Chapter Thirty-Seven: It's Only Knock and Knowall (But I Like It)

One warm August night on Planet Earth, in the year 1988, a bright light broke through the yellow fog that crowded the sky every day and crashed on the East Coast of America. Mylo, up with her daughter Kylie, noticed it first, and was shocked by its proximity. Xyloto was awakened by the light, and came downstairs to meet Mylo. Their faces reflected each other's bewilderment. "Could it be…?" Xyloto murmured.

"There's only one way to find out." Mylo woke up her mother and handed Kylie off to her, and then she and Xyloto put on their gas masks and trudged out into the smoggy yellow night. Because of the fog, it was hard to see where they were going, and the lack of working streetlamps made things especially hard. Eventually, though, Mylo and Xyloto were able to detect the wreckage of what appeared to be a beaten spacecraft of unknown origin. Mylo broke away from her husband and pelted full tilt towards the crash.

"Floyd! Audrey! Rael! Is it you?"

Two human figures slowly rose from the wreckage. When Mylo saw them, she broke out in an alleviated grin. "It is you!" Xyloto came up as well, and the Pinkertons stood blinking and coughing in the hazy summer air.

"Mylo? Xyloto?"

"Fancy that," Xyloto said. "Dumb luck has struck yet again. You guys just happened to land in the suburbs of Suffragette City."

"Good G-" Floyd began, but was then overcome with a coughing fit. Mylo took him by the arm. "You sure picked a bad time to come back here! You guys need gas masks. Hey… where's Rael?"

Floyd tried to explain, but he couldn't get anything out in between coughs. Understanding that both he and Audrey were indisposed, Mylo and Xyloto rushed forward and helped them through the streets, away from the wreckage of the craft. They brought them back into their house, where Mrs. Berryman was sitting in the kitchen area with Kylie, lights on. Eva was sitting in a chair next to her. When Floyd and Audrey caught sight of their daughter, they gasped collectively. Eva had grown larger since the last time they'd seen her- it was to be expected, as she had also aged two years- and her hair was much longer. She sat calmly at the table, preoccupied with Kylie and Mrs. Berryman, not noticing her parents. Then Audrey rushed forward, crying out, "Eva!"

Eva looked up and instantly jumped out of the chair to the ground. "Mummy!" She ran up as Audrey and Floyd gathered their daughter into their arms.

"Oh, little one," Floyd murmured, burying his face in Eva's soft hair. "How we've missed you!"

"I missed you too," she said. "But Mylo and Xyloto took good care of me."

After their reunion, and introduction to the newest member of the family ("She's beautiful," Audrey said appreciatively of Kylie. "I hope motherhood isn't being hard on you!"), the Martins and the Berrymans settled down to hear the Pinkertons talk about their trip to Mars. Floyd described how he had learned that he and Ziggy were bonded soulmates, spoke little of the funeral, and then revealed to Mylo and Xyloto that Rael had been shot on Earth and died while in outer space. Even after eighteen months, tears still choked Floyd's voice as he spoke of it. Mylo and Xyloto sat staring, shocked.

"No," Mylo whispered. "Oh, poor Rael…"

"His body is still on the craft," Floyd said. "We need to go back and get him out of there."

"I'll do it," Xyloto said, his voice shaking. He got up to put his gas mask on, amazed in a painful way at how one could start out hating someone's guts, but later come to consider them a brother. He was glad that no one else offered to go with him to retrieve Rael's body- he wanted to grieve for Rael in private.

Mylo, in contrast, couldn't have cared less about who was watching her. She curled up next to her mother on the couch, shoulders shaking as tears streamed down her face. "He had so much to live for," she whispered. "He didn't deserve to die…"

"No, he didn't," Floyd agreed. "But then again, none of us really do." Except for me.

When Mylo was eventually calm, Floyd asked her gently if she could tell them what the current state of Earth was like. Mylo sighed, wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Um. Well, there's this yellow fog that set in, and it's poisonous to breathe in, or at least it makes us cough really badly. So we have to wear gas masks. The weather's been bad for days, and the electricity has gone out permanently. Things aren't looking good, Floyd. We're running out of supplies."

Floyd took a good long look at his friends and his daughter, and noticed that all four of them looked thinner than usual. In fact, they looked as if they could possibly be starving. With a jolt, Floyd realized that some of them might not even make the three-year deadline. His heart burned for them, for wanting to help out, and then for remembering his pact with Audrey. He could never get the chance to help them, no matter how much he wanted to.

Xyloto chose that moment to come back in, carrying Rael's limp body in his arms. When Mylo caught sight of it, she was set off sobbing again. "God, why?!" she shrieked, jumping up and running over to touch Rael's forehead. "This… this just isn't FAIR! God, no…"

Xyloto pulled his gas mask off, revealing his crumpled expression. He said nothing, only laying Rael down on the kitchen table and then hugging Mylo, tears overflowing in his eyes. Like Ziggy, he cried barely making a sound. Slowly, Audrey and Floyd came over and joined the embrace. Eva followed after them, leaving Mylo's parents and Kylie on the sofa. The group reunited as a quintet stayed locked in embrace for quite a while, until Mylo and Xyloto stopped crying. They then went up to bed, Audrey and Floyd taking the sofa downstairs to sleep.

"When should we tell them?" Floyd asked before falling asleep that night.

"Tomorrow," Audrey said. "We'll talk to Eva in the morning."

That morning- though it was hard to tell it was morning, because the sunlight barely filtered in through the yellow clouds- Floyd was the first one awake in the house owned by the Berrymans. He found a notepad and a pen and wrote out a long letter to Eva, something that she would only understand when she was ten- if she lived to be ten. He then shook Audrey awake, wordlessly communicated with her, and hand in hand, the two walked to the stairs and ascended them. The first bedroom spied was Mylo and Xyloto's bedroom, but the second was the correct one- Eva's room, appearing to be a spare guest room. Audrey and Floyd walked in and woke her up together. As soon as Eva opened her eyes, a beam spread across her entire face.

"Mummy! Daddy! I thought I dreamed you were here…"

"It wasn't a dream," Floyd said quietly. He leaned in and kissed Eva's forehead. "We're here for now, but not for long."

"Are you going away again?" Eva asked. "Don't go back to Mars. I missed you so much."

"We're not going back to Mars," Audrey said. "But we are going somewhere that you can't follow, at least not for another three years."

"Are-" Eva's voice faltered, and she looked down. "Are- are you going to die?"

Audrey and Floyd glanced at each other, and Eva apologized. "I'm sorry! Xyloto gets mad at me when I ask that…"

"Yes," Floyd said, his voice breaking. "Yes, we're going to die."

"Just like Ziggy and like the Earth," Eva said. She looked blankly at Floyd and Audrey. "Why are you going to die?"

"Because that's the way things work out sometimes, little one," Audrey said, her heart beginning to twist into little pieces. "We just are. I'm sorry…"

"It's all right," Eva said, sitting up a little more in bed. "Daddy taught me that there's nothing in death to be afraid of." She looked to Floyd. "Right?"

Floyd found Eva's acceptance unsettling, but he realized the reason for it. Eva had gotten older, both physically and mentally. Her situation had forced her to grow up early and learn to help others. Having lived with Mylo and Xyloto for so long, she had grown used to not having her parents around. She could deal with it, Floyd realized. He swallowed, feeling the finality of the situation close in on him. This was it. As soon as he and Audrey were sure that Eva was going to have a good life for her last three years, they could leave her behind and fulfill the pact they'd made together.

"Eva," Floyd said suddenly. "Do Mylo and Xyloto ever tell you stories?"

"Sometimes," Eva said. "Mylo more often than Xyloto."

"I'd like to tell you a story right now," Floyd said. Eva's chocolate eyes gazed up into Floyd's, and he began to speak.

"Once upon a time there was a young rock star named Floyd Pinkerton, but everyone else called him Pink Floyd. He was loved by many, including his mother and his wife named Audrey, but he didn't love anyone back. He hated people so much that he built a wall between them and himself in order to get away from them. Pink's wife knocked on the wall, looking for a door, and called out his name, trying to get him to respond. But Pink refused to listen to her, and so she went off to find love with someone else. Soon, Pink saw from behind his wall that Audrey was with another man, and this made him jealous. He wanted her back, but he also didn't want to tear the wall down. And so, being so lonely, he started to go mad. When he was going mad, he saw the faces of his old schoolteacher, his mother, and his wife, and they all ordered him to tear down the wall. So Pink did, and although it hurt him greatly, it made his wife realize that she truly loved him, and it made him realize he loved her. They reconnected and had a daughter, whom they named Eva."

Eva gave a start. "That's me…"

"Yes, it is, little one," Floyd said. "But that's not the end of the story. Eva was the most perfect creature that Floyd and Audrey had ever seen. They were content to live alone in a huge forest in England, away from the prying eyes of civilization. But then an alien landed in their backyard, a man who came from the stars. His name was-"

"Ziggy Stardust," Eva jumped in. "I know how the rest of this story goes! May I tell it?"

"Sure," Floyd said. "What happened?"

"Ziggy Stardust had a perfect life up in the stars," Eva recited from memory. "He had a father, a mother, a girlfriend, and three wonderful sisters. He loved these people and enjoyed living with them in the stars. But then one day, terrible news came in. The stars were going out, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Anyone, that is, but Ziggy Stardust. He tried to convince his family and his girlfriend to go into outer space with him on a spacecraft, but they were too afraid to leave. Finally Ziggy abandoned them in the stars and left to go to Earth. He saw many amazing sights, but his family and girlfriend were always on his mind. He missed them and didn't even know if they were still alive. One day, though, a spacecraft came flying above the Earth. When it landed, everyone that Ziggy had known in the stars came out to greet him. They spent the rest of their life on Earth, and they were very happy." Eva frowned. "But Ziggy is dead now, so it's not very happy…"

"Thank you for that part of the story," Floyd said kindly. "What happened after Ziggy died is that his friends, Floyd and Audrey and Mylo and Xyloto and Rael, went to find his body. Floyd, Audrey, and Rael decided to bury him on his home planet of Mars, and they left their beloved daughter Eva on Earth with Mylo and Xyloto. Eva had a lot of adventures while Floyd and Audrey were away, and when they came back they had decided it was time for them to die. But they wanted Eva to always remember them and to love them always and forever." Floyd paused. "That's the end of the story."

"I liked that," Eva said. "Are you going now?"

"Yes," Floyd said. He stood up and kissed Eva on the head. "Your mother and I are very proud of you. Is there anything you'd like to tell us before we go?"

"I love you," Eva said. Audrey gave her a hug. "So do we, love. Always remember that."

They left together and went into Mylo and Xyloto's room to tell them about the pact. Mylo was already up, cradling Kylie in her arms and singing softly to soothe her. Floyd blinked knowingly at the song choice- "There's a starman waiting in the sky…."

"Good morning, Mylo," Audrey greeted her. Mylo turned, her bathrobe half-tied to reveal bare breasts beneath. She didn't seem embarrassed by her almost-nudity, instead giving Audrey and Floyd a frazzled smile. "Morning, guys. I'm sorry I'm not in a better condition for visitors, but Kylie woke me up early…"

"It's all right, we understand," Audrey said. "Can you wake Xyloto up? There's something we need to talk to the both of you about."

"Okay," Mylo said, turning to the bed and shaking Xyloto. "Xyloto, get up, you lazy lump! Floyd and Audrey want to talk to us."

"Just five more minutes," Xyloto grumbled.

"You know, I could just make you get Kylie every time she wakes up in the night," Mylo said. "Be glad you're not doing that!" She pulled the covers back, revealing Xyloto completely naked. He shrieked, sitting up and yanking the covers back. "God, Mylo… There are people here!"

"Yes, there are," she said. "Which is why you need to get up." Xyloto gave her a dirty look and sat on the bed, covering himself with the sheets. "Hey, guys. What is it that you want to talk about?"

"It's about our future," Audrey said. "I'm afraid it's not very pleasant."

"None of our futures are very pleasant," Mylo laughed, sitting down. Floyd was glad she was sitting down.

"Ours is more disturbing than most," Floyd said, "because we're cutting it short." Mylo and Xyloto stared at him, knowing what his words meant but not wanting to believe it.

"I don't want to live anymore," Floyd explained. "There's nothing left for me on Earth. Because Audrey would never let me kill myself, she has agreed to end my life for me. But because I don't want to go anywhere without Audrey…"

He trailed off, seeing how Mylo and Xyloto had gone pale, their faces showing staggered expressions. Floyd waited for them to regain control. It was Mylo who spoke first.

"You can't just leave Eva like this, not after you left her the first time."

"We've already discussed it with Eva," Audrey said. "She understands that we've got to go. She seems comfortable enough with you."

"But she missed you two so much…" Mylo said. "She talked about you nearly every day. 'When are Mummy and Daddy coming home?' It depressed me to hear her talk like that… "

"She'll live," Floyd said grimly. "Well… none of us will live… but she'll get used to it." He stepped forward, the note he had written to his daughter in hand. "If any of you survive to the final year, I'd like it if you could give her this."

"So there's no changing your minds?" Xyloto said, hesitating before taking the note. "God, way to drop a bomb on us. First Rael, and now you two…"

"Speaking of Rael, I would appreciate it if you could give him a burial," Floyd said. "It doesn't have to be in any particular place." Despite himself, he grinned knowingly- it had taken so long to get to Mars, after all…

"We're leaving this morning," Audrey said. "We wanted to say goodbye."

Mylo and Xyloto looked at each other, anguished, before taking each other's hands and standing up. They walked over to embrace Audrey and Floyd, and stayed there until Kylie began fussing. Then Mylo broke away, sighing. "She's always like this…"

"One last thing before we go," Floyd said. "I'd strongly advise you to find Haushinka, the woman who's carrying Ziggy's baby- or, the woman who's given birth to Ziggy's baby, hopefully." He found it chilling to be able to say those words, to know that a part of Ziggy was alive and living on Earth. "Make sure she survives for as long as possible."

"Will do," Xyloto said, giving a mock-salute. "Floyd, Audrey… we'll miss you. There's no getting around that."

"It's going to be all right," Floyd said. "I hope you remember us for the rest of your lives."

"Now we've got to go," Audrey said. "Goodbye, Mylo, Xyloto. Do you have extra gas masks around here?"

"Yes," Mylo said, her voice downcast. "They're downstairs in the closet. G- goodbye, Floyd, Audrey."

"Goodbye," the Pinkertons chorused, and left the room, turning their backs permanently on Mylo and Xyloto.

Later that morning, Audrey and Floyd sat together beneath a barren yellow sky, gas masks on, staring each other in the face. "Have you got any last words?" Floyd asked Audrey. She shook her head. "All I can say is that I love you, Floyd. I've said it enough already, but it never hurts to say it again."

"I love you too," Floyd said, whipping out Rael's old razor that he had taken from him. Audrey took out a knife of her own. They pressed the blades to each other's throats. Then Floyd began to sing softly.

"Goodbye, cruel world.

"I'm leaving you today.

"Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

"Goodbye, cruel world.

"There's nothing you can say

"To make me change my mind.

"Goodbye."

With that, Floyd cut deep into Audrey's throat, while she did the same for him. One final cut- one moment of pain, and then it was all blissfully over.

Moments later, the first droplets of blood-red rain began to fall.