Chapter 10 – The Opening Of Vast Darkness
No one knew what they were getting themselves into when Dib and Zim had met Callista. She herself did not know. They seemed to be nowhere; yet somewhere they had to be. 'Twas a paradox. Callista was there, but still not there. Her true self knew of, yet her apparent self did not know of. She was there, and she was not there. 'Tis too hard to explain, you'll have to find out for yourself. Eventually, Callista saw a vision of Dib, Zim, Gaz, and herself; she knew that the two of them were meant to be in the void of darkness. She wondered where Dib was; then knew. There was a higher wavelength that told her so.
"I cannot be dreaming, yet I wish to be. I hope we can find him."
"Oh, but we have," Zim said, pointing to the right hand side – of what?
"I know what you mean. I see something – a thought."
"What? What are you talking about?" Gaz asked.
" I will let you know."
"I heard you – in my thoughts. How could that be?"
"There is no word explanation that could in depth explain life."
"Nor can you science," a voice said, one that belonged to none other than – Dib.
"Dib! You're okay!"
"What a stupid question to ask. You know the answer."
"No! You're a projection! Dib would be glad we're okay! Not say STUPID things like that!"
"Oh, but this is Dib."
"NO! NO! It's a lie! Where is Dib?" Callista demanded.
"Right here," Dib's voice said, and it was coming from Dib. It wasn't Dib, though.
"This isn't real! Everything in the universe is a hologram. Even I am. I am not really me. You're a hologram, I'm a hologram, and this whole universe is a hologram! I will not surrender to YOU!"
"I never should have liked you. You can't even trust that I'm really me. I HATE YOU!" Dib yelled out. Just then, Callista's strength broke. She could not resist any longer. She gave in and couldn't remember the fact that this wasn't Dib.
"NO! You don't hate me! You can't! What can I do to make you remember?"
"You have to give up."
"Anything," Callista told him, "anything for you. I will do anything."
"NO!" Zim shouted at his loudest, "You can't do that! You can't give up!"
"This is a dangerous situation," Gaz told Zim, "we are in danger."
"I don't care. Her gift is going to waste. She is losing her life and the ability to do things for herself! Any longer and the Callista we know will be dead."
"KILL ZIM!" screamed Dib, "AND THE ONE YOU CALL GAZ! KILL THEM ALL!"
"Yes..." Callista said, under a trance.
"I have nothing to do but die now. I cannot kill her. She is my friend."
"Well, bring yourself to do something, or we'll die!"
"I'm ready."
"Zim, what's it going to take to get you to save our lives?"
"I have to save her from them. Listen Callista! That's not Dib! That's a projection! Dib loves you! This Dib hates you no matter what you do! I want you to keep your life! Or I must keep it safe for you?"
"You will do nothing of the sort!" Callista yelled.
"Oh yes I will!" Zim told everyone. He jumped past Gaz and grabbed Callista by the collar. "Listen to me," Zim commanded in an angry voice, "you will not give yourself up to these low-lifes that want your mind! You will come back with us and never again believe a word of these Gauveuntain idiots! I will not let you do this to us! Okay, I'll let you go now. I only want you to be okay and live through this."
"You're right! Thank you Zim, I almost lost myself there. Thanks, you saved me."
"Of course. Now let's find Dib." The three walked through corridors of darkness until they found a shadow. The shadow had no face or form – yet it was Dib.
"Dib!"
"How would you know?" Gaz asked.
"I can hear his wavelength, though. It's Dib. I know."
"Callista, thank goodness you're here! I hope you're okay!" Dib walked up to Callista and said, "I'm so glad you're here! Follow me!" Now that he was out in the open, she could see Dib. Tears nearly came to her eyes.
"Hurry! Hurry up Dib! We are stuck here unless you can guide us to the opening of vast darkness."
"Okay. I'll try. For you. I have nothing else to live for. I will lead you."
"First..." Callista handed Dib the green malachite. "It withholds your powers. Keep it for your own strengths."
"I will hold it dearly. It is the one gift left from you."
"I know you will be wise." Dib lead the three down the void of dark interior. Finally, they found themselves in a glowing white room. Dib thought about what had just happened. They almost gave in. Suddenly, a wave of depression swept Dib, making him fall to the floor, gagging as if someone were choking him. The same thing happened to Callista. They both felt a pain worse than getting punched in the stomach, worse than anything they had ever felt before. They truly felt as if they were going to die from the agony.
"I... can't... take... it..." Dib told Callista.
"This... is... too... bad... to... resist," Callista said, "can't... give... up... now..."
"I... will... always..." Dib didn't finish. The pains didn't jolt him as before, but seemed more subtle. But they weren't. Dib's eyes closed; he said, "Good...bye..."
"NO!" Callista got up immediately. She didn't care what was happening. Only who was responsible for this act of murder. "I don't like what I see. Dib IS alive. Don't take him again!" Without thinking, she fled the room. Not knowing where she was going, one thought occupied her mind:
'This isn't real. Dib's alive. Dib's alive. Dib's alive. This can't be happening! This ISN'T happening!'
She turned every corner, hoping to see something that could save Dib. Callista ran so fast she was a blur. Corridor after corridor, she continued. She ran over to the side of the ship and saw Seralio's ship. She contacted him with her mind. In an instant, she was beamed aboard.
"I'm surprised that you gave up on your friends. Especially the one you call Dib."
"What do you mean?"
"You love Dib. Am I right?"
"You are correct."
"Then why leave him in his hour of need?"
"He's alive?"
"Very much so."
"Take me to him!"
"It might be too late. I can do it for you anyways though."
"Thank you! I'll never forgive myself if he dies."
"I know you won't." At that, Seralio beamed her aboard the ship. Callista ran to Dib, who didn't seem to be breathing.
"Dib, wake up! For the love of all that is good, for us, wake up! I need you to wake up! I love you! I'll never give up! Don't go! It's not your time! I know! You have a future! A future career, a future life, a future... with me... Dib, don't give up! I won't let you die!" There was no response. Only a silence. A silence of death.
No one knew what they were getting themselves into when Dib and Zim had met Callista. She herself did not know. They seemed to be nowhere; yet somewhere they had to be. 'Twas a paradox. Callista was there, but still not there. Her true self knew of, yet her apparent self did not know of. She was there, and she was not there. 'Tis too hard to explain, you'll have to find out for yourself. Eventually, Callista saw a vision of Dib, Zim, Gaz, and herself; she knew that the two of them were meant to be in the void of darkness. She wondered where Dib was; then knew. There was a higher wavelength that told her so.
"I cannot be dreaming, yet I wish to be. I hope we can find him."
"Oh, but we have," Zim said, pointing to the right hand side – of what?
"I know what you mean. I see something – a thought."
"What? What are you talking about?" Gaz asked.
" I will let you know."
"I heard you – in my thoughts. How could that be?"
"There is no word explanation that could in depth explain life."
"Nor can you science," a voice said, one that belonged to none other than – Dib.
"Dib! You're okay!"
"What a stupid question to ask. You know the answer."
"No! You're a projection! Dib would be glad we're okay! Not say STUPID things like that!"
"Oh, but this is Dib."
"NO! NO! It's a lie! Where is Dib?" Callista demanded.
"Right here," Dib's voice said, and it was coming from Dib. It wasn't Dib, though.
"This isn't real! Everything in the universe is a hologram. Even I am. I am not really me. You're a hologram, I'm a hologram, and this whole universe is a hologram! I will not surrender to YOU!"
"I never should have liked you. You can't even trust that I'm really me. I HATE YOU!" Dib yelled out. Just then, Callista's strength broke. She could not resist any longer. She gave in and couldn't remember the fact that this wasn't Dib.
"NO! You don't hate me! You can't! What can I do to make you remember?"
"You have to give up."
"Anything," Callista told him, "anything for you. I will do anything."
"NO!" Zim shouted at his loudest, "You can't do that! You can't give up!"
"This is a dangerous situation," Gaz told Zim, "we are in danger."
"I don't care. Her gift is going to waste. She is losing her life and the ability to do things for herself! Any longer and the Callista we know will be dead."
"KILL ZIM!" screamed Dib, "AND THE ONE YOU CALL GAZ! KILL THEM ALL!"
"Yes..." Callista said, under a trance.
"I have nothing to do but die now. I cannot kill her. She is my friend."
"Well, bring yourself to do something, or we'll die!"
"I'm ready."
"Zim, what's it going to take to get you to save our lives?"
"I have to save her from them. Listen Callista! That's not Dib! That's a projection! Dib loves you! This Dib hates you no matter what you do! I want you to keep your life! Or I must keep it safe for you?"
"You will do nothing of the sort!" Callista yelled.
"Oh yes I will!" Zim told everyone. He jumped past Gaz and grabbed Callista by the collar. "Listen to me," Zim commanded in an angry voice, "you will not give yourself up to these low-lifes that want your mind! You will come back with us and never again believe a word of these Gauveuntain idiots! I will not let you do this to us! Okay, I'll let you go now. I only want you to be okay and live through this."
"You're right! Thank you Zim, I almost lost myself there. Thanks, you saved me."
"Of course. Now let's find Dib." The three walked through corridors of darkness until they found a shadow. The shadow had no face or form – yet it was Dib.
"Dib!"
"How would you know?" Gaz asked.
"I can hear his wavelength, though. It's Dib. I know."
"Callista, thank goodness you're here! I hope you're okay!" Dib walked up to Callista and said, "I'm so glad you're here! Follow me!" Now that he was out in the open, she could see Dib. Tears nearly came to her eyes.
"Hurry! Hurry up Dib! We are stuck here unless you can guide us to the opening of vast darkness."
"Okay. I'll try. For you. I have nothing else to live for. I will lead you."
"First..." Callista handed Dib the green malachite. "It withholds your powers. Keep it for your own strengths."
"I will hold it dearly. It is the one gift left from you."
"I know you will be wise." Dib lead the three down the void of dark interior. Finally, they found themselves in a glowing white room. Dib thought about what had just happened. They almost gave in. Suddenly, a wave of depression swept Dib, making him fall to the floor, gagging as if someone were choking him. The same thing happened to Callista. They both felt a pain worse than getting punched in the stomach, worse than anything they had ever felt before. They truly felt as if they were going to die from the agony.
"I... can't... take... it..." Dib told Callista.
"This... is... too... bad... to... resist," Callista said, "can't... give... up... now..."
"I... will... always..." Dib didn't finish. The pains didn't jolt him as before, but seemed more subtle. But they weren't. Dib's eyes closed; he said, "Good...bye..."
"NO!" Callista got up immediately. She didn't care what was happening. Only who was responsible for this act of murder. "I don't like what I see. Dib IS alive. Don't take him again!" Without thinking, she fled the room. Not knowing where she was going, one thought occupied her mind:
'This isn't real. Dib's alive. Dib's alive. Dib's alive. This can't be happening! This ISN'T happening!'
She turned every corner, hoping to see something that could save Dib. Callista ran so fast she was a blur. Corridor after corridor, she continued. She ran over to the side of the ship and saw Seralio's ship. She contacted him with her mind. In an instant, she was beamed aboard.
"I'm surprised that you gave up on your friends. Especially the one you call Dib."
"What do you mean?"
"You love Dib. Am I right?"
"You are correct."
"Then why leave him in his hour of need?"
"He's alive?"
"Very much so."
"Take me to him!"
"It might be too late. I can do it for you anyways though."
"Thank you! I'll never forgive myself if he dies."
"I know you won't." At that, Seralio beamed her aboard the ship. Callista ran to Dib, who didn't seem to be breathing.
"Dib, wake up! For the love of all that is good, for us, wake up! I need you to wake up! I love you! I'll never give up! Don't go! It's not your time! I know! You have a future! A future career, a future life, a future... with me... Dib, don't give up! I won't let you die!" There was no response. Only a silence. A silence of death.