NightwingThe Soul Mate

Michael awoke to the sound of his alarm clock on the bright Tuesday morning sun. He went online as usual to check his mail and investments and then put on a pair of pants. Michael wasn’t a happy man as he had just broken up with someone he had deep feelings for, while on the Internet the night before and it was weighing heavily on him. Just as he was heading for the door he heard an alert beep from his computer. Someone sent him a letter on his private account. He wasn’t sure who it could be after all only his close friends knew how to send things in his private password protected account and he pondered. Then it hit him all at once, it must be Nightwing, she was the only one who would send him a letter at this time of day. Night Wing was his Internet chat-date the woman who had broken up with him. They had met many months ago online and just started talking. He had fallen in love with her but she told him she couldn’t talk to him anymore because he was falling in love with her. In the conversation Mike had confessed his love and asked her to meet and she had told him she couldn’t handle things the way they were and went offline. However only a week before he had told her if she ever needed to contact him she could use the account and had given her the password. He eagerly opened the letter on the screen and started to read tears almost falling from his face as he waited to see what she had to say.

Dear Michael,

I am sorry for saying the things I did last night. I have fallen as deeply in love with you as much as you have with me and I’m sorry for the pain I caused. I have decided to share my secret with you even if it means you hating me for it. Please understand that I must know you are alone when you come. Me and my friends are not like everyone else, we are different. If you want to meet go to the rear side of the Cammader pier warehouse at eleven o’clock tonight. No matter what happens remember I love you and you fell in love with me so its time I told you the truth. If you decide not to do this I will understand and please take care.

Sincerely,

Nightwing

Michaels tears of joy flowed from his eyes as he began to jump and yell. He hadn’t scared her away after all and he was going to meet her besides. It was the best day of his life, and all he had to do was show up and finally meet the woman he loved. He already knew her voice, she had sent him an audio clip and he loved it. Her voice was soft and gentle with a soothing tone that he adored. Michael began to plan, everything had to be perfect for the meeting and he had to be perfect for her.

Michael went out and bought a new suit, black with a red tie and gold cufflinks. He had his stylist do his hair and wore a black top hat with gold trim. Brand new loafers were on his feet and a long dark blue trench coat covered his personage as he left his final shop a flower and fruits boutique that had wonderful displays. A dozen red roses and a box of dates were under his coat as he walked to the rear of the large warehouse that evening.

The Warehouse lights were dim and the chipped white paint on its walls were eerie to look at. The night sky was dark as it rained in the darkness a light fog beginning to form. It was warm as the summer nights normally were and even the heavy rain barely broke the silence. A foghorn from a near by lighthouse sounded the eleven o’ clock chime and he wondered if she would show. He could still hear her voice from the recording she had sent and wondered why she didn’t want to meet. At midnight he decided she probably wouldn’t show. As he walked back to his car he started to cry. What had he done to lose her, he was always kind and loving nothing she had ever said would indicate she didn’t like him and yet she stood him up after dumping him in the first place. As his thoughts wandered he dropped the flowers and the dates on the ground and continued to the door of his car. He opened the door and got in starting the ignition. He noticed a shadow in his mirror and turned his head only to find a gun at his temple.

“What the hell! What do you want?” he said surprised and panicked.

“Its me Michael, Nightwing”

“But, But, why are you pointing a gun at my head,” he staggered for words.

“Just sleep and soon I’ll answer all your questions,” the voice said softly.

Michael felt a prick in his neck and then began to felt tired. In a panic as his vision began to blur he knocked the gun from Night Wings hand and turned around. All he was able to see was a shape with brown skin and yellow eyes before he blacked out.

Michael began to awake and realized he was bound to a chair. His arms were tied behind him and a blindfold stunted his sight. He had not made a sound and was quick to realize he wasn’t alone so he just listened.

“How could you bring him here he’s a danger to all of us.” A male voice said.

“But I had to you don’t understand I know I can trust him if I can talk to him” Nightwing said.

“That’s not the point you should have talked to all of us first if he tells anyone about our hiding place were all finished. We can’t run from the government when we are dead.” A female voice said.

“Please Lisa, I love him, I’m sorry I brought him but I had to if I didn’t I wouldn’t have been able to talk or see him again,” Nightwing began to cry.

A sigh followed as he could hear a movement, “I understand, lets just see what we’re dealing with at least you picked a good looking one, snappy dresser too.”

Michael decided to speak, “I understand why you did this but don’t worry I’m not going to tell anyone, just please let me live.”

The female voice started to laugh, “relax pal I don’t kill people I’m just a scientist.”

“You two go back with the others for a while I need to talk to him, alone”

Michael heard strange footsteps coming towards him and tensed.

“I hope you still love me Michael, I never wanted it to go this way but it has to. I’ll be in the next room and don’t worry Dr. Lisa won’t hurt you she cares for all of us.”

“Thank you, Nightwing, Could you tell me one thing before you go?” he asked softly.

“Of course I will, I owe you more than just an answer,” Nightwing replied.

“What is your real name?” Michael asked.

“Its Nightwing, I didn’t use an alias. You’ll understand more after the doctor talks to you. If you want to talk afterwards I’ll be waiting in the main room.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you after this?”

“You’ll understand in a few minutes.”

Michael heard the foot steps go through a door and then a second set followed. He heard one last set head towards him and then felt fingers remove the blindfold from his face. Before him stood an older woman probably in her early forties with red hair and a look of agitation on her brow. She wasn’t bad looking and had a decant enough face except for a strange thing on her head just under her hair. He couldn’t make out what it was her hair hid it relatively well and he was still a little dazed from the drugs.

The voice was firm and assertive, but not mean or violent sort of like a scolding mother, “Look I am Dr. Lisa Selvon formally of the U.S. genetics research division. Everyone here in this old warehouse is family to me, and most of them think of me as a mother. As such I am the parent you have to deal with if you hurt any of them. Unfortunately your situation is my fault, I should have never given Nightwing my laptop so she could chat with people online but I worked for the government I’m bound to make mistakes. Now I need you to keep an extremely open mind as you listen to me because Nightwing is like a daughter to me and I know she loves you, and I don’t want her to be hurt. First I think we’re both going to need a drink,” Lisa walks over and takes a couple of glasses off a shelf with a bottle of whiskey, “I’ll undo those ropes and then we can drink.”

They sat a table and Lisa began to speak while Mike just played with his cup of whiskey. He wanted to listen and hoped he’d understand after all he was a stock broker not a physicist.

“Lets see where to begin. Well I’ll leave the long story to Nightwing I’ll give you the short version. I was working on a project for the perfect soldier. We combined animal test subjects with human DNA creating hybrids with the intelligence of a human soldier and varied features of animal life. In an accident I was hit with a retrovirus that deformed my ear and killed two of my colleges. When they saw the result they decided they wanted me to make a batch of the virus for germ warfare but I refused. All my research data was destroyed in the accident and I destroyed all samples of my work before they could get there hands on it. Unfortunately this meant I was the only source of the virus. It still is in my system it’s just dormant. Well anyway they told my children to kill me and bring my body back and they found my children were loyal to me. Nightwing and the others rescued me and we all fled into hiding six years ago. We have been in this place for almost three and its home now until they find us.”

Michael was in disbelief and at this point very confused, “So let me get this straight the woman I fell in love with is a genetic experiment and your all wanted by the government so they can make a biological weapon? I’m sorry but this is a little ridiculous.” He stood and started to walk towards the door.

The doctor began to laugh, “OK but if you change your mind I’ll be here.”

Michael opened the door and almost fainted as he saw an amazing array of creatures that defied nature. He started to go into panic. All the creatures were humanoid but had fur and animal looks. A skunk, badger and bear were playing poker at a table and a fox and rabbit were watching a TV on an old couch. There were two otters at another table arm wrestling and then there was a bat hanging from the ceiling asleep. He quickly turned around his jaw hanging wide open and his mind frozen like a computer at a windows blue screen of death. The doctor got up and walked over to Mike and moved her hair from her side showing her ear to have fur almost resembling that of a cat. This was too much for him to take and he fell forward as he fainted.

Michael awoke again this time though he was not completely shocked when he saw the furry creatures around him.

“Give him some room to breath! Lisa is he hurt?” a bat creature was over him a muzzle looking down at him.

“Don’t worry honey I think he’ll be ok but it may be a little while before he can talk.”

“I, I, I, I’m sure what’s going on but I think I’m not feeling well,” Mike managed to studer as his mind swam in a pool of disbelief and fear. He got to his feet and moved to a wall slowly moving to a corner and then finally huddling in it wondering what he had gotten into.

“Ok let me rationalize this I am surrounded with strange animals and a doctor from a bad sci-fi movie. I am nuts how the fuck could I rationalize this!” he said to himself, “What the fuck am I doing, I’m in an old abandoned warehouse with monster animals.”

The doctor stood next to the bat letting it hug her as it cried. The doctor just sighed and looked at her hugging her like a mother to her daughter.

“Don’t worry if he loves you he’ll come around, if he doesn’t you don’t need him.”

“Wait a minute! Your Nightwing you are the one I’ve been chatting with online all this time,” Michael stood his finger pointing at Nightwing. His face was completely filled with both shock and perplexity.

“Yes Michael it’s me I’m Nightwing, I’m the one you have talked to so long and wanted to meet,” she broke away from the doctor and stomped over, “I loved you and all you can say is that I’m a monster that you hardly even believe in! I hate you! I hate all humans,” Nightwing hit Him with her clawed fingers taking a small chunk of the shirt he was wearing apart. Then she turned and flew out an open upper door still crying.

Michael fell to his knees he was beginning to understand it was all real and none of it made sense. Lisa walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I think after she calms down she’ll understand.”

Michael suddenly realized the gravity of his feelings and looked up. He still loved her he thought to himself. He had a realization it wasn’t her looks or her social status that he loved, it wasn’t that she was supposedly rich or was an heir to a fortune. It was her herself that he fell in love with, the way she talked and the way she loved him as much as he had loved her. Her charming personality and humor had lured him in and taken him with emotion. He began to cry and stood.

“I need to talk to her, where did she go?” he said with a stern voice.

“Why do you want to talk to her, I think it would be better to wait,” Lisa said.

“No this can’t wait! I need to talk to her now, where the hell did she go?” he was raising his voice his tears starting to dry on his face.

“I’m not going to tell you dam it you have no reason to go!” everyone looked over at them from where they were as the doctor raised her voice.

“I need to tell her something and I won’t wait! I am not going to wait, Now tell me where the fuck she went!” he yelled and moved forward.

Many of the others were now moving closer to protect the doctor their fangs and growls only made him more insistent he wasn’t going to wait for anything.

“Why do you need to talk to her? Tell me and I may tell you and everyone take a seat!”

The others scrambled to there chairs and couches as told not wanting to anger her.

“Because I love her and I’m not going to wait for her to decide she can never love a stupid man who made a mistake. I won’t lose her twice,” A tear fell from his eye.

The doctor was shocked by his reaction, as was everyone else. It took her a moment to regain her composer and then she made a dim smile and hugged him. While he was hugged he heard her speak quietly into his ear.

“She goes to a small cave below the light house when she wants to be alone I hope you have a flashlight. Now you go ahead with my blessing and remember that’s my daughter your with,” she gave a final pat on his back before letting him go.

“Thank you and don’t worry your secret is safe with me,” he said as he ran out the warehouse door.

He quickly ran to his car and drove at an almost dangerous speed down the coast until he reached the lighthouse. His car stopped only a few feet from the cliffs and he looked over the side. It was about ten feet down to the cave and it was a steep incline. Waves crashed against the wall of stone as the rain and wind pounded the cliffs from above. He was cold and wet his suit ruined and decided to get started. If he fell he was sure he would die either from the fall or the waves crashing him into the jagged rocks but it didn’t matter. He slowly made his way down until he reached the entrance, a cold dark hole in the cliff about five feet wide and maybe six feet tall. He listened and could hear crying coming from inside faint but distinguishable. He ran in and called for her, “Nightwing please come out, I need to talk to you.”

“What do you want! How the hell did find me?” she replied.

“I love you, please forgive me!” he cried falling to his knees.

“You do? Really, you don’t care that I’m not a human being,” she replied searching for an answer.

“Yes…Yes!… I love you…Please come back to me I’m sorry….so sorry,” he said in between cries his face in his hands.

Michael felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Nightwing standing over him. His arms instantly wrapped around her waist pulling her to him as he cried into her bathing suit like clothing that covered her stomach. Her wings wrapped around him and a head lay on his back as she cried.

“Please don’t cry I’m sorry I didn’t mean it, I love you.” He said as his tears flowed freely.

“I know, I’m crying because I’m happy. I’m so glad you love me I will never doubt it again.

Michael stood and her wings engulfed him again this time his hand holding her head tight to his and his concentration on the feeling of her against him. He bent down and they kissed tasting each others tongues and mouths warmed by their embrace and their hearts.

For more see part two and enjoy.

By:

Thomas A. Scheck Jr.

(Hidden Heart)