THE DAWN OF DAY

On the Aegir:

" Hurry up! We haven't got time to joke around, you know?!" Stace Collet yelled at the last surge of people helping her out. She had to put up a brave face to urge others to do the same.

She had to keep the others high spirited.

She had to...

"ATTENTION ALL INHABITANTS OF THE AEGIR - 577! KINDLY STRAP ONTO YOUR HARNESSES! BE WITHIN THE VICINITY OF YOUR PARTNER AND FAMILY AT ALL TIMES!"

The announcement system blared as she quickly sent orders to set it on loop.

Most of the people have already assembled in the stages that were set for this. She wheeled herself onto the ramp and into the Command Centre.

To add a bit of humour in.

" Alright everyone!! You're all doing a great job. You will receive a helmet to protect your head. Wear it and relax...maybe we'll treat you some music. You never know!" She sighed a sign of relief as if an indication that everything would be alright.

To give them hope.

" Cause you wouldn't want an uncooked omelette for an head, right?" She heard giggles behind her as she pouted and slammed the microphone down, causing a sonic boom.

Oops.

She sunk even further into the cushion of her wheelchair and drifted into a siesta, from exhaustion. She hadn't slept in a week and a half, anyways.

"-s possible as well." ATACC beeped on the angles as accurate he could think of.

To skim a freakin spaceship was one thing. Landing it on a se- ocean was in another level of insanity altogether.

Stace noticed Jason falling asleep as she subconsciously lowered her voice and in a while, she told ATACC with a smile to drag his butt to his room.

Which was more of a death threat to the poor electric man.

After ending transmission, she took about 6 pills of high grade caffeine since she hasn't slept in 53 hours, 17 minutes and still counting.

" Dr.Collet! Your presence is required in the quarantine sector. Dr.Stace Collet, report to the quarantine sector ASAP" Daniel called out on the system.

" We ain't in the army, who even uses ASAP these days?"

" COMING!" She said with a sigh. And then wondered who she said that to.

She made a vow to make this turn out well. Jason shouldn't be the one to carry all the burden.

" Let's just do it. Are the beacons ready?" Stace crunched the numbers again, with a pen on her mouth as Daniel pulled it out and put it in her lab coat.

" We will make it." He said with a smile. He ruffled her hair as he fastened her to her seat and fasteners the seat to the harness, coughing and wiping his mouth with a nearby piece of cloth, dispensing it to the trash.

The cloth had blood stains. Stace pretended not to notice.

" Buckle up, buckle up! This is the new VR in real life technology! We're gonna make a simulation test! We hope you like it! Cause it's gonna be a rough landing anyways!" She yelled on the microphone.

" WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH A LANDING PEOPLE! MAKE SURE NOT TO TAKE THEM OFF CAUSE WE'RE DOING THIS ONLY ONCE!"

Down in the land of Reflection:

Finally! They handed it back to me! Yey!

Now finish before they the author plucks it away again...

Oh, yes. Back to the story!

" What's going on?" Jeamie turned her adorable face in all angles trying to figure out what was happening, rubbing her eyes from not enough sleep.

Dawn broke as I picked her up and gave her a piggyback ride, her squirming and retaliating and all.

The thing was, Aria pushed me to give her some more attention. I agree, but she is already mature than both of us, Aria.

I put my hand on hers and held it tight.

" Nothing much, little conquer" I said as she entangled hers in mine, making a jab at the meaning of her name. The warmth and purity of her fingers lacing into mine and the other was taken by Aria.

She returned a giggle at me with a " Hehe" and she looked at me with a glint in her eye. I pulled the one who helped me get through this in close, my hands over the side of her hips.

Aria moaned a bit which startled both me and Jeamie who leaned in, her eyes full of suspicion. "What are you doing to her!?" She yanked my ears which honestly hurt a lot.

I'm gonna deal with her later.

I ignored it for a sec and I pulled her in, for a short kiss. But then, I saw a flicker of lights in the sky as ATACC sent me a wink and I threw one back at him.

All three of them looked at my expression and then looked at the sky.

" W-w-w-w-wa-wa-wa-wait-wait-wait. I-is that THE AEGIR!?" Aria stammered while Jeamie had her mouth wide open, drool just missing my nose.

Ew.

I closed her mouth as ATACC said," Time to shin- err. Land"

I really need to give you a sense of humor.

The silhouette got larger and larger as I triumphantly announced.

" The Aegir is landing folks. For the first time in five and more than a half centuries. Keep your eyes peeled"

A lot of lives were depending on me. Maybe not me, but the ones who's piloting it.

But one thing was for sure.

Live were being depended on...

cross my heart...

I said to myself and internally made a cross over my heart.

But that didn't stop a grin from reaching out to my face when the sound of a splas- well, it was rather than a sonic boom exploding about near us from having an object over a mile long sputtering in.

The Aegir, whatever-number-it-is, poked its head onto the top of the trees and fell down, quite slowly.

I just imagined it was a damsel in distress, sucking in by a frog that was about the height of a light post from where I was seeing it.

That's...pretty descriptive.

Slowly, and immediately, it shot back up, much to my surprise. 

#expectationmeetsreality

It fell up and down and up and down and up and down for a total of 4 times as the silence started to settle in. The tufts of the grass swayed in the eerie wind, singing, 'Sussssspenseeee'.

Then, the dawn of the sky was greeted by a green laser.

The beacon of success.

#expectationbecomesreality

The silent air was pierced by my cheers. " YAAAY!" I pumped the air, nearly tipping over Jeamie who just about managed to stay stabilized.

" HOLD HER!" I popped my sister Jeammie onto Aria who seemed bewildered. ATACC rolled with me as I started to walk.

Then jog.

Run.

Sprint.

I sprinted at the best I could as I continued to, for about 13 whole minutes. Those 780 seconds felt like they were the longest of my life.

Who cares?! We succeeded! Humanity survives! I hope they just don't get their brains fried.

Running out of breath, I came to a halt, just before the entrance which was perfectly on between the shore and the vast expanse of water.

The bay doors began to unhinge as it descended, intensifying the suspense. The robotic hydraulics and their whirring with the release of pressure locks that were shut for hundreds of years and had rusted hit my ears as the moment of truth kicked in.

There are a lot of people, amazingly in an order but only one pair of eyes caught me.

Stace Collet.

She's here.

She's alive.

Huh? Why is she in a wheelchair?

What happened?

Why is this happening?

Why am I here?

What is happe-

" Jason? Jason?" A voice of annoyance rung in my ears, as I realised she was using a megaphone.

Gosh, always the chil-

" Just be awake already!" My body was shook as I heard another voice.

" Why isn't he waking?!" A new voice, someone young.

" He fell unconscious, Jem! What would you expect?! HE RAN ALL THE WAY HERE OF COURSE HE'S GETTING THE RECOIL OF EXERTING HIS BODY TOO MUCH AFTER YEARS!" A more static filled voice butted in.

Who are they?

Why am I?

Oh, right. I'm Jason.

I slowly opened my eyes, hitting bright light as I saw tear filled faces next to me, before squinting it back shut.

A little girl slammed herself on me as I found my memories flooding back.

All of them.

I was a murderer.
A contender.
A survivor.
A brother.
A refugee.
A brother.
A lover.
A leader.
A saviour.
A heathen.
A warrior.

The times when I used to play around with my friends on Earth. The moments before I had to leave everyone behind. The training with the subjects. The centuries with my people on the Aegir. The moments with Aria on Las451.

I was all of them...

All came rushing back. Tears stung my eyes as I took it all in as Stace, took my hand in hers, me feeling the veins and the frail-ness she was now.

"I...remember..." Words left my mouth.

She flicked my forehead.

That hurts.

" But none of it matters now, does it, Jason?"

Right.

None of it matters...

Accept reality. Be the one they already think you are.

And so, with a genuine smile, I gave them in a group hug and found people I know also joining us.

" Dude! You've been in for a treat?"

" Thank goodness you're safe!"

" Guys, I'm bleeding"

" DANIEL'S COUGHING BLOOD!"

Everyone gave their thanks and aid to me and Daniel as I sat on the plains, as the settlements were being built quite soon after.

" What if they destroy this world as well?"

" Well, you promised you would protect them and show them the way."

" I was speaking out loud?"

" THINKING. Thinking out loud." She corrected me. She tried to get out of her wheelchair but failed. I smirked and picked her up and placed her next to me, her pouting and all, hitting my chest.

She was such a child.

" Thank you, Jason." She said, her hand in my hair, her eyes starting to fill out with liquidations of joy.

" I'm home" Stace put her head to mine and laughed.

I looked back at the sky, bluer than ever and wished that this anticlimactic ending to this would end up with smiles.

-The End-