Chapter 16 Orange & Green
Lister barely looked up when he heard something clank on the cave floor, the voices didn't even register but the touch light shining on him made him react, he turned a tear streaked face towards the group and screamed.
"Smeg off you bastards. You've killed my best friend, you've destroyed my ship, and you've taken my hope. Look at this, it's broken, you've killed him."
Lister stumbled towards the group waving a light bee at them, Red Floof moved his side and snatched it from his hand.
"Hey look, it's another one of those hologram thingy's. Will this give us another toaster?" She asked.
"No." Lister shouted, "It contains the most honest, loyal man I've ever known and you don't deserve to even hold that."
"Really," Said the Cat, "I thought it would be Rimmer."
"It is Rimmer." Shouted Lister as he jumped forward, trying to grab the light bee. Talky Toaster wrapped a yellow tentacle around him.
"It seems ok but it still needs power. Dex, do you have any rings left? Maybe I can get a reaction, like we did with the toaster." Red Floof asked.
Lister had been subdued by Talky Toaster and Kryten and was currently sitting in the corner sobbing. Kryten was talking to him but none of the others could get close enough to hear what was being said. Dex-Starr rummaged in the little bag.
"Two left." He hissed, batting them over to Red Floof, the first gave no reaction but the second ring sparked as it was held near the light bee. Red Floof moved the ring away and fished the power supply from the light bee, replacing it with the ring. Almost immediately the light bee wrenched itself from Red Floofs hand and floated in the air in front of her.
"That mine, you can't have it." The voice rang out even as the figure appeared, a stern looking man with uncontrollable, mess hair and a metallic H in the middle of his forhead.
"In fact, it's not only mine but it is me." He looked around "There's nothing here."
"Rimmer, is that you?" Lister almost shouted, his voice taking on a strained tone. "I, I can't believe it. They managed to bring you back. But your colours not quit right, you're a bit…" He suddenly doubled over, coughing.
"What's wrong with him?" Cat asked.
"Best guess is that he's found hope, something that should be impossible since the polymorph took it all." Kryten said.
"And what's wrong with him?" Cat asked, pointing at Rimmer whose image had started to flicker.
"I'm not sure about that Sir." Kryten replied.
Suddenly Rimmers imaged faded, his light bee continued to hover. Rimmer's image returned but instead of the H there was a circle, inside the circle was a small one joined to the outer circle by four lines and a triangle at the top whose point was towards the centre of the smaller circle.
"Arnold Judas Rimmer, you feel that you are owed by the universe for all the suffering it has put you through. You believe that you should be able to take what you want as you have been given nothing. Welcome to the Orange lantern corps."
"Great." Dex-Starr groaned. "Orange, he's going to be no use to us."
The walls of the cave started to move, to pulse and bulge, rocks came away and took on other forms until 8 polymorphs stood before the group. Talky Toaster and Dex-Starr formed weapons as the creatures ran towards them. Red Floof created her mace which almost instantly flickered and disappeared.
"Oh smeg, I'm drained. It must have been the fight with the Braniac drones."
"If someone can create a distraction, I think I may be able to help. My ring is telling me I can recharge you." Kryten Said
"A distraction, how about this." Red Floof pulled the metallic disk from between her wings and through it a group of approaching polymorphs, as it neared the disk flipped as two booster jets popped out of the side. Guns unfolded from the underside of the disk and opened fire on the creatures.
"You've had that all this time and have only used it now." Dex-Starr shouted.
"It's got limited power. I was saving it for the right time." Replied Red Floof.
"Mine." Shouted Rimmer as he shot towards the gun bot, a polymorph swung down from the roof and him.
"NO!" Lister ran towards the polymorph that had grabbed Rimmer, punching and kicking the monster. The polymorph snatched Lister up and raised him towards its mouth, Lister ripped a badge from his jacket and rammed it into the creatures feeding tube as it shot towards him. The polymorph dropped Lister who landed with a thud, even with the wind knocked out of him, Lister stood up and raced towards the polymorph that was still carrying Rimmer. The Gun Bot shot at a polymorph that was heading for Lister. Lister jumped as the polymorph shrank back to the cave roof and, with ounce of thought and strength, Lister willed himself to catch the creature. His jump was amazing, the adrenalin pulsing through his body mixed with the slightly lower gravity but, just as his hand was about to grab the polymorph it disappeared into the shadows, still Lister tried, throwing himself forward. It wasn't enough and, with a cry of desperation he found himself falling again, as he fell something tugged at his finger and the last of Dex-Starr's ring found its new wearer.
"David Lister, you have survived as the last human through your own will, you have forced out a lack of Hope and strive to save your friend, welcome to the Green lanterns."