“Is that true?” the alien asks.
I nod. “Yes, sir. They were thrown into a trap. I fought and saved them from another alien race.”
The alien puts away his tablet and stands tall. “Are you aware of what year it is?” he asks.
Naomi shakes her head. “No, sir. But we were prepared to expect some changes.”
The alien smirks. “It’s the year 2313.”
My jaw drops. I don’t know what to say.
“We were gone for that long?” Roy asks.
The alien nods. “I’m sorry,” he says, turning to his crew.
“I know of your mission. You were one of the early terraform cases, correct?” he asks.
“Correct,” Hugh says.
He walks in the opposite direction. “You’re lucky you survived,” he says. “I’m allowing clearance into Earth on one condition.”
I step forward. “Anything.”
“Promise me that your story will never get out,” he says.
I’m shocked. “Um...”
The general pauses. “Fassbender’s record isn’t something we want the press to find out about. Before you go, my men will lead you to my office. You will sign an agreement, and then I never want to see you again. Do you understand?”
“What about our stipend from the government?” Hugh asks.
The general chuckles. “This never happened.”
I’m stunned. Shocked to my core.
Naomi shakes me, smiling bigger than I’ve ever seen her smile. “We did it it, Turin,” she says, starting to cry. “We’re going to make a home together. Right here, on Earth.”
There are no words. I lower to the ground and kneel, clenching my fist. I’ve been waiting for this moment since they created me. Now that it’s finally here, I’m left with a strange feeling of hope and possibility.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says.
Somehow, I believe it.
I grab her hips, wide and ready to burst with child. I lean forward and kiss her. “You’re forever mine,” I growl.
Playfully, she bites my lip and cocks her chin back. “I like the sound of that.”
I hold no grudges. Regrets are for beings in need of an excuse for failing.
I only carry the love I have inside my heart.
Together, we walk onto Earth’s soil, and I have to say, the weather isn’t all that bad.
Seventeen
Epilogue: Naomi
My kid stares at me, glowing a peculiar magenta color.