Chapter 37: A Reflection of the Past

Date: November 25, 3007
Time: 15:30
Location: Navasota Island

The sun beat down upon the tiny spec of land jutting out of the blue ocean like the devil’s cauldron. A cool breeze tangoed through the hot sandy beach, curving in and out of the palm trees like a snake. But the sand was discolored, drenched in the crimson and twisted solution of salt water and blood.

Out in the distance, hundreds of black specs of metal loomed on the horizon. Ships of all shapes and sizes surrounded the tiny island of Navasota like bees around honey. The Dominion was obviously planning their second wave of attack. But I didn’t care right now. I had, at last, one moment of peace and quiet, and by god, no one was going to ruin it.

I placed my hand flat on the beach and enclosed a handful of sand in my palms. Slowly, I lifted the granules up and let them sift down through the gaps in my fingers. My eyes followed their descent back onto the earth; it reminded me strangely of life, seeping through my fingers with each passing second. And soon, they were all gone, mixing and melding back with the trillions of other bits of sand, unrecognizable and indistinguishable.

Closing my eyes, I lay back and laid my head down on the ground. The sand felt like a mattress, adjusting itself to the curvature of my back. It almost reminded me of home, if I knew what home was. Bits and pieces of my past had come back, like a long lost friend begging for reaffirmation. But their pleas and begging have no effect: you’re already long gone, away from the world, from the good old days.

I caught a whiff of salt and blood in the air as another wave broke over, sliding across the beach until it was an inch away from my feet before residing back into the ocean’s depths. High tide was approaching fast; the water crept higher and higher every time it washed up onto the shore. I felt the first wave graze the bottom of my black combat boots.

In my mind, I started to create a mental force field around my body so I would not get wet, but then held back. I didn’t care anymore if I got wet. In fact, a nice cool swim in the ocean would feel reinvigorating and refreshing. But this was no crystal clear pool in the Magic Trees of Ellinia. It was a literal bloodbath.

Slowly but gently, the waves lapped up, first at my legs, then up to my thighs. The bloody water was surprisingly cool to the touch, though it somehow started to stain my black environmental suit a dark red. The cyan power servos in my suit started to fade as my mind went into a dream-like state. I could see little pieces of my past fly past me as if I was watching a silent movie, but I couldn’t quite grasp it. Something, some entity or anomaly seemed to be distancing my memories from me again, as if trying to make me forget again. A second initiation into the Shadow Academy.

The water was up to my fingers now, yet I continued to lie there, still as a statue. I dug into the sand with the tips of my fingers, squeezing the sand as hard as I could as if I was trying to break it. Memories were not meant for Shadows. They hurt like a point blank shot straight in the face. They wanted me to stop, to stop breathing, to end my life. I wanted them to end, to stop, to go back into the black chasms from whence they came.

Gradually, the bloody water submerged my torso until only the top of my face and chest remained above the waterline. I felt my hair sway back and forth with the tide like drags of seaweed caught in a small current. My skin tingled pleasantly; some part of me was actually enjoying this, wanting the ocean to envelop my entire body and take me away.

But then, my peace was interrupted by the only one on the island who could. Cursing under my breath, I slowly got up, letting the water slide down my black suit back into the sea. She called again, her voice a piercing staccato in my eardrums. What the hell do you want, Rena?

But I knew before she answered me, for I saw them right there, bearing down on the island on all sides. We were surrounded once more, by the Dominion’s numbers, ready to fight to the death for their single objective. How ironic how their greatest weapon had become their greatest enemy.

Nova, regroup to the mountains, Rena called out to me from her mind. I took one last look of the black wall steadily gaining ground as they sped towards the island in their rocky landing crafts. Then, I turned my feet in the sand and sauntered back into the cover of the shady palm trees, into the tall lush grass, and out of sight.

I guess what they say is true: you don’t appreciate what you have until you lose it. Right then, I hated Rena for disturbing me, for jolting me out of my memories no matter how horrid and unwanted they were. I strode through the tall grass; the tips of my fingers brushed the tips of the green blades. The mountains loomed up ahead through the tops of the trees. I could feel them already mounting the slope, but behind me, I felt the first footfalls of the Dominion’s men as they stepped off of their landing crafts into the bloody sand.

Somehow, I made it to the base of the mountains in an unusually short amount of time. The irony of Einstein’s theory of time being relative to the individual flashed through my mind. As the land slopped upwards, I picked up my pace. Getting caught by the Dominion was not something I intended to be. I had no time to get caught.

The Eden were prepping their weapons to counter the next assault as I reached the top of a cliff overlooking the entire island. As I ran up through the soldiers, I felt each of their eyes and minds follow me as if I was some kind of freak. Trying to ignore this unpleasant but expected greeting, I found Rena and Mikhail talking by the edge of the cliff. The squad that Damiver was in was settled to my left, right next to the slope of the mountain. I felt his eyes fix on me and never let go.

“What the hell happened to you?” Mikhail chuckled with a hearty tone as he saw my body and my stained suit. I waved the question off, making a mental note to hit Mikhail the next time he tried to be witty.

“They’ve landed and are advancing,” I informed as my eyes turned to the beach off in the distance swarming with black dots resembling ants around a ruined anthill.

“Yes, I can see that,” Mikhail replied, turning his gaze from the beach back to me, “We will set up our base of operations here on the mountainside. A strong defense is the best offense. And if worse comes to worse, we’ll press them there into the open field,” he pointed down to the south where a lustrous grassy field stretched on and on, surrounded on all sides by the dark green forest.

“Where do you want me and Rena?” I asked solemnly, still staring out into the opening. Somehow, something about this plan seemed folly, as if I knew it was not going to work.

“Who am I to tell you what to do?” he replied with a grin and casually walked off. He was a bastard, but he knew when to stop his authority. Smart guy.

Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. At the same time, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I whipped around to face Damiver’s piercing eyes. “Yes?”

“Can I speak with you?” he asked quietly. I frowned in confusion, but allowed myself to be steered away from the Eden and the squad. We walked in silence across the cliff do another side of the mountain. I could still hear the muffled voices of the Eden in the distance when we stopped. He turned to face me.

“Nova…” he whispered. I sensed something hesitant in his wavering voice. Focusing my mind, I delved into his thoughts. But something blocked me, as if he was wearing a Telepathy-Screen. I felt my mind being gently forced out of his own.

“What is it?” I replied uncertainly. I was left alone in the dark. A shadow of a doubt lingered on in my mind.

“I don’t know,” he turned away from me to stare out into the horizon, “It’s just been so long since we’ve met. There’s something I feel, something I can’t quite put my hands on.” He turned back to face me, “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

I noticed him shift closer to me as he talked. The ragged green bandana on his head fluttered effortlessly in the wind. It was then that I noticed tears had welled up in his eyes.

“Damiver, it’s been so long, I don’t know what to say,” I replied in a quiet manner. The tears in his eyes gave my heart a sudden jolt of emotion. It felt like a dam breaking; all of the feelings that have been covered up in my years of being a Shadow broke out and flooded my body. I started to shiver.

“Kiss me,” he stated bluntly.

“Damiver…” But I was cut short as he lunged forwards and grabbed me closer to him. One of his hands was around my back while the other caressed my blonde hair. I felt his lips press firmly into mine and never let go. Closing my eyes, I blocked out the smell of blood on my suit. Tears of my own had squeezed past my shut eyelids. For a Shadow, I was certainly feeling a hell of a lot of human emotions right now.

I broke away, sniffling. “Please Damiver, don’t…” I remembered what it was like before. How he had rescued me from the brink of destruction. How he had cared for me as we lived together in El Nath. How he had never violated or disrespected me. How he said I meant everything to him. How he gave everything, even his life for me. But now, I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Nova, I love you,” he whispered as he pressed his forehead against mine.

“Please, please don’t say that,” I sniffled, “Don’t talk like that ever. Don’t talk like you’re going away and never coming back.” For a Shadow, I sounded pretty pathetic.

“Nova, I’m never going to leave you.”

“Promise me you won’t leave me.”

“I promise.”

Date: August 1, 3005
Time: 21:00
Location: Kerning City

Damiver was engulfed in a white light. Heavenly voices floated above him like the calling of angels. He tried to open his eyes, but realized his eyelids were already apart. The light parted, revealing the world around him.

He lay on a bed with a thickly stained bandage wrapped around his head. The pounding in his brain was unbearable, but Damiver could not move. It was as if something was tying him down to the hospital bed.

“It’s a miracle you survived, Mr. Lazin,” someone spoke from up above. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a man holding a clip board and dressed in a white doctor’s coat. Damiver tried to speak but his mouth wouldn’t obey him.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Lazin, the anesthetics will wear off eventually. For the time being, just rest a while. We couldn’t get the bullet out; you will have to wear it for the rest of your life. There should be no mental damage as it miraculously did not hit any vital part of your cerebral cortex or cerebellum. Be thankful!”

Damiver was all but thankful. He wanted to die. His home was destroyed, his body was destroyed, now Nova was in the process of being destroyed. The will to live was slim to none. Yet somehow, someone up there had decided it wasn’t his time yet.

“Dr. Argali, please report to room 1337.” The doctor gave Damiver one final nod and then strode out of the room, leaving him alone in the shadows.

Damiver closed his eyes; his mind wandered and somehow, Nova was there with him again. He remembered holding her in his arms one night sitting in front of the crackling fireplace in their small cabin above El Nath. It was so cold outside, it seemed almost impossible for any warmth to exist. But for the first time in a long time, he felt warm with Nova.

He remembered stroking her blonde hair silently as the fire danced a ballet amidst the wood. Her hair smelled of tropical berries, reminding him of the life he never had. A feeling of security and peace lingered in the quiet air. It was perfect, a picturesque moment.

But now all that was gone. He opened his eyes to face the black ceiling again. He remembered he said something to her, but his mind went blank. Damiver’s head started to hurt. Whatever it was he said to her, he felt it was the most important thing in his life. Damiver did not go to sleep for a long time.

Date: November 25, 3007
Time: 17:00
Location: Navasota Island

The Dominion’s armored vehicles were crashing through the trees. They had reached the edge of the clearing and now open to fire. I looked over at Mikhail from my vantage point higher up on the mountain. There was a maniacal glint in his eyes. He held his right hand up to signal a hold.

“EDEN HIDE!” he roared. Mikhail’s deep voice rang through the entire island, rebounding on every rock and tree. I smiled as I felt the Dominion’s men’s confusion at the sudden resounding of the booming voice.

The next moment, the once filled mountain side was bereft of all life except for the squad. A rumbling started to shake the mountain as the tanks plowed through the tall grass in the opening. The closer they advanced, the more I could read from their minds. A brainwashed hatred and sense of revenge floated into my mind. I knew that deep inside, the soldiers didn’t have a clue to what was going on. It was just the Dominion acting with their bodies, forcing them to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

War was upon us. We had passed the point of no return the moment I stepped on the island. I remembered how not even a day ago, I was still onboard the SS Vigilant, prepping my S-36 to kill the very man standing next to me. Funny how things change in such a short amount of time. The board is set, and the pieces are moving.