by Shae Mills
As three a.m. descended, Chelan was sick with fear. Fremma’s warning about RIBUS 7’s possible destruction pierced her mind. She fumbled around and then staggered to her feet. Her breathing was strained, and her head hurt. “Oh god, Fremma, where are you?”
She paced back and forth until finally she stumbled over a rock and came crashing to the ground. Her eyes welled. She knew the Empire too well. Someone should have been here for her. If not Fremma, then someone else. And what of the other men, both the ones on Earth and those on the dark side of the moon? Where were they?
She sprang to her feet as something cracked in the forest. Images of the shadowed figure in the stairwell burst into her thoughts. She stilled herself, knowing that calling out was not wise. Her heart was now pounding so hard, her chest hurt. But then, there was nothing.
She released the tension in her aching muscles and slumped to the ground. She coiled up against the cold and tried to concentrate. Something was desperately wrong. As the first rays of sunlight descended upon her, she was inert, her mind and body in shock. Fremma had missed the deadline, and she was stupefied. His voice rang in her ears. Months until Korba could get her. Months alone, oppressed by crushing uncertainty.
Finally, at seven a.m., she roused herself enough to stand on shaky legs. She looked over to where the fighter should have been, her eyes barely focusing. It had to be there, yet it wasn’t. She searched the heavens one last time. Some sort of calamity had befallen RIBUS 7; of that she had no doubt. But she was too tired, and indeed too terrified, to sort through all the possibilities; the ramifications were too dire to process. She needed to get back to camp and start working on alternative plans.
She slouched to pick up her pack and then began trudging back. At the periphery of the forest, she squinted out into the brightness of the clearing. There, on her favorite large rock, sat Jason. He wore only a pair of white jogging shorts, his bronze body hunched over, motionless.
Chelan stumbled out of the trees. Then, silently, she dropped her pack. Her heart bled for him and the pain she had inflicted. She closed her eyes momentarily, wondering if his anguish was as great as hers. Then she took a tentative step toward him, and then another. Finally, when she was close, she put her trembling fingers to her lips. “Jason?” she whispered.
His head shot up and he almost fell off the rock. His weary eyes focused on her, almost unbelieving. “You came back,” he croaked.
Chelan could not bring herself to explain. She simply held her arms out.
Jason leapt from the rock and grabbed her, lifting her effortlessly off the ground. “You stayed,” he uttered, and he held her as though he would never let her go. Finally he let her down and looked deep into her eyes. “Oh god, I love you, Chelan.”
Chelan sniffed back her tears. “I love you too, Jason.”
Jason’s eyes traversed her drawn face, her night of sleeplessness vividly apparent. “You need rest,” he said with concern.
Chelan nodded weakly. Her eyes were already beginning to close. Jason led her to a warm grassy area then spread out a blanket. He stripped her of her heavy coat and drew her down to the ground with him.
Chelan’s legs felt boneless, and as she sank to the blanket, she found herself wondering if Fremma was just simply late. But hard as she tried, she could not concentrate on any of the possible scenarios. Right now she needed only two things: sleep and Jason.
He lay down beside her and she curled into his warm body. He held her tightly as he pulled a sleeping bag over them both, and instantly, she slept.
Chapter 27
At 5:30 p.m., Chelan finally woke up. She strained to look around and blinked against the sloping rays. Then she peered over at the substantial campfire to where Jason squatted. She rose to her feet and moved over beside him, sitting down next to him. He smiled at her and kissed her head. Then he returned to cooking three small trout. She smiled. “Been fishing, have we?”
Jason’s warm eyes met hers. “Just a little.”
Chelan stared at the flames licking the pan where the fish sizzled. “I’m sorry I put you through so much.”
Jason nodded but continued with his work, choosing to remain silent.
Chelan hesitated. “Can you take some more time off?” she asked apprehensively.
Jason finally stopped cooking and looked at her intently. “Will you stay?”
She glanced at him. “I owe you a better explanation.”
Jason put the food down and sat back, waiting patiently.
Chelan’s stomach turned over. “The truth is I’m here because the person who was supposed to come… didn’t.”
“So you still may go?”
Chelan flinched. “I don’t know what’s happening.”
Jason returned to cooking the fish. “I’ll stay with you until whoever it is comes,” he stated flatly.
Chelan didn’t feel at all well. It was as if she was using him. It wasn’t fair, yet she feared being alone. She looked toward the forest, the dark shadows taking on sinister overtones she couldn’t begin to deal with.
Her anxiety suddenly erupted. She needed a diversion, any diversion. She sprang to her feet and started for the lake. As she walked, she kicked off her shoes and then pulled at her jeans. At the water’s edge she peeled them off along with her socks. She stood there for a moment and then knifed into the frigid water, swimming for all she was worth. She needed to numb her senses and drain herself of all emotion. She wanted time to stop, and the world to wash away.
Jason heard the splash and twisted around. He sprang to his feet and ran to the water. “Chelan!” he yelled. “It’s too cold! You’ll get hypothermic!”
But still she continued, her body seemingly immune to the icy assault.
“Chelan!” he boomed, but she did not respond.
Finally, Jason dove in, his powerful body pulsing forward with each stroke. Within minutes he caught up to the freezing woman. He grabbed her, her flesh as white as snow and her lips blue. She was torpid and went limp in his arms. He dragged her to shore and then ran with her to the fire. There he lowered her to the ground, then dashed for a towel and blanket. He skidded to a halt next to her, crouched down, and began rubbing her ashen skin with the towel.
“Damn it, Chelan.” he muttered between clenched teeth. “This isn’t August. What’s the matter with you?” He reached for her shirt. “You need to take your wet clothes off.” And he yanked the shirt over her head. Then he threw the blanket over her and drew her to him. Scrambling, he moved her as close to the fire as he dared.
Chelan finally blinked back to reality. She was not even sure what had happened. She had not thought about the water’s temperature. All she had wanted was to swim away from everything that troubled her, and before she knew it, she had been powerless in its icy grip.
Jason’s hands scrubbed over her slender body in his desperate attempt to warm her core. Chelan finally began to shiver again, and Jason felt a twinge of relief. Her body was responding.
As her feeling returned, Chelan tried to clear her weary mind. She forced herself to think. Fremma had missed the deadline—a deadline he would have missed only if something momentous had struck. Could he simply be late? The question was plaguing her, and she desperately wanted to believe in the possibility. But between the Empire’s clock-like precision and Fremma’s love for her, she knew some disaster of epic magnitude had occurred.
And what of the men on the ground? Surely, they knew what was happening. Would they not approach her, inform her of the status of the mission? Why did they seem to be missing? Was it because she was with Jason? Everything was suddenly just that much more complicated, and so amorphous.
Chelan’s teeth chattered and she hugged into Jason’s broad chest. Then he lay down, bringing her with him. He faced the fire and drew her in tight to his body so that her back was warmed by the embers, her front by him. His large hands continued to smooth over every inch of her torso. But she did not fret. For some reason she knew that no matter what, she was
safe with him.
Her thoughts returned to her dilemma. More days, weeks, or months trapped on Earth. But where? It could not be a city. That would be a calamity for Korba. The location had to be remote and isolated, or a small town. All things considered, it had to be here. Because she was with her own kind, sensors set for alien physiology would not pick her out. Added to the whole convoluted mix was the fact that the warriors assigned the task of keeping her in their sites seemed to be absent. As a result, she could not simply wander from place to place. And since she had to stay here, Jason would eventually have to leave for his work. But his departure was now an absolute necessity, and one she almost welcomed. She needed to sort this out on her own without his involvement.
She tried to take several deep and calming breaths, and then she felt his hands become still. She looked up into his eyes.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern.
Chelan scrambled up his solid body and hugged into his strong neck, burying her face in the strands of his wet hair. “Don’t let me go,” she pleaded.
Jason pulled the blanket tightly over her. He squeezed her to him. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I won’t let go.”
Chelan finally let her muscles relax and she sagged into him. Once again, sleep overtook her, and she remained in the loving arms of the giant man for the entire night.
*****
In the morning light, Chelan stirred and rolled onto her back. She looked up at the blue sky and stifled a twinge of disappointment. She was still on Earth. Maybe the Empire had been but a dream. Maybe this was reality, her only reality.
She pulled the blanket tight to her, noticing that Jason had also placed her down sleeping bag over her, protecting her against the morning dew. She ran her hands down her warm body and smiled. Held all night, yet untouched; comforted, yet not taken. Jason was a true man in every sense of the word.
Then she sat up, searching for him. She spotted him at the water’s edge, squatting down and attending to some chore. She wrapped the blanket about her and shuffled to the tent. There she reached inside and drew out a long T-shirt and a pair of jeans. She slithered into them and then walked over to her favorite rock.
She clambered on top and then hugged her knees, letting her long, tangled hair flow about her for added warmth. She watched him with curiosity, his back and arm muscles twitching with some task she could not determine. “What are you doing?” she finally asked softly.
Jason did not look at her. “Tending to some maintenance,” he replied warmly.
Chelan smiled. “Maintenance of what?”
Jason was silent for a moment. “It’s going to get hot soon. Summer’s coming…” And he stood. He turned and smiled at her.
Chelan’s jaw dropped and her legs sprang from her arm’s grip involuntarily. She lurched to keep herself from falling off the rock.
Jason blanched. “What’s the matter?” he gasped.
Chelan righted herself and tried to catch her breath. She looked at the bronze man standing before her. His right hand clutched a large hunting knife, but that was not what distressed her. He had shaved off his dark beard and mustache, and the face she saw shocked her.
“Chelan?” he called, his deep voice jarring her back to the present. “Shit! If I look that bad, I’ll grow it back.”
Chelan shook her head and cleared her throat. “N-no,” she stammered. “It’s okay. It’s just that you remind me so much of someone else.”
Jason straightened. “Well, by the look on your face, I’d say it was Jim.”
Chelan forced a smile. “No, not Jim.”
Jason glanced at the knife and then walked to the fire to return it to its sheath. He looked over his shoulder at the stunned woman. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” He moved back to her. “Who do I resemble?”
Chelan finally closed her mouth and stilled her racing heart. “Ah… just someone I knew a long time ago.”
Jason squinted at her skeptically. “Someone good or bad?”
Chelan stepped down from the rock and circled around him almost warily. Her eyes scanned every inch of him. “Good,” she finally answered.
Jason flinched under her scrutiny and he rubbed at his now naked jaw. “I guess I should have asked first.”
Chelan stopped in front of him. She reached for his face, her fingers tracing over his smooth cheek and chin. “Jesus,” she mumbled. She circled him a final time, and then stared at his chest, his pecs and abdomen now as smooth as his face. It appeared he had shaved it all.
He stared deep into her eyes, his voice soft and low. “Who was he, Chelan?”
Chelan touched him again, her fingers just grazing the flesh of his chest. “Someone I once knew. Someone like you, someone so gentle and kind…”
Jason continued to study her. “What happened to him?”
Chelan retracted her fingers from him as though she had been scorched. “He left me.” She looked away, her mind rooted in the past. “He left me forever.”
Jason reached for her and took her in his arms. “I won’t leave you.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Jason smiled. “I’m sorry about the beard. I really should have asked you.”
Chelan pushed back. “It’s okay. It was just more of a shock than it should have been because of the resemblance.” She smiled and touched his face again. “I like it better without.”
Jason held her fingers to his lips for a moment before speaking. “Look, I’m heading into town today for some supplies. Want to come?”
Chelan shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ll stay here.”
Jason frowned. “Not going to disappear on me, are you?”
Chelan shook her head again. “No, it doesn’t look like it.”
Jason stepped past her and pulled a pair of jeans over his shorts. Next came a cotton shirt and his hiking boots. He squatted down and rearranged his pack. Then he stood and threw it over his shoulder. “I shouldn’t be long.” He stepped up to her and kissed her lips tenderly, then withdrew and looked into her beautiful eyes. He slipped his arm around her small waist and took her lips again. This time the kiss was long and passionate.
Chelan could hardly get her breath. And this time when he withdrew, she was not so willing to release him.
But Jason took a step back. “Don’t leave me,” he stated in a soft, resonant voice. And he headed for the trail.
Chelan watched him walk away. “Don’t be long,” she called after him.
Jason threw her a smile over his shoulder. “Just stay out of the damn water.”
Chelan finally laughed. She sat down and watched him disappear. The minutes passed and she savored the warmth afforded her by his kiss. But then she looked over at the trees. She slipped into her runners, and started for them. Within minutes, she was at the rendezvous site.
Chelan felt a heavy veil of malevolence drape over her. It was so quiet, not even the birds sang. She sat down upon the grass under the giant fir, her senses taking in everything around her. She peered up into the cloudless sky. “Fremma,” she whispered.
A gust of wind hit her, echoing through the branches of the trees with an eeriness that chilled her to the bone. It was as if death itself was descending upon her. She leapt to her feet and ran as hard as she could back to the camp. There she turned around, her eyes wide, staring at the dark shadows harbored within the forest. Then she whirled about and peered at the lake, but it was as still as glass.
The sinister ghostly hush returned to the forest, and Chelan shrank to the ground, her heart pounding. Something was wrong with Fremma. She could feel it in her soul. She looked around frantically for Jason, but she knew he was gone. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she heard the birds once again, and the spectral pall dissipated.
Chelan remained still until the icy tendrils of fear lifted. Only then did she dare to stagger to her feet. She had to do something to calm her agitated nerves, and she set to work replenishing the camp’s wood. With time, her tension eased.
Morning turned into afternoon, and just when Chelan started to worry about Jason, he appeared. Chelan felt a deep sense of relief as she watched him materialize out of the inky darkness of the forest. “Thank heavens you’re back. I wouldn’t want to have to defend myself against any unwelcome company.”
Jason grinned. “Well, you have your knife, and from what I saw at Jim’s, you can defend yourself quite nicely with it.”
She smiled at him and then watched as he swung his heavy pack off his shoulders. “What did you bring?”
Jason beamed at her. “Oh, all sorts of goodies. But most of all, I brought a supplement to fish,” he declared, and he drew out two large T-bone steaks.
Chelan’s mouth watered. “Oh, Jason, may we have an early dinner?”
“Sure, but first…” He looked around, and then smiled.
“But first what?”
“First I was going to get some wood, but I can see that you’ve been busy.”
Chelan grinned. “Well, you were gone a long time. But you’ll notice that I managed to chop some without injury.”
Jason laughed. “Good! And I see you stayed out of the water too.” His voice lowered. “And I must apologize. I hadn’t intended to be so long. How about we build a fire now and get some nice coals going for the meat?”
*****
As evening approached, they cleaned up the campsite and disposed of all the meat scraps. Jason stretched and then watched her put away some of the cooking gear. “Well, it’s going to be an early night for me.”
Chelan smiled. “A little too much excitement over the last couple of days, no thanks to me?”
Jason returned her smile. “Something like that.” He glanced about the site and then grabbed a towel and a bar of soap. “But first a bath,” he said, and he headed for the lake.
Chelan began folding some of her belongings, but then she stopped and turned to watch him. He stood by the water’s edge and began removing his clothes. Chelan held her breath as he slipped out of his shirt and jeans. Then he removed his shorts and underwear. Chelan turned away and blushed. Men, no matter from what planet, could do that so easily, she mused.