Rog rubbed his temples, hard, with his weary thumbs, weapons holstered. Still the throbbing persisted. Damn this headache, he thought. Now is not the time.
“Rog. Rog!” shouted John. “What the frail are you doing? Get your head out of your arse numb-nuts.”
“Hang on damn it. I’m on my way.” Smoke filled Bravo’s bay. Las fire, blue, green, red, pretty as any fireworks show, rained down to the metal plating below sending sparks in all directions. Darkness reigned beyond the mesmerizing bolts of prejudice singing their singular song with high pitched velocity. Each a messenger of death, of energy caught between fear before and behind.
“Damnit Rog, get your head out of your arse and cover me. Now! Mother of Rubion, where did all these bastards come from?” John shouldered his weapon, took careful aim and squeezed off another round. For each report, three were rendered in return. “Rog!”
“Where is Kyra?” yelled Rog.
“What?”
“I said, where is Kyra?” shouted Rog.
Las fire intensified. Bolts seemed to come from all directions. John unhooked an illuminator from his belt and turned the dial as far to the right as it would go. “Cover your eyes!”
“What!?”
“Damnit, I said cover your eyes.”
Rog couldn’t hear him over the din of fire and shouted back. “I said where is Kyra?”
“I can’t hear you. Hang on!” John pulled his goggles down, clicked the switch and looped the round orb into the center of the bay.
Rog opened fire with both his las pistols taking aim left and right, completely unaware. The flash exploded, blinding everyone but John. “What the frail!” yelled Rog rubbing his burning eyes as he fell to his knees. “Janus be damned, what the frail did you do that for?”
John ignored him. Standing, he began picking off dark silhouettes with a surgeon’s precision. Round fired after round, each bolt finding its target, ending life with numb calculation. John felt the heat in his hands, the pulse of judgment, as if they belonged to someone else and he wondered how these same hands could hold Ariel with loving care. And the pistols fired on, as if they had a mind of their own. Each shot took what he was trained to save and he marveled at how easy it was to kill, to murder, to take from the universe what couldn’t be replaced. Each pistol hummed in harmony, a chorus of destruction as moving as it was frightening.
Hands shaking, John said, “Coast is clear. Get your useless arse up,” as he kicked Rog in the side. “And to answer your question, I don’t know.”
“You could have given me some warning,” said Rog still rubbing the blinding light from his eyes.
“I said she’s not here.”
“Turn that light off. You’re killing me.” Rog rubbed his head and tried again to focus his eyes.
______
John tossed a bucket of cold water into Rog’s face. “Wake up!”
“Shiott! What the frail!”
“Sorry,” said John. And then with a smile said, “Well, not really. You’ve been dreaming, again, and, I might add, twitching like a baby.”
“Damn my head hurts. What happened?”
John put one foot on the chair in front of Rog to rest his forearm on his leg as he leaned over. “You want the truth or do you want the version that protects your pride?”
Rog grimaced as he shook his head. “How bout you just tell me what happened?”
“Okay. Not two minutes after we entered Bravo you hit your head on a joist. Knocked you out cold.”
Rog looked at John like a deer caught in headlights. “No shiott?”
“Yeah, no shiott numb-nuts.”
“So?”
John pursed his lips. “Scan was correct.”
Rog stood up. “I want to see the bodies.”
John stood up. “No bodies.”
“What the frail no bodies?”
“They’re not here, which, numb-nuts, is why the scan indicated no life forms.”
“What do you mean, they’re not here? How could they not be here?”
John shrugged.
“The pod!”
“Checked it. It’s here.”
“Damn. So where are they?”
“You want my guess?”
“No, I want your first born. Janus, yes, I want your guess.”
“I’d say whoever attacked Bravo came back. Took themselves some hostages.”
Rog rubbed his head again. “Okay. Okay. So what do we do?”
“That, my friend, is a very good question.”
Categories: Story, Rog, John Discovery
10 comments:
Wow!! I did not see that coming. Totally breathtaking. Extremely well done.
Jenni, I didn't see it coming either until about 2pm today. LMAO. I had an entirely different situation ready until this one just popped into my head. Now, I have to figure out what happens from here, since I seem to have complicated the matter somewhat. :-D
As always, thanks for the very kind words. :-)
Thorughly gripping was that first part, written with such skill as to make it every bit as exciting as watching a scene play out in a film, which has got to be more difficult with a scene like this than most. Every part of the interaction between John and Rog so far has had an element of both humour and action, even in the midst of this scene, the whole numbnuts thing broke clear through the nailbiting worry of what might happen to them.
This wouldn't be DT without an unexpected twist every once in a while, but inspite of that first part being a dream, the real twist comes there at the end. Be that as it may, there's a large part of all of us that had faith, that trusted you would find some way to maintain the hope that these three crew members would survive even though the end was so near. What situation they find themselves in now is yet unknown and perhaps as far removed from safe as their previous, but they are alive, and while they are still alive, there is the hope that all three (we know Kyra survives and is reunited with Rog) will be back with the other crewmembers soon.
Brilliant, this chapter, the chapter below, thoroughly indicative of what is so addictive and so lovable about this story.
Darkness reigned beyond the mesmerizing bolts of prejudice singing their singular song with high pitched velocity. Each a messenger of death, of energy caught between fear before and behind.
As always there are particular sentences that make one want to stay a while, to re-read and to savour, the above was one of those.
With each chapter, I'm just a little more hooked.
Oh Sweetest, what can I say. Expect another dream sequence chapter to move the story forward. I did promise you two and I plan to honor my commitment. Now I just have to figure out how. :-D
I do appreciate your very kind words very much. I also appreciate all you do for our team. :-)
Wow, nice story twist! I laughed out loud when I read the part where John told Rog about getting himself knocked out like that. It will be so much fun when I read the story again from beginning to the current chapter. (That is the up-side of having memory problems! ;) And you know how it is when you watch a movie that's so good you don't want it to end? I find myself thinking that about this story, I hope it just goes on and on and on. Hugs and smooches!
Oliviah, I see no end in sight for the story. I'm too in love with the characters to say goodbye anytime soon. My biggest concern is I'm starting to think of them as real, as in how much I'd like to share some snoot with the whole gang and talk about old times as if I was there. Then again, it could have just been the margaritas talkin'. :-D
As always my dear Beautiful Soul, your kind words are very much appreciated.
By the way, I've been thinking about your sketch and an idea occurred to me to use it in the story but I'd like to ask your permission before I include it. Let's just say I've got a very dramatic idea for its use--and it would be a one-time occurrence rather than an ongoing character. Let me know what you think. :-)
trée, I am so glad to hear you see no end in sight for the story. Wouldn't it be great if we could all sit down and share some snoot with them? They do seem so real. :O Uncanny. I love them all. And that sounds neat, your mysterious idea with the picture. You just have fun with it and I know I will as well. ;)
My Dear Beautiful Soul, you wouldn't believe how much fun I've been having on your sketch. Won't be long now before you get officially entered into the story. :-D
I sent you an email. Let me know if you want to see where I am so far on the sketches or if you would rather wait. :-)
I want to SEE! lol! :) I haven't checked my email, will do in a sec.
Why do I have a feeling that dream plays a huge part in the future?
Another fantastic chapter, and again, leaving me on the edge of my seat. I could imagine it happening before me.
HUGS & KISSES to you and Jack ;-)
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