Authors: Emma Taylor
CHAPTER 5
The following weeks were busy ones for Carrie and her classmates in Space Combat 301 as they all prepared for the upcoming grueling exams that would distinguish who would graduate and who wouldn’t. Mike Gomez had actually stopped picking on her as much and often looked distracted. However, from time to time, he still managed to put her in the limelight and call attention to her errors. With every mistake, she pushed further and worked harder. And each time he humiliated her or put her down, she buckled down and strived even harder to be the best.
As the weeks progressed, Carrie could feel her classmates either admiring her or becoming envious. She had obviously skyrocketed in both skill and knowledge. She was very much ready to be the space fighter she’d always dreamed of becoming.
On the day of her father’s birthday, her heightened emotions took control of her. When Mike called on her to do a demo with a classmate, she sent her opponent flying across the dome. She didn’t hurt him physically, though. She turned to her instructor and seemed to mock him. He raised one eyebrow at her and then called on the next pair. But she grabbed his arm and told him off.
“You won’t even praise me for a job well done?” she demanded furiously. “I’m so sick and tired of your high and mighty good-for-nothing attitude. You may be legendary in the eyes of many but don’t expect everybody to bow down and kiss your feet because you definitely do not deserve it.”
Mike was looking at her quizzically. He shook her hand off and crossed his arms in front of his burly chest. Meanwhile, many of the other students gasped and began whispering among themselves. Some were so shocked they couldn’t say anything.
“You’re an arrogant jerk who doesn’t know a thing about teaching and encouraging students to live up to their potential,” continued Carrie as her anger flared up even more. “You care only about yourself, which is probably because you have nobody to love you. Perhaps your heart is made of metal too! You’ve been a cyborg for so long that you’ve forgotten how to be a real human!”
Mike didn’t even seem angry. His stone-face flickered with some emotion for a while, but it didn’t last long enough for Carrie to decipher what it was. “I’ll talk to you later, Miss Cox,” he said in a flat tone. Then he turned to the rest of the class and dismissed everybody.
Carrie was so overwhelmed by her own outburst that she barely heard or understood him. It was her best friend Lyca who came up to her to remind her. “Are you going to his office now, Carrie?” she asked, her eyes widening.
“I’m… not sure…” Carrie answered as they walked across the campus toward their dorm room, which was in the opposite direction to where the faculty building was located. “Maybe he’ll send a notice or something. I hope it’s not a notice of suspension, though. What was I thinking?” Groaning, she stopped walking and buried her face in her hands.
Lyca put a reassuring arm around her. “I’m sure it will be okay. You were really brave to do that. I’m so proud of you! Besides, he deserved it. Nobody has probably ever stood up to him like that before because of his status, you know.”
“Yeah, because they’re not as stupid as I am,” Carrie said miserably. “Oh… I think I am going to regret this. I might not be able to graduate on time!”
“Don’t be silly, Carrie,” Lyca said, squeezing her shoulders. “This will just pass. So what if he scolds you. Just tell him you’ve had enough of his bullying… that just because he’s a star space fighter and he looks so damn gorgeous doesn’t give him the right to always put you down.”
“Lyca!” Carrie wailed.
“What?” Lyca asked innocently. “It’s true, right?” Then she grinned playfully. “I’m just kidding. Lighten up, okay? Nothing bad will happen.”
Hours dragged on that Friday afternoon. Carrie didn’t have any more classes so she opted to wallow in self-pity and despair inside her room. That evening, Lyca went out with Dan so Carrie was left all alone as she often was during the weekends. It didn’t really matter much to her. And besides, she was also happy for her friends Lyca and Dan because their relationship was apparently deepening and getting stronger.
After dinner, Carrie was in the mood for a walk. Clad in ripped jeans, a sky blue cardigan, and sneakers, she headed outside to get some air. She went for a stroll in the neighborhood, feeling as if she needed to clear her mind and de-stress.
As she rounded a street corner, she found herself facing some familiar faces. They were hanging out in front of a club from which upbeat music could be heard playing.
“Carrie Cox!” a guy in a leather jacket shouted. His name was John, known to be one of the more boisterous students from their space combat class. “Hey, guys! Look who decided to join us!”
His girlfriend Freya linked her arm with his possessively, ignoring Carrie completely. Then some of their other friends came forward and urged Carrie to have just one drink with them.
“Uh, no, that’s okay,” Carrie declined politely. “I’m just out for a quick walk. And besides, I’m not dressed for this.”
“That’s alright,” one guy called Edward said, putting an arm around her. “We just want to celebrate how you kicked our instructor’s ass earlier!”
The others cheered, making Carrie even more uncomfortable. But with their persistence, she eventually gave in and went inside the club with them. It was quite dark and she could hardly make out the faces in the young crowd. “Cool,” she whispered, nodding in approval at the sleek, modern, and fun-looking spaceship design of the interior.
What started out as one drink eventually turned to two… and then three… and then she lost count. She never realized how energizing and at the same time relaxing it was to party with these fun-loving people!
Seated at the bar, she found herself downing another tequila shot that literally glowed with hues of yellow, pink, and blue. The burning sensation in her throat and the warmth that spread throughout her body made her feel so uninhibited. She’d never felt so free! She couldn’t even remember what she’d been worried about before stumbling into her classmates.
Soon she noticed that they were all gone. Or maybe they were just around. Her head was spinning so hard that she probably wouldn’t be able to find them, anyway. Slowly she stood up and made her way down a hallway which she believed led to the exit. As she swayed and staggered, she suddenly bumped into an unlocked door on her right, causing it to swing open. She actually laughed even as she toppled toward the room. But before she hit the floor, a pair of strong arms caught her and lifted her up.
She tried to see who it was but her hazy vision failed her. He easily carried her over to a nearby sofa and set her down on a very soft, comfortable cushion. A smile played across her lips as she once again attempted to focus on her rescuer. “Thank you…” she murmured. “You’re my hero…”
She sat up then, which boosted her dizziness and made her shut her eyes. She felt fingers massaging her temples. “What were you thinking, Cox?” a whisper came.
Somehow the voice and the way he called her by her last name in a rough manner were very familiar. “I know you,” she slurred. “I’m just… not… sure…”
“Ssshhh… It’s okay,” he told her, reaching over to gently place her head on his shoulder. That made her feel really warm all over.
“You’re sweet!” she giggled.
He snorted in response, but continued to massage her temples. He smoothed the strands of her hair and parted them to clear her pretty face.
She looked up again and found herself gazing into recognizable gray eyes that were now intently staring back at her. She grinned at him. “I know you,” she repeated.
“Yes, I know you too,” he answered with a sigh.
“Where are we?” she asked without bothering to look around.
“This is a private function room,” he explained. “My buddies just left. We were here to celebrate another team success.”
“About?” she probed, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“About our recent space mission,” he continued patiently.
“I think I can remember you now,” she abruptly said. “You’re Mike Gomez, aren’t you?” Her deep brown eyes lit up at first, but then darkened even more as confusing images resurfaced in her mind.
“Yes, my name is Mike Gomez.”
At that moment, her eyes shifted to his tempting lips as he spoke. She had an impulsive longing and need to taste those lips. Without thinking, she pressed her own lips on his.
He was definitely taken aback, but he didn’t push her away so she took that as a sign that he liked it. She smiled and parted her lips before kissing his again. This time, he kissed her back, sending a jolt of electricity across her body despite the dulling effects of alcohol.
As their kiss deepened, heat intensified within her and spread out toward her limbs. She lifted her arms sluggishly and wrapped them around his neck. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and they shared a lingering French kiss filled with passion and carnal desire.
Carrie couldn’t stop. At the back of her mind, something was telling her to back off right that instant. But the second their lips had touched, they seemed to click and it was like a downpour of rain from the sky, raging incessantly.
His hands eagerly opened the buttons of her cardigan, uncovering her heaving breasts. He tugged at the back of her bra and released her breasts. She felt a cold blast of air touching her skin and jerking her system awake. As his lips traveled downward toward her breasts and covered them with sensual kisses, she moaned softly and entangled her fingers in his hair. His mouth played with each nipple, alternating tender flicking of his tongue with hard sucking. She could feel a pool of heat forming between her legs, driving her to lie down on the couch and bring him with her.
“I… can’t,” his voice suddenly uttered, slicing through her arousal.
Her eyes flew open. Suddenly her headache was back. He climbed off from her then, which made her sit up and put back her bra and cardigan.
“I’m sorry, Carrie,” he muttered, refusing to look at her. “I’ll have security take you home.”
“What? Why?” she wailed.
He didn’t answer her, but instead simply walked away.
CHAPTER 6
A few days passed, but still Carrie could not shake off the image of herself making out with her supposedly most hated instructor in Space Academy. Because of the alcohol, she could barely recall how they had even found each other in the club in the first place. Memories of their kisses kept coming back to her no matter how hard she tried to forget the whole thing.
“You’re spaced out again, Carrie!” Lyca complained. “Get your act together before you walk into that door.”
They were standing right outside the office of the academy’s headmaster Mr. Cross. Carrie had woken up that morning because of the loud ping from her smartwatch. It was a memo from the headmaster, calling her for a special meeting.
Carrie tried to focus. “What do you think he wants with me?” she asked her roommate. Her agitation was back. “Am I going to get expelled now?”
“No!” Lyca immediately countered. “Who knows? Maybe it’s good news.”
“No way,” Carrie said, her eyes filling with dread. “I can sense it’s got something to do with Mike Gomez.”
“Mike was sent back to the space fighters’ headquarters for an urgent mission,” Lyca told her. “You should be happy he went away already. The new instructor adores you!”
“I…” Carrie’s mind was a mess.
I miss him. That’s the truth.
“It was just a coincidence that he suddenly left the campus that Friday night, the same day you flared up in class,” Lyca insisted.
“Just a coincidence,” Carrie repeated, thinking again of that night. Why would he be that affected by what had transpired between them? Maybe it really was just a coincidence.
“Anyway, go on inside, Carrie,” Lyca urged. “Good luck.”
After a few minutes of pleasantries with the headmaster, his face suddenly turned serious. Carrie’s heart plummeted downward as he fixed her with a stern look. “The reason I called you today…” he started.
She anticipated the bad news, her heart pounding.
“…is because I want to give you a special assignment,” he finished.
Carrie’s eyes widened in surprise as she waited for the old yet very dignified-looking headmaster to continue.
“Just last night, several of the earth’s spaceships were attacked by the Sphunkons,” Mr. Cross said, his gray eyebrows meeting in the center as they furrowed.
Carrie’s heart tightened at the mention of the evil alien clan. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on them, get vengeance for her parents, and totally eradicate them from the face of the universe.
Mr. Cross went on, his fists clenching firmly at the top of his steel desk. “So many human space fighters lost their lives because of the sudden assault. Even some of the cyborgs got greatly injured and a few of them are in critical condition…”
Carrie gasped, thinking of Mike. She certainly hoped he was okay.
“Anyway, we are in dire need of more fighters to be sent to space,” he said. “As of now, the entire army is already preparing for the counter-attack and also planning a much better defensive strategy. If they lose the war, the earth will be placed in danger of being overtaken by the Sphunkons and we’ll all either die or become their slaves.”
“Oh, my God,” Carrie whispered. Her heart beat faster as she thought of the earth’s endangered future. Saving her planet was a much larger mission than her personal vendetta.
“I hate to do this, Miss Cox,” Mr. Cross said, leaning over and looking straight into her eyes. “I really don’t want to put any student at risk. But at this point, we have no choice but to deploy some of our students to help out in this mission. It could very well be our last chance at destroying those evil aliens, protecting the earth, and finally achieving peace and order in the universe.”
“I’ll do it, sir,” Carrie immediately responded with intense determination. “It has always been my dream to fight those Sphunkons. I will do whatever it takes to defeat them.”
“I admire your willpower and dedication,” he answered slowly, seemingly choosing his words carefully. “But I believe you can do a better job if you keep your emotions in check. Don’t make it too personal because your pain might become a weakness instead of your strength. Remember that this is a life and death mission, Miss Cox. So many lives are at stake, not just yours.”
“I understand,” she automatically responded. But deep inside, she knew she would still do it for her father. She would complete the mission he had started.
“Good. Since you don’t have prior experience in outer space except for the few times we took our classes there, each student will be partnered with a veteran space fighter. You’re quite fortunate because in your case, you will have the chance to be mentored by an amazing fighter and to actually work side-by-side with him.”
Carrie gulped as she anticipated what was coming next.
“Your partner is Mike Gomez,” he continued, saying the name she knew he would. “He was the one who chose you, actually.”
Now that was a piece of information Carrie wasn’t prepared for. “He did?” she squeaked in astonishment.
“Yes,” Mr. Cross confirmed with a smile. “During his stay here, he’s had nothing else to say about you but praises. He said you were even more prepared for battle than the other new and not-so-new space fighters in the army.”
“But he’d been so mean…” Carrie couldn’t help muttering.
Mr. Cross chuckled. “That’s Mike for you, always seeming mean and tough. But maybe he just wanted to keep pushing you. He saw your potential from the very beginning.”
Carrie’s heart fluttered as visions of their encounters came back to her. She suddenly realized how much she’d been waiting to hear something like this. Of course it had not come from Mike himself, but it was good enough.
“He’s really a good guy, you know,” Mr. Cross then said. “My nephew Lance was one of his teammates in the army. Both of them were under your father’s tutelage for many years. Everything they know now, they learned from him. And he always told me that because Mike had grown up an orphan, he was truly grateful for how your dad Carson had treated him like a real son of his.”
Carrie’s heart began to constrict. She could not believe what she was hearing.
“I’m telling you this because I want you to understand him,” Mr. Cross said truthfully. “Sometimes he may confuse you. He can be difficult and may appear cruel. But he is a good man. Your father spoke highly of him.”
A tear rolled down Carrie’s cheek, which she quickly brushed away with the back of her hand. “Thank you, Mr. Cross.”
Mr. Cross gave her a gentle smile. “Expect another meeting tonight with the other chosen students. I will brief you before the representative from the military comes tomorrow to pick you all up. Good day, Miss Cox.”