Perfect Match: The Pinocchio Project

Tokyo Calling

Kai and his friends landed in Tokyo after a long flight from Switzerland. Khaan and Nadia had taken the opportunity to get some sleep during the flight; Kai and Sloane, however, were suffering from jet lag; and so the group checked in to a hotel for the night.

The next morning, Hayden was making breakfast, and a newly refreshed Kai sneaked up behind her and grabbed her waist, causing her to shriek and jump in surprise.

"Good morning, sexy," Kai whispered in her ear.

"Kai!?" Hayden exclaimed. "Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!"

"Sorry," Kai smirked, "but I can't help myself when I see you looking the way you do in the morning."

Hayden couldn't help but laugh. "You are horrible, Kai Park!" she said as she grabbed a bit of pancake powder and flicked it in his face.

Kai retaliated by smearing pancake batter on her nose, making her laugh even harder.

It became a playful food fight with each of them throwing things at the other for a few seconds. Then they grabbed and kissed each other hungrily.

"Damn, Kai... You are delicious..." Hayden moaned between kisses.

"And you taste of chocolate..." Kai responded.

The two of them kissed and made out until Sloane entered the kitchen and cleared her throat impatiently.

"Are you two quite done?" she demanded. "Breakfast was supposed to be served ten minutes ago!"

"Sorry!" Hayden exclaimed.

"Yeah... sorry, Sloane," Kai added sheepishly.

Sloane just growled in exasperation and finished cooking, while Kai and Hayden were relegated to cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

* * *

"Ah, yes, the most important meal of the day!" Khaan said.

"No thanks to these two," Sloane said, glowering over at Kai and Hayden.

"Hey, that's not fair, Sloane!" Kai protested.

"Yeah, we already said we were sorry!" Hayden put in.

"Quiet!" Sloane shouted. "I will decide what's fair and not fair!"

"Sloane," Khaan interrupted. "Eat. You've been suffering from a bout of jet lag."

Sloane groaned miserably as she slumped in her chair. She tucked into her blueberry pancakes half-ravenously.

* * *

After a delicious breakfast, the four friends headed to an abandoned laboratory which "was owned and operated by Eros until Rowan shut it down," according to Sloane. "This must be where Steve got his reproductive system!"

"Oh, Steve..." Nadia sighed. "I wonder where he is now..."

* * *

Back home, Steve was telling Keegan about his new reproductive system.

"...sure that Nadia is pregnant?" Keegan was asking in astonishment. "But how could you have done?"

"I think I remember someone talking about a project that was codenamed 'Pinocchio,'" Steve answered. "It was meant to turn Matches like us into human beings. Rowan West ordered the project shelved because it didn't fit in with his vision for Eros."

"And so, where do you think they are now?" Keegan asked.

"With any luck, they will be in Tokyo by now."

And so Keegan and Steve headed there as well.