The hivemind is conquering for me?

Forty minutes later the effect of my stimulant began to wear off. There were no harmful side effects. The elevated feeling simply dispersed. It helped that with exercise and it being a combat stim, the adrenaline and increased heart rate didn’t have to decline as much.

I would imagine that it would be more noticeable, but still not harmful, if one took it and was in a rested state the entire time.

Looking around I checked on everyone. Most were alright, perfectly fine after forty minutes of exercise. Jason, Althea and Mindy were on their hands and knees though, panting for breath. But I just put that up to them being nerd types. But the fact they were able to keep up during the stimulant was even more credit to it.

”So, is it any good?” I asked with a grin that might have been deservingly smug. I then dodged to the side as Yvonne went to grab my head for another boob smothering as she yelled.

”Apollo! That stuff is the tits! I’m not even tired. Are you able to take it back to back? Can Peri and I have a batch for later?” She then asked with a wink.

I ignored the latter part as Pericles, the usually stoic man, was blushing at his partner’s implication.

”You can take it back to back. The most I have done is four back to back with no stress to my faculties. But I’d still advise only using it for combat. There are other drugs in the market for the type of fun you are picturing.”

I then heard Althea wheeze out from the ground ”I’ve never been able to run like that before. But fuck me I do not want to again.” She was on her back, looking up at the sky, her chest heaving. ”Still, It is pretty good though.” She raised her thumb up wobblily before she went back to recovering.

Mindy then pointed at Althea, then did a thumbs up. Not seemingly capable of more and Jason looked almost knocked out.

The sight of them all made me chuckle. Psionics did wonders to some people’s bodies and little at all to others. But the enhancement formulas will help them grow stronger so they won’t be like this in the future.

I then looked at Nerissa and Orchid. I would get their response later, when they can be free with their wording. Finally I turned to Hailey who looked deep in thought.

”Hailey? Your thoughts on the stim?” I asked, prompting her to jump in surprise, taking me off guard.

”Oh... It’s great- Apollo, can I talk to you in private for a moment?” She asked hastily before walking to the side.

”Oh, sure?” I then turned to the group. ”Well everyone. It was a pleasure working with you all. I hope to see you all again very soon. Take care.”

The goodbyes then took a few moments longer with handshakes and hugs and I then walked over to Hailey. ”Is everything ok? Is something wrong?” I asked worriedly.

Hailey must have picked up on my worry and backpaddled. ”Oh no! The stim was perfect. It was incredible. I knew you would do wonders. I needed to talk to you about something related, but separate.”

”Oh, thank goodness. I thought something bad happened to you. Phew. Ok, shoot.” I said cheerfully, but Hailey became tense again.

”Apollo, you trust me right?” She asked and I simply nodded. She then took a deep breath. ”Apollo, I think you should let me handle the distribution and selling aspect of your dispensation.”

”Ok sure-” I started.

”-And I know what you are thinking. ’Are you insane? This is seriously top secret work. My livelihood. How could I trust you to take care of this.’ But trust me when I say that I think I should do this for, you... Wait, what?” She seemingly clocked on halfway through her panic rant.

”Sure, you do it. I trust you to do what is fair.”

If human eyes were capable, Hailey’s would have turned to hearts at this moment. ”R-Really? Just like that? But it’s your brain baby. The whole distribution thing, the recognition. I know you don’t like the spotlight, but I thought you might at least want to boast about your work? Y-you actually trust me that much without me giving you the reasons why I think you should let me?”

Honestly, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I saw it was as long as it would not hurt Jewel and the hive in the long run. I was fine. All this drug would do is elevate the biomass a little bit. Making enemies slightly harder to kill was inconsequential to her.

So I shrugged my shoulders. ”Yes, I trust you. Do you want to give me the reasons though? It seems I have agitated you.”

Hailey fell in love all over again. This liberation of the norm was what attracted her to Apollo in the first place. Total subversion of expectations. It threw her out of the loop. It exposed her cold heart, the effect her Origin had on her personality, to his warmth. And she loved him for it.

Tucking her amber hair behind her ear, she looked up lovingly, suppressing the urge to giggle like a school girl. ”Ok. Well, the first one is what I just mentioned. Publicity. Apollo, this will become a serious gamechanger. So much so that if you were not already filthy rich. Selling the formula to the empire would make it so you never have to move a muscle again if you wanted to. But that also comes with the spotlight of fame and with that comes danger.”

I nodded my head. That made a lot of sense. Spartari politics was a viper nest. I was barely in and had an assassination attempt on my life. It would be tedious to have to deal with that more often.

”Secondly, If I sell it in my name. I can do so swiftly and efficiently. Don’t worry, I won’t take a cut. I am already richer than you, so I don’t need your money. But I will transfer everything I make from the royalties to you, Orchid or Sophia if you prefer? All anonymously and automatically.”

I very much liked that point. Funding Sophia to spread the hive cult even better. That was right up my alley.

”Thirdly. With a princess backing the sale. It will gain gravitas and will be fast tracked into production and sent to the frontlines. Potentially saving millions of troops.”

Deciding to play patriot, I smiled and pulled Hailey by the waist into my embrace, ignoring the urge to tease her for her girly yelp as I did so.

”Well, if I was not on board at first, I definitely am now. I never went into this science for fame and glory. But to better mankind. To make it stronger than it currently is. Perhaps even make it greater than its glory years when the founders walked with us? And with you by my side, I know we can do that.”

After I said that, Hailey grabbed me tight and spoke angrily. ”I seriously fucking hate that I am a princess right now. I want you inside me... Stupid protocols. For now though, kiss me!”

...

Nerissa, with her enhanced hearing, heard all that and as she watched Apollo kiss Hailey, her mind span. The thought in her head of ’what if?’ Kept on expanding in her mind. The way he spoke. His ambitions, his attitude to power and fame...

The next time she meets with her kin, she would really need to bring up this topic again, in a more serious light. For now though, she would do her favourite thing. Watch on with extreme levels of curiosity.

...

Orchid also heard everything and watched on, but her thoughts were a little different.

’Get off him, Get off him, Get off him, Get off him, Get off him Get off him Get off him Get off him Get off him Get off him Get off-’

...

A minute later, Hailey pulled away, her face flush. She struggled to catch her breath for a moment and I couldn’t help smiling over it. She then straightened herself out before asking. ”S-So, what do you have planned now? If you are busy, I will make some calls and get this business rolling.”

I smiled and brushed a piece of her disheveled hair behind her ear. ”I have one more stop to make today then I will probably spend the rest of the night at home saying ’goodbye’” I said with a smirk.

Hailey then took in a deep breath and pushed me away. ”You are evil telling me that when I am hot and bothered. I am going to go before things get dangerous. I’ll see you tomorrow to say goodbye again.”

She then planted one more kiss on my cheek before walking back to the academy from the field. I watched her walk away for a moment, glad things turned out the way they have before turning to Orchid and Ness.

”Alright you too, last stop. Cookie town.”