The Shady Shade

Chapter 1

Still prone to mistakes I'm afraid... hope you enjoy though :)

Chapter 1

It was dark. He hated the dark; it always brought back bad memories that he didn't want to relive. He tried to move and turn on the light but the space he was in felt really cramped. He placed a hand in front of him then moved it to the side. Fear filled him in a split second when he realized he was locked in a box. No, not a box, he thought then, a vent. He braced himself for what was coming.

"Mayer sir! Come in!" there was a short pause and Milei's panicked voice came back through the comms "Mayer, there is something wrong with the device. Abort the mission! I repeat, abort the mission!" but Milei would never get to leave that place, neither would the rest. He swallowed hard and blinked rapidly when he found himself standing in the Roia cemetery in front of six empty boxes. There were people all around him and, as much as he hated to face it again, he knew most of them. The families of his team, his friends the only families he had left in this universe. He felt the sting of tears as he watched mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, sons and daughters crying in front of the empty caskets. He should have saved them or joined them in death, but fate had decided to torment him instead. Obviously she hated him for some unknown reason.

His superior stepped forward as part of the ceremony to award him with a medal for his courage and all that crap. Bastards thought they were honoring the dead soldiers by giving him a medal for his incompetence. Suck a disgrace. "Thank you, sweetheart" said an amused feminine voice out of the blue and he felt a light caress on his cheek. He looked around confused. She wasn't part of this dream and he'd had it plenty of time to know that for sure. The medal was pinned to his uniform and the wailing of a woman brought his attention back to the dream. He watched the wife of his best friend crumble to the ground sobbing, while her brother tried his best to comfort her. He didn't want to be in this dream, he wanted out. He wanted to forget the pain and the guilt; he wanted to forget it all. He wanted out!

Grave snapped his eyes open breathing heavily then closed them back tightly praying that the lingering images would go away. He tried desperately to put some hint of order in the chaos that was his mind, but felt he didn't have enough energy for it. Why did that dream always come back to him in the worse moment? He stared at the dark ceiling of his quarters for a moment longer then got up. He threw his legs over the edge of the bed and without even bothering to put his boots on he staggered into the bathroom. He turned on the lights, went straight for the sink and froze. In the virtual screen of the mirror someone had placed a picture of him sleeping and had the audacity to write the words 'how cute' under it. He looked down at his naked body and back at the image, registering the bruise on his left shoulder that he had in common with his virtual self. She had been here, in his room a few moments ago. He vaguely remembered the voice in his dream and sighed exasperated, just before realization hit him.

Scurrying to get his clothes on he almost fell twice, then bolted for the cargo bay to check on his crates. He opened box after box, but nothing seemed to be missing. Still, he tried to push the feeling of relief away until he could check...He reached one of the smaller cases and looked inside. His client promised him a reward that would set him up for a long time from now for this item. It was rare and extremely hard to get not to mention that he'd wasted some really good equipment while trying to attain it. He doubted his client would understand the joke behind the piece of paper that was lying at the bottom of the box with a smile drawn on it.

- Damn that woman!

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Log number 3297-4,