And once again Sarah continues with her new self imposed challenge – ad lib fanfiction without betaing., though it is being ruthlessly self-checked. (could be a risk, I rather suspect my beta is shifting uneasily in her seat, but I'm sure shell get her own back somehow.)
And just to reassert, yes, I still genuinely have no idea in White Hot Oblivion where this is going. I'm deliberately refraining from thinking of what's coming next while of course I try to keep everything done so far consistent. This makes plotting remarkably difficult. But it's worth a shot at least for the sake of the challenge.
So, I hope you like this, and it makes sense.
Disclaimer: "See Chapter One" will not be a constant. It's impossible to miss.
Three.
'Um… Look, I know I'm really not the one to judge how the heroes handle their business, but… what the living heck does he think he's doing?'
x
There's a mortal saying in this world that you never hear the bullet that kills you. That isn't really true, though. The fact is that the gunfire quite literally sucks the sound out of the air. Also, the explosion that you supposedly never hear when the shot is meant for you, is a combination of chemicals and the sound of the bullet smashing through the sound barrier.
Perhaps the same is true for the resonance of a portal, ripping a hole between two worlds at speeds of ten Kryllian metres per second.
With him smack bang in the middle of it.
Not good…
'It makes no sense. Why this… why now?'
He knows better, really. He's fooling himself, pretending he has no idea what's happening when deep down he knows exactly what it is. Eternity told him. Two worlds mixed together and then ripped apart again, literally, at the seams. And all because he changed the rules.
'Because I had to. I had to destroy it. My evil half…'
It's been a long time since he felt this kind of pain. Metal is resilient like that. But now even the metal feels searing-hot. Breaking apart.
The rules of two worlds broken. (One world that isn't even supposed to exist in the first place.) He knows that now, and that's what made him so… angry. That's what finally made him decide to act. To stop questioning. To do something.
He remembers a night six years ago. It was the same, back then. The dark and the pain. Only then it was just him and his thoughts and fears, and now the whole dimension is feeling it.
It can't be allowed. It won't be. They'll be destroyed first. Metal creaks and shatters and the world turns black and violet and trembles.
Was that the only choice?
He was never very good at answering his own questions.
'Random?'
The odds of his friend answering him are slim to none, but Ace has to try, because that's what Ace does. Even when things seem completely, utterly lost and impossible. Fighting is just about the only thing you can do sometimes, whether it's productive or not.
"Do Right and Fear Not."
The alternative is just a little too close to giving up for Ace to even consider it.
'Random! He yells louder, knowing that he might as well be trying to make himself heard in the middle of an Ess Smog Storm. Only this isn't quite as easy on the senses as an Ess Smog Storm. The Ess don't tend to rip at your coding and throw metal debris like this. Not in any noticeable way. (They did mess about with your files enough to put you on a high for days but that isn't exactly the same thing as they also give you the option of walking out again.)
Ace knows there's no way he's getting out if this barrier once he gets into it.
And this really isn't a good time to get distracted. Ace keeps yelling, telling himself that his voice shall reach Random, one way or another.
It doesn't. Of course.
'Zoar damn it, Random, answer me!'
…And Ace doesn't know what in Zoar's name is going on.
Random can't hear him, but Mark, apparently can. Ace feel's a hand grip his arm. Mark's shoulder is soaked a bright red colour and he can't seem to take his hand away from it. Ace is certain now that Knight power loss never actually looked like that.
'Ace, come on, we can't stay here!'
He's not actually wrong there. Behind him, Sparx is ripping Chuck away from the bonnet of the car wreck just before a blur of electricity turns it into a conductor.
'God, Random, what's going on? What in Oblivion are we supposed to…
'I have to stop this…'
'Sparx!' Sparx looks up, her sword is still stuck in the ground, anchoring her. 'Sparx listen, get out of here and get to the carnival now. Don't wait for me!'
'W…at?'
'I said don't wait for me! Leave the junkyard! I need you to get to Kilobyte before he this gets any worse!' Ace tries to draw the Lightning Lance, and then decides against it, because with all the excess energy, it's probably not a good idea for him to go bringing more into the equation.
'Ace, what the…are…saying? I can't hea… up!'
Oh, great. Ace.
'Just forget it. she knows what to do.'
Ace stands up. He's not quite sure how, given the pressure all around them, but he manages it. He's also not quite sure how he manages to push forwards a couple of steps without being tossed skyward by flying debris, but he manages that as well.
'What're you doing?' Mark gasps, yelling after him but not actually moving to follow, thank Zoar. Ace glances at him. His face looks oddly like a non-mortal Knight's might, when they're a few percent away from starting to flicker.
'Stay back, kid! I'm not…'
He never gets to finish, because by now he's already too far into the shaking, static filled mess of the junkyard and just moving is getting hard enough. Never mind yelling Random's name.
It's far more painful than he'd imagined it would be. And tougher than he imagined it would be. Not that Random hasn't always been fully effective at pushing him away with every ounce of power he has in him. All to protect them, Ace thinks, angrily, from what he thought he was and what he would become.
Which, of course, he'd turned out to be totally right about, after all.
But that didn't make Ace's decision to stand by him any less valid. And it explains why he's here, dragging himself through a shield that could rip him to pieces any second. Hot and white and striking him like cold water from the Jupiter Fountains in Magery Square.
He tries again, reaching through the shaking, crackling mess that remains of the junkyard, seeking out Random amongst the fireworks. It's like trying to penetrate a shield of Harpix-feathers or walking through the tar pits of Dankdrew Marsh.
'Random, stop this!'
He's surprised, this time, that he hears what he's saying. A few seconds ago the air was too thick for breathing –if he'd actually needed to– but now…
He feels closer to Random than before, and the next thing he knows he's ripped clean through the shield and on his knees in the dirt, two feet behind the cyborg. Sparx, Chuck, Mark… he can't see any of them anymore. They vanished behind the almost translucent sheen of the energy building up around them both. It's… burning light everywhere, yet for some reason it feels as dark as a Philosopher's Cavern.
'Rand…'
Ace reaches out a hand to the cyborg, then thinks better of it, given what happened when he touched the junkyard wreckage alone…
'Random.'
'Ace…'
Ace staggers, but doesn't retreat. It's not like he's never seen Random at his worst. He remembers the old days when the slightest glimmer of red sent Sparx into a freak-out and him into a state of… well, he called it "professional anxiety", until Random got a hold of it again and the green came back (usually) and he'd laugh a little, telling them not to get so worried. 'It's never going to get through, Ace. Not if I don't want it too. I'd never hurt either of you.'
He would, however, hurt his other commanding officer of the time. Badly enough to take him off active duty for a month. Badly enough for Random to see a newly obtained ranking position being taken away from him. It was about then, Ace realised they'd all made some big mistakes when it came to dealing with Random's problem.
It's different, now, though. Random turns without actually moving his… wheel and stares at Ace firmly through burning red eyes. 'Ace…' There's a moment of hope as Ace comes to terms with the fact that he's now standing within a shield of Random's creation, which is… kind of whacked, as Chuck would say, but at least the Junkyard isn't trying to kill him anymore.
'Random, it's okay. That doesn't matter. This… this shield, the one you've thrown up over… over everything. You have to remove it now, before it's too late.'
'Straight to business, huh Ace?' Random almost smiles. Then his face glazes with anger. 'Just… get away you pathetic little lightning knight. Leave me.'
'Uh… okay. If that's an attempt at scaring me off with the evil, Random, it's not working,' Ace snaps. 'I know it's you there, red or green, or else you would've wiped me out while I was going through that shield!' Unless of course, Ace thinks, you're no longer in control of that shield. Unless you never had ANY control over it… Both of which are thoughts he'd really doesn't want to entertain yet. 'Please, Random, lower the shield. You're hurting people!'
'It's not my problem if people can't handle the pressure,' Random says, calmly. Red glaring in the pits of his eyes.
'This isn't just about mortals. The world out there is going crazy! I don't know what your evil's telling you right now but it's about time you stopped listening to it, damn it, Random!'
Okay, so that wasn't exactly what he needed to talk about. But… he needed to say it, somewhat. Needed to… let of steam.
'You don't get it, do you Ace?' Random say. 'It doesn't matter which of me is talking, we both know the truth.'
Ace doesn't say anything. Interestingly enough if he looks up overhead, he can see straight through to a clear, starless sky and that all of a sudden becomes more interesting than looking straight at Random. Somewhere beyond the shield, the air glows hot and white and the echo of an explosion runs throughout the junkyard. Ace secretly hopes that Sparx has gotten the kids away.
Wait. Chuck said that this was all coming from the carnival… right?
'Rand…?'
'I… I think it's all over, Ace. This is how it's going to end. For everything.'
'That's nonsense, Random, you don't know that's true.'
'And you know that it is? I brought this down, Ace, and I don't know how to get rid of it.'
'I… don't understand.. .what is "it"? You need to explain to me what's going on…' Ace pauses mid sentence. '…You don't think has anything to do with Kilobyte, do you?' It's more a statement, than a question.
'Maybe. A little… there'snot much that I'm aware of though,' Random is almost smiling as his claw flexes back on itself.
'What happened?' Ace asks, though he isn't all that sure he's prepared for the answer.
'I tried to change the rules.'
… 'You're wrong,' Ace shakes his head. 'Random, we have a signature for this.. .this thing, it's not coming from here, it's coming from the carnival, that's the only pocket in all of this resistance! I don't know what you think you've done, but—'
Ace never gets the chance to finish his sentence.
The ground is already being ripped from underneath them both in a blaze of white light before he has the chance.
Anyone got any idea what's going on? I should hope not ;P. Well, not too much, anyway, as of yet. (and as you can see I did a bit of time jumping.)
Reviews (and in particular, ones containing concrit, are appreciated.)
