Seven months ago.
"We have unfortunate news for you, Mr and Mrs. Witt." The white-uniformed officer said, with a somber expression. He was a pale-skinned man wearing a white uniform, making him look even paler.
He and his partner, a middle-aged woman with copper skin, were standing still just within the threshold of their home. They did not come into the house, simply because there were too many houses they had to go to.
The three of them happened to be in the house at that time, a rare occurrence considering their busy schedules. Nanny had even gone to the market to gather ingredients for a small feast.
It was supposed to be an interesting and fun day, with the three of them having a rare time catching up with each other.
Who would have thought—
"There have been 1032 planes that went down early this morning at 06:34." He paused, heaving a deep sigh, trying not to show the exhaustion creeping in, "There were no survivors.
"We are sorry to inform you that Mr. Howard Witt and Mrs. Alicia Murong-Witt… have unfortunately passed away."
In that instant, their living room which had once been a place of warmth, suddenly got freezing cold.
It was so cold that she was shaking, and her vision became blurry. If her husband's large hand hadn't been holding her, she might have fainted then and there.
"What happened?" Althea heard the baritone voice of her husband ask beside her. She looked up to listen to their answer, trying to keep down the ringing in her ears.
"We are still investigating the cause of this tragedy and we request your utmost patience."
Althea managed to find her voice to ask, "They… where are they?"
"Their bodies have been collected and moved to the South Montague Morgue." The woman answered as gently as possible. Then, she paused, not sure what tone to use in his next statement, "They… are in relatively good condition due to their position in the plane."
"I… I see…"
The officers looked at each other and sighed, faces tired. There was no doubt they'd been through several houses before theirs.
"We are sorry for your loss. The country had lost great scholars." The man told them, very sincerely.
"If there's anything we can do to assist you, please contact our team any time." They finally said without further ado, handing over their business card.
They then bowed and excused themselves, leaving the grieving family their much-needed space.
They were probably heading to give the bad news to the next house that opted for personal visits from officials.
The moment the door closed, Althea lost all her strength, her legs giving way, her entire body suddenly devoid of energy.
"Althea!" Her husband's deep voice sounded in her ears. And she soon felt his strong arms support her weight.
She habitually searched for his warmth, his pinewood scent, and buried her head in his wide shoulder.
She felt herself being carried to the living room and to the comfort of the sofa. He gently placed her on his thigh, his warm large hand patting her waist.
It took a while to gather herself and get enough energy to utter a syllable, but Garan was patient and did not speak, only making sure she felt his presence next to her.
"They're…really gone?" She asked, voice cracking, tears lining up her eyes.
It was so pitiful and broke Garan's heart. He simply embraced her deeper and patted her back. "They wouldn't want you to feel too sad…" He said, "I'm sure they're watching over us right now, feeling very sorry for leaving all of a sudden. Do you want them to feel even worse?"
Tears pooled in her eyes and she sniffed. Garan, always the boy scout, took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears and then her snot.
The gesture also reminded her of how her mother did the same and she just hugged him tighter. However, as she buried her head and wiped snot all over her husband's shoulder, her peripheral vision caught a red-headed figure nearby.
Her eyes stopped. It was Ansel, who was shaking in a corner, returning to his old ways of hiding and suffering quietly.
But she was really sad right now, she couldn't stand up to comfort the boy who lost his biological parents at the same time.
"How… how could this happen?" She asked her husband, voice weak to the point of whispering.
Thousands of planes went down at the same time. Most were still much worse than their parents.
Should she be thankful they got their parents' bodies in one piece, at least?
"I will find out," Garan said, placing a comforting kiss on her cheek. "Leave it to me."
She nodded and couldn't help but look worriedly at the corner. Garan followed her line of sight and sighed.
The man gently placed his wife on the sofa, placing a light peck on her forehead, before striding down the particularly depressing corner.
"Leave me alone!" Ansel yelled without looking up, voice squeaking, snot dripping down. It was really pitiful.
However, in contrast with his gentle handling of Althea, he was more straightforward with this brother of his.
Out of nowhere, Garan grabbed Ansel's neck collar, lifting him to his knees.
"What—"
Without speaking, Garan pulled him up, dragging him to the yard, very likely to the training ground.
It may look harsh, but Althea knew her husband intended on giving Ansel some tough love, to help him go through the tragedy. If Ansel entered that lonely world of his again, it would be difficult to bring him back.
In fact, Ansel's shift from being mildly autistic to his confident, extroverted, self had less to do with her… but had a lot to do with her husband's training.
It seemed that learning to defend himself injected confidence in their brother.
Too much, if you asked her.
Neither of them would have ever anticipated he'd turn into a playboy, but… it was better than him being trapped in his own world like he was as a child, before meeting the two of them.
Thankfully, her husband always knew what to do, and she didn't have to worry about Ansel anymore.
Althea watched the two men go outside the house, her mood slightly better, because it reminded her of what she still had.
Yes. At the very least, they still had each other.
…
What she didn't expect was that he would be sent on a confidential mission a week later.
She looked at him in a daze as she sat next to him on the couch. His deep cerulean eyes also gazed at her, orbs filled with apology, his large calloused fingers gently rubbing her hands.
Eventually, her eyes cleared and she looked at him with certainty. "Our parents' accidents had to do with your mission right?" She said, looking straight at his deep cerulean eyes.
"You know I can't tell you, love." He told her, very gently. He legally couldn't say anything, even if he wanted to.
"I'm sorry I had to leave at this time." He uttered, placing his big palms on the side of her face. She closed her eyes and felt her husband's warmth.
She knew it would be a while until she could do so again, so she didn't make any issue at all.
When she opened her eyes, her emerald eyes had a renewed light. "I understand," She said, "Please find out what happened."
"Of course, my wife," He said, placing a chaste kiss on the side of her face, before moving to her lips.
Soon, he became a bit greedy, trying to maximize the few minutes of time they had left.
He licked her luscious lips, and they easily granted him entry.
Even after years, the electricity in their touches never faded, and the warmth the other provided only became more comforting, more integral, and more intuitive.
His large hands moved from the side of her face to her curvaceous back, pulling her to him so he could feel as much of her as he could, given their current circumstance.
He changed the angle of their kiss to gain more access, to express more of his reluctance, and she wrapped her delicate arms around his neck, responding with equal passion.
His phone rang several times before he was willing to part with his soft wife.
His azure eyes caught the silver viscous string that connected their lips, calling them back together, and he leaned down again. All his senses were trying to imprint his wife, trying to convey his love, and his ears pointedly ignoring the incessant calls.
He breathed in his wife's scent, savored her taste, and felt her warmth. After some time, they slowly parted and he placed their foreheads together, incredibly reluctant.
She was still mourning, how could he leave?
Althea could see the worry in his eyes, and she didn't want him thinking so much when he was on a dangerous mission.
"I'm very strong. What I want now is to find out what happened."
"I will, don't worry," He said, baritone voice lower than usual, filled with reluctance.
Althea gave him a comforting smile and gave him one last peck on the lips before gently nudging him out the door.
"Be careful," She said and he nodded, leaning down for one last—really—little kiss.
"Remember: Even when we are apart, remember your husband will always be with you." He said, and he embraced her one last time before leaving…
…not to be seen again.
At least, not in Terran.
____
Present.
Opening her eyes, Althea stared at the ceiling for some time.
Heaving a deep breath, she stood up and got dressed. She wrapped up the washed clothing and equipment (that still had a bit of stench) and used her new ones instead.
Forgive her for being queasy. Even if they were now cleaned up, they were still covered with zombie goo the entire day.
She just took a bath, how could she stomach wearing such a thing?
Of course, she kept it in space to be a spare.
Giving herself one last look before rest, she also took time to see her equipment.
[EQUIPMENT:
Head: None
Ears: None
Body: Leather Jacket, cotton undergarments +2 Defense
Synthetic Vest +3 Defense
Arms: Arm Brace +1 Defense
Legs: Leather Pants +2 Defense
Hands: none
Leather Gloves +1 Defense
Feet: Leather Boots +2 Defense, +0 Agility ]
She had already given her helmet to Sheila, who needed it more. It was too uncomfortable, her pregnancy made her very queasy.
Anyway, she looked at the time once more and determined she could still get a shut-eye.
[00:26:12]
She laid down on the soft bed, setting up a timer for a 20-minute power nap.
Fortunately, she was indeed really tired so she fell asleep as soon as her head met the pillow.
She woke up from her alarm after a while, stretching her body and marveling at not only the physique of a level 3 but also at the effectiveness of a power nap. Her spirit had almost been filled up.
[00:05:01]
She met up with Sheila and Fufi in the living room, settling comfortably on the largest sofa.
Sheila couldn't help but stare at her, wide wide eyes and slightly flushed face.
Althea stared back in puzzlement. "What is it?"
Sheila gulped, still amazed at how pretty the other was when not covered in zombie goo. "You're very beautiful. Your husband is a lucky man."
Althea blinked, not expecting it, and laughed. "Well, thank you. And yes, yes he is, wherever he is.
"You are also very cute and charming. How old are you anyway?"
Sheila literally looked like an adorable minor now that she was all cleaned up.
"I am twenty-seven now."
Althea coughed a little in surprise. "Well.. you look much younger."
Looking at her now, Althea couldn't help but recall the questions that had been running in her head. "I'm curious, why did you want to become a nurse? Not to be rude or anything–"
"No, it's fine," Sheila said with a smile. "I was actually asked by my parents to do so, so they have a proper caretaker when they get old."
Althea's beautiful eyebrows rose. "Then what do you want to do?"
Sheila stared at her, unsure, feeling ashamed "I .. I don't know." she mumbled.
In fact, she really wasn't sure what path to pick, so she just went with the flow and followed her parents' wishes without question.
Althea scooted over and patted her head to comfort her like a child. Who told her to look so young?
"Well, this disaster can also be seen as a new beginning." She paused, emerald eyes looking out the window, to the sky filled with doom.
"Maybe you can find your calling… there."
Sheila nodded, feeling hopeful. However, after several beats of silence, she couldn't help but give Althea a furtive glance.
Althea raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Your husband… I mean, if you don't mind me asking."
Althea smiled and shook her head. "He's a soldier. He went missing months ago."
"Oh." Sheila paled. Because Althea was so strong and beautiful, she unconsciously just assumed everything was… good. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine." She shrugged. "He's still alive, somewhere. I have an intuition that I'll meet him soon."
She paused, looking out the window to the waning moon with a complex expression. "My intuition has always been very strong."
[00:00:32]
Althea told them to hold as many important items as they could to see if they could be brought with them.
Sheila held on to the duffel bag tightly, even taking a lot of the hotel supplies with her.
Another bag was placed on Fufi's back, but she added more meat snacks for him.
In contrast, Althea freed her hands. Her hands would be holding on the two of them, to see if they could be transferred together.
[00:00:01]
The air changed subtly as if a force came down from the heavens.
Then, a circular pattern of light appeared on their feet, and Althea's expression turned a little dark, nervous. But she quickly shook her head off the thoughts, strengthening her will.
It could be said that she had done her best to prepare, and there was no use being scared.
At this thought, her emerald shined a sharper, more determined light.
'Whatever comes, come!'