The Day Before We Met

Nap

"Sentinel Alex, your arm will stiffen and lose circulation soon. Do you wish for armor retraction and lockup?" My suit alarm pulled me out of my wandering thoughts as my visor screen went red.

"No, absolutely not. I am fine. I will stretch afterwards." I immediately answered before it did it on its own and violently woke up Hannah. That's not how I'd ever want to wake her up.

My visor went back to green and I looked up in the corner of my screen to see the time. She has a half hour before she has to go to hair and makeup, so I really should wake her up, but the way she is holding my arm is too cute for me to handle. Even if Ajax bitched at me for not waking her up on time, I still would not be able to move.

Hannah took in a sharp, deep breath of air and whined as she opened her eyes.

Maybe I don't have to wake her up.

"Hello Alex." Hannah smiled at me and let go of my arm as if she hadn't been holding it for two hours before sitting up.

I frowned and stood up. She let go of my arm. I didn't want her to let go of my arm. "You have hair and makeup in a half hour." I gave her a heads up as I reluctantly went to get her phone for her. Now she won't pay any attention to me for the next while if she has her phone.

Hannah stretched and her bones popped in ways that made me panic. Bones don't do that unless I'm breaking someone else's bones.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I rushed over to her with her phone in my hand.

"No Alex, I'm okay. I was just stretching. Do your joints not pop when you stretch?" Hannah giggled at my worried antics.

"No my joints don't pop! The last time my shoulder popped out was because Keenan and I were play fighting too much! My body doesn't sound like a firecracker when I stretch!" I had my visor scan her for injuries despite her assuring me that she was fine.

"The person of interest is healthy aside from a minor callus on her right palm." My visor went through its full scan. She got a callus from her holding the mic without any kind of grip or gloves. I made her add gloves to her costume once I found out about those. I can't have her hurt.

"Well, those of us who are not genetically modified, like me, have joints that pop when we stretch. It's completely natural and okay for it to happen." Hannah took her phone from me. "I'm glad I napped. I definitely wouldn't have made it through the day if I didn't."

"I told you you needed to nap." I rolled my eyes.

"I only napped because I wanted to." Hannah playfully shot back.

I gave her a 'really?' look despite her not being able to see me, but I did tilt my head sideways and down to look at her so she'd get the point.

"But thank you for sitting with me and letting me hold your hand while I slept. That was the best I had slept in a long time." Hannah redid her bun before neatly folding the blanket.

"You don't sleep well?" Worry immediately overcame me. Is she sick? Is something wrong? Is my suit missing something?

"I'm just worried about everything is all. It's not everyday that an entire planet wants to kidnap you." Hannah tried to play it off with a smile.

"Hey, I promised you that I would never let anything happen to you, and I plan to keep that promise." I tilted my head to the side in confusion. I'm a brick wall for Marians to get through. No one would ever get the chance to hurt her. I'd curl around her if I had to. Over my dead body would anyone touch her.

"What happens when my tour is over and you guys go back to doing missions? I'm alone and they will take me with ease." Hannah pointed out.

"I wouldn't let that happen." I shook my head.

"How could you stop it if you were all the way on Mars, Alex?" Hannah looked up at me with pain in her eyes, and the look alone bore into my soul.

I tried to find an answer. How could I protect her? Take her with me? She'd be killed on the spot. Leave her at the base? She'd never have her own life again.

"Exactly Alex. There isn't anything you can do when the time comes. I know the thought bothers you, but it is what it is." Hannah went to play on her phone.

"They can't get to you if they're dead." I gave her the one answer that made sense to me. "I could kill all of their soldiers on their entire planet."

"What about the ones that are already here or the ones who are on their way? There is no way that you could keep me safe." She made another decent point.

"Maybe you won't be a person of interest anymore once the tour is over?" My answer came out as a question more than anything.

"Yeah, and then I never see any of you ever again when you guys are some of the best people I have ever met in my life. You guys never fail to make me laugh even when you aren't trying, and you make me smile just from you being your stubborn self." Her brief smile went back to a frown. "But if I'm not a person of interest to them, I'm not one to you guys."

"Hannah, I-" I was going to say something I never thought I would before she cut me off.

"I just want to stop thinking about it for now, please." Hannah then completely ignored me standing right in front of her and went back onto her phone.

I furrowed my eyebrows in thought before coming up with the one thing I knew would help her. "I've been told that I'm good at giving hugs, and it looks like you need one."

Hannah's head shot up to look at me before standing up and wrapping her small arms around my body and squeezing as hard as she could.

As I did before, I gently wrapped my arms around her after slightly bending down.

"Compression detected. Do you wish for armor lockup?" My suit decided that it was time to piss me off.

"No, don't even think about it." I grumbled before going back to enjoying the newfound comfort that only Hannah has the ability to provide.

"I like your hugs." Hannah whispered and continued to hug me.

I smiled in response and closed my eyes to let my guard down more with her.

She needs me, and I need her no matter how much I want to deny it.