This is the final chapter, everybody! Thanks to all who have reviewed, thanks to all who have read. You've made writing this a lot easier on me by showing support, making good comments, and giving me insight into what you guys think I'm doing next! This has been a great experience for me. Thanks a lot. Now, sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and enjoy the last chapter.
The next morning was quite a sight for Jack, Z, Syd, and Commander Cruger. Stella, who was obviously fighting a hangover, was ever-so-zealously cleaning up the mess her and Bridge was still asleep, recovering from the night before. Stella was used to cleaning up after a long booze-ridden night in her home, but she had never done it while being drunk and hungover herself. She worked harder to stay awake and fight off her hangover.
"Good morn-" Cruger was hushed by Stella, who pointed at Bridge, then at her forehead. They nodded, noting the six empty bottles Stella brought over to the recycling machine.
"So I take it you two had a peaceful conversation?" Jack asked softly.
"Well, we ended it nicely, if that counts." Stella replied, mimicking Jack's tone.
"Well, that's nice to hear."
"Any word on Sky?" Syd asked.
"Well, they needed to reconstruct a large part of his spine…I had to compromise…well, I had to salvage a part of our training android to give to them…"
"Salvage? What's happened to ACTER?" Doggie asked.
"ACTER?" The others asked loudly, causing them to receive shushes from both Cruger and Stella.
"Yeah, ACTER. I used the android improperly, sir, and I'm ready to take responsibility for it." Stella dropped the garbage bag softly and took an 'at attention' stance.
"There's no need to. We can repair ACTER at any time. I'm just worried about your safety and Sky's health."
"Well, I'm safe, and the doctors hadn't told me about Sky yet, Sir." She seemed to handle the hangover quite well; she stood perfectly upright, like a statue.
"This brings me at a standstill." Cruger said, looking down. "My B Squad can not have only four officers in it, yet I know your personal convictions…"
"Sir, I will stand in for Sky if it is what you wish. I have to learn to take orders as you give them, regardless of personal opinion." Her voice was clear and concise; she was serious about what she said. "If I learned anything from the last twenty-four hours, it is that I can't be selfish when there are things greater than me, like my true callings. I have learned that nobody can run from their fears forever, that nobody can evade their own fate. If this is my fate, then I take it."
"Well said, Miss Tate. I am proud to say that all of this has given you a greater sense of purpose, regardless of how much suffering it took to get you here. I realize that this must be a painful moment for you, and for all of us, but your courage in the face of your fears and doubts has proven that you are a true warrior, worthy of being in B Squad. I have never been as serious about my previous offerings as I am right now. I've always known that you were afraid to be a Ranger, but I see before me a brave young woman, ready for battle. I am happy to give this to you for the time being."
Cruger handed Stella Sky's morpher. She had completely forgotten where she had put it after she had been in the bathroom; she guessed that a nurse had picked it up and sent it off with somebody back to the base. "And this time, be more careful with this. You left this thing in the toilet and it nearly got flushed."
"I'm sorry, sir." She blushed in nervousness.
"No problems, just be careful." Cruger turned to leave, but turned back around. "You do realize that you will be undergoing an intense training regiment with the others?"
"Yes I do, Sir. I will try my hardest to not only keep up with the others, but hopefully bring a few of my own training methods in with me that I got from the Tantalus."
"That sounds like a great idea, Miss Tate. I'm sure the training you received on the Tantalus will prove most valuable."
"Yes, Sir."
Bridge began to stir in the chair, prompting Stella's attention. She walked over to him and kneeled down to eye level as he slowly woke up. The light hit his eyes and he moaned as he shielded his eyes with his arm and turned his head to the side. He noticed Stella kneeled down next to his face and pulled back a bit.
"Hey…" Bridge said weakly.
"Hi. How're ya feeling?"
"Sick…" He sat up. "I…hold on…" He got up and wandered into the bathroom.
"Is he alright?" Syd asked.
"Yeah, we just decided to toast Sky's impending surgery a bit." Stella smiled. "They said that he'd able be back on his feet with a few days of rehabilitation and bed rest, and possibly back to SPD…or they'd kill him. Medical science is wonderful that way, isn't it?"
"Wow, a few days?" Z asked.
"Well, they said that since there wasn't any severe necrosis of the nerve tissue, that with some of the newer technologies they've been working with, they can get him back on his feet sooner…that's if they don't hit something wrong and kill him."
"Well, It's nice to have a 50-50 chance on the outcome…" Syd commented, giving an annoyed look.
An hour later, Bridge was asleep once again, with his head in Stella's lap as he sat on the floor. Stella ruffled his hair as Syd and Z returned with food from the hospital cafeteria. Cruger took a pot of green tea and a small cup, Z gladly took her bowl of chicken soup, Syd happily took her bowl of gelatin and glass of water, Jack grabbed one of the tuna salad sandwiches, and Stella decided not to eat.
"Dive right in, Stella! You're gonna need energy once you get out on the field."
"Not up to eating…not until I hear about Sky."
Jack nodded in understanding, then began to eat his sandwich.
The doctor came in ten minutes later, and Stella nearly leaped out of the chair, sending Bridge flying forwards and smacking his head against the chair across form him. He suddenly woke up and yelped.
"I'm sorry!" Stella said. She then quickly rushed up to the doctor. "How's Sky?"
"Mr. Tate is still in a coma, but he's slowly coming to."
"Can I go visit?"
"In a few hours. His status isn't quite stable, but we're sure to have him stable by then." The doctor smiled.
"Good." The doctor left, and Stella sat down, grabbing a chicken salad sandwich on the way down. Bridge sat up, holding his head.
"What was that for?" Bridge asked, turning around and giving a pained look.
"I'm going to visit Sky…by myself…in a few hours."
Nobody asked why she wanted to go alone; they all knew that she was entitled to some time alone with him.
Several hours passed, and the doctor returned.
"Miss Tate?"
"Coming." Stella didn't want an explanation. She just wanted to see Sky.
She walked down to his room with an air of conviction surrounding her as she came close to Sky's room. She entered the doorway and sighed. She remembered her speech from before, and she hoped that she could muster up the words to do it again. She walked over to the bed and softly grabbed his left hand, which was now in a blue cast.
"Hey, Sky. You don't owe me anymore." She joked. "Thanks for not dying on me." She smiled as she noticed that he was breathing under his own power. "You'd make dad proud, ya know? You took this all like a man. You came out on top…you're gonna be able to be back on active duty in about a week or two. You have me to thank, of course, but you lived, so all paybacks up to now are voided." She sighed. "Ya know…Bridge and I were really worried about you. Syd was all mopey, Z was all grumpy, and even Jack seemed a bit out of step with you gone, so you had better recover soon. You'd better be nicer to me, or Bridge will whip you." She paused for a moment, then smiled. "I'm just kidding. But Bridge said you were a total jack off to me and he wasn't going to stand for it, so you'd better try to be nicer. Besides, they're going to be my co-workers while you're out on leave, so I can guarantee everybody will be protective of me by the time you come back."
"Is Cruger…so eager to get rid of me now…that he's already replaced me?" Sky replied, slowly turning his head and opening his eyes to look at Stella.
"You're…awake?"
"I've been…in and out for a while…" Sky's talking were still limited to being in synch with his exhales, but Stella could only imagine how difficult it was for him to breathe, let alone talk.
"Were you awake…the last time I was here?"
"Yeah…and you're right…"
"About what?"
"That I'm…not free…that I'm…an asshole…but I have…always been there…to protect you…"
"No you haven't!"
"Why do…you think…I got mad at you…when you sent me…back to Earth…when Grumm attacked?"
"Because you wanted to be a hero."
"Because…you were going to…stay and I…didn't want you…to die alone…" Sky's eyes began to glaze over. "I didn't want him…to tear us apart…like Mordom…had been trying to do…for years…"
"You knew about Mordom…?"
"Why do you think…he spent so much time…training us?" Sky asked. "Nobody does…anything for free…anymore…why should a thief…be any different?" Sky laughed softly, then continued. "I wanted…to leave with you…so that he…could never use us…for his evil purposes…"
"But that doesn't explain why you put me in jail for nothing."
"Cruger…knew you were my sister…I told him about Mordom…begged him to help…me protect you…he told me to tell…white lies…so that you'd be incarcerated…in jail, you'd be safe…as a cadet…soon to be a Ranger…Cruger would have you…safe from Grumm, from Mordom…safe from everybody…but you threw it away…I got so upset…I hated you for being stubborn…over time I forgot why…and it just escalated…that's my fault…I've been so mad at you…for so long…I forgot why I started hating you…in the first place…then you started…going off on your own…away from Cruger's grasp…out of hiding…"
"And you started to hate me again?"
Sky frowned. "Yeah…do you…hate me for that?"
"I can forgive you if you promise to stop being such a dick."
"…I promise…" Sky smiled the most natural smile Stella had ever seen.
"Do you promise to apply that to everybody, even Jack?"
"Hey now…baby steps."
"Better make them big baby steps."
"I'll try…"
"Good."
"Anything…else…dad…?" Sky joked, his smile widening.
"Well, I'm gonna be taking your place in SPD for a while."
"Good…to hear…that you accepted…I knew Cruger…would make you pay…for breaking…me in half…" Sky laughed.
"So you approve? Do I have your blessing?"
"Of course…you do…I wouldn't…want anybody else…for the job…besides…haven't you…always wanted to…be blue ranger…?"
Stella smiled warmly, clasping Sky's left hand gently. "Yeah…" She forced a Sky-like tone to ring in her voice as she continued. "I promise to not let you down. I'll do everything in my power to make sure I'm the best blue ranger I can be."
"Now…if you're…like that…all the time…you'll be accused…of being…anally retentive…" Sky tried not to laugh. He had gotten used to the kinds of insults that came from always trying to be by the book.
"Like you'd know something about that."
"Well…nobody else…takes being SPD…seriously anymore…especially Jack…"
"Yeah…" She frowned. "Well, I promise then to uphold your place in SPD while you're gone. I won't let the others lag while you're recovering."
"Good." Sky smiled brightly. "Now…go do…your damn job…you slacker…"
"Yes sir." Stella said, saluting Sky as she let go of his hand. "I'll get going, but you gotta promise to get better."
"I promise."
"Good."
Stella smiled as she began to walk out. She stopped for a moment, turned around and smiled.
"You want me to get the nurses to bring something in for you to eat or drink?"
"The nurse said earlier that I'm limited to a jello diet for now…I asked for raspberry." Sky gave a toothy grin.
"Sounds good. Alrighty…" Stella frowned. "I'll miss you."
"I'll…miss you too…go kick some ass…for me…got it…?"
"I'll be golden, just like you."
"Good."
For the next two weeks, Stella made true to her promise, working hard to learn how to be a Ranger. In-between arrests and patrols, Bridge taught Stella how to properly use a D-Baton and Deltamax Striker, while she started teaching the B Squad her boxing moves that she had perfected over the years and got them engaged in sprinting races.
Bridge, despite his lack of hand-to-hand combat skills, was severely proficient in the use of his sidearms, and therefore the best qualified to train her. Stella started out rocky, but as soon as she saw his attacks, she began to remember them, quickly noting how he was moving. She fought the urge to automatically mimic him using movement she knew she couldn't do, yet rather try hard to make a counterstrike. As soon as she had mentally diminished the urge to mimic his movements, the training sessions became easier and more fluid. As the weeks went on, the training sessions between them became a graceful dance, filled with parries, thrusts, sudden rapid-fire strikes, and blocks. It didn't take her long to make variations and adjustments on the techniques ingrained into her mind, and she quickly worked up an elaborate chain of attacks that quickly brought Bridge down, even on his good days.
During this time, Stella excelled in the sprint races and the boxing; every day that the B Squad had to train under her was a day they knew they'd be needing ice packs sitting in the room waiting for them. During the sprinting races around the track, Bridge and Syd had become prone to tripping, falling, passing out, and puking out of pure exhaustion and overstepping their boundaries, which would always end the race. Stella felt bad that she had pushed them all to their extremes while she hardly broke a sweat around the track, but she knew that it would pay off. Within two weeks, they were not only keeping up with her, but surpassing her. Days like that brought a smile to Stella's face; she felt good knowing that she was helping her older brother's team to a higher level.
Boxing was almost second nature to Jack, while Syd, Bridge, and Z had to gradually pick it up along the way. Stella's left hook became a thing of fear after the first day; Syd took a hard blow to the ribs and spent the rest of the day in the infirmary. Jack was the only one who was capable of dodging Stella's lightning-fast punches, although half the time it was through his ability to phase and not his natural ability to dodge. Syd whined about the boxing exercises, citing that it broke all of her nails. Stella just laughed and told her to file them down and try regrowing them later. Of course, after two long weeks of burning ribs, aching stomachs and weakened arms, even Syd and Z were able to dodge Stella's blows and even land punches of their own.
Two long weeks came and went, and Sky was due back in SPD headquarters on the first Saturday of the month. The day came, and the B Squad, Boom, Kat, Commander Cruger, Stella, and Floia prepared for a surprise party. Salia, Floia's sister, even volunteered to cater the party. Salia missed Sky almost as much as Floia did; she especially missed the days when her and Sky worked together on the Tantalus. Besides, she had a gift to give Sky that she had promised to give him the next time she saw him.
Shortly after noon, Boom plowed through the halls and ran into the Commons Room where the party was being held.
"Guys! Get ready! He's just arrived!" Boom shouted as he gasped for air.
"Well then, Boom, escort him here." Stella said with a smile as she pushed a chair up against the wall. Bridge stopped her and adjusted her green and blue-striped tie she was wearing, to which she responded with a swift peck on the cheek and a hope that nobody noticed.
Boom caught Sky as he was coming up the escalator. Sky seemed confused as to why only Boom was there to greet him.
"Where is everybody?" Sky asked Boom.
"Ugh, everybody? Do you mean everybody as in, ugh, B Squad? They, ugh, there was a monster attack on the city! …They had to go…stop the criminal! …They should be back soon hopefully." Boom nervously stammered. He hated being under pressure, and flat out lying imposed the worst kind of pressure on him, even more than testing out something he built on his own.
"I see. How about the Commander?"
"Lots of…paperwork! Yeah, lots of it. No time to come and, um, welcome you back!"
"…Kat?"
"Some stupid machine broke…she's in the lab fixing it."
"Well, at least everybody's not actively trying to avoid me…well, at least you came, Boom." Sky cracked a slight grin and walked past Boom in the direction of the Commons Room.
"Maybe you should…take a look around before…going inside the Commons Room!" Boom shouted, alerting the crew in the Commons Room.
Everybody dived behind the couches and closed the windows before Stella turned out the lights. Sky entered, shocked to find that the room was entirely black.
"Huh. Somebody must've left the lights off…" Sky said as he turned them on.
"Surprise!" Everybody jumped out from behind the couches, nearly giving Sky a heart attack from the shock. He couldn't remember the last time anybody, let alone a large group of people, had thrown him a surprise party.
"NOVA!" Floia and Salia shouted. "OH, WE MISSED YOU!" They said as they ran to his sides and gave him a big hug. Sky blushed a bright red; he had to admit that he missed them too, as much as he had forgotten about them. He wrapped his arms around both of them until they pulled away.
"You're still a giant compared to us!" Salia commented, adjusting her chef's hat.
"Yes, a giant, indeed!" Floia agreed.
"Well, if you feel the need to tower over anybody, Syd's over there." Sky said, cracking a smile.
"Aw! How mean!" Salia said.
"Very mean!" Floia replied. Both of them poked his cheeks. "You are still a lady killer, though."
"A killer of ladies, indeed." Salia replied, poking the tip of Sky's nose.
"We all missed you!" Syd added, feeling jealous. "It was pretty boring without you, ya know."
"Boring? Stella's been slowly killing us the last two weeks! I'd hardly call that boring!" Bridge commented, which earned him a punch to the upper arm from Stella.
"I kept my promise. I helped bring in roughly a dozen criminals!" Stella bragged.
"That's good to hear." Sky sounded unimpressed. He pulled away from Floia and Salia, then walked up to Stella. He stopped right in front of her, leaned in, and whispered "Outside, ten minutes", then headed to the refreshment table right behind her.
"Well, let's have a party, then!" Cruger said, throwing up his hands. Everybody then dived for the table. Sky walked out several minutes later, and Stella followed him out. Once they both knew they were alone, Sky quickly pulled her into a hug and buried his head into her shoulder.
"…Sky…?"
"I…I wanna say thanks." Sky wasn't good at apologizing, even to his own twin sister. He tried to muffled his voice in her shoulder to mask the hitches in his voice caused by getting choked up. "And…I know I wasn't…up front with anything…"
"I know. It's okay." She hugged him and rubbed the top half of his back in a consoling manner, making sure her hand didn't travel too far down. The last thing she needed was to cause any more damage. "You're not emotional like me. I cry all the time, and you think of reasons to stopping the crying before it starts. That's how it's always been."
"I wish I was a better brother."
"I don't. I mean, who else would I have to look up to if it wasn't you?" Sky smiled warmly. He never thought Stella looked up to him before she said it, but it felt good to hear it nonetheless.
"Well, do you accept my apology?" Sky asked as he picked his head off her shoulder. He had grown misty-eyed and red-nosed, and Stella wiped his eyes clean. "Don't cry, Sky. It's your party."
"I didn't! I…" Sky couldn't think of an excuse.
"It's okay. Let's go in." As she walked in, Sky grabbed her arm. She looked back at him.
"One last thing." Sky said.
"Oh, right." Stella took out Sky's morpher, but as she went to hand it to him, he grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Not yet."
"Then what?" Stella looked confused as she re-holstered the morpher.
"You tell Bridge that if he does anything to make your life miserable, that he'll be in worse shape than I was. They'll be hooking him up to an iron lung when I'm done with him."
Stella snorted. "So, trying to be a big brother ever so suddenly?"
"I need to catch up, don't I?"
"I guess…" Stella grinned. "Now c'mon…stop being all girly and whiny and enjoy your damn party!" She pulled him back into the room.
Halfway through the party, Salia stopped Sky and smiled.
"What, no hello for me?" Salia joked.
"Ah, I'm sorry…Sonoma?"
"Yeah, I'm Sonoma." She extended her hand out for a shake. "Salia Stratus."
"Schuyler Tate." Sky said, shaking Salia's hand. Salia had slipped something in his hand during the shake, which he quickly slid into his side pocket.
"I hope you enjoy that. I saw Stella and that guy in green in my restaurant a few weeks ago, and I noticed that he was doing some weird thing with a green light and his right hand…and I thought that the little video I shot a long time ago would apply." Salia smiled. "Well, if you want, you can visit my little restaurant whenever you want…just nothing like parties."
"Got it. Did you cater? I noticed a few things not indigenous to an Earth menu."
"Why, yes I did. You like? I tried to remember what you liked…but it's been a while…"
"Yeah, I saw some stuff that I haven't had in a while."
"Yeah…" Salia wasn't sure what to say next to Sky, but Floia fixed that problem.
"Nova, Nova, Nova!" Floia ran over and hugged Sky. "How is my Nova feeling?"
"Ugh, um…I'm okay…" Sky didn't need to look around to know that Syd was currently shooting looks of death in Floia's direction.
"Good, good! I'm happy to hear that you're okay! I set up all the flowers you loved to have when we traveled around…together we're excellent party hosts!"
"Good hosts, indeed." Salia replied.
"Well, thanks, you two. I'm just surprised that you guys threw a party just for me…I thought you'd throw a party about me not being here!"
"Silly Nova…we missed you! We wouldn't do that!" Floia commented.
"Nope, not ever." Salia reassured.
The party went on until the food was gone and the guests were needed in their respective jobs. Sky, however, went to sleep. The pain medication he was on made it hard for him to stay awake, and it wasn't like he was expected to be back up on his feet anyways. He walked into his room and found Stella on Bridge's bed, snoring and drooling all over the pillows. He paid no attention to her; he merely peeled off his jacket and got into bed.
He got up several hours later when the door opened and the dark room became filled with the Common Room's light. Bridge wandered aimlessly in and dropped onto his bed, fully aware that it was already occupied. However, the current occupant made no complaints as Bridge landed on top of her. Sky sat up, remembering the gift Salia had given him earlier in the day. He grabbed his jacket and silently slid out the door, letting Bridge and Stella sleep.
He wandered out into the Commons Room to find that it was empty. Sky smiled; he would have the entire room to himself once more. He took the video chip out of his pocket and put it into the TV jack. He then turned on the TV.
A young woman with long white hair and purple eyes sat in front of the camera, a look of serenity painted across her face.
"If you are watching this video," She began to say. "then you most likely are a member or ex-member of the S.P.S. Tantalus. Therefore, I salute you for being a part of something wonderful." She saluted the camera with the traditional SPD salute. "If this is either Corona or Nova, then I left you a memoir at the very end that I'm sure you'll enjoy. But if not, then enjoy the show."
The movie then shifted to showing clips of concerts from various venues around the galaxy, with Nova at the head of the show, always wearing a well-pressed tuxedo even when he didn't need to. The girls all wore dresses of various lengths, cuts, and colors, and the crowd always seemed to cheer.
The clips were interwoven with training scenes, picnics on sunny days with everybody wearing their summer clothes, and even a party for Nova and Corona on their birthday. Corona, though, was always nudging Nova into group activities and playing games with the others. It was the way he was and always had been, it seemed.
"Perhaps it wouldn't kill me to get involved willingly, would it…?" Sky thought aloud.
The screen faded to black for a moment, and Sky presumed it was over. However, he noticed something at the bottom of the screen, so he began to stare. Then suddenly, Sonoma's face popped up on the screen.
"I see you hung around for my little message, didn't you?" Sonoma asked the camera. "Good. This is my private movie for Corona and Nova. If you're seeing this, then I must have lived long enough to give this to you. I hope you enjoy this…"
The image of Sonoma faded, replaced by a shot of a teenaged boy and girl sitting on a bench, staring out one of the bay windows. The Earth Moon could be seen floating by in the distance.
"Oh…" Sky vaguely remembered the scene.
"Are we human?" The girl asked.
"…What's wrong?" The boy asked back.
"Do you think we're human, Nova?"
"Corona…that is a stupid question."
"No question is stupid if the answer isn't known."
Nova sighed and looked down. "You only ask me this when you're upset. What's wrong?"
"I just…I'm having that feeling again…every time we visit Earth, I feel like an alien. Like I don't belong."
"It's how we've always felt. It's nothing new."
"But, I mean…" Corona sighed. "We've seen creatures from all around the galaxy, and not any of them have our powers!"
"Maybe we're special, okay?"
"No!" Corona shouted, turning away from Nova. "You don't know how it feels to want to play with kids your age…everybody likes you. You're the hero…I'm not even a sidekick."
Nova sighed, then scooted over to Corona's side, giving her a hug. "Listen, do you want my opinion?"
"Of course."
"I think…" Nova paused for a moment, then continued. "I think that we're human. We were born on Earth to two normal human beings, so why shouldn't we be human too?"
"…Do you think it's because dad was a ranger?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. You know what?" Nova sat up. "Do you remember in school, they taught us about evolution, about how everything changed over time?"
"A little. The tutors here don't teach much science above practical science."
"Well, okay. Do you think…do you think that perhaps…we evolved?"
"What do you mean?" Corona asked, turning to face Nova.
"Like…what do you think happened when the first creature evolved? Do you think they were like you, sitting around, thinking they were freakish?"
"Maybe, I don't know…" Corona looked down and started biting her lip. Nova looked out the bay window and out towards the moon.
"Do you think we're alone, then?" Corona asked, breaking the silence.
"Chances are that we aren't. I mean, there are billions of people on Earth. What are the odds that only two of us are going through the evolution process?"
"Point taken…" Corona said with a smile. "Do you…do you think we'll find others like us?"
"If we try hard enough, we most certainly will. And when we do, we should never let them go."
"Never…let them go…" Sky repeated. "I see…like Bridge…and Syd…and Z…and Jack…" Sky smirked. "Point taken, Salia." He then went back to watching the movie.
Nova was staring at the moon outside the window. "It looks so insignificant here…" Nova said.
"Huh?"
"The moon…when you're on Earth, everything outside seems so big…but when you've gone everywhere, it seems like it's nothing compared to, say, Io."
"True…"
The camera then panned back, revealing that Sonoma had been watching the pair, and that Omega was holding the camera. They got up silently and began to walk back to their Commons Room. As they walked back, Sonoma began to walk slowly and give off an air of pensiveness.
"What are you thinking of, Salia?" Omega asked.
"Of what Nova said."
"Do you think he's right?"
"Right, indeed. I think that there are others like them. The gods do not just gift one or two with such great powers; they gift five or six. Isn't that how it always goes?" Sonoma said with a smile.
"So you think there's three or four of them still on Earth, waiting for them?"
"Mhm."
"Do you think we should send them back to find them?"
"No. If they are fated with gifts from beyond, they are bound to find each other in time."
"It sounds like a romantic dream…"
"This is all a romantic dream!" Sonoma said, throwing her arms out to illustrate her point. "We are all dreaming, and some of us just have better dreams!" She smiled a jealous looking smile. " Some of us have dreams with meanings…and Nova and Corona will be forever dreaming with purpose…others down there-" She pointed to the Earth, which was far off in the distance outside the window she was passing, then began to gaze out the window in a pensive manner. "they are dreaming the same dreams as Nova and Corona…one day, they will wake up and begin to live the lives they had been dreaming about…this is but a dream for us…to do good in the universe…to be the heroes we read about in books…but for Nova and Corona, I think, this is nothing but a dream that comes to us as we awaken."
"How poetic."
"Thank you."
"But what about us?"
"What about us?"
"Will we ever stop dreaming?"
"We will…but when we wake up…our lives won't be like this…as it is in plays…the lives of the actors off stage are never as amazing for the supporting cast as they are for the stars." Sonoma looked at the camera, then the screen faded to black.
Sky smiled and turned the tape off. He understood fully why Salia had waited to give him the video chip, and why she had given it to him in general. He got up, took the chip out of the jack, then walked back into his room, unaware that Bridge and Stella had been standing in the dark corner, watching it all along. Sky yawned as he approached his bed; the medication was relentless in making him tired. He curled up underneath his sheets, falling asleep as he began to think about what Salia had said.
"Are we still dreaming, Bridge…?" Stella asked as she walked forwards, out of the corner.
"I think we're slowly coming out of them…slowly, and steadily…"