Disclaimer: Not mine. None of them are. That probably doesn't give me
the right to play God with them and bring the characters back to life, but
oh well.
Author's Notes: No, this story is not dead! It's just low on my priority list, behind studying for exams and finishing my research paper. I also want to apologize that this story will probably be on hiatus for a while. My computer at home is an antiquated hunk of crap and can't upload stories on fanfiction.net, and I don't know when I'll be able to use the school's computers to upload stories again. But I will be busy writing! By hand. Ouch. And I'm sorry that this chapter isn't very exciting. Probably not worth the wait, huh?
OUT OF THE ASHES
Chapter Three
New Reality
The astonishing sight made Aki hesitate only for a moment before she began a desperate effort to remove the Black Boa's autopilot. The ship's current course took it straight into the Snake Phantom's gaping maw, and the creature was large enough to cause some serious damage. Inwardly cursing whoever had designed the autopilot to be so stubborn, Aki wrestled with the controls.
Just as the creature's feelers were reaching for the ship, Aki regained control and rolled the ship sideways, just under one fin-like wing. The feelers thumped against the ship's hull - so it is solid! - and the Phantom gave angry screech as it twisted its sinuous body to snap at one of the engines. Aki persuaded the engines to speed up, and a plume of exhaust sprayed into the Phantom's face. It shrieked and turned away, its broad tail lashing in anger.
Where had that come from? Aki had never seen a solid Phantom, except in her dreams. But this one had been very real. What's going on? First plants mysteriously sprouted at high speeds, then this.
It was another mystery Aki vowed to look into as soon as she rescued Neil. Assuming he was still alive. She was starting to get an idea of what had alarmed him so much in his call. Aki knew she should get a message to warn the Council and General Ryder as soon as possible, but she couldn't send one while concentrating on piloting the ship. And after her encounter, she was reluctant to use the autopilot again.
Old New York City loomed on the horizon. Aki frowned as she neared and got a better look at it. Something was wrong. As the Black Boa entered the city's fringe, she couldn't help but stare. There were plants everywhere! It was more advanced than any of the growth she had seen on her way here, with giant trees between crumbled buildings and vines coating the sides of the skyscrapers still standing. The cracks in the pavement were choked with growth.
It's like a jungle here! And there was movement in this jungle; large insectoid creatures, smaller humanoid forms, twisting, snakelike bodies. There were more Phantoms here than Aki had seen anywhere, with the exception of the crater. And all of them were alive!
Aki put on another burst of speed, reaching in the river's edge quickly and crossing it to the barrier city hidden on Manhattan Island. She was forced to detour around several Snake Phantoms and the high-reaching tentacles of Metas before she reached her goal.
The barrier was still active. Except for a large, dark section at the city's top, the barrier still held. Maybe Neil's safe after all. If the Phantoms hadn't breeched the barrier. They were trying, she noticed, but the creatures seemed wary of the glowing amber energy, perhaps remembering when it had had the power to stop them. But how long would it be before they realized that, while it still hurt living tissue, it wouldn't hold them forever?
Aki circled to the hangar doors, and wasn't surprised to find them closed. Neil would have shut them once the Phantoms started to use it. That meant he probably wasn't around to open them, though, if Phantoms had indeed come through.
She opened a communications channel anyway. "Neil, are you there? Do you read me?" She waited a few moments, then tried again. "Neil, I need the hangar doors open. Are you there?" C'mon, answer me! she pleaded. She'd hate to have come this far only to lose him now.
Aki brought the ship around, skimming the barrier until she reached the dark section on top. The sensors under the ship showed that the area was damaged, as if something had busted through. Probably the escape pods that made it free of the city when it was being evacuated, Aki mused. No matter how it got there, it meant Aki had a way into the city. She carefully lowered the ship through the gap, wincing as the ship shuddered when she scraped the edge.
In moments, she had an excellent view of the city below her. Like the outer city, it too was choked with plants. But, mixed in with the Phantoms roaming the streets were people! Using the image enhancer on board the Black Boa, Aki could see the distinctive armor of several soldiers. Did another city send an army? Perhaps someone had found Neil in time!
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Aki had opened the communications channel in the hopes that someone below could pick her up.
There was a burst of static, then a frantic voice responded, "Who's there?"
"This is Dr. Aki Ross-" she began.
"Can you help us? We have a Meta in the city and we need to take it out before it hits the generators. Does your ship have any firepower?"
Aki winced. The Black Boa was a scientific vessel; the weapons it carried weren't enough to stop a Meta. But, as she scanned the city for the offending Phantom, she got an idea.
"I'll do what I can," she promised the soldier, then brought the Black Boa lower. She wove through the buildings, keeping the Meta in sight of her sensors. She maneuvered the ship into position behind a large skyscraper that looked as if it had been bombed. The tip of an escape pod still stuck out of its side. But Aki ignored that as she fired what weapons she had into the building's side, then forced her ship forward to ram the teetering upper stories to fall where she wanted them. The ship groaned in protest and metal screamed and tore around her, but the building fell, tons of metal falling onto the Meta below. The Phantom was big and well protected, but even it had no chance against the falling debris, and gave one last, shrill scream as it was buried.
* * *
Ragged cheers went up from the soldiers as the Meta was destroyed, and Neil sighed with relief when he spotted Jane and Ryan among them. Breaking free of his escort, he trotted over to them, a broad grin on his face.
"Did you see that?" he raved. "I told you the captain wouldn't leave us!" He gestured towards the Black Boa, which was circling as it looked for a clear place to land.
Jane just gave Neil a funny look, but Ryan's grin matched Neil's own. "And you thought the captain would be so busy with Dr. Ross that he'd forget about us," Ryan said, nudging Jane. She just scowled, and said nothing.
"What's wrong, Jane?" Neil asked, as the group began to head towards the landing ship.
Ryan's face was serious as he said, "She froze part of the Meta."
"What's so odd about that? Jane's always been a little icy - Oh," Neil said, with dawning understanding. "How'd you do it?"
"I don't know," Jane said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just greet the captain, all right?"
"Sure Jane, whatever."
Aki was the first one out of the ship. Deep Eyes scanned the area behind her, searching for their captain. "Where is he?" Ryan wondered as the three walked up to Aki, leaving behind the crowd of curious onlookers. They waited for the captain to join her. And waited.
Aki was stunned by the sight that greeted her. Neil was striding towards her, looking like the cat that ate the canary, followed by. Ryan? And Jane? While it seemed possible that one of the three could have survived the tragedy, it seemed unlikely that all three could have. And as the crowd moved in closer, Aki glimpsed people in civilian dress, ragged and bloody and unlikely to be military.
They were the New York civilians. and they were alive!
"Hey, Dr. Ross! I see you got my message!" Neil said.
Aki was at a loss for words.
"Where's the captain?" Ryan asked, drawing closer to the stunned Aki.
"Gray's. d - dead," she stammered. Suddenly, death no longer seemed quite so permanent. "But. So are you!" she blurted out. "I saw you all die!"
Deep Eyes exchanged glances. "He's dead?" Jane asked. "Are you sure? We all woke up" she didn't want to acknowledge it as coming back to life "two days ago. Gray could have been the same way!" The others all nodded eagerly.
Aki felt a surge of hope. "Yes!" she breathed, then remembered. Two days ago, the morgue had caught fire, and Gray's body had been incinerated. "No," she corrected, tears filling her eyes. "He's gone. He won't be coming back."
Suddenly, the restored lives of Deep Eyes and the New York population no longer made her feel happy, and it was all she could do to keep from crying in front of the gathered crowd.
To Be Continued.
Author's Notes: No, this story is not dead! It's just low on my priority list, behind studying for exams and finishing my research paper. I also want to apologize that this story will probably be on hiatus for a while. My computer at home is an antiquated hunk of crap and can't upload stories on fanfiction.net, and I don't know when I'll be able to use the school's computers to upload stories again. But I will be busy writing! By hand. Ouch. And I'm sorry that this chapter isn't very exciting. Probably not worth the wait, huh?
OUT OF THE ASHES
Chapter Three
New Reality
The astonishing sight made Aki hesitate only for a moment before she began a desperate effort to remove the Black Boa's autopilot. The ship's current course took it straight into the Snake Phantom's gaping maw, and the creature was large enough to cause some serious damage. Inwardly cursing whoever had designed the autopilot to be so stubborn, Aki wrestled with the controls.
Just as the creature's feelers were reaching for the ship, Aki regained control and rolled the ship sideways, just under one fin-like wing. The feelers thumped against the ship's hull - so it is solid! - and the Phantom gave angry screech as it twisted its sinuous body to snap at one of the engines. Aki persuaded the engines to speed up, and a plume of exhaust sprayed into the Phantom's face. It shrieked and turned away, its broad tail lashing in anger.
Where had that come from? Aki had never seen a solid Phantom, except in her dreams. But this one had been very real. What's going on? First plants mysteriously sprouted at high speeds, then this.
It was another mystery Aki vowed to look into as soon as she rescued Neil. Assuming he was still alive. She was starting to get an idea of what had alarmed him so much in his call. Aki knew she should get a message to warn the Council and General Ryder as soon as possible, but she couldn't send one while concentrating on piloting the ship. And after her encounter, she was reluctant to use the autopilot again.
Old New York City loomed on the horizon. Aki frowned as she neared and got a better look at it. Something was wrong. As the Black Boa entered the city's fringe, she couldn't help but stare. There were plants everywhere! It was more advanced than any of the growth she had seen on her way here, with giant trees between crumbled buildings and vines coating the sides of the skyscrapers still standing. The cracks in the pavement were choked with growth.
It's like a jungle here! And there was movement in this jungle; large insectoid creatures, smaller humanoid forms, twisting, snakelike bodies. There were more Phantoms here than Aki had seen anywhere, with the exception of the crater. And all of them were alive!
Aki put on another burst of speed, reaching in the river's edge quickly and crossing it to the barrier city hidden on Manhattan Island. She was forced to detour around several Snake Phantoms and the high-reaching tentacles of Metas before she reached her goal.
The barrier was still active. Except for a large, dark section at the city's top, the barrier still held. Maybe Neil's safe after all. If the Phantoms hadn't breeched the barrier. They were trying, she noticed, but the creatures seemed wary of the glowing amber energy, perhaps remembering when it had had the power to stop them. But how long would it be before they realized that, while it still hurt living tissue, it wouldn't hold them forever?
Aki circled to the hangar doors, and wasn't surprised to find them closed. Neil would have shut them once the Phantoms started to use it. That meant he probably wasn't around to open them, though, if Phantoms had indeed come through.
She opened a communications channel anyway. "Neil, are you there? Do you read me?" She waited a few moments, then tried again. "Neil, I need the hangar doors open. Are you there?" C'mon, answer me! she pleaded. She'd hate to have come this far only to lose him now.
Aki brought the ship around, skimming the barrier until she reached the dark section on top. The sensors under the ship showed that the area was damaged, as if something had busted through. Probably the escape pods that made it free of the city when it was being evacuated, Aki mused. No matter how it got there, it meant Aki had a way into the city. She carefully lowered the ship through the gap, wincing as the ship shuddered when she scraped the edge.
In moments, she had an excellent view of the city below her. Like the outer city, it too was choked with plants. But, mixed in with the Phantoms roaming the streets were people! Using the image enhancer on board the Black Boa, Aki could see the distinctive armor of several soldiers. Did another city send an army? Perhaps someone had found Neil in time!
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Aki had opened the communications channel in the hopes that someone below could pick her up.
There was a burst of static, then a frantic voice responded, "Who's there?"
"This is Dr. Aki Ross-" she began.
"Can you help us? We have a Meta in the city and we need to take it out before it hits the generators. Does your ship have any firepower?"
Aki winced. The Black Boa was a scientific vessel; the weapons it carried weren't enough to stop a Meta. But, as she scanned the city for the offending Phantom, she got an idea.
"I'll do what I can," she promised the soldier, then brought the Black Boa lower. She wove through the buildings, keeping the Meta in sight of her sensors. She maneuvered the ship into position behind a large skyscraper that looked as if it had been bombed. The tip of an escape pod still stuck out of its side. But Aki ignored that as she fired what weapons she had into the building's side, then forced her ship forward to ram the teetering upper stories to fall where she wanted them. The ship groaned in protest and metal screamed and tore around her, but the building fell, tons of metal falling onto the Meta below. The Phantom was big and well protected, but even it had no chance against the falling debris, and gave one last, shrill scream as it was buried.
* * *
Ragged cheers went up from the soldiers as the Meta was destroyed, and Neil sighed with relief when he spotted Jane and Ryan among them. Breaking free of his escort, he trotted over to them, a broad grin on his face.
"Did you see that?" he raved. "I told you the captain wouldn't leave us!" He gestured towards the Black Boa, which was circling as it looked for a clear place to land.
Jane just gave Neil a funny look, but Ryan's grin matched Neil's own. "And you thought the captain would be so busy with Dr. Ross that he'd forget about us," Ryan said, nudging Jane. She just scowled, and said nothing.
"What's wrong, Jane?" Neil asked, as the group began to head towards the landing ship.
Ryan's face was serious as he said, "She froze part of the Meta."
"What's so odd about that? Jane's always been a little icy - Oh," Neil said, with dawning understanding. "How'd you do it?"
"I don't know," Jane said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's just greet the captain, all right?"
"Sure Jane, whatever."
Aki was the first one out of the ship. Deep Eyes scanned the area behind her, searching for their captain. "Where is he?" Ryan wondered as the three walked up to Aki, leaving behind the crowd of curious onlookers. They waited for the captain to join her. And waited.
Aki was stunned by the sight that greeted her. Neil was striding towards her, looking like the cat that ate the canary, followed by. Ryan? And Jane? While it seemed possible that one of the three could have survived the tragedy, it seemed unlikely that all three could have. And as the crowd moved in closer, Aki glimpsed people in civilian dress, ragged and bloody and unlikely to be military.
They were the New York civilians. and they were alive!
"Hey, Dr. Ross! I see you got my message!" Neil said.
Aki was at a loss for words.
"Where's the captain?" Ryan asked, drawing closer to the stunned Aki.
"Gray's. d - dead," she stammered. Suddenly, death no longer seemed quite so permanent. "But. So are you!" she blurted out. "I saw you all die!"
Deep Eyes exchanged glances. "He's dead?" Jane asked. "Are you sure? We all woke up" she didn't want to acknowledge it as coming back to life "two days ago. Gray could have been the same way!" The others all nodded eagerly.
Aki felt a surge of hope. "Yes!" she breathed, then remembered. Two days ago, the morgue had caught fire, and Gray's body had been incinerated. "No," she corrected, tears filling her eyes. "He's gone. He won't be coming back."
Suddenly, the restored lives of Deep Eyes and the New York population no longer made her feel happy, and it was all she could do to keep from crying in front of the gathered crowd.
To Be Continued.