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Dust Trails: of Earth, Chapter Nine

 

11-22-16 11:11 PM
Eirinn is Offline
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Eirinn
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Click here to go to the first chapter
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Warning: this chapter contains content that may be disturbing to some.



Chapter Nine


Lauren opens her eyes to bright blue skies above her and tall blades of fertile grass around her. Sitting up she recognizes this place: it's the same place as in her recurring nightmare, but this time she feels no danger.

Standing up she looks all around, there's a clear stream in front of her, and open fields full of the tall flowing grass and beautiful flowers everywhere. The land is tiered, with both the higher tiers and the lower tiers extending farther than she can see.

Crossing the stream she looks to her left, and, several tiers down, sees a person. Going to meet them, she recognizes the face of the woman as soon as she turns toward her.

"Mother?" Lauren says and runs into her arms. After a moment she steps back and looks into her eyes "But you're...does that mean I'm...am I dead?"

As though ignoring her daughter's question, the woman simply places a hand on Lauren's cheek "Lauren, you've grown so much since I left."

"Mother, it's not even been a full year. I've not grown at all."

"You have, my love." she says with a gentle smile "You're becoming a woman. A beautiful woman, inside and out."

"I was already a woman." Lauren answers in a deadpanned tone, a frown on her face.

Laughing softly the woman replies "You may have been entering womanhood physically, but inwardly you were a child still. You're growing so quickly now. Things are happening that you do not understand, and much more has yet to be revealed to you, but do not be afraid."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't be afraid."


Presently Lauren's mother, along with everything around Lauren, begins fading from view. Opening her eyes once more, she sees a white sky above her peaking through a blend of leafless branches and evergreens. A soft snow falling on her cold face, and an intense pain in her upper abdomen are what her greet her upon her return to the real world.

Groaning softly she lifts her head to see the man that had approached her earlier, but he's pinned to a tree, standing perfectly still in wide eyed terror, a sword held beneath his chin.

A sword? who uses swords anymore? A look at the other end of the blade gives her the answer she needs: Aaron stands there, staring fiercely into the man's eyes, and Sanya stands on the other side of him, clutching tightly to some sort of light beam. It's at this point that Lauren realizes that they have every intention of killing the man.

"Aaron." she tries to call out, but her voice doesn't want to come. "Sanya." still too soft to be heard below the wind and Aaron's angry shouting.

Snapping to attention, Sanya turns to see Lauren looking at them "Aaron, she's still alive!" she shouts as she rushes to Lauren's side, and both Aaron and her attacker look toward her.

"Don't hurt him." she begs.

"But"

"Please. Don't hurt him."

Defeated, Sanya turns her head toward Aaron "She wants you to let him go."

"I can't do that." Aaron answers "He's a murderer. He preys on young women, then kills them, isn't that right, Jeff?"

The man pales "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, Jeff." Aaron answers, enjoying watching the man squirm "I know you're thirty four years old, your full name is Jeffery Alexander Bryant, you're a mechanic during the day, and" his voice turns to a whisper "I know what you do by night, Jeff." the man's terror reaches an entirely new level, And Sanya thinks he might just die from the fear before the sword can get him.

"Tell me Jeff," Aaron continues "do you get a thrill out of hurting people that are weaker than you?" the blade inches closer to his throat "Is it fun for you, watching a defenseless person bleed out under a blade, Jeff? Mind if I find out?"

"I've never killed anyone!"

"Liar!" Aaron shouts and Lauren turns her head away as she tenses and waits for Aaron to end it. "Do you know her name, Jeff? Did she tell you her name? Her name was Caitlin, Jeff. Did you know that, or was she a random target? Did you just see her and decide to pounce?"

"I just saw her sitting on the bench, man. Okay I was gonna hurt her, I admit, but"

"Not her, Jeff, the Red haired woman you killed last April. Do you remember her, or have you been so busy that you've lost count? And here you were, working on your next victim. At least you had the decency to try killing this one first. Was it getting to you, hurting them like that while they were still alive, Jeff?"

"Stop it!" Lauren shouts in tears.

"Listen to the girl." the man pleads.

"Just like you always do, right? You listened to Caitlin when she begged, didn't you?" Aaron says, his pent up rage finally getting the better of him. "I could take a good slice right now and it'd be game over for you, Jeff. But maybe I shouldn't. No, Maybe I should make it slow. Stab a little here, cut a little there. Make you beg too."

"Aaron, that's enough." Sanya says as she places a hand on his shoulder.

"Back off Sanya. You have no idea"

"Let him go. Think of Lauren here."

"I am thinking of Lauren! I'm getting rid of him so there will be one less creep like him to hurt her and others."

"No, you're thinking of revenge, Aaron. Don't do it."

"Sanya, if you don't get back right now"

Sanya steps to the man's side as she produces another sword beam and stretches it out toward Aaron.

"If I don't, what will you do? Kill me too? You might not be willing to think of Lauren, but I sure am." she says, tearing up "I don't want to hurt you Aaron, but so help me..."

Aaron casts another glance at Lauren and sees her trembling and in tears. Looking back at Jeff, he knows what he has to do.

"Alright, I'll let him go." he says and looks at the man again "But just remember, I know where you live. 800 Sunrise lane." he says as he lowers the sword, then punches him in the face so hard he nearly does a flip.

"Good enough?" he asks as he looks at Sanya who stares in surprise at an unconscious Jeff.

"Yeah, I think so." she says, still staring at the man lying on the ground.

"I'm sorry to scare you like that, Lauren." he says as he slowly approaches her but stops halfway there. "Do you mind if I come over there?"

Lauren says nothing, only shakes her head and wipes at her eyes.

"Wait, let me check her wounds." Sanya says as she kneels down next to Lauren, but Aaron doesn't move. "Aren't you going to look away?"

"No, why would I?" he asks, confused.

"You do realize she was stabbed in the stomach, right?"

"Oh, right." Aaron reddens and turns his back to them.

"What the..." Sanya says as she inspects the area of the wound.

"What is it?" Aaron and Lauren both ask in unison.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Aaron asks.

"I mean nothing. There's nothing. No wound or anything."

"What?" Aaron asks as he whirls around causing Lauren's eyes to go wide as she shoves Sanya's hand back, covering herself again.

"I mean there's nothing there." Sanya answers still as shocked as Aaron.

"But how could that be possible?" Lauren asks "He stabbed me right here." she puts a hand over the place "And there's even a hole in my shirt there."

"Yeah, and blood all over you." Sanya answers "There's no doubt you were stabbed, nor is there any question as to where, but there's no wound there. Take a look for yourself."

The two women stare at Aaron like he's completely oblivious. After a few moments he gets the message and turns his back once more.

"There isn't..." Lauren says after inspecting it for herself.

"Does it hurt still?" Sanya enquires as she rises back to her feet.

Lauren sits for a moment before answering "No, I don't feel any pain at all." she answers sounding even more confused than before "But I felt quite an intense pain there when I first regained consciousness."

"Hello? Can I turn around now?" Aaron asks sounding aggravated.

"Oh yes, sorry." Lauren answers as she too stands back up.

"Well let's go home before he wakes up. I'm not sure I can hold myself back twice." Aaron says as he heads for the trail entrance.

"That was him holding back?" Lauren asks as she casts a glance at Sanya.

"Sure looked like he was unrestrained to me." she answers and begins following him.

"Aren't we going to call the police?" Lauren asks.

"What proof do we have?" Aaron says as he opens the truck door. "If we say he stabbed you, we have no wound to back that up. A tear in your blouse and that much blood without a wound to show for it? They'd be more likely to suspect us of hurting someone than they would be to believe our tale of a wound just instantly healing itself without leaving a mark."

As much as they hate it, Lauren and Sanya can't deny his logic, it would look pretty strange. After all, they'd seen it first hand, and they still could barely believe it.

Having little choice, they too pile into the truck and begin the trip back to the house.

______________________________


"So Aaron," Lauren speaks up as they all relax over a cup of tea "where did you get that sword yesterday anyway? And where did it go?"

"It's uh, it's hard to explain." he answers and takes another sip of his tea.

"He made the thing materialize from thin air." Sanya says, eyeing Aaron as she does so. "Pretty simple to answer the question, dontcha think, Aaron? Now explaining it, that's another story entirely, and it's one that I'd like to hear too."

"He did what?" Lauren asks, setting her tea down a little too hard, causing it to splash over the rim of the cup. "Oh dear. I'll be right back, I need to get something to clean this up with."

"No, I'll get it." Aaron says as he sets his drink on the coffee table and stands up.

"Are you sure?" Lauren asks, the look on her face a puzzled one. Why is he so eager to clean up after her?

"Yes, I'm sure." he answers as he turns to head into the kitchen to retrieve some paper towels. "You're the one who was stabbed yesterday. You deserve a little rest."

Sanya simply shakes her head, while Lauren's gaze stays on Aaron as he goes about cleaning up the spill and then excuses himself and heads to the bathroom.

"Odd." Lauren says more as a thought than a statement to anyone in particular.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Aaron listens closely, waiting until he hears a sufficient amount of chatter between the two women before heading back out there. That conversation nearly went somewhere he'd rather it not go. After he finally hears them carrying on a conversation and laughing, he decides to return to the front room, he only hopes that the topic has changed since he left.

"So, what are you two talking about that's so funny?" he asks as he takes his seat.

"Not that sword of yours." Sanya answers dully "Convenient, isn't it?"

"Speaking of which," Aaron adds quickly "How did you know that Lauren was hurt yesterday? I didn't think Deylonians could tag others."

"We can't." Sanya answers, not sure whether she finds the blatant evasion amusing or annoying.

"Come to think of it, you acted as though you were in pain when she got hurt."

"Yeah well"

"Is that true?" Lauren asks, wide eyed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Sanya answers nonchalantly.

"Guess? You were doubled over and screaming."

"Oh don't get so dramatic. I shouted because you weren't hearing me."

"So it had nothing to do with pain or worry, huh?" Aaron asks incredulously.

"Well alright, maybe a little. Okay look," she begins "Deylonian abilities are limited to more...well they're more geared toward..."

"Violence?" Aaron says as he sets his cup down.

"Defense." Sanya snaps back angrily, and Aaron offers an exaggerated shrug. "We've never once fought for any reason but defense. Defense of ourselves and our allies. Not one time in over 6,000 years have we attacked anyone."

"Right. Sorry. I don't know that much about Deylon."

"You're right, you don't." Sanya rebukes him again.

"I only know what I've seen." he continues "And that's that they're more focused on battle."

"Yes well sometimes battle is the only way." she says, still sounding a bit upset. "Anyway, we can't tag but we do have the ability to link."

"And what does that mean exactly?" Lauren asks, unsure how to feel about this.

"Do we really have to get into all of this?" Sanya dodges the question and fakes a yawn "It's getting late. We should probably head to bed."

"Come on, Sanya, tell her." Aaron prods with an amused smirk on his face.

Sighing Sanya looks at the ceiling for a moment as though to steel herself, then at Lauren "Alright, well we can establish a connection between ourselves and one other person who's important to us. This link is of a battle nature. It lets us know if the one we link to is in imminent danger or hurt."

"How important are we talking? You haven't linked to me too, have you?" Aaron probes more.

"Don't flatter yourself, pal. I can only link to one person, and you sure enough aren't worth wasting it on."

"I thought you didn't believe in tagging someone without their permission. How is this any different?" the look on his face is so smug that Sanya can't decide if she wants to laugh or slap it off.

"I don't. And it's different because I can't control who I link to or when I do it, it just happens. You subconsciously link to whoever you're closest to." she grimaces. That last part slipped. Looking at Aaron she can tell by the satisfied look on his face that this is what had wanted to happen, and she really wants to punch him for it.

"What?" Lauren asks, the meaning still sinking in on her. "Then that means you...I'm important to you?"

"Uh, well..." Sanya fumbles for words, trying to find a way out of such an emotional display.

"The most important person in her life." Aaron adds as he rocks back in his chair.

"Oh you little... You knew all along, didn't you?" Sanya asks, her aggravation with Aaron at an all time high.

"I'll never admit to anything." Aaron answers with a wink and stands up to carry his empty cup into the kitchen.

"Is that true, Sanya?" a teary eyed Lauren asks.

Oh boy. There goes what little tough act she had left.

"Yeah I guess. Don't go reading too much into it though. It's not like I"

She's cut off when Lauren practically throws herself into her and wraps her arms around her.

Aaron must die. Although something about a hug is decidedly pleasant she realizes to her own surprise. Maybe even the toughest of fighters can indulge in the comfort of a hug sometimes. Hesitantly, she hugs Lauren back, but she has no intentions of showing that she enjoys it.


After the embrace ends, Sanya rises quickly and heads for the door, dismissing herself for the night. Lauren follows her as soon as she washes her cup, and Aaron, finding himself alone, heads on to bed.


_______________________________


Sitting in her bed, Sanya hears the door open and lies down in hopes that Lauren won't notice she's awake. Maybe tomorrow things will go back to normal. She doesn't want Lauren sticking by her side or looking at her like some older sister figure or something. No way. That would not be Sanya at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As she gets ready for bed, Lauren can't help but think about what she just learned: Sanya holds her dear in her heart. Very dear. That thought makes her want to smile, but at the same time it breaks her heart to think of how much she must have truly hurt Sanya with the words she'd spoken when she found out the truth about where she's from.

Where she's from. Where is she from? She'd tried to explain, but Lauren hadn't given her the chance, and she makes a mental note to try making that right. She wants to know about these people now. They might not be from here, but their love for her is undeniably real, and she's seen that first hand now.


She changes into her gown, pulls her hair back into a ponytail, brushes her teeth, and heads back down the short hallway. Passing Sanya's door which is cracked open slightly, she calls goodnight, then enters her own room, turns the lights off, climbs into bed, and quickly falls off to sleep.


Lying awake in her dark bedroom still, Sanya speaks just above a whisper "Good night, Lauren."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rylan boards his ship once more. He's scanned every key planet he'd listed, only five had turned up a Deylonian compatible energy source, and he hadn't found Sanya on any of them. He destroyed Sanya's ship himself, so he knows she had to have escaped to a planet supporting Deylonian energy sources. Surely she hasn't already gotten her hands on another ship, has she? She's always been a loner, so there are no friends she could call on, and her reputation precedes her, being the notorious criminal she is no one would sell a ship to her, surely. Not on one of these planets.

This is the hardest time he's ever had locating Sanya. She's not difficult to find usually, despite being a wanted fugitive. She's too confident in her abilities to bother with hiding, but perhaps that changed when she lost Kuzonay. She must still be grounded wherever her ship's protocol docked her, but where could that be?


"Taenya." he calls and the ship comes to life once more "Contact our contractor's office."

Taenya emits a soft cry in response, and presently the holoscreen activates, displaying a message that a call is being rerouted to the Leocyn department of defense. A few moments pass, and a man in a light blue suit with a black stripe down the left side that runs from his shoulder to the bottom of the shirt is shown on the other end of the video call.

"Mr. Crogwyl. Good to hear from you. It's been longer than we'd expected." he begins, and Rylan already finds himself irritated. "I presume this call means that you have located and neutralized the threat?"

"No sir, I'm afraid not. I've searched every planet within reason in this sector one by one, and Irzorwyn is nowhere to be found."

The man on the other end scowls in disapproval "Then why are you contacting us? Continue your search, Mr. Crogwyl. Look harder this time."

"Hey, I've looked. You've seen my record, you know the results I get or you wouldn't have suggested me to queen Gaelia. Now I called you to determine what I should do from here. I can widen my search, but in this ship it could easily take me well over a year to complete the search."

"And what exactly is your question then, Mr. Crogwyl?"

"I would like to ask you to go over the galactic trade records and see if anyone in this sector has sold a ship to a woman that fits Irzorwyn's description in the slightest."

"And why would you need that information?"

"So I could find a date to the bounty hunter's ball. It's none of your business why I need this information, I've been commissioned directly by the queen. Do you wish me to return and tell her that you've impeded progress on the search for Sanya Irzorwyn, Mr." he steals a glance at the man's badge "Kelbany?"

The man looks angry, but concedes. "Very well. I'll have the files sent to you shortly. Good day, sir."

Call ended. That went well.


True to his word, the file pops up on Rylan's holoscreen shortly after the call ends, and not surprisingly, he finds no matches. Sanya must indeed be grounded still, but where?


"Taenya, widen energy source searches. Scan databases for every known energy source of any kind in this sector." he commands, and Taenya answers with a sound of affirmation "Additionally, activate scanners and scan for any potential unknown sources starting now. Do not cease scanning for any reason unless I say otherwise."

Leaning back in his seat he closes his eyes "You are out there somewhere, Sanya, and I will find you. It's just a matter of time."


Click here to go to the next chapter
Click here to go to the first chapter
or here to go to the previous chapter


Warning: this chapter contains content that may be disturbing to some.



Chapter Nine


Lauren opens her eyes to bright blue skies above her and tall blades of fertile grass around her. Sitting up she recognizes this place: it's the same place as in her recurring nightmare, but this time she feels no danger.

Standing up she looks all around, there's a clear stream in front of her, and open fields full of the tall flowing grass and beautiful flowers everywhere. The land is tiered, with both the higher tiers and the lower tiers extending farther than she can see.

Crossing the stream she looks to her left, and, several tiers down, sees a person. Going to meet them, she recognizes the face of the woman as soon as she turns toward her.

"Mother?" Lauren says and runs into her arms. After a moment she steps back and looks into her eyes "But you're...does that mean I'm...am I dead?"

As though ignoring her daughter's question, the woman simply places a hand on Lauren's cheek "Lauren, you've grown so much since I left."

"Mother, it's not even been a full year. I've not grown at all."

"You have, my love." she says with a gentle smile "You're becoming a woman. A beautiful woman, inside and out."

"I was already a woman." Lauren answers in a deadpanned tone, a frown on her face.

Laughing softly the woman replies "You may have been entering womanhood physically, but inwardly you were a child still. You're growing so quickly now. Things are happening that you do not understand, and much more has yet to be revealed to you, but do not be afraid."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't be afraid."


Presently Lauren's mother, along with everything around Lauren, begins fading from view. Opening her eyes once more, she sees a white sky above her peaking through a blend of leafless branches and evergreens. A soft snow falling on her cold face, and an intense pain in her upper abdomen are what her greet her upon her return to the real world.

Groaning softly she lifts her head to see the man that had approached her earlier, but he's pinned to a tree, standing perfectly still in wide eyed terror, a sword held beneath his chin.

A sword? who uses swords anymore? A look at the other end of the blade gives her the answer she needs: Aaron stands there, staring fiercely into the man's eyes, and Sanya stands on the other side of him, clutching tightly to some sort of light beam. It's at this point that Lauren realizes that they have every intention of killing the man.

"Aaron." she tries to call out, but her voice doesn't want to come. "Sanya." still too soft to be heard below the wind and Aaron's angry shouting.

Snapping to attention, Sanya turns to see Lauren looking at them "Aaron, she's still alive!" she shouts as she rushes to Lauren's side, and both Aaron and her attacker look toward her.

"Don't hurt him." she begs.

"But"

"Please. Don't hurt him."

Defeated, Sanya turns her head toward Aaron "She wants you to let him go."

"I can't do that." Aaron answers "He's a murderer. He preys on young women, then kills them, isn't that right, Jeff?"

The man pales "How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot of things about you, Jeff." Aaron answers, enjoying watching the man squirm "I know you're thirty four years old, your full name is Jeffery Alexander Bryant, you're a mechanic during the day, and" his voice turns to a whisper "I know what you do by night, Jeff." the man's terror reaches an entirely new level, And Sanya thinks he might just die from the fear before the sword can get him.

"Tell me Jeff," Aaron continues "do you get a thrill out of hurting people that are weaker than you?" the blade inches closer to his throat "Is it fun for you, watching a defenseless person bleed out under a blade, Jeff? Mind if I find out?"

"I've never killed anyone!"

"Liar!" Aaron shouts and Lauren turns her head away as she tenses and waits for Aaron to end it. "Do you know her name, Jeff? Did she tell you her name? Her name was Caitlin, Jeff. Did you know that, or was she a random target? Did you just see her and decide to pounce?"

"I just saw her sitting on the bench, man. Okay I was gonna hurt her, I admit, but"

"Not her, Jeff, the Red haired woman you killed last April. Do you remember her, or have you been so busy that you've lost count? And here you were, working on your next victim. At least you had the decency to try killing this one first. Was it getting to you, hurting them like that while they were still alive, Jeff?"

"Stop it!" Lauren shouts in tears.

"Listen to the girl." the man pleads.

"Just like you always do, right? You listened to Caitlin when she begged, didn't you?" Aaron says, his pent up rage finally getting the better of him. "I could take a good slice right now and it'd be game over for you, Jeff. But maybe I shouldn't. No, Maybe I should make it slow. Stab a little here, cut a little there. Make you beg too."

"Aaron, that's enough." Sanya says as she places a hand on his shoulder.

"Back off Sanya. You have no idea"

"Let him go. Think of Lauren here."

"I am thinking of Lauren! I'm getting rid of him so there will be one less creep like him to hurt her and others."

"No, you're thinking of revenge, Aaron. Don't do it."

"Sanya, if you don't get back right now"

Sanya steps to the man's side as she produces another sword beam and stretches it out toward Aaron.

"If I don't, what will you do? Kill me too? You might not be willing to think of Lauren, but I sure am." she says, tearing up "I don't want to hurt you Aaron, but so help me..."

Aaron casts another glance at Lauren and sees her trembling and in tears. Looking back at Jeff, he knows what he has to do.

"Alright, I'll let him go." he says and looks at the man again "But just remember, I know where you live. 800 Sunrise lane." he says as he lowers the sword, then punches him in the face so hard he nearly does a flip.

"Good enough?" he asks as he looks at Sanya who stares in surprise at an unconscious Jeff.

"Yeah, I think so." she says, still staring at the man lying on the ground.

"I'm sorry to scare you like that, Lauren." he says as he slowly approaches her but stops halfway there. "Do you mind if I come over there?"

Lauren says nothing, only shakes her head and wipes at her eyes.

"Wait, let me check her wounds." Sanya says as she kneels down next to Lauren, but Aaron doesn't move. "Aren't you going to look away?"

"No, why would I?" he asks, confused.

"You do realize she was stabbed in the stomach, right?"

"Oh, right." Aaron reddens and turns his back to them.

"What the..." Sanya says as she inspects the area of the wound.

"What is it?" Aaron and Lauren both ask in unison.

"Nothing."

"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Aaron asks.

"I mean nothing. There's nothing. No wound or anything."

"What?" Aaron asks as he whirls around causing Lauren's eyes to go wide as she shoves Sanya's hand back, covering herself again.

"I mean there's nothing there." Sanya answers still as shocked as Aaron.

"But how could that be possible?" Lauren asks "He stabbed me right here." she puts a hand over the place "And there's even a hole in my shirt there."

"Yeah, and blood all over you." Sanya answers "There's no doubt you were stabbed, nor is there any question as to where, but there's no wound there. Take a look for yourself."

The two women stare at Aaron like he's completely oblivious. After a few moments he gets the message and turns his back once more.

"There isn't..." Lauren says after inspecting it for herself.

"Does it hurt still?" Sanya enquires as she rises back to her feet.

Lauren sits for a moment before answering "No, I don't feel any pain at all." she answers sounding even more confused than before "But I felt quite an intense pain there when I first regained consciousness."

"Hello? Can I turn around now?" Aaron asks sounding aggravated.

"Oh yes, sorry." Lauren answers as she too stands back up.

"Well let's go home before he wakes up. I'm not sure I can hold myself back twice." Aaron says as he heads for the trail entrance.

"That was him holding back?" Lauren asks as she casts a glance at Sanya.

"Sure looked like he was unrestrained to me." she answers and begins following him.

"Aren't we going to call the police?" Lauren asks.

"What proof do we have?" Aaron says as he opens the truck door. "If we say he stabbed you, we have no wound to back that up. A tear in your blouse and that much blood without a wound to show for it? They'd be more likely to suspect us of hurting someone than they would be to believe our tale of a wound just instantly healing itself without leaving a mark."

As much as they hate it, Lauren and Sanya can't deny his logic, it would look pretty strange. After all, they'd seen it first hand, and they still could barely believe it.

Having little choice, they too pile into the truck and begin the trip back to the house.

______________________________


"So Aaron," Lauren speaks up as they all relax over a cup of tea "where did you get that sword yesterday anyway? And where did it go?"

"It's uh, it's hard to explain." he answers and takes another sip of his tea.

"He made the thing materialize from thin air." Sanya says, eyeing Aaron as she does so. "Pretty simple to answer the question, dontcha think, Aaron? Now explaining it, that's another story entirely, and it's one that I'd like to hear too."

"He did what?" Lauren asks, setting her tea down a little too hard, causing it to splash over the rim of the cup. "Oh dear. I'll be right back, I need to get something to clean this up with."

"No, I'll get it." Aaron says as he sets his drink on the coffee table and stands up.

"Are you sure?" Lauren asks, the look on her face a puzzled one. Why is he so eager to clean up after her?

"Yes, I'm sure." he answers as he turns to head into the kitchen to retrieve some paper towels. "You're the one who was stabbed yesterday. You deserve a little rest."

Sanya simply shakes her head, while Lauren's gaze stays on Aaron as he goes about cleaning up the spill and then excuses himself and heads to the bathroom.

"Odd." Lauren says more as a thought than a statement to anyone in particular.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Aaron listens closely, waiting until he hears a sufficient amount of chatter between the two women before heading back out there. That conversation nearly went somewhere he'd rather it not go. After he finally hears them carrying on a conversation and laughing, he decides to return to the front room, he only hopes that the topic has changed since he left.

"So, what are you two talking about that's so funny?" he asks as he takes his seat.

"Not that sword of yours." Sanya answers dully "Convenient, isn't it?"

"Speaking of which," Aaron adds quickly "How did you know that Lauren was hurt yesterday? I didn't think Deylonians could tag others."

"We can't." Sanya answers, not sure whether she finds the blatant evasion amusing or annoying.

"Come to think of it, you acted as though you were in pain when she got hurt."

"Yeah well"

"Is that true?" Lauren asks, wide eyed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Sanya answers nonchalantly.

"Guess? You were doubled over and screaming."

"Oh don't get so dramatic. I shouted because you weren't hearing me."

"So it had nothing to do with pain or worry, huh?" Aaron asks incredulously.

"Well alright, maybe a little. Okay look," she begins "Deylonian abilities are limited to more...well they're more geared toward..."

"Violence?" Aaron says as he sets his cup down.

"Defense." Sanya snaps back angrily, and Aaron offers an exaggerated shrug. "We've never once fought for any reason but defense. Defense of ourselves and our allies. Not one time in over 6,000 years have we attacked anyone."

"Right. Sorry. I don't know that much about Deylon."

"You're right, you don't." Sanya rebukes him again.

"I only know what I've seen." he continues "And that's that they're more focused on battle."

"Yes well sometimes battle is the only way." she says, still sounding a bit upset. "Anyway, we can't tag but we do have the ability to link."

"And what does that mean exactly?" Lauren asks, unsure how to feel about this.

"Do we really have to get into all of this?" Sanya dodges the question and fakes a yawn "It's getting late. We should probably head to bed."

"Come on, Sanya, tell her." Aaron prods with an amused smirk on his face.

Sighing Sanya looks at the ceiling for a moment as though to steel herself, then at Lauren "Alright, well we can establish a connection between ourselves and one other person who's important to us. This link is of a battle nature. It lets us know if the one we link to is in imminent danger or hurt."

"How important are we talking? You haven't linked to me too, have you?" Aaron probes more.

"Don't flatter yourself, pal. I can only link to one person, and you sure enough aren't worth wasting it on."

"I thought you didn't believe in tagging someone without their permission. How is this any different?" the look on his face is so smug that Sanya can't decide if she wants to laugh or slap it off.

"I don't. And it's different because I can't control who I link to or when I do it, it just happens. You subconsciously link to whoever you're closest to." she grimaces. That last part slipped. Looking at Aaron she can tell by the satisfied look on his face that this is what had wanted to happen, and she really wants to punch him for it.

"What?" Lauren asks, the meaning still sinking in on her. "Then that means you...I'm important to you?"

"Uh, well..." Sanya fumbles for words, trying to find a way out of such an emotional display.

"The most important person in her life." Aaron adds as he rocks back in his chair.

"Oh you little... You knew all along, didn't you?" Sanya asks, her aggravation with Aaron at an all time high.

"I'll never admit to anything." Aaron answers with a wink and stands up to carry his empty cup into the kitchen.

"Is that true, Sanya?" a teary eyed Lauren asks.

Oh boy. There goes what little tough act she had left.

"Yeah I guess. Don't go reading too much into it though. It's not like I"

She's cut off when Lauren practically throws herself into her and wraps her arms around her.

Aaron must die. Although something about a hug is decidedly pleasant she realizes to her own surprise. Maybe even the toughest of fighters can indulge in the comfort of a hug sometimes. Hesitantly, she hugs Lauren back, but she has no intentions of showing that she enjoys it.


After the embrace ends, Sanya rises quickly and heads for the door, dismissing herself for the night. Lauren follows her as soon as she washes her cup, and Aaron, finding himself alone, heads on to bed.


_______________________________


Sitting in her bed, Sanya hears the door open and lies down in hopes that Lauren won't notice she's awake. Maybe tomorrow things will go back to normal. She doesn't want Lauren sticking by her side or looking at her like some older sister figure or something. No way. That would not be Sanya at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


As she gets ready for bed, Lauren can't help but think about what she just learned: Sanya holds her dear in her heart. Very dear. That thought makes her want to smile, but at the same time it breaks her heart to think of how much she must have truly hurt Sanya with the words she'd spoken when she found out the truth about where she's from.

Where she's from. Where is she from? She'd tried to explain, but Lauren hadn't given her the chance, and she makes a mental note to try making that right. She wants to know about these people now. They might not be from here, but their love for her is undeniably real, and she's seen that first hand now.


She changes into her gown, pulls her hair back into a ponytail, brushes her teeth, and heads back down the short hallway. Passing Sanya's door which is cracked open slightly, she calls goodnight, then enters her own room, turns the lights off, climbs into bed, and quickly falls off to sleep.


Lying awake in her dark bedroom still, Sanya speaks just above a whisper "Good night, Lauren."


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Rylan boards his ship once more. He's scanned every key planet he'd listed, only five had turned up a Deylonian compatible energy source, and he hadn't found Sanya on any of them. He destroyed Sanya's ship himself, so he knows she had to have escaped to a planet supporting Deylonian energy sources. Surely she hasn't already gotten her hands on another ship, has she? She's always been a loner, so there are no friends she could call on, and her reputation precedes her, being the notorious criminal she is no one would sell a ship to her, surely. Not on one of these planets.

This is the hardest time he's ever had locating Sanya. She's not difficult to find usually, despite being a wanted fugitive. She's too confident in her abilities to bother with hiding, but perhaps that changed when she lost Kuzonay. She must still be grounded wherever her ship's protocol docked her, but where could that be?


"Taenya." he calls and the ship comes to life once more "Contact our contractor's office."

Taenya emits a soft cry in response, and presently the holoscreen activates, displaying a message that a call is being rerouted to the Leocyn department of defense. A few moments pass, and a man in a light blue suit with a black stripe down the left side that runs from his shoulder to the bottom of the shirt is shown on the other end of the video call.

"Mr. Crogwyl. Good to hear from you. It's been longer than we'd expected." he begins, and Rylan already finds himself irritated. "I presume this call means that you have located and neutralized the threat?"

"No sir, I'm afraid not. I've searched every planet within reason in this sector one by one, and Irzorwyn is nowhere to be found."

The man on the other end scowls in disapproval "Then why are you contacting us? Continue your search, Mr. Crogwyl. Look harder this time."

"Hey, I've looked. You've seen my record, you know the results I get or you wouldn't have suggested me to queen Gaelia. Now I called you to determine what I should do from here. I can widen my search, but in this ship it could easily take me well over a year to complete the search."

"And what exactly is your question then, Mr. Crogwyl?"

"I would like to ask you to go over the galactic trade records and see if anyone in this sector has sold a ship to a woman that fits Irzorwyn's description in the slightest."

"And why would you need that information?"

"So I could find a date to the bounty hunter's ball. It's none of your business why I need this information, I've been commissioned directly by the queen. Do you wish me to return and tell her that you've impeded progress on the search for Sanya Irzorwyn, Mr." he steals a glance at the man's badge "Kelbany?"

The man looks angry, but concedes. "Very well. I'll have the files sent to you shortly. Good day, sir."

Call ended. That went well.


True to his word, the file pops up on Rylan's holoscreen shortly after the call ends, and not surprisingly, he finds no matches. Sanya must indeed be grounded still, but where?


"Taenya, widen energy source searches. Scan databases for every known energy source of any kind in this sector." he commands, and Taenya answers with a sound of affirmation "Additionally, activate scanners and scan for any potential unknown sources starting now. Do not cease scanning for any reason unless I say otherwise."

Leaning back in his seat he closes his eyes "You are out there somewhere, Sanya, and I will find you. It's just a matter of time."


Click here to go to the next chapter
Vizzed Elite
Eirinn


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

Registered: 07-18-12
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(edited by Eirinn on 12-12-16 06:30 AM)     Post Rating: 3   Liked By: Mynamescox44, TheReaper7290, Uzar,

11-23-16 08:55 PM
Uzar is Offline
| ID: 1316564 | 20 Words

Uzar
A user of this
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Ooooooh sooomebody's in loooooveee~.

Very nice job here Eirinn. Although man...I wish that he just killed the guy. lol
Ooooooh sooomebody's in loooooveee~.

Very nice job here Eirinn. Although man...I wish that he just killed the guy. lol
Vizzed Elite
I wonder what the character limit on this thing is.


Affected by 'Laziness Syndrome'

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