Chapter 1 Ground Control
Emily Taylor felt like shit. Everything in her world suddenly seemed a dull grey. She went through the motions. She did her duty. She carried on. But, none of it held any true meaning any longer.
It all seemed so empty. So hopeless. So futile, somehow.
It had only been four days and already she was beginning to doubt. To question..to lose hope.
She had made a promise to Hayes though. So, she knew she would continue as best she was able. There was no other choice.
The very thought made her dread awakening. Not that she slept much. The nightmares were so vivid and real.
She dreaded sleeping. She dreaded the 'awake' time.
She missed him so much. She never thought she could miss anyone as much as she missed that son-of-a-bitch.
Depression weighed heavily on her mind. This was hard. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. The worse thing she had ever experienced. She had promised, but in reality?
Were the kid not a factor? She thought maybe she might just go out and let the damned Analyrian shoot her and have done.
That would be so much easier than what the woman was going through now. And she knew it would get worse with each day that passed. Each day that she was forced to...
"They kill Victor off on the Young and The Restless?"
Emily's system jangled jarringly, her head jerking around as her eyes flew open wide.
The man was sauntering across the cafeteria, throwing his duffle bag on a nearby table as he passed, his eyes alight with mischief.
"Or..." Jedediah Hayes kept his voice low, for a few other occupants dotted the room here and there, all grinning widely for they knew..they were about to witness one hell of a 'reunion'. "You just missing a nice, thick.." The man leaned nuzzling the woman's nose and forehead in open affection. "Cock."
Emily dropped the cup she was about to pour coffee into, along with the plastic container of creamer, her arms clenching tightly about Hayes's neckline as she buried her face in the warmth of the man's essence.
She clung to the man for dear life, her world falling into place as the familiar scent of his cologne filled her nostrils.
Hayes closed his eyes, his arms crushing the slight body tightly to his. "Hello baby." He whispered hoarsely. "Miss me?"
"A-Are you k-kidding?" Emmy tried to stop the tears of joy from falling unto the man's shirt collar, refusing to unclench her fists from the fabric of his clothing just yet. "It's b-been heavenly quiet for a c-change!"
"Yeah?" Jed pulled back slightly to challenge her bravado. "What's this then?" His thumb swiped her cheeks with a gentle sweep. "You fucking liar." He grinned down at her flushed, beautiful face. The face he had seen repeatedly of late in his dreams. "You missed me..you know you did!"
"I..." She thought about lying but the relief she was feeling was simply too overwhelming. "W-Well, maybe just a little bit, then."
"Yeah..right." The Marine kissed her soundly and of long duration, a lot of the pent up tension and stress released in that one single action on both parts. "Whatever." He murmured contentedly at the end of the caress, his eyes for her alone.
The reunion was rudely interrupted by several hearty 'well-wishers' and more than interested 'on-lookers' that had gathered slowly around the two individuals.
"Hey, Chief! Welcome back!" Brody was the first to pull the two apart, offering a 'bear hug' of his own. None of that 'clingy girly stuff' of course, it had been a manly gesture. One bad ass guy to another.
"What the hell? You back so soon?" William Forbes was all smiles.
"We thought we'd get to piss off for at least another week or so." MacAroy chimed his two cents in, shaking Hayes's hand, almost taking it off at the wrist.
"What's in the duffle bag?" Ramirez was snooping into the contents even as he asked the question. He pulled the objects out, laying them on the table after he had examined them himself. "What the hell? Is that one of the Lyrian’s laser weapons??"
"Hey..I won the freakin pool!" Coletti balled his fist in a 'victory' gesture. "I guessed the correct day you'd come waltzing in!"
"What was it like?" Forbes wanted to know. "Did you really time travel? Man, how damned cool is that?"
"Oh please." Calli Hertz rolled her eyes. "He was probably at some bar drunk out of his mind for the last four days."
“Who’s the red head?” Hayes didn’t know that cute little bundle. Not at all. Some things had changed around here.
“You just never mind about her.” Emily’s brows lifted in a definite warning. “She’s spoken for.” she crooked her head to William Forbes. “Off limits...asshole.”
"Where's Orion?" MacAroy asked more quietly.
"Hey..one at a time." Hayes shoved through the throng, holding tight to Emily's hand as he dragged her along with him. "Debriefing in one hour. All the gory details will be revealed. Let a guy re-acclimate, can't ya?!" He turned at the entrance of the room. "Brody, get those things up to Isley. He will know what to do with them."
"Got Cha, Oh Revered One." Brody was off to his assigned duty.
"Yeah, but, did you really time travel?" Forbes asked enthusiastically.
"People can't 'time travel' except that guy on the Time Machine movie..that is just sooooo stupid!" Calli demanded someone listen to her point of view. "That's about as stupid as Coletti winning the pot, because you didn't, you big puke! Your guess ended at twelve o'clock which means my guess started..so pay up, you cheap ass bastard."
"Shut up, Big Ass! The Major is talking." Coletti advised curtly, swapping the women upside the head with a beefy 'tap' that made Calli retaliate with a swift kick to his shins.
"ENOUGH!" Forbes stepped between the two, physically halting the ruckus.
"Where is Orion?" MacAroy's face showed the seriousness of the question which quieted the interplay.
"Orion is fine..he made it!" Hayes was all too happy to report. "Everything is cool now, let me have a few minutes, huh?"
"Freakin COOL!" Coletti threw a good-natured arm around Calli Hertz' head, giving her a meaningful 'noogie'. "Un-Freakin..Believable! Hey, Big Ass?"
Calli bit the man in the abdomen...meaningfully, which brought a 'meaningful' howl of pain from her nemesis, who swiped at the woman's head yet again, this time with more menace behind the gesture.
Forbes separated the two once again. Pushing Coletti hard to the side. Then turning the woman with a 'meaningful' shove. "OUT! Go do something!" He commanded her.
"What? There's nothing to do!" She pouted loudly.
"Find something and Coletti, if you don't leave her alone, I'm going to kick YOUR big ass! You got me?"
"You always take her side." Coletti voiced his grievances to any and all. "She's a girl! She shouldn't even BE here!"
"What am I, Coletti?" Emily wanted to know, her eyes having narrowed slightly at the other man. "You dumb ass?"
"Well, you're with him." Coletti motioned to Hayes. "You're a package. Big Ass ain't with no one, so, she shouldn't be allowed to be here."
"Bite my Big Ass, Coletti." Calli Hertz suggested. "And give me my money!" She advanced on the man threateningly. Coletti sighed heavily but dipped into the pockets of his fatigues after a noticeable pause. "You lousy poor loser you!"
"I'm paying already! Shut the fuck up!" The man grumbled. "What the hell you going to do with this stuff? It's worth nothing anymore, idiot!" He forked over the allotted winnings begrudgingly.
"It's the principle of the thing." Calli happily counted her 'money'.
Hayes shook his head, sighing mentally. "And to think, I actually was beginning to miss all this."
The small crowd began to disperse good-naturedly, sensing their leader needed some 'down time' with his woman. With a few 'good to have you backs' and smiles of 'welcome home' lingering in the air.
"As long as I was one of the things you were missing." Emily searched the brown eyes that shifted to hers sacredly, seeking an answer she desperately needed.
Jedediah pulled her close, turning, walking down the corridor, his arm about her waist, matching his steps to her smaller ones. "You'll never know just how much, precious." He nuzzled the blonde tresses gently. "It was hell! Sheer fucking...hell!"
Even the very sound of his voice thrilled the woman no end, she was loathe to admit, if only to herself.
The man spread his hand over her stomach, his touch a possessive one. "How's the little line backer?"
"Giving ME hell! Just like his old man." The woman had glanced to the contact, her hand covering the man's, holding it stationary. "And he's going to be a hockey player. Football is for pussies!"
"Speaking of pussies." Hayes pushed the woman into a small corridor which housed an electrical outlet unit. He took her into his arms, embracing her securely, his eyes devouring the beauty of her features. "Can you guess what I'm thinking along about now?"
Emily pulled the man's head down for her kiss, the sweetness of her mouth melting all the tenseness from his body. He relaxed into her, his bulk shielding their activity from any prying eyes..not that there were any in the corridor at present.
"Make me believe you, Jedediah." She whispered her urgency. "I am so glad you are home, you jerk, you!" Emily held tight to the solidness of the man. "I am so..." her throat tightened with the threat of tears so she shut the hell up.
"Yeah?" He dipped his head to read her face, his fingers moving the stray tendrils of her hair behind her ears. "Well, I think I'm going to have to test that statement." He leaned away slowly, his eyes showing his confidence. "Come along little girl! I have some candy for you."
He grinned slowly down at her. "Think you might want a taste?"
She tried very hard not to be amused but, in the end, she hit his shoulder..meaningfully. "You are impossible! What the hell do I see in you?" She shook her head negatively, smiling her happiness.
"Come on." He tugged her unresisting form toward his quarters. "I'll refresh your memory."
ALREADY THE EMBRYO GROWS...THIS IS A GOOD THING, YES?
"We have the DNA." Amun was busy attending to the experiment. "It seems to be progressing well. I have had many procedures go awry far beyond this stage but.." The being glanced thoughtfully to the glass encased tank that served for the biological 'home' for the creature which grew within it's fluid filled confides. "Never have I had such a viable base from which to proceed."
YOU SEE...IT IS NOT A CLONE AT ALL. IT IS HUMAN. ONE OF MANY, HOPEFULLY.
IT IS FUTILE TO THINK THE ANALYRIANS MIGHT BE DEFEATED BUT FOR MEN LIKE MAJOR HAYES AND THIS ONE.
"Orion seems to be favored by The Divine One, it is true." Amun agreed. "My interests do not lie with the Analyrian, of course. But, I understand that your society must have leaders if it is to overcome Set and His kind."
IN YOUR WORLD, AS IN MINE. WHAT OTHER RACE HAS MANAGED TO OVERCOME SUCH ODDS? NONE, CORRECT?
"As I stated. Orion seems to be touched by the Hand of Fate. One cannot explain such things." Amun sighed. "If, indeed, such things need explaining at all. It is better to accept what 'is'..then proceed accordingly."
ORION IS UNIQUE. WE POSSESS HIS DNA. MALIK CARRIES HIS CHILD BUT I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT CHILD TO GROW TO ADULTHOOD. ALREADY MANY HUMANS BELIEVE THE ANALYRIAN WAY IS PREORDAINED. THEY ACCEPT INSTEAD OF FIGHT.
"Humans are adaptable creatures. But Evil in any form must be resisted." The Reth added the ingredient to the 'ingestion tube' slowly, it's green liquid flowed from the medical apparatus into the small humanoid creature that floated so lifelessly in the murky fluid of the tank. "If a Race is to survive, it must maintain the balance between the opposing forces. We are past such trivial things. We have conquered much..and still we face extinction."
IF I CAN BE OF ASSISTANCE.
"I have hope that this experiment might give new insight into my hypothesis concerning a method of..."
IT MOVES!
Amun’s large eyes shifted slowly to the 'experiment'. He watched the embryo methodically for some few moments.
The small being seemed to stretch and squirm jerkily at one point, causing the Reth to widen it's stare in wonder.
The miniature creature continued to wiggle about in it's liquid home, it's limbs lashing out, as if to thwart some unseen villain perhaps.
IS THIS NOT MIRACULOUS, BEING? WHAT IS IT THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED?
"It is early." The Reth did not impress so easily. "Time alone, will attest to our failure..or success."
Solomon Orion floated in a dream like state. It was pleasant here. Quiet. Peaceful.
He knew soon, he would have to awaken. He had an early morning wake up call. There was so much to do,.so much to accomplish. And a part of him was looking forward to the challenge. He felt reinvigorated.
The man opened his eyes slowly. He was naked under his blanket. He glanced down, feeling the scratchy material of the coarse wool against his skin. What the hell...army life. Or rather, well, close enough anyway. Air Force life.
He stretched, kinking his back this way and that. It felt good. The man sighed, glancing about for his clock. It was one of those that you had to wind up. He pulled the rounded surface closer, the darkness of the room making it difficult to see the hands.
He fumbled on the table beside the cot, his hand finding the familiar lines of a flashlight. The illumination showed, four-thirty eight.
He had a few minutes yet. It was cold in the room, and he shivered a bit, tugging the blankets up on his shoulders again to rid his body of the sensation. The warmth of the wool engulfed him and it was welcomed.
Damned place. They needed to find a permanent source of heat for the OCS. One that actually worked occasionally. It was just one of many problems he would have to tackle on this God-forsaken planet.
He lay, basking in the warmth offered him though, his mind wandering.
So, the plan had failed and he was still here, in this alternate time line. On this alternate Earth. It didn't mean he was giving up. It just meant ..a postponement. It wasn't so bad here. He had Malik and they were..well, the man smiled in remembrance.
They were close. Very close.
That part was just fine.
Not that it changed the fact, he wanted to get back to the real Irina Malik..Hell no!
It just meant this place wasn't sooooo bad.
Not any longer.
And these people needed him. The fucking Analyrian were in control. Set was head honcho, for the time being. Solomon was determined to change all that shit.
He had defeated the bastard once. He could do it again. And this time, he had Hayes as well as his other guys.
Solomon threw off the blankets, grabbed his boxers, stepping into the green cotton absently. He pulled his fatigues up over well-muscled legs and threw on a matching green tee shirt.
Breakfast, such as it would be, and a shower, were the order of the day
Not necessarily in that order. He wasn't sure. He would decide as things progressed.
It was Day One of...how many? He wondered, as he opened the door to his quarters and made his way out into the corridors of his beloved OCS.
Well, technically, it was, the man scratched his head as he strolled to the shower area which was two floors down and to the left.
Day Three? No...Four. Yeah..Day Four. Or maybe Five.
Solomon would check with Malik. She was great with numbers. She was great with a lot of cool things. Things he had only imagined and dreamed about before.
She would know. She knew everything under the sun.
Solomon started to whistle as he walked. Even the dim lights overhead in the rather claustrophobic corridors could not dampen his spirits. The tune he tried his hand at was...Rocket Man. The irony made him smile inwardly.
Ground Control to Major Tom.
If he wasn't in 'outer space' now, he never had been. Solomon Orion shook his head, grabbing a towel off the stack that was always available outside the men's shower area entrance, heading for his assigned locker.
Anthony Coletti looked up from lacing his boots, his mouth falling agape, his hands halting their endeavors instantly as his eyes locked with the brown ones of Colonel Solomon Orion.
Solomon threw the young man a 'what's up your ass' look then continued on to his locker which was across the way a bit.
Two rolls of benches sectioned off the riff- raff from the elite. Which meant..the Majors from the Colonels.
Solomon felt Coletti's stare which made the man a little ill-at-ease undressing for such a weird audience. "What the hell is your problem, Coletti? You put something in my locker again? Something that's going to get your ass kicked from one end of this base to the other??"
Solomon felt the need to question such attention. "Like last time?"
"He..." Coletti found his voice. "He said...you were...you had..."
"Who said?" Orion's good mood was fading rapidly but Coletti often had that effect on him. "You on that shit again? Stop blabbering and spit it out, man! Getting a little nipply here!"
"Hayes!" Coletti looked around for someone to verify what his senses were telling him. "He said you guys had made it to the other place! To...the other Earth."
Solomon turned back, putting his shirt on the top shelf of the locker. "That's right! We did. I'm not really standing here. It's the shit you smoke all the time, messing with your head. Go find Doc Andrews. She'll put you straight. Tell her I sent you."
Coletti made a bee line out of the showers. He intended to do just that. Find someone to put his head straight. To explain why Solomon Orion was taking his clothes off in the shower area. He needed someone to do that right now. He needed it really badly.
This was not fucking funny. Not fucking funny at all. Coletti knew 'funny' and this...wasn't it!
