Space station residents, Isaac and Zac
"Hey! Glad you could make it," Oliver greeted.
Isaac grinned.
"Thanks."
"How was the concert?"
"Totally rocked."
"That's good. Sorry you missed the challenge this morning."
"Yeah... oh well, we have them every quarter, so it's not that big of a deal."
"True. So how's the writing coming?"
"Finally finished a song this week I'd been working on for months."
"No... the other writing."
"Oh... I have another two to submit."
"Two? Cool."
"Well, they were already written, and they were related, so I ended up working on them both at the same time."
"Ahh, I see."
********
"May I have this dance, milady?" Hunter asked Tate.
Tate giggled.
"Certainly, dear sir" she said.
Ivan watched as they left to the dance floor.
"Don't worry, you'll get your chance," Yvette said.
Ivan gave her a look.
"Well, if I do, at least I won't blow it like you did."
"I didn't blow anything."
"Please, you broke up with Oliver just because he took the entrance exam for becoming a YIRAAS agent."
"We weren't dating."
"Sure, sure."
Yvette scowled, then stood and walked away. But she couldn't help her eyes from falling on Oliver as she did.
**********
Zac had conceeded to dance with Sari-Lyka. And a few other female Adigeis.
He sensed a plot to overwhelm him with Adigeian women and marriage proposals.
And he thought that humans were bad.
Dawn and Clark
Dawn slipped her arm through Clark's.
"This is wonderful, baby. Just what I needed." Clark ran his fingers through Dawn's blood red hair.
"It's perfect, just like you, kintone. Just being around you is a thrill." Dawn laid her head on Clarks shoulder as her twirled her around the dancefloor. She spotted Oliver and Ike and went over to say hi.
"Hey guys, how's it going?"
Isaac and Oliver
"Good," Isaac replied. "And you?"
"What happened?" asked Oliver, looking Dawn up and down. "Did someone use your for genetic engineering practice or something?"
Clark, Dawn and Tina
"Magicks, really old ones. I turned into pure energy for a moment, and then turned back. The plus side is that now I remember watching the universe from it's beginning up until 'Dawn' was born. Cool, eh?"
"You shoulda seen her. It was intense," Clark said, kissing Dawn's cheek. Tina and Dave came up behind them.
"Hey," Tina said. "You're Ike, right?"
Isaac and Oliver
"Dat would be me," Isaac replied. "And you are?"
"Oh, this is Tina," Oliver said. "She's friend with Queen Mia. Y'know the ruler of Genovia?"
Isaac nodded.
"We should probably arrange to get there on the next tour," he said. "I think it's great that there's a mutant friendly country out there."
"Well, the fact that she herself is a mutant is probably a contributing factor."
"True. Plus, I hear Genovia is beautiful."
Dawn, Clarke and Tina
"It totally is," Tina said. "SOmetimes I visit Mia on holidays. Oh, I forgot my manners, This is Dave Farouq El-Abar."
"Actually we've met," Dave said, nodding to Ike, "At a tournament a couple years ago. Just briefly."
"SO, this is the famous Dave," Dawn said, nodding. "Tina, I approve. You certainly know how to pick 'em." Tina blushed.
"So, you guys are living together, right?" Tina asked.
"Yeah, we have a house in SCarsdale," Clark replied. "Lex helped set me up. He and I are part of the very few survivors of the Kansas bombings, since we were out of town at the time. WE won quite the hefty class-action suit. Plus, he was a billionaire before."
"Very cool," Tina said. "Look, there's Jessi, let's go say hi," Tina said, dragging Dave along.
Oliver, Zac and Isaac
"Phew!" Zac said, joining them.
"Oh hey Zac. I see you've escape the clutches of the Adigian women," Oliver teased.
"Yeah... but for how long?" Zac asked warily, scratching his arm.
"See, this is what you get for going around getting women pregnant," Isaac said.
Zac poked his tongue out at him.
Dawn and Clark
"Again, Zac?" Dawn asked. "Oh, I'm not supposed to tell you that Rachel is here, but I did anyway," Dawn said with an evil grin. "Annie's with one of the nannies. I'll tell you, your daughter is one dangerous baby to hold, especially when she's crying," Dawn said, wrinkling her nose.
"But she's adorable," Clark pointed out.
"True."
Isaac, Zac and Oliver
"She gets the dangerous part off her father," Isaac joked.
"Yeah, she does actually," Zac smirked. "Seeing as the Curse power is Dathrian."
"Oh yeah... but... okay yeah."
Zac snickered.
"Yeah, see... This is why you're so popular with the Adigeis," Oliver nodded. "Daths might have large families, but usually they're families of four with the one spouse. But you?"
"I know, I know... five kids to four spouses."
Dawn and Clark
"Well, significant others, at least," Clark said. "Hey, who's Jessi with? I haven't seen him before."
"She was telling me about him online," Dawn said. "He's some guy she met at one of her Dreamwalker group things. His name's Tim or Tom or something like that. I think. He's cute."
"Hey," Clark said.
"What, I'm not allowed to look now? You know I only have eyes for you babe."
"You can look, but no touching." They kissed in an incredibly soppy and romantic moment.
Zac, Isaac and Oliver
"According to Adigeian law, they're spouses," Oliver pointed our. " 'Sex' and 'Marriage' are the same word in their language"
"And, and, and there's no word for divorce," Zac beamed.
"Zac likes to point that out to people," Isaac said maliciously. "This way he can also say that according to Adigeian law he's still married to Faith."
"Exactly."
Dawn, Clark and Jessica
"Fun for the whole family," Dawn said, being unusually hyper.
"What's with you, Dawnie, you are wired?"
"It's the energy. i think it's from these new Key-powers, but I'm totally vibing off of all the energy in this room. It's intoxicating!" Dawn said, bouncing from one foot to the other.
"You're insane."
"Yes, but you love me for it."
"Bickering like old marrieds already?" Jessi asked as she and her date walked over, since Tina and Dave had decided to dance for a while.
"Todd, these are my brothers Zac and Ike, and my friends, Oliver, Dawn Summers and Clark Kent," Jessi made the introductions. "This is Todd, I met him ages ago at Dreamwalker camp, but we recently bumped into each other and started hanging out again."
Zac, Isaac and Oliver
"Nice to meet you," Isaac said, giving Todd a nod.
"Yo," said Zac.
"You were in my maths class right?" Oliver asked him.
Todd
"Yeah," Todd said. "So, big brothers, huh? You're not going to threaten me with pointy weapons, are you? Because that's what I do to any of my sisters' dates." Clark and Dawn laughed while Jess punched him lightly in the arm.
Zac, Isaac and Oliver
"Naw," Zac replied. "Pointy weapons is so messy. I prefer boling blood."
"And that's not messy?" Isaac asked. "I mean, that would be pretty effective in making people explode."
"True... but c'mon, if you're going to make a mess, best to do it having the most fun possible."
"Right, so currently glad never dated any of your sisters," Oliver said.
"What's wrong with my sisters?" Zac asked.
"Their older brother."
Isaac laughed.
Dawn and Jessica
Jess poked her tongue out at Oli. "Well, Avery is way to young for you, and I'd be terrified if you asked out Zoe."
"I had a boyfriend when I was Zoe's age," Dawn said. "Of course, he was imaginary and I used to pretend to make my teddy bear eat him, but that's beside the point." Clark looked at his girlfriend.
"Dawn, that's disturbing."
"What's your point?"
Oliver, Zac and Isaac
"Well, that's true too," Oliver conceeded.
"Would that have made you an abusive girlfriend?" Zac asked seriously.
"Zac only wishes he had an abusive girlfriend," Isaac replied, then paused. "Aww man... I can't believe I said that. i've been hanging around you way too much Zac."
Zac laughed evilly.
Dawn and Jessica
"Oooh, can I hit him?" Dawn asked, grinning.
"Sure," Jess said, and the girls pretended to beat Zac up. Which was quite amusing since they were wearing floor-length bal gowns, and Dawn's was strapless.
"Do they do this often?" Todd asked.
"Pretty much, this is typical behavor them," Clark said, "You should see them when they get together with the rest of the girls at the mansion. Seriously, when they're having movie nights, you want to clear out."
Zac, Oliver and Isaac
"No don't!" Zac objected. "Don't make a scene, or they Adigeis will find me."
Oliver chuckled.
"I maintain you brought it on yourself," Isaac nodded.
Jessica
"Now, if a little sister can't beat up her brothers, then what's the point? That's half the fun!" Jessi insisted. "Oh look, Animorphs," Jess pointed out. Rachel, Cassie, Jake and Marco wandered over to the group.
"It it Pick On Zac Day again already?" Marco asked. "How'd I miss the memo?"
"Every day is pick on Zac day," Jake pointed out.
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
Isaac, Zac and Oliver
"Oh no..." Zac hissed. "I've been spotted!"
He looked around frantically, then ran for the bathroom.
"I almost feel sorry for him," Oliver said.
"I don't," Isaac replied. "Besides, tomorrow we won't even be here, so what does it matter? You're the one who has to put up with them."
"Oh, they're not so bad. Well, not to me anyway. We get along really good," Oliver nodded. "Of course, this is partly because, being half human, it may not be possible for me to have... that kind of a relationship. So y'know..."
"Ahh, I see," Isaac nodded.
"Definite advantages to be hybrids," Oliver grinned.
"Hmm, so how are you guys anyway?" Isaac asked the animorphs.
Rachel and Dawn
"Wait, has Zac finally made it to the point where he's getting too much sex?" Marco asked, shocked. "He's actually running away from females? Woah. . . this, this just puts my whole world askew." Rachel mock-punched him.
"Ow, Xena, that wasn't very nice."
"Since when am I nice?"
"Point." Rachel and Marco stuck their tongues out at each other and then Rachel laid her head on Marco's shoulder.
"So, has everybody heard the news?" Rachel asked, gesturing to Cassie, who promptly blushed.
"What? Gossip? ANd I don't know about it? Do tell," Dawn insisted. Rachel grabbed Cassie's left hand and held it out for the world to see the nice diamond resting on her ring finger.
Isaac and Oliver
"No, no, no, no, no," Isaac said. "It's not a case of too much sex. Zac will never get that far. It's a case of... the Adigei women are acting like Hanson fans."
Oliver snickered.
"Congratulations, by the way," Isaac went on. "Do you when when the big day is?"
"Engaged to who?" asked Oliver.
Dawn, Clarke and Rachel
"That'd be me," Jake said. "Well, we still have another year of high school, and then maybe college, so, who knows. But after everything we went through, battling the Yeerks, watching loved ones die, we really got a perspective on what really matters," Jake said putting his arm around Cassie. "And family is number 1 on the list."
"They fought in an inter-stellar war," Jessie explained to Todd.
"I think I heard about that. Somehow the Yeerks managed to slip under YIRAAS radar, right?" Todd commented.
"YIRAAS aren't all-seeing and all-knowing, although I wish they were. They're pretty good though," Clark said. "I mean, my parents kept my 'arrival' a total secret, but they still found me."
"Dude, your town was hit by a meteor shower that turned people into mutants. Of course Smallville would show up on the radar." Dawn said.
"Point."
Isaac and Oliver
"Well, I mean, lets think about this," said Isaac. "The Yeerks specialised in invading steathily."
Then Isaac noticed someone.
"Oh, hey," he said. "If you don't mind, as wonderful as having this discussion is, I have to ask someone to dance."
He grinned, then wandered over to their telepath friend, Vicky.
"Aww," said Oliver. "Now, on the subject of Smallville... My older sister got mutanted after it got hit by the bombs last year."
Jessica
"Was that when she was going through her evil phase and robbed all those banks?" Jessi asked.
"I think I heard about that somewhere. Space Station gossip and all. When something happens one Earth, everybody at the Station finds out somehow, you know how that works." Todd commented. Of course, his sisters were some of the prime gossip spreaders.
Oliver
Oliver nodded.
"Yeah," he said. "She and some friend of her went all over the joint, robbing banks. The Eye messed around with their minds. But Miette's all good now. Except, of course, she's still a mutant. She can make solid holograms now, which is pretty cool."
Clark, Jessica, Dawn and Rachel
"But if they're solid, are they really holograms?" Clark asked.
"Dude, don't go getting all existential on us," Marco said.
"Why not? It's fun," he said, grinning absolutely evilly for a moment. Jake grinned sappily as Cassie dragged him onto the dance floor. Jessi and Todd decided to cut a rug as well.
"So, here we are, the not-dancing people," Marco said.
"Dawn's too hyper to dance. Although, we could dance on the ceiling," Clark suggested.
"Yeah!" he grabbed her, and they went to dance on the ceiling, Dawn using a touch of magic to keep her dress from hanging over her head.
"Only at a YIRAAS event," Rachel said.
Oliver
"Exactly," Oliver agreed. "But lets face it, it's fun. And it's really, really cool to be able to show off your powers without getting in trouble or something."
Jessica and Rachel
"That's always fun," Jessi said, before dragging Todd onto the dance floor as well, so that it was only Marco, Rachel and Oliver left talking.
"So, Oli, Man, how do you like living on the station?" Marco asked.
Oliver
"It's pretty cool," Oliver replied. "Took me a while to get used to it, though. Looking out the windows and seeing stars as far as the eye can see. Unless you're near a window that can see Earth or the Moon, of course. Still I'm looking forward to them finishing the amphlifier for England, because then I can go visit... well, home I suppose... over the weekends or whatever."
Rachel
"That's always fun. Going home is good," Rachel said. "My dad's setting up for me to move back in with him in Tulsa. That way he can help with Annie, and she'll be near her own dad, when he's not touring. Also, lots of aliens in the area, if I need any help raising a baby with powers."
"Strong powers too," Marco pointed out. "When we stopped to pick up Rach at the mansion, Jake was holding Annie, and I guess she was kind of colicky, or just in a bad mood, but she put a rash all over his hands. It was pretty funny."
Oliver
"Unless of course, you're Jake," Oliver replied. "Looks like you're in for quite a time with Annie. Good luck taming her powers. What are her powers exactly anyway?"
Rachel and Marco
"Well, we don't know if she has atom manipulation yet. But she definitely has a Dath power. It's called Curse, and apparently it's, like, really rare. Rare enough that she's the first hybrid to be born with it. From what I understand, when she's older she'll be able to create curses and blights, and break them. She'll also be able to cause and cure plagues. I was warned not to tell people I don't trust, because when she's older she'll be able to end draughts and famine." Marco whistled appreciatively.
Oliver
"Ahh, I see," Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I can understand why you'd be warned to be careful. If the wrong person found out... poor girl would be exploited."
He shook his head thinking about it.
Rachel
"So, Oli," Rachel said with a grin, "Wanna dance?"
"Great, and leave poor Marco all alone," Marco said with a feigned sigh.
"Dude, Izzy & Max are right over their with their friends. Go ask my cousin to dance Go, go, I give you leave to go." Rach ordered, and Marco went, to attempt to sweep Izzy off her feet, since Rachel still had no clue about his feelings. God, Oli was hot, Rachel realized.
Oliver
Oliver shrugged.
"Sure, why not?" he asked.
"And maybe Yvette'll see and it'll inspire her to actually talk to me again." he thought before berating himself about using Rachel in such a manner.
Rachel
Rachel danced with Oli.
"This is fun. I haven't been doing much dancing recently. It's diffucult to do when you're as big as a house."
Oliver
Oliver laughed.
"What size house?" he joked. "Are we talking single story, two bedroom house? Or a two story, four bedroom house with a pool in the backyard?"
Rachel
"Definately the latter," Rachel said. "God, I love my daughter, but it's nice to be out for a change. Although I will admit, if it weren't for the nannies, I'd probably never sleep, or breathe, or do anything. Annie's a colicky baby, so she requires a lot of attention."
Oliver
"Ahh I see," Oliver nodded.
They chatted and danced for a little while longer, before Marco decided to cut in, and Oliver headed off to the buffet.
All in all, it was turning out to be a great night.