Valerian and the secret of the Star Child
Summary: The secret of the Star Child, a child who holds the key to the secrets of life itself. It is said that the child is responsible for the different manifestations of power among the many species both known and unknown. Is the Star Child real? Or is it the fantasies of a long dead life form? Its up to Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline to find out.
Disclaimer: This is a fan-fiction story of the movie version of: 'Valerian and the city of a thousand planets,' and is in no way affiliated with the actual movie or original comic series. All characters and other materials related to the movie/series that have been used are not intended to infringe on any Copyrights. Elemental-Zer0 takes sole responsibility for any mistakes or offence that may be taken but truly not meant. However, any characters that are not related to any copyrights are copyrighted to Elemental-Zer0 as is any variations to the plot set out in the show/series.
A/N: So, I'd put off watching the movie for a while… had it on my watchlist but never really felt the hype to watch it. Man was I missing out! So hooked! And although I thought the actor playing Valerian looked a little ill, it kind of added to the charm of the character. He appeared vulnerable in a way that wasn't obvious. I loved the characters relationships and Laureline's character was a breath of fresh air compared to most female sidekick roles.
So, I just had to add my own flair to the universe. I'm not an elite fan of the original comic series (mainly due to ignorance of its existence until a few minutes ago), so if I get something horribly wrong please let me know. I did do some preliminary research, but I was too impatient to write. So, I may have missed a few key things. That said, I'm sure I may need to change a few things anyway for my plot to work. So please bear with me.
Prologue – Prelude to a Nightmare
It happened so fast.
Her breath caught in her throat. The blood in her veins turned to ice and her stomach dropped through the ground.
Her heart almost stopped in her chest.
"Valerian…" She barely whispered. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she was unaware of them. She couldn't move, daren't move, in case the image before her became real.
"No…" She breathed, denial warring with her need to see him, to believe he was there, but also not there.
Her need to touch him; to be next to him; to know his fate for definite overruled all other emotions fighting to control her behaviour, and she ran to him through the medically starched white corridor and into the contamination prevention chamber that he taken charge of securing.
He'd done his job well. Too well.
Impervious to physical attack and designed to withstand even a lethal blast from her gun, the glass protection walls were unyielding to her desperate attempts to get into the radiation chamber. She was suddenly aware that she was screaming his name and failing to break in by any other means, she found herself futilely pounding on the glass. His tired, sweaty face absently rolled its way to her general direction, his movements jerky and tired. His body twitching without his knowledge or consent. Half lidded blue eyes darted in her general direction until she saw him actively try to focus on her. He was fading from her.
"Valerian…" She sobbed as she sank to his level of sight. He was on his back; glass beakers had shattered on the floor around him. Strange and colourful liquids had formed various puddles underneath him and he had a large cut on his temple, the blood tracked from under his hairline. He'd gone down fighting, like the true soldier that he was. Another body lay in a crumpled heap to his left but on the outside of the glass wall. It was wearing a lab coat and was clearly bigger than her Major but in a gangly way.
The Bioweapon Terrorist; Dr. Maricone Drokonicus.
He'd been an investigative field biologist of foreign alien life forms. He was a genius in his field, had been a respected and intelligent member of the scientific population. His team was usually the one asked for to determine and catalogue new life forms on planets that were only just now being discovered. However, after one particular field assignment to a previously declared uninhabited planet; a small planet in the Icosia Nebula, catalogued as Planet il'Yu-na'Taria in the constellation PX37, he'd started acting erratically and had claimed to have found the source of all life; something many scientists and theologists were still arguing over its existence. However, all other visits to the planet had returned no signs of life and nothing to suggest any information about the source of all life had been present.
Suspecting that perhaps the doctor had taken any information related to this supposed artefact, Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline had been assigned to find out what the man was up to and what information they could retract from him. The two began their mission by gathering as much known data as they could on the current affairs of the doctor. It was at this point, they'd come across Dr. Drokonicus' research notes, which had said that he needed a compatible specimen to test his theories out on, but the Ethics and Moral Code of Authority (EMCA) had turned him down when his madness had become apparent. However, it seemed that this had not deterred the man from finding a way to find his specimen. His notes continued to elaborate that an unknown and new chemical that he'd found on the planet would help him find something called "the Star Child" and that he was being encouraged by a sentient voice that kept speaking to him from the stars to use it in a very densely populated area to see if the "Star Child" would show itself. All evidence showed that the man had lost touch with reality and was talking to things that weren't there. His erratic behaviour had put him in a mental institute for his own safety, but the man had proven determined and had escaped the hospital and had been seen making suspicious purchases; the combinations of which were deduced by other scientists to be dangerous concoctions that were quite possibly lethal to a vast majority of the species living on Alpha.
That had lead Major Valerian and Sergeant Laureline to this facility where Dr. Drokonicus had broken into and had taken the whole building into lockdown, trapping various workers in the facility with him. Including Sergeant Laureline herself, and the Major.
They'd snuck inside and had managed to evacuate most of the building, Laureline taking charge of guarding and guiding evacuees while Valerian swept the area for their would-be terrorist. It was on the fiftieth floor when they'd found him. Laureline had been guiding one group of workers toward the emergency stairway and advising them to follow her markers to the makeshift exit while Valerian had been sweeping the corridor behind her. He'd finally reached the last door at the end of the corridor when they unexpectedly opened of their own accord and revealed the scientific chamber behind them.
Laureline had just enough time to look over before the doctor moved and slapped his hand down on the detonation button in a panic. Her fast-acting reflexes of shooting him with her stun blast hadn't been quick enough to stop him from activating the bioweapon. It had only been Valerian's reactive reflex to hit the contamination sealing emergency button that had contained the release of potentially toxic contagion that had saved the denizens of Alpha, but in doing so he'd left himself open to attack from the doctor's concealed weapon. He'd taken the hit to the head and it had knocked him backwards into the contamination chamber just as it sealed itself shut.
It happened so fast...
She knelt on the floor trying unsuccessfully to attract his dazed gaze as he searched for her. His eyes finally found hers, they were tired, glazed, and unfocussed but he knew who she was and gave her a tired, apologetic smile.
"…m's… 'ry…" He'd managed to breathe out before his whole body started falling slack. The onset of the contagion was slow, his legs twitched less and less, his arms slowed their jerky movements and his breathing laboured to fading gasps. She lay on her side, tears sliding down the side of her face while she held her hand pressed up against the glass wall that separated her from him. It was a gradual thing; watching his eyes slowly dim as the life inside him flickered and fought but ultimately failed to stay alight. He eventually fell utterly still; his eyes staring lifelessly at her; that stupid grin on his face… his own tears, falling no more.
Her vision blurred, and she convulsed in to agonising sobs as her partner, her commanding officer… and her friend, faded from this world.
He'd left her behind.
For good this time.