by Jenna Payne
We went faster and faster, higher and higher, until we reached the edge of a cliff. Just as we flew up in the air over the cliff, we lifted our hands in the air and screamed in delight. Time seemed to stand still as we stayed suspended in the air for a few seconds before we plummeted downward onto a grassy field.
I stood up and saw that we were now in a familiar park beside the academy where I had graduated from. There was a blue plaid blanket spread in front of us on the ground and a picnic basket lay on top of it, teeming with food.
Andrew laughed. "A picnic? Really?" he asked me.
"Don't you remember? This is where we had our very first date," I reminded him with a pout.
He took my hand then and brought me over to sit in front of him on the blanket. He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me closely. "Of course I remember," he whispered then, his mouth grazing my ear and making me tingle all over. "You were so beautiful, just as you still are now. You made me laugh and you seemed to challenge me to become a better man. I fell in love with you in an instant."
I giggled, remembering that day when I had finally agreed to go out with him. I'd been so surprised and pleased to find that he had prepared an old-fashioned picnic get-together. It had been really sweet.
"How about we make this second first date more memorable?" he suggested with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He started kissing my ear and then my neck.
"Andrew! It's broad daylight!" I pointed out, glancing around frantically at the passersby who didn't seem to notice us. "And we are in the middle of a public park!"
"Then that makes it even more exciting," he murmured, his hands creeping up underneath my shirt and fondling my breasts. I let out a soft moan as my body was ignited with burning desire.
"And since this is actually virtual reality, I can choose the time of day and even pick out what you're wearing…" he whispered, his tone getting excited.
Suddenly, he'd placed me on his lap with my back on him. I found myself wearing a long skirt without any underwear. Our surroundings had turned dark and there was no one in the park except for the two of us. The moon shone above us, accompanied by glittering stars that made it an even more romantic evening.
He continued to stroke my breasts as he gently lifted me and then pulled me down on his hardness. I felt him sliding into me, penetrating hard and deep, increasing my lust and making me forget that this was all imagined.
Our lovemaking felt so real. We soon climaxed at the same time and fell onto the crumpled blanked underneath us. We lay on our backs gazing at the stars that twinkled brightly, as if filling our hearts with hope for a real future together.
I came out of the virtual reality pod in a daze. At that moment, all I wanted was to be with Andrew forever just as we had vowed to each other on our wedding day. All I wanted was to lie in his arms and savor his warm kisses. I was then hit with the realization that there was another chance for us. We could still rebuild our family and have the children, the dream house, and future life we had always wanted.
"We can be happy again together, Andrew," I told him. "Help me finish this mission and then we can go back to Earth."
Sadness clouded over his eyes. "I can't. I'm sorry, Tasha."
My heart felt as if it had been sliced open. "Why?" I croaked.
"I… I've been bound to this planet," he explained. "Maybe for life."
"No!" I screamed in protest. "When we destroy the main computers that are controlling you and the others, you'll get back to normal. We must get to those computers before any of the surviving Zil soldiers!"
"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. "It's worth a try."
We laid out our plan as we trudged across the hallway and down the empty building. Andrew gave me his weapon, arguing that I needed it more in case we came across some of his fellow human soldiers.
Outside, the surroundings were reminiscent of a ghost town that had been immensely damaged by a ravaging storm. From time to time, we would come across a body or two and sometimes even a pile of bloody arms and legs torn from both human and alien soldiers. So far, we had not encountered any dead body from the US Space Police team. That means we were winning by miles.
It wasn't long before we came upon the main base of the Zil aliens. But instead of heading toward the computer lab, Andrew dragged me somewhere else.
"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, suddenly getting suspicious.
He stopped and faced me with his brown eyes blazing seriously. "Don't you trust me, Tasha?"
"I…" I was not so sure anymore.
Without any warning, he quickly grabbed the weapon he'd handed me earlier and threw it far away. He then took me in his arms and carried me easily toward the top floor of a building. I screamed and thrashed about, but he was too strong for me.
We soon reached the spacious roof deck where a small spaceship was parked. He opened the door with one hand and tossed me inside. Before I could fight, he'd locked me in already.
With tears in my eyes, I pounded hard on the tiny glass of the door. "Andrew! Don't leave me here! What the hell are you doing?!"
Andrew's face appeared through the glass, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. "I'm going to take care of the computers, Tasha. I promise you the mission will be completed," he said through the metal door separating us. "But the Zil commander had sent me a message earlier, telling me that they're battling with your team now. We have all been called to the computer lab, obligated to fight to our death."
"You've got to let me fight!" I yelled. "Let me out!"
"No," he answered firmly, his face set in a determined expression. "I can't risk your life. But I promise you I'll destroy those computers myself and even kill the commander if I have to. I will protect your team and blow up the entire lab."
"Promise me you'll live, Andrew," I begged in desperation and anguish. "Just promise me we'll be together again. That's all I need to hear."
He shook his head miserably. "I'm sorry, Tasha. Goodbye."
*****
I felt the spaceship's engine begin to hum gently. It started to make a rumbling sound as I felt the vehicle rising from the ground and then gliding into the atmosphere above.
Trying to think straight, I immediately searched for the control panel. The monitor showed my destination – Planet Earth. Damn you, Andrew, I thought. I rushed forward, my eyes scanning the various buttons and levers. I typed some commands on the keyboard, but nothing happened.
"Come on, come on," I urged the computer to recognize some of the commands I'd been trying out. Finally, there was a blinking light on the monitor, showing my destination on a map of the sector. I skimmed through the labeled buttons and found one that said REVERSE. Praying that this would bring me back to Planet Zil, I pressed it and waited.
The spaceship lurched forward, throwing me off balance. I clutched a nearby chair to try and steady myself. Then to my shock, the blinking light on the map shifted to Planet Zil. I felt the vehicle moving again. "Yes!" I shouted with relief and joy.
I went through the various rooms and cabinets inside the ship and found an armored suit that seemed designed for smaller frames. I put it on and then grabbed a couple of odd-looking weapons and some ammunition. Then I found a huge, heavy sledgehammer that I could probably use to smash the glass of the entrance.
As soon as the ship landed on stable ground, I swung hard at the small glass part of the door. It shattered into pieces. Hurriedly I reached outside and tried to grope for the lock which Andrew had positioned. "Shit, where is it?!" I said in frustration. As I fumbled, my hand accidentally got cut on a broken piece of glass. Blood seeped out.
Perhaps I needed to try something else to get out. Stepping back, I took one of the loaded weapons I’d found, aimed it, and shot at the door repeatedly. Bullets rained on it, but only created insignificant dents.
I tried another weapon. Fire burst out from it, and seemed to slowly melt the metal. Renewed hope rushed inside of me, giving me a boost of energy. When some of the metal had liquefied, I gat
hered every ounce of strength I had left and kicked the wrecked area. It gave way, causing the door to swing open.
Harsh sunlight welcomed me back. With my feet pounding hard on the cement-like surface, I ran as fast as I could toward the direction of the main base.
The sight that greeted me at the entrance of the computer lab was horrendous. Several of my team members had been gravely injured. A few of them had retreated while others were hidden behind metal columns. The exchange of laser and fire was at its peak, with a monstrous, horrible-looking Zil alien leading the combat from the opponents’ side. He too looked battered but was still giving a good fight. Behind him were two dead bodies of humans.
My heart skipped a beat as I came closer and tried to decipher whether any of those lying on the floor was Andrew. I couldn't really see well.
Suddenly, the Zil alien gave out a loud, garish cry, his bulging red eyes directed toward me. Without any second thoughts, I charged toward him with the metal-dissolving weapon I had on me before he could fire at me. He fell down with a sickening thud, gooey blood oozing out in all directions.
At that instant, about five or six US Space Police officers dashed forward and hurtled toward the door of the lab. I caught a glimpse of Kent, but there was no time to have any chitchat. I cautiously moved forward behind them, all of us ready to fire at the sight of any enemy.
Quickly we scuttled across a narrow hallway where a couple of genetically engineered humans fought us. Kent and I were able to dodge them and continue going forward with two more from our team.
Not long after, a Zil alien came out and blocked our way. The two officers with us immediately started shooting with their laser guns. Kent grabbed my hand and we ducked underneath the alien and kept running. The enormous alien turned around and tried to go after us, but he was stopped by our teammates.
As soon as we got to the rows of computer servers, a human soldier suddenly turned up in front of us. Kent instantly pulled the trigger on his weapon, but I managed to shove the machine so the laser hit the wall instead. "Nooo!" I cried out. "He's not an enemy!"
"Are you crazy?" Kent yelled at me, looking at me as if I had absolutely lost my mind. But I ignored him and rushed toward the man I truly loved.
"Please, Kent…" I pleaded, blocking Andrew.
"Tasha, what the—" Andrew started, obviously shocked to see me.
"He's my husband! We need to save him!" I shouted in despair.
A wave of understanding appeared in Kent's face. His eyes shifted to the man behind me and then back to me. "Listen to me, Tasha," he started, looking anxious. "Do not believe what he says. He is different now. He can hurt you—"
"No, he hasn't hurt me," I argued. "He hasn't been injected with the formula for many days now, so he has returned to normal. He can help us. We can save all the remaining humans on this planet!"
Unexpectedly, another human soldier appeared beside us and tried to grab me. Andrew pushed him away, but he lunged back at him. My eyes widened as I caught sight of the large syringe in his hand which he injected onto Andrew's neck in a split-second.
As a reflex, I pointed my weapon at the other soldier and fired away, causing him to drop dead at once.
Kent was about to seize me, but more soldiers came to fight and prevent him from completing the original mission. Meanwhile, I went to Andrew and shook his shoulders. My hands went to either side of his face and forced him to look at me. There was a blank expression in his eyes that filled my body with fright. But I did not step back, even as he stared at me with sudden hatred.
"Andrew, it's me. It's Tasha, your wife," I hurriedly said. Without thinking, I threw my arms around him. But instead of hugging me back, he snatched my weapon and tossed it to the other side of the room. Then he lifted me and threw me toward a nearby wall. I felt a searing pain surge into my arm as it hit the solid metal hard. I clutched at it as I quickly scrambled to my feet.
Upon standing up, I was faced with the stone-faced Andrew, his eyes burning with loathing. He was fast closing in on me even as I begged for my husband to come back to the surface. "I know you're in there, Andrew. Our love is greater than any formula, than any genetic code..."
He moved in but then suddenly paused, his eyes gazing at something on my neck. I looked down and saw that I was actually wearing the heart locket necklace. Quickly I opened it and showed him my wedding ring.
He blinked once, twice. And I saw his rigid face softening and recognition dawning in his eyes.
"I love you so much, Andrew," I whispered, whimpering as I watched him struggling against the effects of the formula. "Please come back to the earth with me and we can start again."
His brown eyes gazed into mine in understanding. "Anything is possible," he murmured.
I cried with relief. My husband was back. But just then, his eyes suddenly widened. He fell back, revealing Kent who had shot him.
"Andrew!" I shrieked, dropping down to the ground and watching my husband struggle with life for the second time. Agony and panic hit me as I looked around for something that could save him. But I was left with no choice when Kent lifted me on his shoulders and dragged me out of the computer lab. Even as I thrashed about, he kept running.
The last thing I saw as we headed out was two uniformed officers of the US Space Police attaching the last of the bombs. They ran out too and locked the entrance, trapping some of the human soldiers inside--- including Andrew.
I screamed for Kent to stop the explosion, but he wouldn't listen to me. The moment we stepped outside of the main base, I heard the deafening blast. I closed my eyes shut, tears running down my cheeks.
*****
The scent of the old books in the local library somehow gave me a sense of peace, which is why I often sat on one of the tables in that stale, dimly lit corner amongst the outdated shelves of books that hardly anyone reads or uses anymore.
It had been almost a year since that unforgettable space mission in Planet Zil. Yes, we had completed our mission. But I'd come home completely broken. It had been so traumatic that I'd taken a year-long leave of absence. I had wanted to resign, but Chief Collins had not let me. He understood me and told me that I could take as long as I wanted to recover from the immense pain of losing my husband the second time around.
I broke up with Kent. He'd been nothing but apologetic, sweet, and understanding since we came back to Earth. I told him I understood why he did what he did, but I wasn't ready to forget. I realized that I’d never actually loved him. He'd made me happy in his own way, but my feelings for him never really surpassed or even equaled what Andrew meant to me.
I had not seen him in more than six months. I had spent the past year just being with my family, absorbing their love for me, and trying to pick up the pieces little by little. I wasn't sure if I was making any progress. I kept waking up in the middle of the night screaming. Sometimes my sister Stacey would catch me staring off into space. There were moments when I would suddenly break down or even find myself wandering aimlessly in the streets.
During the past month, though, I seemed to be getting better. The memories were still as vivid but I was beginning to accept the truth – about what had happened and what would never be.
From time to time, I visited the local library where we'd first met and where he'd proposed to me. Stacey kept telling me to avoid places that reminded me of him. But somehow I found solace in here.
"Excuse me," a soft voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up from the book that I was pretending to read. It was a young girl about the age of ten. She handed me an old thick hardbound book with the title A New Journey to Tomorrow.
"What's this?" I asked curiously, fingering the dusty cover.
"It's for you," was all she said before leaving me in wonder.
I turned the book over in my hand. Then noticing that there was a folded page somewhere in the middle part, I opened the book to that page. My heart jumped to my throat as I saw a dried rose inserted inside. With trembling hands, I lifted it. An
d that's when I saw the small printed words on the page circled in red. Anything is possible.
I gasped, my heart racing like crazy. I looked up and perused the area. There was nobody else in this part of the library.
Standing up hastily, I went to the tall rows of shelves surrounding the reading area where I had been seated. Walking fast across the aisle in the middle, I looked left and right, not sure what I was expecting to see… or rather, who I was expecting to see.
Hope gushed into my heart and my throat constricted with unshed tears. I reached the end of the aisle, but did not find the only person I yearned to see. Maybe it was all in my mind. Perhaps I was losing my sanity already.
I leaned against the wall in dejection and torment, covering my face with my hands as my shoulders heaved back and forth with my quiet sobs. At that moment, I felt strong hands wrap around my own hands. They slowly and gently pulled my hands away from my face. And when I saw the familiar brown eyes gazing into mine with great love and passion, I stopped crying and just looked on in disbelief.
"Am I dreaming?" I whispered, my eyes sweeping from his tousled brown hair down to his handsome face.
"No," he answered quietly with a gentle smile. He then released my hands and brought his hands to my cheeks. He tenderly wiped away my tears. "It's me, Tasha baby… I'm back."
"B-but… how?"
"Anything is possible, remember?" he said, his smile widening and his eyes twinkling. "Guess I'm like a cat with nine lives. Or maybe I was just lucky enough to have put on a laser-proof vest underneath my suit at the last minute then ran out the hidden back door just in time."
My mouth dropped open. I couldn't quite process what he was telling me, but I was so damn glad.
"That back door is known only to the computer experts who'd been assigned in that lab for many years--- like me."
Understanding hit me as what he was telling me started to make sense.
"I got out along with some others," he continued to explain as he caressed my cheeks. "But just barely. Many were injured, including me. The explosion released us from the hold of the Zils. But it took us a long time to heal from our injuries and also to repair the only spaceship left on the planet, our only hope of going back home to Planet Earth."
