"Mommy? Why aren't you coming with me?" My son's eyes fill with tears and I take my six year old in my arms. I fight my own tears and whisper "I will always be with you, little bit. Not even death can keep me from you." I pull back and cup his face "Be good for me and do as you're told, okay?"
My brave little boy wipes his eyes and nods "I love you, Mommy."
I kiss his dark hair, possibly for the last time and choke out "I love you back."
Standing, I hand Aiden to the female in charge of evacuation "Take care of him, Aleis. Do you hear me?"
The girl takes him and looks me in the eye "You can still come with us, Tak. You don't have to stay."
I look down at my boy and a small glimmer of hope lights in my heart when I see the innocence still swimming in his emerald eyes, "Yes I do."
I turn and walk away from the evacuation craft. Each step rends my soul as Aiden screams out "Mommy?! MOMMY!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"TAK! Wake up!"
I lurch upright in my bunk, panting and shaking. Looking around, I see my bunk mate leaning over to shake me. Her eyes are unconcerned. This isn't the first time she's woken me from a dream.
"Are you awake?"
I rest my forehead on my palm and rub my eyes, swiping at the tears there "I'm fine, Dire. Just a bad dream. Thanks."
She turns and walks into the little kitchenette we share, "More like a bad memory."
Dire goes about the motions of making tea (a ritual by now) and hands me a mug before sitting down at the desk adjacent my bunk. She doesn’t ask me about the dream because she knows I won't talk about it. Instead she spends time chattering about her day and how much closer we are to finding the Ratter main camp.
I sit there in silence and listen to her babble, filing away pieces of information for examination later. I suppose if she weren't there I would be flicking the lights on and off or opening and closing desk drawers. Perhaps I should clean my weapons one more time...
After a time I notice Dire has gone back to bed. Smiling, I finish my tea and take both of our mugs to the sink to wash. That woman knew me too well. She could always tell when my own mind over-ruled everything else around me.
Knowing sleep is impossible tonight, I dress in my riding leathers and strap on my weapons. One after the other they slide into their sheathes until finally my glock glides home in the holster at the small of my back. I write a note to Dire (though she'll know where I've gone) and quietly shut the hatch behind me.
In the hanger bay I pass the guard on duty with a nod. Fenrir nods back to me and tosses me the keys to my racer, "Be careful out there, Tak. It's a full moon."
I roll my eyes "Fen just because it's a full moon, doesn't mean the Ratters are any more crazy than they already are."
He pulls a string of wooden beads out from behind his shirt and rubs them between his thumb and forefinger "I still say it's bad juju."
I tug my helmet over my head and switch on the mic that allows me to speak into his ear "Noted."
He shrugs and mutters something but opens the hanger bay doors. I stroke my hands over the body of the bike and mount, feeling my hornet purr to life. She revs her motor, a warning to anyone in our way and we go tearing through the doors and into the night.
My brave little boy wipes his eyes and nods "I love you, Mommy."
I kiss his dark hair, possibly for the last time and choke out "I love you back."
Standing, I hand Aiden to the female in charge of evacuation "Take care of him, Aleis. Do you hear me?"
The girl takes him and looks me in the eye "You can still come with us, Tak. You don't have to stay."
I look down at my boy and a small glimmer of hope lights in my heart when I see the innocence still swimming in his emerald eyes, "Yes I do."
I turn and walk away from the evacuation craft. Each step rends my soul as Aiden screams out "Mommy?! MOMMY!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"TAK! Wake up!"
I lurch upright in my bunk, panting and shaking. Looking around, I see my bunk mate leaning over to shake me. Her eyes are unconcerned. This isn't the first time she's woken me from a dream.
"Are you awake?"
I rest my forehead on my palm and rub my eyes, swiping at the tears there "I'm fine, Dire. Just a bad dream. Thanks."
She turns and walks into the little kitchenette we share, "More like a bad memory."
Dire goes about the motions of making tea (a ritual by now) and hands me a mug before sitting down at the desk adjacent my bunk. She doesn’t ask me about the dream because she knows I won't talk about it. Instead she spends time chattering about her day and how much closer we are to finding the Ratter main camp.
I sit there in silence and listen to her babble, filing away pieces of information for examination later. I suppose if she weren't there I would be flicking the lights on and off or opening and closing desk drawers. Perhaps I should clean my weapons one more time...
After a time I notice Dire has gone back to bed. Smiling, I finish my tea and take both of our mugs to the sink to wash. That woman knew me too well. She could always tell when my own mind over-ruled everything else around me.
Knowing sleep is impossible tonight, I dress in my riding leathers and strap on my weapons. One after the other they slide into their sheathes until finally my glock glides home in the holster at the small of my back. I write a note to Dire (though she'll know where I've gone) and quietly shut the hatch behind me.
In the hanger bay I pass the guard on duty with a nod. Fenrir nods back to me and tosses me the keys to my racer, "Be careful out there, Tak. It's a full moon."
I roll my eyes "Fen just because it's a full moon, doesn't mean the Ratters are any more crazy than they already are."
He pulls a string of wooden beads out from behind his shirt and rubs them between his thumb and forefinger "I still say it's bad juju."
I tug my helmet over my head and switch on the mic that allows me to speak into his ear "Noted."
He shrugs and mutters something but opens the hanger bay doors. I stroke my hands over the body of the bike and mount, feeling my hornet purr to life. She revs her motor, a warning to anyone in our way and we go tearing through the doors and into the night.
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