I was floating in a boundless sky dotted with brilliantly shining stars, the scene made my breath catch in my throat. I couldn’t help but to take in the scene; I was so transfixed by the sight that I failed to realize I could see again and I was also not alone. It wasn’t until I heard the sound of someone’s throat being cleared, and I knew it wasn’t mine, did I turn around and came face to face with a tall being which blended almost perfectly into the background.
“A beautiful sight, is it not?”
His voice reminded me of a grand piano, loud yet melodious, as strange as that sounded. Each word he spoke seemed to press against me from all sides, carrying an invisible pressure. He floated alongside me, taking in the sight of the vast expanse of space around us.
I stared at him for a few long minutes, in all my years I have never seen something so……otherworldly, and believe me when I tell you that I didn’t call him that for lack of a better word. His body literally looked like the space we were floating in; his skin was a dark purple dotted with several shimmering spots speckled across his body.
“Who……What are you?”
I couldn’t help but ask as he stared at me with his empty but impossibly dark eye sockets; he had no nose or mouth to speak which begged the question, how did he communicate? I pushed the question from my mind as the creature chuckled before floating toward me.
“My name is Xa’ Langoartha Von Manseil but you may refer to me simply as Xa’ Langoartha, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Liam”
After acknowledging that I could never commit that name to memory, I simply decided to call him X.
“What do you want from me?”
I’m afraid to admit my voice cracked a bit as I asked the question; it took all the courage I could muster to ask something which felt so inherently powerful a question such as that. The way its eyes crinkled at the corners gave me the impression that it was smiling, though that could have just been wishful thinking on my part.
“It’s not about what I want from you. No, it’s what I can do for you”
I was equal parts sceptical as I was intrigued, it wasn’t everyday someone got to talk face to face with a possible extra-terrestrial but I knew better than to wholeheartedly believe every word that came out of its metaphorical mouth.
“What’s in it for you?”
Now that we were conversing, I began to feel more at ease although that didn’t mean I had let my guard down. I had seen enough men in black movies to know not to take an alien’s words at face value, not that it had enough features for me to say it had one but I digress.
“You’re cautious….a good trait to be sure but unwarranted in this case. I have no interest in harming you or your fellow primitives; I’m simply doing this for my own amusement. Besides, if I wanted you to be harmed then you would be”
Suddenly I felt an impossibly heavy pressure slam into me from above which forced me to my knees and caused my brain to rattle inside of my skull. My teeth chittered together and my eyeballs felt like they were being liquefied inside my skull, white hot pain washed over my body which left me feeling like I was bathing in a lake of fire, an incredibly stupid decision which I’ll never make mind you. My bones felt incredibly fragile, like one tap could end my life. My vision began to darken and cloud over as my heart rate slowed.
‘Is this how I die?’
Anger tore through me as the thought crossed my mind; I refuse to die like this! I will never be crushed under someone’s heel like a helpless ant; I slowly lifted my gaze and stared into the empty space where its eyes would be. Though I couldn’t read its expression, I knew it saw me as nothing more than amusement, something which it could use to alleviate boredom until it got tired. Despite knowing that I and it were at completely different levels of power, I still couldn’t stop myself from imagining myself punching it squarely in the jaw though.
That thought served as enough motivation for me, I grit my teeth and slowly got up, fighting through the pain which threatened to tear me apart from the inside. I took a step forward and nearly fell again as the pressure increased; it was due to sheer will that I remained standing, taking a few precious seconds to recover before taking another step.
Each step I took required all my energy to try to take another but eventually I made it to him, I didn’t look especially badass or anything but there was a point to be proven. Sure, I looked like shit right now but at least I showed that I wasn’t to be taken lightly. The pressure eased and like the sun after an especially rainy day, it came as a huge relief now that I no longer felt like the very air around me wanted me dead.
With as much strength as my body allowed, I straightened my shoulders and stared into his impossibly dark and empty eye sockets; not really the smartest decision I ever made because I’m sure they’ll give me nightmares for weeks to come but he seemed impressed, if the chuckle he released and the vanishing of the pressure was any indication.
“Most impressive”
I felt no joy at his words, right now my aches were aching and my feet felt like they were made of jelly. I strained to raise my hand and rest it on his shoulder, the action confused the creature but it seemed unconcerned about my actions; after all, to it I could hardly be considered a threat.
‘You’re gonna regret not taking me seriously’
I prepared to wrap my fingers around the creature’s neck when I suddenly felt incapable of moving my body any further. It felt as if my body was frozen, unable to move even a finger.
“Don’t get too cocky now”
It chuckled as it looked down at me, now that we were this close I could see the height difference between us clearly and I had to say, it was obnoxiously tall. I was never one to let someone’s size intimidate me though but if I was then I certainly would be running in the other direction right now.
“When you awaken you’ll find that your body has gone through some changes, nothing to be too concerned about, I simply made some edits to your biological makeup. Of course these changes come at a price but I think it would be more helpful than harmful; after all, the irrational need to be violent all the time must be getting quite tedious, no?”
He seemed to be hinting at something but I didn’t know what, I also wanted to comment about his soulless gaze, I had a witty comment prepared and everything. My top lip twitched a bit but that was all I could manage to do, that certainly put a damper on my mood and added fuel to my tank. I wanted to rage quit this damn stage of this awful game but someone had completely removed the exit game button, damned buzz kill.
“I suppose it’s about time you regain consciousness and get back to your revenge”
I bristled at his statement, he made it seem so petty that it infuriated me but there was nothing I could do about it and that infuriated me even more. No one likes to feel powerless, confronting one’s own weakness is never easy and that was especially so for me.
“Please do well to entertain me, Liam. I do not like to be disappointed”
Was that a threat? Fear seeped into me and I shivered inside involuntarily before I suppressed that feeling, makes no sense to me to give into fear now, I already made up my mind. Before I could quip back inside my mind I found myself falling into the sky.
An odd choice of words to be sure but it was fitting given the fact that it was an odd sensation; it felt like the world was suddenly flipped upside down. My arms and legs flailed as I was sucked upward, or was it downward? Everything began spinning before my vision turned black and I was flung back into the real world, I woke with a start as I sat up quickly and looked around the room. I was absolutely floored by what I saw, well it was more accurate to say I was floored by how I saw, the room was a mixture of cold blue and intense orange as well as a few soft purples sprinkled in between which blanketed the objects around the room.
I hated to sound like a rip-off of the old web slinging superhero we all know and love but my retinas were tingling. Not like an uncomfortable sort of tingle though, more like a soft vibration which caused my eyes to itch which wasn’t exactly ideal seeing as I had no way to scratch it.
I heard footsteps approaching my position as I was busy marvelling at my new eyesight, the door opened to reveal a man in a white lab coat surrounded by a soft orange glow. He looked surprised as he took in the sight of me; we stared at each other for a terse moment before he regained his bearings.
“I’m pleased to see you up and about, Liam”
The man smiled politely but I just waited for him to continue, admittedly I may or may not have been distracted, waking up with your vision restored and improved would do that to you. How was it improved you ask? Well I could see in more detail for one and I figured out my eyes had a kind of zoom feature that automatically kicked in when I focused. On the outside I was calm, collect and slightly irritated but on the inside I was trying not to panic at the unnaturalness of my new situation.
I now had an uncomfortably close view of the good doctor’s nose, I could see a piece of dry snot just at the corner of his left nostril which left me in a dilemma; I could either tell him about it or keep my mouth shut. He kept on talking about some other doctor who was coming to conduct a physical examination but I couldn’t wholly focus on his words when a piece of mucus was glaring at me so hatefully.
My eyes constantly travelled from his hazel eyes to his nose before I just turned my head away and stared at the wall, my logic was simple, I didn’t have to tell him if I couldn’t see it; that way if he did realize I could just claim I didn’t see it.
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“Now these questions may make you feel unsettled but I implore you to answer them to the best of your ability, are you ready?”
I nodded but he was already sitting before I answered.
“Have you been experiencing any random bouts of depression?”
I tried not to make a snarky comment about the stupidity of his question but then I thought maybe he just didn’t know about my situation. But then that begged the question, why was that the first question he asked if he didn’t know about my situation?
“Yes doctor, wouldn’t you be depressed if you saw your mother die in front of you and you hadn’t seen your brother or his father in what feels like days?”
There wasn’t any need to be an ass but what can I say, it’s a defence mechanism. I always had a hard time effectively expressing myself, I could never quite find the right words that described how I was feeling so eventually, I just stopped trying and now I just deflect questions which make me uncomfortable. And before you ask, yes I’m very aware of my shortcomings.
The doctor didn’t seem to mind though; he took my sarcasm in stride and continued with his assessment.
“I sympathize with you, I do. But please try to remain calm and help me help you”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; nevertheless there was no need to make his job any harder than it needed to be. It might be a bit too late to apologize now though.
“Can you describe the emotions you’re currently feeling?”
I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose
“I’m annoyed, confused, angry and sad…..lonely”
I finished with a sigh and looked at him. His eyes had warmth to them, I could see the pitying look he was giving me and it was beginning to get on my nerves.
“Look, just let me see my family and I’ll jump through whatever goddamned hoops you want but just stop it with the bloody pointless questions, alright?!”
Well, I tried to keep my anger in check but this was too much. The Orange glow that surrounded him turned a darker shade as he frowned at me, I had no idea what it meant at the moment but I didn’t care right now. The unfamiliar surroundings, the confusing dream, the ugly thing the asshole showed me and now doctor questions, it was all just too fucking much. There was an aching in the depths of my soul at the loss of my mother that demanded mending and there was only one way I could fix it.
The doctor and I were glaring at each other now, neither of us spoke nor did we move. It was like one of those standoffs you see in those old western films, the only difference was we didn’t have guns to shoot each other with.
“I’ll take over from here Dr Bradshaw”
A warm voice broke our silent stare down as the doctor turned around to look at the intruder. My gaze followed the doc’s as we stared at the new arrival, a tall wiry woman with black hair tied up in a tidy ponytail stood at the door smiling at us politely.
Her smile was blinding, I wasn’t saying that because I was suddenly in love with her or anything, I wasn’t a believer in love at first sight anyway. No, her teeth were just absurdly white; so white they practically hurt my eyes.
Note to self: ask her what toothpaste she uses
Dr Bradshaw stared at her; suddenly the glow around him lightened until it was a soft yellow colour. He nodded before getting up and walking to the door but addressed me without looking back.
“I hope to see you up and about soon, Liam”
He left after that, leaving me and the sun’s replacement alone. She stared at me through the lenses of her glasses; she regarded me before walking further into the room and sitting down on the same chair the other doctor just vacated.
“Hi Liam, I’m Doctor Marcia Bailey and I’m going to be conducting a physical check-up shortly but first, how are you feeling?”
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and squeezed my eyelids shut as a stabbing pain in my eyes assaulted me.
“I’m fine”
As the pain receded, I made the move to stand but collapsed back down on the bed as a sudden bout of light-headedness came over me.
“You certainly don’t seem fine to me”
The worried look on her face annoyed me slightly; she placed the back of her hand to my forehead with an intense look of concentration before pulling it away and scribbling on a paper attached to the clipboard she carried.
She flipped back and forth between pages, taking glances at me every now and again before she resumed her scribbling. When I felt like I had recovered enough, I took my time and got up, steadying myself as I swayed slightly before I took a step forward.
I could feel her gaze on me as I slowly strode forward
“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong, Liam”
I ignored her remark and took another shaky step forward, bracing on a wooden table I hadn’t noticed before to stop myself from falling. With slow and shaky steps, I made my way towards the door, intent on finding someone who could or would give me some answers.
Doctor Bailey sighed and walked over to me; she wrapped one thin arm around my waist and threw my right hand over her shoulder.
“There’s no shame in admitting you need help”
Her eyebrows were furrowed as she stared up at me, her head reached no further than my chest. Now that I took a good look at her she seemed really thin, not in an unhealthy way mind you, she just seemed…..small.
“I don’t”
Dr Bailey snorted but said nothing, allowing silence to descend upon us as we slowly walked down the hall. With me leaning against her, we made our way through the door and down a random hallway. Well, the hallway was random to me but it seemed she knew where she was taking me.
As we walked I kept picturing the face of my mother in her final moments, the more I thought back on it the less it seemed like her. True, my mother was a ferocious woman when she was angry but she would never act like that. I began to wonder, how long ago had she really died? Was it painless? God I hope it was.
My thoughts turned to my brother; I could only imagine how scared he must be. I struggled to keep the rising tidal wave of panic in check as I pondered on where they could be keeping him, hopefully he was with his father, at least then he would be moderately safe and I could relax a bit.
I looked down at the small woman as she resolutely carried some of my weight which, even though it wasn’t all, still seemed to be too much for her.
“Thank you”
I frowned, not because I didn’t want to acknowledge her effort but because it didn’t feel as bad as I thought to say it. I never had to thank anyone besides my mother for anything so it felt strange but not entirely unpleasant.
She looked up at me and smiled, her teeth almost blinding me as her lips bulled back like a curtain to reveal glittering gems of pure white. Okay, maybe they weren’t that white but they did irritate the heck out of my eyes.
We came upon the end of the hallway; in front of us was what appeared to be a cafeteria. There were several tables and chairs with people seated around them talking to each other quietly. A few curious glances were thrown my way as I was gently lowered into a seat but they quickly turned away and went back to minding their own business.
“Wait here, I’ll get you something to eat”
Before I even had the chance to decline, she had already walked off. I had no choice but to swallow what I was going to say and allow myself to be waited upon. Some people would be glad to be served but all it did was bring up bad memories and made me feel helpless.
I tried not to look in the directions I felt the stares coming from, one thing I didn’t need right now was an unnecessary fight because I couldn’t keep myself from making a snarky comment because someone pissed me off, only god knows how much my mother hated when I started fights without even meaning to, she said I had a real knack for pissing people off, just like my old man.
Every time I got into a fight and my mother had to come down to the school she used to give me the one of the scariest death glares I’d ever seen, a smile formed on my face as I remembered the spanking she gave me. I say spanking but really it was more like a wrestling match with the undertaker fighting hornswoggle, meaning it was nothing more than a comedy show for anyone on the outside looking in. I couldn’t have done anything more than run around the house in terror as my mother chased after me with what could have only been the face of the devil. Say what you will about disciplining children by giving them lashes when they were in the wrong but you can’t argue with the results. Besides, mom was from the Caribbean, she had her fair share of those too and she turned out fine.
“Are you the new guy?”
I turned to the voice, standing next to me was a boy who looked no older than fifteen. His dark brown, inquisitive eyes framed by a youthful face peered at me in curiosity, his equally brown hair was in a bowl cut and even when I was sitting he and I were almost the same height.
“Yeah, you could say that. Where are your parents? Should you be walking around here alone?”
The boy smiled and unbuttoned the jacket of his suit before sitting down beside me.
“Thank you for the concern but I’m actually eighteen”
I lifted a brow at the news, showing my disbelief as he clearly didn’t look that age. He laughed and pulled his wallet out of his inner pocket before retrieving his ID and handing it to me. Sure enough, the ID had his date of birth and it confirmed what he said. I gave a defeated chuckle and handed him the card back.
“Fine, I was in the wrong then”
“No worries, it happens more than you think. I’m Jeffrey, Jeffery Thomas”
We shook hands and I introduced myself in almost the same manner as him, his British accent made him sound prim and proper whereas I sounded gruff and sarcastic, even without trying to. Thankfully, Jeff didn’t take it as an insult, he had a sense of humour which meant he and I would get along great.
“So Jay, did you happen to see a boy with brown hair about yay high most likely looking scared with a tall, big guy with a beard who smells like cigarettes pass through here?”
His eyebrows rose a couple inches before he cupped his chin in thought.
“I don’t think I saw anyone fitting that description come through here but maybe Flynn knows. Hey, Flynn!!”
Jeff waved to a group of men and a woman sitting at a table looking over at us curiously. A guy with curly blonde hair said something before getting up and walking toward us, the others got up after him and followed and I had to resist the urge to just limp back to my room.
I didn’t have anything against people but I just didn’t like being in crowds, especially when I didn’t know anyone in said crowd.
The man with the curly blonde hair looked at me and introduced himself with a wave and a small, professional smile. He looked like the type of guy you’d see in ads for men’s cologne.
“My name is Flynn, I’m the Long range expert of the assault team. I also happen to be their leader; it’s a pleasure to meet you”
The sole female member followed with a sloppy salute and flashed me an easy-going smile
“Leandra Best, I’m in charge of communication during missions…..among other things”
The other male in the group nodded
“Just call me Flex, heavy gunner”
I nodded as each of them introduced themselves before I did the same
“I’m Liam, the new guy I guess”
The introductions were finished now and I preparing to ask my question when the doctor returned with a tray of food in hand.
“Oh I see you’ve all met Liam, he’ll be the newest member of the assault team so take care of him”
A chorus of ‘yes ma’ams’ and ‘rogers’ resounded as they all saluted her with serious faces , the previous aura of relaxation the group carried vanished and was replaced with the most serious faces I had ever seen. I looked at the doctor curiously, to command such respect and deference made me wonder if she was really just a doctor.
“Well I suppose since you’re all here I might as well do it now”
Her cheerful smile evaporated; suddenly the wiry woman was gone, she was replaced by an extremely dangerous person who reeked of danger. There was coldness in her eyes which suddenly gave me chills.
“To those of you who don’t know me, my name is Marcia Bailey, former leader of the Maverick Strike Team. To those who do know me know I don’t tolerate disrespect or insubordination, if I tell you jump, you jump, if I say run five kilometres every morning then you do exactly that. Once you do what I tell you then there will be no need for us to butt heads”
Apparently the coldness wasn’t restricted to just her eyes, her voice was like dry ice. She turned her gaze to me and it took everything in me not to shrink back, I don’t care how many fights I had been in, this woman made King Kong look like woody woodpecker. Suddenly, her bright smile returned but somehow it seemed even deadlier.
“I’ll be your mentor and handler for the foreseeable future, do treat me well”
She finished with a clap and a smile which seemed too innocent for the persona she just put forward. The members of the assault team were looking at her with reverence and respect written plainly on their faces, and me? Well I was trying to hold back the fart she almost scared out of me while praying I didn’t look as nervous as I felt.