Time has a way of creeping up on you. One moment you think you've got everything you could want, and will keep it close for years to come. The next thing you know, something you love is suddenly gone. Someone you love can disappear in a heartbeat with no reason or explanation. Time is a harsh mistress, coming for all without regard for good or evil, right or wrong. Death is something that nobody can escape... not even the greatest of men.
This knowledge didn't help Mandy as she stared down at the thick wooden coffin that seemed far too small to be real. It was so tiny, containing a life that should have lasted for decades to come. Snuffed out because of a power-hungry maniac... and because of Mandy herself. She'd helped put Madison into the grave... she was responsible for cutting it so short.
A light covering of snow fell over the Earth, blanketing it in shining white purity as the casket slowly drifted into the ground. "The greatest loss is that of a life not fully lived." The priest said in a booming, but somehow reassuring voice that drifted through the cemetery and gathered mourners. "But we take comfort in knowing that they are not truly dead... their journeys will continue in the next life, wherever that may lead them. Amen."
Mandy stood her ground as the other mourners turned to leave. Clover stayed beside her, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She was careful not to touch Mandy's chest, which still had open wounds running the length of her torso.
Mandy knelt down beside the grave, running her fingernails across the top of the casket gently. "Please don't hate me anymore Madison... I'm sorry I used you... but I never meant to." She sighed deeply and closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that tried to find their way out again. She climbed to her feet with Clover's help, leaning against her.
"Come on... let's get outta here." Clover said softly in her ear. Mandy nodded and they turned to leave, but stopped suddenly. Mandy opened her eyes to see Sam standing in front of them, with her remaining hand on her hip. They hadn't spoken to her since the confrontation at the U.C., they didn't even know she'd shown up for the funeral.
"Sam, this really isn't the time." Clover stated simply. Sam didn't move out of their way, her eyes darting back and forth between them. Her expression was completely unreadable, as were her intentions. She'd been removed from active duty at WOOHP because of her injury. Actually she was lucky they hadn't locked her up for being part of the conspiracy, but they hadn't been able to prove she'd known anything about it.
"I don't wanna fight anymore." Sam told them calmly. "I want to... well..." She rubbed her arm nervously, but didn't look away from them. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you two... I know that doesn't begin to make it right, and you'll probably never be able to forgive me. But I just had to say it." She told them. "And Mandy... I... I'm so sorry... about..." She choked back a sob. "About Madison... I just wanted to help her..."
Clover smirked and shook her head. "Empty apologies, and we both know it. You're sorry for what happened to you, not what you did to Madison." She stated simply, turning to walk around with her Mandy in tow. Sam didn't stop them, watching them leave with a sad, but resigned expression on her face. Clover and Mandy moved on away from the grave, their thick boots crunching through the snow.
"Hey girls!" Clover and Mandy stopped again when they heard Alex yell out, running toward them from the car parked on the side of the street. "I'm sorry I'm late! Stupid people have to make EVERYTHING inconvenient!" Alex ran up to them. They'd scheduled Brittany's funeral at the same time as Madison's for some Godforsaken reason, and Alex had decided at least one of them had to attend.
"Don't sweat it Alex." Mandy replied softly. "I know you were here in spirit." Alex smiled and nodded. It was amazing how much Mandy had changed over the last few weeks. The idea of posturing and fighting for popularity seemed so ridiculous after running across the globe, evading danger, and saving the world from a massive war.
"Let's get out of here." Clover suggested. So they ventured back to the car Alex had brought, which was actually Clover's car. She opened the back and bowed like a butler to let Mandy and Clover climb in before walking around to the driver's seat and getting in. The hood was up to protect the seats from the falling snow, so it felt more cramped than usual.
When Alex turned the ignition the radio came to life, once again on one of those damn news stations. "The American withdrawal from Kenyopia and Lyrobia is proceeding at a swift pace, though no official word from the White House has yet been given as to the reason for this sudden change of mind. The President's advisor would only say that he is considering stepping up the schedule for the next Presidential election, once supposed to be held in two more years."
Alex turned off the radio as she pulled away form the curb. "Sorry, I didn't mean to leave it on."
"No prob." Clover replied. She had one arm wrapped around Mandy as they moved down the street toward the large mansion WOOHP had given them. Queen Tassara's body had been discreetly taken back to Lyrobia for burial, since nobody was supposed to know she'd left the country. Clover knew she would have wanted it that way anyway.
'I told you... as Lyrobia fell... I would fall too...' Clover remembered holding her in the hallway as she'd bled to death from the bullets of a jumpy guard. 'But you... keep hoping... Clover...'
Idly Clover looked over at Mandy, who was leaning her head against her shoulder with her arm around Clover's waist. Tassara had said something about a pair of dark eyes changing the course of civilization. She'd been talking about Mandy's eyes when she referenced the old Lyrobian legend... but maybe the legend was right, and she simply got the owner of those eyes wrong.
Mandy looked up at her, still leaning against her shoulder. "What are you thinking about?" She asked softly.
"Tassara... what she said about the dark-eyed vixen." Clover stared down into Mandy's dark violet eyes. "Maybe she wasn't talking about you... maybe she was talking about Madison." Indeed, now that she thought about it, if it wasn't for Madison things could have been very different. It was because of her that Clover and Tassara had been able to get into the White House. It was her who warned them about Sam and Brittany's approach on the boat, allowing hem to escape. It was her who'd stopped Clover and Sam's fight in the U.C. building, and if she hadn't sent Mandy's emotions running wild, the President could have gotten away. She'd done so little, but it seemed like everything she did had brought them to this point. Even dying.
"To bring about a dark age... or an age of peace and prosperity..." Mandy smiled slightly. It was comforting to think that Madison's death hadn't been completely wasted or unnecessary. "She brought peace..."
"For you..." Clover told her. Mandy smiled again, staring up at her.
They leaned toward each other slowly, their eyes beginning to close. Clover wrapped her arm around Mandy's back, feeling her arms wrap around her waist as they moved nearer and nearer together. They'd both known great loss. Clover, that of her first love. Mandy, that of her beloved sister. But now they had each other, and they would never let go.
Suddenly the street itself seemed to open underneath the convertible, sucking them down a long chute toward the WOOHP offices. Calm was a relative thing in the life of a spy, time was never on one's side. Even so, the ruins of Mandy's past life would always haunt her no matter what she thought of this new life. But there was no going back, and there was no stopping. As the old cliché goes, the show must go on.
THE END ("The Show Must Go On" by Queen)
Empty spaces, what are we waiting for
Abandoned places, I guess we know the score
On and on, does anybody know what we are looking for
Another hero, another mindless crime
Behind the curtain in the pantomime
Hold the line, does anybody want to take it anymore
The show must go on, The show must go on
Inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking, but my smile... still stays on
Whatever happens I'll leave it all to chance
Another heartache, another failed romance
On and on, does anybody know what we are living for
I guess I'm learning (I'm learning)
I must be warmer now
I'll soon be turning (turning, turning) round the corner now
Outside the dawn is breaking
But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free
The show must go on, the show must go on, yeah
Oooh, inside my heart is breaking
My make-up may be flaking, but my smile... still stays on
Yeah oh, oh, oh
My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies
Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die
I can fly, my friends
The show must go on, yeah yeah
The show must go on, go on, go on
I'll face it with a grin
I'm never giving in, on with the show
I'll top the bill, I'll overkill
I have to find the will to carry on
On with the, on with the show
The show must go on, go on, go on...