Chapter One
Zakr, what folks on Earth would call “extraterrestrials” or “aliens”, but to us, they mean much more… their people, culture, and lands have become our home, and I’d like to think… our new family. None of us can be sure how long it has been since the inauguration, which eventually led to what could have been our ultimate demise, flinging us out into space and leaving us for dead. I still see the faces of everyone as each hour passes, watching each person come to the same conclusion about our situation and the fate that shortly lay ahead. The certainty of death has a morbid effect on every single person I’ve ever come into contact with. Some of us deny, deny, deny until the final moment, refusing to give ourselves some grace to accept our next move and attitude as we take our final breath. It is all I can control in the end. Others fight until their last breath, vowing to themselves to never give up, even in the face of imminent death. I found out at that moment I am neither. There was no conscious acceptance or fear of losing the life I had lived thus far or wanting to control the last few moments of my life. All I could think about was them… the few people in the world that mattered to me were now broken, utterly devastated by the outcome of our decisions, my decisions.
Dex Clayton was the first I noticed… under that rough exterior, cold expressions, and genius mind filled with battle strategies, the only warmth this man ever experienced was the blood that stained the recesses of his past, has finally begun to torture his heavy heart, seeping into the soul he thought was all but gone. Ze was next; from the small amount of information I’ve gathered over our time together, she was a protector at heart. Her known history holds the opposite, impossibly brutal tasks achieved by wicked means that the common folk would never understand or, frankly, even want to entertain. I could interpret the pain in her eyes when she looked at me, but also a sense of relief, knowing that she didn’t have to continue being the mortal weapon for death. In my mind, I learned I should have been more aware of my demise, my thoughts, and what my regrets were before this life.
My eyes became fixated on Quin as I scanned his lab coat from head to toe; I could see his eyes darting from side to side, his right foot tapping against the cold metal, and his head was parallel to the floor as his hands gripped tightly on the back of his head. It seemed like his mind was going through every experiment, study, and sacrifice made to uphold his personal conviction to question, answer, and protect the truth about the beautiful life that encompassed every corner of the Earth. Lee was the only one trying to figure out a way out of our grim situation; if there was anyone who could slow our descent into the next life, it was LJ. He’s been my best friend since High School, but is a brother to me now. I hoped he wasn’t blaming me for everything; he had every right to be because, at that moment, I remember feeling like I took a bite from the hand that feeds. Lee deserved more; he deserved a long life with family, a long life filled with people who smiled when he walked into the room and could appreciate him in a way I never could.
As I continued to analyze, it became harder to swallow the truth, to accept it, and then forgive myself in hours, a day, if we got lucky. I hesitated momentarily, thinking about our memories together, dwelling on the fact that Alexis and I would be nothing more than what we were at this moment. I was trapped in my thoughts until she put her arm around my shoulder, laid her head on me, and gently held my hand, caressing it. In my heart, I already knew I loved her since the day we met, but I was afraid of her not loving me back, of losing someone so loving and brilliant. I suppressed feelings and forced them into submission; her presence was priceless. I actively chose to sacrifice and betray this heart of mine, but there was nowhere I could run, nowhere I could retreat for solace, so I held her hand in mine.
“You are beautiful in all forms; you act selfless when most would act selfish; when you smile, the world slows down just enough to remind me I am better when I am with you; a world without you is one I would never want to know or wish on my worst enemy, I have nothing without you, so I have everything when I am with you, every moment we’ve had is a small piece of infinity I will tuck away and forever cherish, in this life and the next… I only wish we had more time.”
A tear ran down her face; I could see this was not only what I felt, what I wanted, but the way she looked down, then back up at me, told me everything I needed to know. I was never one to pray, devote my time, or share my Fatih with anyone. I thought my belief in a higher power was gone, sometimes foolish even. Still, I found myself searching for that mustard seed of faith. As each second passed, the more I recited the fragmented passages I somehow knew from the Bible to this day. As the air became thinner and thinner, the room became colder and colder. Each breath was more shallow than the next until, one by one, Dex closed his eyes and slumped over; Quin was next, followed by Alexis and then Lee, leaving Ze and me as the last two standing. We both looked at one another; the silence was deafening. "Thank you…", Ze said with all of the strength she had left. "Why?" I responded. "For… giving me… another… chance." Ze laid her head on the steel bar behind her. She smiled; I saw a tear rolling down her face as she closed her eyes. I said, "You're welcome, but Ze… you have done the same for me."
My head became heavier and heavier to hold; I could barely continue to stay conscious. I took one last look at everyone lying on the floor, and just as I closed my eyes, I heard what sounded like a vacuum sucking us even further into space. Somehow, I continued going in and out of consciousness, seeing flashes of light and purple streaks moving from left to right, right to left. I was sure this hallucination would pass in a few moments, but at the time, I mustered the last of my strength. I managed to stand on my two feet, struggling to keep balance, when I heard a gentle voice say, "It's Okay. You must rest. Your people will need you." then I took a few steps and blacked out.
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Chapter Two
Dazed and confused, I woke up feeling a warm hand on my shoulder and another just above my right hand, gripping my wrist softly. I felt the grip tighten, and I heard Alexis. Lee and Alexis were 8standing on the size of what may have been called a hospital bed on Earth, but this was much more sophisticated. The kind of sophistication that superseded any knowledge or experience I obtained working with Technology my whole life. As I remember, a fear trembled through my entire body, unlike ever before. "Where are we? What is going on?" I turned to Lee and saw how beat up he looked. I had no idea of what my appearance looked like at the time, but he looked much worse. "Christian… there is a lot we need to tell you-" Lee interrupted Alexis. "But for now, we need you to focus on your health. I will take care of everything for now, and as long as Alexis chooses, they have allowed her to stay with you until you fully recover". Alexis looked at Lee with concern but understood this wasn't the appropriate time to dive into how or who had rescued us.
Lee squeezed my shoulder, "Hey man, it's great to see you awake before I have to head off and figure out what's happening. I'll be back shortly." Lee looked at me, then stared at my left arm briefly. "Alexis, please take good care of him." Alexis, with tears filling up her eyes, "You know I will…". Lee gave her a nod and headed towards a hole in the wall, but there was nothing on the other side. I couldn't see a room or anything behind it until Lee got closer; then, a veil, I assume, disappeared, revealing a garden with beautiful stairs and architecture that made the Romans look pitiful, groups of people walking, some with pets and others alone. Strangely enough, the people didn't look human. There were similar features, but it's like I could feel their energy, a kind of energy like… pure energy. I must've been overwhelmed because the next moment, the room was spinning, and all I saw was black.
It felt like several days had passed since I was conscious enough to notice who or who wasn't in the room. I blinked a few times before my vision cleared, and I saw her… or it. I only use this terminology because I've never been so peaceful yet filled with fear simultaneously. The nurse was beautiful, radiant even; she had this aura, a bluish tint, and her skin was purple, a lighter shade of purple. For a moment, it seemed like her "veins" were the same color as the aura surrounding her. She had this presence, a gentle one, a soothing tone in her voice, and when the nurse would grab my arm, I could feel her warmth. This interaction was comforting; I even remember thinking, "I may not know what she is or who she is, but the warmth from her touch gave me a reason to believe this being was more than a figment of my imagination.
After a few hours passed—what felt like hours, I was awakened by a tremendous amount of pain in the upper area of my left arm, a burning sensation, one that I'd rather not speak of. As the nurse or doctor was cauterizing my wound, I did everything I could to keep from screaming in agony and passing out. The sound of the machine went away slowly, but an uncomfortable feeling went through my body as if I were in the middle of an examination. "Christian, is it? My name is Alvator, and I am… what you call a doctor on your home planet, Terra." Alvator, the so-called “doctor”, came over to my bedside and began going through all of my injuries, providing a detailed report, which made me feel more anxious than relaxed. I couldn't shake the anxiety, so I went to grab the handles on both sides of the bed, and to my surprise, there wasn't any. I looked to the right and nothing, then to my left, when I looked down at my left arm and froze… completely paralyzed as I saw a golden apparatus that replaced my left arm, from the middle of my bicep to the tips of my fingers.
“Wha-what’s this?” As I asked, twirling the fingers on what used to be my left hand. “We were able to resupply oxygen to your entire body, but as the days passed, your left arm began to exhibit the signs of an infection. We have no idea what caused this, which was unfathomable for us…” Alvator sighed, then wrote down a few more notes. “We did what we thought was best; some of your people were vehemently adamant about us making this decision for you.” The doctor looked into my eyes, forcing a smile, but I could tell he had this sadness. Maybe it was pity; perhaps it was taking time to care for someone he didn’t know, or maybe my interpretation was off. Alvator must’ve noticed I was trying to wrap my head around the amputation and complete replacement of my left arm. “Christian, I will come back later, but for now, if you have any questions or need anything. You can call the nurse by stating her name aloud.” Alvator was about to leave the room. “Excuse me, Doctor… what is my nurse’s name?” Alvator smirked, then replied. “Her name is Cura”.
After some time, I can’t remember how long, because I had an existential crisis; losing my left arm was one thing, but imagining a world where I couldn’t feel my hands working on tech, carpentry, or anything required to have and live a normal life. I have become so efficient with my hands and looking to the future, knowing I will have to do some rehabilitation, and even then, I may not be able to come close to the expert I once was.
I continued to dwell on cosmic punishment; you can call it karma or whatever force has chosen to intervene and cause such a significant burden, which seemed unfair. Still, I’m not sure anyone else would agree. I thought it was over; my time in the universe was ending, and this was an inescapable fate. I must’ve looked confused or troubled even as Alexis walked into the room; the expression on her face went from excitement to worry, then concern.
She had brought some water and some food, enough to sustain myself while providing the nutrients my body needed to heal. As I ate, Alexis sat beside my bed, not looking at me much; I figured she was trying to find the words to make me feel better, give me hope, and maybe just when to say it. Once I finished eating, the room fell quiet, and Alexis started the conversation. “Hey… how are you holding up? Dr. Alvator told me that your condition is improving slowly every day.” Alexis placed her hand on mine. “I’m fine…” I said. “He mentioned your reaction when you found out about your amputation and the… arm replacement.”
“I mean… how would you feel if you lost something you needed in order to fulfill your wildest dreams?” Alexis looked away before answering, “I’m unsure how I would feel.” “You’d feel like your whole world has fallen apart. You’d feel like god was playing a sick joke on you.” She looked back at him with tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry, Christian. I’m so sorry”
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