Dynamis | Chapter 29 - Intimate (Patreon)

Lilibelle kept her arms folded under her chest as she glared at the Frame containing Karl and Daidari. Her foot bounced rapidly while the men in lab coats relayed their orders to the conductors within each Frame. The Frames hummed and whined with every movement. To avoid any damage or danger to anyone outside, the Frames’ had a restricted range of movement. The first two Frames were moving with a bit of difficulty, though the testers didn’t seem concerned.

The third Frame, however, lifted its arm and turned its wrist with seemingly little effort. Almezer nodded his approval, when someone tapped Lilibelle on the shoulder.

“Ack!” Lilibelle jerked her shoulder away.

“O-Oh, I’m sorry.” It was Millie. “Did I startle you?”

Lilibelle clicked her tongue. “Of course not. What do you want?”

“Um.” She cupped her hands in her lap. The neurosuit stretched with her movement and Lilibelle felt a tinge of jealousy for how shapely the girl was. “I just wanted to see how you were holding up.”

“I’m doing fine,” she spat. “Thanks.”

“Okay,” Millie said with that usual soft tone of hers. “Well, if you need anything at all—”

“I just want to know what the fuck I did to deserve this,” Lilibelle whispered to her. “I even went out of my way to ensure my partner would be safe, which was apparently a mistake according to Admiral Dickhead.” She made an exaggerated hand motion. “And this is how they repay me.”

“I don’t think it’s quite that simple, Lili.”

Lilibelle’s cheeks burned. Nobody had called her Lili since she was a little girl. “Oh? You think you know what’s going on, then?”

Millie shook her head and scooched closer to her. One of the students, a male, shifted uncomfortably as Millie brushed shoulders with him. “I don’t know any more than you do, probably. In fact, I’m sure you know much, much more than I do. But I realize now that these tests are rarely as simple as they seem.”

“I know that,” Lilibelle growled. “I’m tired of people saying that. First Karl, now you. You think I’d waste my time arguing with them if I didn’t know that?”

Millie just continued to smile. How in the hell was she able to do that? “I think you have a courageous spirit about you. You’re always super adamant in class about how things need to be done. You step up, you debate, and you’re not willing to let anyone get in your way.”

“So, what is the—”

“And that may be part of the problem.”

Lilibelle frowned. “What do you mean?”

“They may see you as a threat. Think about it, Lili. Every time you come to class, everyone avoids you. I don’t think anyone in the class doubts your skills or knowledge as a conductor. Well, maybe Miss Ishima. But besides her, it’s clear you have a talent for this and that you’re committed to the fight.” Then her smile turned sad. “But I think you’re abrasive. A-And I mean that in the nicest way possible!” She shook her hands in front of her face in tandem with her head. “They might think you’re incapable of working with others.”

Lilibelle chewed on Millie’s words. Ever since Lilibelle had first arrived at Deadeye, her goal had been to wipe out as many Fiends as possible and avenge her father’s death. Even if that came at the cost of her own life. Growing up, she’d never been the type to back down from a challenge, and her position in Deadeye felt like a natural fit.

However, being her father’s daughter, she’d grown used to the constant company and adoration of her peers and superiors. To say that she was doted on would be a gross understatement. She was the epitome of a princess born to rule. She enjoyed the attention and love of anyone who stepped through their mansion doors, and after her father died, she’d pined for those words. Pined for that feeling.

Her biceps tensed in frustration. “What are you saying?”

“What I’m saying,” Millie said as she put her arms behind her back, “is that you need to make friends. We need to work together. No one gets through this alone.”

Lilibelle glared at her. Damn it, did she have to pose like that? She was starting to feel self-conscious about her appearance. “I’m aware of that.”

“Then, if you don’t mind me asking, why do you steer clear of everyone else?” She played with a groove in the floor using the tip of her neurosuit’s shoe. “As soon as class is over, you’re gone. I go to the cafeteria and you’re not there.” She leaned toward Lilibelle conspiratorily, and Lilibelle had to lean down slightly. “I didn’t see you at the scrap heap either.”

Lilibelle jerked away and cupped her hand over Millie’s mouth. “Shhh. Are you crazy? Don’t say that.”

Millie let out a muffled giggle, then gently pushed Lilibelle’s hand away. “Why, then? Huh? Huh?” she said playfully. “Huh? Why?”

“It’s just easier that way,” she growled quietly. “I’d gone into this with the expectation that my partner wouldn’t be a piece of meek white bread and that he and I could just burn all these motherfuckers to the ground.”

“Karl’s a lot tougher than you give him credit for,” Millie said, the smile vanishing from her lips. “If it wasn’t for him, Sean would’ve died. Surely you know that.”

Lilibelle furrowed her brow. Karl had given her the gist of the story, but he had left out a lot of the details. It was anyone’s guess how much he’d told Millie. The two did seem attached at the hip as of late.

“Then why doesn’t he show it?” Lilibelle spat.

“He does, you’re just not paying attention.”

“What do you mean by—”

“Lilibelle Katsun!” cried Almezer. “Please come to the front of the line!”

Lilibelle’s heart hammered against her chest. Her legs began to tremble uncontrollably and her breath hitched in her throat. She licked her lips but her mouth had gone dry, creating an uncomfortable friction between her tongue and her lips.

“Miss Katsun?” he said again.

“What are you waiting for?” Millie said, giving Lilibelle a nudge. “Go on. He’s waiting for you.”

Lilibelle stared at Millie the same way she did when she pleaded with her father to save her. Now that the moment had finally arrived, she was getting cold feet. As she slowly turned her head toward the front of the line, Daidari came marching down the hall, arms swinging and a determined expression tugging on her face. She kept her face forward while a single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

Lilibelle stared for a while. What the hell happened in there?

“Miss Katsun! If you please!” Almezer said, the impatience in his tone growing.

“Yes, sir!” Lilibelle clicked her feet together, then strode across the balcony toward Almezer and the third Dynamic Frame.

The students from the other two Frames were leaving as well, and Lilibelle stepped to her side to make room for them as they passed. Ader and Daisy were smiles and rainbows. Sark and Natasha, however, wore stern expressions the entire time, the former giving Ginny little more than a passing glance. One of the scientists—the one who had been assigned to the first Frame, far as Lilibelle could tell—sighed and tossed his glasses onto the desk nailed to the wall. He said something to the man beside him and they both shook their heads.

Almezer gestured to the Frame. “Miss Katsun, if you would?”

Lilibelle swallowed hard. Her toes squirmed with anticipation. How would Karl take the bond between them? Would he like it? Hate it? Was Daidari better than her after all? Could Karl even take two links with two different women in a single day?

“Miss Katsun?” Almezer said when Lilibelle didn’t move.

“Y-Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.” She turned around, then carefully stepped down the ladder. When she reached the floor, she found Karl exactly where she usually wanted him: in the support seat. “K-Karl?”

“Yeah, I hear you.” He didn’t turn around to look at her. “Are you ready?”

“I think so,” she stammered. Millie’s voice echoed in her mind. “Are you okay?”

At last, he turned his head somewhat. He still wasn’t looking at her, but he gave her the sense, at least, that he was listening. “I’ll be fine. Get in your seat. We don’t want to upset Professor Almezer.”

Lilibelle nodded and started to hook each of the long wires into her suit. She turned each one until they clicked firmly into place, tugging on them gently to ensure that everything had been attached properly. One of Almezer’s aides came down shortly after and did a check of his own.

“Very good, Miss Katsun. The test will start shortly.” The man started up the ladder.

Lilibelle gripped the rests of her chair, steadying her breathing. Perhaps she was insane or stupid for thinking so, but it felt weird that she couldn’t see Karl this way. Suiting up, hooking into the Frame, with their backs turned to one another, it all felt so business and less personal than their time in the simulations. Which, shouldn’t have been the case considering the variables were nearly the same.

“How did it feel?” Lilibelle asked.

“Strange,” Karl said loud enough that she could barely hear.

“This is Jessik, Almezer’s aide,” said a voice through one of the speakers on the wall. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes,” Lilibelle and Karl said in unison.

“Great. We’re going to close the chamber,” said Jessik.

The head’s cap descended over them, throwing the room into darkness. Moments later, the systems whirred to life, and the screens blanketed the room in blue-green light. Dozens of lines and notifications appeared warning them of the Frame’s limited features.

Compared to the dome they’d shared their simulations in, this one was significantly smaller. Their chairs were barely two feet apart. Every switch, button, lever, and pulley was within a few inches’ reach of the armrests, and the screens were far more plentiful and smaller in size.

“Try and relax,” Jessik said. “We’re going to put you through three tests. The first one will establish a successful link. Assuming it is successful, we will move on to test sensation, and then at last range of movement. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” they repeated.

“Very good. The test shall begin in twenty seconds. Keep your breathing steady and your body relaxed. If you want, you can close your eyes.”

Lilibelle nodded and leaned back in her chair as she waited for the connection to establish. It was hard to stay calm when Jessik was counting down the numbers, so she tried to clear her mind and think of the gardens she often tended to when she was a girl. It was a meadow speckled by every color of the rainbow and scents so sweet they tickled the nose. She’d keep one for her father whenever she went out, and would pin it to the breastpocket of his blazer.

Her lips pulled into a smile.

“Three, two, one,” Jessik said.

Lilibelle swallowed as a mechanical click sounded in her ears. It didn’t sound as if it came from the machinery around her, but rather inside her eardrum. An ice-cold sensation flowed through her veins, starting in her head and moving down to her extremities.

Her heartbeat slowed while her fingers and toes curled. The cold feeling abated moments later, replaced by a tingling, almost electrical sensation. She gasped as images of her and Karl appeared, their bodies pressed up against one another nude. In the image, her hands gripped around his shoulders. She brushed his skin with her thumb, tickling the tiny unseen hairs on not only his skin, but hers as well. As she squeezed his biceps curiously, she felt her own biceps being squeezed in turn.

“This is,” Lilibelle moaned. Euphoric. The images disappeared and every inch of her body suddenly grew hot to the touch. Beads of sweat collected on the nape of her neck. Phantom tendrils played with the most sensitive parts of her body: her mouth, her ears, her feet, her nipples, her groin. “W-What is this?”

Her hand, seemingly moving on its own, found its way to her face. As she brushed her fingers along her chin, she felt two sensations. She struggled to tell which one was hers. Her curiosity guided her, and she remained still for a time. Even so, she could feel herself adjusting in her seat, moving her arm, leaning her head back, a discomfort in her groin that she’d never experienced. All things she wasn’t doing.

I can… feel him, Lilibelle thought with alarm.

The heat dissipated after a time, Jessik’s voice snapping her out of her thoughts. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

Lilibelle panted. Whatever that was, she wanted more.

“Fine,” Karl said quietly behind her.

“Good,” Lilibelle said.

Jessik chuckled. “Intense, isn’t it?”

Lilibelle couldn’t bring herself to answer out of fear that the sensation would leave. Her fingers and toes tingled deliciously. She glanced down, desperate for a release.

“Very,” Karl answered for them.

“Don’t worry. This won’t take long,” Jessik said.

Lilibelle nodded. An image of an old woman berating a young boy flashed through her mind. The boy was barely eight years old from what Lilibelle could tell. A man who looked to be in his late twenties stood beside the old woman, shaking his head with crossed arms and a disapproving look in his eyes. The boy pleaded with them to forgive him, but the woman continued to yell at the boy while the man watched.

What is this? The pictures disappeared and gave way to an ornate room that Lilibelle recognized all too well. In her father’s gloved hands, he held a glass of red wine in one with a woman’s in the other. He pressed his lips to the top of the woman’s hand as a show of respect. A warm smile graced his lips as the woman expressed her gratitude before walking away. Soon enough, the man’s attention adhered to a small girl with blonde pigtails and bright red eyes. His lips moved but the words came out in muffles. No. Get away from me. Not right now.

The images disappeared.

“Connection successful,” Jessik said. “Are you still okay in there?”

“Yes,” they answered.

“All right, great. Let’s test your sensations,” Jessik said. “Miss Katsun, please raise your right hand and push two of your fingers against your left shoulder. Mister Donovan, please raise your left hand and push two of your fingers against your right shoulder. It should feel close to touching both of your shoulders.”

Lilibelle’s breath hitched. It wasn’t close to the real thing. It felt like the real thing. If she had closed her eyes she would’ve assumed Karl was right in front of her, with his fingers against her shoulder.

“How do you feel?” Jessik asked.

“Fine,” Lilibelle said.

“I’m okay,” said Karl.

“Great. Now, Miss Katsun, we’re going to try the opposite direction. Use your left pointer finger to touch your right cheek. Mister Donovan, touch your right pointer to your left cheek.”

Same as before, it felt as if he was jabbing his finger into her skin. It would’ve been annoying if it wasn’t so damn fascinating.

“Can you feel your partner’s sensations?” Jessik asked.

“Yes,” they answered.

“Good. That leaves the last test. Range of movement. Put on the glove beside the control panel and hook the wire into the port around your wrist. For Miss Katsun, it should be for her right hand. For Mister Donovan, it should be for his left hand.” Lilibelle slipped the grey-colored glove over her right hand and flexed it while she tugged at the bottom. Then she clicked the wire into the wrist socket of her suit. A green light flashed momentarily around the port. “If you see a green light, that means it’s been connected correctly.”

“I see it,” Lilibelle said.

“So do I,” said Karl.

“Now, you’ll see a red switch labeled ‘manual’,” Jessik said as a number of keystrokes sounded through the intercom. “Set your gloved hand down and press that switch with your ungloved hand. Once you’re done, slowly raise your gloved hand. If you did it correctly, you should see the Frame’s arm move up on screen.”

Drawing a deep breath, Lilibelle set her gloved hand down and pressed the switch for the manual override. The panel lit up in red. She curled the fingers of her gloved hand and gradually lifted her forearm, pinning her elbow to the armrest to keep it from moving too much. As it moved, the muscles in her arm tensed the same way they would if she was carrying a weight. When she completed her arm curl, she lifted her arm. She felt a similar sensation in her left arm moments later.

“That’s great,” Jessik said. “You’re both doing a fantastic job. Now, what I want you to do is carefully set your forearm and elbow on the armrest and perform five quick curls.”

Lilibelle nodded and set her arm down. The first curl was easy, but each subsequent curl was more difficult. Moving the Dynamic Frame wasn’t as simple as it had been in the simulations. Given, in those simulations she had mostly stuck to her control sticks and had rarely opted for manual input. But even so, the few times she had used manual input, moving the Frame’s limbs had been substantially easier.

“Excellent,” Jessik said when they had finished. “All neurolinking hardware checks out. Congratulations; you two passed. Please set your arms down and disable the manual input. Someone will be in to disconnect you.”

“Karl,” Lilibelle said. “Did you feel all of that?”

“Yes,” he said. He’d been so quiet since she entered. What had happened between him and Daidari?

Before Lilibelle could prod him with questions, the hatch hissed open, flooding the room with light. The screens flickered off one by one, and the feeling she’d experienced alongside Karl was suddenly absent.

Almezer hovered over them, hands in his coat pockets. “Hey, you kids doing okay?” When Lilibelle and Karl nodded, Almezer smiled. “Great. Alfred, can you get them detached?”

“Yes, sir.” A lanky man with cropped brown hair descended the ladder and quickly set to removing the equipment. He started with Karl first, and disconnected the glove from the interface. With impressive dexterity, Alfred detached each of the cords from Karl’s suit and set them neatly beside the chair.

Karl rose to his feet and rubbed his wrists. Lilibelle watched him over her shoulder the entire time, her gaze glued to his hands. She tried to imagine what that would feel like if they were still connected. His fingers on her chest, her hands on his shoulders.

Karl caught her staring and she quickly looked away.

“All right, you’re free to go, Mister Donovan. You are to return the neurosuit as soon as you’re dressed. Otherwise, the rest of the day is yours.”

“Thank you, sir.” Karl gave the man a nod and started up the ladder.

“Karl, wait,” Lilibelle pleaded. Karl stopped and formed a thin line with his lips. “Can we talk later?”

“Sure,” Karl said after a pause, then climbed the rest of the way out of the cockpit.

Alfred undid the rest of her equipment and sent her on her way with the same instructions he’d given Karl. Lilibelle nodded her thanks and went on her way. As she walked along the balcony, she kept her attention away from the others.

“Lilibelle!” Millie snatched her wrist with wide eyes. “How did it go?”

Lilibelle flushed. “I-It went fine.”

“Tell me all about it later! Okay?”

Lilibelle nodded and Millie let go of her wrist.

Lilibelle hurried to her room for reasons she couldn’t say. A force pulled her in the direction of her quarters as if something had possessed her. Her footsteps, her breathing, her thoughts, her entire body had surrendered to this feeling. When she came face to face with her door, she rushed inside and locked the door behind her.

Her lips were dry, but every inch of her body was soaked with want. Heat rushed to her face, to her chest, and especially between her legs. Air rasped with each breath she took, and her heart hammered against her chest. The disembodied force compelled her to remove her neurosuit and lay down on the bed. The neuroscience department could wait.

What am I doing? What am I doing, what am I doing? She repeated the thought over and over again in her head as she raised one hand to her breast and slowly spread her legs, bringing two of her fingers to her heat. The thought of doing something so indecent had never so much as grazed her mind in the past. And yet, she felt so deprived, so desperate; of what, she was uncertain. All she knew was her body craved to be touched.

She cast aside her thoughts and fell into pleasure.