Disclaimer: No.
Etc.: Well, apparently, I've gone insane and decided to put up the rest of 'Side Step' at once. Thanks to the people reading this and what not. Cheers.
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Side Step
ix: homesickness
"Commander Reed! The engine's going to blow!" someone yells.
"Get out of here!" you hear yourself say. Then there is bright light and darkness together. Then there is heat and cold. Then there is noise and silence. And then, you are dead. But not really; because, this is the Temporal Cold War and the time line will reset itself soon and you'll be back to not knowing yesterday and living in a world you shouldn't be living in. Everything will be better.
So you wait in this black bubble and hope that when time changes you will be in a world that never heard of the Xindi, of the Suliban, of the Cabal. You hope you will live in a new place that's never heard of the Temporal Cold War, a place where you remember yesterday, a place where you are really you. Because you're tired of living like this, living from day to day, waiting to die so you can find a place where everything might be better.
Suddenly, the black bubble of your world shifts. You're upside down (were you right side up before?) and the black isn't so black anymore. The time line is resetting. And with this resetting, you are changing. You wonder what will become of you.
Now, you find yourself sitting at a table. Looking around, your mind tells you that you are on Enterprise, in the mess hall. A little voice in your head asks you how you know that. So you begin to think. How did you know? Your breath catches in your throat as you realize that you can think back, back past yesterday. You can remember yesterday.
Someone is sitting across the table from you and you're proud because you know that that is Trip. He smiles and talks with you. Finally, you are in the right place. This is right. You have a past, a back story. This isn't like all the other times because this time you have yesterday. So why does part of you disagree and whisper that this isn't right?
You begin to doubt as you lie awake at night. You doubt because you've talked to the others and they say they didn't experience what you did. You doubt because of Trip and Travis and Hoshi and Phlox and they say the Temporal Cold War isn't real. You doubt because T'Pol says so, too (but she would, wouldn't she?). And then you wonder if it was only you that went through this and you've been gone for a long time.
But this isn't right so you wonder is you're crazy for believing that the Temporal Cold War is real. You wonder if it is and they're lying to spare your feelings. You're confused now and can't fall asleep, so you leave your quarters and wander the ship into the wee small hours of the morning. You end up in the mess hall, alone. (isn't it always like this before the world changes?)
Eventually, another person enters the mess hall and you can see the reflection of the person through the window. It's Trip (this is familiar). He walks to you side. He stands there for a long time. After a while, he puts his arm over your shoulders in a way you imagine a brother would. He speaks, too, after a while. He says that it will get better soon (doesn't it usually?) and this is real and the Temporal Cold War is just a dream. You wish you could agree and say that this was all just a bad dream; but it isn't and you know the war is real.
They are all lying to you and you're pretty sure you're crazy.
But at least this is real.
The End
Etc.: Well, apparently, I've gone insane and decided to put up the rest of 'Side Step' at once. Thanks to the people reading this and what not. Cheers.
--------
Side Step
ix: homesickness
"Commander Reed! The engine's going to blow!" someone yells.
"Get out of here!" you hear yourself say. Then there is bright light and darkness together. Then there is heat and cold. Then there is noise and silence. And then, you are dead. But not really; because, this is the Temporal Cold War and the time line will reset itself soon and you'll be back to not knowing yesterday and living in a world you shouldn't be living in. Everything will be better.
So you wait in this black bubble and hope that when time changes you will be in a world that never heard of the Xindi, of the Suliban, of the Cabal. You hope you will live in a new place that's never heard of the Temporal Cold War, a place where you remember yesterday, a place where you are really you. Because you're tired of living like this, living from day to day, waiting to die so you can find a place where everything might be better.
Suddenly, the black bubble of your world shifts. You're upside down (were you right side up before?) and the black isn't so black anymore. The time line is resetting. And with this resetting, you are changing. You wonder what will become of you.
Now, you find yourself sitting at a table. Looking around, your mind tells you that you are on Enterprise, in the mess hall. A little voice in your head asks you how you know that. So you begin to think. How did you know? Your breath catches in your throat as you realize that you can think back, back past yesterday. You can remember yesterday.
Someone is sitting across the table from you and you're proud because you know that that is Trip. He smiles and talks with you. Finally, you are in the right place. This is right. You have a past, a back story. This isn't like all the other times because this time you have yesterday. So why does part of you disagree and whisper that this isn't right?
You begin to doubt as you lie awake at night. You doubt because you've talked to the others and they say they didn't experience what you did. You doubt because of Trip and Travis and Hoshi and Phlox and they say the Temporal Cold War isn't real. You doubt because T'Pol says so, too (but she would, wouldn't she?). And then you wonder if it was only you that went through this and you've been gone for a long time.
But this isn't right so you wonder is you're crazy for believing that the Temporal Cold War is real. You wonder if it is and they're lying to spare your feelings. You're confused now and can't fall asleep, so you leave your quarters and wander the ship into the wee small hours of the morning. You end up in the mess hall, alone. (isn't it always like this before the world changes?)
Eventually, another person enters the mess hall and you can see the reflection of the person through the window. It's Trip (this is familiar). He walks to you side. He stands there for a long time. After a while, he puts his arm over your shoulders in a way you imagine a brother would. He speaks, too, after a while. He says that it will get better soon (doesn't it usually?) and this is real and the Temporal Cold War is just a dream. You wish you could agree and say that this was all just a bad dream; but it isn't and you know the war is real.
They are all lying to you and you're pretty sure you're crazy.
But at least this is real.
The End
