Everything around him was blurry, and then began to refocus, but he was no
longer in some deep cavern on Minerva 2, but in the Gray Counsil chamber. He
stood in the center, surrounded by nine cloaked figures within their own pools
of light.
Was he dead? He remembered being shot. So was this, then, his final judgement?
One of the figures approached him and removed his hood, revealing Marcus Cole.
"Are you giving up then?" the dead ranger asked, his blue eyes piercing.
Lennier stared, "Aren't I dead?"
"You could be. Are you?"
"Well," he staggered, "I assumed so. I was shot."
The human laughed mockingly, "So that's it then, you were shot and now you'll
just lie there and bleed to death, while the Shadow takes off to wrek havoc" he
paused for several seconds before asking softly, "What about Pris?"
Lennier started, he hadn't thought of her, but now it presented itself and
wouldn't go away. He couldn't leave her to die, not while there was still life
within him. Still, there was within him a yearning to simply let go and die
alone and in the dark.
Marcus seemed to sense his conflict and said, "I know, it's almost too easy to
simply lay down your life, but there is so much to still do in life. If I had
it over I'd," he left it hanging, an obvious sadness and regret in his eyes.
Lennier felt it to, and turned to see that behind him was a portal, through
which he could see himself, lying on the ground, barely breathing, his black
clothes stained with blood. A sudden desire to fight hit him like a wave and he
dived through the portal and was catapulted back into his body.
His eyes snapped open as he gasped sharply. All around him was chaos as the
Shadow vessel slowly awoke after countless centuries of sleep. The roof shook
as it prepared to launch as soon as it was clear and able to fly again.
He didn't have much time.
Gasping in extreme pain brought on by the strenuous effort, he slowly stood up.
He clutched his stomach as he staggered towards the door, thinking only of
saving Pris and forgetting all else. He made it to the corridor and leaned
against the wall he made his way up to the antechamber, being very careful not
to fall. If he fell he would not get back up, and he would die, as would Pris
and countless others.
Finally he stumbled through the doorway and made his way to her inert form
lying on the ground. When he reached her, he fell down next to her and gripped
her face, trying to wake her up.
"Pris," he said in a raspy voice, "wake up."
He knew he could not carry her in his current state, he needed her to wake up.
"Pris!" he said with more force. She didn't move.
Desperatly he did something which Dr. Franklin would have done while waking
someone up. He slapped her hard, "Pris!" he managed to shout.
Her eyes popped open and she roled over coughing. She then looked up at him and
suddenly became aware of what was happening.
Pris got up quickly helped him back to his feet.
"Where's Huntington?"
"Inside the ship," he managed to get out, but he was quickly starting to pass
out again and sank to his knees.
Pris left him briefly to grab the transmittor from Kendle's workstation, then
bent down next to him and shouted into his ear, "Oh no you don't, we're getting
out of here."
She hoisted him up and helped him walk as they quickly made for the caves
entrance. He leaned on her and moved like he was in a dream. The light from
outside gleamed in front of him as the tumbled out of the cave and down the
path.
In an instant, they were both grabbed by the vines, which were now crazed as
the Shadow prepared to take off. Lennier lacked the strength to struggle as one
tightened around his throat to choke the life out of him. He was dimly aware
that Pris was also grabbed but that she was fumbling with something in her hand.
The transmittor...
Inside the Shadow Vessel was fully awake, and was almost ready to fly.
Pris pressed the button.
The floor suddenly gave way beneath the Shadow and it quickly found it lacked
the propulsion or the space necassary to fly out of the cave. Instead it
succumbed to gravity and fell through to the depths below, screaming the whole
way.
The vines suddenly went limp after the explosion rocked the mountainside and
the screaming of the Shadow was silenced. Lennier dropped to the ground and
simply lay there, unable to move.
Once the rumbling subsided there was complete silence. Pris crawled over to him
and rolled him over he was lying in her lap, looking up at her. She looked
horribly tired and was covered with scratches and bruises, but was smiling
weakly.
"Hey," she said, "it's over. We made it."
longer in some deep cavern on Minerva 2, but in the Gray Counsil chamber. He
stood in the center, surrounded by nine cloaked figures within their own pools
of light.
Was he dead? He remembered being shot. So was this, then, his final judgement?
One of the figures approached him and removed his hood, revealing Marcus Cole.
"Are you giving up then?" the dead ranger asked, his blue eyes piercing.
Lennier stared, "Aren't I dead?"
"You could be. Are you?"
"Well," he staggered, "I assumed so. I was shot."
The human laughed mockingly, "So that's it then, you were shot and now you'll
just lie there and bleed to death, while the Shadow takes off to wrek havoc" he
paused for several seconds before asking softly, "What about Pris?"
Lennier started, he hadn't thought of her, but now it presented itself and
wouldn't go away. He couldn't leave her to die, not while there was still life
within him. Still, there was within him a yearning to simply let go and die
alone and in the dark.
Marcus seemed to sense his conflict and said, "I know, it's almost too easy to
simply lay down your life, but there is so much to still do in life. If I had
it over I'd," he left it hanging, an obvious sadness and regret in his eyes.
Lennier felt it to, and turned to see that behind him was a portal, through
which he could see himself, lying on the ground, barely breathing, his black
clothes stained with blood. A sudden desire to fight hit him like a wave and he
dived through the portal and was catapulted back into his body.
His eyes snapped open as he gasped sharply. All around him was chaos as the
Shadow vessel slowly awoke after countless centuries of sleep. The roof shook
as it prepared to launch as soon as it was clear and able to fly again.
He didn't have much time.
Gasping in extreme pain brought on by the strenuous effort, he slowly stood up.
He clutched his stomach as he staggered towards the door, thinking only of
saving Pris and forgetting all else. He made it to the corridor and leaned
against the wall he made his way up to the antechamber, being very careful not
to fall. If he fell he would not get back up, and he would die, as would Pris
and countless others.
Finally he stumbled through the doorway and made his way to her inert form
lying on the ground. When he reached her, he fell down next to her and gripped
her face, trying to wake her up.
"Pris," he said in a raspy voice, "wake up."
He knew he could not carry her in his current state, he needed her to wake up.
"Pris!" he said with more force. She didn't move.
Desperatly he did something which Dr. Franklin would have done while waking
someone up. He slapped her hard, "Pris!" he managed to shout.
Her eyes popped open and she roled over coughing. She then looked up at him and
suddenly became aware of what was happening.
Pris got up quickly helped him back to his feet.
"Where's Huntington?"
"Inside the ship," he managed to get out, but he was quickly starting to pass
out again and sank to his knees.
Pris left him briefly to grab the transmittor from Kendle's workstation, then
bent down next to him and shouted into his ear, "Oh no you don't, we're getting
out of here."
She hoisted him up and helped him walk as they quickly made for the caves
entrance. He leaned on her and moved like he was in a dream. The light from
outside gleamed in front of him as the tumbled out of the cave and down the
path.
In an instant, they were both grabbed by the vines, which were now crazed as
the Shadow prepared to take off. Lennier lacked the strength to struggle as one
tightened around his throat to choke the life out of him. He was dimly aware
that Pris was also grabbed but that she was fumbling with something in her hand.
The transmittor...
Inside the Shadow Vessel was fully awake, and was almost ready to fly.
Pris pressed the button.
The floor suddenly gave way beneath the Shadow and it quickly found it lacked
the propulsion or the space necassary to fly out of the cave. Instead it
succumbed to gravity and fell through to the depths below, screaming the whole
way.
The vines suddenly went limp after the explosion rocked the mountainside and
the screaming of the Shadow was silenced. Lennier dropped to the ground and
simply lay there, unable to move.
Once the rumbling subsided there was complete silence. Pris crawled over to him
and rolled him over he was lying in her lap, looking up at her. She looked
horribly tired and was covered with scratches and bruises, but was smiling
weakly.
"Hey," she said, "it's over. We made it."