Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton

I just had this weird dream. I was back in the white room and found myself lying upside down on the floor drowning in my own blood. I was stupefied when I touched my body and it was real. Then two doors opened on one side. Antonio was at one door and my parents were on the other side. They all gasped and stood only to find the King pointing his gun at me. The gunpoint was on my forehead and then a bang echoed. I woke up to find Antonio sponge bathing me. I rose up breathless.

"Brie, are you okay? Bad dreams?" He embraced me but it felt cold against my skin. There was one window in Antonios room and it showed the big yellowish moon outside.

I pushed him out of his embrace. "No, it wasn't a dream. It was real. I was once shot dead."

Antonio held my hand and squeezed it. "It's all in the past now. I have come to save you. Now, I want you to get back your strength and be healthy. I have ordered food here in my room. It's going to be your first meal after a year."

There is indeed a feast on his table in the middle of the room. His room was now clean and organized. No traces of broken things and this is bad. They had seen me.

"You promised, Antonio…."

"No, no, Brie. No one knows you're here. I have to keep you in my laboratory upstairs to hide you. There's nothing to be afraid of. And good thing, my uncle locked me up here. I can't get out til the next morning. There were no cameras and no devices that would know you're here inside. They value my privacy very much. Now, come and eat."

Antonio dressed me up in one of his smaller clothes. Canvas shirt and pants. I was starving, I think. I ate more than half of the feast. When we were finished, Antonio helped me clean myself up.

"I have something to tell you. When we rescued you in Uno, you were half dead. You lost so much blood that it is almost impossible to save you. Some of your organs died. We applied our Robotize program to save you. I'm sorry Brie, but I have to save you no matter what."

"So, am I a robot now? Like one of your machines?"

"Not everything. You are still partly human. You must eat and drink. You can still feel emotions, like happiness…" Antonio reached out for my hand and held it. "Feel hurt….but you just get extra special..with extra skills. Some of your cells were replaced with robotic cells to keep everything together, especially your heart and lungs. Your spine is half robotic. That's why you can see some visuals and your tracker is permanent. You see, through your tracker, we can send you your energy to mobilize the robotic cells. But since you have turned it off, you still have 50 days until you can recharge."

"That makes me totally dependent on you and on others. Not really different from being a prisoner."

"No, Brie…..thats" then a loud bang was heard in the air that sent quakes all over the place.

"Shit! Brie, we'll talk about that later...but please don't go anywhere...it's dangerous outside."

An interface popped out in the middle of his room.

"General Antonio, we are under attack. Please proceed to the base."

"Got it, Jack. Coming!"

Antonio put on his shoes, grabbed his long gun and strapped it over his back. He stopped to look at the window. There is indeed a defensive dome that protects the whole place. But everytime it got shot by some sort of missile, the earth trembled. Antonio ran to my spot and kissed me deep and hard.

"I'll be back...please stay." Then he bolted out of his room.

Unsettled, I prepared myself for the worst. Borrowed a bag and some of Antonio's guns. I know that everybody uses laser guns, but nothing is more lethal than a bullet shot. I borrowed some of his books, in case I have some questions to be answered if I ever leave this place. Three quiet years have passed, and I have a lot to catch on to.

There was another strong quake, so strong that it sent me flying through the air. I smashed myself against an electric lamp shade. Fortunately, the whole place is built on large rocks and thick metal. It did not crumble the whole place except for all the things which dropped and are now broken on the floor. A deafening silence followed. An interface showed up.

"All residents go to the evacuation area. Follow the red lights."

It repeated the announcement over and over again. I looked for my bag with guns, but it flew right outside the window. There were footsteps coming right to the room. I scrambled and saw the hidden stairs to the laboratory Antonio was talking about. As I walked towards it, I stepped on an open wire that sent a painful electrifying bolt all over my body. The voltage was so high that it sent me flying across the room again. When I fell, it blurred my sight. My body was terribly aching. The footsteps are now at the door. I picked myself up and in a fraction of a second I found myself already hidden in the laboratory.

"Anybody here?" shouted by a man downstairs.

"Search the area for infiltration. We have to make sure," commanded by another.

When I blinked hard at the blurred sight, everything turned into 3D introspection. On the other side of the wall, I could see a man going upstairs to my position. I ran to the door and locked it. I saw a hidden hole behind the cabinet full of books. I pushed the cabinet aside and there was actually a hole. I fitted myself into that hole. I pulled the cabinet back into its place.

The laboratory door opened with a bang. "There's no one here sir."

The hole I was in is a closed window. I always get into tight places and I feel like dying. When I didn't hear any footsteps, I went out of the hole. The room was a space laboratory. It looked like an attic, but there was a large telescope and books about astronomy. When I turned, I found a letter with my name left on the table. No one here is named Gabriela other than me so I opened and read it .

"To Gabriela,

I wrote this after I found you in my closet. I'm forever grateful to heaven for finding you. I wrote this letter because it's certain that things will not be okay after this. I was worried that I couldn't find you and there's a war boiling on between the five kingdoms and the Dalums. The Paradiso is useless. They get what they want and disappear. No more maintaining peace. I was partly relieved that I found you safe and now back in my arms. Maybe at this very moment, I am fighting a war. If ever, I haven't come back yet...I want you to stay safe on your own. I hate to say this, but I may not always be on your side. This nation needs me. I want you to use your RBT skills. Charge yourself by touching an open wire to get everything turned on. I have a book prepared for you in my drawer. Study it to fully know your capabilities. I know the Palacio is not safe, but it is the only place I could return to and find you. Just hide and stay. Please do this for me. I don't want to lose you again. Our kiss is something I would never forget. I love you Brie.

Rey."

It's weird, but I felt nothing about the letter. I feel numb and robotic. Nonetheless, I got the book, folded the letter inside, went back downstairs and got myself laser guns.

I'm sorry Antonio but I'm not staying in this dangerous place. I'm not gonna die here.

My visual says there's a terrace above the laboratory. I went up and was shocked by the brutal scene before me. When was the last time I breathed fresh air and tasted freedom like this?

On the other hand, the whole city was a wreck. The defensive dome has cracks all over it. The city loses its modern appeal. It looked like a war-torn city. When I looked up, I found a big large floating piece of land covering the whole city with its shadow. Some parts of the floating land were burning. It is unstable and any minute now, it will crash into the city below. There were airships attacking the island. The land floats with a large magnet attached to its whole base. I guess it uses opposite magnetic poles to defy the gravity under them.

They attacked the city with its missiles directed downward. But it would surely fall if they do not get away from the attacks of the airships. I was on one of the highest points of the highest building of the city. The land was now a hundred feet away from me. One airjet flew past right where I was. I have to get out of here if I want to live. The airjet stopped midair only to fly back to where I was. It saw me. I am a probable casualty. The airjet is a few meters away from me. Through its radio, it spoke to me.

"Gabriela! What are you doing? Get out of here!"

It was Antonio. The land started falling sideways, which would eventually crush the city. I have to get out of here. I went back inside, then I saw a portable parachute. I was a few hundred feet above the ground. That should do it. It'd take time if I used the elevator or stairs. I took out the parachute, strapped the parachute quickly so that it only took me five seconds. My visuals were teaching me what to pull after I jumped.

"Gabriela! Go now!"

I jumped off the terrace. The air was strong enough that I couldn't pull out the parachute. Eventually, it did...and my visuals directed me on how I should ride it. I maneuvered myself to land on the clear green plains on the farthest east side of Palacio. But any minute now, the floating land would crush the city. I might not be able to get out alive. I looked up once again. And the airjet was following me.

"Gabriela, I'm sorry. Please promise me, be safe and live a good life. I love you!"

I didn't know what he meant, but when it landed safely on the fields, I saw his air jet deliberately crush itself on one side of the floating land then it tilted and fell on the far edge of Palacio. It caused a great earthquake that made some of the buildings fall. It lasted for a few minutes but not the ache in my heart. Tears started to fall down my cheeks to the ground. Antonio is now gone. I have no one by my side now.