He watched the waves batter the sand beneath his feet. The smell of ocean thick in the air.
Horizon was slowly changing as the sun started to rise bringing life to the murky landscape. His nightmares kept him up. Sleep was elusive and for a while he couldn't see himself ever sleeping again. The issue weren't the dreams, but the fact that he couldn't remember them. He tried to recall some of them, however the thoughts were soon a jumbled mess leaving only confusion and terror behind.
He felt someone approaching behind his back. Soon soft hands circled around his broad chest gently caressing him, "You weren't in bed" The woman whispered.
"I couldn't sleep." He returned.
A blatant lie. He was plagued by nightmares. Voices from the unknown calling out to him. He didn't had proper sleep for months.
He heard her sigh, "Nightmares again?" She kissed his back. He almost gasped. Ericha sometimes knew more than he did.
Lucian remained silent, only nodding in affirmation as he watched the yellow ball of flame slowly rise to announce the dawn of the new day. Thinking about days gone by.
They remained in silence. The ambient noise relaxing them. He was back where he felt at ease. Nature of his home world did something to ease his every climbing worries. Earth was finally beneath his feet. Lucian felt strange, nothing how homecoming should've been once he returned. After few days of hundred different emotions, he now felt nothing. Not in a bad way. Just something about smelling the earth air.
"Today is the day." Ericha spoke.
"Yes my love." Ericha smiled at his endearing words.
The way they bonded so quickly made his body shiver. Occasionally he would be plagued by thoughts of her ulterior motives. Shaking his head he focused on the events of the new day.
"They are coming for me. I assume they want someone for bunch of tests." He guessed.
"Afraid?" Ericha watched his back.
"Always," She felt him shiver, "yet you, Liza and Lindsay make it so much easier." He pointed out.
He felt himself reacting in different ways while he was surrounded by those he loved. Lucian thought about the life so far while watching the ocean waves.
Liza and Ericha had different personalities. Their love for him manifested in different ways as well, some of them he couldn't predict happening few years in the past. What would happen to him once that safety barrier disappeared? He dreaded the thought. However the mere idea of it happening was easily forming in recesses of his mind.
Liza often said that Amorans showed love to their life long mates in different ways. In the past few months, since he returned, he became closely acquainted with some of them. A grin formed was slowly forming on his face as he was recalling how sweet her lovemaking was.
The Amoran was currently standing behind them silently watching with a contended smile. She had tears in her eyes as her hands gently encircled her for warm comfort.
Lindsay. His own sister. What he felt about her was starting to send alarms to his brain, a part of it at least willing to listen. Most of it was still craving for those few moments of satisfaction. Lucian took a deep breath. Sometimes life is not easy.
In the distance he started to hear the distinct sound of helicopters blades cutting through the air.
He swallowed "I guess the waiting has come to an end." Lucian tried to smile, yet he started to shiver. Warm air had nothing to do with it.
Ericha noticed. Her grip became tighter.
The beach has becoming warm. The island was slowly becoming brighter. He watched the birds fly away, the sound making them search for different perch they could spy out of.
The two aircraft kicked up wind as they slowly sat on the ground. Their blades nowhere to be seen. A strange sight to behold for someone that was accustomed to aircraft that should've landed in front of them.
Several men in black walked briskly toward Lucian. The rest of the men, from the second aircraft, exited as well. They wore bright green military outfits. Weapons draped over their shoulders. One of them clearly scanned the surrounding area. The island's jungle was brisk with invisible dangers and they were about to escort one of them. The rest took positions to both sides and started slowly advancing through the warm sand.
Lucian noted a man's gaze stopped several times on his bionic limb.
The fat man watched carefully as the men he was tasked with protecting moved across the warming sand.
As with the jungle in front of them, the 3 people on the beach were unnerving him in many ways. The human looking one was hot, but the purple one made him sick to his stomach. The muscles on his broad frame twitched. He remained silent. Watching and hoping they would give him any excuse to start shooting.
He grimaced, "Strict orders!" his superior shouted over the headpiece bringing him back to present.
"Fine.", was all he said before almost crushing the gun stock in his hand. His time will come. Eventually. One wrong move and he'll start killing. He licked his lips in anticipation.
A cold wave hit his body, almost making him retch all over the place. Shivers ran through his body as his senses started to scream. He felt the same sensation countless times in combat. A killer was lying in wait. Somewhere.
He felt chills on his back. Something was threatening him. Very few times in life a man comes to know fear. A true terror. Someone or something was watching him and he couldn't see them. He knew they were out there, watching his every move.
The jungle was quiet, too quiet. Even for their aircraft. There was not a single bird or a monkey making noise. Announcing their presence or warning them. A tiny strand of sweat dripped across his face.
They needed to hurry.
He met his eyes with Lucian's. The slight grin on Lucian's face told the man he had seen through his desires. He swallowed deeply and tried not too seem too obvious.
*Relax. Breathe in.* He said to himself.
Yet he felt a giant marker on his body. Like he was the only one on a desert island.
The men in black slowly approached. The wind of the aircraft thrusters rustled their black suits.
Lucian's bionic arm started to twitch nervously.
He remembered the words of his doctors. Too many to remember their faces. However he remembered what they said about his strange new limb.
As he was rescued from his captors eventually he was rushed to the nearest doctor that could return some resemblance to his old life. The space station was close to VenuuX, the doctors and engineers on board the military section of the space station told him it would sometimes exhibit phantom pain, movement and even the feeling like it wasn't there.
It felt odd.
"What's the point then?" he asked his doctor.
He remembered regretting the tone of his voice, however his doctor was full of understanding and compassion. He took the time to explain to Lucian in great detail.
During the times when his emotions ran wild his bionic limb would misbehave. New connections were being made where the older ones were so violently severed. The process was long and painful.
The men finally stopped near them. Lucian was pulled out of his remembrance. Focusing on the situation at hand.
The men waited patiently. Gazing at him like he was the answer to all of their asking questions.
