Thanks for your comments/reviews since my last update, and also, a shout-out to those who have added the story to your alert list, c2, or favourite list, it's almost as good as a review, 'ya know!
Posted February 23, 2012
I introduce yet another universe here, the incredible world of Skyrim. We won't be there long, but I should warn, there are spoilers here for the Thieves' Guild quest: "Speaking With Silence".
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
-CHAPTER 49-
THE FINAL STRAW
Or, Harry finally reaches his limit with the artefacts
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cedric, Matt, and Bill did their best to comfort their mate, but in the end were forced to stun him. Each of them knew what the death of Sirius meant. It was without a doubt a devastating blow.
"Magic three over," Matt heard in his earpiece. It was Norm.
"Magic three go ahead."
"Where's Harry?"
"Secure location."
"We had to destroy the trunk."
"Say what?"
"The... um... dark wizards, they were going for the container. Fred and George set off some kind of explosive."
"Worked brilliantly," George spoke up, the usual humour not present.
"We had no choice," Fred picked up, "Like Norm said, Death Eaters could have gotten into the container. Harry's relatives are at Hell's gate, along with everyone else at this point. Dumbledore's there too."
"Where is Owen, Justin, and Patrick?"
"Patrick took a nasty blasting curse to the leg, but he's recovering. They're at Hell's Gate."
"Good, good."
"Guys. We really need to get a better set-up so we can stay in touch," said Norm.
"Got something in mind?"
"Actually, we do," came Jiro's voice.
"Right. Last thing we need is your mouth here," Matt scowled.
"Shut up. Just trying to help."
"Guys! Not helping!" came Zachariah's exasperated voice.
"Sorry. But really."
"We could send some of our equipment along," said Norm, "That's if you have room."
"Hold on." Matt took his finger away from the radio collar. "I need a favour..."
Harry was moved to the medical bay and administered a heavy sleeping draught. Additional vials were left with Searle, with instructions to keep him sedated for the time being. While he slept, Jiro created a small room leading off the mess hall, much to the amazement of the Icarus II's crew. Careful questions had been asked about the wiring, so as not to interrupt anything vital. Immediately following, Norm was then brought through, along with Max. They brought with them a number of heavy cases. The Temporal Control Unit was also brought along, as well as the other pieces; each were stowed carefully.
"So do any of you know how this thing works, or-" Mace dared ask, as he watched Bill guiding one of the devices into a conjured chest.
"Just Harry. His burden."
"What'd he do with his notes? Maybe Capa might make something of it."
"No. Impossible," Bill answered, shaking his head, "It won't work for someone who's not magical. We on the other hand... good thinking. Matt, go see if Harry has the notes."
"Sure thing."
"You remeber where he is?"
"Yeah, no problem." Matt left the room.
"Great."
"Next piece of business," said Zachariah, "We need to patch this into your computer." He gestured to a small box with a short antenna on the back of it. It had a long, thin wire which was glowing at the end. Mace frowned. "What's it for?"
"To connect systems. Your radios are all automatic, right?" Zachariah guessed.
"Pretty much."
"This'll allow our radios to work with yours, among other things."
"It'll mean we can be in easier contact with Hell's Gate back on Pandora."
"Pandora? Where the hell is that?" Capa spoke up.
Norm, who was working on a separate computer system looked up. "You know of Alpha Centuri?"
"Closest star to the sun, yeah, of course."
"Pandora is a moon in orbit around the gas giant Polyphemus. An expedition from Earth discovered it in 2129... and it's perhaps the most interesting discovery by humans in hundreds of years."
"You're all from the future then."
"Some of us, yes. God, I mean, without that-" Norm gestured to the Temporal Displacement Device, resting on top of a conjured table, "-A lot of people could have died."
"So Harry's helped you guys too, then," said Mace.
"We're all in his debt, yeah. I know some people would bitch and complain that it wasn't his place to get involved, but really."
"Harry couldn't just leave it. That's not how he works," answered Cedric, as he restored a box to its original size. Mace only shook his head, then gestured at Zachariah. "C'mon, I'll show you where you can tap into the mainframe."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Harry woke up sometime later to voices. Matt and Cedric were seated on either side of the bed. He went to sit up, but Cedric put a hand on his chest. "Don't get up."
"Why? I need-"
"To rest. Last thing we need is you going off the deep end and blowing up the ship." Harry looked to his left, and realized Kaneda had regained consciousness himself.
"S-sorry, sir. Just, oh God, oh God..."
"Harry. Just, breathe." Cedric took his hand, and gave it a strong squeeze.
"All signs check in," came Bill's voice over the radio. It echoed above as well.
"How the hell?" Harry arched an eyebrow.
"Good, it's working," said Bill.
"This is gonna get confusing you know," came Cassie's voice.
"Welcome to the party line," came George's voice.
"So this is the ultimate 'reach out and touch someone'", said Jiro, "Light years and dimensions apart, and it all still fucking WORKS!" From there, it was several minutes of various stations confirming the check-in. The number of people all able to communicate through the network was extraordinary. At the end, the crew of the Icarus II added theirs, the novelty of talking with people over such a tremendous distance proving too much a temptation.
"Right then," said Harry, closing his eyes. "Tell me. What happened. I don't care how dark or stupid it is. I want every detail of what just happened."
"We had to destroy your main trunk, Harry... I'm sorry, but... Death Eaters nearly got into the container."
"We couldn't let them into Pandora. You know that Harry," came Jake's voice.
"I know. Was... was anything saved?"
"Some things. We've set up a temporary room off the crew mess here," said Bill.
"My parents' portrait..."
"Yes, we got it. The devices, your pensieve, the special things belonging to You-Know-Who, they're all here."
Harry blew out a breath. "Okay. Fine, I can live with that. Was... what about casualties? Other than... than..." he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Remus and Tonks. Dad was hurt pretty bad, he's in St. Mungo's-"
"Have Kreacher take you to be with him, Bill."
"No. I'll see him later. Harry, you are my number one priority right now and that's out of dad's mouth. Protect the king. On the chess board, you have to protect the king, right?"
"I... guess."
"Continuing. Given we were already breached, I dismantled the rest of the wards and summoned the Order. That's how Tonks was... is no longer with us. Hestia Jones was also killed. Mundungus Fletcher panicked and Disapparated soon as he saw what we were fighting."
"Useless git. He's the reason Dementors attacked me the first time around."
"What's a Dementor?" came Cassie's voice.
"Very dark creatures," answered Bill, "You can't see them because you're not magical. And even those who can, they're terrifying. Continuing. We finally pushed them back away from the entrance into the container. My brothers then set off some sort of magical explosion which imploded the expansion charms on the trunk."
"Was Voldemort there?"
"No. Though I think they were about to call him."
"Hate to interrupt, but we're about to dock with the Icarus I," said Cassie.
"I should be there," said Kaneda, but several voices rather strongly discouraged him.
"We got it, captain."
"Once all this shit blows over, I'll get you into Diagon Alley for a prosthetic," Harry offered, "They fixed Bill up quite nicely."
"Takes a while to get used to it," came Bill's voice, "But I'm pretty much accustomed to it now."
Harry laid back, listening to the chatter of those around him—whether they be in the same room, or back on Pandora. Once again, everything had gone pear-shaped, and he in no position to stop it. What good was he, if people kept insisting he 'stay safe'? Didn't they realize, no one was truly safe? Now, he'd lost two people dear to him, another friend, and another ally.
No. It wasn't their fault.
"Guys. You know what I want for Christmas? Delores Umbridge, bound in manacles, so I can strangle her with that ugly pink cardigan. Or no. Just twenty minutes alone with her... and my wand."
"Torturing her won't fix anything, Harry."
"No, but it might make me feel better. I want her to hurt. I want her to feel the knife shoved in my heart, 'cause that's exactly what it feels like. SHE is the reason my godfather's dead, Remus is dead, Tonks is dead, my fucking HOME is destroyed, need I go on?"
"Harry, killing her won't solve anything," said Bill, "Bide your time. She'll answer for her crimes before the Wizengamot. That's where you get your revenge. She'll spend the rest of her life rotting away in Azkaban, with the Dementors for company."
"It's a fate worse than death, mate," George added. Harry only nodded to himself, knowing his friends were right. Once the government was straightened out, he could then exact some personal justice. Umbridge had just vaulted to the top of that list.
"Bill. Have Kreacher take you back to Pandora. Jake or Tsu'tey?"
"What do you need?" came Jake's voice.
"I think we need to offer Umbridge another gift from Pandora. I'm sending Bill along."
"We'll have something ready."
"Great."
"What kind of gift?" came Mace's voice.
"The alcoholic kind. Last time we gave it to the bitch, she was practically incapacitated for a week."
"Damn, Harry. Remind me never to cross you," said Cassie.
"Ah, but see, revenge is, after all, a dish best served cold." There was malice in Harry's voice. He was all business. In the air-lock, where they were prepping to cross over to the crippled Icarus I, Mace swallowed hard. Would Harry make good on his threat?
Back in the medical bay, Harry took another calming draught and a sleeping potion. The emotional stress of losing his godfather for a second time was too much to bear otherwise, even with two of his mates beside him. Using so many potions wasn't a good thing, but it was either that, or possibly returning to the school and murdering the bitch where she stood, damn the consequences.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
It seemed only a short time later, he woke to commotion. Capa and Corazon were practically carrying Mace over to a bed. He looked like a Popsicle.
"Harry? Harry, c'mon, need your help."
"W-what happened?"
"Searle, we're leaving you now. We gotta complete the mission. We're all thinking of you, Searle. Searle, we're gonna go now. We love you," came Cassie's voice.
"Explain!" Harry demanded. Why were they leaving the doctor behind?
"The two ships separated for some reason... air lock was busted, had to blow the air lock door on Icarus I, one way trip," Capa tried to explain. Harry was already casting healing charms on Mace. The guy was virtually blue.
"Twenty metres is a long way at minus two-hundred and seventy-three Celsius." Now the picture became clearer.
"We lost Harvey. C-couldn't keep a hold of him, floated into space." Harry mentally cursed himself again. Here he was, off in blissful sleep, while two of his new friends had been killed, a third turned into a human Popsicle. The guy was finally thawing out, but shivering uncontrollably.
"Pain relieving draught, and a calming draught. Drink them."
"How'll you cope without a doctor here?" Matt questioned.
"We'll make do. Contingencies are part of the program," said Corazon.
"They have to, Matt," came Jake's voice, "Even through the crash course in space flight, we covered that shit. Not that it really applied to me specifically, but most other crews, they all have somewhat of an idea what everyone else is doing. If everything goes south, one can pick up for the other. Make sense?"
"Yeah, I guess." He then noticed Kaneda was no longer in the Medical bay. Matt caught that. "He's on crutches. Back on the flight deck."
"Good, good. You okay?" He gestured to Capa.
"Peachy."
"Go spend some time in the Earth room. Captain's orders," came Kaneda's voice.
"All right, all right."
"Wait. Cedric, where are you?"
"In the crew mess with Zack."
"I'm assuming everything's secure again. You mind taking Capa to Pandora for a while?"
"Bring him to Hell's Gate for a bit," Jake suggested, "He's probably not ready for a cultural shock."
"Good thinking." A minute or two later, Cedric arrived. He and Harry embraced briefly, then he summoned Kreacher. They vanished with Capa a few moments later.
Then. "SONOFABITCH! Guys! Get down here!" came Jiro's voice.
"Where are you?"
"White room. Jesus Christ!"
"Earth room?" Cassie questioned.
"Think so. Just get down here... oh my God..."
Harry, having already been there, vanished with a noisy POP, to arrive at the scene. It was quickly evident what had happened: Trey had taken his own life, slashing his wrists with a scalpel. Harry knelt down beside the deceased man. "Be with Eywa now."
"What happened?" the captain demanded.
"Trey is dead. He slit his wrists in the Earth Room."
Only moments later, the others arrived, save for Cassie and Capa. Mace was still wrapped in a blanket, although he looked a lot less blue than he was.
"The guilt was too much... we should have seen it," said Corazon.
"Don't blame yourselves. Everyone can get overwhelmed, God, I understand that shit too well," said Harry, still kneeling beside Trey's body. "So much death so quickly today." Were these deaths part of the 'consequences'? He got no mental answer, but still resented the entire concept.
"Mr. Potter. I think it might be a good idea for you to get your people away from us."
"I... yeah, maybe so."
"Protect the King," said Mace, "Protect the mission."
"NO. I'm involved here now."
"Harry. They're right. It's safe for us to return now, and we got patching up to do."
Harry stood up, and blew out a breath. They were all right. He had reading to do, a dark wizard to kill, and a dark witch to crucify... not necessarily in that order.
"Any of my guys still on the Icarus II. Meet back at the crew mess."
Minutes later, the group was again gathered in the expanded room.
"Link arms with mine." That done, he whispered, 'Retracto'. The group vanished in a blur of appendages. They reappeared moments later in the hub.
"Blimey, Harry. Where are we?" Cedric dared ask.
"This is the interior of the Temporal Displacement Device. Now watch carefully. This picture—"
"That's the interior of the container, right?" said Matt.
"Should be. Touch the picture, it'll take you there. Go. I'll be last through." Harry watched as each of his friends and partners followed his instructions.
POP. "Harry, wait." Mace had managed to somehow enter the chamber.
"How-"
"Dude. Thanks for all your help. I know I could have just said it over the radio, but-" he offered a hand. Harry accepted, and they shook firmly.
"It's the right thing to do, right? Otherwise, our jobs are for nought, right? You remember how to-" The pictures swirling around them momentarily froze. "What the hell?" The pictures suddenly swirled in a violent circle, completely new behaviour.
"Did it do this before?"
"No! Immobilus!" Harry commanded, and everything froze again.
"Harry? Where are you?" came Matt's voice.
"Stuck in the hub. Something weird's happening. Just hang on, we'll be along shortly."
"We?"
"Mace decided to hitch a ride for a second time."
"You seem to have a habit of attracting passengers, Harry," George piped up.
"Right. Guys, quiet, trying to think here... HOME." he commanded. The picture showing the container reappeared. However, when he reached out a hand to touch it, nothing happened.
"Fuck me sideways... Finite." The pictures started flying around again. "We can't stay in here. Take my hand." Mace did so, and Harry snatched at the first image that came within range. They vanished in another blur of body parts.
The landing was rough, but not nearly as rough as it used to be. Harry landed on both feet, while Mace landed on his hands and knees. He scrambled to his feet. The place was old. And very dim. Harry wrinkled his nose at the stench. It smelled of rot and decay.
"All right?"
"Yeah, I think so. Where are we now?"
"No clue. Stick close."
"Listen." There. Harry could hear it too. Rattled breathing, and shuffling feet. Whatever it was, it likely didn't bode well. Harry tapped Mace on the head, whispering a spell. To Mace, it felt like someone had just dumped cold water on him. Both of them crushed up against a wall, as the shuffling came closer. Then, they saw it.
At first, Harry thought it was a human being. It walked, or shuffled rather slowly, but had two legs, two arms, and so on. But as it drew closer, he realized this was most definitely not. Perhaps it had been human at one point. Now, it resembled... a mummy. The skin was withered to the bones. Its face was practically skeletal, with beady, blue, glowing eyes. The outfit it wore was some type of ancient armour, either iron or steel, and it carried a glowing blade of some sort.(1) There was a small crunch, and Harry cringed. Mace had stepped on something. Had the thing saw it?
It was confirmed, as the monster let out what was better described as a growl, its glowing eyes snapping to their location.
"Oh shit..." Harry drew his wand. "REDUCTO!" The blast caught the creature in the chest, and it literally exploded in a gory mess. Unfortunately, there were at least a dozen more grunts or growls. Harry produced his clone. "Keep him safe."
Another mummified monster had arrived. This one wore a helm with long horns rising straight up from it. Likely a stronger one than the last.
"Dir Volaan!" it growled, taking a swipe with a much larger axe. It somewhat reminded him of the axe Avery had brought to Hogwarts when they were going to execute Buckbeak. Harry had to dodge the deadly weapon, and again brought his wand to bear on the monster.
"zun... Hal VIIK!" The monster shouted, and Harry felt his wand clatter off into a dark corner. Mace actually covered his ears from the volume of the monster's shout.
"What the fuck are you?" He demanded, and popped away to the opposite side of the corridor to escape the murderous blade. "Accio WAND!"
"Reducto!" came Harry's clone, and the monster was blasted against a wall. It simply got up.
"Incendio!" Harry shouted, and the monster was engulfed in flames.
"Aav Dilon!" the monster growled, even though its body was completely alight.
"Now what?" the clone asked.
"No choice. Us or it. Avada kedavra," Harry spoke, calmly. A sickening bolt of green magic struck the flaming monster, and it crumpled where it stood.
"Harry! Watch out!" Harry turned to see a pair of the hideous beasts trying to sneak up behind. They were dispatched easily.
"Really could've used my invisibility cloak here."
"What the hell are those things, though?" Mace at last managed to say.
"Nothing I've ever seen before, that's for damned sure. And our radio sets don't work here—reducto!" Another of the foul creatures fell to the blasting curse.
Passing through a series of passageways and chambers, they at last could hear voices up ahead.
"...not quick enough, otherwise Gallus would still be alive." It was a female speaking.
"Gallus had his wealth and he had you. All he had to do was look the other way." The speaker was male this time. He sounded like an arrogant ass.
"Did you forget the oath we took as Nightingales? Did you expect him to simply ignore your methods?"
"Enough of this mindless banter! Come, Karliah, it is time for you and Gallus to become reunited!" There came a pop and a sizzle sound.
"I'm no fool, Mercer. Crossing blades with you would be a death sentence. But I can promise the next time we meet, it will be your undoing."
"What do we do?" the clone asked.
"Nothing. Not your fight, Harry," said Mace.
"He's right. Stay out of sight," Harry agreed. The man named Mercer was speaking again. "How interesting. It appears Gallus's history has repeated itself. Karliah has provided me the means to be rid of you, and this ancient tomb becomes your resting place. But do you know what intrigues me the most? The fact that this was all possible because of you.
"Farewell, I'll be certain to give Brynjolf your regards." The sound of steel penetrating flesh followed.
The trio hugged the wall, as a single individual exited the room. He was dressed in a black leather outfit; Harry guessed it was some sort of armour. He was white, a little taller than he was, with a long scabbard strapped to his waist. He watched him disappear around a bend.
"Wait. Listen." They could hear more movement inside the room the man named Mercer had just come out of. The sound of a body being dragged across the floor. Harry edged toward the opening, and he was right. The female was dragging a body across the floor of the rather large chamber. Harry so much wanted to step out of the shadows and help, but Mace was right. As long as he stayed out of sight, he wouldn't be seen, and they could be on their way. There had to be a way out of the tomb, as he know knew it was.
They had to wait nearly fifteen minutes before Karliah was gone. They were then able to enter the chamber, which was somewhat brighter than the rest of the tomb. A pool of blood was on the floor, and a trail of it led toward a door on the opposite side of the chamber, up a set of stairs.
"Harry. Isn't that the thing in the drawing?" Mace pointed to a strange frame resting against a far wall. It was exactly like the item in the drawing. Along with it, was another cylinder-like object, and even from there, Harry could feel the magical energy radiating from it.
"Right. The reason we're here." Harry hurried over to the items, and within seconds had each of them packed away in his pockets.
"Let's get out of here." He gripped Mace about the shoulder, and whispered, "Retracto."
To his relief, he felt the discomfort that came with apparition, and seconds later, they arrived back in the hub. To his double surprise, his clone arrived only a second after.
"Well, that's a new one. My clone usually gets destroyed," Harry mused. "Right. Let's try to get back to the container." He again reached out for the picture, but was again rebuked, and sucked into another image.
He returned a few almost instantly, although he looked like he'd seen a ghost, and his clothes were a tattered mess.
"Harry?"
"Not. O.K." His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he dropped in a dead faint. Mace looked to the clone. "What now?"
"Something's wrong with the hub. Gotta do some reading. At least try and find your world," the clone decided, as he fished the stack of documents out of his pockets, and restored them to original size. Mace, meanwhile, attempted to spot the image of the Icarus II amongst the maelstrom of images flying around the outside of the room. Even after being there a few times, it remained a most unnerving experience.
"Okay. Might have something." The clone held out a hand, ordering, "Reset!" The pictures all froze for a moment, then continued circling the room, but back to their much slower, normal speed. He thought for a moment, then commanded, "Last image." Nothing happened. "Last world?" Again, nothing.
"Last dimension," Mace tried. A frame zoomed out from the outer circle.
"Brilliant." The frame in question now showed, of all things, a dragon.
"For real?" Mace stared at the frame, unsure of whether to be astounded, or terrified. The monster was attacking a small village. The people were trying to defend against the terrible beast, but what power did a simple human have against something like THAT?
"I fought one," said the clone, "Last year, during a tournament at the school. They had one for each of us."
"Serious?"
"I swear it. My luck as always, I drew the biggest, baddest, meanest of the lot. Only by sheer luck did I escape being roasted alive and eaten, I think. And Hermione's brilliant teaching. She taught me the summoning charm."
"Mmmm, summon a pillow for me," Harry mumbled, half conscious.
"Gotta get him back to the container. You know how the frames work." The clone levitated Harry, gripped him by the shoulder, and touched the frame of the trunk. He vanished. Mace followed seconds later.
The container had already undergone a few changes since the incident hours earlier. A new common room was already taking shape, with some of the furniture already in place. Bill was busily configuring a grand fireplace on one wall. Jiro was assisting an ancient wizard with a large window on an opposite wall. Matt was also lending a hand, although he wasn't able to do a lot with his somewhat limited magical knowledge.
"Guys. A little help here," said the clone. Everyone turned around at once, and immediately all attention was on Harry.
"What happened?"
"Don't know. Entered another dimension and came back this way," the clone explained.
"Pockets. Frame, take it. Two more cylinders. Calming draught and a p-p-pain-relieving potion, please."
"Here." the clone was already producing said potions.
"Professor, maybe we should—" Jiro began, but Harry snapped his eyes to the dark-haired wizard. "I won't be seeing Madam Pomfrey!" The focus was coming back, and he sat up, at last getting a look around. "Thank you... all of you for your help."
"After all that has happened, it was only fair, Harry," said the ancient man.
"Thank you, professor. Mace. This is professor Albus Dumbledore, of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Where I'm supposed to be in class right now. Professor, one of my new friends from... well..."
"It's Mace, sir."
"Ah. Well, welcome." The pair shook hands. Mace figured the man had to be at least a hundred years old, judging by his appearance.
"Right. That tears it," Harry declared, "I've had all I'm gonna take from those blasted devices."
"Go Harry!" came George's voice over the headset.
"George. Shut it!" came Bill's rebuke.
"Guys. I'm dead serious. This shit has caused more grief than Voldemort EVER has. The last jump I did, I was nearly killed on SIX differnt occasions. Wanna know what was at fault? A fucking DRAGON. Big, scaly, flies, breathes fire? Yeah, a fucking dragon. Finally A/K'd its ass, the tearing of my soul be damned. It chased me for three days across the countryside."
"Harry, I truly worry."
"Worry all you want, I'm still alive, the dragon is very dead. So anyway, new plan. Mace, tell me about your mission, what exactly are you guys gonna do?"
"You know of the heat shield on the Icarus?"
"What Kaneda and Capa had to fix."
"Right. Directly behind that is a nuclear payload with a mass the size of Manhattan Island."
"So we're talking an explosion the size of Manhattan?"
"Much larger, Harry," came Capa's voice. Of course he could still hear them. "The whole point of our mission is to restart the sun."
"Would it be possible for me to add a few things to it?"
"It wouldn't make a hell of a difference."
"Harry, you can't be thinking of-" Dumbledore began, but Harry cut across him, hissing, "I'm not fate's kicking dog. If fate wants someone, they can choose a new champion. I resign."
"Harry. The device you have in your possession is immensely valuable. If you destroy it, we will have lost the potential for some truly remarkable research."
"Professor, I no longer care. The people who charged me with finding it didn't tell me what I was supposed to do with it once I found it. I think, if anything, the device is too dangerous to keep. What if Voldemort got his hands on it? Then what?"
"I'd have to agree, Harry," came Norm's voice. "You're absolutely right in wanting to dispose of it. If the crew of Icarus II will let you, I would take the opportunity."
"Captain?" said Mace. No answer.
"Kaneda? You there?" No answer. "Cassie? Cory?"
"Shit." Harry gripped Mace on the shoulder. "Retracto."
Landing on the hub's floor, they found Kaneda there, a scalpel jabbed into his chest. "Oh fuck."
"I'll take Mace back to the Icarus," the clone offered. The picture of the Icarus II had changed again. They were much closer to the sun now. "Ready?" Both of them touched the image, and vanished. Unfortunately, a brief stream of memories came to him. The clone was not allowed to follow.
"Mace? You're on your own for now." No answer, and Harry was torn. Help Mace, or Kaneda? Mace would have to look after himself for a bit. He grabbed Kaneda by the sleeve and touched the image of the trunk.
"Guys, a bit of help here!" Harry shouted, soon as his feet touched the floor. He could certainly fix the injury himself, but his mind was on getting back to the Icarus II. Something was definitely wrong.
"I'll look after him," said Bill, "Go."
"Ced, bring Capa back to the container for now. He'll be needed back on the Icarus soon."
"Copy." Harry vanished again, back to the hub. There, he touched the image of the Icarus II, and the sensation of apparition followed.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AUTHOR NOTES: Next up, we have an ending to things, including an explosive battle with Voldemort on board the Icarus II, much to Mace, Capa, and Kaneda's shock.
The Elder Scrolls and its characters copyright(C) Bethesda Studios and Zenimax Media. All rights reserved. Draugr translations (thanks to the Elder Scrolls Wiki):
Dir Volaan - "Die Quickly"
zun hal viik - "weapon – hand – defeat", the disarming shout.
Aav dilon - "Join dead"
