Disclaimer: All characters belong to Grant Naylor, except for my OC (who will remain nameless until she appears in a later chapter). I do not own Red Dwarf, I just like to use the characters! Please don't sue! :P
A/N: Okay, another fanfiction! I couldn't figure out what to write for Childhood of a Smeghead, and this one was on my computer from ages ago, so I've decided to put it up! I've already almost finished chapter two, so that should be up soon!
If you haven't already noticed, I am basically 'in love' with Rimmer. Not like 'OMG I WANNA HAVE UR BABIES' love, just in love with the character himself. He's just so complex when you actually take the time to understand him. He's funny too, even though he's a smeghead. And he has wicked curly hair, which I am familiar with :P
This is an AU story. I got the idea for this a looooong time ago whilst trying to fall asleep in a hotel room :P There is dialogue taken from Stasis Leak in this chapter, just so you know. This is basically just an introductory chapter to explain Rimmer's situation-ish thing.
Chapter One
Rimmer was standing in front of the locker, back to the bunks. Lister had just exited the sleeping quarters to go get the spacesuits. He had just opened the door when a voice from behind him started speaking. The voice was too familiar, and it made Rimmer start.
"I don't want you to panic, Arnold. I want you to stay absolutely calm. I'm coming out in a moment, and I want you to keep your cool. Are you ready? Here I come."
Rimmer watched in horror as a head rose from the top of the slate-grey table, with a head of unruly curly hair and flared nostrils identical to that of his own. In fact, everything about this head was exactly like him. It was him. The only difference was that this Rimmer had a huge, silver hologrammatic 'H' on his forehead. The Rimmer in front of the locker took a step back in shock.
"There, that wasn't too bad, was it? Look, we've found a stasis leak on Floor 16. I'm dead now, and you're not, but if I save you, you won't die, so I won't die, and you won't be dead either, and neither will I." The Rimmer head said, smiling. The present Rimmer looked at his cup of tea with a look on his face that was a mix between unbelieving and confused. He looked back up at the head, and spoke.
"I may as well tell you right away I know what you are." He said, leaning back ever so slightly.
"You do?"
"You're a mushroom, aren't you?"
"I'm a what?" The head said, confused.
"A hallucination. Go away!" Rimmer said to his head, which in his mind sounded very strange.
"No, look, I'm you from the future. I've come to warn you, in three million years you'll be dead."
Rimmer scoffed. "Will I really?" He said sarcastically.
"Yes, unless you do something about it now."
"What do you suggest?" Rimmer said. "Give up white bread, more roughage?" He was beginning to question his own sanity. Here he was having a conversation with his own head. Not something usually considered normal.
"Look, you're not listening. You've got to go into stasis." The head said, and Rimmer was silent. Something, a memory from a long time ago, suddenly wriggled its way into his head. A little boy, aged nine or ten, asleep in the dorm of his school, being woken up by a man with an H on his forehead. The man told him to invent something called the Tension sheet, but he never did. However, that didn't matter. It was the man that mattered. The man with the huge H emblazoned on his forehead. It had never occurred to Rimmer to find out who that man was. It had never occurred to Rimmer that, as he grew from that young boy into an adult, that he was becoming that man he had seen. The man was him. He was the man. It was him, from the future. It had to have been. What else could it be? Rimmer stood for a few moments, opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again, and then opening it once more.
"You're not a hallucination, are you?" Rimmer said shakily, and the head smiled.
"Finally we're getting somewhere!" It said.
"Do you mind explaining this?" Rimmer said, pulling a chair up to sit down.
Rimmer speed-walked through the corridors of the ship, going as fast as possible to the stasis deck as he could without looking out of place. He turned corner after corner, getting closer the whole time.
The hologram version of himself had told him what to do – go into the stasis booth. That was it. So he made his way, wondering why exactly he had to. Was something the matter? Was the ship going to explode? Whatever it was, all he knew was that if he didn't go to stasis, he would die. Plain and simple.
He rounded one last corner, and saw a solitary booth. This was the one that he was to use, because it was older and less used. Rimmer inhaled deeply. He strode over to the door, unlocking it and letting the door swing open. He stepped inside, and the it shut behind him. He faced the window in the door, and the stasis field kicked in.
That would be the last thing he would do for three million years.
So there's chapter one. Hope it was good, and I'll try to get the next one up soon as well. But, the more reviews I get, the quicker it'll be up! Anyways, please tell me what you think of it, any constructive criticism is welcome but flames are not. And, totally unrelated to the story, I turn 14 tomorrow! Lol, just had to put that in there! Anyways, please review! Ta!
Carly