Ninth Millennium Navigator

28

Matthias found a sense of calmness overtake him as proceeded home. 

If he assumed that he had been in a delusional state—which carried concerns of its own—he could see a new semblance of order of recent events. 

If he could anchor himself back in reality, he could relax and recover. His minds began to let the dust settle from the previous agitation. Among the new thoughts, he considered the visit from Katrina that brought him to Marie.

He recalled following Katrina to that lome. The lome she had somehow acquired was not too far from where he was at the moment. If his current understanding of reality was correct, the incident with Katrina had not really happened and he would, therefore, not find that lome. 

If he had been keeping his appointment with Marie, then, presumably, following Katrina did not occur. He thought back to his conversation with Katrina in his lome. If he had seen Katrina, her presence would contradict many things. The sediment in his mind was getting stirred around once more and he wasn't sure how to distinguish the physical discomfort from the mental. For a brief moment, he repressed a need to return home. He tried to reassure himself that it could all be explained.

He stopped in mid air. A heavy breeze attempted to shift his position in the dark sky. His body was trembling with minor wild convulsions, whether from sickness, foreboding, or outright fear.

He could see the lome. 

I must still be delusional.

The lome Katrina had entered was exactly where he expected and just as he pictured. He stared for an long period of confusion. He wanted to believe that the lome was nothing more than a hallucination of an unwell mind.

I should have gone home. Some rest and serious thought would resolve all this. 

Coincidence!

It must be someone else's lome.

What if he stumbled on someone as he had with Marie? He questioned the issue of intruding on another lome, but the driving knowledge to understand overwhelmed him.

Despite his concerns about entering someone else's lome, Matthias pushed forward through the material after landing on the ledge. 

I have to know.

The look on the woman's face was genuine surprise. She had not been expecting someone.

"Matthias?"

Matthias said nothing. He did not even look at the woman behind his initial glance. He looked around the room. 

Katrina was sitting in front of the console, most likely attempting to learn all its mysteries. Matthias grasped on to his purpose.

"Where is Calissa?"

Katrina quickly regained her composure despite being taken aback. "Matthias, you said you would contact me. I did not think you would just drop in?"

"Katrina, where is Calissa? I need to speak with her."

"Matthias, how did you find this place?" She held up the universal finger for scolding. "Did you follow me?"

"Katrina, just tell me where she is! I swear that I will NOT help you if you do not tell me where she is!" Matthias's voice was rough. It betrayed his deepening sickness.

"Matthias. You are really out of sorts. Come here."

Not seeing Matthias move, she moved toward him. She expressed no fear at his growing anger.

She dropped the patronizing tone and became serious. "Matthias, I'm sorry."

She delved more deeply into his eyes. She continued, "Calissa went for a walk on earth. If I am correct, that is a habit she adopted from you. She says it helps regulate her. Perhaps you need to do the same."

Matthias did not fail to notice that Katrina had unearthed one of Calissa's remaining secrets. Like the pictures of her parents that had disappeared from the chamber, Calissa had made an effort not to tell Katrina of her Earth trips. Those trips had been one of her few venues to escape from Katrina. Katrina knew that Calissa had tried to hide this from her. Katrina was now waving her knowledge around with pride in acquiring some cheap trinket. He suspected Katrina had also seen the pictures of their parents. 

Matthias calmed himself down. "When did she leave?"

"She was gone when I came back. It could be several more hours before she returns." A glimmer came to her eyes. "A lot can happen in a few hours, Matthias."

Matthias felt her hand through the suit as she caressed the back of his arm. He did nothing, yet he felt an excitement that angered him. A quiver in his flesh reminded him of the depth of his sickness. He had a flash to the other night and his excitement intensified. It was like an unexpected kindling as it had been so amazing. He thought back to the multitude of questions in his riled mind. A sudden stiffness in his arms seemed to sap his store of energy.

"Matthias, did you really come here to see Calissa? After all, it was really ME you followed, wasn't it?"

Matthias looked to the floor for a moment to escape her gaze. A vision of her deeply entrancing him with her story flashed. His legs felt rubbery enough to convince him to sit down. A seat formed for him not a moment too late as he buckled. He seemed to fall a great distance as a light faintness overcame him.

Matthias immediately became more alert, but his head throbbed more than ever before. He wished to escape the draining discomfort.

"You are out of sorts, aren't you Matthias? Well, I know one cure for that." He watched as Katrina came closer and placed her other hand between his long legs. An image of Katrina, naked and glistening with sweat, sparked in his mind.

She kissed him gently on the cheek and both minds exploded with recessive feelings. Those feeling had been under a thin mask all along. For that moment, the other pains subsided from his limbs and head. He felt as though he had the opportunity to catch his breath he had been seeking for hours. 

He grabbed Katrina's hand tightly, convincing himself that he was onto a cure to his current madness. As much as he hated being so helpless, especially to her, he could think of nothing better. She straddled him and leaned over to kiss him. 

Matthias thought back to the cold, dark lome. 

It had been Katrina, hadn't it? 

Yet, her touse was stronger than ever—and drawing him in.

She was surprised for the second time. "Oh, Matthias. What got into you?"

He quickly stripped both himself and Katrina to their naked beings. Soon they were rolling on the floor carelessly. Matthias found a new store of enthusiasm and ability. She had fallen into ecstasy simply by the intensity of his emotion. "Matthias. Oh god. You are making me crazy. What got into—Ohhh—"

They were frolicking on the ground when he felt as though he were being watched.

At the edge of the entryway, he caught a glimpse of the figure. 

A figure in a dark cloak.