Waking up after who knows how long it's been, I wipe some blood out of my eye. Emergency lights are on and the sirens blaring, Life those thing's are annoying no matter how many times you change their sound. Looking at my surroundings I see Del holding onto Jina, both still unconscious and alive, but I don't see Al's corpse - the Angel -anywhere nor BB. Wait, BB stormed off and is probably in his room or the sever room and now that I have some free time what was that comment from the Angel? Fucking weird, worry about that later. What I am worried about now is what slammed into us and the Pandemonium. The first hit only shook us, the other one slammed directly into my ship and now we're here. But, there was a very loud screech...Pale. I need to wake up Del and Jina, now! The Pandemonium shakes violently, us inside of it as well. Fuck.
"Del, Jina, wake up! There isn't any sort of time to be sleeping we're in deep shit!" I shout as I begin to start moving over to the pair. Looking up, I am very thankful that all the furniture is sealed to the floor, well what used to be the floor, or I would have to start worrying about more casualties. Life does my back hurt though, being slammed into a metal wall is not a fun experience. Finally making me way to them I slap Del until he groans and says something under his breath. Good sign that he is alive, but I'm not taking any chance with Angel on the loose. I slap him even hard until he gets up.
"Life damn it Roha! The hell was that for now?" I can see Del processing what happened and the situation we are currently in, "Thank you for waking me up," He looks around, "Where is the Angel?" I shrug and he wakes up Jina who mumbles like a child being told to get up for school. I tell them we need to find BB first than worry about locating the Reaver posed corpse and they agree.
"We're not splitting up this time, make sure you have your dispensers ready and blades accessible. I believe Pale is in the docking bay and something larger is further outside. " Both give a mock salute and we move down the halls, stopping at every interval to check for BB or the Angel. I'm on edge and it's very obvious and I can tell the others are about there with me. We, I, didn't sign up for this hell, if we make out of here alive we're due for a long vacation and Yareck is going to have hell to pay.
"Ro, I don't like any of this you know. With the DuskWalker being on her side there is easy access to the bottom of it, are we even still protected from that horde outside?" Jina asks with justified worry added to her words. Del answers for me, "Yes, those dead things can't get in here, it'll take a lot more than undead flesh to claw through the metal of the DuskWalker." Like that Jina fears, visibly, are quenched and we keep moving. Coming to another interval, damn had this ship always been this large?, I yell out "BB, you over here? If you are, give us a shout to let us know you're alive and kicking." A small, almost indistinguishable groan can barley be heard over the sirens and it sounds like someone living. We look all around to find the source and there right above our heads is BB's arm dangling out of his bedroom. Son of a bitch did storm off to his room.
"BB, wake up, we're in deep shit here!" Del yells trying to get his attention. Keeping our eyes trained upwards, no movement. The larger ship quakes, another hit. What in the name of Life is doing that? Did this ship drift into an asteroid belt? I need to get into BB's room as fast I can.
"Del, give me a boost I'm going to have to wake him up myself since he thinks it's nap time." Cupping his hands, I step and bend then he lifts me up right as I jump up. Grabbing hold of the door frame, I lift myself in to see BB's room a mess. Papers scattered, bedding all over the place, what the hell was he doing? No time for that, deal with that when I deal with everything else. As I begin to crouch down I see something in the corner of the room. Sadistic smile plain as day, insides on the outside, with their hand raised with one finger on their lips ushering for quiet. "Best be quiet," he, it, whispers in the doubled voice, "Unless you want him and you to join the ranks outside." I oblige knowing full well that they can make good on their threat.
Staring at the Angel I wait until he speaks up, "Please understand that I didn't do anything to the boy, he was like this when I found him. I have access to the memories of this corpse so I was able to find this room and wanted to confirm my suspicions about, what was his name, BB?" He holds up small containers that hold dark purple flesh and crystals, dead flesh, blood, and pieces of loose hair. I look back up at it with questions written on my face, "To answer, BB here is a traitor to you and your crew. Whether traitor is the correct word since you all work for the same people is beyond me, nonetheless he isn't fully your crewmember. Had you all been able to leave here as intended then he would have, begrudgingly may I add, turned you, Del and Jina, over to...The Liberation, seriously why can't minugs be more creative." Looking back and further between it, the vials and BB, is he really going to do that, to us? After all of these long years together, can he really turn his own sister in?
"Why should I believe a Life damn word you say? You may be called an Angel but you most certainly do not act as your namesake." I say with gritted teeth as I stare into the single eye still in it's socket while the other dangles, not caring that I know my fear, anger, and disgust are like intoxicants for this thing. I wonder if the other Reavers are as sadistic as this one.
"It's a show of good faith, which you and your crew are sorely lacking at this present moment," once again flashing that sadistic smile, "Plus this is such fun to, how do you say, 'stir the pot' or is that too old a saying? Nevertheless, we both have a common issue at this present moment. That abomination outside and my body going rouge. Again, with the dumbfound look on your face did you truly think that I was merely controlling this corpse? No, I projected my mind into it while leaving my body to it's own devices. Apparently, my body is having a much rougher time controlling itself now that it senses that thing. Now, as I've said, a sign of good faith. I give you these and you more or less stay in here while I dispatch of the beastie outside, do we have a deal?" As to emphasis his, their, point the entire ship trembles much more than it did previously.
My head is swimming with all this new found information. This is what it feels like to make a deal with the devil, I really need to think. In the end I know I can't take too long to answer since the Angel seems to have a short fuse. I reach out my hand ever so gently and shake it's cold decrepit hand as it pulls me closer to it, "It's been my pleasure, Captain Roha Dusk." I watch it saunter off and drop out of BB's room, scaring Del and Jina and I listen to the foot steps recede toward where we just were. The alert for the door opening and closing sounds and then the sirens turn off. I wait a heartbeat or two and slap BB very, very, hard across the face Once, twice, three tries before he wakes up to me staring at him with the rage of all the universe, "Move."
We drop out of his room to see Del with his dispenser held at the proper military regulation, Jina, of course, cowering behind him weapon on the floor. Del speaks up, "When the hell did the Angel get in there?" I shrug my shoulders and give him a look of, 'Hey, maybe let's table this conversation for another time.' He gets my meaning and drops it.
Jina runs over and hugs her brother tightly, happier than she's been since before we entered this hell. It's a nice sight and one that reminds me of why I need to make sure I get us all out of here. We already lost one, losing anymore may really break us. Jina lets go and BB looks at me, "What's the plan now Ro, we're stuck in a sideways ship, 2 monsters in the hull outside, something else in the depths of space smashing against that ship. Oh, and let's not forget to add the thousands of dead things outside that will more than oblige our request of being ripped open if we go outside."
"The Angel said it was going to fight Pale, I say we sit back and let it happen. No matter which one of these wins we're almost guaranteed too lose but, they'll be in such a weakened state that it wouldn't matter. Truthfully, if Pale comes out on top I think those dead things can overpower it and take it down. While they're occupied we go back, activate the self destruct and leave in the escape pods." I'm full of bad ideas today, but we have no other option.
Del looks me dead in the face, "The idea of having to run through that ship any more than we already have is a terrible idea. We should have done that in the first place, we were on the bridge already, we went past the escape pods. Whatever the result is of that fight we lose, no matter what. There isn't a chance all of us are going to make it out alive and you don't want to admit to it." In the end, he is right. I really don't have any idea what the extent of the Angels' control is over the dead and if Pale will even focus on him and the horde, "So why, in the 20 Sectors, do you think this is a good idea, at all?"
Staring back at him, "We have no other choice and, as your Captain," I intentionally strain the word regardless of how much I hate having to pull rank, "We're doing this once a clear path is seen. We go back the way we came in and straight to the bridge then we blast out of here and pray to the deity of Life we don't get caught in the implosion."
"One thing, Captain," BB says with mockery at my rank pull, "We should head to the armory before making our way back up there. All of us know that, since this a Liberation owned vessel, they would never send them out into the depths of space without top of the line weaponry to help defend against any backwater high-jacker. Life only knows what's still out there, roaming those halls." Del and Jina agree to this. Knowing I'm out numbered I agree as well and state only for a few minutes. With a unanimous round of agreements we make our way back with a plan held together with rope and glue. Life, if your deity is real and watching over us, please bless us and let us make it out of here with our ever present need to survive through your challenges and this hell before us.
