Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Cowboy Bebop Meets Trigun ❯ Forever After ( Chapter 28 )

Disclaimer: -coughIownitnotcough-

 

A/N: Well, here we are on the third to last chapter. I hope it makes you cry with sadness.

 

 

Chapter 28: Forever After

 

Vash gaped at Red Dragon Syndicate headquarters. The entire building was shaking, and bits and pieces of rubble began to break off and fall to the ground. Not only that, but a strange, pulsating light seemed to be emanating from the roof where the cannon part of the Angel Annihilator was. It looked like the weapon was beginning to malfunction, causing the entire building to shake.

Wait... Spike, Wolfwood, and Nightingale are still in there!

“What the hell is that?” Jet muttered.

“Jet! We have to contact Nightingale and Wolfwood! They have to get out of there now!”

“Yeah, you're right. Ed!” Jet called.

Ed raised her hand. “Ed is present, Jet-person!”

“Ed, I need you to contact Nightingale and Wolfwood now!”

“Okey-dokey, Jet-person!”

“Jet, what about Spike?” Vash asked.

Jet sighed, rubbing his temples. “Vash, there's nothing we can do. If he wants out, he'll have to do it on his own.”

 

 

Wolfwood ran through the crumbling hallways, trying to find a way out. He hadn't been able to use the ventilation shaft again for obvious reasons so he had tried finding his way out by foot. However, all the hallways looked the same, making it difficult for Wolfwood to find his way out.

Damn! Why can't things ever be easy?

Then, of course, there was still the matter of leaving Nightingale and Spike behind. Well, seeing how Wolfwood had no idea where Spike was, it wasn't really an issue, but Nightingale was another matter. Sure, she had told him to leave, but should he have? Why did she feel the need to stay behind?

“Nightingale? Wolfwood? Come in if you can here me!” came Jet's voice.

Wolfwood reached for the communicator with his free hand and answered, “Yeah? This is Wolfwood.”

“Listen, you have to get out of that building now! It looks like it's going to collapse.”

“I know. I'm trying to find my way out now. Think you can give me a hand with that?”

“Sure. I'll have Ed help you.”

“Ed can help! Yes, let Ed help!” Ed trilled in the background.

“Hold on a minute, Ed,” Vash said. “Let me talk to him.”

“Oh, ok,” she sulked.

“Preacher Man, have you seen Spike anywhere?”

Wolfwood blinked. “No, I haven't.”

“Man,” Vash sighed, “why did he have to stay behind? Now the building is collapsing and we have no idea if he needs help or not!”

“Vash, stop beating yourself up about it.”

“How do you know that's what I'm doing?”

“Because I know how you are, you Needle-Noggined idiot,” Wolfwood smirked.

“Fine, fine,” Vash said, giving up. “Anyway, if you see him, make sure he gets out. I hate it when people die.”

“Yeah, I know. Now, put Ed on the line so I can get the hell out of here!”

“Ok. Wait a sec... Wolfwood, where's Nightingale?”

“She stayed behind, too,” Wolfwood said solemnly.

“WHAT? WHY?”

“I dunno. All I know is that she said something about the reactor being unstable.”

“But, if the reactor really is unstable, that could cause an explosion of gigantic proportions!”

“Needle Noggin, at this point, there's nothing either of us can do. Now, get me the hell out of here! I want to be out before this damn building before it collapses on top of me!”

“Ok, ok! Here, Ed. Talk away!”

“Yippee! Ed gets to give Wolfy-wood directions!”

“Wolfwood sighed. “Ed, what's the quickest way out of here?”

 

 

Nightingale ran swiftly through each corridor, turning sharply each time she came to an intersection. She had to make it to the control room before the entire complex experienced a reactor meltdown. If there was a meltdown, the entire complex would be destroyed, and the damage done to the surrounding area would not only cause million of dollars worth of property damage but also people's lives. She couldn't allow that to happen.

The look on Wolfwood's face was still fresh on her mind. He had seemed sad, yet understanding was apparent on his features. It was almost as if he knew something that she didn't. Perhaps it had something to do with how exactly she was going to stop the reactor from exploding.

Much as she hated to admit it, Nightingale was unsure at this point how she was going to stop the meltdown. A system override might, yet might not, fix the problem. However, no matter how impossible it would be to fix, Nightingale knew she had to at least try to mend the situation.

Another violent tremor threw her against the wall. She clutched at it, trying not to fall. However, something slick on the floor caused her to lose her balance and slip. She landed on the floor hard. Rubbing her aching backside, she struggled to sit up when she noticed what she had slipped on.

It was blood.

Nightingale stared at it expressionlessly for a moment before pulling herself up of the floor. Oddly enough, the blood seemed to be a trail leading to her destination. As she followed it, the pools of blood became increasingly large, as if the person belonging to this blood had aggravated his condition by moving yet didn't seem to care. Nightingale did her best to avoid the crimson trail.

Finally, she reached the control room. As the door slid open, the first thing she saw was the blood. Blood everywhere. It was pooled on the ground and dripping off the console. The second thing she noticed was Vicious, his body draped over the console. She made her way over to him carefully, trying not to slip. She reached down and put her fingers against his neck, checking for a pulse.

He was dead.

His body was covered in severe burns. It also looked like his entire body had been peppered with debris of some kind. He also seemed to have a gunshot wound to his shoulder. However, the wound that had probably been fatal was the one to his chest. The burns were so severe that the skin had been pealed away.

Nightingale shoved his body off the console, letting it fall to the ground. As she looked down on him with disgust twisting her features, she could see his face, still set in an insane grin, even in death. She gritted her teeth.

I refuse to let this monster win!

Nightingale began to type furiously, trying any, and all, possible combinations to override the system. She knew she didn't have much time as the building continued to shake and crumble more rapidly now. She ignored the blood splattered on the keyboard as the continued her desperate gamble to prevent the meltdown.

As the minutes ticked away for what felt like an eternity, sweat began to bead on her forehead. This couldn't be. In her training as a GENE officer, she had had many simulation sessions, some of which involved shutting off a bomb or preventing a plant meltdown. She had never been the best at it and had failed a few times, but once she had gotten the hang of it, she had always managed to override the system before it blew. Now, however, for some reason, she couldn't.

Then, it came to her. She stared down at Vicious's corpse, his face still grinning back at her, dead eyes wide open. She clenched her fists. It was almost like he was laughing at her from beyond the grave.

I see now what it is he has done. He deactivated the override system. He knew one of us would recognize the signs and come to stop it. He has left us no way out of this nightmare.

Nightingale shook with fury. Then, almost without realizing it, she began to punch the console. Each time she hit it, the keyboard caved in further, leaving a large dent. When she finally punched through the console, cutting her wrists and arms on the jagged edges as her sleeves tore away, she didn't care. Electricity crackled in broken wires, but she didn't care.

It's happening again! She raged. I swore to myself it would never happen again! But it is!

Finally, she slumped down on the floor. Not bothering to look at her bleeding forearms, she put her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking slightly. She looked up again as the room shook more violently than ever before, her face smeared with her own blood.

Have I failed again? Am I bound to repeat that one mistake? Will it forever haunt me?

A vision of a pale red-haired boy with wide hazel eyes flashed in her mind.

No. I refuse to let it happen again. Not again!

She stood up shakily, determined. As she fought to regain some semblance of her composure, she began to walk forward. As she went, she smiled slightly at one memory that she had once glimpsed in Vash's mind. It was of Rem, the woman who had been like his mother.

“The ticket to the future is always blank.”

With renewed determination, she began to follow the path of Vicious's blood back to its origin: the reactor itself.

 

 

“Damnit! What the hell is going on in there?” Jet stormed.

Vash sighed. He honestly didn't know. According to Ed, Wolfwood had made it out of there safely, but he had yet to get back to the ship. Now, only Spike and Nightingale were left in there. Hopefully, they were making their escape right now.

The door to the command center slid open. “Needle Noggin, I'm back!”

“Yay! Wolfy-wood is back!” Ed sang as she attacked him with a hug.

“Ow! Ed, come on, get off!”

“No! Ed wants to play!”

“Ed,” Vash said quietly, “let him up.”

Ed stared at Vash a second before saying, “Ok, Vash-person.”

Wolfwood stood up and brushed himself off. “Ed, why don't you go find Millie or Meryl? They might play with you.”

“O-K!” Ed was out of the room in an instant, Ein at her heels.

“Anything from Spike or Nightingale, Vash?”

Vash sighed. “No, nothing. And, I'm beginning to worry.”

Wolfwood put a hand on Vash's shoulder. “Look, they can handle themselves. Have a little faith, would ya?”

Vash smiled slightly. “Heh, and to think it used to be ME who said stuff like that.”

Wolfwood grinned. “Yeah. You rubbed off on me, ya jerk.”

Vash didn't answer. He was staring at the monitor. The glow from the reactor was becoming more stable. Someone was stabilizing the reaction. But, as Vash looked more closely, he could see that, instead of diminishing, the glow was becoming brighter. Was it because critical mass had finally been reached?

Spike... Nightingale... Where are you?

 

 

Nightingale made it to the reactor. The first thing she noticed as she walked through the door was Spike; lying on his back, blood pooling around him. She rushed to his side immediately and felt for a heartbeat. She felt a slight pulsing sensation against her fingertips.

My God...he's still alive.

Spike had sustained massive injuries. He had suffered severe burns just like Vicious in the same area, but it looked like he had actually saved himself by remaining in one spot. The stab wound to his shoulder had caused some blood loss, but not as much as the burns. Plus, his body looked like shrapnel had peppered it, just like Vicious's.

Her eyes widened. Could Spike have actually detonated a grenade right next to himself and Vicious? Either he was suicidal or a total fool.

Of course, she thought wryly, I have no room to talk. What I am considering is by far much worse.

She gently placed her hands on his chest and closed her eyes in concentration. Just as Vash had all that time ago, she also began to glow as she let her energy wash over Spike's body in an attempt to heal him. Hopefully, he wasn't too far gone to be saved.

Nightingale felt a slight twinge of relief as she felt his wounds begin to close. He groaned a little during the process, but remained still. As she opened her eyes once more, her mismatched eyes met his brown ones.

He sat up slowly and looked around. His eyes hardened. “Where's Vicious?”

“Dead.”

He looked at her. “What are you doing here? And why is the building shaking apart?”

“Before he died, Vicious managed to set the reactor off.”

“But Vash's brother isn't inside it anymore!”

“It does not matter. Energy left over from the Annihilator's use has allowed for it.”

“Can't you override it?”

“No. I already tried. However, Vicious deactivated the override, making it impossible to stop.”

“Damn,” Spike muttered. “What's the point in coming this far if we were just destined to have our asses handed to us?”

Nightingale allowed herself a sad smile. “Sometimes, when the solution isn't clear, we have to make our own.”

Spike stared at her, sudden understanding in his eyes. “Wait, what are you going to do?”

“What I must...”

“You can't be serious! You already look like hell! Are you actually going to-?”

“Mr. Spiegel, when you detonated that grenade next to you, what went through your mind at that exact moment?”

He looked down. “That I was willing...willing to die, if necessary.”

“How, then, can you tell me I should not do what I must?”

“I can't,” he whispered.

“Mr. Spiegel, I want you to get out of here right now. Go quickly.”

Spike stood up and gave her an appraising look.

“Go.”

Spike stared at her a moment before turning around and racing for the exit. Nightingale watched him go.

I hope you found what you were looking for, Mr. Spiegel.

 

 

Jet was pacing again. He couldn't help it. Neither Spike nor Nightingale had come out yet. The anxiety was enough to drive anyone insane! At least Wolfwood had come back. Still, it didn't put off Jet's anxiety over the other two.

Heh, I must be becoming an old worrywart or something. If I'm not careful, I'll start going gray any day now.

“Jet-person!”

“What is it, Ed?”

She pointed at the monitor. “Lookie! Spike-person is coming out of the crumbly-wumbly building!”

“WHAT?”

Sure enough, Spike was running as fast as his legs would carry him out of the now crumbling building. He barely made it out before the entrance collapsed.

“HA HA! The son of a bitch actually did it!” Jet shouted. “Someone go pick him up!”

A few minutes later, Spike walked into the room, his clothes looking a little worse for the wear, but otherwise, he seemed fine. Ed gave him a VERY happy greeting (consisting of her knocking him over with a hug) while Wolfwood shook his hand heartily. Vash's reaction was, perhaps, the most bizarre: he began to wail.

“Uh, Vash, I'm not dead,” Spike pointed out.

“I know, but I was so worried!” he sniffed before he promptly began to wail again.

“All-persons! Lookie!”

Everyone stopped and stared. The reactor's glow was becoming fiercer and the building looked ready to explode at any moment.

“We have to get out of here!” Jet said.

“What about Nightingale?” Vash asked.

“There's nothing we can do for her now,” Spike said solemnly. “She's made her choice.”

“What do you mean by that?” Vash asked heatedly.

Just then there was the sound of a rushing mighty wind and a blinding flash of light.

 

 

Nightingale was floating in a white void. She was vaguely aware that she had strapped herself into the bulb of the Angel Annihilator. In her mind's eyes, she could see the wings flapping so gracefully behind her and the harness imbedded deep in her back. But, there was no pain.

She knew instinctively that the harness drew power from her. However, if she forced her own power out and into the circuits, directing the energy inward instead of outward (which would be necessary for the Annihilator to fire), she could cause the weapon to implode, as well as the entire complex since it was wired into the weapon.

As she began to focus her energy and push it out of her, she began to feel the strain. The pain became unbearable as she forced every bit of her energy out of her until only her life energy remained.

She could sense that she had not forced enough. The circuits had not yet overloaded. So, with her last ounce of strength, she shoved the last bit of her energy out. Then, as the building lit up brilliantly, she smiled wryly, her world going dark.

Whether or not there is a heaven or a hell, will I perhaps be closer to you, wherever I am going?

She blinked. He was there, a boy with pale red hair and wide hazel eyes. He held out his hand to her, a smile on his face. She stared at the hand before smiling back at him. He grinned.

“I knew I'd make you smile someday.”

She nodded, and accepted the hand he offered her.

 

 

Vash clutched his chest. The pain! It was indescribable! What was happening?

He was vaguely aware that he had collapsed on the floor, panting, a cold sweat breaking over him. Everyone gathered around him, asking what was wrong, but he didn't. He felt it. He felt it deep in his soul.

The instant a plant left the world of the living, all others could sense it and mourned their loss. However, the feeling each plant got was different.

Vash knew immediately what he was experiencing. Hot tears stung his eyes as he recognized the truth.

Nightingale was gone. Forever.

 

 

Knives dreamed. He dreamed of the past. He dreamed of the present. And most importantly, he dreamed of the future. However, his dreams were suddenly interrupted by images he did not recognize.

A black-haired girl-child hunched over, glaring at what appeared to be a man.

The same child training diligently with the same man.

A flash of gold as some huge sphere overhead exploded.

A wall reduced to rubble in her rage.

The same girl, now a woman, hanging inside a bulb as she forced her own life force away.

Knives went numb with realization. It was Nightingale at certain intervals in her life. Yet, the last one…

Suddenly, the images stopped altogether, leaving Knives alone. And he realized that he would never see her again in this world.

 

 

-cries loudly-

Knives: ...

I'm sorry everybody! I just thought that chapter was so sad!

Vash: -wails- Oh, it was!

Knives: ...

Vash and Me: -cry on each other's shoulders-

Knives: ...

Come on, Knives! -sniffle- You can't tell me it wasn't sad.

Knives: ...

Look! He's crying!

Knives: -glares- I am not crying!

It's ok to cry.

Knives: I am not a sentimental fool like you.

-pats him on the head- Let it all out, little buddy.

Knives: Grrr...

Anyways, while he's sorting out his emotional issues, leave me a review, please.

Knives: I do NOT have emotional issues.

SURE you don't...