Part I
As I regained consciousness the ringing in my skull slowly faded away. My eyes opened and I saw the settled dust on Cassandra’s still absent face. One by one I tried to activate every joint and muscle in my body. Slowly everything that was once shut down awakened. My pulse, the alarms, and the shooting, radiating pain throughout my body all danced together in unison matching rhythm - a painful cadence. Standing over Cassandra’s body I was weak but found strength in the soft peace in her face.
It reminded me of this morning, when we woke facing each other I stared at her face for what felt like a lifetime. Traced the pores, outlining the topography of her face so I’d never forget what her beauty looked like. I reached my hand out to caress her face and she slowly exited her sleep. Her smile eclipsing the ray of sunshine that pierced through the shade covering our condominium window.
I touched her face similarly now plowing a path through the caked layer of dust that settled and boded with the sweat. I called out to her and heard my voice muffled at first:
“Cassandra?”
i grabbed the other side of her face with my other hand now - worried she wouldn’t come to.
“Casssandra!”
She gasped for breath like she was surfacing after ascending in a body of water. Quick, slowly metered breaths. She kicked her legs and crawled frantically. Screaming in fear.
“Cassandra! It’s okay!” I tried to consul her.
“Cassandra. It’s me. Your awake. Your here. Are you hurt?”
She looked up at me initially with rabid fear but after my words she stopped the kicking a crawling. The pace of her breathe slowed down.
“My arm!” she screamed.
I grabbed her and carefully dragged her to a wall carefully and promptly leaning her against it. She held her left arm with her right. Looking around at the red lights that illuminated the hallway to the prompt of the alarm.
“You don’t have time, Damian!” she looked up at me
“The alarm. It’s been raised. You have to go!” she said looking around her eyes meeting mine.
She could sense my concern. The look in my eyes sayingfuck the mission, i want to be with you forever.She broke the gaze with a hesitant dart like a lover does with your hand on the small of her back in a crowded room when she wants to keep the affection secret.
“How long have we been unconscious” she said to me as I analyzed her body - ignoring her redirection.
“Damian!” she screamed to get through to me.
“I’m not leaving you” I said in a low calm tone while looking her deep in her caramel eyes - she sighed grabbing my hand.
“Damian, you have to go. I saw someone, he was here. I don’t know what he’s trying to do - stop the launch? Go himself? I don’t know.” she let go of my hand and tried to prop herself up straighter against the wall with one arm as I helped her.
“I’ll reset my arm and be right behind you and if I don’t make it before the launch...” she continued my arms still glued to her she lifted her uninjured arm and grabbed my hand once more a squeezed.
“..you’ll have to let me go.” my body filled with heat. Burning like the sun.
“No. No. Get up. I’m.. I’m not..” I continued trying to fight the logic.
“You are and you will. That’s an order Damian” she said coldly.
We sat in the silence of each others voices. Just the gaze between us. Devoid of all the feelings, all the love - just the mission. That’s why they tell you in academy not to fraternize with other officers. It breeds complications in the end. I hated this part of our existence this part ofthe mission.I hated even more that she’s right - fuck I hate it when she’s right and I hate even more that she see’s the look on my face when I accept defeat. Knowing that I had contemplated and accepted she reached her hand out to caress my face. Similar to this morning in the condo - similar to how I drew the line in the desert on her face just moments before.
“You better fucking make it!” she said as a tear barreled down the other side of her face making a similar path down her cheek as my finger did on the other.
“You better fucking launch that ship. I’ll be right behind you” she said as I lifted myself up on two feet checked my waistband for my weapon. Pulled it out turned away and didn’t look back. I rounded the corner. Lights and alarms still pulsing. I heard a scream come from down the hall. Cassandra must have reset her arm by now and should recover from the pain soon. I came to a ladder and at the top would be a doorway and through it the pad from which the ship is launched.
After climbing the stair I approached the door which had a small window erected vertically where the glow of a screen can be seen. A figure operating a computer screen inside. No one should’ve been here at the pad. I held my weapon up cautiously as I opened the door slowly to reveal a man standing at the flight coordination panel of the pads computer that connected to the on-ship systems. As the door closed a latch sound was made as the door banged against the frame and the pin locked in it’s hole. The figure looked up sharply at me as I had the gun pointed straight at him.
“Move away from the computer!” I directed to him. He turned to face me with a face I’ve never seen before. I command many - memorized a majority of them. This face I’d never seen before. He didn’t turn like a ensign, and enlisted soldier, or even a petty officer. With his expressions and his stature he carried himself like someone more - even when he spoke.
“Damian Riveria, famed engineer, general scientists, and major general of the Unified Nation Aero-Space Force. A lot people don’t know you for the ladder title, do they?” he started. His words measured. His voice clear of fear.
“Who are you and what are you doing on this platform - no one was scheduled for maintenance or R&D right now.” I responded.
“Here’s to me thinking you’d think I was part of the maintenance crew - no bother. I’ve made it my business to find out all there is to know - glad to finally meet you.” he said holding out his hand for me to shake it. I backed away sharply the iron still pointed center mass.
“Who are you?” I said with the faintest hint of urgency and worry in my voice. His shoulder’s dropped as if annoyed to be even asked the question.Who the fuck does this guy think he is?
“My name should be of no importance to you - I’m effectively invisible. What’s more important is what I represent.” he said carefully starting a pace while I moved with him.
“Freedom.. Impossibility.. Immortality..” he said as he pushed a button on the pad he grabbed off of the computer rig when he turned to face me as the doors to the pad opened to reveal the dark night sky of Earth riddled with stars. He gazed upon them and I grew tired of waiting for his compliance. I walked quickly towards him to close the gap and he quickly dodged back and pulled a gun from his back pointing it at me.
“Enough..” I said as the meeting of our barrels on a mutually assured path to lethality stopped me in my tracks.
“Ahh ahh ahh. Do not. Move. One More. Step.” he said sternly as gun fire when off in the distance where I just previously left Cassandra. I started to worry my attention now split between completing the mission or going back out that door to see to it that Cassandra made it. The ship systems started to go online and the doors to the launch pad were now a quarter of the way open. This is when I realized that once the doors were fully open and the ship had successfully cycled all systems on as a fail safe the doors to the pad would lock and Cassandra would be trapped without a way to make it on board if she doesn’t make it.
