Defenders of Tomorrow

Episode 5: Dreamscape

Dante smiled, a sad thing like he was about to cry. "They told me you were here. Then that you escaped. It's funny. You left Jasa a week before I was rescued by the rebels."

Hachiko stepped forewarned, swiftly, taking Dante in his arms. "I missed you."

He returns the embrace. "I missed you too."

"Shall we give you two some privacy? 20 minuets?" The girl in the red bodysuit asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Yes Crimson, that would be lovely." Dante said, smirking back.

She almost looked surprised, then restored her cocky look. "Alright guys, come on." She herded the other people out of the room, and closed the door behind them.

Dante looked at him, a thousand words in his eyes. "Hachiko so much has happened. I thought you wouldn't come back, if I was lucky."

"What are you talking about?"

He laughed once, quietly. "I never wanted to see you again, because that would mean you were in a war. In space again. I was perfectly happy to die knowing you were safe."

"So you never wanted to see me again."

"Don't... don't say it like that, Hachi. I love you very much. I just wish you were safe... on earth. With Reana, and Mushu, and Akira."

"Akira and Mushu..."

"I knew about Aki, but you really brought Mushu to space?!"

"Well, Aki didn't want to leave him."

Dante sighed and put his head in his hands. "God I missed you."

Hachiko smiled, and pulled his head out of his hands, before pushing a gentle kiss to his lips. They kissed gently for a few minutes, savoring the delicate peacefulness of a silent moment.

When the kiss ends, they rest their heads against each other, savoring the feeling of mingling breath.

"Tell me your story Dante."

He sighs, and gazed into Hachiko's grey eyes, collecting his scattered thoughts. "After your crew was proclaimed dead, a second mission was launched. I begged to get on the mission, to get you back. They let me on the mission. Gave me a fighter jet, and sent my crew to Kerberos. There were 20 of us. 6 survived the initial fight, myself and the other survivors being taken as prisoners.

Kelli died in front of us. They killed her to prove a point. She had a daughter. Her last word was her name. Riley.

After killing her, they took us to a prison. The conditions were poor. Two meals a day. Jame took his own life a month into captivity. He was nice enough. Didn't have anything back on earth to live for. He told me that the stars would all too die one day, and that they were a thousand times more significant than us. He died a day before they transported us again.

They moved us into a cell with 16 other prisoners, all aliens. Opal put up a fight. She tried to kill a guard. He kicked her in the face. She spit blood at him. He shot her, and three other prisoners. The day after they moved four others into the cell. We got three meals a day. I remember being happy.

As it turns out one of the aliens who were put in the cell with us after Opal died was a member of the rebellion.

He was kind. He had green hair, and eyes, and his name was Emerald. On the third day of his imprisonment with us, he killed the guard without touching him, and punched a hole in the roof. He asked us to come with, to regain our freedom.

The only other person who took him up on that that I knew was Pacifica. Along with her and I, there were 16 total prisoners.

Troye, the other member of our squad, chose to stay. He said we were fools for running off with some alien, when it was aliens who got us into this mess. He spat at Emerald, who just looked sad. He helped those who wished to escape climb out of the hole, then leaped up onto the roof from the ground.