Destiny - 14. Chapter 14

Destiny by Hawkeye

hawkeyestorys@yahoo.com

Hey guys and gals. Thank you for the reviews and personal emails! As I’ve been saying, it means a lot to me when you guys leave me messages. That is what keeps me going! And I have even chatted with some of you folks! I loved it, so if you ever want to come and chat with me and my friends. Come to #talkwritersplace on IRC. The server is: irc.sierranet.org. I would love to hear from you. Also you may add me to your Facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/people/Hawk-Eye/100001450886824

And I’m looking for artists out there to draw or paint my main characters, Nate, Thomas and Derek. Email me a few drawings and you will receive first look copy of the next 5 chapters -and- you will be a part of the story.

Anywho, I give you chapter 14. It may be short… but I think you’ll love it.

Special thank to Pete my editor. If it wasn’t for you, Destiny couldn’t fly!

Chapter 14

Day 14 of 20

Staring at the empty seat that Alex used to occupy in Fire Safely class, Nate couldn’t keep his eyes off the seat, hoping it was a dream. He hoped it was all a lie. The classroom was starting to fill up and class was about to begin. Ethan walked up and saw everyone was there except for Alex. Ethan began to teach how to close the bulk heads and how to activate the fire retardant automatic and manual systems. Nate sat there trying to listen to the teacher, but his mind kept going back to Alex, his only gay friend on the ship.

There was a light knock on the door and, while Ethan finished what he was saying about the control panels, he walked over to the door and opened it. A lady was standing at the door, an older lady. Nate wasn’t sure who she was, but after the teacher and she talked for minute, Ethan opened the door and let her in. Nate kept his eyes on her to see where she was going. She entered his row and started to walk towards him. Not knowing what going on, Nate repositioned himself in the chair and watched her take Alex’s seat.

Nate let out of a sigh of disappointment and looked forward. He rested his chin on his right hand. He knew now that it was true; Alex was truly gone for good. A feeling of abandonment washed over Nate’s heart.

“Class, this is Cara, she just joined the Destiny crew,” Ethan said. Then he asked her to tell the class about herself and she told the class her life story. It was standard; he heard it all the time, no jobs, unable to support her family... Nate mostly tuned her out and just entered into his daydream.

“Nate these are the control panels that allow you focus your sensors in a certain grid, from there you can do an analysis of that grid, from metal to space dust. It’s pretty much a point and click system. Very easy to use and to understand, the screen will focus on the area and it will give you a list of known substances in that grid. If there is an unknown substance, you just click on the analysis button and it will focus its beams to take a reading.” Peter was instructed Nate on how to use a mock up version of Destiny’s radar station. Two display screens were beside each other. Where Nate’s left hand was, the control panel to control the station was located. On the right side was a ball where he could move a cursor. Nate was leaning forward and checking out the system and watched Peter pushing the touch screen and saw it go into action.

“So how do I get back to the regular radar?” Nate asked, as he looked at the grid section.

“Oh, you click on Standard Scan.” Peter reached over and touched the standard scan button.

“Now if the captain asks for wide scan, you are basically doubling the scan area. However, it has a limited use period, that’s why it has a standard timer on it. The reason is because you are increasing the power to the sensors and they will burn it up in ten minutes, if left on that long. Also, the sensors wouldn’t be as accurate as standard scan and nowhere near as accurate as focused scan. If the captain asked for wide scan once awhile, it’s okay. However, if he asked for it every 20 minutes, you have the right to deny him. Your job is to protect the ship and the sensor equipment, because if we don’t have sensors, we can’t fly,” Peter informed Nate, while Peter was clicking each button to show what it would do.

“Cool, I can deny the captain!” Nate laughed a little.

“Yes, but he still can override you, but he would have to note it in his log. And if he does burn out the sensors, it would fall on him, not you,” Peter spoke.

“Good,” Nate said, as he looked at the center screen with all the information displaying and dots blinking.

“What are these dots?” Nate asked.

“These are ships or other large objects in space; the sensors will analysis the object and display. You just click on the dot and it will show you what it looks like on the screen beside you. Also, the radar will draw a dotted line to show you what path it’s on. The path is never perfect, that’s where your math talent comes in. You have to figure out where it is truly going. If it was a ship, they change their paths often and you need to be able to do quick math. Computers are fast and more efficient; however they can’t predict emotional tactics,” Peter told Nate, as he hit the scan button on the dot. The right side screen pulled up of an image of a meteor. Nate took his time and did analysis on the object and it gave him information of types of metal. Nate did some calculations math and saw the path was correct. It was correct since it was a meteor.

“Good job, Nate!” Peter patted Nate’s back. Peter looked back to the screen and saw a dot fly across the screen and stop.

“What is that Nate?” Peter asked and then stepped back and let Nate do his magic.

Nate sat there and clicked on the dot and the right screen was filled with an image of a ship. It looked like a mid 21^st century jet fighter, small and worn out. Nate did his analysis and saw it was a friendly craft that belonged to the L’woti Empire. He noticed it had a small weapons array and basic defensive system, not a threat to Destiny.

“Good job Nate. Well, that’s it for now; tomorrow we will do battles.” Peter closed the mock up sensors station and sat in the chair next to it.

“Really, you mean it might happen?” Nate asked, as he stood up.

“All of us have to be trained, just in case. If Destiny is being attacked, I will be coming and taking over, you will be my backup,” Peter said as he scratched his arm and checked the time. Seeing it was lunch time, Peter and Nate left the room and headed to the cafeteria.

Sitting there alone, barely touching his lunch, Nate was leaning on his right hand and looking at his plate of food. He missing his daily chat with Alex and talking about their lives. Nate pushed the plate away and just let his head lay on the table. After a few moments, Nate got up off his chair, collected his tray and headed over to the tray drop-off station. As he was walking through the doorway, he saw a boy of his age standing in the hallway.

“Are you Nate?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m Nate.” Nate moved his hand out so he could shake the boy’s hand.

“Hello Nate, I’m Lenny, Leo, Leon, Leonard, Leonardo, Leonitus, pick a name.” Lenny reached out and shook Nate hand.

“Too many names to choose” Nate smirked.

“I know, right?” Lenny smiled.

“I’m only here because I’m skipping a class so I can be here. Alex was a friend of mine too, and he asked me to see you here at the lunch period.” Lenny smiled and looked around the lunch room, seeing mostly it was adults.

“Really, you shouldn’t have done that.” Nate looked at Lenny. He noticed the features of this boy; he was tall and had short blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He looked older then Nate, but he wasn’t sure.

“Nah it’s okay. Geezs, you are like the only teenager here.” Lenny looked back at Nate, catching him staring at Lenny. Lenny just smiled and studied Nate’s features as well.

“Well, I am, and haven’t met any others. Alex told me there are a few of us.” Nate looked at the table, embarrassed that he was caught staring at Lenny.

Lenny quieted down and looked at the floor as a couple of ladies walked by them. Nate cocked his head to the right and looked at his new-found friend, he become very quiet and didn’t look at anyone. As the ladies passed by, Lenny raised his head and looked around, took a deep breath and looked at Nate.

‘Wow, he is shy!’Nate smiled at himself when he thought to himself.

“Well, we have a few guys like us in the other lunch period. You’ll get to know them when we get on the ship. Look Nate, I have to go, but I just wanted to say hi. I’ll be talking to ya soon,” Lenny said with a smile and put his left hand on Nate’s right shoulder.

Nate smiled and shook Lenny’s other hand again and watched him walk away, feeling better that he met another guy on the ship.

“Hurry up Nate, MOVE that skinny ass of yours,”one of the training instructors told Nate. Nate was hanging 20 meters off the ground, hanging on a cliff. In training class and today he had to climb a wall 30 meters high. At first Nate hesitated, but took a few breaths to overcome his fear of heights.

“HEY! I’m taking my time here!” Nate shouted back down, he didn’t want to miss a step and fall to his death.

“Good, do it at your pace. That is number one reason people die when they climb... going too fast,” the instructor told the class.

After Nate reach the top and sat on the edge of the climbing wall, he looked over the side and started to get dizzy. He snapped his head towards the ceiling and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He looked around for a ladder or stairs to get down, but he didn’t see one.

“How am I’m going to get down?” Nate shouted 30 meters down to the instructor.

“I don’t know. You have to figure it out.” The instructor grinned at Nate. Nate sat there and realized he’d have to climb back down. ‘God damn!’ Nate thought to himself.

Nate leaned over and let his leg hang over the side and started to descend himself to the main floor, taking twice as long. He reached the floor and disconnected the safely ropes from his harness. Nate walked over to the instructor and handed him the rope and walked away. He didn’t want to be around, in case the instructor told him to climb again. Once was enough for him.

After he got home from the training, Nate crashed on the couch. He was alone again, staring at the ceiling, thinking about the wall climbing, radar station and weapons fire. Most of the afternoon Nate was being trained on how to use the defensive weapons on the ship. He noted that he would most likely not use it, but just in case, he needed the training so he could take over the weapons station in a case of an attack. Breaking his thoughts, his com-pad chirped a few times, he saw it was Thomas calling him.

“Hey, what’s up?” Nate answered the call and Thomas’ head appeared on Nate’s chest, where Nate’s arm was resting.

“Nate, I need to talk to ya and I can’t come over to your place right now. But I really need to tell you this.” Thomas looked from the hologram with all seriousness.

“Huh? So tell me?” Nate raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

“Jesus, I don’t know how to say it.” Thomas looked down.

“You got laid didn’t you?” Nate asked Thomas.

“No, we just kissed, never mind that.” Thomas was focusing to tell Nate something else.

“Just say it, Thomas.” Nate said.

“I was walking down the hallway at the school and I saw Derek talking with another guy. At first I didn’t think anything of it and, well, the other guy kissed Derek on the lips and Derek didn’t back off, it was like he wanted to kiss him.” Thomas took a deep breath.

“Are you sure it was him?” Nate spoke softly, tears were forming in his eyes.

“Nate, I love you and you know that, and well, I don’t want you to get hurt, but it was Derek for sure. He was wearing a blue shirt and his jacket. Nate, I’m sorry you have to hear it from me.” Thomas spoke softly, knowing that Nate was hurting.

Nate just lay there, wiping the tears from his eyes, unable to speak, unable to see. Nate just slapped his com-pad off; he didn’t want Thomas to see him crying like a baby. He laid there on the couch, wiping the tears and trying to gain control of himself. Nate pushed himself off the couch and went into his private bathroom and washed his face.

“I can’t believe it, I’ve been had,” Nate told himself while looking into the mirror.“And we just made love the other night.” Nate started to cry again, but he was able to stop from being a baby.

Nate heard the door bell, chose to ignore it. But the door chime was being repeatedly pushed and it was pissing Nate off. He went to the door to open it and there he was, standing there with a grin and wearing his blue shirt with a jacket. Not knowing that Nate knew about the kiss.

‘How dare he come here?’Nate thought to himself.

Derek walked up and saw no one else in the room, so he placed his hands on Nate’s hips and aimed toward Nate’s lips for a kiss. Nate backed away and pushed Derek’s hands off of him with enough force to let him know something was wrong.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Derek looked at his boyfriend, showing his concern.

Nate just stood there, tears forming in his eyes, shaking from his core. “Don’t you call me ‘Baby’, you fucker! I heard that you kissed some guy in the hallway at the school. How could you fuckin’ do that to me? After we made love the other night, after I invited you over to my birthday, after I told Thomas to be your friend… you go out and fuck someone else behind my back!” Nate screamed at Derek, crying as he wiped the tears from his face.

Derek stood there shocked; he didn’t know what to say. He stood there and watched Nate crying and revealing that he was hurting. Derek mustered everything he had in him and replied, “I’m sorry Nate, he kissed me and it didn’t mean a thing to me.”

Derek walked closer, hoping that Nate would understand and that he’d be able to hug Nate. Nate looked up and he had rage on his face and saw Derek walking closer to him. Nate felt he was dirty and was being used as some sex toy. In a split second, Nate raised his right hand and slapped Derek across the face as hard he could. It was a blur in Nate eyes, and it felt good within him. Nate stood there watching Derek cover his left cheek where Nate had slapped him. Derek’s eyes began to tear up as he looked at Nate in shock. Unable to say anything, he felt he had lost Nate forever. Derek could feel his heart being crushed and being rejected.

“Get the fuck out and never come back!” Nate screamed at Derek.

Derek backed up through the still-open door, keeping his eyes on Nate. With a quiet ‘swoosh’ sound from the door closing after Derek exited the apartment, Nate was alone again. He stood there not making a sound and just let the emotions pour out of him. He couldn’t contain the emotions anymore. Nate fell to the floor and curled up in a fetal position. Holding his knees to his chest, he sobbed like he never had before. For an hour Nate cried; there was no end in sight. He couldn’t move, Nate took his fist and beat his heart as hard he could and punched the floor twice, trying to beat the pain out as he begged for death; the pain was unbearable for him. Nate just lay there covering his face and didn’t see his mother walk into the apartment. She saw her son on the floor, crying uncontrollably.

Nate was not aware that his mother was home. Only when she put her hand on Nate’s back to comfort him did Nate know she was home.

“Oh honey, let it out, dear,” Beth said.

Nate got up and hugged his mom tightly and sobbed into her shoulder.

“Dad was right, it’s unbearable,” Nate said between the cries.

“Shhh. Honey, I’m here and I love you. I just never wanted to see you like this.” Beth had tears in her eyes as she looked at the wall. She couldn’t bear to see her son in so much pain.

“He cheated on me, Mom. And I really loved him,” Nate finally admitted to his mom.

“I know son, I know you loved him,” Beth finally admitted to his son and hugged her son tighter, as both of them sat on the floor, in tears.