Nightmares...

Posted on Wed Jul 7th, 2021 @ 5:55pm by Alexis Agrax (Mirror) & Executive Officer Kyle Reece (Mirror)
Edited on on Wed Jul 7th, 2021 @ 5:59pm

Mission: Mirror Mirror
Location: ISS Fenrir, Commander Kyle Reece's private quarters
Timeline: 2396
1519 words - 3 OF Standard Post Measure

Images flashed through Kyle's mind as he slept. Images if pain, torture, betrayal. All the pain that was ever levied against him flooded through his subconscious. There were the battles he had fought, the personal duels that ge had endured, the punishments he had recieved in agonizer booths.

And then he was on a beautiful beach, twin moons high in the sky, reflecting the light from the unseen sun. He felt at peace here, wherever here was.

As he walked along the shore, he suddenly came upon a roaring bonfire, set up on the white sand. Between him and tve bonfire, a woman stood with her back to him. She seemed to be crying.

Moving close, he reached out and laid his right hand gently on the woman's left shoulder. Sbe turned her had slightly. It was Alexis!

"How could you do it, Kyle..?" She asked through tve tears.

"Do what?" He asked, dumbfounded.

She turned all the way around and revealed a massive hole in her belly. She reached in, with her right hand, pushing through the gore that was starting to pour out if her. She pulled out an unborn baby girl, hanging her by her feet m, and screamed. "HOW COULD YOU LET THEM KILL OUR BABY!!!"

Kyle was frozen in place, fear filled his mind. "I didn't...I...I .."

"YOU KILLED OUR BABYYYYY!!!!" She tossed the baby over her shoulder, into the fire then, grabbing Kyle by his throat, lifted him easily of his feet, and began to choke the life out of him.

Alexis woke with a start as she heard yelling and the overwhelming feeling of fear. She stood up, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and moved into the bedroom, prepared for anything. She slowly approached the man and called out to him hoping she did not get a dagger.

Kyle kept thrashing in his bed, the sheets soaked in sweat. His chest was bare, allowing Alexis to see both his well-mantained physique, but the numerous scars that detailed a life of conflict. His right hand shot to his own throat, and he started to squeeze tightly.

Alexis moved forward and grabbed his hand away from his throat and yelled his name loudly watching as he woke up. She quickly stepped back to give him space. She had seen trauma-based nightmares often and it never ended well for the person waking them up.

Kyle's eyes snapped open. For a beat, he just laid there, panting heavily. Then, when his eyes met Alexis', he reacted in fear, recoiling away from her, begging for her forgiveness and weeping.

Alexis just stood there silently waiting for him to finish coming out of the dream before she spoke up. "Are you okay?" She finally decided to ask.

Slowly, the wild look of fear in his eyes left and they returned to their normal look. Standing, chest still heaving and dripping sweat, he replied. "Y-yeah...forgive me." His chest neck and face blushed, though he didnt move to cover his body from her. "I didn't intend on you seeing me like that." In fact, he felt a bit of exhileration from seeing her looking at him. Slowly, parts of his body started to react.

Alexis looked at the man for a long moment before looking away. “Well as long as you are okay.” She murmured as she stood there awkwardly. “The bots have finished tidying up.” She said trying to make conversation that wasn’t about the tension between them nor what happened the previous day.

Kyle seeing her feeling uncomfortable, moved around the bed to her then, after gently taking hold of her upper arms, said softly. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I never want you to feel that way with me." He pulled her closer to him, gently putting his arms around her. "I only want to protect and love you, Alexis Agrax. If you will allow me the honor of doing so." The passion in his eyes and voice was unmistakable. This was no rebound. He truly loved her.

"You do not scare me, Commander." Alexis was sure she could take him out if she needed to but she had not experienced something like she was since Nathan towards a human. "I am not being a rebound after what you saw yesterday."

"Nor would I ever want you to be one." Kyle replied quietly. "While I know, this hotrible event will have me screwed up for a while....I hope that you will still choose to be my friend, and stay by my side. I have no one else here who would willingly want to be near me." He released his hold on her and moved back, giving her space, out of respect. "However, I will understand if you would choose otherwise." He gave her room to leave, if she so wanted. "I won't think anything negative about you, should you wish to leave." He tried to keep his features neutral, in an attempt to not force her to make a decision.

Alexis frowned and sat on the edge on the bed as graceful as usual. It hard to believe that she used to be an assassin and someone who would be a weapon of mass destruction if she was needed to be. “I am being nothing more than a friend until you are begging me to be more.” She said simply looking him over for a long moment before shaking her head.

Kyle moved to sit next to her. He drew strength from her presence. "Alexis," he said softly. "I do have strong feelings for you. I did before my....before this..." he couldn't bring himself to say my wife and unborn child's murder. "And I still do. There is a part of me that yearns and hungers to hold you in my arms and to taste those sweet lips of yours again..." He inhaled deeply before continuing.

Looking up into her eyes, he said, his eyes full of honest emotion, "I am growing to love you, Alexis Agrax. If you feel even a modicum of the same for me, I'll be able to survive this, knowing that I'm not alone."

"Then give it time. Mourn and then we can pick up where we were." The woman said softly tracing her fingers along his cheek not touching but just hovering there. Time would tell if he was truthful or if he wanted one thing.

Closing his eyes, Kyle could almost feel her touch. He knew that she was right. Anything he did right now would be shaded by the pain and anguish that he was experiencing at that moment.

He nodded slowly. "Thank you." He opened his eyes and replied honestly. "Were anything to happen and grow between us, I would want it to be free of any overshadowing."

"Good." Alexis simply rising from the bed tugging her dress into place firmly. The woman had work to do and places to see now that order that had been brought to the ship. "Gregnol will want to see you soon as well as the security chief Ford." Alexis knew both of them were interested in what had happened.

Kyle nodded. "I'll get cleaned up and go see the Captain. As for Ford," his mouth twisted slightly, as if he had tasted something sour. "I'll tell him what I feel he needs to know, should Gregnol so order me to do so." He stood up and reached out, silently asking for her hand.

Alexis gave him her hand but shook her head. “Do not play games with Ford. You might be Executive Officer but you are untested on this ship. Jake has been here longer than your last three predecessors.”

When she placed her hand in his, he brought it up to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers. Then, after lowering it, he said softly, Thank you for your kindness." He then released her hand and replied, a slightly sharper tone in his voice, though not aimed at her. "I may be untested, however, I am still his superior officer. Should he choose to challenge for the posting, I will gladly accept." He didn't brag that it wouldn't be the first challenge ever put to him.

After he spoke, he sighed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't directed at you. I am very raw right now." He losed his eyrs and inhaled deeply. He opened his eyes after he slpwly released it. Opening his eyes again, he asked, "Would you do me the honor of having dinner with me tommorow night?"

Alexis shrugged. She did not care about the politics when her job was more secure as well as her life than any other person on the ship. “I will see how my day goes.” She knew she would need some decent sleep at some point with the interrogations that she had planned within engineering.

Kyle smiled softly and dipped his head. He then excused himself, so he could get in the shower. He did not want to keep the Captain waiting any longer than he had to.