Running the Gauntlet
Part IV: Diverging Paths
I don't know how long it took for me to wander around this
new horizon, but it was a cold journey that ended up with me outside. It was a desolately filled sky with no trees or organic life but blurring lines of color that might have beautiful against any other setting. The sounds were almost deafening for a while, a painful reminder that I had been trapped inside of this complex of a building for too long. My shoulders still ached along side my poor foot- why couldn't they include painkillers in the treatment? The music was still softly audible but not as overpoweringly overbearing as before. The wind chill of the air was clammy enough to make me shiver as I stood looking over the precipice of the abyssal drop into the darkening depths below me. There was an odd feeling of warmth flowing from the unseen fathoms, one that I wish could have come from where I was. This place seems dim even outside, although I can't even see the sun for the towers looming above me- even this height. Darkness seems to be the commonality of this place, this prison. The wind blows rapidly through the artificial cliffs as if it were always this sterile and decrepit at once. I can see where some of the buildings are starting to decay and tarnish with age before they descend into the tartarian depths. All in all, I know it is late afternoon where I am and that there is a sun somewhere that I never see. This just makes it feel colder really, but there are some places that call out with a softer tone and almost seductive warmth to them. One is below me while another comes from a slight distance in a building that I have never seen this close up before... If one could call just barely being visible close up for a building as huge as I suspect that one to be. The years it's existed show faintly from here but it doesn't fit in this abnormally graphed out maze of invisible horrors.
The domed roof barely shows, but a pole on top of it has broken off at some point in time. I know the sun does exist due to the faint glimmer of a sparkle that shines ever so lightly to where I am now. Try as I might, I cannot strain my eyes to make out any further details or even spot anything about it that could even let me try and find it again- never mind look up any information about it if I ever really figure out the network around here well enough to do so. Tears start to well up as I keep trying to push myself to do the impossible against the very laws of physics and nature itself. Good thing I never really had a use for physics I guess, but I am a bit fond of nature in general. So, no law breaking for me today … Not due to lack of effort on my part anyways. Scrubbing away the burning droplets doesn't fix the situation either. Maybe it is just the part of me that is frightened and mixed-up but I want to go to that place. It seems like it might be safe and warm for a moment. Is it so much to ask for those two things? Is it too much to ask to not be scared every time you go to sleep because of the things you see at night? Is it too much to ask at all? I wish I had found my invisible hallucination now, I could have at least felt like I had someone to talk to, even if it wasn't real. “Who wants to listen to the ramblings of a crazy teen anyway, right?” My throat hurt as a shaky laugh forced itself out when I just gave into this tendency to think out-loud at times. Courtney said I should get it together and not show any weakness, but does it count if no-one else is around? It's not like I want to be such a cry baby about all these odd little things after all.
The wind did eventually begin to blow colder as the faint sparkle slid out of view on the broken spire. The icy wind lit by a blooming of artificial stars along the sides of buildings- possibly even the roofs of some. That would be hard to tell, although you couldn't really see if their were actual stars in the sky so it would be as safe a guess as any. I'm not really sure how long I stood there, slightly hidden in a recess of the wall on a
balcony-like sidewalk thingamajig, but to be honest I didn't care. As cold as it was out here, it was warmer than inside at least and the music could only faintly pipe out instead of overwhelm you. Just how
in the blazes of hell itself I was going to get back was something I would deal with later after I decided if I wanted to go back or not. So far the not was looking pretty good to me except for the fact that I'd be all alone in this man-made gorge without a damn clue of how to get by. Something told me that this was not a place to be clueless in. It was one thing back home, people would help you if you needed it. Here it seemed that everyone was too busy being cold to even notice that anyone else existed but themselves never mind being nice.
“So this is where you ended up Midget: nice night tonight isn't it? Not raining, you can see the lights for miles and it's rather pleasant with a faint breeze. However, it is starting to get a bit chilly so why don't you follow me back in and we'll see about finding something to eat.” I ended up jumping out of my skin when I heard Mitchel deciding to comment on the weather as if it were something that had always been. Just where did he come from?! I looked around trying to see where he could have ninja-ed out of and came up with na-da. He didn't sound upset nor look it actually, almost as if he were
normal for a moment... I still wish I knew how he managed to move around so quickly that I didn't even hear him. His laugh had such a derisively sneering quality about it that maybe calling it a snort would have been more accurate but... It was just how he always had been. “I thought you would get lost without Courtney playing mother-hen for ten seconds. Lucky for you that your
natural grace didn't kick in and have you trip over the edge at the same time. It would have taken forever to find you, if anyone else had bothered. Courtney's getting frantic let's go already.” I didn't even have the opportunity to blink as he all but shoved me back into the near labyrinthine maze that was our prison as if it were simply time to get back to class. The music was not as bad as usual, but still horribly atonal and at least quieter for once. Although still I sadly don't know if the inside was brighter than the outside of this place.
“Now you go silent on me, you must be starving. You're never quiet if you can help it Rough so let's not go about starting that now. What did Lord Vader want to know from you and what were you supposed to do? I doubt you got started on it and I don't want to get into trouble because of your ditsy, no-sense-of direction-or-time ass. So how about you tell me so neither of us ends up
out of the frying pan...”
I'm never quiet?! Has he listened to himself or looked in any mirror lately? I'd glare at him, but he's behind me and I'd have to glare
up at him. Although that's never stopped me before here, now I have to keep my head down since apparently my eyes bother people. Hell, everything about me bothers people here. I wish I knew what was so unsettling about me at times... Was it the fact I've not resigned myself to slavery? Is it the fact that I'm still me? That last bit can't be it since Mitchel hasn't changed much either... Unless you count becoming a greater ass-hat than before a big change. He used to be a bit nicer and less of a sarcastic bastard to other people before he and Courtney broke up. Well, that still rules out that it seems. So what is it that makes Aurelius, Courtney, and everyone else tell me to keep my head down and
not look at someone in the eyes. Now that I think about it, I think the only two who have not told me to keep my head down was the walking black knight and that one weird guy... Nah, I couldn't hear part of what he said so I might have missed it when he mentioned it. Just another guy here, probably had been like Mitchel if I think about it long enough. I guess I've been tuning out part of Mitchel's bitch out of a sermon. Well, it was either that or go even more crazy. I would like to go
five minutes without being sermonized, soapboxed, lectured, or talked down to. Let's not forget being creeped out on top of it all...
“Tuning me out again Diamond? Typical. Can't you just stop being so selfish and thinking only of your self and your own petty reasons long enough to see the trouble you put on me and Courtney with your behavior. I get you're having trouble adjusting, but there is opportunity to be had here if you just strive for it and open up to your friends. We want you to thrive here as well, we're not heading back home so the only option is to follow the rule of the Etruscans-
When nestled within the seven hills, do as the city citizens do. They don't understand those with
issues like
yours here, you're just going to have to overcome
them.”
I had to look down at my feet to hide the moment of irritation I felt as I tuned in enough to hear that. Did he think I was going insane?! Okay, maybe I was... Still, did he have to put it like that! It just hurt, where did my friends go?
“Damn
fucking bratty imp. Don't you dare ignore me right now... I refuse to be punished because of you again,
Midget. Do you hear me. Don't you
dare ignore me. You will tell me what our Master told you to do and you
will get it done even if it kills you. I will not suffer because of your stubborn ass anymore than I have to. Look. At. me.”
It was the second time today I have felt my back slam against something solid, only this time it was the wall. I found my chin being forced up to look up at Mitchel's almost placidly blank face. I shivered for a moment as he held me by the underside my chin, my neck, and my stomach. The worst part of the shock was the sheer amount of pressure he applied just below my sternum. The urge to vomit was increasing as I could feel the squeezing pressure of earlier, only rougher. It was trying to squeeze me to death and the room's temperature dropped to freezing all of a sudden. The horrid music crescendoed instantaneously as blackness tinged with white sparks threatened to overtake my vision. Something was wrong with Mitchel. I was wrong- he had changed more than I thought. I wasn't the one losing it... He was. This
place was driving us all insane. If there was only some way to reach him, some way to stop him from getting worse. If nothing happened we would all die here. I won't let that happen if I can help it. What can I do though? I'm not powerful or good at anything... I just want to be able to ease his madness. Maybe if I could stop the music somehow, Vader did say I caused the incident earlier. I have no idea how... I know I'm not the only one to hear it now, maybe Mitchel and Courtney just don't realize they're hearing it. So, maybe I can block the horrible music to Mitchel now... I have to try something or he might just kill me. I forced myself to look him right in the eyes as I forced myself to relax in his grip. Sometimes becoming dead weight helped you get out of holds according to that self defense course my mother had taken. Now would be a good time to remember more of it if I could. If only Mitchel would just calm down... I wish he would.
The room lighting brightened up for a moment and flickered in and out of life for a few moments. It was getting harder to breathe from the pressure against my chest, but the temperature fluctuated between frigid and pleasant. The music seemed to be in flux at the same time and I found myself focusing on pushing forward the jaunty jig that was starting to break through. Well, I was hoping by focusing on it that Mitchel might pick up on it and calm down. I'm not sure how long this lasted, personally it felt like another eternity had decided to come and go. I was growing more and more exhausted as the moments ticked on. That may account for why the end of this is still hazy to me. I remember Mitchel sinking to the ground unconscious with a peaceful expression as a somewhat feline looking woman stood over me after the pressure dissipated. I'm not sure if I didn't dream her up, but if I did that may explain why I swore I heard her saying something that almost sounded kind. “You're a brave one aren't you. Trying to heal your attacker... I'm not the only one then. I've dealt with him. Don't let...” She had an odd accent when she spoke, but she felt so warm and the lighting worked properly for a moment. There was an odd seeming purr towards the end but I could be imagining this all up. She looked a bit like Hetherir... I must have been dreaming...
To be honest, I'm not sure how much time passed before I woke up back in my quarters with the mother of all headaches. That was one hell of a dream, being lost, found, and then attacked by Mitchel. Yeah... a dream. It had to have been. He would have never have done that never mind Courtney backhanding me earlier in that same dream. Also, me doing something that would draw Vader's attention with this
force they go on about is just ludicrous if you think about it. Why would anyone want me to translate something for them that the 'droids couldn't and that odd guy had to be representative of something. Maybe just my wish to not be the only one who notices these odd things. Although, what does an invisible man have to do with any of this? Well, the subconscious seldom makes sense to the conscious mind when you think about it. At least what little I've read on the matter- when I looked it up on a lark a few years ago- seems to agree. A cool wet cloth placed against my forehead caused me to startle enough that I almost jumped out of the bed.
“Easy, Diamond, easy. You're sick as a dog and running a high fever to boot. The medical droids have done what they can, but you were shaking so hard when they were trying to see to you. What happened to you and Mitchel? He won't wake up and you looked like you were having a grand mal seizure before someone had to go get Aurelius to translate what you were saying. I couldn't get here sooner than he did...” I swear I heard Courtney's voice sounding like it used to, kind and soothing. I don't know why I relaxed underneath it so easily after that nightmare I just had but... Well, a dream is just a dream. It must have been a fever nightmare. I would have answered her but my throat hurt too badly to speak and it did hurt to breathe now that I took a second to realize it. I settled for opening my eyes as much as I could to look at her. It must have been enough for her because I saw her let out a deep breathe before rubbing at her own eyes. “You're awake, that's good. I don't know what Aurelius did but it seemed to stop your seizures and let the droids see to you. They think you might have gotten around something you were allergic to since your immune system was starting to look like it was going to go into something similar to anaphylactic shock, but it wasn't as far as anyone could tell.”
I tried to reach out to touch her arm as I saw her starting to break down into tears. We were alone where-ever we were. I could feel her arm underneath my finger tips as I tried to tell her it was okay, she could cry. I wanted to cry too, so it was okay. I wanted to try to calm and comfort her. It was such a strong feeling that I could practically taste it, never mind touch it. Her skin goose-pimpled after being untouched for so long. Had I been so absorbed in trying to save us all that I had started to shut out my friend that badly? She must be as frightened and angry as I was at times, only having no outlet for it. There was this feeling of a dreadful dark wrongness imposed upon her. I wanted to be able to help her fight back those dark feelings of despair and just let her be herself again. If touch could convey emotions, I wanted mine to convey comfort and warmth. She needed them both badly. I tried to grip her arm gently to reassure her. The room lighting fluctuated a good bit brighter as the temperature regulator decided to work for a rare moment.
The temp regulator failed a moment later as the lights went back to normal when the sliding door caused me to clinch my hand around a cold metal bar. I looked over at Courtney who was staring at my hand while she was crying silently. For a moment she looked almost at peace, just for a moment. The droid that rolled into check on me was accompanied by a tall looming dark figure. Hetherir.
“Why are you wasting time in here when you should be striving to improve your pathetic skills and lot in life Tellurian.
This weakling is beyond redemption.
You are not much better. If you want to be better than the
floor you walk on, you will come with me now. Dry it up wretch.” He sneered down at Courtney as I could only glare at him.
How dare he talk to her like that! Who the fuck did he think he was?! He wasn't any better off than us here. We're all sub-human as far as the fuck-sticks who followed the so-called Emperor seemed to think. Still all my attempts to defend Courtney earned was a sharp punch to the solar plexus before he gripped my friend with that invisible grip and used his claws to grab her by the hair. With that she was dragged out as she didn't struggle against him. The last thing I heard him say was about facing her punishment. I don't know what he was referring to but I didn't like the sound of it. The only thing I could do was start to pray to whomever would listen that she'd emerge alright from it. My throat felt scratch and almost as if someone had crushed it earlier so my attempts to speak came out as silently croaks. The droid seemed impassive to the events surrounding it as it worked.
I didn't know when the man who coughed came in, maybe he came in with Courtney or maybe he came in with the droid. Still, it was enough that I looked up to see cold brown-green eyes look over me as if their owner was paradoxically disinterested yet curious at once. It was an unsettling feeling as a cold smile seemed to appear all Cheshire Cat like for a moment before it faded. “You still hear it ingénue, don't you. This time- possibly- you'll be able to hear over it. No one else hears it but you and I, lonely doomed existence that we have here. The weak will perish in the cold flames of the dark, but the strong... The strong will flourish. They can't measure strength usually, but the
cat was right. She is a weakling, too frightened to think. You should rethink where your loyalties stand ingénue.”
I glared as hard as I could manage at him, I don't know who he is and when the fuck did my nightmares start coming to life?! I wasn't going to give in to anyone, never mind mouthy figments of my imagination. Courtney's not weak! She's stronger than me... She's the one that the Prune Snake was worried about after all. How could he even suggest such a thing!
“Such a pity, you have such beautiful, intriguing eyes. It's such a pity you have to hide them from the fools. Will they dim I wonder. They may fade or freeze in time. I'm sure either are possibilities. Still, they could blaze to the point they generate enough heat that everything else seems frozen in comparison. That's still a possibility with you. You hear it's song clearly as well, you could be the same as me in time. A true rarity with those who come here.”
The cold calculating musing tone that he had somehow made me feel like I needed a bath. This guy was at least ten years older than me... Something about him just creeped me out all over again. I wish I knew what it was about him that made me want to throw something at him and throw up at the same time. I don't know what stopped him from stalking closer, but his arrogantly knowing smirk was too close for my liking as it was. I felt kinda like a mouse confronted by a cobra at this moment.
“It'll be a while before I can visit you again ingénue, do try to stay alive until then.”
I could only blink as he disappeared out of the room as if he were never there in the first place. How the
hell did he do that?! I don't know why I felt the need to curl up into such a tight little ball, but I felt violated somehow. Still, it was a beautiful thing when the droid said I was fully recovered and should be able to go to my own quarters. I'm not sure how I was fully well again as I barely had the strength to stand and my throat hurt like a bitch, but that wouldn't be the first time something unusual happened in this place. There was still Vader to deal with after this as well. Would this day go bad all day? Wasn't the nightmare bad enough?
http://www2.adult-fanfiction.org/forum/index.php/topic/21148-gem-games-arc-author-notes-and-review-responses/ AN: Sorry for the short chapter... This one just didn't want to come out right for a while. So have I confused anyone yet?
