Previous parts may be found here. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

He could see nothing but two voices penetrated the black <<<<IT’S NOT WORKING>>>> Said voice 1.

<<<<<WE MUST TRY HARDER>>>>> Voice 2 was gruffer, more rugged yet both sounded male – assuming they were human.

<<<<<WE CAN’T. THERE’S… SOMETHING ELSE. HE’S FIGHTING BACK.>>>>>

<<<<<IMPOSSIBLE!>>>>>

<<<<<EVERY SO OFTEN THERE IS A SPIKE IN HIS BRAIN ACTIVITY. I HAVE NO OTHER EXPLANATION. I’M GOING TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE>>>>

The blackness cleared and he was back in the bathroom standing before the mirror. ‘Here we fucking go again,’ he said, pushed back against the basin. The mirror became a pool for a few seconds, a black, shimmering glassy pool. ‘We told you to play along, Now, they know. You must play along whatever is beyond that door. If you don’t, they will kill you.’

Mirek did not respond and the blackness in the mirror disappeared. He opened the door slowly and stopped dead in his tracks.

Nothing had changed. He’d expected them to mess with his head, to find himself in the middle of a rainforest or alone on the surface of Mercury, but no. He was back in the same bedroom with his “wife” sat patiently at a dresser.

‘Feeling better?’ she asked, smiling at him while applying a faint pink lipstick.

‘Yes. Sorry, are we going out?’

She frowned and turned to face him. ‘Yeeeees. We’re going to see your parents and then my parents to tell them the good news.’ She rubbed her stomach gently. ‘I think it’s time, don’t you?’

He sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his arms. ‘No.’

‘I’m six weeks gone. I think it’s the right-‘

‘No.’

She slammed the lipstick on the glass table. ‘Mirek, what the fuck is wrong with you now?’

‘Stop the bullshit. I know. Whatever your name is, I know.’

‘What do you know or think you know?’ She stood up and slowly glided towards him, a look of genuine concern on her face.

‘Everything. This isn’t real.’ Ok Mirek, he said to himself, you’ve nailed your flag to the “fight it” mast. No backing out now mate. ‘You’re a Chite. You’ve broken the Peace Accord and you’re trying to extract information from us – me and my crew on the ship.’

‘Mirek no!’ she began sobbing. ‘After everything! All the treatments.’ She composed herself and took a deep breath, moving towards him. ‘Ok, it’s fine. I never expected it not to happen again. The Doctors said it was possible.’

Eyeing her curiously, he cautiously allowed her into his personal space and didn’t stop her when she placed her arms around him.

‘Mirek.’ She pulled back from the embrace. ‘We got through it before and we will do again. We’re a team and now, we’re three.’ Tears glistened on her face and she leaned in to kiss him.

Their kisses were gentle but the more they kissed, the more passionate they became, urgent, pressing. His hands moved to her face, her hands to his shirt, picking at the buttons.

His shirt came off, her dress dropped to the floor. She pushed him back onto the bed and straddled him, continuing to kiss, tearing at each other’s clothes.

Her hands slid up his chest, gracefully, gently, teasing fingers spider-like up his abs, across his pecs and to the neck. She wrapped her delicate fingers around his neck, stroking and began to apply pressure – too much pressure.

He coughed. ‘Ow that… ow! Get off!’

The pressure only increased, his hands went to hers to try to pull them off but she (if she was a “she”) had unnatural strength. The more he struggled, the more he fought, the more he kicked out, the more determined she became.

Where there was love and lust in her eyes before, now there was only hate and anger. His vision started to blur as he struggled for breath.

‘Mirek, we have you!’ were the last words he heard before being sucked out of the hallucination.

The finale is right here.