Dynamis | Chapter 31 - Discomfort (Patreon)

Karl never skipped breakfast, but today he made an exception. It was going to be hard enough seeing Lilibelle and Daidari in class, so if it meant that he could go another half hour or so without burning in the cheeks and stuttering over his words, then he’d take it.

Unfortunately, all that did was delay the inevitable.

He buried his face beneath his bedsheets with a groan. The night prior—a night he was sure to beat himself up over for years to come—he’d fantasized about taking Lilibelle and Daidari to bed simultaneously. To his credit, he’d managed to keep his hands under control, but some small part of him wondered if abstaining had made the fantasy that much harder to bear.

Rubbing his face, he slowly rose to sitting. A cursory glance at the clock—which read 6:54 AM—said he had six minutes to get dressed and make it on time to class. A tiny voice in the back of his head told him to skip. After all, he was a valued asset. But as tantalizing as the voice was, when he considered what effect that might have on his partners, especially how it could affect how others perceive their relationship, he threw off the covers and jaunted over to his dresser.

—

Periodically, Lilibelle and Daidari would catch Karl glancing in their direction. While the former glared at him, the latter avoided his gaze, occasionally curling a lock of hair around her finger or biting her thumbnail. He was strangely happy to see that Lilibelle still regarded him with ire. Too bad the relief he felt was quashed by the anxiety of looking at Daidari’s face.

As far as he was concerned, Daidari was still a heartless snake; a cold and calculating creature that cared nothing for the safety of others so long as the mission was a success. But every time their eyes caught, he felt something else. Saw something else. Whereas before there wasn’t a hint of humanity to be seen, they now held a fiery passion that stoked something warm in the pit of his stomach.

Seated down the row to his right, where he could safely view Daidari without her catching wind that he was checking her out, he admired how her pants clung snugly to her rear. Taut muscle flexed beneath her neck as she scratched an itch. She combed one side of her hair with her delicate fingers, threading her silky black hair between the crevices. The briefest of images pushing her down onto the bed flashed before his eyes.

Somehow, he was willing to look past all of her vices; just because she was attractive.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Instructor Boldwin snapped his fingers. “Did I wake you up?”

Karl froze. At first, he thought Boldwin was talking to him. When the instructor swept his eyes over the classroom, he breathed a slow sigh of relief and wiped away some of the clammy sweat around his neck.

Boldwin chuckled. “Let me guess what’s happening.” He leaned against his desk and cricked his neck to one side. “Your heart is pounding. You can barely look your partner in the eye. Last night you had trouble sleeping. You were thinking about her. Thinking about him. Now, you struggle to get that person out of your head. Vivid imaginations haunt your every waking minute.” He paused for effect. “Am I close?”

Various noises of discomfort filled the room.

“Let me alleviate you a bit of what you’re feeling. What you experienced yesterday is normal,” Boldwin continued, nodding slowly. “With time, it’ll pass. Right now, every single nerve in your body is on fire. It’s never experienced anything like this, and if it were up to nature”—he shook his head—“you never would. The neurolinking interface is unlike anything mankind has ever created. To save you from yourself, I’ll give you a quick refresher of what’s happening when you’re in that cockpit.”

Boldwin pushed away from the desk and walked over to the white board on wheels waiting in the corner. He grabbed one end and dragged it to the front of the class. Uncapping the black marker, he drew a large circle at the bottom, then two stick figures at the top. Next, he drew two lines leading from the figures to the large circle, then a third pair between the people. Then he turned around.

“Here’s what’s happening when you link with your partner.” He pointed to the lefthand figure, dragging his finger from the figure to the circle. “These lines here represent the data that’s being transferred between you and the unit. If you’re familiar with the world network from before the Fiend invasion, then think of it as uploading your data to the unit”—he dragged his finger back toward the tiny figure—“then downloading the data back into your brain. This is why compatibility is so important.”

Millie raised her hand, but Boldwin shook his head and gestured her hand back down.

“There will be plenty of time for questions later. Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to speak. The entire purpose of today’s class is to help you understand why what’s happening is normal.” He turned back to the board. “Now, this is where things get complicated. You not only have to worry about the transfer rate between you and the Dynamic Frame, but between you and your partner as well.” He drew another, smaller circle at the center, between the three objects. “When you transfer, they transfer.” He spun his finger in a circle. “It creates a loop of data between you, your partner, and the Frame. When you receive, they receive.”

Boldwin sketched a few squiggly lines between the two figures, above the two lines he’s originally drawn.

“If the transmission gets messed up in this area, then it creates an inconsistency. The Frame receives contradictory input, and is subject to innumerable errors. To fix this problem, we bridge the input receptors of the conductors to one another. Done this way, every nerve in your body activates. Unlike the information transferred between you and the Frame, you and your partner’s bodies are mostly similar. You, generally speaking, will feel what they feel, receive the same information from the Frame, and act accordingly.”

Boldwin stepped to the side so that the class could see the board better. Karl nodded, gauging the reactions of the other students. It was clear to him now that he was far from the only one who was reacting this way.

“Every. Single. Nerve activates,” Boldwin said. “As a side effect of the system, the most primal urges are brought to the forefront. Food, water, shelter, and especially procreation. One of the most powerful urges in the human body is the desire to reproduce, and this system dials that urge up to the max.”

Nervous grunts and laughter filled the room.

“Think that’s funny, do you? You might laugh now, but this was a serious matter for a long time. Conductors were getting pregnant left and right. The men, being inextricably linked to their partner, couldn’t pilot any of the Frames on their own, let alone with another woman. This caused a lot of issues, and anyone who thinks they’re above this urge is a moron.

“Now. That said, the medication we prescribed you will dull the effects until you can warm up to the sensation. With time, you won’t need the medication anymore, and you’ll be familiar enough with your partner that you can keep your urges under control whenever you aren’t in the Frame. All right”—he returned the marker to its gutter—“let’s see some hands.”

Millie’s hand shot up.

“Yes, go ahead, Miss Roux.”

Millie ran her hands over her hair, splitting it into two sections around the nape of her neck. Her fingers were red and although Karl couldn’t see what she looked like from where he sat, he was surprised to see that she was suffering from this predicament considering what happened to her prior partner.

Even after the death of her prior partner, she still feels that need…

“Is it n-normal to picture somewhere else when this link happens?” she asked.

“Did you mean ‘someone’?”

Millie groaned. “Y-Yes.”

Boldwin crossed his arms. “I wouldn’t call it normal, but it is unusual. Have you talked with Doctor Strobar?”

Millie shook her head slowly.

“Arrange an appointment with her as soon as possible. You shouldn’t suffer any ill effects, if that’s what you’re worried about, but—”

“No, I’m just worried that it might cause a problem for the other conductors. That’s all.”

Boldwin frowned. “All right. Well, it changes nothing. Speak with Strobar and she’ll figure something out.”

“Okay.”

“Who else? Yeah, go ahead, Miss Gardletter.”

“I-If we do, um, get pregnant,” she stammered, “t-then what happens?”

Boldwin narrowed his gaze on the young woman. “Then you would be forcibly removed from Deadeye’s employment and shipped to a city of your choosing.”

Daisy nodded her head. “I see. So there wouldn’t be any, um, punishments?”

Boldwin shrugged. “Being ousted is punishment enough. We spend a lot of our resources training you, though, so you may be expected to pay back what was spent. That part is up to Admiral Chovek.”

Daisy’s nervous laugh filled the air. “O-Okay.”

Karl hoped he was wrong, but he got the feeling that Daisy had already done something she shouldn’t have. This did provoke another question that he wasn’t sure he had the courage to ask.

“Go ahead, Mister Sareau,” Boldwin said.

“Why not just hand out condoms?” Ader asked.

There it was. The question that Ader was brave enough to answer, and that Karl was sure many of the other students were pondering.

Boldwin snickered. “Because, boy, the easier it is to get away with something, the more likely you are to do it. Sexual intercourse already comes with a bevy of obligations if your lady gets pregnant.” He glanced around the room, maybe trying to find someone to argue with. His search seemed to come up short, so he directed his attention back to Ader. “If we handed out condoms, you might find that it gives you reason enough to not only do the deed with your lady, but everyone else’s as well.”

Then the muscles in his jaw visibly tightened. “We are running an operation designed to save humanity, not a breeding farm. If you can’t keep your urges under control, then I insist you take it up with Doctor Strobar.”

“That just seems like an accident waiting to happen.”

“Condoms are not foolproof. Would you have your fellow conductors sleep with whomever and whenever they wish? What do you intend to do with the unlucky few where a condom doesn’t suffice?”

“Abort the child?”

A frigid silence swept over the room.

“Humanity is on the brink of extinction and you think aborting the child is a preferable solution?” Boldwin said, his voice lowering.

“You lose two conductors or one child.” He shrugged. “Sounds logical to me.”

Karl shut his eyes while Boldwin continued to berate Ader and provide situations where his proposal wouldn’t work. Ader stood his ground, debating back and forth with the instructor, seeming to take joy in riling up the veteran. Once he’d had enough, he deferred back to the classroom, of which only a few were willing to raise their hands. When class came to an end, Karl shot to his feet, eager to get away.

“Mister Donovan,” Boldwin said. “If I could have a word with you? Miss Ishima and Miss Katsun as well.”

Karl swallowed his discomfort and made his way to the front of the class, standing between Daidari and Lilibelle. He barely managed a glance at the two girls before Boldwin spoke.

“Professor Almezer and Admiral Chovek informed me of your results. Congratulations are in order. With any luck, you three will prove to be Deadeye’s pride and joy.”

“Thank you, sir,” they said in unison.

Boldwin nodded. “With that out of the way, it’s time I let you know what Admiral Chovek has planned for you. He wants you three to practice in genuine Dynamic Frames, effective immediately.”

Karl had expected something like this would happen. If their results were as impressive as Almezer had claimed, then it was reasonable to expect that they’d be on the battlefield as soon as possible.

Lilibelle and Daidari didn’t say anything.

Boldwin chuckled. “You act like someone just died. That’s a good thing to hear, I’ll have you know.” He leaned back in his chair and put his feet on top of the desk. “Few people get that privilege. This is cause for celebration. You’ll be on the frontlines alongside your comrades very soon.”

That might’ve sounded great to him, but Karl was still reeling from how he felt about his partners. There was no way he could put himself inside a Dynamic Frame and fight with the way he was feeling. Considering how much more intense their bond appeared, he wondered if he and his partners might be suffering more than the average conductor. That presented him a very concerning question: What would’ve happened if he had never taken the medicine?

“Yes, thank you, sir,” Karl said, breaking the silence.

“Thank you,” Daidari said.

“Thanks,” Lilibelle added.

Boldwin frowned. “All right, something’s up and I’m not going to guess. You three need to talk to Strobar. It’s obvious something is going on between you and I want it weeded out immediately. In the meantime, I’ll be organizing your first test run tomorrow.”

Tomorrow?!

“Already?” Lilibelle balked.

“That’s right. So be ready. I’ll inform Admiral Chovek that you three will be taking the rest of the day off so as to get your issues resolved. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

“Fantastic. Wait in your rooms until you receive further orders from me or Strobar. Dismissed.”

Karl, Lilibelle, and Daidari saluted the veteran and made their way out of the classroom. Lilibelle kicked up the door stopper and shut the door, beelining for the elevator.

“Lilibelle, where are you goin?” Karl asked.

Maybe he’d expected too much, but he had hoped that Lilibelle would stay behind for a couple of minutes to talk about what had happened.

“To my room. As he requested.” Before anyone could stop her, spun around and practically ran down the hall.

“Uh, okay, bye?”

“Do not hate her,” Daidari said in a much softer tone than Karl was accustomed to hearing. “She is dealing with quite a lot, I am sure.”

“I guess so.”

Daidari didn’t move.

“I guess I’ll go back to my room as well.”

“Yes, I… suppose I should as well,” Daidari said.

“Uh, well. Okay. Um, bye,” he said, waving casually.

“Bye.” Daidari waved back.

Karl started down the hall. The tension in his shoulders eased up with every step he took. His mind began to clear. Maybe it was a good thing Lilibelle had left when she had. Standing beside her, admiring her curves, thinking of plow—

Why can’t I stop thinking about her like that?

As he turned the corner, he noticed Daidari still hadn’t moved. When he turned his head toward her, she gasped and spun around, walking away at a brisk pace.

This is really not good.