Ayden Blake, "Life for some's a little out of reach." (Part 1)

[Deliera Jay]

((Brekka, 2391))

::Ayden Blake led a long and complex life. He along with his sister were raised during a time of conflict. A time that knew no real semblance of peace, even if everyone chose to believe otherwise.

::He liked to think that he'd crossed all the Ts and dotted the Is in his lifetime, that he felt fulfilled. And he was. Truly, as he approached what he was deciding to be death's door, he felt that his life was complete. He'd come from being a royal representative in denial, hiding away after his family passed on to whatever existence was to follow life, to finding happiness he honestly didn't believe he deserved--with a man that made him feel alive, at that. He and Merce adopted a daughter, raised her, protected her, and loved her.

::Ayden Blake's life, as it was in his timeline, was complete.::

::Except for one small thing.::

::He knocked at the door to a small home located on a hill over-looking Kekorna. It was hidden among others lined against it, illuminated only by the street light as the pitch black of a very late Seritonian evening fell upon it.

::There was a moment before he considered knocking again, steadfast in his resolve and confident that he would not turn away. He would meet the occupant of this home, at this awful time of night, and he would introduce himself properly--as he was, in 2491. But in the seconds that passed, as he stared at the locked front door in the dead of night, his mind wandered to places he'd been already. Anxiety settled heavy in his chest as if he were a young teen again - improper of him, given his age, but still.::

::The face of a Vulcan aged in his early thirties, a light beard peppering across his lower face and dark brown hair swept back in an unkempt and tired styling appeared at the door, and Ayden realized that he'd made a very big decision.::

::The 101 year old vulcanoid just stood there, gaping a little. He shared a minute resemblance to the man, the realization that his mother had not been kidding about his eyes settling in.::

::He'd taken too long to stare at the man.::

Sabor: Are you in need of assistance?

::Ayden swallowed, finally blinking and getting some semblance of composure.::

Blake: Uh . . . y-yes. I -um . . .

::The man looked past him, possibly trying to determine exactly what brought Ayden here, but he found nothing. His attention retrained to Ayden.::

Sabor: It is late. If you don't require anything, I would ask that you move along.

Blake: I need to speak with you.

::The words had come out of his mouth so abruptly he wasn't even sure if it was him that spoke them. Either way, it got him his father's attention, a Vulcan eyebrow rising as he waited for more information.::

Sabor: About?

::He blinked again. What was he meant to say here?::

Blake: What I have to say will sound impossible.

::The Vulcan frowned, but was clearly in a no-nonsense state of mind. Visibly tired--it was late, after all.::

Sabor: Sir, I will ask you politely. Please leave the property, or I will inform the authorities.

Blake: No! Wait!

::He stopped Sabor from closing the door, slipping his hand between it. Brown eyes captured his own, now sharp and judgemental.::

Blake: My name is Ayden Blake.

::He could have added “I’m your son!” or “and I’m from the future!”, but the words simply didn’t come. He couldn’t make them. They sounded too . . . foreign, too unrealistic for the situation he was now in. Sabor wouldn’t believe them.

::Except, there was a flicker of understanding in the Vulcan’s eyes. He pulled back from the door, looking over Ayden as if trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth.::

Sabor: Ayden?

::He nodded, a giving a sigh of relief. Sabor glanced away, back into the home to look around the room--his eyes glazed over for just a moment, before he turned his attention back to Ayden.::

Sabor: Sky is asleep.

Blake: I figured.

::There was another moment--just one, where he was placed under Sabor's full gaze. But then, unexpectedly, he stepped away from the door, motioning for Ayden to enter.::

::His parents’ home on Brekka was sparse--though this may be due to them having uprooted their entire lives from Starfleet and not brought anything with them. It was a small and modest two bedroom home, that he didn’t recognize whatsoever. Plain, functional, and dim lighting. Modern.

::It felt like he knew everything yet nothing about Sabor. His father moved in a way the traveler had seen the other Starfleet officers move, confident in his every step, if not making sure his forward motion was soft and unlikely to disturb his bondmate and children sleeping in their rooms off the hallway.::

::As he settled at the table, Sabor placed a steaming mug of . . . something . . . in front of him, and Ayden gingerly removed his jacket and CRI brace. Upon noticing the piece of equipment, the Vulcan merely rose an eyebrow, and took a seat across from him.::

Sabor: This is not how I expected to meet you at this . . . stage of your development.

Blake: No, I . . . I imagine not.

::This was a little awkward.::

Sabor: Why are you here?

::What was he meant to say? "You die tomorrow and I never know you in my adult life"?

::Ayden gave a heavy breath, looking down at the mug between his cold hands. His chest, his shoulders--hell, his entire *being*--felt like he held a large weight upon him. His eyes became glassy, breathing stuttering.::

Blake: When I was employed, one of the things I was told I had to abide by was the fact that I had to accept that most of my answers to a lot of questions had to be "I can't say".

::The Vulcan gave a quiet 'hmm', his eyes glancing away while he rubed his hands together.::

Sabor: Such is the consequence of temporal manipulation. ::His gaze returned to Ayden.:: But if your mother has taught me anything over these last few months, it is that you cannot bottle these things.

::It was like a dam had burst. There was a feeling of safety here at this table, with his father.

::Ayden told him--about everything. His life, the future, his experiences on Limbo.

::Everything.::

Tbc . . .

Ayden Blake