged him all to yourself for 24 hours!"

Dana gaped at her incredulously. "Hey!"

The brunette shrugged. "He already knows he owns your sexy ass, so tonight it's my turn. You can lick his quad as he dominates me if you like?"

"You're being mean," Dana pouted.

"Uh uh, no pouting," Rachel teased her. "Otherwise you can't eat me out afterwards..."

Dana's shoulders slumped in defeat and she plastered a beaming smile on her face. "I'm so happy for you!"

"That's the spirit, babes," Rachel said with a laugh, walking over to give her girlfriend a hug.

John took a detour to pick up the holo-viewer on his way to join them. "Sorry Sparks... Rachel needed some TLC."

"Nah, it's okay... I deserve it," Dana said with a rueful smile. "I should have included her when we had our day together, but I got greedy."

He put the tablet down on her workbench, then wrapped his arms around both girls. "Actually, I'm glad we got that time alone, just like I'm looking forward to being with Rachel. Threesomes with the two of you are amazing, but the dynamic is very different to being with either of you on your own."

"Yeah, I know," Dana admitted, her smile softening as she looked at John. "When the three of us are in bed, you like seeing how much me and Rach love each other... and being included in that. When it's just us two, you make me think about our future together, being your loving wife and having your kids... and I need both."

"I couldn't agree more," Rachel murmured, kissing her girlfriend affectionately on the cheek.

Dana gave John an impish grin, then returned the brunette's kiss, the two gorgeous girls quickly getting into the passionate liplock.

"Now who's being mean," John groaned, staring in fascination as they French-kissed and pressed their nubile bodies together.

When they parted from each other, Rachel smiled at her fiancé, her grey eyes sparkling. "John, I think Dana's learned an important lesson about sharing... and we did have that amazing biker date together on Arcadia. Is it alright if I change my mind on the threesome?"

"I'm sure I can accommodate you there," he replied with a chuckle.

"Awesome!" Dana gushed, her beaming grin quite genuine this time. "Thanks, babes!"

John released the pair and reached for the holo-viewer, then spotted the device his Chief Engineer had been working on. "Is there a problem with the Psi-detector, Sparks?"

Dana shook her head and flipped the panel shut on the scanner's side. "Nah, it's fine. I just made some tweaks to increase the sensitivity, like adding an eternity crystal to the scanning modulator."

"I assume this has something to do with the tests on the black metal?" he asked, holding his hand out towards the block of Crystal Alyssium he was using earlier and starting work on the second list of parts.

She nodded, picking up the stylised quasi-futuristic ray gun. "I studied those samples I picked up on the shuttle, but I haven't been able to find out anything new about the composition of the alloy. Helene really mangled the atomic structure when she did her emotion sharing bit, so I figured if psychic powers can fuck that metal up, it might be worth taking a look with the Psi-detector."

Rachel studied the three floating platforms that hovered above the workbench, a different colour sample of the metal on each one. The first was all black, the second streaked with white, and the last as pristine as driven snow.

The brunette hesitated for a moment, then picked up the onyx fragment and rotated it with her fingertips. "It's so strange... I feel nothing when I touch Progenitor metal, but it has such an adverse effect on Alyssa. Do you think it's because she's so gifted at telepathy?"

Dana considered that for a moment. "It's a good theory. The rest of us can't do it, except for chatting with Alyssa... but that's all to do with our bond."

"That's not entirely true," John corrected her. "The twins can hear each other's thoughts... and the Nymphs are all telepathic."

*Actually, my ability to read minds is confined solely to you, Master,* Jade interjected. *I've also never been sensitive to the psychic echoes that Alyssa sees so frequently.*

*Ah okay. Thanks for the clarification, honey.*

Rachel and Dana were both looking at John now, having noticed the distracted look in his eyes.

"Jade says her telepathy only works on me and she can't see psychic echoes," he explained, finding it strange having to repeat a conversation that Alyssa would normally share with the girls.

The tawny-haired girl put the metal back on the platform. "The twins have never shown any sign of distress in the metal's proximity either. Perhaps they simply lack the telepathic strength?"

Dana shrugged. "Well, we're not going to figure it out by guessing. Let's take a look with the Psi-detector!"

She pointed the device at the piece of black Progenitor metal and squinted at the viewer. "Nothing so far... let me crank up the sensitivity."

Tapping a new icon on the interface, she stared intently at the display, looking for any changes.

"Still nothing?" John asked the frustrated redhead. When Dana shook her head, he gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Oh well, it was a nice idea."

"Holy shit!" Dana suddenly blurted out, taking an involuntary step back from the metal.

John and Rachel hurried to her side to take a look for themselves. Dana was still pointing the Psi-detector at the chunk of black metal, keeping it centred squarely in the holo-display. With the sensitivity of the device greatly enhanced, they could now see a disturbing shadowy aura around the jagged object, even the sight of it sending cold shivers running down their spines.

Rachel's eyes widened in fright as she stared at her fingertips. "I just touched that!"

"Hold still!" Dana said sharply, swinging the Psi-detector around and pointing it at the brunette's hand.

There was a blinding flash of grey light and a piercing crack pierced the air.

"Fuck!" the redhead cursed, dropping the Psi-detector as she rubbed at her eyes.

John had been looking at the display as well and suppressed an instinctive surge of panic as his vision disappeared in a grey blur. He drew on his energy reserves to heal his eyesight, shapes and colours rapidly coalescing before him as his retinas recovered. The bewildering kaleidoscope reverted to the reassuring view of the girls standing in front of him and he sighed with relief.

"Just a few more seconds," Rachel murmured, her hand on Dana's temple as she swathed the redhead in a healing aura.

Dana blinked a couple of times as her eyesight was restored, then crouched to pick up the Psi-detector. "I'm so sorry about that," she said, flushing with embarrassment.

"What the hell happened?" John asked, giving her back a reassuring rub.

"Apparently Rachel's so charged up with psychic power, she overloaded the detector," she replied, flipping open the access panel on the side of the ray gun. "Yeah... that blew out the Eternity Crystal."

She held out her hand and tipped over the Psi-detector, letting tiny crystal shards tinkle down onto her flattened palm. A faint but unpleasant ozone smell also filled the air.

"Ah, shit," Dana cursed, frowning in irritation. "Looks like the modulator got burned out too."

"Can you fix it?" John asked, still curious to see what else they could discover.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, of course, but I'll need to run the Mass Fabricators and make all the parts I need to replace the scanning modulator. Give me half-an-hour?"

He shook his head. "No, not like that. Can you fix it?"

She caught the added emphasis this time, realising what he was asking her. "Um... I'm not sure."

"You managed to repair the Invictus," John reminded her, before gesturing towards the Psi-detector and giving her an encouraging smile. "Why not give it a try?"

Dana closed her eyes for a moment and when she reopened them, they were glowing with an inner golden light. She peered into the fried circuits, seeing the charred mess the burnout had left behind. Pushing out with her willpower, it felt like the Psi-detector had been shoved in a fire, its body scorched and blackened... except she was looking at sophisticated electronics instead of delicate flesh. She carefully rebuilt broken circuitry, reversing the damage done to each component until she had restored the device.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, looking at the Psi-detector in astonished glee.

"Nice work, honey," he said patting her on the shoulder. "Ready to try again?"

"One second... I just need to replace the focusing crystal!"

She opened up a shallow tray on her workbench and plucked out a tiny Eternity Crystal no larger than a marble. Clicking it into place, she powered up the display again, then grinned triumphantly when it flickered to life.

"Okay, let me just turn the sensitivity way down and I'll take another look at your hand, Rach," Dana said, adjusting the settings.

The brunette waved her away. "No, that's not necessary. I just panicked earlier and wasn't thinking rationally; we all wore suits of black metal and never suffered any side-effects. Besides, how would you be able to search for a faint black aura if the Psi-Detector shatters when you point it at me?"

Dana nodded, giving John a rueful smile. "She's right; there's no way I'll be able to see anything."

"It was interesting to discover that I'm charged with so much psychic energy now," Rachel mused, looking thoughtful. "Could you lower the sensitivity so that it won't burn out again? I'd like to see something..."

After making the adjustments, Dana handed her the device. "That should do it."

Rachel nodded, then slowly swung the ray gun around so that it was pointing towards her girlfriend. They could all see the radiant golden glow that shone over the brunette's inquisitive face, reflected from the brilliant aura swathing the perky engineer.

"That's so awesome," Dana said with a grin of delight. "I'm solid gold, babes!"

"You certainly are," Rachel agreed with a fond smile. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at John.

"Go ahead... satisfy your curiosity," he said, looking away as he knew what was coming. "I had no aura last time we checked, but I've learned how to control my mental defences since then."

He closed his eyes and dropped his mental barrier, leaving his mind unshielded while Rachel scanned him. The shocked silence from the two girls spoke volumes.

He let out a melancholy sigh. "Let me guess... my aura's black as tar, right?"

"You're bright blue!" Dana blurted out, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tight.

Rachel joined their embrace and gave him a celebratory kiss on the cheek. "See, I told you! You're nothing like the other Progenitors!"

"Really?" he asked in astonishment, his eyes snapping open. John grinned at the pair in delight. "What did it look like exactly?"

"Do you remember the Young Matriarchs blushing a lovely dark blue after you got them pregnant?" Rachel replied with an indulgent smile. "The colour of your aura was beautiful, just like that."

"Yeah, totally!" Dana replied, nodding eagerly. "Knocked-up Maliri blue!"

He looked at the pair sceptically, then laughed and shook his head. "You two almost had me going for a moment."

"Hold out your hand," Rachel insisted, her grey eyes sparkling with excitement.

John did as she asked, then watched as a dazzling deep blue lit up the Psi-detector's holo-screen. Even on the barest minimum setting, it was hard to look at the display because the intensity was so blindingly bright. Squinting against the glare... he blinked in amazement as he realised how apt Rachel's description had been. The colour reminded him of Tsarra Perfaren's enchanting complexion, her azure skin flushed with arousal after a euphoric climax... when he'd fathered his first child with the beautiful Maliri matriarch.

"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered, staring at the lustrous blue in awe.

"Quite clearly you haven't been," Rachel said with a grin, switching off the Psi-detector and dousing the brilliant radiance.

*How prophetic, my Lord,* Edraele gushed, no mistaking the joy in her voice. *I look forward to you showing me frequent reminders of that lovely colour as often as possible. I'm sure Kali will be more than delighted to help in just a few days' time...*

He swallowed at the thought of the sweet-natured Maliri beauty gazing up at him, a look of wonder in her big doe-eyes. *I can't wait, Edraele...*

"You look so relieved," Rachel said with sympathy, gently running her fingers through his hair. "Were you really so certain that you'd have some ominous and forbidding psychic aura?"

"What happened to 'plan for the worst, hope for the best'?" Dana asked with a disapproving frown.

John gave them a self-conscious shrug. "I guess my sense of blind optimism has taken a few knocks recently."

"Well I never doubted you for a moment," Dana declared, her sky-blue eyes twinkling. "You're like a super-good, good guy... I don't even know why you'd think you were a bad guy."

Rachel gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. "It was nice to confirm what I already knew."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, girls," he said, feeling a surge of affection for the pair.

Dana kissed him on the tip of the nose. "Now... do you want us to spend the next half-hour inflating your ego, or should we check out the rest of the metal fragments?"

"I think we'll save inflating things for tonight," he replied with a wry smile. "Let's take a look at the samples."

She nodded eagerly, then pointed the Psi-detector at the chunk of bleached-white Progenitor metal. The device was set on minimum sensitivity, so she had to increase the scanner's reactivity to psychic auras. It took a few seconds to make the adjustments, then they all saw a faint hint of blueish-green light swathing the broken fragment.

"It's teal, just like Helene's skin tone..." Rachel murmured, staring at the soothing pastel shade in fascination. "I wonder why it isn't blue like her eyes? The gold from Dana's aura matches the coronas around her pupils and my grey is an exact match to my own irises."

"Are you sure yours isn't grey because you're a shady lady?" the redhead teased her, playfully nudging Rachel with an elbow.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Is that right, John? Did you make my aura grey because you see me as a woman of loose morals?"

"Oh, you're definitely a bewitching seductress," he replied, sharing a smile with her. "But I'm pretty sure it's linked to eye colour."

"That doesn't explain Helene's teal though?" Rachel persisted, gesturing towards the glowing aura.

"Nah, it's obvious," Dana said with a dismissive shrug. "He already picked blue for himself... he wanted something unique for Helene."

John laughed and shook his head. "I don't think it works quite like that, Sparks."

"Actually, I strongly suspect that it does," Rachel said, focusing her speculative gaze on him. "Don't forget that Helene had no psychic talent whatsoever, until you gifted her with a third helix and packed her genetic code with empathic abilities. Would it have made sense to allocate blue to Helene, when Alyssa and Dana also have blue eyes?"

He looked startled for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're probably right." Pausing for a moment, he frowned as he continued, "But what about Alyssa's aura? Her psychic attacks and hex shields are pure-white rather than blue."

The brunette considered that for a moment, then smiled. "She does have a rather uncompromising outlook towards the adversaries we've faced and the utmost confidence in the righteousness of our cause. You'd have to have a staunch belief in your own virtue to take that kind of stance... at least without being a hypocrite and I'd never accuse Alyssa of that."

"Yeah, but she didn't pick the colour..." Dana reminded them, giving John a fond smile. "Maybe it's not Alyssa who sees herself that way?"

John coughed and looked embarrassed. "Perhaps we should check out the last sample..."

Dana nodded and pointed the Psi-detector at the final hunk of metal, the surface of which was still predominately black, but riven through with streaks of white. Viewing the object through the scanner's holographic display, they could clearly see the teal psychic lines cutting savage gouges through the murky black aura.

"Let me just zoom this in a bit," Dana muttered, bringing the detector closer and activating the magnification functionality on the floating display.

The image zoomed in dramatically, focused on the fault-lines that had shattered the bed frame. Rather than a neat separation between the two colours, it looked like the darkness was recoiling from Helene's psychic intrusion, visibly cringing away from her bright presence.

Dana gaped at the startling sight. "Holy shit! What the fuck's going on there?!"

Rachel stared intently at the conflicting auras, her mind whirring as she stood deep in thought.

John didn't answer either. His expression was troubled as he remembered the way Xar'aziuth had reacted with revulsion to the psychic energy he'd blasted into the deep Astral.

"What's up with the stony silence?" Dana asked her companions, lowering the Psi-detector and turning to look at them both. "Did you figure something out?"

"Helene was using her empathic ability to share my feelings with the twins," John quietly replied. "If Alyssa's right about how black Progenitor metal is created in a soul forge, the two psychic auras couldn't be more different from each other. I think that's why they're reacting like oil and water."

Rachel nodded her agreement, looking into John's eyes. "Helene's love and kindness is the complete antithesis of Xar'aziuth's hatred and cruelty. When you told us what happened on the Astral Plane, I did wonder if there might be positive and negative psychic energy; it would explain the nauseating effect the opposing types had on both you and Xar'aziuth."