Mospeada Fan Fiction / Macross Fan Fiction ❯ Invid Lullaby ❯ Heaven and Hell ( Chapter 5 )

Invid Lullaby

Disclaimer: I do not own Robotech or its characters. This fan fiction was written for entertainment purposes only. No infringement is intended.

Chapter 5

Heaven and Hell

Dedicated to Admiral RT.

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Rand stood still and contained his urge to pace back and forth at the altar. Rook was running late.

They had found the place by fluke. It was a Spanish-style chapel by the ocean, covered with signs of time and war. It was a miracle that the ancient building had survived decades of alien onslaught and high tides. He thought of it as a symbol, a defiant proof of humanity's endurance.

As he waited with the priest behind him, he examined the benches in front of him. Scattered through the first and second rows, he distinguished familiar faces, puzzlement was evident on their expressions. Not having any suitable explanation to give, Rand shrugged nervously.

Where was she?

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Emil Lang and his godson hadn't talked much since the young man's departure to fight the Invid. Scott's arrival to Moon Base didn't change the fact that much. Both men had acknowledged each other and knew a conversation was pending between them. However, in the hurry to cover up Marlene's arrival, a brief greeting was all they could exchange.

Now, their time to talk had come to be. The Captain expected a long and disapproving speech about his choice of women. He clearly recalled that the man who mentored him during his teenage years, away from his parents, had always been strict. Surprisingly, the dreaded talk didn't happen. Although a part of Emil Lang was concerned for Scott in a rather paternal way, it was evident that the scientist was delighted by the prospect of a hybrid child.

Scott didn't know if that fact should relieve him or scare him to death. Of all people, he was the one who had most closely witnessed the doctor's obsession with research and knowledge. During his years with Lang, Scott had learned that nothing can be observed so closely without being altered and some times even being accidentally destroyed by overzealous interest.

Scott refused to imagine what could happen if Marlene and his son became the latest subject of relentless study on Lang's list.

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Marlene closed her eyes and focused. The metallic entrails of the machine they had strapped her to were cold. She sighed. At least this time the doctor had assured her it wouldn't take long. Or had it been for some other test she had already taken? She didn't remember anymore. The drugs they had given her were making her feel very sleepy and weak. This or that machine, this or that test, they were all the same.

Her first encounter with the medical staff hadn't been great. Assorted pairs of cold, alien eyes examined her. She was like an exotic insect under a kid's magnifying glass. By now, they had tested every fluid in her body and ran every imaginable scan on her. The procedures were taxing. Due to her nursing training, she knew what they were doing -nothing really dangerous, so far. She didn't know how, but she would flee -all be damned- if they tried anything that would hurt her baby. She had, after all, escaped the Invid Regiss.

Some members of the multi-species medical staff weren't always gentle, particularly when Dr. Lang was apparently not looking. But the old man was sharper than he seemed, Marlene knew. More than once she noticed he subtly but effectively sidelined the Karbarran experts on the team. She was sure those two hadn't been his pick.

Behind those strange eyes of his, that were capable of instilling respect, if not fear in each member of the staff, Marlene saw a glint of something she desperately tried to equate to sympathy. She was frantic to find allies among these people.

Scott had been next to her as much as possible. And she knew, in spite of the strong and comforting face he always offered her, that his heart was breaking. No one could possibly want a child of his to be subjected to that much scrutinizing.

By sheer will, Marlene had been able to mentally insulate the baby from what was happening around him. Her eyes and ears ceased being his portals into this world; except, of course, when they shared time alone with his dad.

She had decided that, at the end of the day, when Scott and her were together, she wouldn't add to his worries with complaints. With each kiss and caress they gave each other, her daily encounters with this or that Invid-phobic member of the medical staff got lost in a dark corner of her mind.

They were fighting for a future together and had to be strong.

The baby was growing inside Marlene, fast. He was pulsating energy. Knowing that his consciousness was strengthening gave his mother joy. She lay still while the machine analyzed her body amidst a chorus of even hums and blips.

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The windows, placed high within old walls, allowed rays of sun to illuminate the medium-sized interior chamber. Rand shifted his weight from one foot to the other; anxiety was building inside him. He tried to convince himself that she would be there; it was unlike Rook to leave people waiting.

Could she have changed her mind? With Marlene and Scott's fate unknown, she might not have felt right about the ceremony. Hell, he missed and worried for them too. Perhaps they shouldn't have gone ahead with it.

Rand's sudden fears eased when the woman he loved crossed the chapel's doorframe. Her white, simple dress billowed into the room and shone, reflecting the bright light from the outside. He was so taken by his bride's beauty that he barely noticed the bridesmaids, Annie and Sera, sneaking to their seats quickly before Rook.

The groom was doing his best to hide his nervousness. In his mind, the seconds that Rook took to get close to him got stretched out of proportion. In those moments, seemingly frozen in time, he had time to wonder what in the world had brought them together. Hardheaded as they both were, it was amazing that finally they were about to be married.

He asked her once, what did she see in him? She had smiled. They had just made love for the first time.

"It couldn't have been my good looks alone," he teased, hugging her under the covers.

"You wish," she retorted amused, "you looked so helpless, country boy, I couldn't bring myself to leave you on your own."

"Ha! I'm glad you came to your senses, lady, and stayed where I can protect you," he said. She chuckled in his arms.

"Seriously, why did you stay with me, Rook?" He asked and noticed how the mischievous frame in her eyes had faded into a tranquil, ocean blue. She thought for a while before she answered.

"You understand me, Rand, and you are sweet. I know that you'll be there for me, you'll never give up on us," she told him while she tenderly stroked his messy hair.

"I'll be there for you, Rook, for us," he replied and held her tightly. They clung to each other that night like there would be no tomorrow.

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Sera caught her husband's gaze and cuddled against his chest. Rand and Rook's ceremony had revived memories of her wedding to Lancer. She left everything behind to stay on earth, close to the man that had provoked so many contradictory emotions inside her. He had broken the Invid shell that isolated her from human feelings and taught her many wonderful things about love and human life.

She had never regretted her union with this man; not after the terrible pain of loosing him when the Regiss took her; not even after being disowned by her kind. She knew that she belonged with Lancer and him with her. She never imagined she could love someone the way she had learned to love him. But also now, she knew something was missing.

She thought of her sister and the new force driving her: her baby. With all her heart, Sera wished that all would turn out all right for them.

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"Here are the latest results," the technician told Dr. Lang. He took them and opened them casually.

"Thank you, Moira," he said.

"If that would be all, Dr. I would like to end my shift," she said.

"Yes, that vould be all for now. You kan go." The Garudan started to leave while the Dr. read on, but then Lang's voice stopped her. "Has anybody else seen these, Moira?" She turned and nodded negatively.

"Only you, Dr., and the technician who produced them." He nodded and gestured for her to leave.

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Rook joined Rand in front of the priest at last. The short ceremony ran its course and left the bride and groom standing face to face. Rand lifted the veil from Rook's face and sealed the priest's work with a gentle kiss.

Suddenly, loud sobs broke from the front rows of the chapel. The romantic spell that had descended upon the group of guests broke.

"Sorry guys," stammered Lunk teary, "I always cry at weddings."

Then came the congratulations.

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On the hallway outside the lab, someone waited for Moira, the Garudan, to pass. He looked at her straight in the eyes when she walked by him. She nodded at him subtly and gave him an envelope. The Karbarran grinned evilly as he started walking in the opposite direction. She had done what she had promised.

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