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CHAPTER 8 Haunting memories

The smell of smoke and melting metal engulfed the gigantic ship. More unsettling was the smell of blood in the air. Chaos now overwhelmed the peace that Canis Major once had. There was no place to go... What had seemed to be the safest place in the universe was now a death trap...

Running terrified through the once serene corridors of her Zone, a female Evo carried her youngster. With only five months old, the little one was still a baby, but he was grown enough to walk around and be aware of his surroundings. Old enough to know that there was danger all around them at that moment.

The fear of those few that were around them was transmitted to the young one. His ancient wild instinct told him that something was dreadfully wrong.

Having nowhere else to go, the female hid in her room, closing the door behind her. She wished that the others could be there with her, but to this point, she wasn't even aware of who was alive or who wasn't.

Through all the yelping and the smell of blood that became ever increasing, she had no choice but to hide for the sake of her son. The young one could only feel the intense heartbeat of his mother as she held him tight... At that point, they just sat down on the floor, waiting for the inevitable...

The fearsome growls of their friends and family outside the room rapidly turned into cries of agony. There was nothing but silence after that...

Behind the door, a heavy metallic noise got closer ...The female Evo looked at her young to the eyes and licked him on the nose. She smiled at him. If those were their last moments, she wanted her young to remember her being happy...Wrapping him in the sheets of their bed was the last option to protect her puppy...

"Close your eyes and cover your ears, baby... We will fall asleep soon." The female Evo said. "I love you, Lay..." A tear fell from the mother's eye into the young's muzzle before she completely covered him.

The door started to fail as the impacts that fell into it got stronger. It didn't hold for long... Covered completely under thick sheets, with his head covered by a pillow, the puppy heard how his mother's growling soon ceased into a faint cry...

It was all over...

For days, he stayed under the sheets, crying in confusion and fear... What had attacked them was gone, but so was his home, his family... his mother...

"Lay... LAY!"

Waking up from those horrible nightmares that haunted a male Malamute-Wolf Evo, he found himself sitting in the breakfast bar of his room. He just wondered for how long he'd been there.

"Lay, what happened? What are you doing here?" A grayish male Chihuahua looked very concerned as he woke the black and white Malamute.

The Malamute tried to answer, but his mind was confused at that moment. He was still half asleep. His nightmare was too vivid, still merged with reality for a few seconds. He looked around him, scratching his eyes.

"I don't know, Laser. I couldn't sleep last night..." He answered with his deep and raspy voice, while staring at an empty cup and a milk carton besides it. "I guess... I had a cup of milk or something..." The cup was never filled, as it was clean.

"Lay, my friend..." The Chihuahua gave him a quick hug and a lick on the cheek. He was very concerned for his friend Lay. "Come here, buddy. You need to have some sleep."

"No, no. It's ok. I'm fine. What time is it?"

"It's passed seven thirty. You can still sleep for an hour or two. Come on." Laser insisted.

"I said I'm fine. I don't want to sleep anymore." Lay replied. The harsh tone in the last few words gave Laser a hint of what was going on.

"You had that dream again, right?"

Lay just sighed, grabbed the milk carton and read through the ingredients, though he was just dragging his sight over the words without actually reading anything. His hand-paws were shaking...

"Lay, please tell m..."

"YES! I did..." Lay yelled, cutting through Laser's words and smashing the milk carton on the table.

No more words came from both Evos for a good minute. Laser softly petted Lay's head and neck, and decided that his friend needed some time to recover. This wasn't the first time it happened.

"My mother..." Lay faintly uttered before Laser almost stepped out of the room.

"What, Lay?"

"My mother... It has been a long time since I haven't had this dream..."

"What do you mean, Lay?" Laser approached his buddy.

"I had that dream of when I was a youngling..." Lay replied. "It has never been this vivid, Laser... "

"Lay... You mean that you had that dream of what happened in the first attack?" Laser sat on the stool that was next to Lay's, got really close to him and started caressing his friend's belly in hopes that the soothing contact could calm him down.

"I could hear her voice, Laser... That has never happened before." Lay couldn't hold his tears. The trauma that he had suffered not only once, but twice was haunting him once again.

"It's ok, Lay. It's over."

"Just when I thought the nightmares where gone..."

"Come on, Lay. You need to get out of here and stretch you legs. I'll bring you some clothes."

Poor Lay had been sitting there without any clothes, for who know how long. His fur was cold due to the low temperatures of Canis Major. Laser grabbed his buddy's favorite attire and after a couple of minutes Lay was dressed and ready to go.

While walking around their Zone, Laser still could notice how Lay's eyes looked lost in an empty gaze. He was walking forward, but not going anywhere in reality. Lay always had problems dealing with his past, but sometimes it got really bad, like in this occasion.

"Want something to eat, Lay?"

There was no immediate response from the Malamute.

"Lay?" The Chihuahua insisted.

"Where's Lya?" Lay asked as if not listening to Laser.

"Lya?" Laser questioned Lay. With the worried tone in which Lay asked, it was now more obvious how he was lost in his thoughts at that moment. "Your daughter is fine, my friend. She woke up really early. I actually though you woke up with her."

"Where is she?"

"She's ok, Lay. I think she is with Ben and Bebe. You know she's always around them learning stuff."

Both walked through the Zone until they reached the study room. A male Saint Bernard, a female Rough Collie and a female white spitz Evocanis where inside checking some things in the Zone's main computer. The white spitz dog swiftly turned around when she sensed Lay and Laser approaching.

"Laser? Dad?" she asked with a big smile. She got up and ran to hug both the Chihuahua and the Malamute. Even while the cute white Evo wagged her tail vigorously and licked them, Lay barely let out a grin.

"Hi, Lya." Laser greeted her happily. "Ben, Bebe." He then greeted the Saint Bernard and the Collie.

"Good morning, guys." The male Saint Bernard greeted Laser back. The female Collie also saluted them.

Ben the Saint Bernard and Bebe the Collie were the ones in charge of the Zone where Lya, Lay and Laser lived. Bebe usually took care of all the technical aspects, while Ben was the main medic.

"I love you so much, Lay." Lya said while she kept on hugging her father. But she let him go when she sensed that something was going on with Lay. "Something wrong?" She questioned him.

"Nothing... Don't worry. I'm just tired..." He replied. His tone made it clear that somehow he didn't want to discuss it anymore. "What are you doing up so early?" He quickly evaded the subject.

"Just hanging around with Ben and Bebe."

"Like always." Lay replied with a mild chuckle.

"We actually received some great news. You won't believe it!" She suddenly looked very exited as her almost black eyes shined.

"And what is... Hey, wait!" Lay asked curiously as he was yanked to where the main computer was.

"Tell him." Lya directed to Ben and Bebe.

"Well, it's nothing really ... It's about what the D.E Development crew has been doing the last couple of days." Ben replied, though hesitating about something.

"The D.E crew..." Lay uttered somewhat irritated. He turned away and went outside the study room.

"Lay, it's nothing bad, really... Lay!" Bebe tried to stop him, but failed.

"It's fine, Bebe. I'll talk with him." Laser stopped the worried Collie. "He had one of those dreams, and I don't think that he can put up with things regarding the D.E Project right now."

Laser immediately walked outside to find Lay sitting in one of the couches that were scattered around the Zone.

"Lay, what happened? It's just some beautiful pictures that they sent to all Canis Major. There's nothing wrong with that. You should see them."

"You know what I think about the D.E Project, Laser."

"Why are you so skeptical with the whole D.E Project thing?"

"I've told you many times. Canis Major is the safest place we can be at this moment. Yet, some of us insist on going out where the danger is at." Lay replied irritated.

"But they are doing it for the future of Canis Major. It's a calculated risk. Everything has been planned in the past years alongside the Retcans."

"What future?! We are safe now, don't you get it? I appreciate the intentions of that Evo called K9 and the Retcans, but they are sending all of those other Evos to their death."

"Don't say that Lay... They are not doing such a thing. No Evo could be capable of doing such a horrible thing, neither the Retcans. Remember that they were the ones that saved us a decade ago."

"Then what are they doing? Look at the D.E team! Those Evos are no older than Lya. They have no idea what they are getting into."

"They are just volunteers for testing everything in the D.E Cruiser. They won't be there forever. They will be replaced by older, more experienced Evos."

"Like who, Laser? You and me?!" Lay replied with a sarcastic chuckle.

"... We could be of some help, you know..."

"So that's your plan. You are going to join the D.E Project! I'm sorry, but Lya and I are not going to be part of this." Lay yelled.

"Well, brother. I'm not staying here and wait for those monsters to return and attack us again. I would like to be there in the first line of defense. You and I know what happened a decade ago. We saw it... we were part of it... I don't want that to happen again! You are contradicting yourself all the time, Lay. You are against our new defense methods, yet you don't want THAT to happen again. You are in denial, my friend. You think that if we forget about everything and stay here in Canis Major ignoring the constant threats of the universe, everything is going to be fine. Yet I know you are in constant fear that we might be attacked again. And I know that there is something inside you that wants to fight for that not to happen... That 'something' is the Lay that I knew a decade ago."

For a moment, both didn't say anything. Until Lay's eyes started to fill with tears...

"I saw how my mate died in front of me. Just like I heard my mother's death..."

"I know, Lay... I'm sorry. But I lost everything that day also just like many of us... I saw my mate, my family and one of my younglings get killed also. My other son was abducted by those machines, right in front of me, without me being able to do anything about it. How can you think that I'm going to stay here not doing anything, when I know that my puppy might still be alive, lost who knows where?!" Laser almost jumped on top of Lay, putting his muzzle right against Lay's. Hyperventilated, he continued to confront his friend.

"How can you think I can live with myself with the thought that he watched his father not being able to do anything as he was crying for my help?" He said with his voice completely broken at this point. Calming down after a few seconds, he backed off. "I have hope, Lay. And that gives me peace. I will not stay here."

Laser was usually very serene, but his voice was completely broken after remembering what he went through those horrific incidents. He's a really strong Evo, but an experience like that will always leave scars.

"I was waiting for the correct moment to tell you, Lay." He confessed, now with his usual serene demeanor back. "But I guess this is the time. I will join D.E1... This is the only chance for me to find my son Cash. Although part of me feels that he didn't make it, part of me tells me that he's alive. I love you with all my heart, Lay. And I love Lya as if she was my own daughter... You two have been my family, and everything I got now. But as Cash's father it is my duty to look for him, and the D.E Project is the only thing that can help me on doing so. I'll understand if you don't want to join me."

Lay didn't respond. His trauma was fighting with his guilt of not being able to help his friend; that friend that loved him and his daughter so much. Part of him knew that it wasn't fair. He knew that he was being selfish...

But his traumas were taking a huge toll on his sanity. His mind was scrambled with feelings and emotions. He felt trapped in his own body.