Raynor's eye's slowly opened. His body ached in every possible place Raynor could imagine that it might. He couldn't move. He didn't want to and he begged for his body to end the misery quickly and for him to slip back into the inviting coma he had only just experienced.
The dream still echoed in his mind as though it were just a memory of a true past. Kerrigan had been there. They were laughing together, talking. It was there first conversation about something other than war. Something other than the zerg, than the protoss, Arcturus, the confederates. It was about something much less trivial. She'd been sharing secrets with him.
"You know, I graduated from the academy at 17." she'd bragged playfully. "I was top of my class all the years. I finished advanced tactical training before I was legally aloud to become a ghost."
She was so beautiful. Raynor hadn't responded. He just let her talk about herself. He enjoyed letting her voice run over her. For all that Raynor found her atttractive, there was something more to it as well. Her presence, and not the presence she emitted from her telepathic powers. She had it together. She was confident, strong, and almost invincible it seemed. Nothing could stop her.
"What are you staring at?" she asked, arching her back sexily.
Raynor shook his head. "Nothing, sorry. So, you graduated when you were so young?"
Kerrigan shook her head. "Your not one to go on about yourself." she sighed. "Your probably the first man who hasn't laid his entire life story on the line for me in the first five minutes I spoke to him."
Raynor smiled. "Like I need to anyways." he gestured toward his head.
Kerrigan laughed. "Usually yes, but you." she shook her head. "No, that would take the thrill out of the chase."
Raynor was shocked. "You mean you never?"
"Not for you Captain, no. Besides, there is so much thought going on it's hard to get a lock on anything."
Raynor sighed, not sure if he was more or less secure about this. There was a bit of comfort in the though Kerrigan might already know his past and still accept him for it, but now Raynor felt as though the burning to tell inside was reaching a boil.
Kerrigan sat up and pierced Raynor with a gaze. He looked up and down her body. It felt so foreign to see her outside her usual battle uniform, no Gauss rifle slung over her neck.
"Doesn't take a telepath to know what your thinkin'" she said smiling seductively. Kerrigan pulled herself out of the chair and waled toward Raynor. Raynor could watch her walk forever, like everything froze as she walked. Her energy was intoxicating, and Raynor recalled those battle's they'd fought side by side on the field, feeling her focussing all that energy and becoming indetectible. She swaggered forward still and bent over to kiss his lips.
Raynor let himself be drawn forward to her and felt their lips touch. He could feel her pouring into him, her gentle lips carressing and pulling at his. He relished in every second of their kiss, wanting to hold on it forever.
Kerrigan suddenly screamed. Raynor jerked back. Her whole body was now curled up on the floor. She looked desperately at Raynor for help.
"Jim!" she shouted, "What's happening?" Her back was arched as she quivered in pain on the ground. Suddenly two long spikes protruded from her back. They poked holes in her skin and blood gushed from them. The two spikes fanned out into huge, bony wings and Kerrigan flung herself upward and roared into the sky. With only a short look at Raynor, long blades protruded from her hand and she shoved one deep into Raynor's stomach.
Raynor opened his mouth in a silent scream.
~*~
Raynor heard gunfire all around him now. He was back in his pilots chair.
"Sir!" a man shouted at his sides. "The zerg are attacking! We have to get moving!"
"The zerg?" Raynor asked as if the word were foreign.
"You must get into your marine suit sir."
Raynor's mind snapped back into reality, He pulled himself out of his chair, but collapsed almost immediately into his chair. The man beside him pulled open a small box at his side. He pulled a needle out and shoved it into Raynor's arm. Raynor let out a moan of pain.
"It's stim sir." the man said. "It'll have to do till he can find a medic. I'll treat you myself if I have to, but right now, we need to get out of here."
Raynor felt energy almost immediately seep back into his body. His eye's shot open and the pain in his body was immediately gone. Raynor stood up and the man beside him motioned toward a last remaining marine suit. Raynor's custom suit.
Raynor pulled it on as fast as he could. His body was starting almost to bubble with energy, and he wanted to get moving before the temporary energy of the stimpak wore off. He pulled up his rifle and jammed a cartrige into the holder.
"Let's go." said Raynor.
~*~
Raynor followed the man who helped him out through the back of the bridge. It had been completely severed from the rest of the ship which was now beyond any reasonable hope of repair. The men behind him were all ship staff, and almost completely untrained in gunfight, but Raynor consolled them.
"How many zerg?" Raynor asked.
The man beside him gulped. "Too many. I think we landed in a hive."
"Shouldn't they be completely docile?" asked Raynor.
"They were when we first hit, but it's like they all suddenly woke up and converged on us."
The man who had helped Raynor spoke up. "It doesn't matter. There is an old research facility not far from here. It's terran. Might be a good shot at contacting someone to help us."
"Fenix!" Raynor realized. Everyone looked at him. The crystal had already been broken during the crash. Fenix would be on his way. They only needed to survive until he got there, and this was definately something to alert the protoss about.
"Will Fenix come?" a soldier asked hopefully.
Raynor shook his head. "Not for some time. Right now, we just need to get to that research center. If we can get some defence systems and life support running, we can survive out here hopefully until Fenix arrives."
The men behind Raynor shook nervously. This didn't sound like a very strong promise, and Raynor hoped that his luck in survival could spare him for only a little longer.
Raynor burst into the outside, knocking over some loose debris from the ship. He came out running and firing blindly. He shot in every direction, not being able to see in the new light. As his eyes came into focus, he saw zerglings hopping along the ships hull. They clawed at it mercilessly and hungrily, but their attention turned to Raynor immediately. Raynor looked ahead and saw the opening to her research center. He assumed that there were zerg inside, but less that there were out here.
"Run!" shouted Raynor. The men beside him followed suit and sprinted full speed toward the opening of the research facility. He pushed down on his stimpak and felt another blast of energy come through. He fired aimlessly into the zerg at his sides, but they attacked almost halfheartedly, as if letting him go. Hydralisk spines flew in all directions, but they only grazed Raynor when they struck. he continued at a full run, hoping his comrades were having as much luck as him.
Raynor's eyes filled with white. He did not look to see hwere he fired, and gave himself yet another blast of stimpak. He felt his legs moving faster than he could command them, and he closed his eyes running blindly at the reseach bay.
Without warning, a hydralisk spine split at Raynor's leg. he felt it dig into his flesh and he stumbled hopelessly, still unable to open his eye's.
When he hit the ground, he heard his suit hit cold metal. He slid a bit, and only stopped for a second before his comrades pulled him up, half dragging half carrying him away from the zerg.
"Are you alright sir?" asked one.
Raynor nodded. At least he thought he did. The stimpaks were wearing off leaving Jim feeling sleepy. He reached up to touch the button again for another hit, but the man beside him batted his hand away.
"That's enough sir." The ground dropped him and stopped suddenly. "Take him in here. Everyone still able bodied, follow me to lead the zerg away!"
Raynor felt himself being tossed into a room. Without much more words, he heard the door shut behind him and guns firing behind the door. He wanted to stop them. They shouldn't sacrifice themselves for him, but he couldn't argue anymore. They were gone.
Raynor pulled himself to his feet and looked around the room. It was quite small, and Raynor pulled his body along looking for somewhere to be able to lie down with a good shot of the door if need be. Raynor hobbled and lay against the opposite wall. he let himself slide down the wall and lay his gun in his lay, aimed at the door.
"Specimen 001." a robotic voice chanted. Raynor jolted awake. "In deep hybernation. Metabolic levels normal."
Raynor pulled himself up now. He gave himself another hit out of instinct. The wall he was leaning against began to move, and suddenly a long capsule protruded from the wall. Raynor's jaw dropped as he stared into the deep green glow of the capsule. His body was gripped by horror.
He instinctively smashed at the glass and pulled his visor over his face. The water splashed down at him and he caught the lifeform that spilled out. Raynor laid it on the ground and pulled his visor up, looking down at this specimen 001.
Lying unconscious before Raynor, lay the Queen of Blades.
The dream still echoed in his mind as though it were just a memory of a true past. Kerrigan had been there. They were laughing together, talking. It was there first conversation about something other than war. Something other than the zerg, than the protoss, Arcturus, the confederates. It was about something much less trivial. She'd been sharing secrets with him.
"You know, I graduated from the academy at 17." she'd bragged playfully. "I was top of my class all the years. I finished advanced tactical training before I was legally aloud to become a ghost."
She was so beautiful. Raynor hadn't responded. He just let her talk about herself. He enjoyed letting her voice run over her. For all that Raynor found her atttractive, there was something more to it as well. Her presence, and not the presence she emitted from her telepathic powers. She had it together. She was confident, strong, and almost invincible it seemed. Nothing could stop her.
"What are you staring at?" she asked, arching her back sexily.
Raynor shook his head. "Nothing, sorry. So, you graduated when you were so young?"
Kerrigan shook her head. "Your not one to go on about yourself." she sighed. "Your probably the first man who hasn't laid his entire life story on the line for me in the first five minutes I spoke to him."
Raynor smiled. "Like I need to anyways." he gestured toward his head.
Kerrigan laughed. "Usually yes, but you." she shook her head. "No, that would take the thrill out of the chase."
Raynor was shocked. "You mean you never?"
"Not for you Captain, no. Besides, there is so much thought going on it's hard to get a lock on anything."
Raynor sighed, not sure if he was more or less secure about this. There was a bit of comfort in the though Kerrigan might already know his past and still accept him for it, but now Raynor felt as though the burning to tell inside was reaching a boil.
Kerrigan sat up and pierced Raynor with a gaze. He looked up and down her body. It felt so foreign to see her outside her usual battle uniform, no Gauss rifle slung over her neck.
"Doesn't take a telepath to know what your thinkin'" she said smiling seductively. Kerrigan pulled herself out of the chair and waled toward Raynor. Raynor could watch her walk forever, like everything froze as she walked. Her energy was intoxicating, and Raynor recalled those battle's they'd fought side by side on the field, feeling her focussing all that energy and becoming indetectible. She swaggered forward still and bent over to kiss his lips.
Raynor let himself be drawn forward to her and felt their lips touch. He could feel her pouring into him, her gentle lips carressing and pulling at his. He relished in every second of their kiss, wanting to hold on it forever.
Kerrigan suddenly screamed. Raynor jerked back. Her whole body was now curled up on the floor. She looked desperately at Raynor for help.
"Jim!" she shouted, "What's happening?" Her back was arched as she quivered in pain on the ground. Suddenly two long spikes protruded from her back. They poked holes in her skin and blood gushed from them. The two spikes fanned out into huge, bony wings and Kerrigan flung herself upward and roared into the sky. With only a short look at Raynor, long blades protruded from her hand and she shoved one deep into Raynor's stomach.
Raynor opened his mouth in a silent scream.
~*~
Raynor heard gunfire all around him now. He was back in his pilots chair.
"Sir!" a man shouted at his sides. "The zerg are attacking! We have to get moving!"
"The zerg?" Raynor asked as if the word were foreign.
"You must get into your marine suit sir."
Raynor's mind snapped back into reality, He pulled himself out of his chair, but collapsed almost immediately into his chair. The man beside him pulled open a small box at his side. He pulled a needle out and shoved it into Raynor's arm. Raynor let out a moan of pain.
"It's stim sir." the man said. "It'll have to do till he can find a medic. I'll treat you myself if I have to, but right now, we need to get out of here."
Raynor felt energy almost immediately seep back into his body. His eye's shot open and the pain in his body was immediately gone. Raynor stood up and the man beside him motioned toward a last remaining marine suit. Raynor's custom suit.
Raynor pulled it on as fast as he could. His body was starting almost to bubble with energy, and he wanted to get moving before the temporary energy of the stimpak wore off. He pulled up his rifle and jammed a cartrige into the holder.
"Let's go." said Raynor.
~*~
Raynor followed the man who helped him out through the back of the bridge. It had been completely severed from the rest of the ship which was now beyond any reasonable hope of repair. The men behind him were all ship staff, and almost completely untrained in gunfight, but Raynor consolled them.
"How many zerg?" Raynor asked.
The man beside him gulped. "Too many. I think we landed in a hive."
"Shouldn't they be completely docile?" asked Raynor.
"They were when we first hit, but it's like they all suddenly woke up and converged on us."
The man who had helped Raynor spoke up. "It doesn't matter. There is an old research facility not far from here. It's terran. Might be a good shot at contacting someone to help us."
"Fenix!" Raynor realized. Everyone looked at him. The crystal had already been broken during the crash. Fenix would be on his way. They only needed to survive until he got there, and this was definately something to alert the protoss about.
"Will Fenix come?" a soldier asked hopefully.
Raynor shook his head. "Not for some time. Right now, we just need to get to that research center. If we can get some defence systems and life support running, we can survive out here hopefully until Fenix arrives."
The men behind Raynor shook nervously. This didn't sound like a very strong promise, and Raynor hoped that his luck in survival could spare him for only a little longer.
Raynor burst into the outside, knocking over some loose debris from the ship. He came out running and firing blindly. He shot in every direction, not being able to see in the new light. As his eyes came into focus, he saw zerglings hopping along the ships hull. They clawed at it mercilessly and hungrily, but their attention turned to Raynor immediately. Raynor looked ahead and saw the opening to her research center. He assumed that there were zerg inside, but less that there were out here.
"Run!" shouted Raynor. The men beside him followed suit and sprinted full speed toward the opening of the research facility. He pushed down on his stimpak and felt another blast of energy come through. He fired aimlessly into the zerg at his sides, but they attacked almost halfheartedly, as if letting him go. Hydralisk spines flew in all directions, but they only grazed Raynor when they struck. he continued at a full run, hoping his comrades were having as much luck as him.
Raynor's eyes filled with white. He did not look to see hwere he fired, and gave himself yet another blast of stimpak. He felt his legs moving faster than he could command them, and he closed his eyes running blindly at the reseach bay.
Without warning, a hydralisk spine split at Raynor's leg. he felt it dig into his flesh and he stumbled hopelessly, still unable to open his eye's.
When he hit the ground, he heard his suit hit cold metal. He slid a bit, and only stopped for a second before his comrades pulled him up, half dragging half carrying him away from the zerg.
"Are you alright sir?" asked one.
Raynor nodded. At least he thought he did. The stimpaks were wearing off leaving Jim feeling sleepy. He reached up to touch the button again for another hit, but the man beside him batted his hand away.
"That's enough sir." The ground dropped him and stopped suddenly. "Take him in here. Everyone still able bodied, follow me to lead the zerg away!"
Raynor felt himself being tossed into a room. Without much more words, he heard the door shut behind him and guns firing behind the door. He wanted to stop them. They shouldn't sacrifice themselves for him, but he couldn't argue anymore. They were gone.
Raynor pulled himself to his feet and looked around the room. It was quite small, and Raynor pulled his body along looking for somewhere to be able to lie down with a good shot of the door if need be. Raynor hobbled and lay against the opposite wall. he let himself slide down the wall and lay his gun in his lay, aimed at the door.
"Specimen 001." a robotic voice chanted. Raynor jolted awake. "In deep hybernation. Metabolic levels normal."
Raynor pulled himself up now. He gave himself another hit out of instinct. The wall he was leaning against began to move, and suddenly a long capsule protruded from the wall. Raynor's jaw dropped as he stared into the deep green glow of the capsule. His body was gripped by horror.
He instinctively smashed at the glass and pulled his visor over his face. The water splashed down at him and he caught the lifeform that spilled out. Raynor laid it on the ground and pulled his visor up, looking down at this specimen 001.
Lying unconscious before Raynor, lay the Queen of Blades.