Chapter 30: Anticipation Ended

Sara woke to the sound of water running from the bathroom. She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, failing miserably. A squeak echoed from under the closed door as the water was turned off.

A few minutes later, Darren opened the door and leaned against the frame, wearing a pair of shorts and an undershirt. “Ah, you’re up. I was about to wake you and let you know the shower is yours.” Sara yawned and sat up, stretching. “Any hot water left?”

Darren grinned. “Depends on your definition of ‘hot.’ It’s more of a ‘pleasant warm’ than hot.” Sara groaned. “I can blame you for that, right?” Darren shook his head in mock-sadness. “Unfortunately not. No, you can blame it on everyone else showering at the same time. Something about the system, I guess. Or perhaps…”

Sara gazed at him while he kept talking. This had to have been the first time she’d seen him without a cloak of some sort or in a jumpsuit. He was usually fully clothed in multiple layers which, much to Sara’s disappointment, hid most of his physique. But traveling Shirn had been good for both of them, building muscle.

Darren noticed her semi-vacant stare, stopped speaking, and waited with a patient expression on his face. When Sara noticed Darren was done, she shook her head slightly and headed for the bathroom, gathering her robe around herself. “I’m gonna…go…get ready for class.”

Darren smiled in amusement and moved out of the way, waiting until he heard the lock click before changing completely into the orange jumpsuit used by all types of repair technicians. He turned on his laptop and sat cross-legged on the floor.

Looking around, he noticed just how bare the room looked. He’d have to get a table brought in soon. Darren logged in and checked his messages. There was only a short note from Venom to meet him at lunch in the fourth floor cafeteria and a general schedule for training.

He logged off and got to his feet, yawning slightly. After writing on a piece of paper, he left it on Sara’s bed, where she would be sure to find it. Once done, he left, whistling a piece of music that Sara couldn’t place.

The bathroom door opened a while after the whistle faded. His exit made changing a whole lot easier for her. Sara picked up the note and read “Sorry I couldn’t walk you to class. Easier for both this way, though. Meet you here one hour after day is done. Settling final preparations during lunch. See you tonight.”

She smiled and dressed quickly, hoping the day would go by fast.

It didn’t.

The fact that she was getting married that very night didn’t do much to make the normally slow days move along any quicker. Until then, she hadn’t really thought about what getting married would change in their relationship.

It didn’t fully hit her until she was inside the simulator, surrounded by other trainees and in the middle of a flying lesson. Flustered, she tried to gather her thoughts and focus on piloting, barely succeeding. The instructor motioned for her to shut down and addressed her quietly so the others couldn’t hear.

“Let your mind wander, Williams?” Sara nodded meekly. “Care to tell me where?” Sara turned beet red, answering with a quiet “I’d rather not.” Her teacher raised an eyebrow in a mixture of annoyance and amusement. “I see…Try to concentrate a bit harder in the future. Bookwork can only get you so far. Knowing your surroundings when piloting a ship is essential for survival.”

Sara nodded and waited for further instructions. The only female piloting instructor had been assigned to her; no doubt Darren had a hand in that to prevent any problems. It seemed a bit unnecessary, but Darren rarely did anything without a reason.

And yet his behavior was strange. He would agree that he was a bit overprotective, but was quick to point out the differences between being controlling and being possessive. His mindset was that everybody had to pick one and he had simply chosen the far lesser of the two evils: possessiveness in minimal quantities.

To Sara, it was only slightly less strange. He didn’t seem to mind when she talked about going places with her male friends, or when she mentioned somebody he’d never heard of. Instead, he showed a quiet interest in whatever she talked about. Sometimes he was so quiet it almost seemed as if he wasn’t listening or didn’t care, but he would remember everything she said and bring it up in casual conversation later, unknowingly showing that he was always paying attention to her.

He’d been protective of her ever since the people she’d thought were her parents died in the car accident. He’d never given her reason to believe he’d wanted to manipulate her or control her. He was such a great guy…

“Who is he?” Sara was yanked roughly out of her thoughts. Not again…I almost fell asleep there. “Who is who?” The instructor grinned. “There’s only one reason you’d be so lost in thought, and don’t think I don’t know what it is.”

By now, Sara was used to people asking questions like that. “Oh, Darren Kinsley.” Her teacher’s reaction was a bit different than the others, though. Instead of envy, shock, or her favorite, the jaw drop, the look she received…was it concern? “The Darren Kinsley? As in the one from Shirn?”

Sara nodded and her professor whistled in amazement. “Why’d he choose to come up here?” “He followed me,” was Sara’s reply. “He…followed you? Just like that?” Sara thought for a moment. I think it’s a bit more complicated than that, but basically… She nodded again and watched as the other woman sat down hard next to her. “Well…I don’t know what to say. You must be something else if he disregarded all of Shirn to stay with you.”

Sara felt heated chills run through her. “All of Shirn?” Her instructor nodded. “Check around on the Web of Destiny. He’s made quite a name for himself down there. And he left it all behind…” Sara nodded, a small bit of pride creeping into her voice. “I know. We’re getting married tonight.”

There was the jaw drop. “NO WAY!” Sara glanced around at the faces staring at them and dipped her head slightly. “Yes…although we’d like to keep it a little quieter than that.” Her smile slightly eased the other woman’s embarrassment. “Sorry. It’s just…wow. Wow. You know…it doesn’t look at all like you two are together. From what I’ve seen, it looks mostly like a friendship.”

Sara nodded. “So I’ve heard. The best way I can describe it is…we’re so close; we don’t need to express it physically.” Her teacher grinned. “Of course not. So you’ll be spending tonight staying up late and talking about how your day was, right?” Sara blushed a deep crimson as her teacher laughed. “Ah, I’m just kidding. Really, you’ll have fun. So? Am I invited to the wedding?” She winked at Sara.

Sara grinned. “Depends on the gift. Actually, it’s a rather private wedding. Just me, Darren and the minister. Sorry…” “Nah, it’s fine. Just be sure to tell me how everything went.” Sara’s instructor raised her voice and spoke loud enough for all to hear. “Well, concentrate harder next time. Alright, whose turn is it for the simulator?”
~
Darren sat down across from Venom, who was typing, and started nibbling at a piece of bread. “I’m not surprised you were able to get clearance here. What’s up?” Venom turned his laptop so that Darren could see. A time-lapse security video of the previous two days jumped from place to place, showing Darren conversing with various people, including Venom.

Darren nodded slowly. “They’ve been watching me the whole time. But you didn’t come here to tell me that, did you?” Venom stared hard at Darren. “No…I didn’t. They came to me, saying you’d turned me in for some minor offense, some kind of insubordination or something. Right away, I knew they were lying. They wanted me to help them against you.”

Venom turned the laptop back to himself. “But there’s always a grain of truth in lies. I want to know what that grain is.” Darren finished his bread and leaned back. “The commander and I had a…disagreement as to where the best place for Sara would be.” Venom shrugged. “Probably better off in solitary, where she won’t flirt with anything that moves.”

Darren narrowed his eyes, but said nothing as Venom continued. “I don’t care about your argument with the commander. I want to know why they came to me first. You took a deal? Traded me for her?”

Darren leaned forward. “If I had a problem with you, rest assured I wouldn’t turn you in. I’d kill you myself. As for taking deals, the commander was forced to swallow his pride for once in his life, and so he’s a bit pissed. I’d imagine you’ve felt it before quite a few times.” Venom smiled mockingly. “If you had this short of a fuse with the commander, it’s a wonder you didn’t get shot within five minutes of meeting him.”

Darren leaned even closer. “There are very few things in this world that will cause instant violence on my behalf. You insulted the woman I’m marrying tonight, spit on my ethics, and accused me of something I didn’t do without thinking through a logical explanation first: three in less than a minute.”

He sat back and folded his hands. “I suggest you do a little digging and find out when the cameras were accessed for review. And it shouldn’t be too hard for someone of your reputation to run some lesser-known lip-reading programs on the bridge cameras. I’ll say the same thing I said to Garcia: I want your neutrality. Leave me and Sara alone and I’ll do the same for you.”

Venom didn’t respond. Darren got up and started to walk away, but Venom’s voice stopped him. “What else did you say to Garcia?” Darren smiled and did a half-turn. “You’ll find out later. But I mostly demonstrated my level of control over his beloved space station. In a foreign environment, quickly dig in deep and get leverage over your enemies: borrowed straight from your bag of tricks. It’s nice to know you’re thought of as the best hacker in existence, isn’t it?”

Venom couldn’t contain a grin as Darren walked away. Praise from Caesar…

Darren headed for his next class, just like any other day. He knew the commander would expect him to pay another visit to the bridge, but why become predictable? After sitting down, he glanced around and closed his eyes, mentally reaching out. A few minutes later, assured by Sara that she’d let him know if anything strange happened, he focused on the lesson while continually watching the clock.
~
Sara sat in another classroom, keeping one eye on the same old pilot from yesterday drone on about the history of flying while scanning Destiny’s forums and sites from her laptop. She frowned and rested her head in one hand.

“Long sought-after gang of thieves found dead.” “Smuggling ring broken by unknown attacker.” On and on it went, pages and pages of “mysterious events,” all apparently Darren’s doing. That didn’t bother Sara; it was in Darren’s nature to root out those kinds of things.

What irritated her was how the acts were portrayed. Killing and murder dominated the length of each report made. Vicious slayings of the offenders were almost par for the course. The fame Darren had garnished wasn’t for the good he’d done, but the brutality with which he’d done it.

Of course, nobody on Shirn knew of any of this except by word-of-mouth, and so it was distorted. Somebody on Destiny had been gathering information about Darren, but it could be anybody, judging by the level of discussion about him in the forums. Everyone claimed to know him, to have talked with him, to have eaten with him, and occasionally somebody would claim to have slept with him.

Sara shook her head. The things people would do for their fifteen minutes of fame…the old pilot stopped talking and turned to her. “Miss Williams? You disagree with the Wright Brothers’ ideas and methods?” Sara shook her head again. I thought I was going to pay more attention. “No, sir, I was shaking my head that someone could even think of disagreeing with them.”

The professor tilted his head to one side, as if it would make his brain condense and work through her statement faster. “I…see. Very well. As I was saying…” Sara felt like slamming her head against the desk. She heard somebody snicker from somewhere near the back, but ignored it.

A few minutes later, a small paper wad hit her in the back of her neck. She resisted the urge to turn around and kept listening to the professor. I missed something. When did they turn into twelve-year-olds? Another hit her head. Screw it. I don’t have to take this crap.

She closed her eyes and waited for the next one. Sensing it flying towards her, she reached back and caught it, sticking it into a pocket. The next one that she caught went into the same pocket. A few more came, but not as big and spaced further apart. They went where the others went.

When the class ended, she glanced back as she got up, noticing a few unused paper wads on the desk of a rather diminutive trainee. When he saw her stare, he shook his head quickly and pointed to the desk next to his where Thomas sat, his head turned to talk to the person next to him. Sara smiled gently to assure the small boy that she understood and left.

Only one class remained before her day was officially over. Sara drummed her fingers against the desk impatiently, bolting out the door the moment class was done. She raced down the hallway to her room, flung open the door, tossed her gear onto the desk, and headed for the bathroom door, only to be blocked by Darren.

Sara stepped back and eyed him. “What are you doing?” Darren smiled. “This wedding is a ‘come-as-you-are’ event.” Sara reached out and grabbed the front of his uniform as a mock-threat. “I’m going to shower. I’m sure you’d appreciate it.” Darren made no move. “I figured there’d be plenty of time for our shower later.”

Sara caught his subtle innuendo, but purposefully ignored it and stared him down. Finally he playfully relented and stood off to one side, his tone light. “Be quick.” Sara responded with “Take my time? Why certainly…” and lifted her head high as if Darren was beneath her. Darren grinned and retrieved a towel from inside the door, snapping it just short of her leg. Sara yelped and slammed the door quickly.

Darren chuckled to himself as quiet muttering reached his ears. He sat on the floor and leaned against the bed, tilting his head back and letting his eyes close for just a second…just a second...

Sara opened the door to find him asleep. She finished toweling herself off and changed back into her blue uniform. Darren stirred, his mouth moving in silent words as his eyes snapped open. They focused on her and moved around the room, settling on the clock. “Not bad. Only half an hour.”

Sara nudged him over and sat down, leaning her head on his shoulder. “There was actually hot water, so it was a bit relaxing.” Darren looked over at her with a small measure of concern. “You’re very…tense. Nervous?” Sara nodded slightly, her voice quivering so slightly it was almost unnoticeable. “At least you’ve done this before. I haven’t.”

Darren raised an eyebrow in obvious surprise. “I have? First time I’ve heard of it. Where’d you hear that from?” “From forums here,” said Sara, slightly embarrassed at having paid attention to rumors. Darren lifted his head in understanding. “Ah, that makes more sense. No, I haven’t been married before. Rumors and attention-seekers, most likely.”

Sara nodded, somewhat comforted. Darren glanced at her again and smiled, trying to ease whatever fears she still held. “Don’t worry. Everything’s plain and straightforward. Since it’s just the three of us, there’s no need for a big show. All the ceremonials are simple and to the point.”

Sara nodded again, but only seemed to move to a different state of tension. Darren inwardly cursed his own inability to understand her thoughts and helped her up. “Ready?” Sara nodded, biting her lip. She knew Darren was concerned, but he wouldn’t understand what she was thinking. Or so she thought; Darren’s own mind was racing at the speed of light, except his emotions were perfectly contained after years of showing no fault.

They walked to the elevator in silence, every noise they heard amplified a dozen times over. When they reached the second floor, they headed for the chapel, trying and failing to pass by the ISP room unnoticed. Diana and Thomas waited outside, grinning like mad.

Diana hugged Sara hard. “We’d like to come, but we’ve been told it’s private. Regardless, congratulations, you two! I hope you guys are happy together. You know,” Diana glanced at Thomas. “Thomas and I have been thinking of getting married later in order to stay with you guys.” Sara blinked. “Well…that’s cool that you’d stay with us…but aren’t you two moving even faster with this than we are?”

Thomas shrugged. “If it doesn’t work out, we’ve agreed that it’s for the best that we still stay with you guys.” Sara blinked again. “So…that’s it? Wouldn’t love be a key element in a good marriage?” Diana smiled. “We’re just going with whatever seems to be happening next.”

Thomas stuck his head in the ISP room and pulled it out again. “They’re all ready.” He turned to Darren. “It’s a shame you had to miss tonight, really. Tonight’s the airbike race, easily one of the best programs the room has to offer. Oh well. Maybe next week sometime.” He shook their hands and went inside. Diana followed after doing the same, and the walk began again.

Sara’s forehead wrinkled in a frown. Darren reached down and squeezed her hand, and she turned towards him. “Sara, I know you care about them and you’re worried. But this is our night, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to let them ruin it.” Sara nodded and stared off into the distance, her face smoothing over until no emotion showed.

After walking a little longer, Darren sighed and turned to her. “Try me.” Sara glanced at him, startled. “What?” “Try me. Say what’s on your mind. See if I can’t help ease it.” Sara looked quickly at the floor. “No. I don’t want the night ruined.” Darren raised an eyebrow. “Well, then…would you like to move the wedding back a night?”

Sara jerked her head up. “No! And why would you ask?” Darren looked directly into her eyes. “Because I want to be able to say that I looked my wife in the face on our wedding day, and saw joy. All I see now is worry and stress.” Sara’s shoulders sank. “Alright. When I was checking around on the Web, the stories about you were all…scary. Most were false, of course.”

Sara stared at her feet. “But I feel like I’m being told only what I want to hear, and that doesn’t make me feel…trusted. Just like with…” she stopped short. Darren nodded and spoke softly. “Just like with the rocks. I understand now. Sara, let me explain something before we continue. Yes, I did do quite a few things on Shirn. Most of them involved helping out some poor person who was down on his luck.”

He closed his eyes. “But the methods I used against their enemies were…unkind, at best. When faced with how to repay the unjust, I thought of the problems they had caused and what they would do if they were allowed to live…and I would become very, very angry. Many died by my hands. I hated the evil, and although I had the best of intentions, I didn’t go about them in a very productive manner.” Darren looked at Sara. “Ask your questions.”

“You said if there was anything I could do for you involving the spinning rocks, you’d let me know. Be honest. Was there anything I could do?” Darren smiled. “Without knowing it, you’ve done more than you could have ever hoped to do on purpose. Anything else?” Sara shook her head and seemed to cheer up. “Nope.”

They reached the chapel. Darren opened and held the door for Sara, closing it quietly once they were through. He looked around and nodded in satisfaction. As promised, there was nobody in sight. Rows of rather comfortable pews faced a large wooden cross bolted to the back wall. The lights were dimmed, lightly scented candles filled the room with a pleasant fragrance, and the minister stood near the back with an open Bible in his hand.

Darren offered his arm to Sara, but dropped it upon hearing a voice from the shadows. “Isn’t that my responsibility?” Garcia stepped out of the darkness and stood with arms crossed. “How good to see you, commander. But I’m afraid there’s no reception, and this is, after all, a private wedding.” Darren’s voice was politely indignant.

Commander Garcia stood in front of Darren and Sara, blocking their path, but making no move to stop them. “I didn’t come to stop you. I merely thought Sara would like to be walked down the aisle.” Darren eyed him suspiciously. “What are you saying, sir?”

The suited man offered his arm to the young woman. “I’m not showing neutrality, I know. But for me, this isn’t about you, Darren. If my Sara is getting married, you can be sure I’ll be there.” Darren looked between the commander and Sara as the pieces began to fit together in his mind. “I see…so you’re her father…”

Sara still hesitated to put her arm in his. “My father? How do we know for sure?” Darren smiled with a hint of cynicism. “It would explain why he kept trying to separate us.” Garcia shrugged. “We’ve made huge leaps in DNA testing, not to mention the incredible likeness to your mother…” Sara’s eyes widened. “Is she alive?” “No…she…died back on Shirn years ago…” The commander’s face darkened.

Darren shook his head. “So how is it that you are alive, then? Many years must have gone by...” Garcia smiled, not unpleasantly. “For the same reason that you are alive. Immortality is not something I sought after, yet it found me. I didn’t, however, gain the power that you two have. Strange things happened, and so here I am.”

Sara’s heart skipped a beat and leaped into her throat, hoping against hope. “Does…does that mean…I’ll live forever too?” The commander shook his head sadly. “No, I’m afraid not. The child of a mortal and an immortal could be born either way. Your brother wouldn’t age past thirty-five. You, unfortunately, weren’t so lucky…”

Sara’s face fell. “I see…” Darren looked at the commander. “I don’t know if you’ve heard this already…but Adytlan is dead. He spent the last of his strength protecting the kingdom from a revolt.” Garcia nodded. “I know. We have ways of watching the royal palace. I have already grieved for my son.”

Sara looked around slowly, still disappointed. “But how does it all work? The years don’t seem to add up.” Darren rubbed his temples. “The only way to explain this is a time split between worlds. When you’re in one world, time would move differently in the other. Every day in Silver Lake could be a year in Shirn, or a year in Silver Lake could be a day in Shirn. It’s probably a lot less drastic than that, but still noticeable.”

Garcia shrugged. “That’s the explanation we here at Destiny have settled on.” Darren shot a glance over his shoulder at the minister. The commander noticed it and offered his arm to Sara once more. “Just this once, and then I’ll let you live your lives without me. I merely thought Sara would like to know she has family that lives.” Noticing her somewhat crestfallen look, he added “And I’m sorry if I gave you any false hopes of longevity. It wasn’t my intention.”

Sara nodded, gave him her arm, and the three walked down the aisle to the minister. The commander stayed the entire time, as a witness and as family. The whole ceremony seemed to fly by, each person only hearing bits and pieces as their thoughts held precedence over their ears.

Sara watched as Darren placed the ring on her finger, barely hearing what he was saying to her. Hers was a simple band of gold inset with small diamonds. She placed the other, similar in every way, onto his finger as she spoke her vows to him.

The minister stepped back and said to Darren “You may now kiss the bride.” The couple kissed, embraced, and was married. Darren and Sara walked up the aisle and out the door slowly, Darren nodding politely to Garcia as they passed him.

The moment the chapel door closed behind them, Sara turned to Darren. “My father? That uptight old guy with a God complex is my father?” Darren muttered something about the father-in-law from Hell and started walking back to their room, causing Sara to burst out laughing as she caught up with him. “And as our life seems to mold further into a soap opera…” Darren grinned and responded with “Soap operas aren’t this weird.” Sara nodded thoughtfully. “True.”

Darren’s grin faded slowly and he scratched his chin. Sara noticed that he only did that when he was thinking hard. “What’s up?” He started to shake his head, and then shrugged. “Eh, it’s not like it’ll keep me up at night, but…” He looked troubled. “If my parents both died of old age…why do I live forever with these powers?”

Sara shrugged. “Acerin seemed mortal. Did he ever mention where he got his magic from?” Darren shook his head. “Only that he had a direct link to ‘the source.’ I wonder if the source is accessible through other means…” He shook his head. “Anyways, it was just idle thinking. I’ll forget about it soon enough.”

They took the stairs instead of the elevator, their footsteps echoing in the silent stairwell. Darren took note of Sara’s tension rising as they reached the room, but said nothing. Sara unlocked the door and handed Darren the key, heading to the bathroom to grab the spare key for future uses.

Darren closed the door and looked around after locking it. All their possessions were placed well, the bed had been delivered, and the room was indeed quiet. A quick scan of the room revealed no monitoring or recording devices. He nodded, pleased that his instructions had been followed exactly. Everything is as it should be.

He lay back on the bed and waited. Wow, this is softer than I expected. His eyes began to close of their own volition, and it was only with supreme effort that he was able to keep himself from falling asleep. He shook his head and leaned up. {Sara…it’s just me. Not somebody you don’t know.}

She stepped out, still fully clothed, and sat next to him, letting her hair hide her face. “Darren…I just want to make you happy. But what if I can’t?” Darren reached over and pulled on her shoulder gently until her head lay on his chest. “Hear that?” Sara listened to his faster-than-normal heartbeat. “Yes…” “That’s how happy you make me. Just being near you is relaxing and exciting at the same time.”

Sara turned her head to look at his face. “Thank you.” His smile was reassuring, and she rolled over entirely and lay facing him. “You’re sweet, you know that?” Darren grinned. “Sometimes. You’ve had your chance to come up for air.” Sara blushed in remembrance, but crawled forward. “And you had your chance to escape.”

Darren leaned closer. “Maybe I didn’t want to avoid capture.” Sara was right above him now, their faces almost touching. “How helpful. A captive who enjoys his sentence.” Darren reached up and undid the clip at the top of her jumpsuit, pulling on the zipper. “Well, the jailor is rather nice…”

Sara gave up talking, pressing close and quieting him as well. She felt his silent chuckle shake his chest, and her with it. The passion that had lain dormant within them for so many years was awakened fully that night. For Sara, Paradise didn’t manifest itself in that world, but if it did…it would be found in his arms.
- posted by Nick @ 6/25/2004 07:02:00 PM