Chapter 8
A Shattering Revelation
A Note of thank you to Diva Mercury for letting me use her Poem, Hope in this next chapter. Thank you DM. You've given Gabe some good words to work with. some very good words indeed.
Now on with the story -
**
Sara had to wonder just what all Ian meant with his statement. But for now she had to shrug it off. The pain of the youngest and oldest members of the Witchblade circle was starting to get to her now. Sara had to wonder if Ian was feeling it as well, but if he was, he was as usual not showing it. Sara sat down trying to relax. and trying to help from afar. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Gabe and Nikki. She felt a hand on her shoulder and lost the connection.
"I told you this was something that they needed to work through on their own Lady Sara." Ian said softly, his voice low, near her ear. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck and a chill went up her spine causing her to draw a sharp breath. Ian moved back, sitting on the arm of the chair that his Lady had chosen to sit in. and he watched over the two. Making sure to keep Sara out of it.
Gabe was in a strange place. There were small fires everywhere, it was dark as though it were night, and it was neither hot nor cold. The landscape was unfamiliar; it looked as though it belonged in an abstract painting. As he walked, he noticed a ring of small fires, and in the center of it, hugging her knees, was Nikki. As he got closer to the fires, they flared up blocking his way to Nikki.
"Stop it! Let me past!" Gabe screamed at the blackness. The girl in the center of the fire cocked her head to the side as if confused.
"Angel?" She said softly.
"Yes Nikki, it's me." Gabe said, loud enough to be heard over the roaring of the flames. The fires started to ease back to their smaller pieces. Once again Gabe tried to get to her, and once again they leapt to keep him away.
"Why won't you let me get to her?" he pled with the fires.
"She is not like you."
"Yes, she is."
"Not of man or woman born."
"I beg to differ."
"A seed planted in the womb of a barren woman."
"Barren she may have been, but Nikki came from her."
"The Phoenix is not human. She is the living soul of the Witchblade and nothing more."
"You're WRONG!" Gabe screamed.
"She is a human being for crying out loud! Sure she's immortal, but she has feelings too. If you cut her she bleeds. If you cut her off from the people she cares about, she hurts. How can you be so heartless?!"
"We were created for one purpose. We were not created to let emotions get in the way of our duty." The machine like voice said. It was as if this was the culmination of the programming that Nikki had received years ago.
"Did you ever stop to think that emotions could help your duty? Not everything that hasn't been taught to you is bad."
"Emotions cost us the blade before. It will not be allowed to happen again."
"Emotions did not cost you anything. The blade wields it's own destiny. It left you of it's own free will."
"She will not be hurt again."
"I don't intend to hurt her."
"You are human you're life will end. This will cause her pain if she is allowed emotions."
"If you try to take this away from her now, she'll lose her hope. Hope is what drives humans, what makes them keep going even against the most dire of odds."
"What hope will she have?"
"We will be reborn."
"That is not hope." "Maybe this will help you understand a little bit more. I read it somewhere a long time ago and it stuck with me. center When the phoenix of stories old
Burst into fiery flame
The hope that stayed in its plumage gold
Made it rise from the ashes again.
And like the phoenix we will see
There's no need for us to cry
For soon our golden wings will be
Spread wide in the azure sky.
Many a crisis comes and goes
But we learn to move along
Life always has its highs and lows
But hope makes us stay strong. /center
You see. There is something more out there. If we don't let ourselves hold on to something, if she has nothing to hold on to then what will she have to help her rise from the ashes?" The fires died down. Gabe stepped past without hindrance. Nikki was still hugging her knees, but she was also crying in the center of the fires.
"Hey, are you alright?" Gabe asked.
"I just want it to stop."
"What to stop?"
"The fighting. everything. I'm so tired. I can't take feeling like I'm being torn apart anymore." Nikki sobbed. Gabe knelt beside her and put his arms around her, drawing her into a hug.
"Hush. I don't think that you're going to have to worry about that anymore. I think you're going to be okay now."
"Do you really think so?"
"Hey I got to you didn't I?" Gabe said with a smile as he stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. The next thing he knew, they were back in the real world. Sara wanted to get up and rush over to make sure her young friend was all right, but Ian kept her seated.
"Not yet Sara." He whispered so that only she could hear. Nikki came to and was slightly confused. She tried to sit up, but Gabe was still 'laying' across her chest. Gabe felt Nikki move and so he sat back. He looked at her and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey." Nikki said, her voice weak from all the pain she had been in. Gabe gently brushed a strand of Nikki's hair from her forehead.
"You okay?" he inquired.
"I am now. Thank you, Gabe."
"You're welcome. Hey, I'm your angel for a reason - right?" He said with a laugh. Nikki joined him, though weakly. Her system still recovering from what her mind had been putting her through.
"I'm glad you're back." Nikki said, her eyes full of admiration and love for the young man before her.
"Me too." Gabe said as he embraced her. Nikki's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't quite sure if she was still dreaming or not, and she didn't care. She just wanted to revel in this moment for the rest of her life. 'They're so cute together.' Sara thought and she leaned into Ian's arm - startling the assassin. But for all of the love and camaraderie going on, he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Besides, he belonged with his Lady Sara just as young Gabe belonged with the Phoenix.
Somewhere across town, a man fell to the ground in pain, clutching his hand to his chest. "It can't be - it isn't possible." And then he passed out.
A Shattering Revelation
A Note of thank you to Diva Mercury for letting me use her Poem, Hope in this next chapter. Thank you DM. You've given Gabe some good words to work with. some very good words indeed.
Now on with the story -
**
Sara had to wonder just what all Ian meant with his statement. But for now she had to shrug it off. The pain of the youngest and oldest members of the Witchblade circle was starting to get to her now. Sara had to wonder if Ian was feeling it as well, but if he was, he was as usual not showing it. Sara sat down trying to relax. and trying to help from afar. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on Gabe and Nikki. She felt a hand on her shoulder and lost the connection.
"I told you this was something that they needed to work through on their own Lady Sara." Ian said softly, his voice low, near her ear. She could feel the warmth of his breath on her neck and a chill went up her spine causing her to draw a sharp breath. Ian moved back, sitting on the arm of the chair that his Lady had chosen to sit in. and he watched over the two. Making sure to keep Sara out of it.
Gabe was in a strange place. There were small fires everywhere, it was dark as though it were night, and it was neither hot nor cold. The landscape was unfamiliar; it looked as though it belonged in an abstract painting. As he walked, he noticed a ring of small fires, and in the center of it, hugging her knees, was Nikki. As he got closer to the fires, they flared up blocking his way to Nikki.
"Stop it! Let me past!" Gabe screamed at the blackness. The girl in the center of the fire cocked her head to the side as if confused.
"Angel?" She said softly.
"Yes Nikki, it's me." Gabe said, loud enough to be heard over the roaring of the flames. The fires started to ease back to their smaller pieces. Once again Gabe tried to get to her, and once again they leapt to keep him away.
"Why won't you let me get to her?" he pled with the fires.
"She is not like you."
"Yes, she is."
"Not of man or woman born."
"I beg to differ."
"A seed planted in the womb of a barren woman."
"Barren she may have been, but Nikki came from her."
"The Phoenix is not human. She is the living soul of the Witchblade and nothing more."
"You're WRONG!" Gabe screamed.
"She is a human being for crying out loud! Sure she's immortal, but she has feelings too. If you cut her she bleeds. If you cut her off from the people she cares about, she hurts. How can you be so heartless?!"
"We were created for one purpose. We were not created to let emotions get in the way of our duty." The machine like voice said. It was as if this was the culmination of the programming that Nikki had received years ago.
"Did you ever stop to think that emotions could help your duty? Not everything that hasn't been taught to you is bad."
"Emotions cost us the blade before. It will not be allowed to happen again."
"Emotions did not cost you anything. The blade wields it's own destiny. It left you of it's own free will."
"She will not be hurt again."
"I don't intend to hurt her."
"You are human you're life will end. This will cause her pain if she is allowed emotions."
"If you try to take this away from her now, she'll lose her hope. Hope is what drives humans, what makes them keep going even against the most dire of odds."
"What hope will she have?"
"We will be reborn."
"That is not hope." "Maybe this will help you understand a little bit more. I read it somewhere a long time ago and it stuck with me. center When the phoenix of stories old
Burst into fiery flame
The hope that stayed in its plumage gold
Made it rise from the ashes again.
And like the phoenix we will see
There's no need for us to cry
For soon our golden wings will be
Spread wide in the azure sky.
Many a crisis comes and goes
But we learn to move along
Life always has its highs and lows
But hope makes us stay strong. /center
You see. There is something more out there. If we don't let ourselves hold on to something, if she has nothing to hold on to then what will she have to help her rise from the ashes?" The fires died down. Gabe stepped past without hindrance. Nikki was still hugging her knees, but she was also crying in the center of the fires.
"Hey, are you alright?" Gabe asked.
"I just want it to stop."
"What to stop?"
"The fighting. everything. I'm so tired. I can't take feeling like I'm being torn apart anymore." Nikki sobbed. Gabe knelt beside her and put his arms around her, drawing her into a hug.
"Hush. I don't think that you're going to have to worry about that anymore. I think you're going to be okay now."
"Do you really think so?"
"Hey I got to you didn't I?" Gabe said with a smile as he stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. The next thing he knew, they were back in the real world. Sara wanted to get up and rush over to make sure her young friend was all right, but Ian kept her seated.
"Not yet Sara." He whispered so that only she could hear. Nikki came to and was slightly confused. She tried to sit up, but Gabe was still 'laying' across her chest. Gabe felt Nikki move and so he sat back. He looked at her and smiled.
"Hey."
"Hey." Nikki said, her voice weak from all the pain she had been in. Gabe gently brushed a strand of Nikki's hair from her forehead.
"You okay?" he inquired.
"I am now. Thank you, Gabe."
"You're welcome. Hey, I'm your angel for a reason - right?" He said with a laugh. Nikki joined him, though weakly. Her system still recovering from what her mind had been putting her through.
"I'm glad you're back." Nikki said, her eyes full of admiration and love for the young man before her.
"Me too." Gabe said as he embraced her. Nikki's heart skipped a beat. She wasn't quite sure if she was still dreaming or not, and she didn't care. She just wanted to revel in this moment for the rest of her life. 'They're so cute together.' Sara thought and she leaned into Ian's arm - startling the assassin. But for all of the love and camaraderie going on, he couldn't bring himself to pull away. Besides, he belonged with his Lady Sara just as young Gabe belonged with the Phoenix.
Somewhere across town, a man fell to the ground in pain, clutching his hand to his chest. "It can't be - it isn't possible." And then he passed out.