Chapter Thirty One: Naked Before the Universe

Emma sauntered through the halls of the station. The soft blue stand-by lights kept more than half of any room bathed in shadows. She stretched her almost bare arms high over her head, ever aware of how comfortable she was in the stations red, metal security bands.

She let her hips shift comfortably, side to side, as she strolled along the long, dark hall. She walked along the warm floor on the balls of her bare feet.

And she walked past the window, and saw the flickering planet below. This was the first view she had seen when standing up to discover she had been transported with Lucas to the station.

She stood with her feet apart, just the width of her shoulders, and stretched her arms over her back again. This time her back and neck cracked.

"Uhm." She closed her eyes and moaned in pleasure at the relieved tension of her now popped back.

She inhaled deeply and opened her eyes. This time, staring down telepathically as well as physically.

The view was vastly different when overlapped with the astral world.

A shining fluid ring of purple/blue plasma seemed to permeate the planet below. The 'lightning' that normally flashed across the world was in fact firing through the entire fluid plasma cloud, all at once. The stars seemed to become conjunction points of a starlight web that connected every star in the universe.

And Emma understood that these webs were somehow related to how the stars touch each other with gravity.

The webs of starlight had aura's that glistened to fill the backdrop of space with an ever-changing tapestry of motion. And Emma understood that every color and every variance was representative of a facet of information about the space it inhabited at the moment.

Somewhere behind her, she became aware of a black hole, and it's effects of newly emerging stars who's light could not yet reach her from the distance in front of her. It lifted her hair and caressed her intimately all over her body. She could feel the super gravity of the hole working in co-operation with the explosive force of the would-be stars. One pushing, the other pulling, total strangers working in total co-operation for the benefit of all the celestial forces involved.

And she smiled, slowly, and slyly. I bet the reason behind the whole of universal creation is simply this: It felt good at the time.

And Emma's view shifted. She saw now her astral reflection in the window.

She was stunned and silent.

She had always been a slight and hazy green cloud on the astral level. Barely enough energy to distinguish behind the veil of physicality.

This was no longer that case.

Now she radiated a gold light with a soft blue tinge. The tint, she understood, was the effect of her time spent with Hank.

But not the golden light. She let her focus shift again and she could see that there was another body overlapping with hers, a divine and perfect form, hidden within. It was composed of moving rivers of golden cellular light.

The reflection smiled at her.

And Emma felt a slight shock, as she, herself, had not smiled.

"You have finally thrown it off." The reflection told her. "The demon who fed on you and distracted you with promises and hints of power."

Emma felt as though she couldn't, or shouldn't, move.

"It is how they live." The vision sang gently. "In the place within the human heart that knows no time." She smiled and Emma felt a rush of energy pass through her body. "And that is where they must be fought."

The divinity in the reflection spoke. "But you are now forever free of it my daughter. And experienced enough with dark enlightenment to understand the motivations of Evil."

"I don't want to understand the motivations of Evil." She told the spirit.

"It will serve you well in the trials to come." The spirit replied. "When evil reigns in this station you must play along. You must indulge yourself and wrap yourself in the trappings of Evil. You must use them against those you love."

Emma wanted to shake her head and dismiss this vision from her mind.

"Hear me." The spirit commanded "When the Keeper returns he will have become one with another. And it is through her that they will strike. He is compromised now where he was immune before." The perfect blue of her eyes then expanded to fill the entire eye socket.

"If she takes him to bed first, all will be lost. The station and the multi-verse will fall before the demons."

"First?" Emma asked confused. "And what demons are you talking about?"

"Like the one that tempted you with the return of your beloved." The spirit seemed infinitely patient.

"That," She swallowed. "That was an accident. My token went off and . . ."

"What did you see instead of me?" the spirit asked. "What face did you reflect that day, at that moment?"

And Emma did remember, a reflection in a panel. It was a snake-like humanoid reflection.

"But you cast it off with the temptation." The spirit explained. "And the demons do not learn quickly if at all. They will not discover another weakness within you, although one exists."

"What can I do?" Emma realized she was shaking.

"Just remember my words." The spirit spoke, and began to recede. "And make sure to preserve the possibility."

"Preserve the possibility?" Emma felt any understanding slipping away. "Of what? How?"

"Play the role of Evil that you have outgrown, when the time comes. Indulge wildly and recklessly in all your pleasures. Convince them that you are with them."

"I understand." Emma said, regaining her composure.

"And bed the keeper before he beds his new love." It spoke as it vanished. "Or you shall never bear the true heir, who will defeat the demons and set free the whole of mankind. Instead it will be their child who inherits the station. Then all would be lost." The voice concluded in a whisper.

And the image was gone.

Emma stood before the softly flickering Earth below.

How could she do that to them? If Lucas is with Jubilee . . .

But she really didn't want to think about it.

When evil reigns in this station you must play along . . .

Emma's mind rejected the thought. "Evil shouldn't touch a place like this. Ever."

You must indulge yourself and wrap yourself in the trappings of Evil . . .

"And lose myself forever in everything I am and hate." She whispered to herself.

You must use them against those you love . . .

And she saw them all in her minds eye, Lucas, Jubilee, Hank, (even) the Wolverine and Rogue that passed as Lucas' parents. And she was almost ashamed that she felt love, real love, for all of them.

Emma wrapped her arms around herself, afraid of what was about to happen, afraid of what she might have to and even wanted to do. She swallowed and let her head hang low for a moment, while she tasted the salt-water tears she had just choked back. And suddenly, just for an instant, she was no longer 'nude' as she enjoyed. She was naked.