The DReAMers Pt. 04

I climbed a purple mountain surrounded by a blood red sea chasing after the girl who floated away from me on a warm breeze.

She was wearing a silver and gold skin made of small oval-shaped scales with multi-colored feathers spreading winglike under each arm. Laughing, she swooped down to hover above me with those wings slowly wafting back and forth as I stared up at her as I tried to catch my breath.

"Well, look at you," she smiled, "Alive again."

I took a step towards her as she watched me. Her body was lush and compact. Full teardrop breasts curving into inviting hips leading to a long pair of sculpted legs that seemed to go on forever. She was like some elusive phoenix as the pale yellow sunlight reflected and sparkled on her outfit as she floated just out of reach.

"Who are you?" I asked.

A sudden gust ruffled her windswept auburn hair that curled and curved around her face as she considered my question staring at me intently with those sea blue eyes of hers.

"I'm the girl who came across time and space to save you, Harry Watts," she said softly, "My name is Kira J."

Kira J.

Finally.

"Save me?" I asked her, "Why?"

The girl slowly descended until she was standing in front of me.

"Because you are mine," she replied simply, "And I am yours."

***

The ship emerged into a snowstorm like the girl had expected.

"Open please."

The time machine had already surrounded itself in a protective null zone as the cockpit unlocked and slid back into its slot. Its pilot got quickly out and ran to where the man lay in the snow.

The girl blinked away her tears as she knelt over him watching as his life slipped away knowing that he was scared and afraid but there was nothing she could do to comfort him. He had to go as he was always meant to go.

She needed to be absolutely sure he had died so she reached up behind her ear to activate the device strapped around her right arm over her flight suit. Pointing her hand at his chest, a beam of light pierced the gloom as it sliced through his heavily padded jacket and shirt to reveal his bare skin.

Quickly, she tugged it open and grabbed the small square shaped biomonitor that had been hovering to her right and pressed it down on his exposed torso. The device beeped and data began to stream vertically across its surface as it checked for any signs of life. The digits flickered briefly between two and one before it finally settled on zero emitting a long tone.

He had gone. The man she had crossed time to save was truly dead.

Now she could do what she had to do.

She took the four gee clamps that were attached to her utility belt and secured one under each shoulder with the other two fastened either side of his hips. Then she turned to look at her ship as it maneuvered above her waiting for her instructions.

"Open bay," she shouted above the wind and snow, "Prepare evac."

The ship rose another two feet and its auxiliary pod slid forward from underneath with the front opening up for its dead passenger. The girl watched intently making sure the pod had deployed correctly as the falling snow melted on her heated outfit.

"Lift," she said out loud and stepped further back in the snow as the man slowly emerged from where he had fallen to hover there in front of her, "Rotate horizontal 180. Forward. Stop. Pod access ready. Pod plus three. Plus two. Plus one. Clamps one to four descend. Hold. Insert. Release. Close Pod. Internal Pod systems activate. Returning to ship."

Making sure the pod was secure, she climbed back into her cockpit. She took one final look around as the snow and wind swirled around the machine. What was that? She frowned as she peered into the darkness. She could hear someone calling in the distance. Then she saw the light. Someone was coming.

Quickly, she dropped down onto her seat and strapped herself in. "Canopy closed."

She had to go. There had to be no witnesses.

"Return sequence initiate," The black panel in front of her lit up and she could feel the engine charging up behind her, "Go, go, go. Jump!"

The time machine disappeared and began its journey back home.

The girl closed her eyes and slumped back into her padded seat. She had done it. All the research and study had been worth it. She had taken him from his time and he would live again in hers. Far, far into the future.

***

"WATTS!!"

Mitch Wade stopped and stood gasping for breath as the snow began to turn into a blizzard around him as he made his way along the route his friend had surely taken. He held up his industrial torch and scanned the landscape with the wide beam slicing through the darkness. His WT crackled as it hung from his belt and he grabbed it pressing it to his right ear as he struggled to hear the voice on the other end.

"Roger that," he shouted into it, "I've nearly reached fifteen and no sign of him so far. What's the ETA on backup? Air Rescue ain't gonna cut it in this weather. Need boots on the ground, Over."

Thirty minutes.

Fuck.

"Understood. Will continue to do a wide sweep around fifteen, Over," he responded, "Tell the guys to haul ass pronto. Out."

The wind was picking up to make matters worse. "Where the hell are you, Harry?" he muttered to himself. This was some serious shit and no mistake.

It was then he saw something in the distance. Was that a light? It looked like a light. Maybe his Boss had some sort of an accident and managed to set up a beacon so Air Rescue could find him. But something wasn't right. The light was moving around as far as he could tell through the snowstorm.

"HARRY!!" he shouted. But there was no reply as the wind began to howl amongst the trees.

Suddenly there was a brief flash and the light disappeared.

What the hell? He set off again and fifteen minutes later he arrived at the spot where he thought he saw it. He shone his torch around where he stood and realized he was about twenty feet from the pole. He directed the beam upwards and saw that the top had been sheared and splintered leaving only a blackened stump remaining with the junction box looking completely destroyed.

"Lightning strike," he muttered. Holy shit. Where the fuck are you, Watts?

If his friend had been up top when it hit then he'd have been blown back and fallen to the ground. He stumbled around looking for any signs of him. But there was nothing. He pointed the light up into the dense forest in front of him and felt the dread clutch his heart as every possibility ran through his head. Bears? Coyote? Had something like that taken him?

It was then he noticed something lying in the snow a short distance from him. He turned awkwardly and trudged to where the object was. He bent down to pick it up noticing that the snow looked like it had been disturbed in some way which made his animal theory much more likely.

It was a leather wallet. He flipped it open and saw various credit cards still in their slots along with a hundred bucks give or take in cash. There was also something else in there. It was a photo. An old photo of a young boy, a girl of about eighteen, and an older woman that looked to have been taken at the beach with the sea lapping around their feet. Turning it over her saw some writing on the back.

It said, "She's real."

In the distance, the mournful wail of a siren could be heard approaching.

***

I opened my eyes.

And immediately shut them again for everything was a bright white light.

Then I drew my first breath and groaned out loud as the oxygen expanded my lungs against my rib-cage making every muscle stretch and ache. It still felt like I was floating.

My mind was a complete blank. But there was something flickering in the dark and I realized that my memories were tantalizingly just out of reach for whatever reason. It was as if everything to me was new. Like starting afresh.

Start from the beginning. The basics. Try to remember who I am. Who I was. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and gasped at the effort it took to do such a simple thing. I felt lost. Somewhere else. Somewhere very different. I could hear a soft throbbing behind my right ear like a faint heartbeat. Don't rush this. Let my mind wake up in its own time. Slowly, things were becoming clearer to me.

My name is Watts. Harry Watts. Harry Watts was born in 1965. Harry Watts was twenty-five years old. Harry Watts died. I am dead. I remember my death.

But where was I? Where had I gone?

I am here. Somewhere else.

Had I passed over?

Too many questions. Think slower.

Wake up.

My eyes opened. Everything was white again as I tried to focus on where I was and what was around me. I was on my back. Looking up at a white ceiling. With a grunt, I slowly raised my head a couple of inches and tried to look around as best I could. There were four white walls. I was in a room. My arms were either side of me resting on what felt like some sort of bed that seemed to mold itself to my body.

It was then I saw the numbers floating in mid-air just above and to the left side of my face. Next to the final number of six was a small yellow pulsing light and I realized it was in rhythm with the beating of my heart. I was being monitored. So I was in some sort of hospital room.

I was also naked.

I eased my head back and closed my eyes again. There had been an accident. The faint memory of it flickered inside my head with a sudden flash of light then I felt myself falling backwards. But then nothing as the memory faded away.

It was then I realized someone was here. In the room with me. I opened my eyes to see the girl standing to my right with a smile on her face.

Wait. Where had she come from? There was no door I could see. It was if she had suddenly appeared out of thin air. She was dressed in all white which was in sharp contrast to the color of her long rustic hair that had been pulled over her left shoulder. She looked as pure as the driven snow standing there in a long-sleeved blouse, trim plain skirt, white stockings and white slip-on shoes.

She didn't say anything but let her gaze slowly wander over my nakedness as I lay there hardly able to move or speak for embarrassment. I swear a faint smile crossed her lips as her eyes lingered for a second on my sex before they returned to my face. Her attention turned to the numbers floating next to me. She reached across and sort of swiped her right hand over them and the display suddenly rotated towards her so that she could see them more clearly.

I stared at her as she read the stream of data that, to me, appeared to come from thin air like magic. Noticing that I was watching her, she gave me a nod of recognition and then she said something that I didn't understand.

Suddenly, I felt this strange but wonderful surge of something washing over me that eased the aches in my muscles and bones. The girl took my right arm and turned it over to look at it intently. Then she placed a hand just above my breastbone and began to lightly press it all over my chest and stomach before she let it rest just above my penis.

Uh. Lady. What are you doing? No, wait. You don't have to do that.

She glanced at me and there was the merest hint of a blush on her cheeks as her hand slipped lower and she took my limp member carefully between her fingers so she could examine it and the sack underneath. I gritted my teeth and with a huge effort managed to raise my head slightly so she could tell I was looking at her.

"Look," I rasped, "Lady.."

Her face turned towards me and she whispered something in that strange language she spoke. I shook my head. No go. Houston we have a problem. She let go of my limp dick and reached over to press something behind my right ear then took a step back and looked down at me.

"Hello," she said, "You can understand me now?"

I blinked with surprise and nodded. "Yes."

"Good, that is good," she smiled, "I sometimes forget. Are you thirsty?"

Totally. I nodded.

She turned to her left and a white beaker appeared suddenly in her right hand. She carefully slipped her left under my head to support it as she brought the container to my lips.

"Water. Drink slow. Feel better," she said as I felt the cool liquid in my mouth. That tasted so damned good and I could feel myself starting to wake up properly both physically and mentally. It felt like I had been in a deep sleep on the longest journey ever.

Once I was finished, she said something and removed her hand from behind my head. To my surprise, it didn't fall back but remained where it was and I could feel the bed shifting to support me as I sat up properly.

The girl sat beside the bed and took my right hand in hers. I turned my head and looked at her as she smiled at me. This girl who had appeared throughout my life but who remained a complete mystery. Now, finally, maybe I would get some answers to the questions that had always been there.

"Kira," I said.

The girl smiled and nodded.

I knew her name.

She had told it to me in a dream.

"How?" I frowned.

She reached over and brushed the hair away from my eyes before she looked back at me in silence for a moment as if she was considering what to say next. As if she had to explain something to a small child.

"Even though you had returned physically," she explained slowly, "You were still lost inside your head. I came to guide you and show you the way back to being the person you were before your event."

I stared at her. "The purple mountain."

She smiled and nodded.

"Am I dead?"

"No," said the girl, "But you were."

I turned my head and looked around the room.

"This sure as hell isn't Kansas," I murmured.

She shook her head and I could see she was trying not to laugh.

"So if I'm not dead," I said, "And this isn't heaven. Then where am I?"

The girl stood up from her chair and walked to the end of what I had imagined to be a bed. "For you," she began," You are in a place yet to be. For me," she smiled, "I'm in a place that used to be. This place is somewhere for you to heal and the place from where your life begins again. You are safe here, Harry. Think of today as the first day. Our first day."

The future. I was in the future.

In my head. In a dream. It had to be a dream. Or a coma. That was the only rational explanation for this whole crazy thing. The lightning. The fall. I died. Now I'm apparently not dead. In a room without windows or doors talking to the most stunning woman I'd ever seen. Dream. Or a coma.

"Can I call you Kira?" I asked her.

"Of course," she smiled nodding, "That is my name."

I raised my right hand. "Hello, Kira. Whoever you are."

She looked at my hand for a moment then slipped hers into mine. She was warm to the touch and her skin was as smooth and soft as silk. She seemed amused at our little introduction.

"And a hello to you, Harry," she grinned as she let go of my hand, "Now that you are awake," she continued, "Shall we begin your new life?"

Sure.

I wondered if I was going to meet the Wizard of OZ again.

***

"Lucy will take good care of you, Harry," said Kira.

We were still in that white room and I was still flat on my back naked as the day I was born floating on that strange bed. At least now I was thinking straight. Thinking logically in an illogical situation.

I blinked at the girl. "Lucy?"

Kira spread her arms. "Lucy is all around you. She is the reason you are here speaking to me now. Think of her as your own personal life support. Her task is to be there for you at all times. Say hello, Lucy."

"Hello, Harry," said a feminine voice suddenly from out of thin air, "I am so very pleased to meet you. I am sure we're going to get along just fine."

Kira laughed at the surprised look on my face. "Lucy, rotate 90."

The bed suddenly flipped forward until I was floating upright as if I was held there by an invisible hand. What I thought was a bed obviously wasn't. It was the most extraordinary feeling and I gasped as I felt "Lucy" molding herself around me to keep me in place.

Kira stood in front of me smiling. "How do you feel now, Harry?"

I could feel my whole system composing itself after the initial rush of blood to my head. I glanced to my left at the numbers floating in mid-air as the indicator pulsed slower as my heartbeat returned to normal. I raised my right arm and held it out in front of me slowly turning my hand over and wriggling my fingers. Then I did the same with my other arm as I winced at the sudden ache in every bone and muscle.

"How long was I," I hesitated as I tried to come to terms with what had happened to me, "Gone?"

Kira watched as I raised each leg and twiddled my toes. "From your perspective?" she answered, "About a week. Once we had returned, you were brought here in the lifepod where Lucy was assigned to you. From there it was only a matter of bringing you back and stabilizing your physical and neural functions in a coma state until you were ready for the awakening."

I stared at my hands. "These had serious burns."

Kira nodded. "Most of your neck and upper chest was the same. You also had severe internal injuries to a number of vital organs that required quite an extensive repair. Isn't that right, Lucy?"

"Indeed, Kira J," said the voice.

The girl took a couple of steps back. "Stream please, Lucy," she said, "Status. Diagnostic. Apply stims for initial physical tests."

She reached over to the floating panel and moved her hand across it with her fingers looking like they were tapping invisible buttons. Suddenly a ream of numbers and data appeared in a small hovering twelve-inch square screen with Lucy making various comments at certain points of interest.

"Excellent," nodded Kira, "It appears that you have recovered enough to take your first steps into a whole new world."

I looked at her then down at my naked body where everything was hanging out on parade. "Uh, what about," I coughed and indicated my lack of clothing, "You know, all this."

Kira stared at me blankly. "All what?"

I crossed my hands over my crotch.

"Oh," she said finally, "It bothers you that you are naked?"

It sure did. A LOT.

"A little," I nodded as I turned red as she looked me up and down.

The girl put a hand up to her right cheek. "Of course!" she said, "Sometimes I keep forgetting the times and the way things were back then."

She was standing in front of me and then, to my complete shock and surprise, she reached up behind her ear and everything she was wearing disappeared in the blink of an eye leaving her stunningly naked as my eyes nearly popped out of my head at the sight of her.

"There," she smiled, "Now we are alike so there is no need to be embarrassed about your nakedness in front of me."

Embarrassed? That was the last thing I was. More like awestruck. I couldn't move or speak as I just stared at the girl. Talk about having all the best things in all the right places. Everything about her was perfect. From her long reddish brown hair to her high firm breasts to her firm flowing thighs to her beautifully shaped legs and that hairless slot between those glorious thighs.

She seemed oblivious to my rapt attention as she went to the far side of the room and touched a specific spot on the wall which immediately changed into a larger version of the floating panel with different aspects of information about me appearing in dedicated sections as Lucy kept a constant update of my condition.

"Is something wrong?" asked Kira when she realized I was staring at her bare ass as she stood looking at the screen. She glanced down over her shoulder and put her hand on her right butt cheek.

I shook my head. No. Nothing was wrong. Far from it, Future girl. I could stare at that bare ass of yours for forever and a day. But if she wanted me to take my first steps into whatever world I now found myself in then doing it naked wasn't going to get me very far.