John escorted Kyra to the communications portal, closed the door and locked it. He motioned for her to take the center chair as he sat in the one to her left. Placing the earphones on, she followed suit.
John spoke into the comm.. “Testing. Testing. Can you hear me?”
“Loud and clear,” responded Kyra.
“You know, we don’t have to do this,” said John, his face like stone and about as white in the dim light.
“I’ve never forgive myself if I didn’t,” responded Kyra, her face matching his. “You know, I must respond to the signal so I might as well know as much as possible.”
John looked without blinking, the skin on his cheeks hanging down like wet laundry on a hanger, his finger on the switch. “Last chance.”
“Play it.”
He did.
Kyra listened. When the tape was over she took the headphones off and gently placed them on the console in front of her. Turning to look at John her cheeks begin to quiver and her eyes blinked like windshield wipers. Clenching her teeth only made it worse and as the echoes bounced in her imagination she lost control and began to sob uncontrollably for what seemed like an eternity.
After a long pause John said. “You don’t have to go.”
Kyra wiped her eyes and tried to smile but there was no smile forthcoming. Her head still shaking ever so slightly she stood up and said, “I have no choice.”
John stood not knowing whether to hug her and in the awkwardness of the situation straightened his back, fixed his eyes on hers and lifting his right arm with alacrity and precision, saluted. Nodding his head in the affirmative and in a steady voice managed just a single word, “Understood.”
Categories: Story, John Discovery, Kyra
12 comments:
Heartwrenching. And wonderful with it.
Few words to this chapter, Poppet, but oh how it speaks volumes. Volumes upon volumes. Less is definitely more in this case, once again. It will sound silly, but had anything been any different, it would not have worked so well, that's just a feeling of course, but a very real one. :-) This chapter could not fail to touch even those who have never known Kyra, and John's salute just made it all the more poignant.
No choice, such emotive words. Choice, though we have freewill, is always shaped by who we are, and so, though in reality there is always a choice, having none when it counts makes as much if not more sense.
Brilliant chapter, seriously cannot stress that enough, just brilliant. :-)
Time wise, this chapter fits right before the "City of Hope."
As we are about to see, the crew of Bravo is about to go in two different directions. Kyra and Von toward the SOS and Rog and Yul toward the City of Hope. The rest of the crew hasn't informed me yet as to which way they are going. :-)
Sweetest, thanks for the kind words. Always appreciated.
Boy, you know what, I really want to hear that recording now. :-D
I was trying hard not to overwrite this one and in a couple places I probably could cut back a bit here and there. Let the silence speak where words just get in the way. This is another of those chapters I would love to see acted out with George as John and I'm still not sure who as Kyra, but I want to see two good actors act this one. I want to see the faces and the body language and the tears and most of all, I want to hear snippets of the tape while at the same time watching as Kyra reacts as she listens. Most of all, I think, I want to feel this chapter, I want the emotion of that tape to flow through me like Yul's fingers through Rog's hair. I want to be overwhelmed and I want to cry with Kyra, I want to share those tears and I want to hold her as well as she hold me, a mutual holding on even terms and I want to go with her and Von, on Bravo and have that time with just the two of them and me. That's what I want. :-D
I have a confession to make. I'm trying very hard not to think too much about the fact that the crew will be split up and so although I realize that the chapter preceeding this one comes after that fact and that this chapter in turn is leading up to that event, I'm still able to hold it at bay a little yet. Besides which, as I said somewhere before I think, there is great relief in knowing that Kyra and Rog will be in the same room once again at some point in the future.
I loved your comment. I loved that it was inside the story. :-) I want to come too, or at the very least, I want you to contact me regularly while you are there and let me know how it is all going. :-)
Reading this, as is very much the case on a general level when reading you, the scene becomes alive. I'm not sure that I can break it down for you adequately, so instead I shall go the easy route and just say that your words, as much as anyone I have ever read, create pictures as one reads, it is so easy to see the scene in my mind's eye, to picture their faces, the words as they are spoken, and so, though I too would love to see this acted out, I feel like I already have.
I thought it was perfect.
Very sweet comment Sunshine. I will tell you this since I think it is pretty obvious from previous chapters. The SOS signal is going to take Bravo deeper into "enemy" territory and they will be traveling without escort. We assume "the voice" and Taren and all the rest are dead, but assumptions are always tricky things to make. Just imagine the prize "the voice" would put on Kyra's head, if he could capture her and knowing that John would want her back alive. Now, I'm not saying anything of the sort is going to happen, but when the taskforce heads home and Bravo heads in the opposite direction (which we already know to be the case), well, Kyra and Von are going to be in a very vulnerable position. Of course, it's not like Bravo hasn't always been vulnerable but there is always some measure of comfort in numbers. :-)
Time will tell. Still another meeting or two to occur before the split. Stay tuned. :-)
I hate that gut wrenching feeling when you realize that you have to do something, because its a must, that you might not necessarily want to do.
Kyra, I am so with you on this one.
Kyra is in that very interesting place, the one that would like to wish none of this had happened and none of this was happening, but now that it has, she knows she must act, must visit, must see, must know for certain exactly what happened. She also knows, or at least hopes, that just maybe, the message on the tape is wrong or incomplete. So she must go. She must find closure to what she has heard, to bury the dead so to speak although there may be a bit of that too.
There are other factors at play too. Curiosity, which is on a couple different levels. Who did this? What did this? Who was onboard? Is anyone still onboard? Is there information there that could be useful? Perhaps coordinates of other Hynerian vessels, or a log of where they had been and what they had experienced. So many questions.
So she must go and she must endure and in many ways, we are coming full circle. Zeke had the Zaels and Javalinas and the scientific outpost. It was the defining moment of his young career and now we have Kyra, young, who, may face something similar. Then again, until it is written, she may not. :-D
Very powerful. Well done!
Thank you Jenni. :-)
Kyra is incredibly brave and I am proud of her for putting her duties above her own wants. Fantastic chapter; it keeps getting better.
Karen, she is a very special one and will forever be the one closest to my heart. You should see her in black formfitting leather, the kind that cups the breasts and leaves the skin in between, down to the belly button, exposed. Oh my. :-D
I can imagine you and Jack getting excited over that. Now, for black leather... I'd like to see Rog and Jack, in tight fitting leather pants with leather jackets and their muscles straining... The pants shouldn't be too tight but tight enough to show bulges and still give them room to grow a bit. :-D
Oh Karen, just me thinking about you thinking about that is enough to bring out the lumberjack in me and Jack. :-D
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