One Last
by intodust
Disclaimer: Dark Angel isn't mine.
A/N: It's kind of old, both the writing and the events, but maybe it's entertaining, hence the posting.
***
What led up to it, the series of events, doesn't matter. Freezing when she saw the gun, watching the girl fire, the way the bullet slowed as it tore through her body, none of it matters. All that's important is the cold damp ground underneath her and the unnatural warmth above. The girl - the soldier, she reminds herself - has moved on, having completed her objective, and now she lies on her back and watches the black sky through the gaps in the trees. She wonders if it hurts to die; it's funny that she doesn't know.
It took an instant and it took hours; she had enough time to dream as she fell. She wonders if instead of her life passing before her eyes, she got to see the future, and she wonders why. It doesn't seem fair, but it never has, and she does appreciate irony. She thinks that maybe she should try to get up, to go for help, reach the van, but she knows she won't make it and anyway, she's tired. She was never very good at waiting, but this isn't bad.
She decides that if it had to be someone, she's glad it was her. Syl and Krit and Zack, they've still got things to do. They're still fighting. She thinks that maybe, somehow, she stopped. She's avoided death so many times, and maybe now it's caught up to her. She's had too many second chances, and now she doesn't mind it as much as she thought she would. She just hopes that the others made it out, that they're far away, that they're safe.
She thinks she would rather die like this than be like Brin, erased and willing. She wonders if this is what Tinga thought, when they were draining the life out of her. She wonders if Tinga minded dying for her son, for her family. She doesn't mind, herself. She just hopes they remember her, and she knows they will, even if only in dreams. She wishes the reunion could have lasted a little longer, but things happen. She gets that.
She watches the stars. She thinks she can see Pleiades and she remembers hiding under the ice during the escape. She remembers knowing that the soldiers were still looking for them; it wasn't safe yet. She can hear branches breaking in the distance and she hopes that they're just soldiers in retreat. The warmth on her chest is slowly being replaced with cold, and she's fighting to keep her eyes open, but it doesn't really matter.
She hears the raven in the trees, and she thinks that she understands, and then he's crying out her name. She wants to tell him she doesn't mind, but she knows that he wouldn't understand, so instead she tells him she's sorry. She wonders what tomorrow would have held, anyway. A different world, better days? Whatever. She thinks that regrets are a waste of time, and she doesn't have much left, and she wants to tell him it's okay.
She tries to smile and then she feels whispering and wings, and she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
She doesn't mind, really.
by intodust
Disclaimer: Dark Angel isn't mine.
A/N: It's kind of old, both the writing and the events, but maybe it's entertaining, hence the posting.
***
What led up to it, the series of events, doesn't matter. Freezing when she saw the gun, watching the girl fire, the way the bullet slowed as it tore through her body, none of it matters. All that's important is the cold damp ground underneath her and the unnatural warmth above. The girl - the soldier, she reminds herself - has moved on, having completed her objective, and now she lies on her back and watches the black sky through the gaps in the trees. She wonders if it hurts to die; it's funny that she doesn't know.
It took an instant and it took hours; she had enough time to dream as she fell. She wonders if instead of her life passing before her eyes, she got to see the future, and she wonders why. It doesn't seem fair, but it never has, and she does appreciate irony. She thinks that maybe she should try to get up, to go for help, reach the van, but she knows she won't make it and anyway, she's tired. She was never very good at waiting, but this isn't bad.
She decides that if it had to be someone, she's glad it was her. Syl and Krit and Zack, they've still got things to do. They're still fighting. She thinks that maybe, somehow, she stopped. She's avoided death so many times, and maybe now it's caught up to her. She's had too many second chances, and now she doesn't mind it as much as she thought she would. She just hopes that the others made it out, that they're far away, that they're safe.
She thinks she would rather die like this than be like Brin, erased and willing. She wonders if this is what Tinga thought, when they were draining the life out of her. She wonders if Tinga minded dying for her son, for her family. She doesn't mind, herself. She just hopes they remember her, and she knows they will, even if only in dreams. She wishes the reunion could have lasted a little longer, but things happen. She gets that.
She watches the stars. She thinks she can see Pleiades and she remembers hiding under the ice during the escape. She remembers knowing that the soldiers were still looking for them; it wasn't safe yet. She can hear branches breaking in the distance and she hopes that they're just soldiers in retreat. The warmth on her chest is slowly being replaced with cold, and she's fighting to keep her eyes open, but it doesn't really matter.
She hears the raven in the trees, and she thinks that she understands, and then he's crying out her name. She wants to tell him she doesn't mind, but she knows that he wouldn't understand, so instead she tells him she's sorry. She wonders what tomorrow would have held, anyway. A different world, better days? Whatever. She thinks that regrets are a waste of time, and she doesn't have much left, and she wants to tell him it's okay.
She tries to smile and then she feels whispering and wings, and she lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
She doesn't mind, really.