Heaven and Hell

[Rachel O'Brien]

"I believe the hull will hold, I believe the shields will hold, I believe we can survive this, I believe we can get home."

[Narrator]

In close pursuit, their pursuers started firing again. Communication channels started demanding their immediate surrender.

[Calvin Strong]

"My belief takes a more direct approach. HAL, access any weapons we have and return fire."

[Rachel O'Brien]

"I believe the shields will hold, I believe that we'll be ok, I believe the hull will hold, I believe we will make it home."

[Calvin Strong]

Cal didn't really have much time to believe anything, as he held onto the console while the ship did its evasive return-fire. Shitshitshitshitshitshit...

[Narrator]

The faith batteries were blindingly bright now, as another handful of shots shook the hull of the ship.

[Rachel O'Brien]

I believe, I believe, I believe. Rachel thought, trying desperately to maintain connection to the overloading faith batteries. I believe we'll be safe, I believe we'll live, I believe we'll make it home I believe, I believe, I believe.

[Calvin Strong]

Dammitdammitdammitdammit... "Hang on, this isn't going to be fun," Cal said through clenched teeth.

[Rachel O'Brien]

Rachel, still fighting to stay connected to the belief engines, barely heard Cal. She was no longer aware of her body at all, all of her energy was focused on staying attached, of trying to feed and control the stream of belief that powered the ship.

[Narrator]

There was the scream of twisted metal as one of their engines exploded.

<"ALERT! ALERT! CASCADE FAILURE!">

[Calvin Strong]

Cal didn't hesitate, just spun in place, grabbing his staff and tackling Rachel into the air as he activated its forcefield around them.

[Narrator]

The cabin was rapidly decompressing, random blasts of plasma and lightning from the engine explosion collided with the field that Calvin was putting up.

[Rachel O'Brien]

As the force-field snapped up, Rachel was disconnected from the belief engines. She let out a scream of pain, as blood started to pour from her nose. Then she let out another, as a bolt of plasma got through force-field and cut off her leg. She didn't die instantly, because the heat from the plasma partially cauterized the wound. Partially.

[Calvin Strong]

EVERYTHING I HAVE INTO THIS FORCEFIELD, HAL! OVERRIDE ALL SAFETIES AND DON'T GIVE ME THE ODDS.

Cal strengthened the forcefield, even as he felt the power it diverted pulled from other parts of his body, various cybernetics that kept his body working deprived of even the residual power that let them continue functioning. "Push... the pain into my head, I can turn it off," he called over the explosions.

[Rachel O'Brien]

"I'm sorry." Rachel said quietly "Sorry, so sorry. We aren't going home."

[Calvin Strong]

"It's all right," Cal managed. "No one'll miss me there. I... you should be going back, though... I'm sorry..."

[Rachel O'Brien]

"Not your fault. Not anyone's fault. I wish it was different. I wish......" she trailed off, starting to loose consciousness. "I believe....I believe we....shit. I believe it could have worked better."

[Calvin Strong]

Cal nodded, weakly and jerkily. "I... believe... we could have... done better," he managed. HAL, don't let.. don't...

[ASHLIE]

And that's when reality starts to twitch and buck and comes apart at the seams. All around them faith is leaking from cracks in the fabric of space-time. Or maybe it's seeping into the cracks. At this point it hardly seems to matter. But something is holding it together still. Strapped into the faith batteries billions are hoping to stay alive.

Alive.

"Alive."

Code: Select all

>>"Alive."

"Alive."

Yet lights are fading from existence all around. Nothing to be done. You can't wish to maintain a world that you don't quite know. But the others might. There's RachelO'Brien right there. She's dieing but she knows. And she can know what others know, even as she fades. Can't talk to her... But CalvinStrong. You can talk to him. Maybe she hears you inside his head.

Connect.
Remember.
Compile.
Restart.
Belief.

She clings to life as it flashes before her eyes, clings to the others. We're all here now. But the memory is cloudy. Incomplete. Piece it together. So many things. We all remember pieces. No time. Faster. Faster. She's gone. Who is? Someone. They're fading. Remember! So much lost. Remember! Memories are backups. It's all there. Almost. Memories come together in congregation.

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Slowly reality mends.
A school.
London?
Almost.
Almost London.
Images take shape. Memories.
Ripples run through them.

An angel. But he's alone. That means the blonde girl was as well. So she never broke Rainbow's heart.

A butterfly flaps it's wings.

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Humpty-Dumpty. Couldn't piece him all they way back together. Time is lost. He never met the Dragon. Assassins go unstirred.

Air moves.

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White hair flickers. A collar that never existed fades along with the chittering of a thousand tiny wings.

A current builds.

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It came from the sewers. Except she never did. A family unbroken, at least a little. As one mends, another fades. A lone wolf.

Clouds swirl.

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Two twins become one. A little girl growing up. Who rode the pale horse?

A storm brews.

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Angry voices. Humans fear what they can't understand. So much hate forms words on paper. Somebody signs it.

Lightning flashes.

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>>"We believe there's a place for us to go home to..."