Dimensional Travels: World at War-Chapter 56: Jessica

Jessica shivered at the question, her body involuntarily frozen for a few moments. She tried to meet her eyes, but her entire being fought against itself. Finally, she collected herself.

She sighed, sitting up in her chair as she looked at him. "You don’t." She said quietly.

"There are ways for me to offer myself, but that would be slavery, not true loyalty. There is no way for me to prove that I simply wait to be unchained from the past."

Eric sat there, inwardly shocked. The young woman had answered his question in a more composed manner than he thought was possible. She still looked broken and fragile, but at least now she had some semblance of self.

"That’s true." He responded evenly.

"At this point I do not know you from a random civilian. That is why I will take place you under my watch. And let it be known that I am very harsh with my training and guidance. If you show weakness, if you hesitate, and if you show defiance, people will die. Are you ready to take responsibility for that?"

Jessica looked down at her feet, not able to look Eric in the eye. His words reminded her of a show she had seen when she was little. The instructor was harsh, but fair. In the end, he was kind as well, but only after the students showed progress.

"Look at me when I am talking to you." His voice broke her from her thoughts, and Jessica nodded.

"Yes sir. I am ready to prove myself."

After uncuffing her, Eric led Jessica to a room in the encampment. Soldiers passed by, looking at him questioningly, but he shook his head. Now was not the time. Jessica stood in front of the door, looking at the room in shock. She seemed to be frozen in time. Eric watched with his arms crossed.

"Well?"

She came to her senses, looking slightly flustered.

"I haven’t had my own room since before I left." Jessica admitted quietly.

Eric nodded, a grim look on his face. "Well, now you do. You have a bathroom with a shower, toiletries, and your own bed. Also, just so you know, we have cameras. If you leave this compound, you will not be allowed back and become a prisoner if we catch you again."

Jessica nodded before sighing.

"Yes sir."

After ensuring Jessica was in her room, he shut the door. He sighed and walked away "great, now I adopted a puppy." He groaned inwardly as he entered his own quarters. "Hey Mia." He said into the radio, hoping she wasn’t asleep yet.

"Yes, DEAR?" a scathing voice answered him. He knew she was kidding, but he had to pretend to be scared anyways. Their antics continued for a few more exchanges before he got to the main topic. He explained the situation, and waited for a response.

"Well...

At least it will be good practice." Mia finally responded. He could hear her sigh even though the radio wasn’t active. He chuckled inwardly.

"Can you see the Sphere from there?" He asked, curious as to how far out it could be seen.

"Yes, but remember love, we Neko’s have better eyesight than humans."

Eric laughed and realized his mistake. "You’re right. My bad."

He looked at the clock and smiled, realizing the time. "I am coming home today." He said gently. "I miss you so much."

Mia smiled as she looked at the door.

"Good, because the baby crib needs to be finished."

Eric arrived at home just before dark that day. There had been some final assignments he had to hand over before leaving both Vegas and Esponia behind. He dropped Jessica off with Mia, while making eye contact with the soldiers around. The message was clear

"Watch the young woman."

After a long kiss with Mia (Jessica had blushed and turned away), Eric headed back to Hood Hill. He needed to brief Milano.

"So you’re telling me... an overpowered kid just showed up at Esponia... and asked to join us?" Milano said to Eric after he had recieved the briefing.

Milano had heard the reports last night, but due to the ludicrous nature of what was said, he wanted to hear it directly from Eric. It was just the two of them in Milano’s office, so Milano was speaking more informally than usual.

"And you took her in? Just like that?"

Eric nodded. "She reminded me of me." He responded. Milano sat back in his chair, glaring at Eric while sighing.

"Alright. But short leash, Dryer. Do not intermix her with the men until you know that she is not unstable. You know how things go with these young eighteen year old cats. The last thing we need is for soldiers to start a cult."

Eric chuckled but nodded. He shared the same concerns with Milano. He wondered how Mia was doing with Jessica. He couldn’t help but worry, but trusted his wife. If anyone could help Jessica:

It was Mia.

Jessica woke up and immediately panicked, gasping as if all the breath in her lungs was sucked from out of her body. She looked around, noting the unfamiliar place, before settling down. She sighed as she took in what would now be her new home. Her bedroom was the same size as the one on earth, with a desk in the corner, and a bookshelf sitting against the wall. She had a small bathroom with a shower, and her own queen sized bed. She sighed as she let her beating chest even out, grabbing her phone while pulling the covers to her chest and laying sideways. She scrolled social media, and then her stomach rumbled. She smelled something delicious wafting into her room, the air smelling like bacon and eggs. Her stomach rumbled again, and she got up, deciding to brave her new life.

"Good morning." A soft voice called to her as she walked out of the room. "There is a cup of tea on the table, and I will have breakfast ready here soon. How do you like your eggs?" Mia said to Jessica as she came within view.

"Scrambled." Jessica responded quietly, taking a seat.

"Thank you."

Mia sat down with her while handing her a plate of eggs and bacon with French toast. She sipped on her own cup of tea while observing the young woman. Jessica froze as she looked at the meal. She looked up at Mia as if waiting for permission to eat. Mia’s heart broke a little, almost instinctively wanting to hug Jessica.

"You can eat."

Jessica’s hands had a visible shake to them as she began eating. She took quick glances while Mia watched in silence, letting the girl come to her senses on her own.

"I haven’t been able to eat a real meal in so long. They didn’t feed us anything outside of the military rations."

Mia sighed as she finished her tea. She nodded.

"I’ve heard the same from a lot of the empire soldiers we’ve encountered before. You can sit on the couch while I wash up. Today we are going to the town. We need to get you some more clothes. I would let you wear mine, but..."

They both looked down at her belly, and laughed together.

At the town square, Jessica was shocked at how Earth like the town shop looked. There were a few store fronts that had the same name on them. "Vargas Clothing?" She read out loud in confusion. Mia sighed in response.

"The battalion has a supplier."

She left it at that as they walked into the store.

A clerk stood at the front desk as the women walked in. He smiled brightly and greeted them. "Good morning ladies!" He said cheerfully. He turned to Mia. "Mrs. Dryer, a pleasure as always. Can I help you with anything in particular? Just so you know, we have a special sale going on for all battalion soldiers and their families. Twenty percent off any purchases of two hundred coins or more. Let me know if you need any assistance!"

Mia nodded back.

"Yes, good morning Justin. Right now we are just looking. Thank you." She turned and saw Jessica looking at a dress and smiled. The girl was brushing the fabric between her fingertips as if she was testing to see if it is real. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Mia sighed as she recalled what it felt like the first time she had walked into a store after being in the field so long. She let Jessica browse through the items quietly.

"You’re home now." Mia said gently. Jessica stiffened before turning around. She smiled sadly at Mia and nodded.

"It’s starting to feel real."

Then Jessica saw the jeans.

She had to hold herself back from running while she held a pair of them, almost sobbing.

"No freaking way! They have jeans here too?!" Her shout disturbed the other customers, but she paid it no heed. She turned back to Mia.

"Can I get a few pairs?"