Everything about you is amazing.
Turning back to the snagged turtle, Steven knelt and after freeing it from the fishing-net, he carried the turtle out into the water. Giving it a gentle push, he watched it swim away into the deeper, almost glowing, turquoise colored water. When he saw it dive below the surface, he smiled. It was exactly the way it happened before, when he was nine. Steven was dumbfounded. “Ash, this virtual re-enactment, how did you do it?”
“To explain this,” said Ashlyn, spinning a circle and extending her arms so that she encompassed the entire scene around them. “One night, when I came to you, I saw all of this in your dream. You had the biggest grin on your face. You were such a cute, little boy. Being able to see you then, was a blessing.
Then late one night, I was searching the storage dome for the materials to make a few outfits and I came across an inventory list that showed there were some advanced interactive holo-units gathering dust in storage. Apparently, they were part of the original design for the auditorium, but the attack interrupted things and they were never installed. I made a pet project out of it. Once installed, it was just a matter of giving Gena access to my memory of this moment and having her download it into the unit and voila, you have paradise.
This is my gift to you.”
Chapter 7
“Steven, I wish this moment could last forever. I do …” Ashlyn seemed to slip away, lost in thought as she watched a large, crashing wave strike a rock just off shore, “but we have important matters to discuss.”
Steven took a deep breath preparing himself for the conversation that he’d known was coming.
Ash continued, “Right now, time is our enemy and you have important decisions to make.
When the time comes that we have our first …” Ashlyn paused as she fought to find the words.
Steven decided to fill in the gap, quoting directly from Tynabo, “Intimate contact.”
“Yes, intimate contact,” she parroted. “For as deep as our passions are now, they’ll expand a hundredfold.”
“That might just kill me,” said Steven with more seriousness than jest. His attention was drawn to Ashlyn’s inner thighs as he heard the long, swaying, lower strands of Ashlyn’s body-necklace softly clinking together, blown off to the side by the wind.
Seeing his distraction, “If it helps, I’m as desirous of you as you are of me.” Without her even realizing it, so inherent was her need to please him that she shifted her weight onto one leg, and kicking the other leg out to the side, she widened her stance, opening herself to him.
“That’s not possible,” responded Steven as he smacked his lips in automated response to seeing the small flap of skin in the gap between her soft, plumped folds.
“Well, I am. I quiver all over at the mere thought of having you inside my-” she paused, her tongue darting between her lips. “Just—take my word for it.”
Though her words were meant to be supportive, seeing Ashlyn basting her lips heightened his desires immensely. Desperately in need of distraction, he sought out answers, “Ash, when you appeared to me aboard Avenger, you said that our encounters were real.”
“In all the important ways, they are. What the mind experiences in the fugue, the body perceives as reality. What is actually happening though is that our physical auras are empowering a conduit between our minds to open. When the conduit is open, the metaphysical reality tries to satisfy the body’s physical needs and the mind’s desires. So for all practical purposes, it is real. It’s just on a heightened plane that other people can’t experience in their isolated singular consciousness.”
Steven sighed, “About what Tynabo said, am I really a creation of the Foundation?”
“Steven, didn’t you access the private files on the recorder?”
“Private files? I didn’t know there were any private files.”
Ashlyn chuckled. “Well, you did have your hands full.”
Steven’s eyes involuntarily dropped to her breasts.
Ashlyn frowned playfully, “There’s that sixteen year-old again. I’d meant, saving the world.
To answer your question though, the answer is, yes. Like me, you are one of Tynabo’s creations. As regards your parents, it’s true, biologically you weren’t theirs, but please understand, they were as much a victim in this as you were, maybe more so. The Foundation never told them that you weren’t theirs. Your parents raised you believing that you were their son, created from their genetic DNA.
It’s important for you to know that the Foundation picked them specifically for you, because they were good, moral people. Tynabo wanted you to have a good heart. He knew that powerful abilities without a solid foundation can easily lead to corruption.
Even the President was proud of what your parents helped you to become.”
Steven interjected, “Speaking of President Tomlinson—he’d started to tell me about you as he was being attacked, but his transmission ended just as he was about to reveal your location.
It’s hard to accept that because of one missing word—I had to wait all these years for you.”
“And I had to wait all these years for you,” said Ashlyn. “What you missed in Tynabo’s file was his explanation about how the Foundation had been around for centuries, secretly operating under each presidential administration,—but that it was under President Tomlinson’s forty-year term in office, that you and I were finally created. You were President Tomlinson’s prized pupil. Out of all Tynabo’s creations, you were the only one who chose to go to the Academy. Only you wanted to go to the stars.
Your parents made you into the man you are now. It was they who encouraged that dream within you. They loved you deeply.”
Steven grinned. “Thank you, Ash. My parents were good people. They had a lot of empathy for others. I miss them terribly.” Steven’s head dipped as he took a private moment to himself.
Broken from his silence by a gull that landed nearby, Steven continued, “Ash—did you always know about me?”
Ash shook her head. “I knew I had a genetic mate, but they never told me who it was. All they told me was that the two of us were going to be introduced on our twenty-fourth birthday, the day everyone takes the K9 serum. When our meeting was delayed, I knew something was wrong.”
Probably because of my engagement to Ren. “Then the attack came,” added Steven, moving the conversation forward.
“Yes. Then the attack came and Tynabo put all of us into stasis.” Ashlyn drifted off, her thoughts deep, her sadness evident.
“I’m sorry, Ash. I never acknowledged your loss. My distractions are no excuse for my lack of compassion. I’m truly sorry about Tynabo and your friends. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for you.”
With a small nod, Ashlyn silently thanked him. “I don’t agree with Tynabo’s decision to terminate everyone to save us—but I know he did what he thought was best.”
Ashlyn’s words brought to mind the horrifying images of what he had seen minutes before. “Ash, what happened to us up on the podium? What I saw-” Steven trailed off.
“My best guess is that I had a vision, and because you were standing so close to me, with our mental sync, you experienced it as well. It was the second one I’ve had.
The vision was showing me future moments in my life—but I think it’s wise to caution, it’s best not to jump to conclusions. Interpretation of the future can be dangerous, not to mention frustrating.” Ashlyn rocked up onto her tippy-toes and began bouncing, a playful childlike smile on her face, “The good news, is that I’m going to the Sirius system with you.”
Though the visual of seeing her battle ravaged body and himself crying over her grave was emotionally shattering, Ashlyn’s light-hearted enthusiasm was contagious. Steven grinned, “Yes, I guess you are.”
“Steven, I know you have hundreds of questions, and I’ll answer all of them for you in time, but right now, we really need to address the most important question.”
Steven, hanging on every w
ord from her was riddled with anxiety over what she would say next. He felt like a small child being told a ghost story and the ghost was about to jump out and grab him.
“As you know, our lives are at risk.” Ash continued on, barely stopping to take a breath, “We have that one more, big step to take.”
Steven’s heart sped.
“We’re already pushing the envelope. I’ve been having severe headaches, dizziness-”
“Disorientation,” said Steven, finishing her sentence. “I’m experiencing all of those things too.”
“As genetic mates, we weren’t supposed to be facing the awkward situation we have now. It was supposed to be a beautiful melding of the two of us. Together, we’re stronger than we are separately.” Ash kicked at the sand, then continued, “We’re almost out of time, Steven—and it’s your right, your entitlement, to have this information before you take Avenger or me for that matter into battle. You have the right to decide how much you are willing to risk and to decide what will happen to you, to us and most importantly to your family.
I want to make it very clear that I will support any decision you make, regardless of the consequences. If there is any way to avoid this-”
“Being here with you—it feels, natural. It would be easier to deny my own existence,” acknowledged Steven with a soft, compassionate voice. His gaze drifted away, taking in the serenity of the island and the soothing sound of the surf. Steven knelt, his knees sinking into the sand. His legs felt numb and too weak to support him.
“Ash-”
Again, Ashlyn seeing his anguish stopped him, “You needn’t explain. Renee is an amazing woman. She’s been a good friend to me. For the sake of her and your children, I wish there were an alternative. It breaks my heart that we’ve been given so little choice in this.”
“I don’t know how to handle this, Ash.”
“I don’t either. I’ve cried myself to sleep many nights. The last weeks have been excruciating. Each night after the fugue has brought us together, I then have to look into Renee’s eyes. She’s my best friend, Steven.
And as for your children, I’ve played with them in the park. I have laughed with them and read books to them while Renee is at work. I’ve come to love them. The last thing I want to do is break their hearts.” Ashlyn’s eyes were watering and she wiped away a tear. “I also know that we are powerless to fight this.”
“Ash, I can’t hurt Renee. I can’t. There must be a solution,” said Steven, completely confounded by what to do next.
“Steven, I know you have no choice but to search for an angle that can somehow make this terrible, awkward situation work—but I’ve had more time to digest this than you have and there are solutions. Just none that are appealing.
In reality, you only have two choices. You can tell Renee about us or you can hide our relationship from her.
And perhaps it isn’t my place to speak since she hasn’t apparently said anything to you, but, she already knows about us. When they brought us back from Denver, she couldn’t explain how we survived. She ran tests on us. She discovered most everything.”
“Everything?”
“Most everything. She knows that we survived because our auras are synched into one, and that we are genetically mated to be together.
That being said, I don’t think she knows the full depth and desperation of our passions or that failure to fulfill those passions will kill us. If there is one thing I’ve learned about Renee, it’s that she has an immensely strong, internal strength. She’s logical and smart. I think the decision she’d make, might surprise you.”
“Decision?” Steven repeated.
Ash nodded. “Like us, she has two choices. She can share you or she can let you go. So, there are choices. It’s just that neither choice is comforting for Renee. All of them involve distress, pain and sacrifice.
But, if I can offer a tiny bit of wisdom? Time, is an unusual commodity. Oddly enough, given enough time, many problems seem to find their own resolution—one that was not considered, or even predictable.
If you want to break this situation down into its simplest form, we start by putting one foot in front of the other. Tomorrow is the beginning of a journey that may bring you to the solution you are seeking. You will be taking Avenger out. We don’t know if the mission will be successful. We don’t know if we will live or die or even see Earth again.”
“What about the vision?” asked Steven.
“Personally, regardless of what we saw in the vision, I believe our fates and our destiny have yet to be written.”
Steven was just beginning to realize the full depth of what Ashlyn represented. She was much more than a woman of extreme beauty. She was also one of extreme intelligence and compassion. Her words had succeeded in quelling much of his worry. He knew that she was right, that they should take it one day at time, one-step at a time, for they didn’t know if there was going to be a tomorrow.
Ash then reiterated, “I will abide by any decision you make. I want what you want and I will be happy with what makes you happy. You must make Renee and your children your first priority. Anything less will result in your heart being torn out, along with mine. If the pain can be avoided, we are obligated to do so. If there is a solution, I want you to find it. Otherwise, our guilt will never allow us to be free.
It shouldn’t be forgotten that once we take the next step, we can’t go back. Our passions will be too strong to resist. My best guess is that we have a week, maybe ten days. So we still have a tiny window of time for you to find an alternative,” said Ashlyn. Kneeling beside him in the sand, she placed her hand atop his in a show of her sincerity and support.
With the first physical touch between them, they each received a small, electrifying shock. Unlike a shock of static electricity though, where the pain inspires an instant reaction to pull away, this shock ignited a firestorm of unfathomable desire and need. It was the catalyst Tynabo had spoken of, designed to unleash the full power of the fugue, synchronizing every aspect of their mental and physical beings together. The first small step, however inadvertently, had been taken.
***
The fugue exploded, releasing enormous waves of raw energy. Even to the naked eye, such was the surge of power that their auras were both aglow. The fugue joined them, encasing them in a bubble of radiant, swirling colors; a spectacular outward display of their internal passions.
Their talents and abilities would now begin to grow, launching them into their new life together.
Yet, from somewhere deep inside Steven’s mind, things began to go horribly wrong. Without the inhibitor, there was nothing to govern the fugue taking control of him. It continued to accelerate exponentially, going far beyond its intended limits, pushing him into a bottomless abyss of desperate desire. What should have transpired naturally over a period of months, happened in an instant, during the thump of a single heartbeat.
His mind fractured, splintering into hundreds of disconnected pieces. Reaching out, he tried to grasp onto the single thing he could still comprehend, the only thing that was within reach. Ashlyn.
As his trembling fingers reached out, seeking to touch her face, he collapsed to the ground. His body curled itself into a fetal position. Weeping uncontrollably, his body shaking like that of a frightened child, his mind succumbed to the frightful nightmare from which there was no escape.
Ashlyn knelt beside him, holding his face in her hands, “Steven, what’s wrong? Talk to me, Steven!”
Her words never reached his ears. His sanity had fled from him.
Ashlyn’s heart broke for him, she feared for his life. She took his hands that were covering his sobbing face. “Steven, look at me. Look at me, Steven!”
Steven opened his eyes and for the first time in Ashlyn’s life, she knew fear. His eyes were large, raging like that of a wild, rabid animal.
Inside Steven’s mind, his scrambled, whirling thoughts declared that the creature before him was the cause of his torment, his anguish. With o
bsessive passion driving his soul, animalistic instinct purged the humanity within him. His eyes raced over her, her exposed breasts and plumped folds driving his sanity yet further away from him.
Lightning fast, he leapt at Ashlyn knocking her backwards. As she landed face down in the sand three meters away, a flock of nearby gulls that were running through the waves took flight, squawking rudely at Ashlyn for disturbing them.
Ashlyn lay dazed, the air knocked out of her. She found herself unable to expand her lungs to take even a single breath. Though she could feel the warm sand against her skin, the cool breeze upon her face, in staring at her fingers, she found that she could not make them move.
Only as she saw Steven slowly, chillingly walking toward her did she begin to understand what was happening.
His right arm was extended, his raised palm facing her. His hand was ablaze with a pure, white light that hid the details of his face beyond. From his glowing palm, radiant waves of surging energy emanated.
With a slight upward tilt of his hand, Ashlyn began to rise from the ground. As Steven turned his hand, so did Ashlyn rotate over. Floating at shoulder height, she stared at the sky, helpless and unable to move. Steven walked up to her, circling her. With an evil grin, he turned his palm toward the ground, lowering her.
With her black cape sloshing in the foam of the waves beneath her, with wide-eyes, she watched him. Fighting for each tiny gasp of air, Ashlyn grew ever closer to losing consciousness.
The distant portion of her mind that was still aware, reeled, amazed at the speed and sheer power of Steven’s strength. Sharp and honed as her instinct and reaction times were, his leap at her had been but a blur of movement.
Standing over her, his animalistic thoughts raced, imagining all he wanted to do to her.
As his mind sought to fulfill the desires of his passion, the two pieces of her silver body-necklace tore away from her and flew into the surf. The creature’s nakedness empowered him, as did knowing that the creature could not resist.
EARTH'S LAST WAR (CHILDREN OF DESTINY Book 1) Page 14
