Dead Man Walking
Chapter 5 - Lost Soul
Lister felt what could only be described as a sharp yank around his chest, and then he was dragged from his death so swiftly his mind did not comprehend what was happening, and he was flung into a blaze of light and sound. The pain was still fresh in his mind: the terrible wounds and tortures he had suffered. Lasting only minutes, his memories had built them up until it seemed to him the pain had never stopped, but had always been there for him to endure. He had fallen into a well of agony, and at the bottom, he found a void of emptiness. His conscious mind had let go. Now it was mentally slapped across the face, as he realised that wherever he was, it wasn't that terrible city.
His eyes squinted around him, and eventually the blurred, bright shapes moulded themselves into something resembling a room. A room he knew well. Tables and chairs appeared in front of him, and to his left the medical computer swam into view. So he was in the medical bay. But why was he standing in the middle of the room, and how did he get there?
He looked around him again. Yes he was definitely in the medical bay, but the beds behind him were unoccupied. He hadn't been asleep.
["Maybe I had an accident, and lost my memory. Then that business with the game was all a dream!"]
Thinking about the game: Dead man Walking: Lister shuddered involuntarily. The memories of the city and the creatures ["Demons"] within were too real. SOMETHING had happened to him there. He was sure of it.
"None of it makes sense!"
He looked down, and saw to his surprise that he was dressed in some very weird clothes. They were his, but they were CLEAN and they looked new, as if he had plenty of spare clothes, which he didn't. Also, he felt quite well. Good in fact, when his mind was screaming at him that he had been hurt, hurt so badly that he could have almost -
["Died?"]
His confusion was thankfully cut short, when there came the sound of pounding feet, and a blue blur streaked towards him with blinding speed. Lister instinctively put out his arms to defend himself, and was surprised when nothing hit him, but instead a loud bang sounded directly behind him. He jumped and turned round to find Rimmer lying in a pile of knocked-over crates and trolleys. He walked over and extended a hand, his brain still refusing to catch up with past events, his mind still racing and his hand trembling.
Rimmer looked at the hand as if it would try to strangle him. Lister was puzzled - ok so he never washed, but this hand was clean for once, though he didn't know how, and Rimmer needed a help getting up anyway. What was wrong with him?
He checked out his hand. It was fine, unblemished and not a speck of dirt in sight. He wiped it on his pants to make sure, and then offered it to Rimmer again.
"Come on Rimmer, what're you waiting for? - "
He stopped when he realised Rimmer was not paying attention, he was sitting with his face in his hands, moaning and groaning like he would pass out. Lister wasn't aware that Kryten and Cat had entered the room behind him, he was just confused about Rimmer. He was fine! Surely that couldn't make Rimmer THAT unhappy? It didn't seem like that sort of unhappy though, Rimmer wasn't mad at him. If he was Lister was sure he'd have known about it by know. Rimmer would have yelled it to the heavens if he could. No this was quieter and all the more disturbing in that Rimmer was actually so genuine. The normal fake Rimmer would never try to distract attention from himself. Lister tried again.
"What's wrong man? Get up!"
Rimmer raised his head, his eyes were darkened and he made involuntary gulping noises, as his hard light hologram could not cry. With a shaking hand he pointed downwards towards the floor at Lister's feet. Lister looked down.
His feet were gone! He was standing on the stumps of his legs! He reeled back, and to his shock his feet appeared in front of him, unhurt! Shaking, Lister took an experimental step forward, his feet were there, he had just been imagining things.
["Dave, you idiot!"]
He walked forward more confidently, back towards Rimmer. To his horror, as he tried to clamber over the crate, his foot vanished once more. Rimmer had looked up, but now he put his head back in his hands.
"I'm sorry!"
It was just a whisper, but there was such desperation in the tone that Lister realised that he wasn't imagining things. Something was seriously wrong with him. And by the looks of Rimmer, he knew what it was, and was perhaps responsible!
"Rimmer, what the smeg is wrong with me? My smeggin' legs are gone!"
Rimmer just moaned, and turned away. Lister turned round, and saw Kryten and the Cat in the doorway. Both were frozen with shock, and Kryten's voice unit seemed to have got caught on a loop.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I Sir. Y-you - "
Lister interrupted him, his voice becoming panicked.
"What's happening Kryten? Tell me!"
"Sir, you should - "
"Tell me Kryten! For smeg's sake!"
Kryten only looked at the floor. Lister turned to the Cat, but as always the feline wasn't the most helpful person around.
"It's bad, Bud."
"What's bad?!"
"Goalpost-head's done it this time."
"Done what?!"
"I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Not just because they are tremendously dorky but - "
"Cat, tell me! Oh stuff this!"
Lister pelted ran over to the medical scanner and tried to get on the table, his hands went through without a hint of resistance, as if he were just a ghost.
["Wait a minute!"] "Give me a mirror!"
Kryten looked worried
"Sir, do you really -?"
"Give me a smeggin' mirror!"
Rimmer looked up from his position on the floor, a determined expression in his eyes.
"I'll get him one."
He walked slowly over to the door of the medical bay, and Lister made to follow. As he reached the frame, Rimmer turned for a split second.
"You two stay here."
Kryten nodded mutely. He placed Hand on the Cat's arm, and together they began to stack up the overturned crates.
Lister blundered after Rimmer down the corridors. Everything still felt wrong somehow. The floor was slippery and didn't seem to have any grip, his legs felt light, and there was no sensation in his torso at all. It was as if that curried space-weevil he had had for breakfast never existed. His steps grew more hurried, and once or twice he slipped on the strangely smooth floor. Rimmer stopped to wait for him to stand up, looking at him with shame in his eyes. They reached the sleeping quarters, and Rimmer turned the vid-screen to it's mirror setting.
Lister walked slowly towards the mirror. The blurred convex screen was notorious for providing poor focus, and it was not until he was about 4 feet from it that he could see himself clearly. He was right, his clothes looked newly ironed and clean, but they were still the sort of things he would have worn. Still, that wasn't particularly helpful. He looked upwards. Though he wasn't hurt, his eyes were ringed with dark circles, and they fully betrayed his fear.
["I look like smeg, but not bad, considering - "]
It had taken him a good few seconds, but he finally noticed the Hologram H on his forehead. After checking it with his hands to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he let out a yell that made Rimmer visibly recoil, but he refused to shut it out. It was his fault, and he had to take the consequences.
"What the smeg have you DONE?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter, it helps a lot to know what people think. ^_^
Not that much happened there really, so I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. They will be short, but frequent hopefully. I have no idea how long this story is going to be, so I'll just go with it until I think of an ending. Wish me luck!
P.S Sorry about the use of block capitals, but italics don't work .
Chapter 5 - Lost Soul
Lister felt what could only be described as a sharp yank around his chest, and then he was dragged from his death so swiftly his mind did not comprehend what was happening, and he was flung into a blaze of light and sound. The pain was still fresh in his mind: the terrible wounds and tortures he had suffered. Lasting only minutes, his memories had built them up until it seemed to him the pain had never stopped, but had always been there for him to endure. He had fallen into a well of agony, and at the bottom, he found a void of emptiness. His conscious mind had let go. Now it was mentally slapped across the face, as he realised that wherever he was, it wasn't that terrible city.
His eyes squinted around him, and eventually the blurred, bright shapes moulded themselves into something resembling a room. A room he knew well. Tables and chairs appeared in front of him, and to his left the medical computer swam into view. So he was in the medical bay. But why was he standing in the middle of the room, and how did he get there?
He looked around him again. Yes he was definitely in the medical bay, but the beds behind him were unoccupied. He hadn't been asleep.
["Maybe I had an accident, and lost my memory. Then that business with the game was all a dream!"]
Thinking about the game: Dead man Walking: Lister shuddered involuntarily. The memories of the city and the creatures ["Demons"] within were too real. SOMETHING had happened to him there. He was sure of it.
"None of it makes sense!"
He looked down, and saw to his surprise that he was dressed in some very weird clothes. They were his, but they were CLEAN and they looked new, as if he had plenty of spare clothes, which he didn't. Also, he felt quite well. Good in fact, when his mind was screaming at him that he had been hurt, hurt so badly that he could have almost -
["Died?"]
His confusion was thankfully cut short, when there came the sound of pounding feet, and a blue blur streaked towards him with blinding speed. Lister instinctively put out his arms to defend himself, and was surprised when nothing hit him, but instead a loud bang sounded directly behind him. He jumped and turned round to find Rimmer lying in a pile of knocked-over crates and trolleys. He walked over and extended a hand, his brain still refusing to catch up with past events, his mind still racing and his hand trembling.
Rimmer looked at the hand as if it would try to strangle him. Lister was puzzled - ok so he never washed, but this hand was clean for once, though he didn't know how, and Rimmer needed a help getting up anyway. What was wrong with him?
He checked out his hand. It was fine, unblemished and not a speck of dirt in sight. He wiped it on his pants to make sure, and then offered it to Rimmer again.
"Come on Rimmer, what're you waiting for? - "
He stopped when he realised Rimmer was not paying attention, he was sitting with his face in his hands, moaning and groaning like he would pass out. Lister wasn't aware that Kryten and Cat had entered the room behind him, he was just confused about Rimmer. He was fine! Surely that couldn't make Rimmer THAT unhappy? It didn't seem like that sort of unhappy though, Rimmer wasn't mad at him. If he was Lister was sure he'd have known about it by know. Rimmer would have yelled it to the heavens if he could. No this was quieter and all the more disturbing in that Rimmer was actually so genuine. The normal fake Rimmer would never try to distract attention from himself. Lister tried again.
"What's wrong man? Get up!"
Rimmer raised his head, his eyes were darkened and he made involuntary gulping noises, as his hard light hologram could not cry. With a shaking hand he pointed downwards towards the floor at Lister's feet. Lister looked down.
His feet were gone! He was standing on the stumps of his legs! He reeled back, and to his shock his feet appeared in front of him, unhurt! Shaking, Lister took an experimental step forward, his feet were there, he had just been imagining things.
["Dave, you idiot!"]
He walked forward more confidently, back towards Rimmer. To his horror, as he tried to clamber over the crate, his foot vanished once more. Rimmer had looked up, but now he put his head back in his hands.
"I'm sorry!"
It was just a whisper, but there was such desperation in the tone that Lister realised that he wasn't imagining things. Something was seriously wrong with him. And by the looks of Rimmer, he knew what it was, and was perhaps responsible!
"Rimmer, what the smeg is wrong with me? My smeggin' legs are gone!"
Rimmer just moaned, and turned away. Lister turned round, and saw Kryten and the Cat in the doorway. Both were frozen with shock, and Kryten's voice unit seemed to have got caught on a loop.
"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I Sir. Y-you - "
Lister interrupted him, his voice becoming panicked.
"What's happening Kryten? Tell me!"
"Sir, you should - "
"Tell me Kryten! For smeg's sake!"
Kryten only looked at the floor. Lister turned to the Cat, but as always the feline wasn't the most helpful person around.
"It's bad, Bud."
"What's bad?!"
"Goalpost-head's done it this time."
"Done what?!"
"I wouldn't like to be in his shoes. Not just because they are tremendously dorky but - "
"Cat, tell me! Oh stuff this!"
Lister pelted ran over to the medical scanner and tried to get on the table, his hands went through without a hint of resistance, as if he were just a ghost.
["Wait a minute!"] "Give me a mirror!"
Kryten looked worried
"Sir, do you really -?"
"Give me a smeggin' mirror!"
Rimmer looked up from his position on the floor, a determined expression in his eyes.
"I'll get him one."
He walked slowly over to the door of the medical bay, and Lister made to follow. As he reached the frame, Rimmer turned for a split second.
"You two stay here."
Kryten nodded mutely. He placed Hand on the Cat's arm, and together they began to stack up the overturned crates.
Lister blundered after Rimmer down the corridors. Everything still felt wrong somehow. The floor was slippery and didn't seem to have any grip, his legs felt light, and there was no sensation in his torso at all. It was as if that curried space-weevil he had had for breakfast never existed. His steps grew more hurried, and once or twice he slipped on the strangely smooth floor. Rimmer stopped to wait for him to stand up, looking at him with shame in his eyes. They reached the sleeping quarters, and Rimmer turned the vid-screen to it's mirror setting.
Lister walked slowly towards the mirror. The blurred convex screen was notorious for providing poor focus, and it was not until he was about 4 feet from it that he could see himself clearly. He was right, his clothes looked newly ironed and clean, but they were still the sort of things he would have worn. Still, that wasn't particularly helpful. He looked upwards. Though he wasn't hurt, his eyes were ringed with dark circles, and they fully betrayed his fear.
["I look like smeg, but not bad, considering - "]
It had taken him a good few seconds, but he finally noticed the Hologram H on his forehead. After checking it with his hands to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he let out a yell that made Rimmer visibly recoil, but he refused to shut it out. It was his fault, and he had to take the consequences.
"What the smeg have you DONE?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter, it helps a lot to know what people think. ^_^
Not that much happened there really, so I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. They will be short, but frequent hopefully. I have no idea how long this story is going to be, so I'll just go with it until I think of an ending. Wish me luck!
P.S Sorry about the use of block capitals, but italics don't work .