"Come back... Aeris.... come back to me..."
The fog cleared and I found myself in Xan's arms. His eyes were panicked while a golden glow surrounded him and his fingers ran through my hair.
I blinked a few times but this image didn't change; this was real.
Xan looked relieved. "Where did you go?" He asked with a quiet, panicked voice.
"I-I don't know," I answered, realizing I was trembling.
"You're eyes just went blank and your body went limp, like you were somewhere else..." his voice trailed off, holding me tighter as if would stop me from shaking. "It's okay," he soothed.
"Can you tell what's wrong?" I asked, noticing he was still glowing with his golden light. He usually seemed to know what was happening when I saw that light.
He shook his head. "It's weird, but somehow I was blocked." He drew his hand to my forehead and held it there gently. "Did you see anything or remember anything? Perhaps if you focus on it now I can figure out what's happening."
I froze. I hadn't told him about the dreams and the man that kept appearing in them. I was beginning to realize they weren't just dreams, but rather memories.
"Aeris..." he felt my hesitation. "Tell me."
I took a breath knowing I needed to be honest with him.
"I was in some type of lab," I began. He closed his eyes, seemingly focused on what he could learn. "There was a man and... it seemed as if we were romantically involved."
His eyes popped open with a hint of jade. "A lover?"
I felt my cheeks burn. "I'm not sure," I murmured.
He closed his eyes again. "Show me," he demanded.
I swallowed hard and nodded, forcing my mind to remember the images. I thought about the voice telling me I belonged to him. I drew my mind back to the images of this man with me under the stars and then finally the latest memory inside the lab. I focused, trying to see if I could decipher his face but still it remained a mystery to me as well.
I drew my eyes up to Xan and his brow was furrowed.
"Did it work?" I asked meekly.
He nodded with an affirming grunt. He seemed agitated.
"Your memories are buried deep in your subconscious. I'm not sure why I'm blocked from you when I try to read what's happening to you. I just can't get in. I should be able to. It's just like the last time you had an episode."
Episode? Is that what I was having? My mind flashed back to when that horrible head pain had incapacitated me. Xan had been trying to figure out what was happening and even then he was unable.
"But you can get in now?" I asked and he nodded. "What does that mean then?"
He shook his head, frustrated. "I don't know, he sighed bitterly . "And for some reason your memories of this man seem to be forcing themselves through." There was an edge to his voice as he said it. "He must have been very important to you."
I felt a jab in my stomach. Why did I feel guilty for these memories? I couldn't control any of it.
I sighed angrily. Why were my own memories hiding from me? Shouldn't they be coming to the surface and providing clarity? Instead I was being left with small confusing glimpses that weren't leading me to anything and when they did appear, my body seemed to just shut down. What was even happening to me? What had happened to me?
Xan looked back at me and his expression softened, no doubt from the tension that was evident on my face. He tightened his embrace that still lingered upon me and I found a sense of comfort.
"It's alright," he whispered. "We will figure it all out."
I nodded as he pulled away, holding onto my arm curiously.
"Are you alright now?" He asked.
I felt a wave of dizziness overtake me, but I steadied myself, not wanting him to worry.
"I'm okay," I said quickly. "Give me a minute and I'll be right out," I added.
He paused, looking me over for a moment as if he didn't believe me. I smiled, reaffirming that there was nothing wrong.
"Alright," he said uneasily, heading for the door, " I will be right outside."
When the door slid closed with his departure, I sat down on the bed, holding my head in my hands. I felt so hot and the room felt like an ocean. The gentle hum of the ship turned into a muffled moan.
"No," I whispered in vain, feeling myself slipping away again. It felt like something was pulling my mind out of control, allowing me only to be a participant to reenact what I was seeing and nothing more. I had no free will.
"What have you done?" The angry accusation slipped from my lips effortlessly as I stood now inside the lab once more.
My eyes were fixated on a hologram computer screen with blue letters glaring on the black command screen reading "Protocol C Execute? Y/N". My eyes drew below and felt the roar of anxiety flow when I saw "Yes" had been selected. I felt fear and it was strong.
"I'm fixing everything," the familiar male voice answered coldly.
My hands jutted forward to the touch screen keyboard and my fingers began to type furiously. Command script spread urgently across the screen, but nothing was stopping what had been done.
"You can't stop it, Aeris," he growled, grabbing my neck and throwing me against the wall with ease.
His hand clasped around my throat and squeezed threateningly. "Do not go against me, love."
I focused on his face. It was still unclear, just a blur of pale skin, shining eyes, and light brown hair. I stared at his eyes, wanting them to clear so I could look into them, but it was like a light emanated from them and the glare was blinding.
My knee kicked upwards, hitting him in the groin and causing him to release me. Without a single thought, I ran.
I exited the lab and found myself on a metal bridge that lead to an elevator. The walls here were a giant glass cylinder and I could see the large green sign on the outside that read Inteque Enterprises. This was where I worked?
Small trees and house plants lined the bridge as my feet pounded on the metal, racing for the elevator.
"Aeris! Where are you going?" He screamed behind me as I slammed myself into the elevator door in my anxious rush. My fingers crushed into the button, praying for the door to open before he got to me.
"You can't escape..." his voice roared, but started to trail off as I continued to press the button, fixating on it.
My fingers kept pressing but the button disappeared and the door slid open. I saw feet standing there in the opening and I realized I was somehow now on the ground. My breathing was labored and it felt like my skin was on fire.
"Aeris!" Xan exclaimed, kneeling down and pressing his hand against my forehead. "You're burning up!"
"P-protocol C..." I stammered weakly.
His silver orbs narrowed in confusion. "What?"
"He executed Protocol C."
Xan's eyes searched me desperately as if searching for reasoning. "What is Protocol C?"
"I don't know," I whimpered. I didn't have an answer! Any clarity I had left me with the vision.
Xan looked fearful. I wasn't making any sense to him.
Teo and Trish came rushing in behind Xan.
"What's going on?" Teo growled, seeing my condition. His eyes drew to Xan accusingly. "What did you do to her?"
Xan didn't even acknowledge him and scooped me into his arms.
"What's going on Xan?" Trish asked, calmer than Teo.
"She's sick," he answered quickly, placing me down gently on the bed. He sat next to me, pressing his hand against my forehead once more while his golden light shimmered. "She's too hot," he warned looking at Trish. "We need a medic."
"We can't risk her identify being revealed," Neron warned as he entered the room after overhearing Xan.
"Is it just a fever?" Trish inquired as her, Neron and Teo began a side conversation to devise a plan.
Xan closed his eyes, trying to figure out what was wrong with me as I trembled on what felt like a bed of fire.
"Show me, Aeris," he whispered.
He wanted me to show him my vision like earlier and I frowned. "I'm scared," I whined, not wanting to see it again.
"Please, I need to understand what's happening to you."
I nodded weakly, forcing my mind back through the series of events that had unfolded in my subconscious.
I opened my eyes to look at Xan, whose image was starting to blur.
He looked down at me in a panic. "Aeris!" He placed his hands on my cheeks and looked into my eyes, a hint of black in them. "I need you to stay strong and hang on. I'm going to get you help!"
"There's got to be someone we can take her too!" Teo was arguing behind Xan as he jumped up to join their conversation.
"She needs help now! I don't care who it is I will force their silence if I need to!" Xan roared with ferocity to Neron.
Neron sighed. "I think I know a guy here on Naraq... he's legit but... not by the books."
"No, Neron you can't be talking about Finn," Trish moaned. "He's a fugitive!"
"Unfortunately I am. He's knowledgeable and he will keep quiet."
"Fine," Xan answered quickly. "Let's go. I'm not letting her die."
Their footsteps rushed out of the room and Xan returned to my side. I turned my head to face him, feeling like the weight of the world was pressing down on me.
"Xan..." I reached my hand out towards him and he took it, squeezing it gently and stroking my hair.
"Everything will be fine, Aeris. I'm not leaving your side."
I wanted to be strong for him. I wanted to keep looking upon his face for the the comfort it brought. I stared into his eyes and breathed his name until I felt my strength leave and everything blurred into black.
***
Author's note:
Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, family issues came up so I was quite a bit behind schedule! Please vote and comment! I love reading what you guys have to say! Thank you for reading!