Slowly, Tyler opened his eyes, then compensated his vision to adjust to the blinding sunlight that filled them. Instantly, he could tell he was outside. Where, though, was the question.
"Oh man, don't tell me I followed the light and died," he groaned to himself, getting up off the ground and brushing the sand and dust off himself.
The air was hot and with the wind, it felt as if he was standing behind the exhaust duct of a jet engine. Off in the distance, he could see a range of rolling mahogany colored rock formations. A lone highway cut through the expanse of tan colored desert. To him, it was frustratingly familiar territory, but at the same time, different.
"That's Route Sixty-Six," he thought aloud.
Tyler stood at the spot where nearly a decade ago, he learned what love was when Eva first found him. Back then, however, he didn't have a chance to really take in the scenery. Though it was barren, it still had a beauty that was unmistakable. Also, Tyler had a big interest in the desert southwest since it was tied in with a lot of Black Ops in the military, such as experimental vehicles and maybe even UFO's.
"Well, it's been a while since I've seen anyone in these parts," a man's voice said.
Tyler turned to his left and as if appearing from nowhere, a small oasis with a patch of the greenest grass he had ever seen, an old, rustic looking park bench, and an elderly gentleman who wore a brown hat, brown jacket, brown slacks, and brown shoes that sparkled in the sun.
"Well don't be scared, son. Pop a squat," the man said.
His dark sunglasses were focused on the horizon straight ahead and a smile of perfect white teeth made a drastic contrast to his complexion which was a shade darker than Tyler's. Cautiously, Tyler walked over to the bench and took a seat next to the man. The ambient temperature felt much cooler once he entered the small, grassy plot.
"You're probably wondering where you are, son," the man said.
Tyler nodded.
"Well, kid, you're not really alive, but you're not dead. You're in between."
"Well how do I get back to the living side of the spectrum?" Tyler asked.
"Oh," the man scoffed, "you'll recover in no time at all. I just wanted a little company. It gets kinda lonely out in the desert."
"Well that's good, at least." Tyler sighed, relieved that he would be able to see Chelsea again. "So who are you? Morgan Freeman? 'Cause you look exactly like the man."
The old man laughed. "I haven't heard that one, kid. And for a man who's a millennia old, I think I look a lot better than Morgan Freeman. But listen kid, I know you're Magna man and I know about your past. You'll pull through in about a minute or so."
Tyler grinned, "Good. I sorta made a promise to–"
"That Chelsea girl, right? She's with you right now."
The old man chuckled one more time, then snapped his fingers, causing everything to disappear.
Though his eye lids were closed, in digitalized neon green lettering, the words "REBOOT INITIATING" followed by "STAND BY" scrolled across his eyes. A sharp pain lanced through his body as he felt himself start to recover. Though he hurt, he knew that he was still alive if he was feeling anything, and pain was something. Slowly, his eyes began to flutter, then crack open. For a moment, his vision was a mass of zeros and ones–computer binary code. Next, the code vanished, then was replaced by a snowy static, then at last, went to normal.
Tyler noticed he was in a dimly lit room. Still laying on his back, he opened his eyes a little wider, and noticed there was someone holding his hand. With the little amount of energy he had left, he struggled, then sat up carefully.
"Chelsea?" he whispered. "Hmm, the guy was right."
Tyler heard her snoring softly and she rested her head on his hand. With his free palm, he gently shook her to wake her up. She let out a soft moan that was like the coo of a dove, then began to muster.
"Hey? Don't you know visiting hours are over?" Tyler joked in a weak whisper.
Chelsea sat up drowsily. Her eyes then shot open as she saw a somewhat cheerful looking Tyler staring her in the face. She couldn't contain her joy as she put her arms around him, wrapping him up in a tight hug. Lances of pain shot through Tyler, but could live through it.
"How long was I out?" he quietly asked.
Chelsea sniffled, "A-about ten hours. You were dead and I-I thought I lost you and–"
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm still here. Don't cry," Tyler quietly said.
A small knock at the doorway to Tyler's hospital room jarred the mood of the moment. Standing there were Eddie, Jennifer, and Raven.
"What's up guys?" Tyler nonchalantly greeted.
Raven turned to someone just out of sight, said a few words, then more people began to mass around the door all holding balloons and cards with encouraging messages. After about an hour of chatting with them, almost everyone left, except for Chelsea. Before Jennifer departed with her parents, she informed Tyler that his mom went to the airport to pick up his grandparents after much hesitation.
"Chelse? It's getting pretty late," Tyler explained.
Reluctantly, Chelsea released her grasp of his hand and left with her parents, who graciously thanked him for watching over their daughter. Now, his room was empty and silent, except for the monitors that read out his vital signs. Now alone, he sat there and thought about what happened; a mental analysis of the events that lead him up to here. He knew his physiology assisted him in recovering, but there was no way he could have came around so quickly, even with his augmentation.
"Must've been will," he thought aloud, then began to drift off, lost in thought.
Chelsea and Tyler soared, hand in hand, high above the clouds in the night sky. Above them, thousands of stars sparkled, as if a choreographed dance in the black-blue expanse. Before them, a full moon sat, shining like a beacon. Just beneath the moon, a glowing golden object–the planet Venus–hung, suspended like a jewel.
"That is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Chelsea gasped.
"I can think of something–well someone, that can top this," he grinned, looking back at her, his mask down around his neck.
Tyler then reached his gloved hand out and pulled the glowing jewel-like planet away from the moon. Next, he took a handful of stars, closed his palm, then opened it, revealing a twinkling necklace made up of celestial heavenly bodies.
"Okay Chelse. I'm gonna let you go and you're gonna float in the air, just like I can. Ready?"
She closed her eyes and Tyler her hand let go. Slowly, she reopened them and found herself hovering above the clouds.
"This is... this is amazing," she cried.
"So are you," Tyler quietly said, then presented the star fabricated necklace to her. "Here. A present, courtesy of your neighborhood friendly Magna Man."
Tyler slipped the necklace around her neck. As he did so, he noticed her shiver slightly.
"It gets kinda cold high in the sky. Here, take my cape." Tyler unsnapped his cape from his shoulders, then wrapped it around Chelsea. "That better?"
"Much, thank you," she obliged.
"Cool, now here comes the fun part," Tyler noted as he took her hand. "Hang on to your hat."
"But I don't have a–"
"Hat!" Chelsea screamed as Tyler took her by the hand, then the two dove straight down, through the clouds, causing the swirl and roil from their speed and rate of descent.
"Yee haw!" Tyler screamed with a large smile and eyes burning with determination.
Chelsea erupted with laughter and joy, feeling like a little kid all over again as Tyler took her for the ride of a lifetime. Soon, the two were over the dark ocean. Quickly, the two leveled off, keeping a near sound breaking speed just above the water. Their velocity caused the liquid beneath them to split and spray away from them.
"Check this out," Tyler called out.
He swing body so he was standing straight up, nest, he lowered slightly and started to run on the surface of the water, Chelsea still holding his hand and gliding.
"Woo hoo!" Chelsea shouted and laughed, filled with jubilation. "Run, Tyler, run!"
Tyler laughed as well, then leapt off the water, causing them to rise higher and higher into the night sky, the moon guiding them and reflecting off the expansive body below them. Throughout the whole flight, both Tyler and Chelsea could hear the song This Could Be Heaven by Seal. Tyler knew it by heart since mom constantly listened to anything by Seal.
Once the pair were back above the clouds, they began to descend on one particular cloud. Though he wasn't, Chelsea was shocked to find that the puffy cloud had a flat, solid surface. Then, like a spotlight, the light from the moon focused itself on the two of them as the music still played.
"Can I have this dance?" Tyler asked.
"You may," Chelsea replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist.
As the two slow danced in the moonlight on their very own cloud, Chelsea placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, taking in the moment. Between their bodies, the star woven necklace shimmered, giving off a warm, soothing radiance. The iridescent light blue and gold light seemed to accentuate Chelsea's facial features.
This has got to be heaven, he thought as he danced with the girl of his dreams. This must be heaven.