AN-nureek-"And what did you do to Harper!! OMG! And now Beka?! You better update quicker this time! ;P" so its been seven months since I updated, but amazingly I still have people willing to help me see this story through to the end, thanks to MW, LRH and Mary Rose for being willing to bounce ideas with me and giving me the go ahead. And everyone else who keeps reading and reviewing
General reminders this is all from beka's pov, harper is nutzo and in a mental ward (not just prisoner in the harperchondriacs ward :-D) and Beka got drunk and got captured by their new 'client'
Additional disclaimers at the end
In the last few chapters of beka's story
"There are many ways to make money on earth, not all legal and not all kind to your fellow humans."
"What do you mean?"
"Do I need to spell it out?"
"For this stupid spacer, ya"
"They would hunt kids down on the street and sell them for experiments, I got caught and it was a few days before some Nietzscheans decide that the results weren't coming fast enough and killed the man and freed all of us."
…
"Harper, I won't hurt you, you're my friend. Remember your friend, Beka?"
"No friends…no friends…Neitzcheans don't befriend humans."
"Look at me Harper, I'm not a Niezchean, I'm your friend, Beka." I said kneeling down front of the small mattress that completely filled the room.
Harper slowly lifted his head and looked at me. "What is a human doing with them?" he questioned?
"With who?"
"Them…the doctors…you know, the ones who do the tests."
I swallowed, wondering if I wanted to know the answer to my next question. "What tests?" I asked as I inching onto the mattress that filled the small room and approached Harper.
"The tests…the ones that did this to me." He said rolling up so he was balancing on the balls of his feet, bouncing maniacally.
"Did what to you?" I asked slowly sitting next to Harper who was almost jumping up and down.
"I don't know, but they did something," he said, shaking his head back and forth in his hands.
"What?"
"I told you I don't know!" He had leaned down so the words were yelled right into my face. He then pressed his back against the wall again and slid down into a sitting position. I was taken back, not sure how to handle his ever-changing personalities. Harper went back to shaking his head, more slowly now, once again muttering to himself. "It's all a mess a jumble…can't sort it out…all a mess…" Harper trailed off…
…
I stood outside Harper's room listening to his screams; I bit my lip debating whether or not to go in. Every night of this mission Harper has had violent nightmares. His screams wake up all of us, we have all tried to go in a wake him up and we are all sporting wounds of our attempts along with the bags under our eyes. We are walking on eggshells around him and nothing seems to help. It just gets worst and worst.
…
I sigh and look down at the bills in front of me, fuel, medical bills, food, parts; the bills seem to go on forever. Overwhelming bills, stupid bills, it's these frelling bills that lead to Harper getting his port, that port that… I can start to feel tears well up in my eyes. I can't stand it anymore; the bills hit the far wall as anger overcomes me. I will not cry, I will not lose it, I will not lose him. I can't lose Harper.
As hard as I try to fight them the tears soon over power me and I find myself curled up on the floor of the main room. Crying until my chest hurts, until I can't breath, until I am finally out of tears. I am spent, I just sit there, I can't go on like this
…
The runner just walks right up kneels down and sticks the connecter in Harper's port. Harper tenses and bits off a scream as his body goes limp in Trances arms. His eyelids flutter like he is dreaming and a few minutes later the lackey smile grows bigger, Harper comes to and the lackey pulls out the connecter and hands me a large some of credits. I can't help but wince thinking of what this money has cost us. "There is another run we need done if you are interested?"
"We're not"
"Really, cause we are the ones who paid for that port, very expensive and a great lost for us if it was taken from us."
"Just leave" I said reaching for my gun, hoping he isn't going to push things. His smile gets annoyingly bigger, making me wonder how many teeth this guy has before he turns tail and goes out the airlock.
"Just remember, that port is ours" I almost yell well you can have it but I know what that means. They gut Harper and sell the port with his gray matter still attached. Although another piece of me wonders…
…
They shaved his head so if I pretend I can say it's not even him I am looking at. But those scared eyes could only belong to one person. No one else could have eyes that sad. I take his hand, trying to ignore the leather straps that keep him tied to the bed. 'Oh Harper, how did it get to this point? Why couldn't you have fought off those demons, you helped me fight off mine. I am sure we could have faced yours together.' I blink away the tears and turn to leave. As I go I know the look of betrayal in those eyes won't leave me behind.
The walk down the white hallway seems to take centuries, Rev and Trance wait for me at the end. Rev head is bowed, saying prayers to the Divine for Harper. Trance has tears silently flowing down her face. The plant that she brought for Harper still in her arms, they wouldn't let her bring it to him. She cradles it protectively in her arms and her tears water it. She nods to acknowledge that I am back. We all look at the door but none of us move towards it. We stand in the lobby, and odd trio that remains a member short.
"We can't do this Beka" Trance says through her tears.
"What choice do we have" I say looking at the floor.
…
"And I hear you have a fast ship and a good pilot"
"one of the besss" I mutter grabbing my drink as it is set down on the table. I take a huge swig and wait for this idiot to get done with all of his fancy talk and tells me what illegal goods he wants me to take me where.
"Good, cause I need a new pilot." He said grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him while sticking a gun in-between my ribs
…
I struggle to get away and only find myself on the floor of the dock. The gun makes another appearance and I watch as it comes in at an arch towards my head. Stars explode which makes me laugh because there are no view ports here and no stars. I feel myself getting thrown over the man's shoulder and through the haze I know I am in trouble. Then again I am finding I don't really care.
Because people with no hope are easy to control
And whoever has the control
Has the power
Wolf-Never-Ending Story
The pounding in my head awoke me first, but my eyelids remained glued shut and I decide to let them stay that way. I had screwed up again; there was no reason to wake up and face the mess I had created. With any luck Rev and Trance would take the Maru and go off and make the universe a better place with me no longer around to destroy everything. The sound of metal scraping metal reverberates through my head, I finally force my eyes open and see only a blurry shape silhouetted in a door frame. Rapidly blinking the shape begins to form into a person but before I can make out any features the man speaks, even through the pounding in my head I know that voice with the first word.
"Beka? Baby, how did you get yourself into this mess?"
"Bobby?" I croak, still wishing my eyes would finish adjusting to the idea of being awake.
"Ya Bek, it's me" He whispers gently cradling my head in his lap. He lovingly holds me and plays with my hair till I fall back asleep.
I find myself waking to darkness again, but my hangover has lessened to a dull reminder, I am just beginning to wonder if I dreamed Bobby in my hangover state when the doors open. I wince at the bright light my head still not ready to deal with it, the door closes and he enters. Setting down a small tray with a lamp on it. He offers me a glass of water and slowly I sip it, rolling it over my tongue in an old habit of tasting for any strange additives. I put down the glass and stare into the last face I expected to see here.
"Bobby… what's… how… why…" I ask, he puts his hand to my lips and silences me.
"I am working on something Bek, something that'll fix everything."
"Everything?"
"Ya everything, I found the ultimate cause Bek, if I succeed everything will be better."
"How can you fix everything?"
"By going back to the beginning,"
"You can't go back to the beginning,"
"But what if I could, I found the way Bek, and after I go back everything will be better, the universe will be fixed. Think of all the lives we would make better"
"We?"
"Yes us, I need your help Bek,"
"If you need my help then why am I still in this room?"
"Sorry the captain didn't fully trust a person he took at gun point. But I will convince him. I love you, I hate seeing you kept prisoner like this. Don't worry I will have you free in a bit."
"I hate being trapped."
"I know I will free you from this prison soon, trust me"
"But you lied to me, how can I…"
"I had to, if I had told you the truth, you wouldn't have done the mission, we need the.."
"You could have told me, why, why did you lie to me?"
"I didn't want to…"
"Then why did you, damn it Bobby you didn't have to lie to me, you could have told me, I frelling trusted you, and and you did that... why did you have to lie to me, why does everyone lie?"
"Beka," He said trying to draw me into his arms, but I shove them away and spring to my feet crossing the small room screaming.
"No you promised never to lie to me, you told me you would never lie, you told me I could trust you" hot tears pour down my face, "I can't trust you, you were the last person I thought would hurt me, I trusted you with everything."
"I'm sorry, I never meant to…"
"I don't care what you meant to do, you did."
"I know, I know I am undeserving, but I can see what a fool I was, and I don't deserve to be forgiven, but Beka, I love you, I need you back in my life. I couldn't imagine doing this without you."
"I'm not ready to forgive you."
"I'll wait, but they won't" He said motioning to the door with his head. "I need you; together we can get off the ship and fix this messed up universe together."
"Can you give me a few hours to sort this out" I mutter sliding down the wall holding my head.
"I'll try, but you are their prisoner, I didn't know you were the hauler they hired till they brought you on board. I want you back, and I never will hurt you again. I love you too much." I nod through my tears but shove him away again as he moves in for a hug. He turns and leaves. Drawing my knees up to my chest I burry my head and let the tears flow, I never cry. Correction, I use to never cry, but Harper changed all that. With that name I cry harder, what was happening to him now that I had abandoned my friend, what was going on with the Maru, how are Trance and Rev. Oh how I wished for the simple days, but days where never simple. Bobby always seemed to make things simple, and for a few moments I could remember how wonderful it felt to trust him, to be able to trust that he would make everything alright, but would he, or would he lie to me again? I was strong; I could handle everything on my own. But lately all the balls had been dropping. Could I really find a way out of this mess, everything was so messed up. Damn Bobby for coming in and saying he could fix it all. Why did it take one smile from him to make all my armor crumble?
Why does the past always seem safer
Maybe because at least we know we made it
Chris Rice
"Beka, come on I need you to wake up." Bobby's voice gently breaks through the fog of my sleep. A small smile crosses my lips as old memories come to mind. Waking in his warm strong loving arms, the taste of his lips, and how I knew I could always trust him. Of course that had all disappeared the day I discovered he had lied, the day Harper came into my life. But thoughts of that fateful day leave my head as he wraps me up in his arms. Maybe people deserve second chances…
But can I really trust him, can I really trust anyone. I want to badly, but if I do I know the pain that comes with. "I would love to let you sleep, but I need you to wake up. There's no more time."
"How long?"
"Not as long as I would have liked to given you, but I need your decision now."
"Bobby, I can't trust you immediately after what you did."
"I know, and I would like to show you that I am trust worthy, and if it were up to me I would give you all the time in the world. But I am not in charge here, they are. And they say that you are either for or against the plan, the time for a decision is now."
"Bobby,"
"Bek, if you say no to them, it won't be pretty, for either of us."
"You're not making this easy."
"I can't make it any simpler, either you trust me or we both die!" He screams, then looks away, apologizing with his eyes.
"Fine, tell me what I have to do."
"Just trust me, well that and do what you do best." I just tilt my head and look him square in the eyes silently asking him what he means, "didn't that jerk Jack say they needed a good pilot." A smile crosses both our faces and I found myself being lead to the cockpit. "Its simple Bek, all we need is to follow this star chart to the plant Haz-Mare."
"What's on the planet that is so important you need to make thirteen jumps just to get there?"
"The solution to the universes problems, now just make the jumps!" Bobby said, eyeing the crew around us. Thirteen jumps through some of the toughest space around. What was Bobby up to, no matter I said I would trust him. Hell there is nothing I can do right now but trust him, he is right either I trust him or the crew has there way with me and I leave through an airlock. When did life get so complicated?
"Bobby, I can't" I mutter dragging out each word is a chore.
"Only a few more jumps and we are there."
"too tired."
"Few more and you can rest, have some more coffee." I try to drink the bitter liquid that is handed to me but it dribbles down my chin, I barely have the strength to hold the cup. I turn to beg Bobby for just a few hours of sleep, I don't even notice the cup has left my hand till he jumps. His movements startle me. I try to figure out what is happening through the fog. He is yelling about something, but I can barely make out the words. Their too fast and the fog surrounding me is too thick. My head slowly floats back to my shoulders as he throws a rag in my lap and storms off. I try to move to follow him, but instead of walking toward the door I find myself sitting in a warm puddle. Coffee, it's the coffee, and I am on the floor, I must have fallen. I stare at the rag and then slowly place it in the puddle, watching with amazement as it soaks up the coffee. I am floating again, but no, I am flying back to the chair. Someone is lifting me. It's Bobby, he puts me down and says something, I nodded my head and close my eyes. A sharp pain brings me back. My cheek is burning, my hand finds my face, but it is brushed away and I find myself looking into Bobby's eyes, he looks angry.
"Focus, you lose focus we all die."
"Can't" I mutter
"Yes you can." He yells, making me face forward in the chair.
"Need to sleep." I get out before my eyes close and my head dips, but it is picked up and my eyes pop open, and then begin to drift close again as Bobby talks.
"Beka you have to do it now, there is no time for you to sleep."
"Why?"
"Here this will help." He pushes my head back and forces my eyes open. I struggle but liquid is squirted on my face and finally into my eye, his aim is better with the next one. Flash, he gave me Flash?
"Flash?" I giggle.
"Trust me, it's the only way."
"Ok, whatever." I giggle again. I go back to the controls and back into the stream.
"Give me the Flash."
"One more jump."
"Flash and then I will pilot one more jump!" I yelled, reaching out for the bottle in Bobby's hands. The small bottle calls for me; I can hear it's voice in my head, screaming for me to free it from Bobby's claws.
"There isn't enough left for that."
"Listen if you want to make it there in one piece you better give me the flash!" I scream, jumping out of the chair and storming towards him.
"Bek," He says, putting the bottle away and holding up his hands.
"Don't Bek me; you wanna get there you better give." I begin pawing him for the flash, I get my hand into the pocket but he grabs it and forces me back to the chair.
"I can't you have to make the jump now." He said, forcing my hands back into the controls. Red angry hand prints are left on my arms, for a moment I wonder why they don't hurt. Then the anger comes back, how dare he tell me what to do. He can't force me to fly the ship. Besides I can't fly it right now, I need the flash.
"Bobby please I need the flash, I can't make the jumps without it."
"Fine," He hands over the bottle and greedily I put more drops in my eyes. With a manic smile I go back to the chair. Few more and we are done. I hate the flash, what it did to my father. What it is doing to me, but another part of me loves it. Hungers for it even, I can't live without it. Can't fly, can't think, can't breath without my precious flash. Why did Bobby give it to me, why is he now keeping it from me? He is against me, I was right not to trust him. I can't trust anyone. But as soon as we get to the planet I will take over the ship and have it all to myself. That and my flash, my ship and my flash all I need. Its like a song in my head, part of me loves the plan, the other knows the folly, but the flash clouds over the logic tills it's the only thought that remains in my head. I hug the bottle for a moment breathing in relief, but it is ripped out of my hands. Once again Bobby puts my arms back on the controls.
"Why do you have to keep the flash," I yell as we make the jump into the stream. Bobby falls on his side. Good, as long as he doesn't hurt the bottle of my flash it will all be good.
I am dying I know I am going to die. I grab my head willing the voices to stop, trying to make the pain going away. But I can feel my brain starting to come out through my head. Tiny men are slowly drilling my brain. My world is nothing but pain. I scream and hit the door with all of my might. The pain from my knuckle barely registers over the pounding in my head. I start to beat the door of my prison. I can feel warm blood start to flow down my arms but I don't care. I keep kicking and hitting, if I keep it up somehow I will get out. I have to get out. They took the flash and locked me in here. But if I get out I can get the flash. Take over the ship. They will be mine. I continue to work at escape but the haze in my head keeps growing. I feel my head separate from my body and start to float away.
(?)
Looked out my window last night from my pillow
And I saw the willow weeping a casual sigh
The man in the moon looked rather sad and confused
As if he become a mirror to my water eyes
I dreamed and prayed through the night
Please send some grace with the morning light
Chris Rice
I find myself in a mix of colors, painful reds mixed with yellow yelling and blue music. I see the colors take shape into a cat in front of me, I reach out to pet it and I am reward with a painful bit on the hand. I find myself falling out of the colors and landing hard on a wooden stage.
The red curtain rises on the stage, I find myself standing on the maru with that stupid cat that bite me mewing at my feet. But the maru only has three walls, instead of the fourth wall there is a curtain and an audience. It is filled with random people all in high guard uniforms, but if I look closely their faces seem familiar. The maru is the same ship I grew up on but it is painted bright blues, greens, reds, yellows and every color of the rainbow. Giggling is heard from underneath the table in the mess. I turn and start towards it but I hear more sounds from the cabinets. "Come out!" I yell but giggling is the only answer. The cat pounces on my feet until I pick it up and place it in a basket sitting on the table. I pick up the basket and start to look around.
Harper swings in from the rafters, actually he more appears from above, but he is wearing solid pink, dark pink boots tucked into pink cargo pants with a Hawaiian shirt with a design of varying shades of pink over a pale pink t-shirt. I relies I am staring at the outfit and look up into his face. But the crown made of a several different pink gadgets makes me avert my eyes to the floor.
"Why do you look there for the answers you seek?" Harper says. "You will not find them there; you need to follow the yellow steel pipe."
"What?"
"Follow the yellow steel pipe at journeys end you will find the wizard, who will help you find answers you need, the Trancers will show you the way."
"Who…" but before I can finish several small Trances pour out of every nook and cranny of the mess. All of them are Trance, but with different colored skin, hair and clothes some in clashing multi-colored suits with top hats, others in neon plaid knickers. All of them are chanting "Follow the yellow steel pipe" in sing song like chorus. I find myself being pulled along in the middle of the crowd of Trances through my own ship. The colors and machinery blends and I find myself in front of the slipstream drive.
There stands Rev, only he is in a green suit with a green top hat and green circle glasses. "Rev what's going on here?"
"If you are wise your wisdom will reward you."
"What?"
"Leave you simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding. Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: But righteousness divers from death. Hatered stirs up strife, But love covers all transgressions."
"Rev you are making no sense, none of this makes any sense."
"Fools die for lack of understanding. What the wicked fears will come upon him But the desire of the righteous will be granted."
"I don't understand!"
"When pride comes, then comes dishonor, But with the humble is wisdom."
"I don't know what to do. Help me, why doesn't anything make sense."
The way of the fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel."
"I give up, I won't find answers here"
"You're right" Harper's voice said. He appeared again from above, it his hand was a pink nano-welder with a glittery sliver star on top of it. "Answers must be found elsewhere."
"Where?"
"You'll know where when the time comes. Take this to guide you." He handed me a pair of shiny red mittens. "Till then remember," with that Harper moved so he was behind me and out of the corner of my eye I see the nano-welder wand heading for my head, but before it can hit a swirling pool of gray over takes me. I am falling, falling, and the end is coming soon I know. I can feel myself being swallowed by some forced, but I can also feel the mittens I grasp in my hands. A person fly's by on bike in a black dress cackling, it almost sounds like Bobby's laugh… but before I can think about it the inky blackness pulls me under.
Once again I find myself lying on my prison floor with a hangover from hell. The door creaks open. I roll away from the noise cringe roll into a tight ball and covering my eyes. I need to remind Harper to fix that door, it is killer to the hangovers… but the thoughts stop and a new nausea starts. One that isn't related to the pain in my head, Harper… the Maru… Trance…Rev… my friends, and its all gone. Somehow the lingering pain remains, stronger than this newest pain.
find myself being pulled into a sitting position and some liquid being poured down my throat. I gag and push the cup away, mutter and spitting the little that got in.
"Finally awake?"
"YES! No thanks to you." I yelled, opening my eyes, the face of some random crew member greets me. Scoot to the wall leaning my head back, "who are you, where's Bobby," I mutter.
"Names Schgul, I guess you could say I am closest thing to some sort of medical staff."
"Nice to met you… Spit-gul-a"
"Most people just call me Spike, easier that way. Now that you are feeling better do you want to get cleaned up and something to eat."
"Sure, but I thought I couldn't leave here?"
"I didn't get any orders about not letting you out, most of the crew is down planet side."
"And you are telling all this to a possible prisoner."
"I've spent the last few days force feeding you while you fought off munchkins…lets just say I don't see you as much of a threat right now."
Another yawn escaped from my mouth as I stared into the mug of coffee in front of me. Spike just gave me a laughing smile from across the table in the mess hall. "Want give it a rest for a while."
"No" another yawn came out with the reply. "I want to know what this ship is after? And you are the first person to talk to me besides Bobby."
"Sorry we haven't been the most social, but I don't know most of the crew myself."
"What do you mean?"
"Well I joined as a communication engineer, doctor, and general jack of all trades. What can I say the job offered more money than I could pass up, but I wonder if I should have. I've done some questionable stuff over the years, but well… the things I have seen, over heard… makes me wonder. I mean went I signed up there where other guys more qualified, but the deciding factor was where we grew up… I mean what advantage does someone growing up on a drifter colony have verses someone from a planet… You're not the only prisoner I have seen, and the others are in worst shape… I might be one of the crew…but I am given only small jobs… nothing related to the reasons I was supposedly brought on…and if I even think of stepping outside of an allowed area…I don't trust the crew…I want out…but I am trapped now."
"We both are." I mutter and so is Bobby, which has to be the case, the only reason he is here. Why we all are here.
Bobby stumbles into the mess, he is covered with dirt, he takes one look at me and turns, slamming right into Capitan Jack, the guy who recruited me by gun point. Before I could ask what was happening I was being dragged by Jack back into the tiny storage closet that has been my room for this journey. Voices echo outside but I can't make out what they are saying. I sit down and lean my head against the wall, wondering what is happening outside.
It's a few hours later, or so I think when Bobby walks in. The mud from earlier is gone, but not the expression on his face. I know all of Bobby's faces, this is his pissed off face, the face I learned never to mess with. "Beka! Why did you leave, don't you know what could have happened."
"No Bobby I don't know what could have happened. I don't know anything cause you refuse to tell me anything!" I yell back, surprising myself. I never use to yell at Bobby, especially when he was so irritated.
"When did you get a frelling backbone?" He yelled. "Darn it Beka, you can't leave this area! You can't know what is going on!"
"Why freaking not!"
"Because you can't…"
"That answer doesn't work anymore!"
"Fine, you want to see what is happening, I'll take you planet side tomorrow, but if you frell this up… well I don't want to think about what will happen." With that Bobby stormed out. What was happening? Well tomorrow I would find out… the question is did I want to?
The next morning I find myself eating breakfast with the crew for the first time since I was brought on board. Everyone was quiet and eyeing each other. I could see what Spike meant, there was clearly those who know what was going on, and those left in the dark. Jack entered the room and stood on top of a table. "Well today's the day." Jack announced. "Today with the help of the Paz-Havily Crystal we change the universe."
Bobby stood on the table next to Jack, "Some of you have heard the tale of the Paz-Havily Crystal, those who have heard the story might have thought it was just a fairy tale, like the Shards of Remmi. That it couldn't really be real, or even work if it was real.
Well for those of you who don't know, the crystal was said to be formed during one of the last battles in the fall of the common wealth. The only two ships to live through the battle where badly damaged. They both crashed landed on the planet. As in all great fairy tales of the era, one common was wealth the other Nietzschean. The survivors where forced to work together to live. Friendships followed by romances occurred between the two crews and twins where born from a human and nietzschean couple, a boy and a girl, Paz and Havily.
The settlement that had been founded was destroyed by the Drago-Kazov. They killed the adult nietzscheans that had contaminated themselves by working with the crew of the commonwealth ship. The humans they made slaves that mined the planet for ore. The Nietzschean children of the village where taken for reeducation, with them went Paz and Havily, they lived with the nietzscheans until they where five, when their bone spurs didn't come in, blood tests revealed their mixed heritage. The caretakers that had raised them had grown 'weak' and refused to kill them.
Finally they where killed, their hearts removed from their corpuses and hung in center of the complex. Over time they turned green, molded together, and turned hard as a rock. The hearts where found to have 'magical' properties, the power to change situations, almost as if the events leading up to them never happened. This power couldn't be understood or controlled and it scared even the hardest nietzschean. They tried to destroy them, but hearts had become as hard as crystal, and no power in the universe seemed to be able to break them. So the nietzscheans hid the hearts, as far off as they could, so no one could use the power of them against them. The hearts became known as the Paz-Havily Crystal, and pasted into legend.
But we have figured out, from the legend how to control the Paz-Havily crystal, and together, we will change the fall of the commonwealth. Imagine a world where we no longer have to scrape to get by, where we have more power than the nietzscheans. Imagine earth being a slave planet, humans living drifter colonies and thousands more living from low playing job to job are things of the past, or more things that have never happened." The crew cheered, I had to agree. It sounded like the perfect universe Bobby had talked about. But how was he going to get it, could one crystal do all that?
The crew trooped down to the planet. There we found a giant stone monument craved from the mountain side. One by one we filed inside down the narrow pathway. I found myself standing behind Spike and in front of Bobby as we snaked through the tunnel. Bobby placed his hands on my hips and placed his chin next to my ear. "I told you I could solve the universes problems."
"But why didn't you want me to see this?"
"Because, what we are doing… what has to be done… its not pretty Bek… you're not going to like it… I wanted to protect you from seeing it." He said drawing me closer so we were almost waddling.
"Seeing what?" I asked coming to the end of the tunnel. There was a doorway only a few feet high. Bobby let me go and I followed Spike through, I straighten up and found myself in a dome shaped cavern the ceiling several stories high, with a green crystal mounted at its peak. "Is that?" I whisper to Bobby as he stood up.
"Yes" He whispered back, pulling me next to him with a sideways hug. "It's the Paz-Havily Crystal." I give him a smile and find myself being drawn into a kiss which I happily return. It seems like for once this will work, we will make the universe work, for us and for everyone.
I move out and lean against Bobby when I see Jack's men move behind Spike and grab him. Another one takes a hold of a young blonde girl, and a third a another man. They look surprise and struggle as they are brought to the middle of a raised circular platform that is directly under the crystal.
"Bobby what's…" but I never finish as I see a fourth person being brought in, pale, hairless, and dressed in solid white I still recognized Harper from across the room. He is almost a skeleton now, being supported by two men on either side of him. I didn't even know I had started to move towards him till Bobby's arms stopped him, pulling me back to him.
"He's the key element, when he was on earth the nietzscheans ran experiments, worked to make a person that could control the stone, then by control him the could control the past, present, and future. All he need was a dataport and the right software downloaded."
"How could you." I growl.
"Bek, he's the key, a simple mudfoot but yet the key to the perfect universe, when this is all over the world will be a better place for everyone, the sacrifice of the few for the many. Simple logic, trust me."
"Few? Spike, the other three?" I find my voice rising and I am shaking, this can't be happening.
"We need a piece of what we hope to change, people whose lives will be changed, a drifter colony kid, a mudfoot, a nietzschean slave, a street rat from a space station and a great great so on grandkid of a highguard. You see we are going to change history, the commonwealth won't fall, people won't live on drifter colonies due to their planet being destroyed or over run. Slaves, earth and the mudfoots won't exist. Humans won't live day to day just trying to get by and the tradition of the highgaurd will be maintained."
"So you are going to… for… why…" I can't even form the words I am so horrified, never have I even thought that it would cost the lives of people for this better universe.
"We have to, watch and soon this whole existent will seem like a bad dream." He said pulling me in closer and holding me tightly to him. With a nod to someone I couldn't see Harper was dragged to the central platform where a door opened revealing a room underneath the platform, the light causes the structure to become see-through and I watch as jack was forced into Harper's port. Harper pulled his knees to his chest and started to whimper. Bobby grips me tighter, but all my energy is focused on watching Harper, as if I can somehow give him strength by sheer will power alone. Harper lets out a scream and the crystal starts to glow and descend. His scream turns into a chorus as Spike and the other people tied to the platform begin to scream as well.
The crew of the ship cringed as they listen. One by one they turn and leave till only Jack, Bobby and I remain to watch the horrible show in front of us. At some point my screams are added into those of the dying people. Harper eyes roll back and he begins seizing. Tears roll down my face, and I struggle to get away from Bobby.
I feel like I am dreaming, as I watch my best friend up there dying, and knowing I am playing a role. "Please, please, please," I start chanting over and over something happens I am standing on the streets of a dirty slave planet as a band of magog comes down to raid. Screams fill the streets and I am running with a group of dirty mudfoots, slowly we disappear down below the street, I find myself looking for someone, being brought into the arms of a stranger and hugged like a small child.
I am again back on the corner as screams fill the air, but they are my own, as pain fills my world. All I can see is the dirt of the street, until the pain stops and I hear footsteps leave, I roll onto my back. The pain almost makes me past out, and I find myself staring at the stars, past the shacks and dirt to the stars above.
As suddenly as these flashes of images began they are gone, I am being cradled in Bobby's arms. "Beka, Beka baby come back to me." The screams are gone, as the world comes into focus I look for harper but we are out of the caves, I am sitting on the grass outside in Bobby's arms.
"Bobby, stop, please stop it.." I plead.
"Beka it this has to happen." He whispers in my ear.
"No, not like this…" I plead.
"It's the only way, do you really want to continue living in this universe, where everyone is just scraping to get by." He says accenting every phrase by shaking me.
"No, but Bobby does it have to be like this." I beg, feeling myself almost going limp.
"It's the only way."
"It can't be the only way, there has to be another way."
"There isn't, don't you think I hate this as much as you."
"Look at him, look at them, this is murder."
"But it will save lives."
How can you say you are changing the universe for the better if it means taking five lives?"
"Its only five people think of how many it will save."
"How many lives justify murder? Bobby I can't standby and watch this happen." I yelled, to this day I don't know what I did in those next few minutes. I snapped, I knew I could no longer trust Bobby. I slammed my head up and back, hitting Bobby in the face. I elbowed him in the gut at the same time. With him doubled over I got up and ran back to the cave. Bobby was on my tail and Jack hearing the struggle from inside stood in front blocking my way. I grabbed Jack's head and brought it into my knee, knocking him out for the moment. I snatch his gun out of his holster and pointed it at Bobby.
"Back off," I yell. He nodded, edging his way out of the cave. "Stay here," I growled, climbing onto the platform and into the glowing light that from the crystal that encompassed the whole thing. Again I found myself somewhere else, I was standing on a drift, holding out my hands, asking for money but people continued to pass me by, until one burly man shoved me down slamming my head against a wall. I was being held in someone's arms, being rocked to sleep and told a story about my high guard relative, while I played with an old brass metal. I was sitting on the maru, piloting as a little girl with tears down my eyes, wanting nothing more than a real home and family.
When I came out of the visions again Jack was knocked out. Bobby was shot in the thigh. The crystal was in shards on the floor and Spike and the other 'sacrifices' where free and standing around me as I cradle Harper in my lap still holding on to Jack's gass gun. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" I murmur over and over to the limp body in my arms. I feel the gun leave my hands and Harper is lifted up, but I reach out for him. "No, don't take him." I beg, convinced it will be the last time I ever see him if he goes now. "I can't lose him, it's all my fault, I wanted to fix things but everything is worst, and there is no way to change it all."
I burry my head in my hands weeping uncontrollably when my chin is lifted, "look," Spike whispers to me. Harper is floating in the air surrounded by a green light. The shards of the crystal turn to liquid and then move across the floor forming into two separate shapes. The shapes rise off the ground and are encompassed by the glowing forms of a boy and a girl, dressed in rags. "What men have meant for evil, the Devine will use for good," before my eyes Harper's hair grows back and forms its mess of spikes, his face fills back out and he looks healthier than before then dataport was ever installed. He is brought back down and gently laid in my lap.
I look around noticing other changes are going on as well, Jack and Bobby remain out, but their wounds are healed. The lingering headache from the flash is gone as well, as well as the longing for in my soul. The two children stop glowing and turn to face all of us, "there is no magical cure to the universes problems, no way to control it or the riches of this world, but for those who seek it there is always a way to make a difference in a positive way." With that the two children reach out grasping the other's hands and fade away.
I don't know how long I sat there staring at where the children had been. Trance stood in front of me with one of her knowing smiles. She picked me up and helped me to my feet. Rev bent down and gently picked up Harper. "What about…" but I stopped my sentence as I looked around the completely empty cavern.
"Come on Beka, the Maru is waiting outside."
He doesn't think that one little boy could be that important
The Child-Like Empress; The Never-Ending Story
Ok I don't own the wizard of oz, all the quotes belong to who said them, except for revs lines from the dream which are all from the book of proverbs so they belong to Solomon and God I guess…