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Pirates Round Robin

Chapter 12(a)

That Wretched Guilt

By Tanina Varagona

<<WE WILL PLUNGE, UNGUIDED, THROUGH THE UNIVERSE, RIPPING THE FABRIC OF THE SPACE/TIME CONTINUUM AS WE GO. THE SKILL NEEDED TO GUIDE OUR POWER THROUGH THE DELICATE THREADS THAT BIND THIS UNIVERE TOGETHER WILL NOT BE PRESENT>>

<<THE UNIVERSE WILL BE DESTROYED>>

<<FOR YOUR SAKE, AS WELL AS OURS, THE PILOT MUST BE RECOVERED>>

Mel gulped. And then turned to face her small band.

"Well...what do we do?"

She was answered with total silence.

<<RESISTANCE WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. THE PILOT MUST BE RECOVERED IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU REFUSE TO COMPLY YOU WILL BE TERMINATED>>

Mel's shoulders slumped in defeat as the realization sunk in. "I guess we have no other choice, do we?"

"I-I agree."

Started, Mel turned to the source of the harsh whisper, as did her companions. In all the excitement, Mel had completely forgotten about Glitz. The con-artist had struggled to his feet, still recovering from the effects of Enlightenment's torture. He rubbed his sore limbs and staggered towards them.

"They'll do it, you know. They'll kill us all in cold blood, but only if we are of no use to them. Obedience is the only way for us to remain alive, for the moment."

Mel was immediately concerned. This was the first time she had ever heard Glitz speak in such a bold, serious manner. But, despite the gravity of the situation, she had to agree. Nodding her head slightly in confirmation with the others, she turned and gazed unchallenged into the sinister depths of the cave.

"All right. We'll find her."

At first there seemed to be no reply. Then...

<<YOUR PROGRESS WILL BE MONITORED. IF YOU FAIL, THIS ENTIRE PLANET WILL BE DESTROYED. SUCCEED, AND YOU SHALL BE ALLOWED TO LIVE>>

<<FOR THE TIME BEING>>

Confusion.

It had concealed itself in the darkest depths of Seldric Four's hideous forests. It was sulking, if such a thing was possible. The complex thought patterns of all resident life forms had finally driven a tumultuous disturbance into Its mind.

What was the cause of this instability? Enlightenment was Its master. They commanded and It obeyed, that is the way it had always been.

Until now, Its purpose had been clear: kill all that dare to threaten the glorious future of Enlightenment, destroy those who stand in Enlightenment's path. There was no other purpose; there was no other reason to exist.

But the growing influence of the other life forms had planted forbidden images into Its mind. From their thoughts It had become aware of other destinies and other values. It was no longer certain of who to trust or what thoughts to obey. Gradually, It began to regret the things It had done, the creatures It had destroyed. It felt... guilt.

What is guilt?

In the crystal cave, Mel and her comrades could feel a slight rumbling. A rumbling that was gradually growing in force by each passing moment, until the walls shook violently and pieces of rock and crystal dislodged, crashing to the ground around them.

"Shit! What's happening now?" Glitz shouted, shielding his head from the falling debris. Grinker and Ellington meanwhile had transformed themselves into quite impressive imitations of a couple of crash dummies.

"I don't know!" Mel found herself all but screaming to be heard over the tremendous uproar. The previous time this had occurred, it had happened for a logical reason, but on this occasion Mel wasn't entirely sure...

"We'd better get out of here before this entire place caves in on us. Our only hope now is to find the others and get off this planet!"

"What about Enlightenment?"

"One obstacle at a time!" she shouted over her shoulder. Without another word, she threw herself through the cave's entrance and with a moment's hesitation, the others followed suite.

Not long after, the trembling subsided.

<<OUR SERVANT HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME UNSTABLE. OUR PLANS MUST BE DELAYED UNTIL WE GAIN FULL CONTROL>>

<<OUR EXISTANCE RELIES TOTALLY ON THE STABILITY OF OUR SERVANT, AS WELL AS THE SAFE RECOVERY OF THE PILOT>>

<<LIFE-OFF MUST BE DETAINED>>

<<WE HAVE NO CHOICE>>

<<IN THE MEANTIME, THE ESCAPEES WILL BE MONITORED. THEY SHALL LEAD US TO THE PILOT>>

After the dust had cleared, the small group of escapees turned their curious eyes onto the cave's entrance only to find it completely blocked.

But this, as they were quick to discover, was the very least of their troubles. For as the adrenaline brought forth by the previous incidents gradually began to settle to its normal level, Glitz was the first one to come to a rather disturbing realization.

Melanie had vanished.

"Great, now where has that damn girl gone to?" Glitz grumbled. "She was barely ahead of us just seconds ago..."

But, after a frantic search, it was clear... their captain was no where in sight.

Then, not for the first time in his devious life, Glitz began to panic.

Melanie awoke to a soft wind gently caressing her red curls, but as she gradually cracked her eyelids open she discovered how eerie her surroundings really were. She was lying with her cheek resting against cold dirt on the floor of one of Seldric Four's many forests. As her senses slowly began functioning accurately once more, she realized what she had felt to be a gentle breeze was in reality a fierce gust of icy wind that suddenly felt like daggers against her skin.

She shivered as she dragged herself to her feet, taking in the surrounding environment properly for the first time. But how in heaven's name did she end up on this unfamiliar part of the planet? She didn't run, but had just flung her body through the cave opening. The next thing she knew, she was here. She frowned and began scanning the area, but there was no sign of the cave entrance or her comrades.

Weird, she thought to herself, I know I didn't run and I couldn't possibly have thrown myself more than a meter or two from the cave. Her frown hardened as another possibility entered her mind.

"It's almost as if... someone had brought me here," she said softly aloud.

As if on cue, the icy wind that had been tearing so viciously at her flesh became more vicious still, to a point were it was nearly unbearable.

She resisted with all her might, but even this proved futile. Finally, the frigid force drove her to her knees.

The wind subsided almost as suddenly as it had begun. It was then that Mel sheepishly realized the position she was in: she had huddled herself into a tight ball on the ground, her hands were clutching her head and her eyes tightly shut.

Coward.

Then she felt it... another presence in the forest, another entity among the sinister trees. She opened her eyes cautiously, lifted herself into a kneeling position and scanned the area around her once more.

A familiar pink mist slowly began seeping from behind the vegetation surrounding her, thick creepers and vines following its lead. The tendrils were moving unnaturally fast and with a horrified gasp of realization, she watched as their movements accelerated towards a single target - her defenseless form kneeling on the ground.

She stumbled to her feet and tried to run, but she had not acted swiftly enough. The tendrils surrounded her and a violent push from an unseen force sent her crashing back into the dirt. Shaking the grit out of her hair, she again attempted escape. This time a thin vine continued to pursue her as she struggled to stand once more but before she could make any progress, the vine wrapped itself around her slender arm. Suddenly, Mel found that she couldn't move. The vine was somehow acting as a leash.

It was holding her back.

But this was no flimsy vine; this was a living entity.

"Who are you?" she found herself asking the vine with a harsh whisper and immediately felt very stupid as the words left her lips. But what else was there to say?

That wretched wind had started to blow again. She winced, bracing herself as the violent breeze once again began ripping at her hair and clothes. It was during this agony that her question was answered by a deep voice through the trees... or was it in her mind?

I am the curse of this wretched planet...

Much to her astonishment, the vine gripping Mel's arm slowly began to twitch. She watched - fascinated - as the other tendrils gathered themselves, slowly twisting and stretching until a figure was formed... the unmistakable figure of a humanoid male.

I am your worst nightmare...

The vine grasping Mel's arm grew thicker and tightened as the texture of the surface seemed to morph before Mel's eyes. The vine itself broke into separate thinner fibers, each twitching and thickening on its own accord. Their deep green shade of chlorophyll gradually faded into the ivory of soft human flesh... until all that was left was a pale hand gripping her in desperation. She slowly glanced up, following the length of the long slender fingers to reveal an equally slender arm... then a chest, both covered in black cloth.

I am...

Her eyes continued to move upward until, much to her astonishment - yet great relief - she found herself staring into a human face framed with chin-length wisps of silver hair that folded over themselves gently in the forceful wind. Two crystal blue eyes bored into her soul.

Mel was so mesmerized by the sight before her that she nearly jumped when that voice spoke to her once more. Only this time it didn't come from the depths of her mind or through the trees that loomed overhead. It came instead from the mouth of the man that held her.

"I am It."

The menacing circle of Axons surrounding their remaining comrades is the sight that met Glitz and the others when they decided to return to the ship.

"Damn! They got to them first... now what do we do?" Glitz was mumbling to himself again. He reached for his pistol and gripped it close to him like a child would a precious security blanket.

He was aware of the wary stares of the others with him and he understood their bewilderment. They have never seen this side of him before - cold and serious. But Glitz knew that there was a time for scams and a time for caution. Seldric Four wasn't a planet... wasn't an entity to be messed with.

His grip on the pistol tightened. Many have said that he had the ability to become a cold-blooded assassin. He often wondered if those observations were true... His eyes turned to where the others stood, whispering secretively behind his back. He sighed and fiddled with the settings on his gun.

Let them stare.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The decibels of the scream rose unbearably, and yet not a soul in the universe would ever hear it. Except one.

<<YOU CANNOT RESIST. OUR ORDERS WILL BE OBEYED, OR WE SHALL SIMPLY SEND YOU BACK TO WERE YOU CAME FROM>>

All It could do was tremble in the darkness, clutching It's head and violently shaking with unspeakable... fear?

What is fear?

Nevertheless, It was trembling and didn't know why. Finally It found the strength to lift It's head, to face It's oppressor.

"Y-You can't..."

<<WE SHALL, IF ORDERS ARE NOT CARRIED OUT. YOU HAVE ALWAYS COMPLIED IN THE PAST. NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR RESISTANCE>>

Thella tightened her grip on Chris's arm, watching as the circle of Axons gradually began closing in on the Nosferatu and her crew.

The Axons advanced, their intentions were clear: destroy and absorb.

<<THESE CREATURES ARE BECOMING A NUICENCE. DESTROY THEM>>

"No! No more..."

<<YOU MUST DESTROY THEM. IT IS YOUR DUTY>>

"But... it is my duty."

<<YOU MUST DESTROY>>

"Must... destroy..."

Chris watched in astonishment as each Axon exploded into nothingness. He winced as Thella's fingernails dug even deeper into his skin, but even this had failed to distract him from the reality.

The Axons had been destroyed... just like that.

But who did it? And why?

With an ear-piercing scream, the man gripping Mel's arm suddenly went limp and lost all consciousness. He crumpled into Mel's arms, his silver hair tangling itself with her fingers as she carefully supported his head.

For once in her life, Mel had no idea what to do. So she just sat there, bewildered at what had just occurred. This man had coalesced himself from the deadly vegetation, claiming that he was It. What on earth did he mean?

"Exactly what I said."

Mel jumped as his voice calmly replied to her thought. She looked down upon the man she held in her arms. His crystal blue eyes were wide open, carefully searching her. Quick recovery, she thought.

"But you can't be It," she found herself answering as she watched him stand effortlessly. "You just can't..."

"What you mean," he replied coolly as her sentence trailed off. "Is that you weren't expecting It to be a man."

"I wasn't expecting anything."

"But don't you understand? I am what the images in your mind have told me to be. The form that I have taken now is a form that you alone have created."

"But..."

"But what, Ephemeral?"

Mel stopped dead, her mouth parted in preparation to speak. She stared into the man's crystal blue eyes and found nothing but emptiness within them. She looked deeper and found what he had been hiding. She found his suffering, his confusion.

"An Eternal," she whispered. "I never realized..."

Her sentence faded away as their hands reached out and touched. And suddenly, Mel understood.

It was all a lie, she realized at last. Everything Thella had told them was a lie...

So she closed her eyes, allowing him - and the truth - into her mind.

"What the bloody hell happened here!" Sabalom Glitz shouted at the now reunited - not to mention completely astonished - Nosferatu crew. Chris and Thella didn't answer, they just stared at him and attempted to recover from what had just occurred.

Glitz sighed, kneeling down and poking at the squishy remains of an Axon with the barrel of his gun. He didn't understand the reason of the Axons' destruction anymore than they did, but he wasn't going to let bewilderment cloud his senses either.

It was then that he felt Chris and Thella's eyes on his back. Frowning, he spun around and threw them his famous, "What the hell are you staring at?" look.

Chris shook himself out of his trance and turned away from Glitz. It was then that he realized that someone was missing. He turned back.

"Where's Mel?"

Melanie opened her eyes to find that she had been plunged into total darkness. She shook her head lightly, only wondering for a moment about how she got here and why. Then the memories of the past hour came flooding back and she once again understood. It didn't take her long after to realize the sensation of a hand gently squeezing her own. Turning, she found him standing close beside her, his silver hair swaying to an unseen breeze.

"What happened?" Mel asked.

"We are bonded."

"But, is that possible? I mean, you're an Eternal and I'm just..."

"I don't understand this any more than you do," he answered to her unfinished sentence. "But it has indeed happened. We must accept and take advantage of it."

"Take advantage of it? What do you mean?"

He was silent, choosing not to reply for several moments. After a while, he finally turned to her and responded.

"I need your help."

Mel let their hands drop and glanced at him for a few moments, searching his eyes only to once again find nothing within them. Only the emptiness...

Help. What he meant was that he needed her mind, her thoughts and emotions to do his dirty work. But she wouldn't be fooled, for she knew what Eternals were and how they functioned.

"All right," she consented despite her conclusions. "But first I want you to explain your presence on this planet. How you got here and most importantly... Why."

"Is gone! Is vanish! Is poof! Captain Mel hominid gone in one big..."

"Krimda, get a hold of yourself!" Chris shouted, grabbing the Sloathe's shoulders and giving them a shake.

Once Krimda had finally relaxed, Chris turned back to Glitz, also still trying to believe what the con-artist had told them.

"So you're absolutely sure? Mel has just... vanished?"

Glitz shrugged. "Well, she sure ain't here, is she? What other explanation is there?"

"That's not an explanation!"

"That's your problem."

Chris gritted teeth, desperately holding back the urge to punch the man.

Didn't he realize the position they were in? "I don't care whose problem it is, you were the one who saw Mel last so you must have some clue as to where she is."

"Look, I don't see any reason why I should stand here and listen to all this. So if you don't mind..."

"STOP BEING SO GODDAMN SELFISH AND ANSWER ME!"

Glitz didn't respond right away, but he did sort of sputter. In a rage of fury, Chris had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the side of the ship, causing it to vibrate slightly.

"Hey, watch it! We just repaired that!" Rakaar shouted.

Thella walked over and silently put a hand on Chris's shoulder. In response to this action, the huge man relaxed and slowly pulled Glitz away from the hull of the ship.

"Now, where did you see Mel last?"

"If... you'd let... go..." Choke. "... maybe I'd..." Choke. "...actually get... a... chance to...explain..."

Chris sighed and released his hand from Glitz's collar. With a loud gasp, Glitz stumbled back slightly, rubbing his throat.

"Thank you."

Chris folded his arms.

"Now, I told you... the last I saw, Mel had just thrown herself through the cave entrance and by the time we had a chance to follow, she was gone. We searched the entire area and we couldn't find her. Aren't I right, lads?"

"Is true..."

"Is gone..."

"Poof! Poof!"

Chris just stood there for a moment, glaring at them. Then finally, with his arms still folded, he walked away in silence.

"Should have let him choke when I had the chance," he grumbled.

"I was enslaved by Enlightenment's power. But it's not my fault, I tell you! My mind is empty, I was too easily controlled. Controlled by Enlightenment, by others as well... There is just too much confusion... The confusion! I..."

"Relax, please. Just relax."

His face was buried in his hands and Mel was doing her best to calm him.

She didn't realize until now how unstable he really was. Calm and unemotional one moment, uncertain and utterly terrified the next. But even though it seemed a major chore to make head or tail out of what he was saying, Mel had already heard enough to read between the lines.

"I see," she whispered to herself, "It has been said that only we Ephemerals could possibly have the ability to control Enlightenment, yet only a part of it. But God help those who have tired..." She turned back to gaze at him. "But with an Eternal, the situation seems to have the reverse effect. Instead of the Eternal controlling Enlightenment, Enlightenment proved too powerful and took control of the Eternal instead.

Eternals' minds are empty, whereas Ephemerals' are not. He had no thoughts or emotions to protect him. An easy target."

"No, not totally defenseless..."

Mel jumped as his voice quietly interrupted her thoughts.

"Pardon?"

During her moment of contemplation, he had seemed to calm himself enough to speak more steadily.

"I have managed to retain some control... break free from Enlightenment's influence long enough to mend some of the things that I have done."

Mel was startled. It seemed as if this Eternal was speaking as though he actually felt guilt, that he held certain emotions. Was that possible?

Suddenly, she remembered something.

"So that's why Chris saw the Doctor, Benny, Roz... and his mother, in the cave. That was your doing wasn't? Your abilities..."

"Allowed me to turn his memories into reality, yes."

"But then it was you who tried to help us. Not the crystals... you."

"I still have some control... But don't you see? I just need one mind to lock onto, one mind to follow. Your mind. If you help me regain stability and defeat the corrupted Enlightenment, I will allow you and your companions to leave this planet safely."

It was an offer Mel couldn't refuse. But one thing troubled her.

What if he couldn't keep control?

<<WE HAVE LOST CONTROL. OUR SERVANT MUST ONCE AGAIN BE STABILIZED. WE MUST REGAIN OUR CONTROL>>

<<THE RECOVERY OF THE PILOT DEPENDS ON IT>>

"This is nuts! You mean to tell me that there is nothing we can do for her?"

"You know there isn't, Chris," Thella replied calmly. "If we venture out there all we do is risk sharing Melanie's fate."

"But..."

"Chris, Mel isn't stupid. She's an intelligent adult that is completely capable of looking after herself."

"So, in the meantime, we're just hiding like a bunch of terrified mice," Rakaar said bluntly, polishing his gun. When Chris and Thella glared at him, he just shrugged. "You know what I mean. We're stuck, admit it. Like Thella said, if we take a step out there we risk an encounter with Enlightenment. And if we do encounter it, what do we do? Hand over the Pilot?" he finished sarcastically.

Glitz appeared to be thinking. "You know, the Nosferatu is completely operational now. We could just escape..."

"Not without Mel!"

Glitz's shoulders slumped and he frowned. "Then Rakaar appears to be absolutely correct. We're stuck."

"Problems, gentlemen?"

At the sound of the familiar voice, everyone present turned their attention to the front of the room where an equally familiar figure stood.

Melanie was smiling at them from the doorway, the Eternal standing close behind her.

"Did you miss me?"

Part 12(b)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12(a) 12(b)

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