Chapter Five

After the dishes were done and the kitchen tidied, they settled on the couch in the main room to watch the newslink and entertainment screens. This time, Poul remembered to keep the volume low, sparing Lisa from the discomfort caused by the privacy protection circuits.

Lisa relaxed into the cushions while Poul went to the kitchen to fetch drinks. The news cycled through some stories they had already seen that morning before shifting to recent updates. As the report on the screen detailed a failed break-in attempt at a central service facility – an attack aimed at disrupting robot refurbishment – Lisa barely paid attention, until a familiar name was mentioned.

A senior representative of the Company appeared on the screen, denouncing the attack and the deaths of five security personnel. As soon as the camera panned to the speaker, Lisa sensed a sharp ping of recognition from Poul, who was just returning from the kitchen with their drinks.

“Uvanov!” Lisa exclaimed in surprise.

Poul stood frozen, drinks in hand, his mind suddenly in turmoil. The name, the face – it all hit him too hard and too fast. Lisa was bombarded with his racing thoughts, unable to shield herself from his mental spiral. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Uvanov since the debriefing, but there was no denying the man now speaking on the screen was Captain Kiy Uvanov, the captain of Storm Mine Four.

Poul’s world began to tilt. He knew Uvanov’s title, his importance, his position as a Company topmaster now – but he had never been able to picture his face before. And now here he was, breaking through the veil of Poul’s fragmented memories. The secure separation Poul had relied on, the gulf between the present and his forgotten past, was being torn away.

“The head of site security,” Uvanov was saying, “was tragically killed in the mopping-up operations on the nearby flier field…”

But the words faded into the background as Poul’s breath grew shallow. His hands shook so violently that the beakers of liquid threatened to spill.

“Poul?” Lisa’s voice cut through the fog. She rose quickly to her feet. “Poul! Can you hear me?”

He didn’t respond. His knuckles were white around the glasses, trembling with such force that she feared they’d shatter. She reached for his hands, gently prying the drinks free before they slipped from his grip, catching them just before they hit the floor and setting them aside.

“Poul, look at me,” she urged, her voice growing firmer as she gripped his arms. “Come back to me. Focus on me.”

But he was slipping away, his breaths rapid, verging on hyperventilation. His whole body was shaking, his face contorted in panic as he teetered on the edge of complete collapse. Tears streamed down his face, and sweat soaked his hair, plastering it to his forehead.

Lisa’s mind raced. She couldn’t slap him – she couldn’t bear to hurt him – but she had to break through. She had to reach him somehow.

In a last, desperate effort, she took his face in her hands and pulled him close. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips firmly to his.

It was like a switch being flipped in the dark, resetting his thoughts, pulling him back from the edge of the abyss. For a moment, everything stilled. The storm in his mind quieted, the overwhelming rush of panic slowing to a crawl, and his scattered thoughts slowly began to piece themselves back together.

Lisa’s lips were soft against his, grounding him, anchoring him to the here and now. He blinked, dazed, unsure of what had just happened, but the crushing fear that had held him captive was ebbing away, like a tide retreating from the shore.

His body trembled, still reeling from the intensity of the attack, but his breathing began to steady. Lisa’s hands remained on his face, her thumbs gently stroking his cheeks as she pressed her forehead to his, her closeness keeping him tethered to reality.

“That’s it,” she whispered softly, her voice cutting through the fog that still clung to his mind. “Come back to me, Poul. You’re okay.”

He swallowed hard, his throat tight, but he could feel the frantic beating of his heart slowing, could feel the warmth of her touch calming the last vestiges of his panic. His arms hung limply at his sides, still unsure, still stunned by the unexpectedness of the kiss, but his mind was beginning to clear.

“I…I…” he tried to speak, but his voice cracked, words failing him. Instead, he closed his eyes, focusing on her steady breaths, the warmth of her presence.

“You’re safe,” she whispered again, her voice soothing. “You’re here. I’ve got you.”

And little by little, Poul came back to himself, the world around him settling into focus once more. He was still shaken, still reeling from the depths of the panic attack, but the fear had lost its grip on him. Lisa had brought him back, pulled him from the darkness.

He let out a shaky breath, his body finally beginning to relax in her gentle hold, his head leaning against hers. The panic had passed, leaving him exhausted but grateful. For several long moments, they stood there, their foreheads pressed together, Lisa’s soft breaths the only sound filling the quiet room.

“I’m here,” she whispered, her voice steady and soothing. “I’ll always be here.”

He closed his eyes, absorbing the warmth of her words. The weight of everything that had just happened – the memories, the terror, the overwhelming panic – lingered at the edges of his mind. He could still feel the faint echo of his fear, but Lisa had pulled him back from the brink. She had anchored him, her presence unwavering.

“Sit down, Poul,” she said, coaxing him toward the couch and reaching for one of the discarded drinks on the table, pressing it into his hand. “Here, drink this.”

Poul’s hands were still trembling, so she gently cupped her hands around his, guiding the glass to his lips. He sipped slowly, taking deep, measured breaths, following the exercise she had taught him – eight seconds in, hold for three, out for eight. The lingering scent of the meal they had shared earlier hung in the air, grounding him in the present moment. He focused on his senses: the warmth of Lisa’s hands around his, soft and reassuring; the quiet hum of the newslink screen, now playing a different story in the background. And then, he looked at her – really looked – seeing the concern and care etched clearly in her expression.

He realized then just how much his affection for her had grown in the few short days since their reunion. Although his memories of their first meeting seven years ago were sketchy at best and nonexistent at worst, her comforting presence was familiar and soothing. He was beyond grateful that she’d been able to save him from the abyss of his mind, and he felt a profound, unwavering trust in her.

Knowing of her telepathic abilities, Poul was aware that she was sensing the emotions swirling inside him. She smiled softly, moving one of her hands to stroke his hair. “I care about you, too,” she whispered.

At those words, his heart swelled. Without fully thinking, he gently cupped her face in his trembling hands and pressed his lips to hers, this time out of gratitude and deep affection.

Pop!                                                                          

Poul felt a flutter in his chest as his heart synced with Lisa’s left. The newslink screen and the sounds outside amplified slightly as her enhanced hearing briefly washed over him before settling back to a manageable level. He pulled back slightly as their thoughts mingled together, frowning in confusion. He put a hand to his chest, feeling the echoing second heartbeat.

Lisa took his hands and held one over his chest, and the other over hers so he could feel the synchronized beats. “That’s me,” she said with a gentle smile. “When I share a kiss with someone with whom I share mutual feelings, we become linked. We can feel each other’s emotions; you can hear my thoughts just as I could always hear yours…” She finished silently, And we’ll be able to communicate telepathically with each other.

Poul’s eyes widened as he heard her voice in his head. He squeezed her hands, feeling the pressure mirrored on his own skin, eyebrows rising as he processed the depth of their new connection. Thoughts that didn’t belong to him floated through his mind; snippets of unfamiliar songs, images from entertainment films he’d never heard of, and bits and pieces of her memories.

“I’m going to shield my memories of the sandminer from you for now,” she said, explaining, “Again, I don’t want your own memories influenced by mine. And if seeing Uvanov was enough to trigger a panic attack, I don’t want something from me to be the cause of another one.”

He nodded, wringing his hands together. “Up until I saw him, I…I could keep a separation between now – the present – and the past that I can’t remember.”

Lisa took his hands in hers. “Now the fact that something happened seven years ago is more real. I know. But, remember, you’re not alone. I’m here for you; and we’re linked now, so I’m more in tuned with you than before. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Poul’s mouth twitched in a ghost of a smile. “Thank you so much.”

End chapter five.

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