All characters in sexual situations are 18 or older. Thanks for reading!
"Goodnight, Mom." George curled up in his bed on the floor. His mother had done a good job making it comfortable. But he didn't want to spend the night there.
"Goodnight, sunshine." Anna let her weight sink into the mattress. She was exhausted. What a crazy day. Certainly, singular in her lifetime. "Get some good sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow." She rolled onto her side and put a pillow between her knees. She wore a modest nightgown and panties and felt quite cozy. "I love you, Georgie."
"I love you too, Mom." George sighed and closed his eyes. His mind went over everything that had happened, both heavenly and ghastly. He didn't think he'd ever fall asleep. Before he knew it, he was dreaming about finding a sailboat and setting out for home through a sea of stars. He woke with a start when someone shook his shoulder.
"You have the most adorable snore," A melodious woman's voice whispered in his ear.
"Mom?" George blinked in the pleasant darkness of the room. The hotel nightlight made a soft glow, and the window was filled with stars. He could see Earth shining as a bright, blue star almost in the middle. As he left his dreams behind, he gained some focus. A short, blond woman stood over him. "Mrs. Valentine? How did you get in here?"
"It's me, silly. It's Nossy." Kapnos put a finger to her lips. "Let's not wake your mother. Come with me to the bathroom," she whispered, taking his hand and pulling him from bed.
"Nossy? I wasn't sure." George let her lead him into the bathroom. She wore the same blue bodice, gloves, and skirts as before, but her hair was no longer pinned up. A satchel was slung from her right shoulder and hung on her left hip. When the door was shut behind them, he gave her a long hug. How strange that he was hugging his girlfriend, but she felt so different. This woman was built more like Edith, short and slight. He had to stoop to take her in his arms. He inhaled. She smelled familiar. Maybe Kapnos had a scent no matter who she was. The fragrance reminded him of fresh coconut. He smiled when she sighed contentedly in his ear and squeezed him back with thin arms. He realized he was only wearing his undershorts, and his erection was developing quickly. He laughed at how odd his life was.
"What's so funny?" Kapnos continued to happily press her cheek into his chest. She never wanted the hug to end.
"My life's funny." George separated them, held her frail shoulders, and studied her brown eyes. "I have questions."
"I bet you do." Kapnos nodded earnestly.
"Wait, if you're in here, is the barricade secure?" He looked at the bathroom door.
"It's secure. I pushed the barricade aside very gently, and then piled it high again." She adored the concern on his face. He would do anything for his mother. "I can slip into small spaces when the need arises."
George nodded. "Good to know." He cocked his head, studying her face. He guessed Gwendolyn Valentine was in her early thirties. "Why did you leave?"
"I couldn't continue as Delores. What was going to happen when we returned to the one-hundred-and-third floor? I found an opportunity to copy someone else. So, I left the note for your mother, and went upstairs to wait for you two." Kapnos frowned. "Are you mad at me?"
"How did you copy Mrs. Valentine? Is she alive?" He kissed her on the cheek to let her know that his sudden intensity wasn't anger. She looked visibly relieved, so he kissed her softly on the lips. He pulled back and waited for an answer.
"I won't hide secrets from you, George." Kapnos reached into the satchel and pulled out a rectangular plastic box. When she opened it, cooling steam escaped. "This was how I copied Mrs. Valentine."
George stared at the contents of the box. The container was designed to refrigerate something small. And that thing was an eyeball with a brown iris. Some of the optical nerve was still attached. "Gods, Nossy. What did you do?" He put a hand to his stomach, afraid he might be sick. His nascent erection vanished.
"You did it, actually." Her smile was tight and grim. "When you killed the creature that attacked your mother, it was full of body parts. It was somehow keeping those parts alive. I went back to the scene shortly after you saved your mother. Ocรฉane was kind enough to delay her cleanup for me. Eyes are particularly good for making copies. There was also a blue eye from an elderly man. I thought Mrs. Valentine would make a better new companion for your band of survivors, so I copied her and had Ocรฉane locate this case for me. With it, I should be able to harvest new DNA for several weeks." She closed the box. "Please don't look so revolted. I didn't kill her."
"No, it's okay. That was quick thinking." George sat on the toilet lid, trying to compose himself. "What was that creature? Surely, Mrs. Valentine died in the skyrmion burst. How is her eye alive?"
"It takes a while for all the parts of a person to die. Ocรฉane says she gave all the dead people to 'the newest guest' in a now broken deal. I assume it disassembled the people and kept their living parts... living." Kapnos shivered.
"Have you ever seen anything like this before? I mean, you must have. You've been around forever." George looked up at her, his stomach settling.
"I haven't seen anything like this. Not in this solar system or anywhere else." Kapnos shook her head. "But we'll leave the newest guest far behind. We're going to escape this place and... I don't know, maybe I'll stay with you for a while back on Earth. Would you like that?" Her infectious smile returned. "How have things been going with your mother? I'm sorry I haven't been able to guide you through the next steps. But you saw her hands, and sucked on her naked fingers! With my help, we might even get her to touch you with her hands. See, there's all kinds of things to look forward to. I can tell you all about her erogenous zones, too. If you can get her to bare her breasts, her nipples are a real hot spot for her."
"I know." George pushed the newest guest and its concomitant horror out of his mind. He would have time to worry about that later. He couldn't quite muster a grin, but he did feel his shoulders relax. Especially, when Kapnos put the box back in her satchel.
"Well, you'll want to tell her that..." Kapnos blinked and stared at him. "Wait... what?"