The soft hum of machinery filled the dimly lit garage as Kite worked diligently at his cluttered workbench. Rays of the neon lights outside seeped through the cracked blinds, casting thin streaks of light across the room, illuminating shelves packed with spare parts, blueprints, and half-finished gadgets. Kite stood in the center, his jeans weighed down by two new satchels on either side, each holding a homemade ray gun snugly inside. His hands moved with purpose, assembling what appeared to be the prototype of a white, astronaut-like exosuit.
Hovering a few feet away, Ray observed in silence, his sleek black form outlined by the faint green glow of his shifting pupils. “I scared you this badly, huh?” he finally asked, his voice soft but tinged with curiosity as he focused on Kite’s meticulous movements.
Kite paused, his mind flashing back to their earlier encounters, the piercing eyes, the overwhelming aura, the helplessness he’d felt. His jaw tightened as he gritted his teeth. “Yeah,” he muttered without looking up. “I never want to feel that way again.”
Ray didn’t reply immediately. His green pupils dimmed slightly as a faint smile of understanding played across his metallic like face. “Can’t say I blame you,” he said quietly, his voice carrying a rare hint of empathy.
The silence returned, filled only by the soft clinking of tools as Kite worked for a while longer. Eventually, he stepped back and wiped his hands on his jeans, gazing at the workbench with a mix of pride and satisfaction. Before him lay the disassembled pieces of a prototype exosuit, its white panels gleaming faintly under the dim garage lights.
Ray floated closer, his gaze fixed on the suit. Kite’s warm smile radiated pride, his eyes dancing with excitement over his accomplishment. Ray, however, stared at the exosuit with a faraway look, his expression more somber. Memories of not just his, but Kites life as well in the future flickered through his mind, memories of countless battles fought, and the losses endured.
“So,” Kite began, breaking the silence with a joking tone, “what do you think? Is it enough to take you on?”
Ray’s pupils refocused as he chuckled softly, shaking off his thoughts. “Not quite,” he replied with a small, knowing smile.
Before they could continue, Kite’s mother’s voice traveled sharply from outside the garage. “Kite! Get ready, you’ll be late for school!”
“Okay, Mom!” Kite shouted back. He glanced down at the exosuit pieces and sighed. “Must have lost track of time,” he muttered.
Ray smirked, his glowing eyes shifting to a soft purple hue. “Don’t worry,” he said, his tone calm but amused. “I know a shortcut.”
A swirling circle of vibrant purple energy appeared beside them, crackling faintly with cosmic energy. The portal shimmered like liquid glass, streaked with flashes of stars and faintly pulsing patterns of a cosmic nebula.
“Whoa, what the heck!” Kite exclaimed, his wide eyes glued to the mesmerizing portal. He took a step back, his heart racing in awe and disbelief.
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“It’s safe. Trust me,” Ray reassured, floating nonchalantly through the portal, his body instantly enveloped in a shimmering cosmic aura that flowed like liquid starlight.
Kite hesitated for a moment, then looked down at his hands, clenching them in awe. A slow grin spread across his face as he grabbed his backpack off the ground. Without another thought, he dove through the portal.
The moment Kite passed through, the portal snapped shut behind him with a soft whoosh, leaving the garage silent once more. Kite’s breath caught in his throat as he realized where he was. He floated in the endless expanse of space, weightless, surrounded by a vast sea of stars. Nebulas stretched out in vibrant hues of blue, purple, and gold, swirling like cosmic brushstrokes. Massive planets hung in the distance, their surfaces rippling with storms and glowing with atmospheric light. Comets streaked across the void, leaving shimmering trails in their wake.
A shimmering aura enveloped Kite, warm and protective, letting him breathe and shielding him from the cold vacuum. His wide eyes darted from one breathtaking sight to another, unable to process the sheer scale and beauty of the universe around him.
“It’s… amazing!” Kite shouted, his voice filled with pure exhilaration as he spun slowly in the weightless void, taking in the celestial wonder.
Ray hovered nearby, his small form dwarfed by the majesty of space. He watched Kite with a quiet smile, his glowing eyes softening. “Yeah,” he murmured, his gaze drifting to a nearby planet with a golden ring. “It really is breathtaking.”
For a moment, neither spoke, the vastness of space filling the silence between them. For Kite, it was a glimpse of something infinite, something he could never have imagined. But for Ray, it was a bittersweet reminder, that despite everything, his powers weren’t always a curse.
Ray hovered silently, his small form outlined by the faint glow of distant stars as he watched Kite flail with childlike glee, trying to swim through the void of space toward a nearby planet. A soft smile curved across Ray’s face, faint and wistful, as he observed his father’s innocent wonder. It was rare, so very rare, to see such unguarded joy in someone who he’d always been told was steadfast and burdened, a warrior shaped by the cruel hand of time.
To think Father was such an innocent kid back then. Ray thought, the words tinged with a quiet melancholy as they echoed through his mind. Kite’s laughter, unguarded, carefree, reached his sensors, but instead of filling Ray with happiness, it deepened the ache in his chest.
He could almost see her, his own mother, watching this moment with warmth in her eyes, her laughter harmonizing with Kite’s. And his own Aunt, standing with her arms crossed, pretending to not care, but secretly glad to see him so happy. They would have loved to see this side of him, Ray thought, the image as vivid as if it were real.
But the smile on Ray’s face began to fade, replaced by a somber stillness. His luminous pupils dimmed slightly, and his gaze grew distant. Memories surfaced unbidden, fractured glimpses of a life that belonged to someone else. A life of loss, of pain, of choices that left scars no amount of time could erase.
As he watched Kite’s radiant excitement, Ray’s own heart felt heavier, weighed down by the knowledge that this happiness would not last. He knew what was coming, the hardships, the betrayals, the impossible choices. And he knew he couldn’t afford to get too attached.
Yet, a small, untainted fragment of his soul, the piece that had refused to harden, no matter how much he endured, clung desperately to this moment. This fleeting, fragile glimpse of innocence and wonder.
Ray’s smile returned, faint and bittersweet, but his eyes betrayed him, softening into a deep sadness. Enjoy it, Father, he thought silently as he floated in place, his robotic body still against the endless backdrop of the cosmos. Even if it’s only for now.