The Woman in my Dream

I glanced around at the foreign environment around me with wonder. Vast hills wore thick coats with varying shades of green that quietly blew with the gentle breeze. They reached beyond the horizon of the setting sun where it cast a warm ray of orange light onto their grassy surface. The shadows acted as imaginary blankets that shrouded anything just below the rolling hills. The trees sparsely spread throughout the region. They had scorching, red hair that contrasted with the harmonic color of the hills.

A beautiful orange color painted the infinite sky above me and diverse shapes of white dots scattered across without care. A peculiar species of birds with white feathers flew above my head in V-shaped formations. I felt a bit envious as I watched them fly away; they had the freedom to travel anywhere they want to. As I look beyond the horizon, an earthy scent tingled with my nose as a gentle wind passed by me. I strangely felt a sense of nostalgia - its like I've been here before.

I aimlessly wandered through the vast world before me. After what felt like hours of walking, I stumbled upon a white, wooden house at the top of a random hill. The house lost its pristine beauty from the passage of time, and what remained was a worn and tired building waiting for its time to come. The windows were opaque from dust that had built up over time. A rusted bike rested near the stairsteps with its chain missing. The stairs creaked as I slowly walked up the steps with caution. I stood before an aging door that displayed a small sign that read, 'Welcome!"

I nervously gulped and quietly opened the door. The sound of sizzled oil resounded throughout the house and caught my attention. The delicious smell of food massaged my nose, and my stomach growled loudly. I curiously glanced around the familiar living room. The room had a sense of belonging and a heart-warming feeling to it. Photo frames hung on the walls, but the pictures were oddly missing. Furniture, made from a soft-woven material, decorated the room while a large, red carpet with beautiful patterns had spread on the wooden floor. There was a large, glass shelf decorated with antiques from an old, bygone era that filled me with curiosity.

I unconsciously walked towards a small arch that led towards the kitchen. A mysterious woman stood before the counter and chopped various vegetables into fine pieces. I instantly became mesmerized by the way she elegantly moved her sharp knife. The woman wore a thin, brown dress and a white apron over her slender body. A red headband partially covered her silky, brown hair that flowed down to her shoulders in waves. On her earlobes were two beautiful earrings that were the shape of flowers. I felt my heart beat wildly just by looking at her back. However, I couldn't quite see her face.

I broke the quiet atmosphere, "Uh, hello?"

However, she remained silent like a mute person. I greeted her again, but only met with the same result. I felt a little peeved, but I shrugged it off and calmly walked toward the black table. A white cloth draped over the table, and a set of plates and utensils were neatly placed on top. I sat down and carefully watched her every movement. The mysterious woman was like a graceful swan gently moving around the counter. She dropped the bowl of vegetables into the pan full of noodles, and they popped with a crackling hiss. She quickly stirred them with her wooden spoon before slowly pouring in a white, creamy sauce.

The moment as she turned around, I instantly fell in love at first sight. My body temperature steadily rose, and I felt a weird, buzzing sensation congregating in my chest. The woman's beautiful eyes shined with a loving, crystal color as if they were created from a diamond. Her eyebrows were the shape of rainbows that enhanced her gorgeous face. Her lips were the color of a Lotus flower, giving the woman a pure and innocent look. The brown dress couldn't hide her large bosom, and I couldn't help but stare at them. The woman's beauty was something I deeply admired.

Her hips swayed as she walked towards me with a pan full of pasta and noodles. She poured the contents into my plate, and I unconsciously licked my lips from hunger. I simply closed my eyes and let my nose bathe in the delicious smell.

My eyes widen with disbelief, "This smells really familiar... Alfredo?"

While I was preoccupied with my food, she placed a large plate of roasted chicken in the middle of the table. She quietly sat down in her chair and stared at me with one hand under her chin. I felt a little awkward from her enchanting gaze. I picked up the fork and slowly bit down on the noodles. The cheesy taste of the sauce instantly hit my taste buds like a truck, and I felt like I was in heaven.

"Miss, your cooking is really good!" I praised her.

Her eyes formed a crescent shape as she smiled sweetly at me. My heart instantly melted, and I cast my eyes downward to avoid her stare. Like a man who hasn't eaten in days, I ferociously chomped down on my food without a shred of any mannerism. Bit by bit, the food disappeared, and my stomach bloated in size. When there was nothing left, I let out a loud burp before rubbing my stomach in glee.

I wiped the dripped sauce from my mouth, "Thank you, miss."

However, when I looked up, she was suddenly gone. I immediately stood up and looked around the kitchen. I entered the living room, but she wasn't there either. It's as if she just vanished into thin air. To my shock, the walls and furniture suddenly broke apart and slowly fade into nothingness. Soon, the floor followed afterward, and I ran outside in fear.

"What the hell is going on?" I shouted in confusion.

I watched in horror as the whole house disintegrated into thin air. The ground beneath me suddenly shook and broke apart. The orange sky now turned white, and everything gradually disappeared around me. It was as if a painter destroyed his own artwork from anger. I soon fell through the disintegrating world and watched as the last clump of dirt vanish.

"Argh!" I squeezed my eyes shut in panic and screamed.

I suddenly woke up and let out a horrified shout. Sweat dripped down my face, and my breathing was haggard. It took a few moments for me to gather my thoughts and calm down. What the hell was that dream? Why did I suddenly dream of a woman? I tried recalling that dream, but some parts of it were unclear.

"Subject 042 regained consciousness," An artificial voice echoed.

I glanced around and noticed I'm back in this hellish laboratory. A grey tube unlatched itself from my chest before disappearing into the ceiling. I faced the blue screen beside me that displayed my heartbeat and other weird data.

"Why don't you kill me instead..." I grumbled to myself.

The shackles from my hands and legs loosened, and I dropped to the floor. I stretched my body and sensed it has weirdly gotten stronger; I couldn't describe this peculiar feeling.

"That is impossible as the subject is deemed useful by 5th Commander," It responded.

I raised my eyebrow and asked, "Who?"

"The 5th generation of the highest ranked position of Invictus."

Before I could ask any more questions, the metallic door suddenly opened. I heard Sergeant Orion screaming from outside and felt a sudden chill run up my spine. I let out a loud sigh and prepared myself for the worst to come. As I walked out, Tannen and Indra spotted me straightaway and ran towards me with gleeful expressions.

I glanced at Tannen's arm and shouted in surprise, "Your arm's back to normal!"

Tannen flexed his muscles and laughed, "When I woke up from my beauty sleep in that creepy lab, my arm was married to my body again - I thought we'd be divorced forever."

"But lemme tell you somethin', man," Tannen's face turned serious. "Being disarmed ain't no joke. Literally."

"Haha, I bet."

"Are you feeling alright, Bion?" Indra asked.

"No worries. Just feelin' a little light-headed." I gave him an OK hand gesture.

I surveyed the area and realized there were people who were alive that should've been dead. I was mind-boggled because I've seen many of them torn to shreds from the horrific onslaught. The sudden resurrection had me creeped out.

I pointed to their direction. "Aren't they supposed to be, you know, six feet under?"

"When both of you were unconscious, these strange-looking robots grabbed those that were 'supposedly' dead and brought them into the building," Indra responded.

He sighed, "Other than that, I'm as clueless as you are."

Sergeant Orion had his hands near his mouth, "Hurry up you lazy shitstains and get into formation as last time!"

We all jolted in shock and instantly stood in formation with everyone else. The sergeant stood atop the weapons crate from the day before with his arms folded. He moved his eyes towards me and gave a profound glare as if he's staring right into my soul. I faced the ground and avoided his terrifying eyes that resembled a dangerous wolf.

Sergeant Orion spoke, "I'm sure you all had a wonderful first battle experience."

"As expected, many of you asscracks was thoroughly crushed by the Juggernaut,"

He then pointed at the three of us, "But I never thought a few of you would actually take it down. I'm actually impressed."

Murmurs erupted from the crowd and stared at us in awe. I felt quite embarrassed and scratched my cheek out of habit. However, Tannen stood beside me with his chest puffed out, and his hands on his waist. He had a proud look as he stared back at the crowd. Meanwhile, Indra simply nodded his head with a blank expression.

"Alright, shut the fuck up!" Sergeant Orion yelled.

An immediate silence broke out as everyone closed their mouths.

"Invictus is your home, and it will always be your home." Sergeant Orion raised his hands towards us.

"As future warriors of Invictus, I expect courage, camaraderie, strength, and most of all, loyalty."

A man with short, black hair raised his hand amongst the crowd. He was a small guy that was a head shorter than most people here.

"What's Invictus, sir?" He asked.

"Now there's a man with the right questions!" Sergeant Orion smiled. "Then let me start from the beginning."

The year was 2500 AS - Annos Sidus, meaning Year of the Star. The calendar was invented ever since humanity first recorded time by using the position of our star named Solis. The world we currently lived in was named Venos Prime with five continents separated by large bodies of water. Invictus was a global powerhouse created one-hundred fifty years ago by the efforts of five powerful nations. Those nations were Armona, Caudel, New Rouleland, Volusia and Houden. It was built around the time of great famine, disease, and depleting natural resources that caused the death of billions of people around the world. During its infancy, it was a research facility with the main purpose to advance human evolution through trans-human technology in an attempt to save humanity.

As trans-human technology increased by leaps and bounds as the years gone by, other powerful nations began to take notice. Many of which were opposed to the idea of trans-human technology which they considered dangerous and unethical. Political debates turned into violent protests, creating a deep hatred towards each other. The opposing nations formed an alliance called The Federation of Humanity to rival Invictus. Tensions between the two quickly escalated from political meetings, small skirmishes, proxy wars, and spying.

Eventually, a devastating war broke out one-hundred ten years ago and nearly destroyed the planet. Cities were decimated, and countries fell into chaos. Those who remained neutral were forced to side with either of the opposing alliances. Each side fought tooth and nail to try to win one over the other. And so, the war ended in a stalemate, and both alliances were barely a fraction as they formerly were.

In the end, they both failed to protect what they strive to save: Humanity.