Perrin looked out upon a vast galaxy, as hundreds of thousands of stars burned bright all around him. He could sense vast power emanating throughout the universe, as though it was a part of him. He knew, somewhere deep within himself, that for whomever was able to harness that power, snuffing out this entire galaxy would be trivial. He shuddered. The thought sickened him to every fiber of his being.

Feeling a tug at the edge of his awareness, Perrin turned to his left, peering out into the galaxy's outer reaches. A small arm of the celestial mass seemed to be calling out to him and, searching within himself, he discerned that the source of this beckoning was indeed emanating from that very region. Willing himself into motion, Perrin suddenly shot through space towards that persistent, rapidly rising need.

As everything blurred around him, he felt the need increase as he approached a stark blue planet with 3 moons orbiting around it. Surveying the stark, azure expanse of the celestial body before him, he noted myriads of spacecraft hovering just above each land mass.

Something felt distinctly wrong about this situation.

Perrin moved closer to the suspicious ships, with nary a thought of being seen or detected (somehow he knew that if he wished to remain unseen, he would). Nearing one, a distinct sensation made it clear that power was starting to consolidate around the odd spacecraft's bow, and he quickly sensed that a similar gathering of power was occurring in the vicinity of every single ship he’d noticed during his approach. The planet’s blue glow filled his eyes once more as he scanned its entirety yet again, when suddenly a series of small rockets launched from its surface simultaneously.

This can’t be happening, Perrin thought.

Immediately, a melodious female voice pierced the silence all around him.

“There you are, my love!”

Perrin stiffened at the sound as waves of pleasure rolled through his entire being, enveloping him. Consuming him. That now-familiar feeling (as well as the mere presence of any sound at all in the vast expanse of space all around him) signified that it could only be one person.

Her.

Again.

How could she have found me here?

"Come now, Perrin, don't look so surprised. It wasn't even that difficult,” purred the voice, proudly.

Perrin froze, all expression departing from his face, as panic started to arise within. She can't read my mind, can she?

Their eyes met, the corners of her lips curling evermore with each increase in his discomfort.

"Yes, yes, I can,” said her wordless smirk, before she burst into sudden laughter.

Now becoming all too familiar with the sensation of being the butt end of one of her jokes, he averted his gaze to settle his view on the planet once more.

Having lost himself in that momentary mix of awkwardness and arousal, he’d almost forgotten about the ships, which still seemed to be gathering that power as the rockets careened through the atmosphere. Soon, tiny pods started to detach from each projectile and move swiftly away from them as flashes of brilliant light filled the surrounding areas. The pinpricks of light flashed even brighter as the pods reached a safe distance and suddenly disappeared.

As the one-sided laughter died down, Perrin turned back to the source of the achingly dulcet tones and really looked at their owner. Wild, raven strands of jet black hair strayed in every possible direction from her flawless, pale olive complexion so as to nearly blend in with the void of space all around her. Her features were so perfect, so impossibly refined that they seemed more apt to have been crafted by some master artisan than to have formed as some fluke result of a heritage of generations of increasingly breathtaking women. Most shocking of all were her eyes, vivid pools of cerulean blue tinged with shimmers of gold around the pupils and a depth of color such that you couldn’t definitively name a single hue that wasn’t contained somewhere amid the spectrum that sparkled within.

The two taut straps draped over her athletic shoulders suspended a white and gold dress that seemed to heaved while trying to contain her ample breasts, hugging her curves in a way that would give any man in the universe the ability to see through that cloth. She was taller than average, perhaps a few inches shy of Perrin’s 6’3”, but you’d never know it by the size of her monumental presence and the seemingly royal countenance that even her most childish taunting could not fully betray.

"Why are you here, Avaya?” Perrin asked as he struggled but succeeded in pulling his eyes away from her generous cleavage. Somehow he knew her name, though he’d never learned it and was puzzled as to how it had entered his mind. Her slender fingers wiped a tear from her cheek, where it had remained as the last remnant of her laughing fit.

“Don't be cross with me, my love,” came her response, and with an emphasis on the L-word in particular, which imparted a sensation akin to his brain doing a backflip. “If you had seen that look on your face, you would have found it just as humorous."

Looking out towards the planet, she grew more somber.

“No, I can't read your mind I’m afraid. But I can always find you."

The transient pangs of desire he’d felt in spite of himself a moment prior dissipated just as abruptly as they’d appeared, as that troubling sensation of need echoed through his body yet again. Suddenly he didn’t feel as patient with her prodding as he had moments before.

"What do you mean you can always find me?! I didn't even know I was going to be here until moments ago!” he snapped.

Avaya looked back at him and sighed in frustration.

“Why must we always have this same discussion, my love? Like it or not, we are bonded. I will always know where you are, no matter what plane or universe you travel to."

His stomach turned. At first he was unsure of what to attribute his frustration to, but he eventually settled upon that constant fear that something very terrible was about to happen as the cause. That constant need, always driving him towards some type of action, yet always disgusting him with his inaction mixed with the uncertainty of what he had to do, or how, or why. Something about rules flashed through his mind, staying his hand from action.

"Perrin, my love, you need to listen to me. I will be coming to retrieve you soon. You have been asleep for far too long... and the fact that I was able to find you again? And here, no less? It’s a sure sign that your power is returning," said Avaya.

Find me again? She always seems to show up wherever I am. Why? What is she talking about?

The power gathering at the bow of each black fleet ship came to a crescendo, and countless blue-white beams of light suddenly burst outward towards the planet. Feeling that the time to act was now, Perrin raised his right hand as if instinctively, placing his thumb and index finger together, and snapping them. Abruptly, all existence froze in place.

With his left hand, he reached out and slowly squeezed his fingers into a fist. The fleet of black spacecraft fell in upon themselves, crumbling and imploding as if they were being sucked into mini black holes. As the entire fleet of ships disappeared one by one, Perrin collected the energy of every single beam of light that had been screaming towards the planet only an instant before. Waving his right hand, he dispersed the energy away harmlessly. One more final snap of his fingers set time in motion once again, ticking forward without a visible sign that the fleet had ever even existed.

Finally, he felt some relief as the feeling of need started to recede in him, his thoughts slowing once more. Without warning, Avaya grabbed his arm and swiveled him around, pulled him straight up against her bosom and gripped his ass with those same slender fingers still moistened by her joyful tears. She placed her other hand at the back of his head and pulled him into a kiss, sending a shock of ecstatic pleasure through his soul.

All too soon, the suction which had sealed her sensuous lips to his was broken, and the moment had passed.

"Soon, love. Soon we'll be together again,” said Avaya, with more than a hint of longing melancholy. “Oh, how I’ve missed your touch, how we have all missed your touch. But no matter. Soon you will be back with us. Your rebirth is complete, and I am coming,"

Her last words resonated softly in Perrin’s mind, but all else seemed to fade to black.

*****

The blaring of an 80's classic rock station on a cheap clock radio abruptly jerked Perrin awake. Disoriented, his fumbling hand explored his nightstand instinctively until he could finally tap the alarm off and put an end to the excruciating racket which had stolen the only fleeting moments of tenderness he ever experienced these days. The familiar feeling of emptiness washed over him, as it always did after "the dream."

Fighting the urge to slip back into the temptation of a perfect snooze, he begrudgingly rolled out of bed, and was greeted by an involuntary stretch which freed his muscles from their respective stiffness. After thoughtlessly donning his workout clothes, grabbing his running shoes, and walking out the door, he plopped down on the steps of his fifth wheel and peered through squinted eyes at the pre-dawn light, which was flickering over every exposed surface in the RV park while he laced up.

Perrin loved morning runs. He had been doing this same routine since he left the service. Even in college he still woke up to go for his runs, even on the mornings when a hangover tried to claw him back into the previous night. His time in the military had taught him many unique skills, some very respectable and some... not so much. The art of relieving his stomach contents while on the run probably fell in the latter department. It had also taught him that socks could save his ass while running.

He couldn’t help but chuckle as the many memories of his squadmates (falling back into the formation from the woods with one sock missing) flooded back to him as he started his warm-up calisthenics.

“Mr. A, good morning to ya!” came a voice from the RV next door.

“Good morning to you, Mr. Johnston,” Perrin called back.

Old man Johnston was always up when Perrin went for his morning runs. Rain or shine. He was a simple man who had decided to retire with his wife Susan 10 years ago to sell their house, buy an RV, and travel the country. Old man Johnston could be found in the same place every morning, sipping his coffee and reading the day’s paper.

“Be careful out there this morning! I saw someone snooping around last night. I called it in, mind you, but they disappeared before the officer made it here.”

Perrin frowned and considered the old man's words. Mr. Johnston was sharp, and he missed very little. If he thought he saw someone, Perrin believed him.

“Someone casing the joint? Around what time did you see them? Do you know where they were snooping?” Perrin asked.

Mr. Johnston tipped his coffee cup, trickling some more of his strong brew into his mouth.

“About an hour after midnight, I suppose. Damn prostate was acting up, I had to take a piss and I heard somethin’ moving outside so I decided to take a peek out the window. They were walking around, RV to RV with some type of device in their hand. When they were almost to your lot, I flipped the porch light on, hoping to scare ‘em off. Didn’t see them after that, and like I said, the officer that took the call couldn’t find anything.”

“Did you get a good look at them?” asked Perrin.

“Didn’t have my glasses on, but it looked like a man with long, dark hair wearing dark clothes. Don’t quote me on that. Can’t see much nowadays without my bottle caps.”

That’s odd, thought Perrin. Why would anyone bother snooping around this RV park? Nothing much worth stealing here other than some cheap grills. Perrin shook his head.

“Crazy world. I’ll keep an eye out from now on. Next time you see something, you give me a call.”

“Ain’t that the truth. Will do, Mr. A. Enjoy your run,” old man Johnston said, already back to his coffee and paper.

The RV park was nicely placed near a small lake that happened to have the perfect 1-mile running trail around it. Perrin was feeling good this morning and thought he could probably get in 6 or 7 laps before he had to get ready for work.

Finishing his last stretch, he started to jog towards the trail, picking up speed as he went. Thoughts of the stranger and the dream started to slip from his mind as the blind focus of following his route set in.

About halfway into the run, he found himself clenching his ass cheeks and scrambling on his tippy toes to find somewhere to relieve himself. Coming back out of the woods, five minutes later and one sock short, he chuckled.

Yep, socks will save your ass.

Before he knew it, he was finished. Feeling refreshed, and with a touch of runner’s high giving him that giddy feeling, Perrin opened his door and made his way to the bathroom to take care of the morning shit, shower, and shave routine. Thirty minutes later, he was grabbing a bagel out of the toaster and walking out the door to his truck.

Pulling out of the RV park, he hesitantly made his way to the place he loathed more than anything: Core Incorporated™.

Perrin had double-majored in computer programming and mathematics. He’d always had a way with numbers and algorithms, doing calculations in his head so quickly it baffled his professors. So both majors made sense to him, and since Core had designed all the operating systems for practically every computer on the planet, the job had seemed ideal. And truth be told, it had actually started out pretty great. Perrin and his soon-to-be-wife Addison had first moved to Rangton City because both had gotten jobs at the prestigious Core Inc. straight out of college, and it had seemed like a dream come true. Meeting the love of his life shortly after finishing his tour of duty, graduating from college together, and getting good jobs in the same city? What more could a man want?

Then, three years in, the "dreams" had started...

At first, they were just odd, almost fantasy-like, happening maybe once a month. But as time went on, the dreams came more frequently, and were no longer limited to nighttime. He had begun to fall asleep at work no matter how much rest he’d gotten the night before. He had zero control over it, but he sure got chewed out for it nonetheless.

Still, that was mostly manageable, but it was that constant feeling of loss when he woke up that was most unsettling. The feeling of going from being so much more, so powerful, to being utterly inconsequential in comparison, was torturous.

And then, of course, there was her.

One day that stunningly beautiful woman had started showing up to watch him on the stage of that strange theater of dreams, and although he could never really remember what they talked about, every dream always ended the same after that.

“I’m coming...”

As time went on, his life slowly started falling apart. All his efforts to maintain the relationship through the rough patch be damned, Addison could still feel the unspoken disconnect, and eventually she had decided to postpone the wedding date, as he became more and more distracted by the dreams and the lack of sleep. And to be honest, he couldn’t blame her, although he’d put up a decent charade of protest. He'd even gone to see a physician, thinking he might have some kind of narcolepsy or some traumatic brain injury, some kind of psychotic blind spot from his time in the sandbox. But they found nothing out of the ordinary.

Then, as if his life wasn’t getting bad enough, Brad mother fucking Getty showed up in his life.

Brad had only been hired at Core because his father was one of the company's board of directors, but the little shit was instantly promoted to a manager's position with a fat salary shortly after starting. At first Perrin hadn’t had a problem with that. Of course, all the cliches applied: ‘life isn’t always about what you know but who you know’. It wasn’t Brad’s fault “daddy" was able to pull some strings in the company. Perrin knew deep down that he would taken advantage of the same thing, and he decided quickly that it was stupid to think otherwise. It made sense to use the gifts given to you and seek an advantage, any man would. But being a douche canoe because of those gifts is a different story.

Brad eventually became a manager over Addison's department, and so began her constant complaints about him and his bullshit. Perrin had barely paid attention, though. At the time, he hadn't been in the best place, too unsettled by the dreams overwhelming him day and night. It wasn’t uncommon for him to experience more than 5 episodes over the course of a single day.

Then, one day, they just abruptly stopped. Nothing, nada, no more dreams. He actually started feeling normal again. But as always, life had other plans.

***

One day, Perrin had decided to leave work early to tend to Addison because she was out sick. Her health wasn’t doing so great and she seemed to be getting sick quite often lately, but Perrin couldn’t be sure if it was real sickness from the stress of her job, or just needing a break from her asshole manager breathing down her neck. Perrin wanted to surprise her with some soup and get-well flowers. As he walked into the apartment, he heard muffled voices in the back towards his bedroom, so he knew she’d be up watching TV. He sauntered on back to surprise her, but what he saw through the open bedroom door was a scene out of his nightmares: the sight of Brad’s pasty ass pounding away as the love of his life begged for more between moans.

A man possessed, Perrin had calmly turned around and walked towards the front of the apartment, as a hand that seemed like it belonged to someone else gripped the slugger he kept by the door, his rage mounting.

"Fuck me... mmph... harder Brad. Unnh. Yes baby, oh g.... it's so... yes.. YES!!" came the guttural moans escaping from Addison’s throat. Every word cut a black pit deeper into his center. Her howls of pleasure hollowed him out to his core and filled it with a violent fury so vast that it wasn’t clear where he ended and the rage began.

He made it back to the door again, overcome by those visions that would become seared into his mind, leaving deadwood in the place of the passionate bond they’d spent years growing. Seeing that fucking piece of human shit on top of his fiancée in the throes of animalistic ecstasy broke something in him, goading him to enter the door. Yet as soon as he took his first step past the door frame, he suddenly felt nothing at all. No anger. No jealousy. Something just shattered inside him. All emotion had ceased to be, leaving a cold nothingness in their wake.

Turning around, he walked back to the living room, sat calmly on the couch, and dialed a moving company. He wasn’t sure what he’d do, but he was sure this place wasn’t part of his life anymore.

***

Insult to injury, the dreams had come back in full force after that. But Perrin didn’t even care anymore. It was perfect in a way. Just… so like his life lately. After all, why wouldn't they come back, right after they’d finally wrecked his life to a hell of his own creation?

Perrin shook himself out of that dangerous thought process, because he already knew so well where it leads, and finished his bagel as he pulled into work.

No reason to think of that shit show anymore. It's done, and it's not worth my time. I’ll forget about it soon, he lied to himself.

Stepping out of the truck and brushing the crumbs off his tie, he looked at the reflection of himself in the driver-side window, not as enamored with the appearance of the tall, broad-shouldered athletic man with the shaggy dark black hair and cerulean blue eyes leering back at him as he might have been before life had knocked him down so many pegs lately.

Still, despite his world going to shit, his appearance was clean and professional. His old military habits would never allow his clothing to reflect his inner turmoil. He took one final deep breath of freedom, sighed deeply, and strolled into work to punch the old clock yet again.