The Alien Agenda 3: Battle For Freedom

[Chapter 14: Adamancy]

A while since we had lifted into the sky, a mixture of anxiety and relief buzzed in the air. Escaped but constantly looking behind our backs, sitting amongst enemies and friends. I rested on the floor, against the large window. It was the only place in the shuttle that gave me a sense of peace. The sunlight warmed my skin, the silver Atlantean emblem glittered on my chest. The Yorlv guard uniform was uncomfortable, thankfully in the storage rooms of the spacecraft I found Atlantean suits. I fitted myself in them along with their weapons. They made me feel better already.

Rys was at the far end of the cockpit, sitting there scrolling through her portable hologram. Kai not too far from her, doing as I told, kept a close eye. I only noticed now that he was wearing an Atlantean suit as well. He was physically present in the Atlantean hideout. Meeting him in person would be splendid. It was strange how easily I could trust him. It almost felt like I trusted him before. The strange familiarity had risen since he introduced his name. It wasn't his. But close enough that it tingled deja vu.

I felt someone slide down to sit beside me. "Hey."

Axel left the ship on autopilot. He sat beside me, weary and tired. "Why do you look so tired? You were sleeping in your tube," I said, elbowing him gently.

He gave me a strained smile, "I'm not fully recharged."

I vividly remembered the display in the front of the large cylindrical tube he was in. He was not sleeping; he was recharging. "So you're a bloody robot now?" I muttered.

He shook his head with a small smile. "No, they were... Doing things to me. I was undergoing healing," he explained, while pulling out a tiny bottle with small pills in it. He uncapped it and handed me one after taking one. They were nutrition pills, I just realized I hadn't had one in over two days.

"Then you're not healed," I said swallowing the pill. Instant energy coursed through my veins.

Axel leaned heavily against the glass and sighed, "I'll be fine."

"No you won't," I held his hands and shut my eyes. I felt his pulse and energy, dipping into the Akashic I felt his drained soul. Taking a deep breath, I gave him strength. His hands clasped around mine as I did, the sharing of energy felt almost intimate. Vibrations shook me gently, my body temperature rose, the sensation was a mix of excitement and calm. We were out of breath when it ended.

"I know I'm not supposed to be trusting you. But I can't help but worry. You're still my friend," I said, opening my eyes. He glanced at me for a moment before looking away.

"They've tortured you... I've tortured you. How are you able to still care about me?" He sounded so broken. I put both my hands on his cheeks and made him face me.

"Maybe I'm naïve, but at least I'm aware they were controlling you. The only person you hurt was me. I could look past that-"

"You don't know... What I've done," he cut me off. His voice was low, a rumble that shook my core. A darkness clouded his clear eyes. A guilt so heavy I did not think I could ever be strong enough to lift it off his shoulders. There was more to his sins than just betraying me, and whatever it was... It was worse.

"I don't deserve this kindness you're giving me... I don't deserve you. You're so pure... I don't want to taint you," he said as he stroked my cheek. I caught glimpses underneath his walls. Glimpses of fear. Fear of losing those he cared about. Fear that he would destroy them. Fear that he would destroy me.

"I'm a tough girl..." I whispered. His gaze trembled. We were closing the distance between and I was keenly aware of certain people peeking. Alas, he stopped. His lips hovered a breath away from mine.

"Stop, Laila. Stop doing this to me. Don't make it harder for me to let you go," he said, his tone was hard, but his expression was the complete opposite. Any moment and he was ready to sink into this whirlpool of emotions with me. He spoke of pushing me away, but he looked desperate to keep me so close and never let me go, as if his life depended on it.

"Let down your walls... We can only fix this if we're honest with each other," I urged.

A couple of long seconds passed. Long enough for him to solidify those god-damned walls and pull away from me. He stood up and muttered something about landing the shuttle, then left.

I was breathing shallow, my heart still thumping hard against my chest. Emotions swelled within me. I cursed myself for being so gullible. But loving was so hard to stop. The feelings only grew, the desire from a spark to a flame. Why does he keep making things so hard? I hugged my knees to my chest.

Peeking between my knees I caught Rys and Kai looking. Rys immediately turned back to her hologram acting like she did not see us. Kai on the other hand stared right back at me, shaking his head in disapproval.

What am I supposed to do? I mouthed.

He made a slapping gesture and pointed towards Axel. I snorted a laugh. He gave me a thumbs up. I glanced at Axel who was readying the ship to land. He was trying to busy himself to erase the tremors of emotion. I knew he felt the same, his longing as clear as day.

He really needed a slap.

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