Read Online ATLAS 2 (ATLAS Series Book 2) by Isaac Hooke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Isaac Hooke
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anymore.”
Tahoe’s reflection smiled sadly. “You’re Rade Galaal. A man of dignity. A man of honor. More than a man. A MOTH.”
“I was,” I said. I looked so much older. Had my face always had so many lines? “But not anymore. I left a part of myself behind on Geronimo. And I’m never getting that part back. I feel hollow inside.”
“We all left a part of ourselves behind on that planet, Rade. We paid for our victory in blood.”
My eyes had a haunted look now. The same look I had seen in Alejandro, when he was alive. He’d watched his whole family get gunned down. I finally understood his pain. “Was it a victory? I thought it was a loss. We were bloodied, and we ran away with our tails between our legs. We should have attacked that alien ship. We should have blown it out of the skies.”
“If we’d tried that, none of us would be here today,” Tahoe said. “The deaths of our friends would have been for nothing.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t bear to look at myself anymore, so I lowered my gaze, and watched a drop of water trickle from my chin into the sink.
“You should really give the caterpillars a chance,” Tahoe said.
“No I shouldn’t.”
“They seem like good kids.” Kids. It was funny. They weren’t that much younger than us, though it seemed a lifetime separated us from them.
“They’ll never replace who we lost,” I said. “Never.”
“They don’t have to,” Tahoe said. “They only have to be there for us, when we need them most.”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “Just like I was there for Alejandro when he needed me most, right?”
I felt Tahoe’s hand on my shoulder. “Rade. You have to stop blaming yourself. I know it’s hard. Hell, I still blame myself from time to time, even all these months later. But I take consolation in the fact that Alejandro wouldn’t have wanted us to keep grieving like this. He would’ve wanted us to move on, and live our lives.”
And what about Shaw? I felt like saying. What would she have wanted? She died for us, too . . .
Instead I said, “Yeah Tahoe. I hear you.” I patted his hand, then lifted it from my shoulder. “Gotta start living.” I don’t think I sounded too convincing, but maybe he’d buy it and leave me alone.
“To that end, I believe it’s time you made some new female friends.” Tahoe dragged me from the restroom. I remembered a time when I called every restroom a “head” thanks to the indoctrination of Basic Training. Those were the good days. When Shaw and Alejandro were alive. Probably the best days of my life. Strange how when you’re living the best days of your life you don’t actually realize it at the time, not until it’s all over. And once you do realize it, you yearn for those moments more than anything, but they never come back. Not ever.
“Come on, Rade. We’re going to introduce you to Misty Mindy over here.” Tahoe pulled me toward one of the dancers, who was performing atop a nearby table.
I resisted. “I don’t want to meet Misty Mindy. I don’t want any new female friends.”
“Which is exactly why you have to do it,” Tahoe said. “Besides, you’re not going to be mere friends with Misty Mindy. When you’re done with her, the Rade Galaal charm will have converted her into a fan.”
He tore off his StripperAdvisor badge along with my own, then finished dragging me to the table where “Misty” was performing her little show.
She was dressed in a skimpy bikini. Her hair was dyed purple at the top, transitioning to blue at the tips. She had random sparkles glued all over her tanned, athletic body, and she had tiny blue-and-white stars tattooed along the right side of her face. She wore sparkling white makeup around each eye, which was supposed to look like mist, I guess.
Tahoe waved her over.
The dancer slithered down toward us, and smirked. “Hey boys.” She rubbed a spot on her breasts just above her bikini top, suggestively circling her finger around the
Tahoe’s reflection smiled sadly. “You’re Rade Galaal. A man of dignity. A man of honor. More than a man. A MOTH.”
“I was,” I said. I looked so much older. Had my face always had so many lines? “But not anymore. I left a part of myself behind on Geronimo. And I’m never getting that part back. I feel hollow inside.”
“We all left a part of ourselves behind on that planet, Rade. We paid for our victory in blood.”
My eyes had a haunted look now. The same look I had seen in Alejandro, when he was alive. He’d watched his whole family get gunned down. I finally understood his pain. “Was it a victory? I thought it was a loss. We were bloodied, and we ran away with our tails between our legs. We should have attacked that alien ship. We should have blown it out of the skies.”
“If we’d tried that, none of us would be here today,” Tahoe said. “The deaths of our friends would have been for nothing.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t bear to look at myself anymore, so I lowered my gaze, and watched a drop of water trickle from my chin into the sink.
“You should really give the caterpillars a chance,” Tahoe said.
“No I shouldn’t.”
“They seem like good kids.” Kids. It was funny. They weren’t that much younger than us, though it seemed a lifetime separated us from them.
“They’ll never replace who we lost,” I said. “Never.”
“They don’t have to,” Tahoe said. “They only have to be there for us, when we need them most.”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes. “Just like I was there for Alejandro when he needed me most, right?”
I felt Tahoe’s hand on my shoulder. “Rade. You have to stop blaming yourself. I know it’s hard. Hell, I still blame myself from time to time, even all these months later. But I take consolation in the fact that Alejandro wouldn’t have wanted us to keep grieving like this. He would’ve wanted us to move on, and live our lives.”
And what about Shaw? I felt like saying. What would she have wanted? She died for us, too . . .
Instead I said, “Yeah Tahoe. I hear you.” I patted his hand, then lifted it from my shoulder. “Gotta start living.” I don’t think I sounded too convincing, but maybe he’d buy it and leave me alone.
“To that end, I believe it’s time you made some new female friends.” Tahoe dragged me from the restroom. I remembered a time when I called every restroom a “head” thanks to the indoctrination of Basic Training. Those were the good days. When Shaw and Alejandro were alive. Probably the best days of my life. Strange how when you’re living the best days of your life you don’t actually realize it at the time, not until it’s all over. And once you do realize it, you yearn for those moments more than anything, but they never come back. Not ever.
“Come on, Rade. We’re going to introduce you to Misty Mindy over here.” Tahoe pulled me toward one of the dancers, who was performing atop a nearby table.
I resisted. “I don’t want to meet Misty Mindy. I don’t want any new female friends.”
“Which is exactly why you have to do it,” Tahoe said. “Besides, you’re not going to be mere friends with Misty Mindy. When you’re done with her, the Rade Galaal charm will have converted her into a fan.”
He tore off his StripperAdvisor badge along with my own, then finished dragging me to the table where “Misty” was performing her little show.
She was dressed in a skimpy bikini. Her hair was dyed purple at the top, transitioning to blue at the tips. She had random sparkles glued all over her tanned, athletic body, and she had tiny blue-and-white stars tattooed along the right side of her face. She wore sparkling white makeup around each eye, which was supposed to look like mist, I guess.
Tahoe waved her over.
The dancer slithered down toward us, and smirked. “Hey boys.” She rubbed a spot on her breasts just above her bikini top, suggestively circling her finger around the
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