Disclaimer: I don't own FF:TSW, or any elements of "The Christmas Carol" or "It's a Wonderful Life" that may pop up within this story.
Author's Note: The first section of this story was written two years ago. Why did I stop writing it? I can't recall why, now. But I recently found it on an old disk, and decided to put it to good use. The end result is an odd fusion of comedy and drama. Unfortunately, it probably won't be complete before Christmas, due to the fact that all the facilities around here with internet access are shutting down after the semester ends. I'm gonna do my best.
HOLIDAY SPIRIT
Part One
The Ghost of Christmas Past
Once upon a time, Christmas had meant something. It was a time for family, for love, for peace on earth and good will towards men. It had been a time of joy and happiness, for decorating trees and roasting chestnuts, for buying gifts and playing in the snow. It had been a holiday that brought out the best of the human spirit.
But the very spirit of Christmas had been stolen away by the Phantoms. Anyone found using a real tree, so rare in this day and age, faced a heavy fine or jail sentence. Snow was only found on the highest peaks of mountains or on the poles. It hadn't snowed, or even rained, in years. And so many people had lost loved ones to the Phantoms that few families could ever be all together at Christmas. The holidays had become a heartbreaking reminder of what earth had lost.
No more. With the defeat of the Phantoms a few days before Christmas, people were finding something new to celebrate. The barrier cities dropped their protections, and the human race was embracing their new, safer life with a fierce joy and a boundless optimism that was revitalizing the holiday. Everyone, in every city, was celebrating.
With one exception. Dr. Aki Ross strolled through the crowded streets of Chicago, ignoring the enthusiastic shoppers taking advantage of last minute sales. Their excited babble assaulted her ears, and she sped up to escape from it all.
She should never have come. But Gray was from Chicago, and his mother still lived here. Aki had brought his body home so he could be buried by the rest of his family. Mrs. Edwards had invited her and Dr. Sid to stay for the holidays and, having no other plans, they accepted.
They had arrived yesterday, and Aki had stayed in the house all day trying to comfort the weeping Mrs. Edwards, a difficult task when her own heart was broken. She didn't want to face that today. Even though it was Christmas Eve, and Mrs. Edwards and Dr. Sid had a dinner planned, Aki was heading to the Black Boa, where Gray's body still rested. They wouldn't be able to bury him until after Christmas.
Aki heaved a sigh of relief when she finally reached a sector of the city with few enough people that she could flag down a taxi. She directed it to the military hangar, tipped the driver heavily, and waved off his polite "Merry Christmas."
The hangar was blissfully quiet compared to the chaos in the streets, for which Aki was grateful. There weren't even very many military personnel around, and Aki was able to get to her ship quickly.
Once inside she paused, uncertain of why she had come. What had driven her to come to her ship? What was she going to do? She had to keep busy or she'd be dwelling on the events of a few days before. She didn't want to become more depressed than she already was. Which was why she should stay away from the cooler holding Gray's empty body.
So why did she find herself walking towards it? Why was she torturing herself by sliding the cooler open and pulling out the tray containing his body? Why was she unwrapping the blanket from his lifeless form?
At the sight of his still, peaceful features, Aki finally broke down and cried. She should never have dragged Gray and his men into this! She ran her fingers down his jaw, feeling the rough skin beneath and remembering nights devoted to such intimate caresses. If Gray were alive, he'd wipe the tears from her face with his large but gentle hands and speak to her in a low, soothing tone reserved for her alone.
Impossible… he's never coming back… Aki's attention was caught by a scalpel that was secured in a case on the wall. But there are other ways of seeing him again. She pulled the scalpel free.
Aki dragged a chair beside the tray and sat beside his still form. After staring at the scalpel for a moment, she ran the edge over one wrist, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to feel the metal's bite. It would be so easy… She further unwrapped his body and took one cold hand in both of hers as if trying to restore its warmth. If I do this, I could be with you again!
Then, with a choking sob, Aki rested her head on his chest and cried into his shirt. If only he'd take me in his arms! she thought desperately. Oh Gray! Why did you leave me?
* * *
She was standing on a vast plain, as she had in her dreams so many times before. But this wasn't the blasted terrain of the Phantom homeworld, nor was it the earth. The ground beneath her feet, and stretching as far as her eyes could see, gleamed silver under the light of the full moon suspended in an unnaturally black sky. Tentatively, she took a step forward, and the ground beneath her shifted with a metallic rustling.
Puzzled by the sound, Aki knelt to examine the ground before her. What she'd taken for a ridged, silvery soil was in fact a layer of chains of varying thickness. Some were as fine as a necklace links, others were thicker than her arm. And, she realized with astonishment as she plunged her hand down into the curious covering, there were many layers of chain beneath the topmost. Aki couldn't feel the ground beneath. What is this?
She began to withdraw her hand when something wrapped around her wrist, giving her arm a tug. Aki yelped and tried to yank her hand free, but whatever held her wouldn't let go. Panic rose within her as the thing holding on to her began to pull, drawing her downward. She screamed and thrashed, tangling herself in the chains.
Then the chains in front of her began to bulge upward as the thing holding her arm used her to pull itself free. Something that looked like a metallic hand pulled free, followed by an arm. The hand released Aki, and she scrambled backward, struggling to get to her feet but unable to on the shifting terrain beneath her. Aki cried out as something vaguely humanoid emerged, its body made of coils of chain that shifted around, like snakes, sliding over the body.
A slit opened in what passed for the creature's head, and a low moan issued from those silver lips, followed by a metallic rasp that could have been words, but Aki couldn't understand a word of it. "What are you?" Aki gasped out as she continued to scuttle backwards.
The thing cocked its head, then barked out something Aki still couldn't discern. At its words, the chains about its body began to slide away, revealing at first slits of darkness, and then as the chain continued to recede, Aki could make out the gleam of leather. Her eyes widened as the last of the chain dropped, except for loops around the formerly covered being's neck, wrists, and ankles.
"Much better." The words were clearer now, and the voice… that voice… Why? Why must I dream of him of all people? General Hein stood revealed before her.
"Dr. Ross. Fancy meeting you in my own personal hell," he said coolly. "Do you like it?"
Aki's gaze slid over the chains that spread from horizon to horizon. It wasn't exactly her idea of hell. She'd expected something a bit more, well, hellish. Flames and devils and pitchforks, or something. Not this. This made no sense. "It's nice," she said weakly.
Hein rolled his eyes. "Of course it is, if you have a chain fetish. A regular S&M paradise." Hein strode towards her with a rattle of chains, circling her like a predator examining its prey. "Do you know why you're here, Doctor?"
Aki frowned, thinking. The last thing she remembered was pulling Gray's body out of the cooler, and then… the scalpel… was she dead? Had she killed herself? No, she couldn't have. She remembered putting it down. And then she'd slumped over Gray, feeling the cold of his body seep into hers, and then… then… "I'm asleep!" she realized. "This is a dream!" Her lips curled in a moue of disappointment. "Damn, why am I dreaming about you of all people? What a waste."
"Oh, my heart is breaking," Hein said derisively. "Never fear, Doctor, your pure, innocent mind didn't conjure me up to torment you. I'm to deliver a message to you."
Aki was finally able to get to her feet, and she met Hein's gaze boldly. "Oh? I'm not interested in anything you have to say to me." She turned and began to walk away, though there was nowhere to go on that barren plain.
"You're planning on killing yourself, aren't you, Doctor?" Hein's voice was soft, all trace of sarcasm gone.
Aki halted, and turned to face him slowly. "What?"
"Very romantic. You can't be with Captain Edwards in life, so you want to join him in death. I've lost someone I loved, I know the feeling. It feels like the whole world is empty, and that you no longer have a reason to live, because that reason has died." Hein was close now, his cold blue eyes unblinking as he stared into her face.
"How do you know what I was planning?" Aki managed to say.
Hein shrugged. "That doesn't matter, does it? And I know nothing I can say will stop you. Why would you listen to me?" He gestured to the chains around him. "You see these? Each one of these represents a person who died at my hands. Millions died in New York. Millions of chains bind me for all eternity."
"You're right," Aki said. "Nothing you could say could possibly make me change my mind. You're a monster, General. And unless I end up here, with you, then I don't want to hear any argument against it."
"Fine. I personally don't give a damn if you die. You're a nuisance, and I think the world would be better off without the likes of you." His words abruptly choked off as the chain around his neck tightened, and he pulled at it until it loosened. "All right, you win," Hein snarled, his gaze locked on something only he seemed to see. "I won't say anything bad about Saint Ross anymore." He turned back to her, smiling thinly. "They're so sensitive," he said, without further explanation. Aki didn't think she wanted to know what he was talking about. "Anyway, like I said, you're here so I can deliver a message. If you kill yourself, you will never see Captain Edwards again." He lifted his hand to stop Aki before she could argue. "Suicide is as bad as murder. You kill yourself, and you, too will be bound by chains. Not like mine, of course, but enough to bind you away from Edwards forever."
"I don't believe you," Aki spat. She turned her head towards the spot Hein had addressed earlier. "Let me out of here," she demanded. "I don't want to be stuck here with him."
"Maybe you don't believe me," Hein said, grabbing her shoulder. Aki flinched at his touch and gave him a vicious look. "But there are others you will listen to. Aki, tonight you're going to be visited by…" A strange look crossed the general's face. "Dear God, I can't believe I'm about to say this. You're going to be visited by three spirits. Their job is to show you your life, and give you a reason for going on with your life."
Aki gaped. "You mean I'm getting Scrooged!" she said incredulously.
Hein raised his arms and jiggled them, so the chains around his wrists clinked with the movement. "What, the Jacob Marley chains weren't a dead giveaway?"
Aki swept her hands through her hair. "This is ridiculous! I didn't do anything wrong! I don't deserve this!"
"Too bad," Hein said mildly. He slid back the sleeve of his coat, glancing at the watch beneath. "Not much you can do about it, because the first spirit should be visiting you… now." With those words, the world faded away around her.
* * *
Odd. When she'd envisioned being visited by spirits, she'd expected meeting them in her bedroom. Or aboard the Black Boa. Or her lab, or somewhere, well, normal. But the girls locker room in the Houston Military Academy? "And this helps me how?" Aki seethed as scantily clad girls who looked vaguely familiar walked around in towels or dressed themselves. Watching the well-muscled young women who had always been the envy of the too-skinny Aki just made her want to slit her wrists all the more.
No one paid her any notice, as if they were used to seeing fully-dressed older women appear in their midst every day. Or as if she weren't there at all… It seemed whoever was doing this to her knew their Charles Dickens. Now, where was the damned spirit?
Angrily, she spun on her heel, ready to storm out, when she caught sight of something that didn't belong: There was a butt sticking out of the wall tile. Curious, Aki went to investigate, deftly evading the girls around her, even though they probably wouldn't be able to even touch her if the cliché held true.
"Excuse me," Aki said, feeling rather foolish to be addressing a disembodied rear. If this is the spirit, I am so out of here… There was no response – big shocker, there – so Aki reached forward and tapped it. Her surprise that she could touch it didn't match the startlement of the rear's owner. There was a squeal, muffled through the tile, and then a complete body pulled itself out of the wall.
"Oh, hey, Aki! You're… early."
"Neil Fleming," Aki said slowly. "You're the first spirit?"
"Yup. The Ghost of Christmas Past," he said proudly. "Happy to see me?"
She was, actually. Her last sight of Neil had been of his empty body, lying where it had fallen after detaching the tow tractor. She gave him a tentative grin. "Driving anyone in the afterlife crazy, yet?"
"I am the bane of Jane's nonexistence," he said proudly. "And now, she can't threaten me with death." He shifted from foot to foot, a nervous habit death hadn't seemed to cure him of. He seemed so… normal, Aki thought with some surprise. She could almost fool herself that he was a living, breathing man and not some spirit in… the girls' locker room. That reminded her…
"Just why are we in the locker room of the HMA, anyway? What could you possibly show me here that would make me want to live?"
"Well, uh… I was gonna meet you in the mess hall, but like I said, you're early."
"That's not what I heard," Aki said flatly. "And that doesn't tell me why you were looking through the wall. If I remember correctly, behind that wall is the shower." She placed her hands on hips and waited for his explanation.
"I was just looking… There's no harm in looking, is there?" Neil said, his voice high.
What point was there in scolding him? He was dead, after all. Why ruin his fun? Sure, these girls were all much younger than he was, but there was no harm in it… and who knew what the afterlife had to offer. She just sighed. "No, I guess…" she began.
"Besides, I needed to watch and see when you left the shower so I can make sure I get to the hall on time." He smiled brightly. "I like the tattoo, by the way, but don't you think the piercings were a bit much?"
Aki didn't think; she lunged forward, wrapping her hands around Neil's neck. He fell backward through a cement block wall, Aki atop him. "Pervert!" she howled, straddling him.
"Um, you do know that you can't hurt me, right?" Neil said, his calm voice cutting through Aki's rage. He stared up at her, still grinning. Damn, and I wanted his eyes to bulge and his face to turn blue… "Sorry, Doctor. If you're done trying to throttle me – and by the way, you're as strong as Jane, good for you – we should be off to the mess hall. It's Christmas Eve, and I don't want to miss the party."
Aki got off him, and offered her hand, which Neil accepted. "Where are we?" she wondered, glancing around. It was dark around them, and Aki couldn't identify the vague shapes she could barely see.
"Utility closet." She could hear the humor in Neil's voice. "Oh, the stories I could tell you about this closet… But that's for another time." He grabbed her arm, and pulled her downward. "C'mon, we're taking the quick way down."
Aki yelped as she was pulled through the floor to one of the several classrooms beneath, then down through another floor, and finally into a hallway Aki recognized very well from her youth. HMA… She'd attended the school as a requirement to becoming one of the scientists in the USMF scientific division. It had been miserable; the cadets had treated the scientific students with contempt, until she'd met…
Until she'd met… Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized why they were here, of all times and places. Neil had said it was Christmas Eve… "I don't want to remember this," she said desperately.
Neil ignored her, and continued to tug her towards the mess hall. She tried to balk, but Neil was stronger than he looked, and she gave up. She didn't know why he was doing this; what she was about to see would only deepen her depression.
It would only make her want to die all the more.
To Be Continued…