Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties

"Haaaaaa—"

Shay’s head snapped up. His hands flew to his head. Gripped his skull. His fingers pressing hard into his temples. His eyes wide. Bulging. Bloodshot.

His body jerked again. Another scream tearing out of him.

"AAAHHHHH—"

Damien moved first. Stepped forward fast. His boots hitting the concrete hard. His hands reaching out. Grabbing Shay’s shoulders. Trying to hold him still. Keep him in the chair.

Liam joined him. Moved to Shay’s other side. His hands on Shay’s arm. Gripping tight. Trying to keep him steady.

"GHHHAAAAA—" Shay’s voice cracked. Raw. Desperate.

His whole body was shaking. Trembling. His muscles contracting. Relaxing. Contracting again. Violent. Uncontrolled.

His breathing was ragged. Sharp gasps between screams. In. Out. In. Out. Fast. Desperate.

"AAHHH—FUCK—AAHHH—"

Damien looked across at Liam. His face tight. Angry. His jaw clenched so hard the muscles in his neck stood out. "You see what you did? This is because you told him to use this shit!"

"GHHAAAA—" Shay’s scream cut through Damien’s words.

Liam kept his eyes on Shay. His expression calm. Controlled. "I didn’t tell him to do anything."

"Bullshit!" Damien’s voice got louder. Sharper. Echoing through the empty warehouse. "If anything happens to him, I’m going to kill you. You hear me?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. Didn’t respond. Just kept his hands on Shay. Steady. Firm.

"AAAHHH—GOD—AAAHHH—"

Damien’s jaw clenched tighter. His knuckles going white where he gripped Shay’s shoulder. "I said, did you hear me?"

Liam didn’t look at him. Just kept watching Shay. His breathing was still ragged. Uneven. But the screams were getting quieter. Shorter. The intervals between them longer.

"Haaaa... haaaa..."

Damien opened his mouth. About to say something else. His lips forming the words.

Then Shay went quiet.

Completely quiet.

His body stopped shaking. The violent tremors ceased. His breathing evened out. Normal. Calm. Deep and steady.

Damien and Liam both froze. Still holding him. Their hands still gripping. Waiting. Watching.

The warehouse was silent. Just the sound of their breathing. And the distant hum of traffic outside.

Then Shay started laughing.

Low at first. A chuckle. Deep in his throat. Then louder. His shoulders shaking. Not from pain this time. From laughter. Genuine. Uncontrolled.

Damien and Liam let go. Stepped back. Slow. Careful. Their hands dropping to their sides. They looked at each other. Both of them wondering the same thing. Both seeing the confusion in the other’s face.

Shay threw his head back. Laughed harder. Louder. The sound filling the warehouse. Bouncing off the walls. Then he stood up. Fast. The chair scraping against the concrete. Metal on stone. Loud in the quiet space.

"I feel amazing!" he shouted. His arms spreading wide. His chest expanding. "Like I’ve been reborn or something!"

Liam looked at him. Studied his face. His eyes. "Do you still feel the pain?"

Shay shook his head. Big. Exaggerated. His whole upper body moving with the motion. "Not at all. Hell, the pain was serious. To a point I felt like I was about to pass out. But I figured fainting would just downplay my masculinity, you know?"

Damien and Liam both said it at the same time. Their voices overlapping. "Really? That’s why you didn’t faint?"

Shay grinned. Wide. Showing teeth. "Yeah. Any guy would agree with me on that."

Liam shook his head. Slow. A small smile tugging at his lips despite himself. "Whatever. I’m just glad you’re good."

Shay flexed his arms. Brought them up. His biceps bulging. The muscles standing out. Defined. "I’m better than okay. I feel fantastic."

Damien crossed his arms. Tilted his head slightly. "So what’s your power?"

Shay paused. Looked down at his hands. Turned them over. Palms up. Then palms down. Examining them like he’d never seen them before. "Won’t it be like the one that guy had?"

Liam shook his head. Firm. "It doesn’t work that way." He raised his hand. Put it on his chin. Stroked it. His fingers moving slowly. Thinking. Processing. "My source said the powers can be anything."

Shay’s eyes widened. His eyebrows lifting. "So you’re saying I might have any power?"

"Yeah. Any."

Shay nodded slowly. His head moving up and down. Processing the information. "Okay. Let’s find out."

Damien stepped forward. His hands moving to his hips. "How do we do that?"

Liam looked around the warehouse. At the space. The equipment. The scattered furniture. The stacked crates. "Let’s just try anything. Before it wears off at least."

Shay’s expression changed. The excitement fading. Replaced by something more serious. Cautious. "Yeah. I’m definitely not going through that again."

Damien nodded. Agreement. Then his face scrunched up. Confused. "But how do we do that exactly?" He gestured around the warehouse. His hand sweeping through the air. At nothing in particular. "Like, what do we even try?"

Shay’s face lit up. Excitement returning. His eyes bright. "I hope I have heat beams. Like that dude people mistake for a plane when he flies."

Liam shrugged. One shoulder. Casual. "Okay. We can start with that, I guess."

They spent the next few minutes rearranging things. Moving crates. Damien grabbed one side. Liam grabbed the other. They lifted. Carried it across the warehouse. Set it down against the far wall. Then went back for another. Stacking boxes. Creating a clear space. A makeshift target area.

Their footsteps echoed. The scrape of wood on concrete. The thud of boxes being set down. Damien’s breathing getting heavier. Liam staying steady. Controlled.

When they were done, they stepped back. All three of them. Gave Shay room. Space to work.

"Alright," Liam said. His voice even. "Try it."

Shay squared his shoulders. Rolled them back. Faced the boxes. Raised his hands. Palms out. Fingers spread. His face scrunched up in concentration. His forehead creasing. His jaw tight.

Nothing happened.

The boxes didn’t move. Didn’t burn. Didn’t explode. Nothing.

The silence was loud. Heavy. Pressing down on all of them.

Damien shifted his weight. From one foot to the other. "Well?"

Shay dropped his hands. Let them fall to his sides. "Nothing."

Liam thought for a second. His hand coming back up to his chin. "I saw someone levitating stuff. Try that."

Shay nodded. Raised his hands again. This time toward one of the smaller boxes. A wooden crate. Maybe two feet across. His hands out in front of him. His fingers curling slightly. His face tightening. Straining. Every muscle in his face working.

Damien snorted. A short sharp sound. "You look like you’re trying to take a shit."

Shay glared at him. His eyes cutting sideways. "Keep talking and I might just do it. Right here."

Damien raised his hands. Palms out. Defensive. "Alright, alright."

Shay dropped his hands again. Let out a breath. Frustrated. "Not that either."

Liam crossed his arms. "I saw someone turn invisible. Try that."

Before Shay could respond, Damien spoke up. "Or try screaming. See if you might be a male Banshee."

Shay looked at him. His expression flat. Unimpressed. "A Banshee?"

Damien shrugged. Both shoulders. "Why not?"

Shay sighed. Long. Heavy. "Fine. Let me try anything at least." He shrugged his shoulders. Mimicking Damien. Took a breath. Deep. Filling his lungs. Then started screaming.

Loud. His voice tearing out of his throat. Raw. Echoing through the warehouse. Bouncing off the walls. The ceiling. Coming back at them from every direction.

Nothing happened.

No energy blast. No sonic wave. No visible effect. Nothing.

Shay stopped. His voice cutting off. Breathing hard. His chest heaving. "Damn. We’re never finding out what my power is."

Damien crossed his arms. Looked at Liam. "Can you just try punching him? Really hard. Not holding back. There’s a chance he might have that guy’s power too. The enhanced strength and durability."

Shay’s head snapped toward Damien. Fast. His eyes wide. "Never."

Damien stepped closer. His boots scraping on the concrete. "Come on. We need to figure this out."

"I said no."

"It’s the fastest way to know if—"

"I’m not letting him punch me."

"You’re being stubborn."

"I’m being smart."

As they went back and forth, Liam stood there. Separate. Watching them. His hand on his chin again. Stroking. His fingers moving in slow circles. Thinking. Processing. Running through everything he’d seen at the facility. Every power. Every ability.

Then it hit him.

"We can try one last thing," Liam said. His voice cutting through their argument. Calm. Clear. "Just before we try any drastic stuff."

Both of them stopped. Mid-sentence. Turned. Looked at him. Waiting.

Shay raised an eyebrow. "What’s that?"

Damien turned his whole body. Faced Liam. Stayed quiet. Waiting for the answer.

Liam looked at Shay. Met his eyes. "I saw some guy climb walls. Like a spider. Try that."

Shay walked over to the nearest wall. His steps slow. Deliberate. He stopped in front of it. Raised his hand. Placed it flat against the concrete. Pressed. Moved his palm around slightly. Up. Down. Side to side. Testing. Feeling for any kind of stick. Any resistance.

"Doesn’t feel sticky," he said. His voice flat. Disappointed.

Liam nodded. Once. "Alright. Well, we tried." He looked at Damien. Met his eyes. "Time for drastic action."

Damien grinned. Wide. His teeth showing. "Way ahead of you."

Before Shay could react, Damien moved. Fast. Explosive. His leg came up. Swung. Hard. His boot connecting with Shay’s stomach. The impact solid. Heavy. The sound echoing.

Shay’s body jerked. Flew backward. Not far. Just a few feet. His arms flailing. Trying to catch balance. He hit the ground. His back slamming into the concrete. Slid. The friction scraping against his shirt. His skin.

He groaned. Deep. Pained. "What the hell, man?"

Then something happened.

A glow.

Faint. Purple. Coming from Shay’s body. From his torso. Right where Damien had kicked him. The light pulsing. Soft at first. Then brighter.

Damien and Liam both stopped. Froze in place. Stared. Their eyes locked on the glow. Watching. Waiting. A mix of amazement and doubt crossing their faces.

Shay stood up slowly. His movements careful. His hand moving to his stomach. Rubbing the spot where Damien had kicked him. His fingers pressing into the fabric of his shirt.

Then his eyes changed.

Purple.

Bright. Glowing. Like they were lit from the inside. Like someone had turned on a switch behind his pupils.

Then they shifted. The purple fading. Bleeding away. Replaced by yellow. Bright gold. Burning.

Both Damien and Liam stayed quiet. Completely silent. Just watching. Staring. Not moving. Not breathing.

Shay looked at them. His glowing eyes moving between Damien and Liam. Back and forth. Confusion crossing his face. "Hey. You didn’t even tell me if it worked or—"

He stopped. Cut himself off. Noticed their expressions. The way they were both just standing there. Staring at him. Frozen. Their mouths slightly open. Their eyes wide.

His eyebrow raised. Slow. "What?"