Michael was nervously checking the time every few minutes. She would be here soon to watch Dr. Strangelove. Although now 22 years of age, this was the first time he ever had a romantic interest over at his apartment and he was nervous. Will she know that he is a virgin and more importantly, what will she make of it? Now, he was getting sweaty. This was going to be a disaster.

Flicking from one channel to the next, he couldn’t find anything to take his mind off things. Then his doorbell rang. The sound seemed to reverberate through him. He drove out and reached up to open the door. And there she was. More casually dressed in denim this time. She gave him a wide smile and bent down to peck him on the lips.

Then she followed him into his sitting before he said –

“You can sit on the couch and I’ll park here beside you.”

“Oh, can you not sit beside me on the couch?”

“Oh yeah, I guess I can.”.

He drove his wheelchair adjacent to the couch, then slowly lifted his foot-plates before transferring.

“I love the way you move. It’s so elegant.”

That was something he hadn’t heard before.

“Thanks, sometimes it feels awkward in front of people.”

“Never feel awkward around me.”

They began to watch the film. He put his arm around her. He could smell her perfume. Her hand started to caress his leg before resting on his crotch as they began to kiss. Then in a swift movement, she was on top of him and began taking off her shirt and bra.

“I’m not usually like this but I always thought you were super hot. And we’re serious about each other right?”

Michael quickly nodded in agreement into her brown eyes.

She threw her bra on the floor. He felt her soft breasts.

“Can you take off your pants?”

He felt his face going flush.

“It’s okay, you can trust me.”

With that, he unzipped his pants and pulled his trousers and underpants down.

She placed it inside her, straddling him before the rhythmic movements of back and forth began. Both had never felt such pleasure before, their bodies intertwined After a few minutes, they collapsed into each other arms.

She looked up into his eyes.

“Enjoying the film?”

Michael was waiting patiently at the table. It was a large, boisterous bar. Most were eating but some were drinking and chatting away. Paula was a bit late but she had texted to let him know. It would be such a shame if she didn’t show, he was wearing his finest suit just in case she was interested.

Then she appeared in the distance quickly walking towards him wearing a black gown and in high heels. Her red hair caressing her shoulders. He had never before seen such beauty.

She gave him a warm hug before sitting down next to him in his wheelchair

“Sorry, for being late. Had to make sure that I looked perfect for ya.”

“You achieved that anyway. You’re looking gorgeous.”

“So what are we going to eat?”

“Oh turkey and ham for me. What are you going to have?”

“I think the cod fillet.”

The setting was quite dark and romantic in the corner that he had chosen, making Michael slightly nervous. So, he started chatting about college once more, but she seemed to have lost interest in the subject somewhat. She started to take control of the situation.

“Tell me about your family.”

“What do you like to watch on tv?”

She was making it all so comfortable for him and she even laughed at his silly jokes.

The food was long gone by now and they were both on their fourth pint of ale.

“So, do you think its okay for the woman to make the first move?”

Michael thought it an odd question. Was she checking his feminist credentials?

“Of course, this is the twenty-first century after all.”

“I really like you. Can I kiss you?”

“Yeah.”

She moved her chair over beside his wheelchair, then leaned in for a kiss.”

Michael opened his mouth and her tongue entered. He could feel her hands touching his arms and chest.

She whispered –

“Next date is in your place.”

Michael texted Paula a few days later but he didn’t get any response. Ah well, he thought to himself. He was disappointed but not surprised. It was probably the wheelchair or perhaps it was just his winning personality. Either way, he knew that there was little point in dwelling on it. No, he needed to concentrate on getting a good job and making something of himself. Perhaps, someday he’d meet a nice girl. So, he set about trying to get himself some interviews.

A few weeks later he was preparing for an interview with a big financial firm. It wouldn’t be his dream job, money wasn’t his main motivation but needs must. Then, he heard the sound of his phone buzzing. He didn’t get many texts so it piqued his interest and was quite surprised when the name Paula came up on the screen.

P – So sorry for taking so long to respond. I had an issue with the phone. How have you been?

It didn’t take long for Michael to respond.

M – I was wondering what happened. Great to hear. I am good. U?

P – Oh trying to decide what to do next. More study or work. Can’t ever make up my mind lol Do u want me 2 meet up ?

M – Yeah that would be gr8. Another stroll in the park?

P – I was thinking maybe a bite to eat, maybe a few drinks in Hennessys? Maybe 8pm Thursday?

M – Cool, see you then.

P – It’s a date. See u soon x

Michael could feel his heart beating. That was more affectionate than he was expecting. He knew he had to write something back but what?

M – ok x

Ok, that was all he could think of! No wonder he could never get laid. Ah well, at least he now had something to look forward to.

The interview went but he found that his mind kept slipping to Paula. Her beautiful red hair and those wide blue eyes. He wondered what his chances were with her. There was no harm in dreaming.

After what had seemed an eternity to Michael, Thursday night finally arrived.

It didn’t take them long to reach the park where they pulled up beside a bench so his female companion could sit down. This was one of his favorite spots. The park itself was quite small, but it was insulated by vegetation that gave it a relaxed, rural feel. You could still see the high rise buildings though.

“It’s Paula right? I’ve always been terrible with names.”

“Yeah, that’s me alright.”

“Well, I always put in a bit of an extra effort for the pretty looking women.”

She laughed and then responded.

“So, what did you think of that Poisson Distribution question? I hope I never hear the word Poisson again!”

” Yeah, it was difficult but I’d studied extensively for it.”

And so the conversation flowed back and forth. Michael noticed that she would flick her hair back occassionally and he wondered if she was flirting with him.

An hour flew by before Paula said that sadly she had to go. Michael decided that it was time to be brave.

“Will we exchange numbers. Maybe we can meet up again sometime.”

“Yeah, that would be cool. What is your number and I’ll text you so that you have mine?”

Michael promptly called it out and he immediately heard the buzzing sound of his phone go off.

As she got off her seat, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

“Thanks for the chat. Hopefully, see you again soon.”

With that she was gone. Michael was feeling quite good about himself but wished she could have stayed. He wasn’t the only one.

Michael loved the vibrancy of living in London, especially on a warm summer’s morning. There was always something happening, and he knew the good places to go. The sky was blue, but could only be seen occasionally among the tall buildings. A light breeze stopped it from sweltering. Michael had just finished the last exam of his final year at college a few days previously. He was excited by what the future would hold.

He would miss college life but felt that he had enough of the endless studying. No, what he needed now was now a nice nine-to-five job and a long-term girlfriend. He had met many women at college, some of whom he kissed but nothing more and nothing that lasted.

Where would Lexus bring him now? That was the name of his electric wheelchair, his pride, and his joy. He had it for over six months now and it left every other electric wheelchair he previously had in the dust. It had a much greater range and looked much sleeker too. He reckoned it might even help him with the ladies.

Lexus was bringing him to a new coffee shop that had opened only a few weeks previous. This would be his first opportunity to sample their coffee. He always enjoyed life’s little pleasures.

it was long and narrow, he picked a table near the entrance hoping that a waitress would come and take his order. He didn’t want to get stuck near the front and be unable to turn around.. Because that would just be embarrassing. He saw a waitress, in a striped black and white uniform hurrying toward him. He went to reach for his wallet.

“Hey, you were in my class. How did you do in the exams?”

Michael looked up. Her face was indeed somewhat familiar. She was slim, with shoulder-length red hair and freckles. Then it dawned on him.

.”I did fine I think. How about you? The Statistics exam was pretty rough though right.”

“Yeah, it was like horrible. Like, I nearly had a panic attack. Are you doing anything? We could go for a walk somewhere maybe and discuss the exams.”

For a brief second, Michael couldn’t think of what to say.

“Yes, of course. Actually, there’s a nice little park close by. Maybe, we could go there.”

“Sounds great, I’m finished in five minutes. It will give you time to finish that coffee.”

With that she was gone. It would be nice for him to chat to one of his fellow students, especially such an attractive one. It was not something that happened every day and he wasn’t quit sure what to make of it, only that he shouldn’t delay in drinking his coffee.

Sure enough, she came back in a few minutes. The uniform was out and a sleek black top tank was in, that more clearly defined her features. So, out they went

The team looked at each other in disbelief. A large door, here at the side of a gently sloping hill on a wandering planet in intergalactic space. This planet just kept getting more and more strange. Candace immediately took the initiative and walked up to the door. Unnervingly, it began to open and the tunnel behind it lit up with overhead neon lights. There was no stopping her now and she motioned her arm for them to follow behind her.

Dr. Lenz admired her bravery but wished that it was one of the others that was in harms way, all the time trying to convince himself that such thoughts were purely professional. The corridor went on and on before it started to slope downwards, slowly at first and then more precipitously.

All the time feeling of dread surged through Dr. Lenz’s body. None of this made any sense. Who had built this structure?

Then the tunnel ended and they entered a huge cavern. At its centre, was more Negativum than Dr. Lenz had ever imagined. There was also a large computer and screen built into one of the the walls.

“Candace, you and the rest of the team concentrate on getting that out of here. I’ll see if this computer is still operational.”

Dr Lenz knew that he could risk using the nanobots in his suit without putting himself in harms way. What they discovered, shocked and worried him.

The planet and Negativum were not there by the randomness of the Universe. No, this was a way station of sorts for a very powerful intergalactic empire. They called themselves The Denecans, they had a history of enslaving other species and the Danu would have no choice but to enter their space. The Captain would be pleased.

Timothy felt the same but everything had changed utterly. He had not been told that he had been considered cannon fodder and rank outsider to win his duel.

“What would you have done if I had lost Dad, as everybody thought?”

“My mind was made up son, if you had lost and died, then I would have died that same day. There would be little reason for me to continue.”

Now he was looked at differently, both by strangers and his father. It made a huge economic difference too. His father could now give up the job that had been poisoning his lungs. That was what made Timothy most proud.

Their living arrangements also changed. Gone was the little shack that they once called home. Now, they were given an official residence at the Omega compound. Their unit was spacious and bright, Sure, there were long cracks down the walls and some damp here and there, but it was another world in luxury to where they had been.

Many others, with various disabilities also lived at the compound. Every few hours, a voice came through the loudspeakers of every room and hallway, stating that we are now all The Omega. That our lives as individuals has come to an end. It is for the glory of the Omega that we now live.

Timothy know in his heart that this was where he belonged. But he found it hard to talk to the others. Just cause they had disabilities too, didn’t mean that he would bond with them anymore than anybody else.

“You need to make friends son. These are the people that you will need to be able to rely upon. You’re spending too much time studying the technical aspects, you also have to look after the human aspect.”

“I know, I know. I’m just not used to so many people.”