“Rog, have you seen Von?” asked Kyra, standing before the forward viewing area of the bridge, her lithe frame in remark against the vast coldness before them.
“Can’t say I have.”
“Yul?”
“Nope.”
“John?”
“Negative.”
“Where is Zoe?”
“Resting,” said Trev.
“Snazzle, can you locate Von?”
“Yes Ms Kyra.”
“Snazzle. I’d like you to do it now.”
“Von’s location identified.”
“Where?”
“On Bravo.”
“Snazzle, do you like your circuits?”
“He is in the third quadrant, lower level.”
“Snazzle!”
“The log room.”
“Janus! Pull up a visual. Now!”
“Yes Captain.”
Before the crew, amphitheater spread, a life-sized hologram glowed in the center of the bridge. Von, cropped white hair, whey robe, piercing blue eyes, sat, headphones on, slate before his undivided attention. Images of the Dyad flickered. Flashes of red and blue las fire punctuated the pitch of endless endlessness. The Dyad bobbed, bloodied, defenseless as a child before sharks. Von played it again, slower. Panning the capture, he zoomed in on a small object, pushed a few buttons to manipulate the image.
“Get me a line in,” barked Kyra.
“All lines are disabled.”
“Override.”
“Negative.”
“Bypass.”
“Negative.”
“Rog, get down there.”
“Corridor is sealed,” replied Snazzle.
“What do you mean sealed?” asked Kyra.
“Von has disabled all access to the lower level.”
“How?”
No answer.
“Snazzle. How is that possible?”
“It can be done.”
“I know that. I want to know how.”
“Technically, it is rather complex.”
“I am aware of that. How did Von do it.”
“He asked.”
"He what?”
“He asked.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
Kyra drew a breath as one draws water from a deep well, the sound of her nails tapping the railing like the clacking of a wooden bucket against wet stone.
“Unseal the corridor.”
“I can’t.”
“Won’t?”
“Can’t?
“Snazzle, unseal the corridor.”
“I gave Von the codes. He changed them.”
“Emergency override, by my authority.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary.”
Kyra charged her las and lifted it to the panel.
“Captain, that won’t be necessary either.”
Kyra’s finger tightened.
“Von is coming out. See for yourself.”
Kyra turned back to the hologram. Von was moving deliberately, solemn as a monk at vespers, expressionless as their statues of adulation, his face hued marble. “John, where are your men?”
“The bar.”
“Have them secure the area.”
“I don’t think--”
“I’m not asking you to think.”
“Kyra,” interjected Snazzle.
“What!”
“Von is not heading to the bar.”
“Where is he heading?”
“Here.”
------------
Von placed one foot before the other, peace stamped upon the universe as effort honored mind and heart held soul in arms wide and large as those one grey and rainy day. Honor the son as the son honors the father, the world entire in the circle. A step for a letter. Honor. Love. Step. Honor. Love. Step. Rain upon eyes urgent. Honor. Love. Step. Arms open. Arms open. Embrace the Love. Arms open. Honor, Love. Step. Leave your mark. Do your duty. The name, father. I will honor the name and where there is need I will be there, in your name. Arms open. Arms close. Hearts together. We are brothers, you and I.
----------
“Roger, Roger, do you read?”
Static.
“Von, do you read, over.”
Static.
“Raptors 10 o’clock. Multiple bogies. Bearing south by southeast, forty-five degrees.”
Static.
“Von, we are under attack. Do you read? Over.”
Static.
Thunder on the plain. Skies above blue as china. Water churning red, screams as prayer unanswered. Air heavy, eyes limpid as dolls. Silence as verdict.
“Von, this is Zeke. Do you read?”
“Zeke, I read. Over.”
“Come home Von.”
----------------
“What's he doing?” asked John.
“Don’t know,” answered Kyra.
38 comments:
I feel as though /von is leaning back in his chair, judging MY comprehension. He is fulfilling something great I beleive. The phrase "Real damage...what we thought about it", I would really like to undrstand that. Zeke's compassion was etheral. I am going to read all of this ever again. I felt compassion for Von too. Will I still feel that way as more is revealed? Jen
Can you tell that I am on a different computer than I am accustomed to? It's TINY! Sheesh, the typos - Von will judge me a fool :)
Jen, I think you will. If I said more, I'd have to write the next chapter. ;-)
I always get so caught up in the words, I forget to mention how beautiful the pictures are. Sorry about that...I know it all goes hand in hand. The new header picture mad me say OH when your site first came up. Breath taking.
Have a good evening Tree!
Thanks Jen. More work went into creating that image than I care to admit.
My what a big picture you have, Mr. Tree.
I bet you have big hands.
I gotta say, Tree, this chapter had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.
And I LOVE Snazzle.
He's awesome.
Wow! The short sentances really built up the suspense. You painted such a vivid piture.
The pace was fantastic.
Love your writing. Its so unique and effective
xx
Elise, I wrote this one on the flight from Nashville to Phoenix. The battery on my laptop was running down and I had to write fast, which perfectly suited the pace of the dialog--a race to finish before my battery died, a race to get to Von before he saw and heard what he did. ;-) The above is partially true. :-D
Elise, as always, your kind words are very much appreciated. Thank you.
Strumper, big enough to handle two sticks of pure Wisconsin butter with agile educated southern skill. :-D
Your comments SO turn me on. No matter what you say. You see, it is all in the HOW, and baby, you SO pawn HOW. :-D
Wow, the suspense! I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happens next! :)
Just...... wow! You do really well under pressure then Trée. Gotta agree with Jennifer too: That new header image is awesome.
Fashionista, I'm on the road on business so it might be a day or so before I can get to the next chapter. Thanks for the very kind words, always appreciated. :-)
Doug, always a great pleasure to see you stopping by. I'm rotating the header image every few days, using pics from the story. Sometimes Blogger lets me post the full sized image and sometimes it forces me to shrink it. I'm trying to be conscious of those on slower connections, but, when I think it deserves the marquee, I'll plug in a full sized image into the header. Thanks for those very kind words and say hello to Amber for me. Take care. :-)
I saw the top banner today and was all :O
"Do you see the world through troubled eyes?
And if you want to talk about it...
.....cry on my shoulder
I am a friend."
I thought you seemed melancholy the other night, something in your tone. You OK?
Saffy :-)
Jen, I'm doing fine. Thanks for asking. :-)
Oh my.
Stopped back by before turning in to see if you had posted anything new. It's gorgeous. Simply stunning. Am I too simplistic if I say I see a heart? OOoohh I love that. Just in time for the hopeless romantic's hopeful holiday. Well done Tree sir.
Why does it feel like a week since I have been here.
Poppet, you pack a punch, always have. Reading a chapter, seeing the image, sometimes the words grab and keep squeezing, tighter with every sentence, sometimes they floor in a single sentence, other times like this one, it's like being in a boxing ring and it is a series of jabs that just as one catches one's breath another comes. Here the header, which I have always since seeing it the first time over a year ago thought of as the bejewelled g-string looking abso*lutely amazing filling the almost the entire screen.
Then it was the title, which in itself and with the meaning you have given it over a couple of other chapters causing a tsunami of emotion. The thought of Von locked up, alone with these images playing across the screen, not so much that he was seeing them as the total isolation in which he was doing so with no way to get to him. To mention it again, the world entire, like a particular memory or a particular song, those three words have a tremendous impact incorporating every emotion felt from the literal pages and every chapter here to do with this that touched in any way whatsoever, which in short comprises anything to do with Ceru with a little Em, Ariel and Kyra mixed in amongst others. The part with Von walking, I must once again applaud how wisely you use style when writing, the short, often one-word sentences, relating so much more of Von's state of mind, the state of his emotions, than any detailed description could have. And the memories that resurface of a battle long since, of the hug though it has no direct mention other than indirectly via the title, it is almost too much too handle. Sigh, you are a magnificent writer, really, how many times have I said something similar, but gosh, sometimes and not even sometimes, with every chapter it is as if one discovers this anew, the only similarity I can think of off the top of my head is physical pain, impossible to remember accurately what it feels like to feel a large quantity of it and yet one knows that one has and then one feels it again and for those seconds or minutes or hours that it lasts, one remembers completely. It is as though, to compare, there just isn't a way to stay on that plain, that one has to fall a little down to earth again, forget a little, so that one has the means with which to feel it again. Hope that made some semblance of sense, in any case my point was that though it is embedded, though one knows after reading so much of what you have written in one's mind, heart and soul that you are astonishingly good at what you do here, there is still a feeling of complete and utter awe when you do it, when you touch so deeply once again.
Found it interesting that Trev was the one to answer the question of where Zoe was and in detail, not just in her quarters, but resting.
Von placed one foot before the other, peace stamped upon the universe as effort honored mind and heart held soul in arms wide and large as those one grey and rainy day. Honor the son as the son honors the father, the world entire in the circle. A step for a letter. Honor. Love. Step. Honor. Love. Step. Rain upon eyes urgent. Honor. Love. Step. Arms open. Arms open. Embrace the Love. Arms open. Honor, Love. Step. Leave your mark. Do your duty. The name, father. I will honor the name and where there is need I will be there, in your name. Arms open. Arms close. Hearts together. We are brothers, you and I.
Like breath as this is written, each step so deliberate, each step with significance, meditative, too wowing as written for a decent comment, it is a feeling, not a thought though the words are there in white on black. And so I talk instead of individual phrases, so beautifully overwhelming in their simultaneous simplicity and complexity, the circle comes to mind, a simple shape, never-ending and joined and yet a circle is not merely a circle. First thought here, though it may surprise is 'one grey and rainy day'. The connotations leading back to the dock of course as well as the atmospheric aspect of it, but there is just something that I am unable to decipher about this singular phrase that took my breath and clutched at my heart. 'peace stamped upon the universe as effort honored mind and heart held soul in arms wide and large as those one grey and rainy day.' With a sentence such as this, to respond, I know not what to do other than to rattle off a series of compliments or to describe how I felt reading it, I want to look for a third way since neither of these would do it justice, neither would be able to describe accurately. This is a height of what I was talking about before and at times like this I often wish you were opposite me, as I am sure the only way to convey the impact is for you to see it. 'Honor. Love. Step.' And suddenly I want to quote CC. Amazingly as many times as I have read and heard it, I am unable to quote directly, but it is a follow-up thought to the above, of being here to see with heart, she says, quoting another line. If I could write as well as you, I would be able to tell you how well you write. :-D
Snazzle! :-D Nuf said.
Close the circle, an agreement no matter what happens, an agreement made in the love that only a father and son could feel for one another. Another quote, you're beautiful. That's it, that's all. Everything this story has shown us. Mind, heart, soul. Just the title was enough. Bless your heart. The Poppet.
Take care of you, safe journey when you get that far. Love and hugs, x
Beautiful image in the header. Haven't stopped by for some time and was just blown away when this firework opened.
It looks different everytime I look at it.
Beautiful images yet again, the header above the story is outstanding. Don't know how you do it,but it is always wonderful to look at the new images.
Arlene, if the image above wasn't Snazzle, Bravo's computer, it would have to be one of the farm animals from Rog's ranch, perhaps even a Kawai. :-D
Thanks for the very kind words. A wonderful way for me to wake up and enjoy with my coffee. :-)
Groover, so nice to see you again. For whatever reason, your RSS feed isn't working, at least I'm not picking it up and I was afraid that maybe you had stopped blogging. To see you leaving a comment is a very pleasant surprise. As always, thanks for the very kind words on the image. :-)
Jen, you are free to interpret the images any way you like. ;-) Glad you liked this one. :-)
Sweetest, I hardly know how to response to such a comment with so much love. You continue to find new ways to blow me away.
The elements of this chapter, that Von becomes privy to what happened to the Dyad (Ceru), have been bouncing around my head for some time. He learns what we know, Kulmyk interceptors destroyed the Dyad. Knowing how Von felt about his son, the question then arises, with John (a Kulmyk) and a contingent of Kulmyk's onboard, how does Von react? How would a father react when learning how his son was killed, when the object of his anger, perhaps, could be on Bravo. The answer, although not written, is in the title, between the lines of this chapter. Because I don't believe in plot, I will tell you what happens next: Von enters the bridge, approaches John and then, like Zeke did, opens his arms with compassion, the two hug, and in this moment Kyra knows what she must do (with the mission to come).
I was a little hesitant to write what was going through Von's head as he was walking from the lower level to the bridge, only so much in that a new reader wouldn't know what was going on and it would look like gibberish. In a couple days hindsight, I have no regrets on that score.
The idea for stamping peace upon the universe with each step comes from buddhist walking mediation exercises. So as Von is walking, we see he is meditating on his meeting with John, he is trying to get his mind and heart right because his instinct wants to beat John to a pulp, right or wrong, and so, in the time of walking, of meditating, he reflects on that hug from Zeke and on the hug from Ceru and in the two he realized that this is his opportunity to close that circle of love and wisdom and compassion and see the world through the eyes of something greater than the petty and emotional center of our own temporary viewpoint.
The image holds a dual meaning. First, it represents the circle of the crew on the bridge gathered and watching the hologram of Von and their inability to close the circle, to bring him back to them and it also represents what is going on in Von's heart and mind, a very different closing of the circle, one he will succeed in.
As always, I hardly know how to say how much I appreciate the full on engagement of your comments. They mean the world entire to me and that is about as bluntly as I can put it.
To give credit where credit is due, the idea of "the world entire to each other" comes from Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road." I thought the phrase was so brilliant in the description of the love between a father and a son, I have unashamedly incorporated it into the story. :-)
I am in agreement with everyone else regarding the header - Awesome!
I really enjoyed this post - it felt as if I was really there :]
Still going strong but training is taking a lot of my time and as the intensity ramps up I'm a bit more tired. Looking forward to catching up on the story on the weekend. It's 4:30 AM here now - off for a training ride.
P.S. It's now http://competitivecycling.blogspot.com. I'm sorry I didn't give any notice.
Wow.
THAT'S Snazzle?
Does he have a girlfriend??
Hot image, Mr. Tree.....HAWT.
:-D
And oh MY....TWO sticks of butter simultaneously?....I don't know if I can handle all that butter....
But, I'm willing to find out.
Prepping now for that chapter, where Von encloses John into this circle, where he overrides his insincts, overrides his emotions and offers to John what was once offered to him, compassion at a point where it is completely unexpected, won't work though, the preparation, you'll get us anyway. :-)
I really enjoyed the contrast between snappy TV-script-sci-fi and sudden stream of consciousness Joycian (same nationality, no coincidence) flow.
Tom, thank you for noticing the contrast. Much appreciated.
Sweetest, I thought it was only fitting to write the next chapter on the flight back. Call this chapter and the one I'll post next the Phoenix chapters. :-D
Hope it lives up to your expectations. Overwritten, as most of my stuff is. :-D
Strumper, for you, I'd figure out how to handle three all at the same time. ;-)
How's that creamy amplitude?
Groover, thanks for the new link. :-)
Thank you Miladysa. :-)
I'm still on this horrible chocolate hangover from two days ago. I'm totally confused! Oh wait, perhaps that is my normal state? Anyway, I'm glad to see this particular pic. And it fits the "close the circle" perfectly.
Come put her head on my shoulder and we'll work that confusion into oblivion, and maybe throw in a *tingle* or two at no charge.
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