I felt completely hollow as I unlocked the door to my apartment, tossing the keys onto the table before I grabbed a beer out of the fridge. As promised, Issak paid me for Asurah's delivery, though, I didn't care that I now had fifty thousands dollars in my account. No amount of money could fill the void that only Asurah could fill. Hell, in my opinion, Asurah was worth much more than fifty thousand. He was completely priceless, and I let him get away.
Shaking my head as I drank my beer, I walked into the living room, smiling softly when I saw my mother watching tv, her white hair thinning and her brown eyes fixed on the show in front of her. I walked over to her and knelt down, watching her look at me in surprise.
"Joseph? My god boy! Where did you run off too? Do you know how worried I was when you didn't come home?!" She screeched, pulling me into a tight hug.
I hugged her back, letting her squeeze me tightly before she pulled away, cupping my face in her hands. "I have so much to tell you, Ma. You'll probably not believe your ears."
"My goodness! Have you finally found someone?"
I smiled sadly, moving away from her to sit on the couch. I pictured Asurah's face in my head, his sweet smile and kind white eyes. His lyrical laugh and the way he would swish his hips as he walked. I wasn't in love with him...at least, I didn't think so. I was infatuated with him, sure. And I maybe liked him more than a friend. But love? It was a little too soon for love. Love needed time to blossom, and I had only known him for a little over a week.
"Joseph?"
I blinked, pulling out of my thoughts as I looked at my mother, who was staring at me in worry. I furrowed my brow, then felt blood rush into my face as I realized I was crying, the tears streaming down my face as I remembered Asurah. "I'm so stupid, Ma. I let him go. I let him go because I was too much of a wuss to go against my orders."
"Orders? What in the world are you talking about?"
I broke. I told her all about my time on Glacion, how I crashed with my comrades and was taken in by the creatures of the planet. I told her about Asurah, about his extra thick skin, and his ear holes, and how he would get too hot if he wore too much. I told her about our time at the Hewon Ball, how Asurah got drunk and revealed how his parents died because of love. I also told her about his aversion to the emotion, and how I started to fall for him the longer we knew one another. I told her about the mission, how I was supposed to drug him and take him to Issak, or else my mother would be brutally murdered. I let my walls down, pouring my heart into each syllable that left my mouth.
My Ma was silent for a moment, before she looked at me sadly and pulled me against her, wrapping her arms around me. "Sounds like this guy has you totally whipped."
I snorted, pulling one of my legs up on the couch. "Yeah. You know Ma, I still remember those stories you used to tell me about the prince and princess falling and love, and how they lived happily ever after. Well, I found my princess...not that he's a princess, he's literally a king...but I let him go. I had to choose between you and him, and how could I do that? It's unfair."
"Choices are hard to make, Jo. Sometimes you have to choose what's in your heart. If you love this Asurah so much...you should probably go get him back."
I smiled sadly at my mother, resting my head onto my knee as my mother stared at me with warm chocolate eyes. "Ma, I couldn't choose him over you. I may...have feelings for this guy, but you've been there for me when everyone turned their backs on me. You're the only one who believed in me."
My mother waved me off, rolling her eyes at me. "I'm nearing my end, Jo. I already don't have much time left on this planet, so what's the difference in me dying now, rather than later?"
"Ma, come on-"
"I ain't lying, boy. You should go after Asurah. You made the mistake of letting him go, so it's your job to rescue him. I'll worry about McPisspants. If he wants to tango, I may be old, but I still can crush those grape nuts of his."
I snorted, unable to help myself as I laughed, shaking my head at my mother. "You gonna crush his...you know what? No. I hurt just thinking about it." I shivered, scrunching up my nose dramatically for affect, making my mother roll her eyes and smack my arm.
A few hours later my mother went to bed, threatening me that I better start coming up with a plan on how to save Asurah, or else she was gonna whoop me. I of course laughed, which earned me another smack in my arm, before she hugged me and disappeared into her room. And so I lay in my bed, my room as barren as always with only a few necessities. I tried thinking about how to get Asurah out of Issak's grasp. Talking to my mother had opened up a new door, a new future, and I wasn't going to screw this up. Maybe I could explain to Asurah, why I did what I did. If he didn't forgive me...I would accept that. Because I couldn't forgive myself either, for the wrong I had committed. I was at fault, and I accepted that. And since I was at fault, it was my job to get Asurah out of there, protect him from god knows what's being done to him. Perhaps...once this was all behind us, I would take my mother with me and move once and for all to Glacion. Perhaps Asurah and I could start a life together. It was probably wishful thinking on my end, but I wanted more than anything for Asurah to smile again.
I sighed, running my fingers through my curly hair, a trait that I got from my mother. Now, how to break into one of the most guarded bases on Earth...I could dress up as one of the workers...no, that wouldn't work. Issak would spot me from a mile away with my looks. I tried thinking of other methods of breaching the main building, but everything ended up with me either A) becoming a test subject myself or B) getting killed and leaving Asurah to be tortured in that hell hole.
I groaned, standing up to pace around my room. I tried thinking about a way to hack into their system, but nothing came up. Their computer system was extremely secure, with thousands of firewalls only the best of hackers can get through. I was nowhere near on that level of knowledge, since I was more brawn than brain. The only thing I could think of was the disguise. And I had absolutely no idea on how to disguise myself from Issak's prying eyes. I was too buff to even begin to look anything like a woman, so dressing as a female was a no go. The only one who would be able to pull that off would be Asurah, and he was the one I was trying to save.
Kind of like a damsel in distress, I mused, pausing before shaking my head. Now isn't the time for that. I scratched at my beard, blinking before I stroked it, already hating the idea. Maybe if I shaved my beard, and styled my hair to look straight...I could maybe make it through. Maybe even wear some obnoxious glasses to look more...sciency. I knew a few people with lab coats, so that could be an option too. I would have to go to the file room in order to find where Asurah was located...if they put him on file. I was sure that it was going to take a while before I managed to find it since I wasn't really computer savvy, though...I knew that my companion Olivia was rather good in the technology section. And Jack could help me as well by being our eyes while Olivia hacked through the system. Of anyone I knew, I was sure that Olivia was talented enough that she would be able to bypass the firewalls.
As my plan became more solidified, I grabbed my tablet off of my dresser, typing in the numbers of my companions, waiting until their faces stared back at me holographically, both of them tired as they looked at me curiously.
"Captain? Why are you calling us so late? Is there something going on?" Jack asked, his brow furrowed as strands of his hair fell into his eyes.
I nodded, glancing at Olivia before I gave them a serious look, making them straighten up. "We're going on a rescue mission."