EARTH'S LAST WAR (CHILDREN OF DESTINY Book 1)

by Glenn Van Dyke

  As the distance between them closed, Steven’s confidence that he could resist her, waned. His eyes raced over her. His heart wanted to explode out of his chest. How can anyone do anything besides stare and drool when they are around you?

  The eye-popping outfit was the perfect complement for her lightly tanned skin, sparkling silver-blue eyes, narrow waist and midnight black hair.

  Not a single detail was different from that which was etched into his memory. From the playful twinkle in her eyes, to her pointedly arched eyebrows. From her delicately narrow nose, to the swoopy French flair of her rosy red lips.

  On her ears and wrists, she wore earrings and bracelets that matched the silver body-necklace.

  Ashlyn’s hair was loosely pinned-up, fastened into a long ponytail with delicate, soft curls. A scant few, delicately escaping wisps of hair were dancing sensually around her face.

  As Ashlyn’s long stride of confidence and class brought her before him, they exchanged formal salutes. Their eyes locked, the pain in Steven’s lungs bringing him to the realization that he had been holding his breath. With Ashlyn standing before him, Steven now had the answer to the source of the intoxicating aroma that had captured his senses from the first moment he had arrived at Sea Base. It was Ashlyn.

  “I am greatly honored,” said Steven addressing her with a slight bow.

  Throwing a glance to the standing audience and then back to Ashlyn, his eyes involuntarily lowering to her breasts, his mouth spoke the thoughts in his heart, “Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead.”

  Ashlyn smiled shyly. The audience laughed.

  “I hate being sixteen. Crazy teenage hormones,” teased Steven. Gathering himself, “It’s now time to address why we’re gathered here today.”

  Turning to Ashlyn, “But first, you have my sincere apology for jesting at your expense.”

  “Apology accepted,” said Ashlyn tipping her head.

  “Let it be duly noted that this plaque that herein bears the name of Ashlyn Parker, will as of this day, be placed in our Museum’s Hall of Honor. And, as has been reserved for those whom over the last centuries have displayed courage above and beyond the call of duty, she is hereby awarded the Medal of Honor.”

  With a salute, he congratulated her. As he stared into the depths of her eyes, a distant look clouded her face. Her brow furrowed, her gaze changing to one of deep concern. Steven felt an ominous foreboding welling-up within him. So overpowering was the emotion that his knees nearly buckled. Instinctively, his eyes lowered to the ground to catch his balance. The ground met his gaze with a swirling vortex. Entrapped, he succumbed to its power.

  A kaleidoscope of images unfolded, the most prominent were those that resonated with the strongest, emotional attachment. He saw Renee crying, his son terrified and screaming. He saw himself setting Avenger’s autodestruct. He saw Ashlyn beguilingly walking toward him, unfastening her blouse with each step, carnal desire upon her lips—on an alien world.

  Only when several horrifying images appeared did it break the vision. He had seen Ashlyn’s body, torn and shredded, lying lifeless upon the ground—in the next image he saw himself sitting beside her rock covered grave, weeping.

  As he returned to the surroundings of the Conference Center, he stared into the audience and saw that they were unmoving, frozen in time. As the milliseconds passed, the people slowly awakened.

  Unlike his time in the fugue with Ashlyn each night, wherein hours of time moved quickly—now, not a single moment of time had elapsed.

  Not daring to look at Ashlyn, for fear he might again lose himself to her, he continued in perfect sync upon the moment at hand. “The Medal of Honor is the most prestigious honor that an individual can be awarded!

  To go along with this honor, I would also like to acknowledge that even though she has only been with us for a short time and that it would only be under the rarest of circumstances—an individual can sometimes be deserving of a promotional jump in rank that doesn’t follow the typical and expected rungs in the ladder. So it is, as regards Ashlyn Parker, that a jump of this nature has been deemed deserving.

  Besides her heroism, she has displayed the skills, knowledge and ability to make command decisions. It is also undeniable that she has earned the respect for which the position calls. Therefore, as is engraved upon this plaque and based upon the unanimous recommendation of her superiors that have witnessed firsthand the events that have brought us to this moment, I now promote her to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

  She is hereby charged with overseeing Avenger’s fighter squadrons. As she acclimates to her new position, I ask that you give her the support she needs to step into her new role, for we owe her more than our lives, we owe her our eternal gratitude!”

  In giving salute, his eyes betrayed his longing for her. “Commander, we are all indebted to you.”

  “At-t-tennn-tion!” Commander Stratton called out to the gathered officers and crew.

  A barrage of whispers, giggles and smiles from the audience awoke Steven to the reality of his predicament—his enviable task of finding a socially acceptable spot on which to pin her medal.

  His nervousness apparent to everyone, Ashlyn decided to offer him an avenue of escape, if only a tenuous one. Holding out her open palm to him, “If you don’t mind, I’ll do it myself. The way you’re shaking, I could end up losing my virginity to the world’s smallest prick!”

  Her comment was so unexpected that the audience roared.

  Steven dropped the medal into her hand.

  Tipping her head back and forth to the left and right, as if she were searching for something, she glanced glaringly down at his crotch for all to see, “Apologies, sir, if you thought I was talking about you? It was clearly an easy mistake to make.”

  After riotous laughter, some to the point of tears, Steven gave her the credit she was due. “Touché, Commander. Touché.”

  Bowing her head to him, “Then you have my sincere apology for jesting at your expense. I’d be honored, sir.” Ashlyn, began swinging the medal back and forth, teasing him to take it.

  As he put his hand out, she dropped it into his open palm. Ashlyn then lifted the necklace over her left breast, adding, “Damn the torpedoes—full speed ahead, sir!”

  The laughter turned to an enormous cheer.

  Involuntarily, his tongue darted out, wetting his lips. Since she had stepped up to the podium, a feverish heat had been racing through him, boiling his blood to the point where he had completely forgotten about Tynabo’s warning. If it were not for the eyes of the audience upon him, he would have relented to the overwhelming desire to sweep her into his arms. It would have been easy. Too easy.

  After clipping the medal to her necklace, he stepped back, and gave her a salute, “Commander, I congratulate you!”

  The applause was thunderous.

  “Crew dismissed!” announced Commander Stratton to the audience.

  Steven took a few steps back, giving ground to those who wanted to congratulate her, which was everyone.

  Stratton stepped up, wanting to speak with Steven privately. “Sir. Sorry to interrupt, and if I may be so bold as to get a bit personal—now that you’re back at Sea Base, I just wanted to make sure that you’ve taken the vial that Tynabo left for you? Admittedly, not knowing, I was quite concerned.”

  Steven grimaced. “It broke when the shockwave hit Avenger. I’ll be going to see Victor when I leave here. I’m hoping he can do something.”

  “Then my concern was founded,” said Stratton. “You were very close to her, too close. It was an unnecessary risk. Would you like me to stay with you?”

  Steven realized the truthfulness in his words. Stratton was right. He’d been so intoxicated by Ashlyn that he’d not thought of the vile even once. “You’re right, Stratton. I won’t make the mistake again. I’ll be okay; I know what’s at stake. I promise to keep her at arm’s length from now on.”

  “No disrespect, sir—but it’s not your arm I’m worried about!�
�� Stratton’s grin conveyed his apprehension.

  Steven smiled. “Stratt—how’s Earth holding up? Have we suffered any damage from the Moon?”

  Stratton gave a twisted grin. “Topside, things are pretty extreme.

  Obviously, lots of impacts from the debris around the globe. There have been thousands of major quakes, hundreds of thousands of small ones. The Yellowstone caldera is registering greatly increased activity. Gena is unclear at this time as to its stability.

  Land temperatures have risen by an average of 3-degrees. Some regions are getting colder, some warmer. There are fires everywhere, driven by hurricane force winds—lots of rain and flooding.

  Tsunamis are racing round the globe. In most coastal regions, you can’t even tell that a city had ever been a there. It’s all gone.

  For the most part, it’s hard to tell that the surface was ever inhabited.

  Down here, there have been quite a few landslides on the walls of the trench, none of which are close enough to be threatening to us. We have the domes dampeners set to maximum as a protective measure. So far, we’re doing okay. No significant damage to report.

  Reactor levels are optimal.

  Gena’s charting everything. We should have a better handle on where things will settle in at in a few weeks. Whatever happens—base scuttlebutt seems to agree that it was worth it. We took that bastard’s fleet out.” With a sigh, “Anything else, sir?”

  Steven shook his head. “Thanks, Stratt. You did great.”

  “As did you, sir,” Throwing a glance in Ashlyn’s direction, “Please be careful, sir. We need you!” Stratton smiled, nodded and then departed.

  While Steven nervously waited for Ashlyn, he couldn’t help but trace every rounded curve, every nook and cranny of her. The necklace hid nothing—yet accentuated everything. His mind was ablaze with passion. His body screaming to take her.

  Maybe Stratton should have stayed. Internally, he was at war with his decision, a big part of him wanted to be alone with her for all the wrong reasons.

  At length, when the last person finally excused himself and Ashlyn turned to face Steven, “Congratulations, Commander,” said Steven anxious to quickly break down the walls of his nervousness. “Awarding you the medal was a great privilege, Ashlyn. I am honored.”

  “Thank you, sir. I am appreciative. Part of this really belongs to you though. It was in your mind that I saw it was a doomsday missile. If not for that, I wouldn’t have known to try and stop it.”

  Steven shook his head, “It’s all yours. You did the heavy lifting Ash—and please, drop the formal protocols when we’re alone. The intimacy we’ve shared within the fugue shattered that formality two months ago.”

  “Yes—it did.

  Steven, I’d like to apologize if my banter was an embarrassment to you? I meant no disrespect.”

  “No apology necessary. The only embarrassment was my own. I hung myself out like a piñata and handed you the stick. After my jesting, you had every right to whack the living daylights out of me. And I must admit, you succeeded in grand style,” said Steven, quickly continuing, “If anything, I owe you an apology. I just wasn’t ready …” his eyes raced round each and every curve, “for you. When I saw you walking toward me I really did feel like I was sixteen again, complete with raging hormones. I reacted, childishly. I couldn’t stop myself.”

  Ashlyn smiled sweetly. Not wanting him to bear the responsibility alone, “That childish side is a normal part of the male psyche. There’s a part of every man that never grows up. He’s forever that little eight year old boy or sixteen year old in your case,” said Ashlyn. “Women learn to live with it, and sometimes—we find it downright sexy.

  Perhaps I’m also to blame for your reaction. After all our time in the fugue together, I didn’t realize that my attire would affect you as strongly as it did. If you prefer me to dress-”

  “It’s not the attire,” said Steven interrupting her. “It’s what’s under the attire—and—not under it. It’s you.” His eyes lowered, shifting left, then right, then back again, staring at her nipples that were peaking at him from between the strands. His groin tightened, he was throbbing with desire and need. “But, no, Ashlyn—though my opinion is definitely biased—I don’t want you to dress differently.” Hell, I want to rip off what you are wearing. “I don’t want you to change a thing. It’s who you are.

  Personally—yes, I find your necklace to be daringly sexy and unrestrained. But, I also see it as an exquisitely beautiful statement. You’ve reminded all of us that there’s more to being human than making strategic battle plans and following sterile regulations.

  You’re a rainbow in a world that is as repetitious as fifty shades of gray.

  I’m not saying that men won’t be men. They will. They’ll stare, drool and think about doing all sorts of crazy things. After all, we’re human, I’m human.” If you only knew the crazy things, I’d like to do to you right now.

  “And I you.”

  Steven cocked his head, “Did you just-?”

  “Uh-huh, I hear everything you’re thinking. I thought it fair to tell you. I’ve been trying to filter it, so as not to impede upon your privacy, but some of your thoughts are just to—visual. It won’t be long before you can block it though. This is a learning experience for both of us.”

  “I’m sorry, Ash.” He thought back, recalling all the bendy, uninhibited things he’d pictured doing to her and felt a flush of embarrassment. Things that most men can’t even tell their wives.

  “No reason to be embarrassed. I want you to do all those bendy things to me. It’s flattering.”

  “Ash, how come I can’t read your mind?”

  “I think it’s by design, part of my empathic, nurturing abilities. I’m glad you can’t though,” she chided with a broad smile. “Then I’d be embarrassed, because you’d see all the bendy things I want to do to you.”

  I’d love to see that list, Steven thought.

  “You’ll do more than see it,” she bantered.

  Though Steven was feverish with desire, he continued on, “Ash, it’s important that you understand how important you are to us. Infinitely important. I saw it reflected in the wide smiles and bright, sparkling eyes of the faces tonight. For the first time since the attack sixteen years ago—they were happy.

  You rekindled a fire in us that died a long time ago. Tynabo was right when he compared you to Pandora. You’ve brought hope back to us.”

  Ashlyn tilted her head slightly, “That’s a lot to live up to.”

  “It is, Ash—the pedestal we’ve put you on is tall and it casts an even bigger shadow. But, you need to realize that it’s because they believe in you. I believe in you. My advice—stay true to you. You‘re a leader that everyone will follow,” said Steven. “It’s more than a want; they need you to stay the way you are.

  And if I may—I want you—to stay the way you are.” I want to feel your body beneath me so badly.

  Ashlyn saw the full depth of the meaning behind his words. “Thank you—and—no more than I want to be beneath you.” Her words letting him know that he was not alone in his desires.

  Steven, before we tackle the big question before us—if you’ll indulge me, I have something I’d like to show you.” Ashlyn glanced behind her to see if they were alone—and just as she did so, the auditorium door closed behind the last person leaving.

  “All right,” said Steven, nervously apprehensive, his eyes racing over her.

  “Gena, lock the auditorium doors, please. Over-ride ability is to be given to myself and the Admiral only, with the Admiral’s consent of course.” Ashlyn raised a playful, questioning eyebrow to Steven.

  “So ordered,” said Steven, even as he felt himself pole-vaulting over a threshold he’d hoped not to cross. He was trapped, unable to take his eyes off her.

  “Auditorium doors are now locked,” confirmed Gena.

  “Now that you’ve got me, right where I want you!” said Ash with a broad smile. “Gena,
activate the privacy blackout for the exterior of the dome and then start holo-program, Night-Dreams.”

  As the clear palladium-glass dome went dark outside, providing them alone time, the internal lights dimmed—revealing the first and brightest of the early evening stars. Within moments, the sky transformed into a warmly painted sunset of purple, orange, blue and pink, silhouetting a layering of white clouds on the western horizon.

  In the background, the crashing waves of a light surf began to grow louder, closer. A seagull squawked in the distance. The walls, floor and furniture of the conference room suddenly shimmered out of existence becoming a lush South Pacific island. Crystal-clear water and white-frothing waves lapped against the shore as a trio of gulls sailed casually on the breeze above them.

  Steven stood in amazement, feeling the warm, salt scented breeze whisking against his face. Turning to Ashlyn, he saw that her arms were out to her sides, her eyes closed. She was basking, taking in the warm breeze that was soothing her skin. Her cape and ponytail were fluttering behind her. The palm tree fronds were swaying back and forth as was the grass bowing rhythmically before the waves of gentle wind.

  The fine, white sand beneath his feet shifted, scrunching under his weight. He knelt and scooping up a handful of sand, let it sift between his fingers. It had a natural, grainy texture and even some captured warmth from the sun. No detail was lacking, no nuance missing. It had all the ambiance of a real beach, a real ocean.

  It stirred a distant childhood memory within him. When he looked to his left, and saw a log lolling in the surf, a smile came to his face. “It’s Fiji—I was here when I was a kid. There was-” Steven started walking toward the log. Just as he remembered, snagged in a piece of fishing-net on the other side was a small sea turtle. Steven’s mouth fell open.

  “Ashlyn, how did you do this?” he said, turning to look at her. She was smiling at him through the most sensually alluring eyes he had ever seen.