Nebula Nights: Love Among The Stars

by Melisse Aires

  "I guess so." Seth shrugged. "I know Mack as my squad leader."

  "Ah. So now you want to know about the person," Maddie sheepishly said.

  "You are different than Mack," Logan spoke up.

  "I guess that's true." Maddie looked down, slightly embarrassed.

  "Come on. Regale us of your exploits," John encouraged.

  "There's not much to tell, really." Maddie's cheeks started to turn pink.

  "I doubt that," Logan said, looking at her with great interest.

  "Okay, I was born in South Carolina. I've lived here all my life. I graduated high school early at the age of fifteen and got my Masters in engineering and theoretical physics at nineteen."

  "You didn't get your doctorate?" Seth asked.

  "I thought about it, but ultimately... wait, I can't remember why I didn't pursue my doctorate."

  That wasn't true. Maddie just didn't want to admit why she quit. She had met the former love of her life, Brad, and settled into life working at Samberg Industries. A part of her had always regretted allowing Brad to talk her out of completing her studies.

  "So you’re an egghead," John said, breaking into her thoughts.

  "An egghead?" Maddie asked.

  "Yeah, you know, book smart. Spent most of your life in a classroom."

  "Oh, no, not at all. Well, yeah, book smart but far from an egghead. Eggheads, in my opinion, don't have much of a life outside of their studies. Granted, my life isn't the most exciting one, but I do have other interests. Science is fascinating to me, but it's not my only passion. I would consider myself a nerd but not an egghead," Maddie told him.

  "Why do you consider yourself a nerd? What is it you are passionate about?" John asked, motioning for the bartender to bring them a round of shots.

  "I love science fiction, comic books, and video games. I love sports. I should clarify, watching sports. I don't play. I love to cook and bake. What I am most passionate about is probably my writings. I like to write stories."

  Maddie paused as a waitress came over with the tray of shots.

  "I hope you know how to shoot whiskey," John said, taking a glass.

  "I'll have you know I can shoot just about anything," Maddie said, downing her shot.

  She turned the glass over once she was finished, smiling bravely at John. Seth and Logan cheered her on. Maddie wasn't sure if it was her surroundings or the alcohol that was affecting her, but for the first time in a while, she was having fun.

  "That sounds like a challenge." John leaned back in his chair, lighting a cigarette.

  "Possibly," Maddie stated.

  "A challenge it is." John shot a glance over at Logan, who nodded. "Tomorrow. Paintball. You in?"

  "Absolutely," Maddie leaned across the table, feeling bolder than usual due to the alcohol.

  "Good. Let's make it fun. Five on five. Us brothers plus two others against you, Jackson, and three others."

  "You’re on," Maddie accepted.

  "Wait, don't I have any say in this?" Jackson asked.

  "Nope," Maddie told him, shaking her head.

  "I guess it's settled then." Jackson shrugged.

  Seth and Logan grinned over at John but didn't say anything.

  "Alright, so, what else is there to know about you? Any siblings, husband, children, all of the above?" John quizzed.

  "No, nothing like that. I have an older brother, Noah, whom I'm very close with. I adore my niece and nephew," Maddie answered.

  "Alright, I've got a question for you. What is something you wish you could do but just completely suck at?" Seth asked.

  "Oh, that's easy. I wish I could sing. I try and try but I just sound terrible. I'm also terribly clumsy so sports are completely out of the question. Oh, and draw. Never been able to draw anything but a straight line with a ruler. Or schematics," Maddie admitted.

  "Clumsy?" Logan asked.

  "Oh, yes, very clumsy. For instance, I like to roller blade but end up falling down or smacking against some sort of object. Grace is not a virtue for me," Maddie admitted.

  "That's different. I've never known Mack to be clumsy," Logan pointed out.

  "I guess we aren't exactly the same after all. I tripped over my own tiny feet once playing soccer. The ball bounced off the goal post and hit me in the head. I stopped playing sports after that." Maddie blushed at the memory.

  "So, knowing that, you still want to play paintball tomorrow?" Seth asked.

  Maddie knew he was being kind and giving her a way out. If she had a clear head, she would have taken him up on it.

  "No, I'm looking forward to it. It'll be a fun challenge," Maddie told him.

  "I've known Mack for five years, and it took me a long time to get even the littlest information out of her. Information you offered up freely," Jackson admitted.

  Maddie gave a slight shrug. "She doesn't seem to be the open type."

  "You seem to be," Seth noted.

  "I'm an open book." Maddie shrugged again.

  “I like this!” Seth slapped happily on the table. “We’re bonding. You’re cool, Rhodes.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m serious.” Seth’s green eyes danced as he nudged John. “Think the Commander will let us keep her?”

  Logan cleared his throat and shot Seth a warning look. Seth gave Maddie an apologetic smile and stopped.

  Jackson chuckled as he downed another shot and ordered another round for the table. The group fell silent as the waitress brought the drinks over.

  "I'm curious about something,” Logan said, breaking the quiet. “You work with our counterparts, correct?"

  "I do. They work in a different department than I do, but we work on the same floor," Maddie said.

  "How different are we from them?" Logan asked.

  "From my experiences, not that different. The eyes give you away though," Maddie told him.

  "What do you mean?" John asked.

  "I can look in your eyes and see the pain you mask. Seth is better at it than you are, but I can still see it. You've lived a rough life," Maddie told him.

  Almost instantly, the three of them broke their gaze.

  "It's okay. I can't imagine that this life is an easy one," Maddie said, quickly backtracking.

  "It's not," Logan simply said.

  "Wow, you got them pegged," Jackson said with a laugh.

  "You too, jerkface. You fought in most of the same battles as we have," Seth said, tossing a few peanuts at Jackson.

  Maddie wrinkled up her nose as John blew out a large puff of smoke.

  "I take it you are not a smoker," John noted.

  "I think cigarettes are disgusting. Plus, it smells bad." Maddie waved her hand over her face, emphasizing how bad it smelled to her.

  "Have you ever dated a smoker?" Seth asked.

  "No, because I personally find smoking to be very unattractive. I couldn't even kiss a smoker. Gross.” Maddie wrinkled up her nose again.

  "You certainly are different than I expected you to be," John said as he put out his cigarette. Logan nodded in agreement.

  "And how did you expect me to be?" Maddie asked.

  "Honestly? Docile. Meek," John responded.

  "I guess I'm supposed to be." Maddie frowned.

  "Don't say that. Don't sound like you are apologizing," John said.

  Maddie tossed back another shot. "I appreciate that."

  "No, I'm serious. Don't apologize for who you are, Maddie. You are a beautiful person, inside and out. You are warm and funny. Plus, you can shoot pool and alcohol like no girl I've ever known," John told her.

  "Maybe you've been hanging out with the wrong kind of girls." Maddie smiled at him.

  "You may be onto something there." John grinned.

  They spent several hours at the bar, shooting pool and throwing darts, which Maddie was terrible at, but still had fun. One of the darts bounced back from the dartboard and landed in someone's drink at a nearby table. Everyone laughed but Maddie blushed. Eventually, the others eventua
lly went to bed, leaving Maddie and John alone at their table.

  "So now it's your turn to tell me about yourself," Maddie said, tossing a peanut in her mouth.

  "Turning the tables on me? Well, alright... That's fair," John smiled as he finished his beer. "Logan and Seth are a year older than I am. We have one sister. Elizabeth is two years younger than me. It's been years since I've seen her."

  "Why is that?"

  "When you said earlier that I've had a rough life, you were right. Life was very different for us before we joined the agency. Mother was a hooker. Father was a drug dealer. He was killed when Elizabeth was a baby. I barely remember him. We spent most of our lives out on the streets of Cincinnati, just doing anything we could to survive. Eventually, child services came in and separated the four of us. I never saw my sister again after that."

  "Oh, God, that's terrible," Maddie softly said, reaching out over the table and touching John's hand. He grabbed hers softly as he continued his troubled story.

  "I was separated from my family, in and out of homes. I was angry all the time. I got kicked out of school for fighting. I badly needed an outlet for my anger."

  "I'm sorry," Maddie softly said.

  "My brothers and I had it hard. We each handled it differently. Logan keeps his emotions inside. He doesn't let his guard down, and is always good for a fight. Seth, on the other hand, makes jokes. I'm sure you noticed. I use my fists. It's what I know."

  "That had to be hard for you. What happened?"

  "I did odd jobs as I got older. I stole to get money. I went to a very dark place, mentally. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of." John dropped his gaze away from her.

  "But you came back from the dark place," Maddie gently said.

  "Thanks to Commander Westlake. I don't know how but he found me. He helped clean me up, reunited me with my brothers. He gave me an outlet for my aggression. I owe him everything."

  "You have a great amount of respect for him."

  "Commander Westlake gave me a life. I'm very grateful to him. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I wouldn't change anything about it."

  "Why is that?"

  "It made me who I am. It brought me here," John told her.

  Something in the look in his eyes and the way he said the last sentence made her blush.

  #

  The next day, Jackson escorted Maddie to another area on the base she had never seen before.

  "The paintball arena is here?" Maddie questioned.

  "We don't get to leave the base much, so there are recreation areas. You've seen the bar and the gym. We also have a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a skating rink, among other things. Paintball is a great stress reliever. We often utilize it as training, too," Jackson explained as they entered in an elevator.

  "Is Mack going to play with us?" Maddie asked.

  "No. She's working in her lab."

  "Oh. I haven't seen her all week. I was hoping to spend some time with her."

  "I don't think that's going to happen, Maddie. It's nothing personal to you," Jackson informed her.

  "Oh." Maddie frowned.

  The elevator door opened to a small room that had a door on the three opposing walls. Jackson led her to the door on the right.

  "Maddie, I'd like to introduce to you the rest of our team for this afternoon's game. This is Agent Grant Sayer," Jackson introduced.

  "How do you do?" Maddie asked, shaking Grant's hand.

  Grant was slightly taller than she was and skinny. He wore wire-rimmed glasses and had short, spiked dirty blonde hair with bright blue tips.

  Grant smiled kindly at her as he accepted her hand.

  "Very well. Nice to meet you, Maddie," Grant said.

  "And this is Agent Nick Kicker," Jackson introduced the second teammate.

  Nick was several inches taller than Grant and had a slightly thicker build. His short, brown hair was also spiked up.

  "Hello," Nick said, offering his hand.

  "Nice to meet you, Nick." Maddie nodded.

  "And, finally, this is Will McCain," Jackson introduced the third teammate.

  Will was the same height as Nick with short, black hair and thick, black glasses. He smiled warmly to Maddie and gave her a big hug.

  "You two know each other?" Jackson asked, surprised.

  "Will lived down the street from me when his family moved to South Carolina. We've known each other since we were nine," Maddie explained.

  "Although we haven't seen each other in years. How have you been?" Will asked.

  It was a weird question to ask her, in her opinion. But still, she smiled affectionately at Will. "Everyone is good. Noah is married and has twins. Mom and Dad are the same. How is your brother?" Maddie asked.

  Will's face lit up. "He's good."

  "Good to hear. Tell him I said hi."

  "I will," Will said.

  "What do you do here?" Maddie asked.

  "Believe it or not, I work on a team that helps create medicines from stuff we find on other planets."

  "That is interesting. So you work on a medical team?"

  "Yeah, I do. Medical technologies. I love it." Will beamed.

  "Alright, introductions are done. Let's suit up!" Jackson exclaimed happily, breaking the conversation.

  The paintball gear lined the entire length of the wall. Will passed around the protective vests. Nick handed Maddie a belt with extra paintball ammo. Maddie pulled her long, blonde hair back in a braid before grabbing a pair of protective eye goggles. Jackson told her that to tell the two teams apart, their helmets and vests would be brown and the other team's would be green.

  "Have you ever played before?" Grant asked as he handed Maddie a sniper rifle.

  "Nope," Maddie admitted.

  "It's fun. Are you a good shot?" Grant asked.

  "I don't know," Maddie said, wishing she felt the courage she had last night when she accepted the challenge.

  "You'll have fun which is all that matters here." Grant gave her an encouraging smile.

  "Thanks," she said, studying the rifle.

  "Alright, here are some tips. The trigger on the rifle is feather-light. You barely have to touch it to fire the pellets," Will explained.

  "Okay." Maddie nodded.

  "The pellets are going to come fast, so be careful," he warned.

  Will showed her how to switch out the paint pellet chamber.

  "Thanks. Um, what are the rules?" Maddie asked.

  Nick chuckled. "Wasn't it your idea to play? And you don't even know the rules?"

  "Nick, you are such an ass. Don't laugh at her. She's never played before," Grant chastised him.

  "Sorry," Nick apologized.

  "It's okay," Maddie said, slightly embarrassed.

  "It's five-on-five rules. There is a seating area you go to when you die. Once all the team members are dead, the game is over. Kills are when you get shot in the chest or head," Grant explained.

  Grant gave Nick a sideways look before continuing with the rules.

  "As Will said, the pellets fire fast so easy on the trigger. If you run out of pellets, there are ammo packs stashed around the concourse. Do you have any questions?" Grant asked.

  "I don't think so," Maddie said.

  "It's okay if you get hit. It doesn’t hurt," Jackson told her.

  "I got this," Maddie told him, feeling more confident.

  "Normally, I would tell you the one to watch out for is Tamma, but the others are going to be gunning for you as well," Will told her.

  "Tamma?" Maddie questioned. “Seth’s girlfriend?”

  "The very same," Jackson said.

  "She's playing?" Maddie asked.

  "Of course. She's one hell of a shot. One time, we used paintball as a training seminar. Mack set the rules the person who had the most pellets remaining would be the victor. Tamma only fired seven pellets and won," Nick told her.

  "Wow." Maddie sounded impressed.

  Maddie followed the rest of her teammates out of the
room, wishing she felt as bold and confident as she did last night. She steadied herself, not wanting her nervousness to show to the others.

  Jackson walked over to the center door now, pausing for a moment as he studied Maddie's expression. Maddie gave him an encouraging nod, letting him know she felt ready.

  Maddie wasn't sure what to expect when Jackson opened the door, but it sure wasn't what was before her. The paintball arena was huge. The gray walls were covered with splatters of various colors of paint. The floor was covered with a mixture of straw and hay. There were hundreds of barriers and covers – trees, hay bales, padded blocks, and even rusted-out vehicles – of different sizes and length scattered throughout the arena.

  "This must be the size of a football field," Maddie said, in awe.

  "Two football fields to be exact," Grant said, standing beside her.

  "Impressive," Maddie let out a low whistle.

  Grant nodded in agreement. Maddie made a quick mental note of her surroundings as the team ventured further into the arena. She didn't see John or any of his team.

  "They aren't here yet," Will informed her, breaking into her thoughts.

  "Huh?" she asked, confused.

  "Look." Will pointed up.

  Hanging above them looked like a huge scoreboard, only it was unlike any scoreboard Maddie had ever seen. Team One was highlighted in yellow lights on the left side of the screen. The number zero was highlighted with five dots underneath. The right side of the screen was dim.

  "The team captain activates the scoreboard once the entire team is in. The five dots indicate the number of people active in the field. If one of us gets shot, a dot will go away and a score will appear for the other team," Will explained.

  Maddie nodded. The team fanned out, each person taking cover behind one of the barriers. She hid behind one of the rusted cars, looking around briefly before opening up the driver's door. Maddie crawled across the seats to roll the passenger window completely down. She slowly backed out of the car, rolling the driver window down about a foot for her pellets to go through, while hopefully leaving enough glass to protect her from getting hit. She checked to make sure the hopper on top of the sniper rifle was secured and full of pellets. Maddie squatted down low, her legs hidden by the front tire. She watched the scoreboard until Team Two lit up.