Delta city, Shepherdstown, West Virginia 2025
Akeno awoke from her nightmare. Her breathing was irregular and out of control, her heart was beating rapidly and uncontrollably. It was like she had just run a marathon at full sprint. It took her a few minutes to regain her composure. She placed her hands to her head, it was so real, the nightmare. She had been having the same nightmare for the last 2 months now. It was so vivid. It was like a pre-cursor to an actual event, a prophecy.
Akeno soon realized that her body was racked with sweat, as was the bottom sheet on her bed. ?Shoot? she muttered to herself. She slowly threw back the big, thick and now drenched with sweat
quilt off her body, and started to trudge, slowly towards the bathroom. Her movement was labored; somewhat restricted, it was like someone had tied a rope around her body but just kept it loose enough so she could walk.
She took a long shower, letting the water hit her body full force, and snake its way down the concaves and perfectly formed features of her body, like a magnificent and natural waterfall. She forgot everything; she was completely taken in by her surroundings, by the situation. It was what she was trained to do, to blend in with any environment. It was the same with her leisure time; what she got of it. She closed her eyes and let the environment completely consume her. She would worry later.
Once she got out of the shower, she took a look at the time, 4:38am. It was exactly the same time she woken up for the last 2 months, Just like it was the exact same routine she had been performing for the last 2 months.
She went to the kitchen and immediately took some painkillers. She had been getting some severe headaches lately. She poured herself a glass of Haigs Malt Whisky, and headed for the table in the middle of her room. It was a vintage brand of Whisky, Riko had given her as a birthday present It was very old, circa 1930?s and was very strong. Exactly what she needed at this moment in time.
She sat down; her mind was blank for a minute. She just studied her apartment room. She hadn?t realized it before, but it was quite plain. She had only moved onto the apartment one month ago. It wasn?t the biggest of apartments she could find, nor was it the best. It was run-down and old and the tenants that did occupy the building were who?s who of weirdo?s and eccentrics. It was however; well within her budget of what she could spend, and more importantly, it allowed her to stay near home, where she would be able to feel some nostalgia during her long and lonely journey. Feeling this was the only thing that had stopped her going insane. Incidentally, her arrival at the apartment coincided with the exact time she had started to have the recurring nightmares. She couldn?t understand it herself, but the doctor she had been visiting had told her that dreams were rooted firmly from the life experiences of the person having the dream and a nightmare was a distortion of this reality. She had hoped therefore, that being in this apartment and triggering off this nightmare, was possibly key to helping her complete her promise.
Akeno looked around the room and noticed how sparse its contents were. There was a standard utilitarian kitchen that was fitted in the corner of the room, by the entrance. There was the main room with a wall mounted TV and a sofa and dining table, and her bed was in the opposite corner of the room. It was very bare. She sighed to herself.
There was one corner of the room that was completely enveloped by shadows. She never went anywhere near that corner at night. She hated the shadows, and had done since she was a kid; even keeping a low-level light on around her bed at night. Her mind would always play tricks on her, and the shadows would always take on a form or hideous shape of some kind.
Akeno was awoken from her stupor by the sound of horns blazing outside. It was like it was right outside her window, on the third floor. Since the new sky rail had been built, and hover cars had come into existence, it had been a non-stop journey of noise and pestilence. Still, since the population boom during the war, there was hardly any space on the ground anymore, so something had had to be done, and space was found in the air.
Akeno reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She started to place all the items in it onto the table. She had done this for as long as she could remember; it was a nervous habit she did to keep her mind occupied and pass away the time. She placed a photo on the table, and then she froze. She picked up the photo and stared at it. On the photo was a picture of a handsome young man, with piercing blue eyes and brown hair. His smile was one of confidence and belief. A tear started to form at the corner of Akeno's eye, and then with the sudden outburst of a tropical storm, they exploded down her soft, pale face. Her body began to shake, as the emotions welled up inside her.
The man in the picture was one of Akeno?s closest if not best friend. He had always been there for her and looked after her. She had loved him very much. During the start of the war, against the Mechanoids, he had enlisted in the space marines and was sent to the frontlines immediately. Earth had started to find its feet in the universe, and gradually, as technology improved at a rate of knots, they started to expand and colonize different planets around the universe and in different systems. It was during this conflict, that they first ran into the alien race that they designated Mechanoids. Although, she had never seen one herself personally, they were apparently cybernetic in nature, and all they did was consume and destroy life and planets. The two races soon collided, and a devastating war had taken place. For the last two years, the Mechanoids had pushed all Earth forces back with brutal ease, and destroyed and taken over any planets with human life. It was against this back drop which her friend had been sent. The elite marines were to be a vanguard of a huge strike force that was to stop the Mechanoids advancement. Instead, it had been ambushed and annihilated. Her friends body was never found, and he was designated MIA.
They had searched for a long time for his body, his family and the army, putting in a lot of effort and time into searching, but to no avail. Adeline had been broken when she heard the news. She had made a vow, a promise that she would find him. She would continue searching where everyone else had given up, and she would search forever if need be. It was her new mission in life. Her goal. She would not give up. Pretty soon after the news, Adeline had continued to search. She had gone into space via tours; she had hired private detectives and even enlisted the help of military friends and former pirates. There was no luck. It wasn?t long before a perfect opportunity would fall into her lap. The space core were hiring war photographers to link up with their squadrons as they fulfilled their military duties, and even during battle. It was a big hype, to heighten the prestige of the military, but it was her only opportunity. She had managed to get a position with a small city firm. They were freelance photographers, but there personnel were frequently used by the military since the initiative began. Her life had been one of constant movement since then. She would never give up hope though.
Akeno snapped out of her thoughts as she recognized the familiar yet annoying tone of the apartment phone. She pressed a button
?Yes, Akeno here.?
?Akeno, I have an urgent assignment for you sweetheart, to attend a military meeting in the Cheyenne Mountains. Military bigwigs of all kinds are going to be there.? The voice on the other end of the phone was that of her boss Larry Simpkins. He was a small, balding man, and was a womanizer, but he knew his business, and was excellent at his job. She loved it when he called her sweetheart.
?I?m tired Riko, find someone else.
?Oh sweetheart, you just pierced my heart with an arrow, how cold of you. However, I just thought I would let you know situation, as it may give you an opportunity to search for your friend, it sounds like a deep-space mission of some kind, but its ok sweetheart, I?ll assign Jason to??
?Wait!! Riko, I?ll take the case. What are the details and when is the meeting??
?Well sweetheart, the meeting is at 09:00 hours at the Cheyenne Mountains. Details, documents and other information on the meeting and its agenda will be handed out to you tomorrow, upon arrival. Be careful sweetheart, nighty night!?
The line went dead before she could say anything else. She started to shiver, with apprehension, but she was also very excited for this new opportunity to have been given her. She hated these ambivalent feelings, but she had no time to worry. She wouldn?t be able to sleep again. It was time to get packed
Akeno awoke from her nightmare. Her breathing was irregular and out of control, her heart was beating rapidly and uncontrollably. It was like she had just run a marathon at full sprint. It took her a few minutes to regain her composure. She placed her hands to her head, it was so real, the nightmare. She had been having the same nightmare for the last 2 months now. It was so vivid. It was like a pre-cursor to an actual event, a prophecy.
Akeno soon realized that her body was racked with sweat, as was the bottom sheet on her bed. ?Shoot? she muttered to herself. She slowly threw back the big, thick and now drenched with sweat
quilt off her body, and started to trudge, slowly towards the bathroom. Her movement was labored; somewhat restricted, it was like someone had tied a rope around her body but just kept it loose enough so she could walk.
She took a long shower, letting the water hit her body full force, and snake its way down the concaves and perfectly formed features of her body, like a magnificent and natural waterfall. She forgot everything; she was completely taken in by her surroundings, by the situation. It was what she was trained to do, to blend in with any environment. It was the same with her leisure time; what she got of it. She closed her eyes and let the environment completely consume her. She would worry later.
Once she got out of the shower, she took a look at the time, 4:38am. It was exactly the same time she woken up for the last 2 months, Just like it was the exact same routine she had been performing for the last 2 months.
She went to the kitchen and immediately took some painkillers. She had been getting some severe headaches lately. She poured herself a glass of Haigs Malt Whisky, and headed for the table in the middle of her room. It was a vintage brand of Whisky, Riko had given her as a birthday present It was very old, circa 1930?s and was very strong. Exactly what she needed at this moment in time.
She sat down; her mind was blank for a minute. She just studied her apartment room. She hadn?t realized it before, but it was quite plain. She had only moved onto the apartment one month ago. It wasn?t the biggest of apartments she could find, nor was it the best. It was run-down and old and the tenants that did occupy the building were who?s who of weirdo?s and eccentrics. It was however; well within her budget of what she could spend, and more importantly, it allowed her to stay near home, where she would be able to feel some nostalgia during her long and lonely journey. Feeling this was the only thing that had stopped her going insane. Incidentally, her arrival at the apartment coincided with the exact time she had started to have the recurring nightmares. She couldn?t understand it herself, but the doctor she had been visiting had told her that dreams were rooted firmly from the life experiences of the person having the dream and a nightmare was a distortion of this reality. She had hoped therefore, that being in this apartment and triggering off this nightmare, was possibly key to helping her complete her promise.
Akeno looked around the room and noticed how sparse its contents were. There was a standard utilitarian kitchen that was fitted in the corner of the room, by the entrance. There was the main room with a wall mounted TV and a sofa and dining table, and her bed was in the opposite corner of the room. It was very bare. She sighed to herself.
There was one corner of the room that was completely enveloped by shadows. She never went anywhere near that corner at night. She hated the shadows, and had done since she was a kid; even keeping a low-level light on around her bed at night. Her mind would always play tricks on her, and the shadows would always take on a form or hideous shape of some kind.
Akeno was awoken from her stupor by the sound of horns blazing outside. It was like it was right outside her window, on the third floor. Since the new sky rail had been built, and hover cars had come into existence, it had been a non-stop journey of noise and pestilence. Still, since the population boom during the war, there was hardly any space on the ground anymore, so something had had to be done, and space was found in the air.
Akeno reached into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She started to place all the items in it onto the table. She had done this for as long as she could remember; it was a nervous habit she did to keep her mind occupied and pass away the time. She placed a photo on the table, and then she froze. She picked up the photo and stared at it. On the photo was a picture of a handsome young man, with piercing blue eyes and brown hair. His smile was one of confidence and belief. A tear started to form at the corner of Akeno's eye, and then with the sudden outburst of a tropical storm, they exploded down her soft, pale face. Her body began to shake, as the emotions welled up inside her.
The man in the picture was one of Akeno?s closest if not best friend. He had always been there for her and looked after her. She had loved him very much. During the start of the war, against the Mechanoids, he had enlisted in the space marines and was sent to the frontlines immediately. Earth had started to find its feet in the universe, and gradually, as technology improved at a rate of knots, they started to expand and colonize different planets around the universe and in different systems. It was during this conflict, that they first ran into the alien race that they designated Mechanoids. Although, she had never seen one herself personally, they were apparently cybernetic in nature, and all they did was consume and destroy life and planets. The two races soon collided, and a devastating war had taken place. For the last two years, the Mechanoids had pushed all Earth forces back with brutal ease, and destroyed and taken over any planets with human life. It was against this back drop which her friend had been sent. The elite marines were to be a vanguard of a huge strike force that was to stop the Mechanoids advancement. Instead, it had been ambushed and annihilated. Her friends body was never found, and he was designated MIA.
They had searched for a long time for his body, his family and the army, putting in a lot of effort and time into searching, but to no avail. Adeline had been broken when she heard the news. She had made a vow, a promise that she would find him. She would continue searching where everyone else had given up, and she would search forever if need be. It was her new mission in life. Her goal. She would not give up. Pretty soon after the news, Adeline had continued to search. She had gone into space via tours; she had hired private detectives and even enlisted the help of military friends and former pirates. There was no luck. It wasn?t long before a perfect opportunity would fall into her lap. The space core were hiring war photographers to link up with their squadrons as they fulfilled their military duties, and even during battle. It was a big hype, to heighten the prestige of the military, but it was her only opportunity. She had managed to get a position with a small city firm. They were freelance photographers, but there personnel were frequently used by the military since the initiative began. Her life had been one of constant movement since then. She would never give up hope though.
Akeno snapped out of her thoughts as she recognized the familiar yet annoying tone of the apartment phone. She pressed a button
?Yes, Akeno here.?
?Akeno, I have an urgent assignment for you sweetheart, to attend a military meeting in the Cheyenne Mountains. Military bigwigs of all kinds are going to be there.? The voice on the other end of the phone was that of her boss Larry Simpkins. He was a small, balding man, and was a womanizer, but he knew his business, and was excellent at his job. She loved it when he called her sweetheart.
?I?m tired Riko, find someone else.
?Oh sweetheart, you just pierced my heart with an arrow, how cold of you. However, I just thought I would let you know situation, as it may give you an opportunity to search for your friend, it sounds like a deep-space mission of some kind, but its ok sweetheart, I?ll assign Jason to??
?Wait!! Riko, I?ll take the case. What are the details and when is the meeting??
?Well sweetheart, the meeting is at 09:00 hours at the Cheyenne Mountains. Details, documents and other information on the meeting and its agenda will be handed out to you tomorrow, upon arrival. Be careful sweetheart, nighty night!?
The line went dead before she could say anything else. She started to shiver, with apprehension, but she was also very excited for this new opportunity to have been given her. She hated these ambivalent feelings, but she had no time to worry. She wouldn?t be able to sleep again. It was time to get packed
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