Series 1.8 - An Explosive Impasse Interrupted
A path of endless twisting and turning through the darkness is what this new world became to him. He could sense his own legs moving him ever forward without agreeance from his mind. An arm was placed through his own, directing him along the maze of shadows. His mind could not grasp nor process the universe around him, but he felt compelled to push forward with these new beings. He could not see them and could not understand the language that they spoke, but he owed them for freeing him from the prison made of light. He could hear new sounds, familiar ones, from somewhere further away down the hall. The long-ago familiar sounds of a battle raging. A rush of dozens of emotions filled his heart and his mind; remembrance of the graveyard that his own home became. Wicked sounds of death and destruction had occupied space in the mind of his existence for far too long.
Why are we running towards this? We cannot win. You cannot win. They’ll kill us, if we’re lucky. I’ll end up back in that horrid plane of existence.
He tried to stop, legs sliding beneath him, but another arm grasped his opposite and urged him forward. They were much stronger, and he had no choice but to continue with them. He was created to fight the monsters ahead, but he had failed too many times before. He was much stronger before the agony of imprisonment broke him down to what he was now.
What am I now but a failure? I barely remember where I came from, but I know I failed them. You’ll fail too before I ever find out who you even are.
A soothing voice permeated his mind, or perhaps just his ear, and eased the slightest bit of worry away. Though the outcome of this quick and sudden journey may be one of further dread, he could at least tell that they wanted to help him. So, he kept a forward pace; or as much of one that his body would allow. There was something off with the atmosphere around him in this place. It felt as though he was swimming through a haze of thinly settled smoke. The last memory he had before being captured was that of complete and total unity with the ambiance of existence. He was designed with a purpose and with the assurance of his creators to utilize the destruction against the enemy. He was a weapon and knew that to the core, but something did not feel right about it all now. Either time had become a drain or something else was preventing him from feeling that same level of control he once had.
Was being torn away from the light, from my strength, just for the sake of a new beginning worth it? What am I if not a weapon or a tool? What good could I do now when all was already lost so long ago? These beings beside me have no idea what I was capable of before, what assistance am I to them now? You should have left me.
Why are we running towards this? We cannot win. You cannot win. They’ll kill us, if we’re lucky. I’ll end up back in that horrid plane of existence.
He tried to stop, legs sliding beneath him, but another arm grasped his opposite and urged him forward. They were much stronger, and he had no choice but to continue with them. He was created to fight the monsters ahead, but he had failed too many times before. He was much stronger before the agony of imprisonment broke him down to what he was now.
What am I now but a failure? I barely remember where I came from, but I know I failed them. You’ll fail too before I ever find out who you even are.
A soothing voice permeated his mind, or perhaps just his ear, and eased the slightest bit of worry away. Though the outcome of this quick and sudden journey may be one of further dread, he could at least tell that they wanted to help him. So, he kept a forward pace; or as much of one that his body would allow. There was something off with the atmosphere around him in this place. It felt as though he was swimming through a haze of thinly settled smoke. The last memory he had before being captured was that of complete and total unity with the ambiance of existence. He was designed with a purpose and with the assurance of his creators to utilize the destruction against the enemy. He was a weapon and knew that to the core, but something did not feel right about it all now. Either time had become a drain or something else was preventing him from feeling that same level of control he once had.
Was being torn away from the light, from my strength, just for the sake of a new beginning worth it? What am I if not a weapon or a tool? What good could I do now when all was already lost so long ago? These beings beside me have no idea what I was capable of before, what assistance am I to them now? You should have left me.
*****
“We should have left him! He can’t even keep his legs under him and we’re about to run face first into more of those things in the dark!” exclaimed Kel, struggling to keep the now released prisoner moving forward through the dark tunnel they traveled down.
“Didn’t I tell you that you’ll have to just trust me on this, Controller Androxa? Besides, it’s not like we can go put him back into that tank of his.” Melora said, taking a moment to check the timer on her wrist that was counting down to the eventual detonation of Kel’s charges and destruction of the prison room.
“Alright, alright, he’s just heavy and…awkward to carry when he keeps trying to stop.”
“Come on, keep running. You’re safe with us now.” she whispered while leaning closely to the side of his head while taking his other arm in her own.
An eruption emanated from path behind, drowning out the sounds of battle ahead, and causing them all to stumble slightly from the shock wave. The tight hall they traveled down cracked in multiple places and their Resonator shields hummed as stones and debris fell from the ceiling. Melora trusted in Kel’s ability as a demolitionist enough to know that the first payload was enough to destroy the twisted contents of those aquarium-like chambers. She could not predict the amount of damage such a small, controlled blast would cause to the stability of the temple itself. She knew that they were now in danger of a collapse of the various tunnels, including the one they currently stood and perhaps the entire complex.
“We may have to adjust our current objective to something more akin to surviving the destruction of this place instead of causing more of it if we want to make it out alive.” she said to the others through the strain of biting her lip to lift Hox back into a standing position.
“I am in agreeance with you there, Commandant. I can boost our shield power up some more, but I’m not sure how well I’m going to be able to hold an entire stone building off us.” Aida said, sounding worried and as unsure as her words made her sound.
“We need to try and make it back outside, link back up with my brother, and exfiltrate out of here. Whatever it was in those pods was likely important enough for them to be angry at losing them. And if we must, we’ll just use the ship to help take the rest of this facility down under its own weight.” Melora, ever as stoic in her presence, was now radiating in dark UDE-1 energy as her confidence grew once more under its influence.
“If it means finding a place to drop this guy off sooner, I’m all for it. And if we’re going to end up buried here, it’s probably best if I get rid of the rest of these charges. I’d hate to end up crushed and then exploded…kind of goes against my personal morals, ya know?”
“I’m not sure that’d be good for any of us, considering you’re supposed to be my expert.” Melora said, on the other side of Hox from Kel, through a crooked smile.
“Not exactly the historical record fitting of a Commandant’s Strike Team, eh?” he said in reply, as he used his free arm to remove the satchel hanging around his neck before sliding it down the path towards where the blast had originated from.
“I know I’m not known for my insistent personality, but I’m insisting that we get moving, please.” Said Aida, very clearly not in the mood to join in on the lightheartedness shared by Kel and Melora under the ever-growing pressure.
Melora could appreciate that about the girl. Order Controllers had always been known for their arrogance in the face of danger and that often led to folly. Being confident in your natural ability and training was a positive but allowing yourself to be fooled into a sense of indestructibility because of it was a weakness. A weakness shared by countless members of the Order throughout the years and one that she was not innocent of. She found herself in the position she was in part because of it but knew that it was a negative quality that could get others killed; that has already gotten others killed.
This is why I bring you along, Aida. You’re good for a lot more than healing and tagging along behind my brother at every step.
She motioned to Kel and Aida with her head as a signal that she was ready to move once more back into the uncertainly of the winding paths ahead of them; the light of their Resonators the only thing illuminating the way. Melora knew that they were now playing a game of survival with their surroundings and with the enemy lurking in the darkness, or in this case, the light. She knew that the mission plan was falling apart, but mission plans always had a way of doing that. It wasn’t a cause of uncertainty, if she continued to think a step or two ahead. But if that was true, what was the cause of her uncertainty? Something deep inside her mind knew the answer but refused to show itself.
I know you will soon. Whatever you may be…
“Didn’t I tell you that you’ll have to just trust me on this, Controller Androxa? Besides, it’s not like we can go put him back into that tank of his.” Melora said, taking a moment to check the timer on her wrist that was counting down to the eventual detonation of Kel’s charges and destruction of the prison room.
“Alright, alright, he’s just heavy and…awkward to carry when he keeps trying to stop.”
“Come on, keep running. You’re safe with us now.” she whispered while leaning closely to the side of his head while taking his other arm in her own.
An eruption emanated from path behind, drowning out the sounds of battle ahead, and causing them all to stumble slightly from the shock wave. The tight hall they traveled down cracked in multiple places and their Resonator shields hummed as stones and debris fell from the ceiling. Melora trusted in Kel’s ability as a demolitionist enough to know that the first payload was enough to destroy the twisted contents of those aquarium-like chambers. She could not predict the amount of damage such a small, controlled blast would cause to the stability of the temple itself. She knew that they were now in danger of a collapse of the various tunnels, including the one they currently stood and perhaps the entire complex.
“We may have to adjust our current objective to something more akin to surviving the destruction of this place instead of causing more of it if we want to make it out alive.” she said to the others through the strain of biting her lip to lift Hox back into a standing position.
“I am in agreeance with you there, Commandant. I can boost our shield power up some more, but I’m not sure how well I’m going to be able to hold an entire stone building off us.” Aida said, sounding worried and as unsure as her words made her sound.
“We need to try and make it back outside, link back up with my brother, and exfiltrate out of here. Whatever it was in those pods was likely important enough for them to be angry at losing them. And if we must, we’ll just use the ship to help take the rest of this facility down under its own weight.” Melora, ever as stoic in her presence, was now radiating in dark UDE-1 energy as her confidence grew once more under its influence.
“If it means finding a place to drop this guy off sooner, I’m all for it. And if we’re going to end up buried here, it’s probably best if I get rid of the rest of these charges. I’d hate to end up crushed and then exploded…kind of goes against my personal morals, ya know?”
“I’m not sure that’d be good for any of us, considering you’re supposed to be my expert.” Melora said, on the other side of Hox from Kel, through a crooked smile.
“Not exactly the historical record fitting of a Commandant’s Strike Team, eh?” he said in reply, as he used his free arm to remove the satchel hanging around his neck before sliding it down the path towards where the blast had originated from.
“I know I’m not known for my insistent personality, but I’m insisting that we get moving, please.” Said Aida, very clearly not in the mood to join in on the lightheartedness shared by Kel and Melora under the ever-growing pressure.
Melora could appreciate that about the girl. Order Controllers had always been known for their arrogance in the face of danger and that often led to folly. Being confident in your natural ability and training was a positive but allowing yourself to be fooled into a sense of indestructibility because of it was a weakness. A weakness shared by countless members of the Order throughout the years and one that she was not innocent of. She found herself in the position she was in part because of it but knew that it was a negative quality that could get others killed; that has already gotten others killed.
This is why I bring you along, Aida. You’re good for a lot more than healing and tagging along behind my brother at every step.
She motioned to Kel and Aida with her head as a signal that she was ready to move once more back into the uncertainly of the winding paths ahead of them; the light of their Resonators the only thing illuminating the way. Melora knew that they were now playing a game of survival with their surroundings and with the enemy lurking in the darkness, or in this case, the light. She knew that the mission plan was falling apart, but mission plans always had a way of doing that. It wasn’t a cause of uncertainty, if she continued to think a step or two ahead. But if that was true, what was the cause of her uncertainty? Something deep inside her mind knew the answer but refused to show itself.
I know you will soon. Whatever you may be…
*****
Again, the world began to move as his essence stayed firmly in place. It was as though he was a projection being cast on the backdrop of somewhere he could never actually be, like a ghost in a world of shadows and darkness, free of the pain of the Bright and Sunder. But pain was all he ever knew, both of mind and of the body. What could ever exist outside of that reality? Who was he to find out? He was a failure and failures were the doomsayer of his world, wherever that may have been. His life lost purpose and his vessel became a trophy to the grave misstep of his past. Wherever these beings were leading him to, be it death or more torture, he no longer cared. He would take one step after another and allow them to lead him into the beyond. If this was his afterlife, there would be nothing he could do to stop it, nor gain any bit of retribution for the way his life turned out before.
Just whatever you do, wherever you take me. Please don’t let the light engulf me again. Send me away into the darkness so that I can be at peace with the horror…so that I can finally forget altogether.
I won’t let it. I promise, Hox.
Just whatever you do, wherever you take me. Please don’t let the light engulf me again. Send me away into the darkness so that I can be at peace with the horror…so that I can finally forget altogether.
I won’t let it. I promise, Hox.
