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"Pilot, are you there? Report." Barker’s voice sounded full of fear.
"Yes. Yes, sir.” He looked around, taking an assessment of each person. “All crew aboard accounted for. That was the damnedest thing I've ever seen, colonel."
"Yes, it was, Captain Amsted. I want you and your crew to report to the facility immediately. I want med to look at each of you, and I want the scientists to give you a once over. Each crew member is to detail their current state to the staff. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, sir. Amsted out." Lisbeth took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
"Thanks, Dave. Be safe out there."
"Sure thing, Rick. See ya soon." The radio static died in her headphones. Captain Amsted turned his attention to her. “Did you get all the recordings needed to pass the info on to KenSpec Labs, Ms. Mohr?”
Lisbeth fought against the feeling of being sucked into quicksand. Her mouth wanted to work, but her brain was slow to send the words. “Yes, sir. I have visual evidence and mathematical equations that have been sent to KenSpec and Colonel Barker’s headquarters. I also have captured the vital signs of all on board that will be sent to Dr. Lackney and Dr. Kensington. Cockpit recordings are also sent to the base.”
“Good girl, Lisbeth. Good job.” Her mouth dropped open at his cheerful response. She didn’t even think he knew her first name. He’d always called her Ms. Mohr. “How are the rest of you holding up? If you feel like me, you feel like you just ran a marathon.” Lisbeth could see him grin and hear his chuckle as he glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the crew. He was always so serious and professional that Lisbeth turned to look at him. He seemed happier than she’d ever seen him. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush of what had happened, or maybe it was seeing something so miraculous, but he looked younger, more relaxed.
“I’m fit as a fiddle, sir, and ready to be played.” Frank’s jovial voice and chuckle sounded over the headphones. Lisbeth turned in her seat to see him smile and wink at her. Rita and Paul, who were the only two whose seats faced each other in the helicopter, were staring at one another but not saying a word. If Lisbeth didn’t know better, she’d swear they were having a photosensitive epileptic seizure. They didn’t blink or have any facial expressions, even to the uncharacteristic actions of Captain Amsted and Lieutenant Nelson. She hadn’t heard them communicate since the anomaly appeared.
“We’re approaching the base. Everyone prepare to land.” Captain Amsted’s voice came over the headphones, sounding more normal and professional. Frank, Rita, and Paul began to move around and perform their necessary tasks. Lisbeth cleared her throat and began to type in the last few commands to send everyone’s vitals to the medical center before shutting down her part of the experiment. “You heard Colonel Barker. Everyone is to report to medical when we land. Great job, everyone.” The helicopter landed, and the engine shut down. No one moved until the blades slowed. With a strange air of detachment, each person unbuckled and walked to the waiting medical staff. Lisbeth took a breath and hoped she’d never go through something like that again.
*****
Lisbeth felt his arms come around her from behind. His hard body sheltered her and made her feel loved and safe. His lips sought her neck, bringing her chills. The good kind. “You are my forever love, Lisbeth. Always.” His German accent still made her stomach flutter.
“I’ll never be able to make it without you. I don’t want to leave.” Lisbeth’s heart seemed to shatter in her chest. She knew she had to go home and fulfill her obligations. A contract to satisfy. Her college had been paid by KenSpec Labs on the promise to work for them for four years.
“I don’t want you to go. I promise you that I will travel there and stay with you every chance I get. We’ll work this out. I couldn’t let you go now if I didn’t think I’d never see you again.” She heard the tears in his voice. Knew the pain in his soul. She’d never experienced love the way she had this past month. He gripped her waist, turning her from the beautiful vista of Heidelberg. She closed her eyes and then opened them to stare into the beautiful green eyes of the most amazing man she’d ever met.
“Stieg.” Her breath hitched. He cupped her face in his hands. She knew it was to comfort her. Her heart was breaking. He tried to smile, and she saw a flash of his dimples. She ran her hands over his broad shoulders, loving the feel of his skin beneath her palms. She knew every inch of his skin, knew the taste of it all.
“I know, I know. We’ll video chat every day until I hold you again.” His eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Lisbeth. That will never change. I will find you in this world or any other. I promise you. We will be together again.” He kissed her then, pouring every ounce of his emotions and his promise into the kiss. It was hard for her to return the kiss when she was crying. Her heart feeling like it was being squeezed in her chest. She wrapped her arms tight around him, trying to pull him hard enough to fuse their bodies together.
Without warning, Stieg flew backward and was jerked out of her grasp. “No!” She reached her arms out to him, grasping his fingers with hers. “No!” She screamed again, trying to pull him back into her arms. The look of shock and fear on his face felt like a stab to her chest as her hold on him broke.
Lisbeth jerked up in her bed, her heart pounding and her mouth dry. She’d had this dream before, and each time, the details got more solid, but she always woke with the same heartache. This time though, it was as if he’d just been pulled away from her embrace. She still tasted him on her tongue. She fell back to the bed, covering her face while she sobbed.
She heard a knock on her door a second before it flew open and her best friend and roommate barged in and came straight f
or her bed. The bedside lamp flooded the room in light just as warm arms pulled her up and into an embrace. “Shhhh, shhhh. It’s okay, Lisbeth. It’s okay, honey. It was just a dream.” Soft words fell from her lips, trying to calm the pain. Lisbeth slowly relaxed, allowing Deb to rock her gently. They both knew it was more than a dream. It was her personal hell.
“I-I saw him, and I could feel him just like I feel you now. Deb, I can’t go on like this.” Her body shook with her emotions, her tears soaked her friend’s pajama top. “I hurt for him. I feel like someone has ripped part of me away. I’m grieving. How is that possible?”
Deb grabbed her shoulders her fingers, grasping the cold skin. She pushed Lisbeth back, so they were nose to nose. The concern she saw there brought fresh tears. “You’re starting to scare me. Lisbeth, you need to find out what is going on. Go talk to your boss. See if this has happened to anyone else.”
Lisbeth reached behind her to grab a tissue from the nightstand. “What if they say I’m unfit and remove me from the study? I love my job.” She looked down to her hands. She noticed they were still shaking. “I used to anyway.”
Deb snorted and put her fingers under Lisbeth’s chin to force her head up. “Things have been crazy since you came home from that top-secret mission a few weeks ago. You’re right, you can’t go on like this. You don’t sleep— you hardly eat now. Every single time you see an advertisement for his new movie, you fall apart.” Deb grabbed another tissue and used it to wipe more tears from her face.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you searching the web for pictures of him. I can see your face, and I know when I see you looking at your laptop that you’re torturing yourself. This isn’t like someone with a teenage crush on a movie star.”
Deb moved so her eyes were level with Lisbeth’s. “I’m really afraid you’re going to hurt yourself if this gets worse. And it’s steadily gotten worse. I know you’ve had time off since your last mission, but you go back to work today. Go see your boss. Please.”
Lisbeth nodded in agreement before looking at the clock. It was nearly time to get up anyway. “I’ll go by his office first thing.” She stood up to head to the bathroom. She decided to go ahead and shower but was stopped by Deb’s quick intake of breath.
“Holy Mother of God.” Deb’s voice was shaking. “Oh, Lisbeth.”
She’d never heard Deb’s voice sound so full of fear. Hands grasped her shoulders, turning her back more toward the lamp. “What? What is it, Deb?” She could hear her roommate panting a second before she pushed her into the master bath. The overhead light flipped on, and Deb turned her, so her back was facing the mirror.
“Look. But don’t freak out.”
