An encounter after visiting hours

Emma was getting nervous.
Nyco had been outed from the 5-S but she was left inside. They didn't even tell her what was happening on the outside. The words from her father when he was selling his products popped into her mind. “The 5-S is a five senses experience. I want to make the experience as immersive as possible. That’s why in my journeys, you can’t come out willingly like in the models of our competitors. When you come in, you commit to the 24 hours it provides. Only someone from the outside world can pull someone from the experience. But don’t worry, in case there’s an emergency outside, like a fire or an earthquake, the helmet will detect it and wake the traveler in an instant.”

She was fuming. “Taking revenge on someone that just prevented a first kiss should also be considered an emergency!! Why am I still here?!” Emma wondered.

In the real world, Nyco was still shocked about the fact that he was in front of another Planet-Gazer. He had only met Juliet before. This man had the same aura as her. Just with one look you could tell he had everything under control. His aura made him feel impenetrable. His big shoulders and big muscular body made him intimidating, but thankfully he had a comforting smile that calmed the atmosphere.

-Could we talk in private?-, the Planet-Gazer named Alan asked.

-I… I’ll wake Emma up and we’ll head out-, said Yve as she approached Emma. Poor Emma was sleeping on the couch with her head resting on the backrest. She was waiting for one of them to wake her up.

-No wait-, Nyco stopped Yve. -She is practicing with the Rocket boots. Let her practice. She can’t hear us so it’s ok. I’ll wake her up later-. Nyco didn’t want Emma to see the Planet-Gazer.

-Ok. I’ll wait outside then-, Yve stated as she walked towards the door.

-Don’t worry. This will only take a few minutes. I’m on a tight schedule-, informed Alan. As soon as Yve went out, Alan sat on Nyco's bed next to his feet. -Son, I’m here today because as you know, it’s a Planet-Gazer’s duty to always do what’s best for the human race. We are always on the lookout for new recruits that can elevate our species to new horizons. that’s why we have people on the police that inform us when there’s someone with above average guts and physique. And you young man, have what we are looking for.

-I… I don’t understand. You are saying you…

-I’m saying that you have courage, boy. You went after that thief and gave him a beating. I’ve also checked your medical tests results and… Wow. You are as strong as an Ox. And you have good muscles too, I see. Perfect. Now it’s true that he stabbed you twice. That’s not ideal. Oh and I’ve checked the pictures of when they sowed your mouth back together. I’m afraid it will leave a scar. But that builds character, right?-, Alan said to pump him up. -With the proper training you’ll be unstoppable. We’ll make sure that’s the last scar you get. So what do you say? You want to join us and go explore the galaxy?-, Alan asked with a smile.

-I.. I…-, Nyco hesitated. This was all he ever wanted, his childhood dream. He couldn’t believe his dream had just landed right in front of him. His happiness went away in an instant as he saw Emma sleeping beside him. She would never agree to him leaving her behind on Earth. Not after Juliet’s passing. He didn’t want to make her suffer, but this was his calling, what he felt he was made for. The man saw him hesitate and got closer.

-You don’t have to answer me right now. Here, take my card. You can call me when you decide. But let me tell you, Nyco. I know a Planet-Gazer when I see one. When I look into your eyes, I see my future partner out there in the dark sea with me. You have that sense of adventure and wanting of the unknown in you. So I’ll be waiting for your call-. Alan got up and gave him a military salute. -See you later, Nyco. I hope you recover soon-. And with that, the man left the room.

Yve came right in as soon as the man went out.

-Wow. He sure was cute, right? What did he want?-, the girl asked, daydreaming about Alan.

-He… he said that if I wanted to be a Planet-Gazer I should… call him-, Nyco answered, still overwhelmed by the situation.

-What?! Really!? That 's…-, Yve remembered how Nyco and Emma lost Juliet in a mission off-world and suddenly worried. -Oh… So what are you going to do?

-I don’t know… It’s so sudden.

-Well. Let’s wake Emma up and discuss it-. Yve went to wake her friend up but Nyco interrupted her.

-Wait. I… don’t want her to know they offered me to be a Planet-Gazer. She would just worry and I don’t even know what I want to do. Please don’t tell her anything-, Nyco asked. He promised Emma he would never go to other planets. If she found out he was even thinking about it… He didn’t want to upset her unnecessarily.

-But she is going to ask why I woke you up? What do we do?-, Yve panicked.

-Just… that it was a doctor that wanted to check my blood pressure.

-What? Lie to her? But she is like a living lie detector. She’ll find out.

-That’s only when she thinks you are hiding something. Just leave it to me. I’ll say it casually.

-I’m not liking this, Nyco. She is my friend. I don’t like lying to her.

-Don’t say anything then. I'll tell her-, he said. -Just wait outside and when she comes out you can go home together. She won’t ask you about it-, Nyco suggested. Yve agreed reluctantly and left the room.

When he finally woke Emma up by selecting the option on her helmet, she wanted to know why he took so long.

-It’s just that a nurse came in to check my blood pressure and vitals-, he lied. -I forgot to wake you up as she ran the tests.

-Oh, ok. I understand. All good?

-Yeah, no problem-, Nyco said. -Anyway. I’m a bit tired. I already told Yve to wait for you outside. See you tomorrow at the same time?-, he asked.

Emma felt something weird in the environment. Nyco felt… distant. As she didn’t know what really happened, the poor girl took the cold treatment as if he felt uncomfortable about what happened inside the 5-S. “Did he regret trying to kiss me? Has he thought it through and doesn’t really feel the same way I do? The way we talked and connected… I really thought he wanted it as much as I did. But then why is he looking away?”.

All these questions made her frown. Nyco noticed and tried saving the situation.

-Will you come here tomorrow then? You still need some lessons. You are like a little baby bird that just flew out the nest. A long road awaits until you can roam the skies-, he joked. Emma smiled but Nyco could still see a hint of worry.

-Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow after school-. Emma packed her 5-S and was about to leave when she suddenly turned back.

-Oh. And before I forget. The AI talked to my dad and he’s finally given me some jumping orbs-. Emma opened her bracelet and took one of the 4 orbs. She then opened his and put the orb inside. -I’m sending to your Warpy the code for my bedroom’s portal. That way you can come to my room directly. No more stealing rocket boots from the school and flying around like crazy.

-Yeah. I learned my lesson-, he said pointing at his bandaged foot. As soon as Emma sent him the code, the option appeared in his Warpy as “Emma’s Room”. It was his only jumping option for now. Since he didn’t have any orbs before, he didn’t bother to look for the codes of other destinations.

-And here is the AI’s contact code so you can talk-, said Emma as she wrote the code on his E-Cube. -Ok that’s everything. Remember. Only use my room’s gate when I tell you-, she instructed. -No surprise visits.

-Sure. I learned that lesson too-, he kid while touching his ear remembering how she had twisted it

Emma felt the tension from before fading away. She thanked the Lord and the stars for it. After saying goodbye, she went home with Yve hoping she would get another chance tomorrow to analyze how he felt about her.

Around 23:00 PM, Nyco was resting in his bed looking at the card the Planet-Gazer gave him. Then, suddenly someone walked in. Only the little lamp on Nyco’s bedside table was on, so he could not see the intruder’s face. It was way past visiting hours and the guy didn’t have the nursing attire, so Nyco wondered who he could be. When the boy finally got close enough for Nyco to distinguish his face, he felt a sudden chill down his spine.

-Hello Nyco. Since you haven’t been to school in a while I thought about visiting you-, said the boy with a devilish smile.

-Wha… What are you doing here, Lasson?" Nyco asked the school bully.