SILVER EYES (GXG)

Chapter 46: Chlorine

The Narval house hangar opened its doors as Beverly skillfully descended the ship. Looking through the window, I was surprised by the multitude of ships, far more than I'd seen during my time as a Narval Officer. I suppose the arrival of the techno-humans had brought with it a considerable investment in new technology. Now more than just a soldiers' hangar, it resembled a luxury ship exhibition.

Tom, the border lead was already there, waving his techno-human hand while we got out from the spaceship.

"Welcome, everybody! It's such an honor to receive this extraordinary team at Narval House," he said. A bright turquoise line descended from his forehead, splitting his eyebrow and extending down to his chin. Now, the techno-humans were sporting these types of implants just for looking fancy. Guess times had changed, and so had their priorities.

"Great to see you again, Tom," Brooke replied, shaking his hand. "Did you get a chance to review the plan I sent over?"

"Absolutely, everything's set. Follow me, please." He said.

We walked through the amazing spaceships and I couldn't help but stop to admire them. They had expanded the hangar, and now it felt like you could even get lost in it. I turned around to a Chyros red model with four engine tubes; It had an aggressive and geometric bodywork that I was obsessed with. When I made the full turn, right next to it something familiar caught my eye - a big E, printed on the upper wing of a nearby ship. A sparkle ran through my veins. I couldn't believe it. It was still there: Emma, Heather's old spaceship. Nostalgia sneaked through my skin like one thousand knives. Memories screaming inside me. 

Heather was just a few steps behind me; she would see Emma at any moment. How would she react? My heart pounded in my chest, my breath unsteady. She did a few steps forward and there it was. Frozen in front of Emma. Eyes wide as saucers, body rigid, and for the first time, a familiar gaze to me. She spent quite some time studying each part of it, until at some point her eyes looked far away. As if by scanning Emma, she could travel to the memories it evoked. I understood perfectly that feeling.

I held my breath as her eyes roamed every inch of Emma, secretly wishing she'd eventually glance my way. As if locking gazes would confirm that those memories still lingered, that we still held them dear. But at some point, Heather's gaze journey ended, and that spark that had ignited the moment she saw Emma faded away. Her eyes didn't seek me out. Not even for a fleeting moment. Instead, she turned around and followed the group outside.

This woman... I couldn't predict her anymore. A heavy weight settled in my chest. I leaned my hand and caressed Emma's bodywork. "You do care, right, Emma ?" I whispered.

Tom, the border lead, led us to the hall of the Narval House where we left our stuff. Being guided through a place I had been for so long felt odd even more so when the hall was practically the same as if that place was stuck in the past.

I half-expected to see familiar faces, but the reality was starkly different. Dozen of Techno-humans troop up and down the hall. The only thing that seemed to have changed was their uniforms, they were all decked out in black now, with this new symbol on their chests: a triangle with sharp, curved bottom points, the techno-human symbol.

"Hey, I'd love to show you how we've remodeled the training field." Tom said to Brooke.

"Of course. I was waiting for you to mention it." Brooke said.

"If you don't mind following me." Tom said.

We crossed the hall and headed out the back door toward the training field.

"What the hell?" Heather muttered in surprise, and I instantly understood the reason for her reaction. They'd ripped the sand and grass, replacing it with dull, gray pavement. The small storage shed where we kept all the training tools had also disappeared. Now, machines of various types occupied its space; rather than a training field, it seemed more like a laboratory. Seeing it like this broke my heart.