Author’s Note: Infamous scene time! And for those of you guys who don’t know what I’m talking about, just read .

Episode-38: The Island‘s Mysteries

Date: November 26, 3008
Time: 23:55
Location: Navasota Island

~Nova~

The feeling of his fingertips across my skin made me smile. We stood there in the night, the wind ruffling the tall grass around us, in such a tight embrace that I never wanted to let go. He was here, he was actually here. Damiver was actually by my side again.

“I missed you,” he whispered with a smile.

“As did I…” I replied quietly, then pressed my lips firmly upon his. In my mind, I could start to hear the voices of the others, the ones long overdue. Their confused murmuring calmed me. My mind was starting to regain its former strength. And it was all because of him.

When we broke away, I saw Naz and Lily start to herd the crash survivors into the stone portal that led down underground into the lagoon. Then, something struck my mind, and I whipped around at a quizzically smiling face.

“Damiver, I want you to meet Natalie,” I said with a huge grin upon my face. He reached for her hand and nodded once. “She’s my sister.”

With that, his eyes suddenly froze, their hands immobilized in midair. “Your sister?” he stuttered, as if unable to accept the fact.

“Yes,” my eyebrows furled in confusion, “Why?”

“I… I didn’t know…”

There was something in his voice that worried me, but I still couldn’t look into his thoughts.

“It’s nothing,” he finally replied with a firm voice and wrapped his arms around me shoulders, “Let’s get inside before it gets any colder.” I didn’t buy his mock confidence.

The three of us emerged into the cave. Everyone else was already settled in their little niches around the lagoon. The Silver Talon bobbed up and down silently as a number of survivors gawked at it with baby eyes. I could hear their awed thoughts as they stared at the sleek silver hull, massive plasma engines, and black tinted windows.

“Hey,” someone tapped me on the shoulder. Whipping around, I came face to face with Naz, who was pointing a finger towards the sick bay. “Follow me.”

We strolled into the tiny white room and Lily shut the door behind us. The others were already there, waiting. Though I could not see into their minds, I knew where this meeting was going.

“Who’s she?” Felix asked, pointing at Natalie.

Before I could reply, Natalie piped up, “I’m Nova’s sister, b****.” I disguised a sudden burst of laughter into a hacking cough.

“Right,” Mikhail replied, his eyes full of gleeful wonder,” Anyways, Russ has just informed me on Fenris’ whereabouts. It seems he’s landed in the forests of Sleepywood. Heat signatures show that he is heavily guarded, but there’s a powerful spike of energy here,” he pointed at the computer monitor that was supposed to be used for medical purposes only.

“Fenris is…” Damiver began to explain to Natalie, but she stopped him with a palm.

“I know… I know everything,” Natalie whispered. All sets of eyes flew towards her. She looked around, her eyes pausing on me pleadingly, then continued, “Ever since I touched your skin, I felt everything you felt, saw everything you saw. Your memories have become mine. I don’t know why, but it just is…”

I gave her hand an extra squeeze. It was probably better to tell her I was a Shadow now than later. Sighing deeply, I started, “Natalie, remember the Nexon Dominion?” She nodded once, “Well they had a headquarters in low orbit around the planet called The Academy. That’s where they trained me to be what they called a Shadow. Basically, I’m a telepath, privacy is a relative term to me. I have the thoughts of millions of people all stored in my brain. They trained me to keep that under control, to suppress the white noise in order for me to maintain control of my mind.”

Her face was puzzled, as if I had just finished speaking another language. Sighing, I rolled my eyes and muttered, “Here I guess it’s best to show you.” I pressed my fingertips into her skin, and instantly the memories started to fly again. I could see my first day at The Academy, the drilling, the practices, the concentration, the physical conditioning, everything. Brief images of the obstacle course, the dummy weapons, the objects they made us levitate, even the food in the mess hall streamed from my mind to hers. It felt like hours, days, before I let go. Finally, a few seconds later, I staggered away, my breath shallow and sharp.

“That’s… that’s quite something,” Natalie whispered without looking at me. There were tears in her eyes.

“Well now that you know,” Mikhail uncertainly picked back up, “We have to make haste and end this now. Fenris cannot be allowed to wreak any more havoc on the world.” He looked at his watch. I saw his eyes flit nervously to Natalie and me, meaning for me not to see. Then, Mikhail cleared his throat, “We regroup at 0600 hours. Sleep tight.” Naz pressed a switch next to the door and the metal slid open. One by one, they all filed out until only I was left with Natalie.

“I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances,” I sighed glumly, “I… I wish…”

“It’s ok, Nova,” she replied, patting my arm. I cringed as she said my name. It felt as if my name were foreign coming from her lips. “Everything that happens, happens for a reason right?” She smiled again and strolled back out into the cave towards a brunette, a tall, lanky man, and a shorter, more muscular man. I read their names in my mind, but did not seem to care anymore. I did not need any more memories in my already too crowded mind.

“Let’s go,” Damiver’s voice suddenly appeared by my side, making me jump. I desperately needed my full Mental Potency back…

The corridors all seemed familiar, as if I had walked them yesterday. It did not even seem like a year since I had seen this place. Damiver had my hand, steering me in a predetermined direction. As we twisted and turned through the underground passages of Navasota Island, my mind spewed out a flurry of flashbacks.

Suddenly, I was looking at a lone door, just like the others lining the hallway, but this one was different, felt different. Damiver twisted the doorknob and entered the shadows without turning on the lights. A cold draft floated across the room, making the hairs on my arms stand up on end. Goosebumps.

Then, it hit me.

“Is this… is this where we…?” I asked in disbelief, looking around the room.

“The night we met again?” Damiver replied with a smile on his face, “Yes, honey it is.”

How could I forget? I had thought he was dead; I saw the bullet sear into his skull. And a year ago, exactly a year ago, we were reunited once again. I could still see the look in his eyes, the disbelief that he felt that I was standing in front of him in the forests of Navasota. I still remembered the disbelief that I felt when I saw him, a ghost in my past. Now I had a bullet in my head too. We should have been dead, but here we stood, in the same room that left so many feelings in me…

And before I could respond, he was by me, his arms wrapped around my waist, his lips upon my lips. I folded my arms around his neck and felt him pulling me into the room. With a slam, he kicked the door closed, his mouth never leaving mine. Damiver laid me down upon the bed, kissing my neck, making his way down to my collarbone. I smiled with pleasure as he slid down the straps of my tank top, sliding his lips along my shoulders.

My fingers tightened in his hair, pulling him closer to me. Damiver’s hands were sliding from my cheeks to my shoulders, his hands smooth against my bare skin. His lips were on my forehead now, but they found their way back to mine. His cool breath across my neck made my skin tingle excitedly. My lips moved with his.

“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered, his eyes still closed as he worked. Damiver had his hand entwined with mine, kissing my fingertips.

“Damiver…” I smiled and felt his lips return to mine. He threw his green bandana to the floor, unveiling his shaggy brown hair. Damiver’s dark brown eyes looked into mine, melting my heart away. His body melded with my curves perfectly as he kissed my eyelids. For a moment, everything was behind me, all the wrongs in my life were gone. I was free of the heavy burden. That night, it was just Damiver and me, just two lovers. Everything else dissolved away. That night, it was perfect.

Date: November 27, 3008
Time: 06:00
Location: Navasota Island

My S-36X2 Seraph Long Range Assault Rifle clacked loudly as I inserted a fresh clip. It seemed like it had been an eternity since I had held my weapon, and now I felt like the prodigal son had returned. My hands were not naked anymore.

Mikhail was at the helm again, his powerful hands piloting the Silver Talon down into the depths of the lagoon towards the opening into the sea. The others around me were checking their actions on their weapons. Naz and Lily were furiously cleaning their katanas with their cloaks. It reminded me so much of the trip we had made two days ago to the ancient research facility. A déjà vu.

“Course to Sleepywood set,” Mikhail’s voice crackled on the intercom, “Gather your wits together and hold on to your asses… We’re in for a hell of a fight.”

Natalie looked so strange and out of place as she held up her new S-16 Scarab Assault Rifle. Her hands glossed over the black barrel for the first time, yet she knew exactly where everything was and how everything worked. Being the sister of a Shadow did have its advantages.

We entered the storm soon enough as we left the boundaries of Navasota Island. The many mysteries of the island seemed to protect it from any harm. As the morning sun rose to flood the skies with brilliant rays of golden orange and red, the island disappeared into the horizon as a tiny dot of green amidst an ocean of blue. Soon, the beautiful morning sky was veiled by blackened clouds from hell. A flash of lightning streaked through the darkness, lighting the drop bay up for a brief fraction of a second. The peace and tranquility of the island faded into nothingness, replaced by the frantic wildness of the storm. We were back in the real world.