DEMONICANGELIC
***
A tear threatened to fall from his watery, daresay, disturbed eyes. There was more to this guy, this Jack, he thought. It was then - a further remarkably distressing idea thrashed its way into his confused mind.
He'd left her alone.
She'd asked him to leave her alone.
Conclusion: she was alone, and someone in her state of mind should not be left alone for any amount of time.
He scrambled hurriedly to his trembling feet, on legs that were foreboding buckling under the immense pressure, responsibility and dread he now had rested like two ton-weights on his shoulders. Water collected forming temporary cataracts over his eyes as he ran, his arms flailing in all known directions, attempting to wipe them away.
Her quarters.
Just then, a devastating thought pounded in Rimmer's head. There were ropes and tools in the Quarters. Hell... even Lister's laundry could pose as an aid to suicide.
-- This was bad.
He could see her dorm. The doors were within touching distance. As he arrived, his legs gave up on his marathon running, and he stumbled into the room, gasping.
She wasn't there. She wasn't there. He let out a dejected sob as he spun on his toes and headed full-pelt down the corridors. His mind had decided that the medi-bay would have to be the next best place to look.
There were knives and electrical goods in the medi bay.
-- This was very bad.
The corridors were long and dimly lit. After all, Lister, The Cat, Kryten and Jack had all gone out in Starbug for the evening, and no-one else bar Holly were around.
That was it! Holly could help!
As he bolted, he let out a resounding yelp to summon Holly. Her pixelated features melted onto the floor in front of him.
"What is it Arn?" she cooed sleepily. "Whoa! Man, slow down!"
He halted reluctantly, and breathlessly yelped;
"Holly, I NEED to know where Jade is. Now.... please, please!!!" He was becoming frantic. His instincts couldn't have been more wrong.
"She's heading for Air Lock 5 at the mo'. Why?"
Another sob leapt mercilessly from his lips. The Air locks?
There were Air Locks in the Air Locks. Air-tight Cupboards that can easily throw anyone out into deep, unforgiving space at the flick of a switch, sending them swirling, hurtling towards a certain death...no atmosphere, no body. Any person cast out into the big black would immediately result in an echoing, wet, muffled explosion.
-- This was very... very.... very bad.
"You wanting transported there Arn?" Holly said as coolly as she could do when she had no idea what was going on. But then, she had had lots of practice at that. He replied with a sharp frantic nod.
Light fizzled around his hard-light form like a million fireflies, in a billion different colours. The setting around him dissolved from being the corridor, and took shape as the balconies above the Air Locks.
His eyes darted at every last millimetre of the deck. He heard a distant sob, this time, not one of his own. He found his eyes being dragged into a dark corner, where an Air Lock was being opened with a crescendoing creak.
Without any rational thought, he launched himself over the balcony, and fell to the floor. Refusing to buckle under the pain now stabbing at his ankle, he struggled up to his feet again and threw his body at Air Lock 5's ton-weight door. It slammed shut.
Shimmering, weeping eyes stared haplessly at him from the shadows. Rimmer hung on as much as he could to his balance, and held a shivering hand out to the wailing mess. She placed her freezing hand in his, and stepped cautiously from the darkness, whispering countless 'Sorrys'. Icy wind howled around them. Jade collapsed helplessly into Rimmer's arms, and buried her tear-sodden face into his chest.
For once in his life, Arnold J. Rimmer had found himself weeping words of encouragement to another person. They stood together, shivering in each other's arms, sobbing endlessly in the middle of the unlit, ice-cold Air Lock deck. He stroked her soft, dark hair comfortingly, shed his hard-light jacket and sighed endearingly as he wrapped it gently around her shoulders- of course, the hard-light clothing would never have given her any warmth, but Rimmer still felt naturally obliged to do it anyway.
He lost himself in her arms. As did she in his.
For once in his life, Arnold J. Rimmer had been a hero.
And he hadn't even noticed.
***
A tear threatened to fall from his watery, daresay, disturbed eyes. There was more to this guy, this Jack, he thought. It was then - a further remarkably distressing idea thrashed its way into his confused mind.
He'd left her alone.
She'd asked him to leave her alone.
Conclusion: she was alone, and someone in her state of mind should not be left alone for any amount of time.
He scrambled hurriedly to his trembling feet, on legs that were foreboding buckling under the immense pressure, responsibility and dread he now had rested like two ton-weights on his shoulders. Water collected forming temporary cataracts over his eyes as he ran, his arms flailing in all known directions, attempting to wipe them away.
Her quarters.
Just then, a devastating thought pounded in Rimmer's head. There were ropes and tools in the Quarters. Hell... even Lister's laundry could pose as an aid to suicide.
-- This was bad.
He could see her dorm. The doors were within touching distance. As he arrived, his legs gave up on his marathon running, and he stumbled into the room, gasping.
She wasn't there. She wasn't there. He let out a dejected sob as he spun on his toes and headed full-pelt down the corridors. His mind had decided that the medi-bay would have to be the next best place to look.
There were knives and electrical goods in the medi bay.
-- This was very bad.
The corridors were long and dimly lit. After all, Lister, The Cat, Kryten and Jack had all gone out in Starbug for the evening, and no-one else bar Holly were around.
That was it! Holly could help!
As he bolted, he let out a resounding yelp to summon Holly. Her pixelated features melted onto the floor in front of him.
"What is it Arn?" she cooed sleepily. "Whoa! Man, slow down!"
He halted reluctantly, and breathlessly yelped;
"Holly, I NEED to know where Jade is. Now.... please, please!!!" He was becoming frantic. His instincts couldn't have been more wrong.
"She's heading for Air Lock 5 at the mo'. Why?"
Another sob leapt mercilessly from his lips. The Air locks?
There were Air Locks in the Air Locks. Air-tight Cupboards that can easily throw anyone out into deep, unforgiving space at the flick of a switch, sending them swirling, hurtling towards a certain death...no atmosphere, no body. Any person cast out into the big black would immediately result in an echoing, wet, muffled explosion.
-- This was very... very.... very bad.
"You wanting transported there Arn?" Holly said as coolly as she could do when she had no idea what was going on. But then, she had had lots of practice at that. He replied with a sharp frantic nod.
Light fizzled around his hard-light form like a million fireflies, in a billion different colours. The setting around him dissolved from being the corridor, and took shape as the balconies above the Air Locks.
His eyes darted at every last millimetre of the deck. He heard a distant sob, this time, not one of his own. He found his eyes being dragged into a dark corner, where an Air Lock was being opened with a crescendoing creak.
Without any rational thought, he launched himself over the balcony, and fell to the floor. Refusing to buckle under the pain now stabbing at his ankle, he struggled up to his feet again and threw his body at Air Lock 5's ton-weight door. It slammed shut.
Shimmering, weeping eyes stared haplessly at him from the shadows. Rimmer hung on as much as he could to his balance, and held a shivering hand out to the wailing mess. She placed her freezing hand in his, and stepped cautiously from the darkness, whispering countless 'Sorrys'. Icy wind howled around them. Jade collapsed helplessly into Rimmer's arms, and buried her tear-sodden face into his chest.
For once in his life, Arnold J. Rimmer had found himself weeping words of encouragement to another person. They stood together, shivering in each other's arms, sobbing endlessly in the middle of the unlit, ice-cold Air Lock deck. He stroked her soft, dark hair comfortingly, shed his hard-light jacket and sighed endearingly as he wrapped it gently around her shoulders- of course, the hard-light clothing would never have given her any warmth, but Rimmer still felt naturally obliged to do it anyway.
He lost himself in her arms. As did she in his.
For once in his life, Arnold J. Rimmer had been a hero.
And he hadn't even noticed.