Generation 3, Chapter 3: Memories are fray

"Ric! Ric! I've been entertaining these two for the better part of a day already. I just can't handle it anymore. Are you ever gonna get away from work and help out? I need to start working on my research, and I can't keep delaying it. If things go on like this, the university is gonna fire me."

"I know, I know... It's just, the guys up top are breathing down my neck, putting pressure on me to sign a deal with some of the local businessmen to gain share of property...it's all very complicated, Lia. But the first chance I get some time off, I'll put in at least a month's vacation and spend a lot more time with you, Daniel and Darcy. Is that a good start to a good apology?"

"It is... But what do you propose we do in the meantime? I can't take care of them all by my lonesome."

"That could be a problem... Maybe your mom could help out? Or my mom?"

"Oh, God, not your mother... She's uh, set in the older ways of teaching. I don't think Danny and Darcy need that at the moment. And my mother, well, most ties with her have been broken. I don't even think she would want to talk to me now."

"Ridiculous! After what's happened with Charlotte, she'll be ecstatic, being able to talk to you. Her only remaining daughter."

"Please... Don't bring Charlotte into the conversation. It...it still hurts, you know?"

"I don't, Lia... But I can see the pain on your face. I'm sorry that I brought it up like that."

"Hopefully one day...you won't need to apologize, and that I'll be able to talk about what happened more freely."

"So how did you manage to get them to sleep, Ric? I know people talk of a mother's touch, but I've never heard of father's having it..."

"You just need to know how to handle them... Actually, no. I used that doll with the recording of your voice on it. They love it, apparently. Fell asleep within five minutes."

"Ha! So it WAS the mother's touch, then! I knew it. You could never get those two to fall asleep that easily without my help."

"Yeah, yeah, brag all you want missy... But when you're done bragging, it's about time you and I talk. About us."

"That sounds...serious? Is this going where I think you're going?"

"God no! I was just thinking that we should spend more time together. Alone, without the kids, you know. Somewhere isolated, preferably, with no telephone lines and hardly any civilization."

"THAT, mister Jackson, is a wonderful idea... I always wondered why I married you. It must be your intellect. That, or your great kissing skills."

"I believe it to be the latter. As a matter of fact, we haven't done that in a while. Come here, you..."

~*~

Everything was proving too much to handle. The memories, the emotions...

The main problem was, I had no idea where these memories came from.

I didn't remember marrying someone named Ric Jackson, nor having kids. It didn't make sense to me at all. They were extrapolating a life from my brain that I had no recollection of.

"Please...," I cried out, my body shuddering as the tears came and overwhelmed me. "You're hurting me. There's nothing in my head that'll be of any use to you!"

"On the contrary," Copper pointed out, his voice tinged with a hint of something close to condescension. "The information I've already extracted proves to be interesting, thought I haven't found the exact memories I've been looking for. It seems we're brushing through your personal life at this stage. You humans and your feelings. It's the one thing that keeps you from being more superior, from advancing on into more advanced technology."

"You're wrong...," I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pounding feeling that resonated through my head, all a result of him tampering with my head. "It's what makes us strong. It's the thing that's gonna make me live through all of this and kick your ass before I beam out of here and go back to my world."

"You can never go back," he chuckled darkly, before turning his eyes back to his findings.

It was at that point that Chambray stepped in, saving me from possibly attacking Copper. "Seriously, brother, stop antagonizing her. It's bad already that you have to probe her mind against her will. You can stop talking down on her. So what, they're less advanced. But apparently they're advanced enough to interest you. That scares me, to be honest."

They were locked in a stare-down. Ultimately, Copper smirked, shrugged and once again turned his attention back to the screen in his hands. "Whatever."

"Indeed. So, to follow up on that 'whatever', I'm gonna take Amelia out. No arguing, because apparently, you don't care."

I would be forever thankful to Chambray for saving me and beaming me up to the surface. As she started walking down the road, I had no choice but to follow. "Thank you, for what you did back there...," smiling timidly, I attempted to look at her eyes, though she did not look at me. She was always a step ahead. I had to adjust my pace to match her. Aliens, from this world at least, seemed to move much quicker than normal humans who weren't too fit. "Although I hate the clothes you just put me in, it's better than the alternative. I don't think I would have been able to take much more of that."

"And I don't think Copper is going to be patient with me for much longer. When he's had enough, he'll send me away, and then...there'll be nothing I can do for you. Just be careful what you say to him. I know he may seem like a bad guy, but he takes a really long time to warm up to someone. Once he's warmed up, you won't have too much of a problem the whole time. Just don't press the wrong buttons, alright?"

Sighing, I help up my hands in frustration. "How am I supposed to know what are the wrong buttons?"

She didn't answer. It seemed she herself didn't know.

After a few minutes' walk, I had to ask the question that lingered on my mind. "Where are we going? I thought you weren't allowed to go into the city anymore?"

"We may not," she confirmed what I had said," but that doesn't mean we listen to it." Ahead of us was a path that looked different than the one we had mostly followed. It looked more like the real infrastructure such a city should have. "Here is the start of the line. Unfortunately, there's a place that crosses this line that I visit often, so each time, I have to sneak around to avoid detection, and quite possibly, death."

"What place would hold such interest that you would risk your life for it?" My curiosity got the best of me, forcing me to utter the words I had been thinking of.

"What else could be more important than my home, you ask? The answer's simple, really. A burial ground."

I realized what she meant by those three words. "Your mother and father's graves."

She nodded. "Yes. I may hate them, but I still visit them. I talk to them, you know, when Copper gets into one of his many moods and makes living with him unbearable, and talking would be impossible."

The moment we were close enough, Chambray pointed at the headstone on the far left. "That there is my mother's headstone. She died during the explosion. My father died as a result of radiation. While she felt no pain, he felt pain beyond imagining. Some say it's what he deserved. Even though I resent him, I do not believe I can agree with that assessment. No one deserves to feel pain that they did not wish for."

"That's...horrible," I forced the words out of my mouth, swallowing down the lump in my throat. "Of all the ways to die, they certainly didn't deserve that."

"I agree...," she murmured. Without warning, Chambray's head snapped up, and she stared down the road.

"We're no longer alone." No matter how cheerful Chambray always acted, it didn't stop the apprehension from sneaking into her voice. "I didn't expect for them to send someone out so quickly. They must have improved the services certain companies provide."

"That's not good, I presume?"

"Definitely not. Um...for one, it's not that bad if they see me, maybe this person will be a little more understanding of my cause, but under no circumstances must they see you."

"Then what do you propose we do? We're pretty much open targets," my mind was scrambled, searching for a possible solution. None came. I was in a foreign area, and thus, I had no idea what advantages I had, or where a available hiding spot was.

"We do nothing. You, on the other hand, have to go hide behind the mausoleum. It's the only thing that can supply you with coverage at this moment."

It wasn't exactly the best place to hide, but at least it was something. I could not control my body from trembling as I observed another alien closing in on Chambray. What if they did take her away and kill her? It would all be my fault, and then I would be in the hands of Copper, a place I didn't really want to be in.

Maybe death would be a viable option for me. I'd take it anytime, just to escape this.

Of course, I never expected that I would be a victim while hidden away. The hand came out of nowhere, but suddenly, a large hand clasped itself over my mouth, stopping me from reacting with fright. The fright wasn't so much because of his hand, but more so because of the color. It was almost the same as mine. The person was a human.

"Don't move," the person whispered into my ear. A male voice. "Don't do anything stupid. It will cost you greatly. I'm here to save you, but it will take time, as we must do so you in secret. In exchange, we need your help. We've have been monitoring the aliens who hold you captive, and they may have vital information we need. So you think you would be able to get it for us?"

Yup, never expected anything like that.

~♥~

Alright, so this post probably stirs up a LOT more questions than answering them.

It will all unravel in due time...just bear with me, and this story.

I'm super surprised to have another chapter out, because yesterday, I had been experiencing writer's block...it didn't last long.

So yeah, thanks for reading, and have a really really awesome day.