Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Triad 2177 ❯ Stairway to Heaven ( Chapter 29 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Silvace Atronach 
And he's buying a stairway to Heaven...
Non Anime: Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Mecha / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.28.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 207 | Status: Completed
And he's buying a stairway to Heaven...
Non Anime: Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Sci-fi / Romance / Mecha / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.28.2004 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.8K | Visits: 207 | Status: Completed
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<CENTER>All italicized quotes from "Stairway to Heaven", by Led Zeppelin</CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>"There's a [man] who's sure all that glitters is gold
<BR>And [he's] buying a stairway to heaven... </I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>It was morning, or so the clocks across the ship said. Outside the windows, space was slowly passing by. The crew of <I>Entropy</I> were on their way to Jupiter again; but this time not to deliver or go looking for anything, only for Jim to keep running away.
<P>Miryhn was asleep in his burrito of covers, headphones pounding one of his favorite techno groups, Funker Vogt, into his subconscious mind. Vera was hugging one of her pillows tightly as she slept, pretending it was her lovable new boyfriend, carressing it as she slept. Nash was snoring softly, sprawled out across his bed. Judas was quietly curled up on the couch in the lounge, shivering under the slightly cold conditions of the ship. Peniel was curled up at the foot of Vera's bed and Benu stirred softly in his cage. Jim, however, was up all night, standing at the top of the control platform, staring literally into space the whole night. His eyes were bloodshot, bags under each, all due to the recent events that were transpiring. He was too afraid to leave the bridge, too afraid to sleep; something, or someone, was coming for him. Somewhere out there, something was calling him; like a wordless message to his mind, begging him to let go and just head towards it. Like it would never stop until it finally had him. It was the voice of fate, perhaps, like a siren calling him to shipwreck. Ironic, he though, considering he was on a space"ship". The song of this particular siren was enough to keep him awake and he would sometimes stare at the steering wheel, thinking that he was doing just what the siren wanted: leading him and his crew to disaster, leading them all to death.
<P>But like in the legend, he was only human. He wasn't an epic hero like those of Homer's poems, he was just an ordinary man and such tricks like the sirens were easy for him to fall into. However, right now he felt like the victim of the gods themselves, someone condemned by divine creed. It was calling him, something out there, calling him every time he closed his eyes or lost himself in thought; always calling for him with a soft whisper just inaudibly enough that he couldn't hear it and too distant that he couldn't tell where it was.
<P>Always calling him...always calling ever since they left Mars and went into the darkness of space.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...When [he] gets there [he] knows, if the stores are all closed
<BR>With a word [he] can get what [he] came for... </I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>They crew had gathered for breakfast in the kitchen, but Jim didn't join them. Vera bravely ventured to the bridge with a glass of milk and a granola bar, but Jim turned it down. He had been reduced to a fetal position on the floor; all around his position there were cigarettes and random pieces of paper, like he had flew into a rage at one point and simply threw them all to the floor. He kept staring, wide-eyed and paranoid, scared to his very core and frozen solid. He spoke in a distant monotone whenever someone addressed him and he refused to move from his position.
<P>He just kept staring, his mind blank whenever it wasn't hearing the calling of the siren, as he dubbed it. He had somehow broken down to the point where he no longer pondered or questioned anything; he had taken enough mental abuse and now his brain had run out of things to think about. Nothing in his life made sense anymore to him; he was now without purpose or feeling, just a shell of a man due to his own weaknesses finally crashing in on him. He couldn't think of anything, he had shut out every single aspect about himself and was now just one man, no longer James Hauser. He didn't want to be James Hauser anymore, the callow, pathetic fool who kept pushing everything away and running. He didn't ever want to be that man again, he wanted to be someone else, someone who could actually handle their problems. But he was wishing against the impossible; to change one's self so radically was inhuman, and no one could be that perfect. But he just couldn't settle for anything less; he was sick of being just a man, he wanted more.
<P>It was a horrid, twisted feeling he was feeling. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get up or even move around, to eat or to even speak, or even what to say. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to live or die, or if it would really matter anymore. Anything and everything that he formerly was had been shut out and locked away within him; he was vacant, empty, and worthless.
<P>And always....it kept calling him....it was calling every few seconds now.....calling him away....
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...There's a sign on the wall but [he] wants to be sure
<BR>'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Jim! Come on, get up! You can't lay there forever!" Nash demanded from behind.
<P>Jim didn't so much as move a muscle.
<P>"Nash, come on, let's go. He just wants to be alone," Vera said from behind, the sound of her heels tugging Nash's boots across the floor meant she was trying to tug him out of the room.
<P>"But, but....Jim, please! Just tell us what's wrong! Why won't you do anything? Why are you just laying there?" Nash pleaded. Jim could tell that he was instantly brought to tears.
<P>"Nash! Don't make it any harder! Just come on!" Vera insisted.
<P>"Jim! Boss! Captain! Whatever you want to be called, just please, answer us!" Nash pleaded, sobbing once in a while.
<P>The two crew members left the bridge and shut the door. Jim could hear Nash sobbing all the way down the hall until it was drowned out by the siren, putting it's insane call above all else in his mind.
<P>Then suddenly, something caught in his mind; a note of sympathy hit the back of his throat and struggled to escape, a muttering of how he was okay and Nash shouldn't worry. However, his body was still frozen without purpose. Or was it?
<P>Something fought from the back of his mind and he reached for a pen on the console. Tears began to well up in his eyes and suddenly he began picking up random pieces of paper from around him and scrawling across them the phrase "There was a hole here. It's gone now" over and over again. When he was done with them all, he broke down into a sob, laying flat on the floor, the tears stinging his dry eyes. The hole in his soul, the endless void he kept staring into all his life, was starting to suck him and everything he ever knew in. It was just like Nietzche said, the more you stare into the darkness, the more it stares right back into you.
<P>Suddenly, he looked up as the siren became a little louder in his mind. He swore he could hear metallic clanging and banging, beating a sinister arhythmic beat, softly but surely. His eyes bulged as he looked up and around, trying to figure out what it was or where it was coming from. His directional sense was failing; it sounded like it was coming from everywhere, or from within his own mind...
<P>He flew into a rage again, rising and slamming his fist against the wall of the bridge. The moment he did, all the sounds ceased and he was alone again in his own head with the soft beeps and blips of the bridge controls. He began to go into hysterics, breathing fast and heavy as he sobbed, staggering backwards and begging whatever supernatural force was doing this to him to stop. What was it and why was it doing this? Could this be...his punishment after all this time?
<P>He staggered to the middle of the bridge, in the middle of his nebula of cigarettes and desperate reminders of the hole missing in his soul. Then, as he looked up at the wall over the doorway, he saw it there scrawled out in crimson letters; the phrase that started this whole chain of events, the phrase that sent him into the downward spiral he was riding on:
<P>"Just go and die, James! It's the only way you'll ever see her again!"
<P>A moan escaped his lips as he fell backwards on to the stairs, gripping his head. The siren was calling just a little louder now, but still too softly for him to tell what it was. He sobbed again and looked up once more, trying to convince himself that it wasn't really there. However, this time it was replaced by crimson lettering all over the walls of the bridge:
<P>"You're still a criminal, James, and you need to be punished."
<P>"There's nobody who loves you anymore, is there, James? a killer, a murderer, a filthy, rotten, coward and that's exactly why!"
<P>"You're the monster, James, you're the one who's lost their humanity!"
<P>"Just die, James, die and do the entire human race a favor you sick, disgusting excuse of a man!"
<P>Silent voices assaulting his fragile and defeated mind. Words on the wall, sending him double meanings. Threats, accusations....but at the same time, the truth. The one thing that might save him so long as he could find the strength to accept it. But how? How could he now if he couldn't before?
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
<BR>And my spirit is crying for leaving.
<BR>In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
<BR>And the voices of those who standing looking...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>The radar was going off, signifying an attack upon the ship. Of course, everyone but Jim was concerned about this and hurried to the bridge to see what was going on. Jim was there, laying flat on his back, seemingly comatose as he stared at the ceiling.
<P>"What the hell could be coming after us?" Nash asked over the shoulder of Judas, whom was looking over the sensors.
<P>"Several unmanned units from what I can tell. Visual shows no cockpit on them, so it's an A.I. attacking us," Judas replied.
<P>"How bad is it?" Vera asked, worried.
<P>"There's a pack of them, but it shouldn't be too hard. You'll have to be careful, though, they're painted black and might be hard to hit," Judas said, taking a deep breath.
<P>Miryhn sighed. "Alright, no time to waste then," he said, then hurried off.
<P>"Nash, you should come too. Zeus might be helpful here," Judas said, looking back at Nash.
<P>"So long as I don't kill anyone, I'm fine," Nash replied, then walked off. He paused to look back at Jim and sighed before hurrying off.
<P>A moment later, Judas and Vera left as well, taking time to examine Jim as well. Neither said a word and made sure to shut the door when they left.
<P>"It's coming, I know it. I don't know what, but it's coming," Jim whispered to himself. "God? The devil? Something wants me, bad, something has to have me and it won't stop until it does!" he then said with an angry crescendo.
<P>He sat up, something temporarily filling his being as so to animate him to find out the truth about what was really going on. The words on the wall, they had to be some kind of illusion; it was like something was forcing him to look beyond the obvious, to test the limits of human consciousness and believe in something more. What immortal power could possibly be coming closer to him? What terrible and mighty thing could have this much sway over one man's life?
<P>"James..."
<P>It was like a whisper, coming from behind the door. Did he really hear that, or was it just in his head? It couldn't have, no, it wouldn't have been one of the crew members. He had tuned the battle outside the ship out entirely, focusing only on what was going on around him and him alone. So then it had to be something...
<P>"James..."
<P>There it was again. Chilled to his bones with fear, he walked closer to the door, almost like it was drawing him nearer on invisible strings. He got closer to the door and then suddenly hit the opening button, it sliding open to reveal an empty corridor. A cold draft blew at his back and something seemed to be pulling him further inside. A curiosity he couldn't quite explain; a feeling of want to know more about what exactly was happening to him. He slowly walked down the hallway, the footsteps the only sound around him. A good three yards down the hall, the door shut behind him, causing him to jump and turn around. The corridor was suspiciously dark now, making Jim have to squint to see around and ahead of him. He continued to walk, noticing that the battle outside the ship was completely out of earshot; almost like he wasn't even really in the same ship anymore. He came to the stairs that lead up to the lounge and noticed something odd. One of the bulkheads that locked off the back end of the ship was closed, suggesting that the only way to go was up. He figured someone must have accidently triggered it when they left; after all, the ship was old and out of repair, so he'd just have Nash fix it or something. He headed back to the bridge and hit the button to open the door, but a fizzle and pop were all that replied. It was like the door mechanism had broken the moment he walked away.
<P>Now things were getting strange. It was impossible to break two doors that quickly, wasn't it? Something was definately funny here; in the back of his mind, Jim thought that the siren was getting louder, but still just too soft for him to make out what it was saying. He turned and jogged back down the hallway, starting to feel very uneasy as he stopped by the bulkhead and headed up the stairs. At the top, he saw a bright light blaring from the kitchen. He shaded his eyes and peeked inside, unable to see anything in the glare. Biting back his fear, he pushed forward and grasped whatever was making the light. In his hand was a small flashlight, the light now reduced to a more normal level for the bulb of that size. It would definately prove handy in making his way around the now darkened ship, so he stuck it on his belt and turned to leave.
<P>That's about when the fridge door exploded open and a small, partially mummified dog leapt out. Panicking, Jim fumbled backwards towards the opposite end of the kitchen. The dog snarled at him and slowly approached, curling back its lips to reveal rotten fangs. Jim grabbed the microwave off the counter and tossed it at the pup, knocking it backwards, but damaging the appliance in the process. He then found a knife and ran up to the stunned canine, ramming the blade into its neck. It whelped and fell dead, bleeding blood, the color all too familiar to Jim.
<P>"No, wait," he said, staggering back. "What have I done? I've taken another life?" he asked himself, shuddering. He couldn't keep pushing it away, he was still himself and seeing the defeated canine reminded him all to much of-
<P>"James..."
<P>It was clearer this time. It was a female, her tone soft and pleading. But from where, he couldn't tell. He stepped over the dog and peered into the hallway, using his flashlight to get a better look in both directions. The way to the lounge was clear, but to the left, where the stairs were, was blocked off; but this time, it was blocked by something that once again sent a chill down his spine: crime scene tape. From the floor to the ceiling, it was layered into a wall that he was sure he couldn't get through unless he found something to pierce it with. Without much choice, he headed for the lounge, seeing that an old TV show was on and playing. He went inside to get a closer look and found a scene all to familiar to him...
<P>While an old soap opera played on the TV, the coffee table was cluttered with objects that couldn't have possibly been there before. Bottles of anti-depressants, half-drunken bottles of various alcohols, a neat stack of smoked cigarettes built within the ashtray, and the couch had indentions, like an invisible person was laying there. Very faintly, he could hear sobbing...
<P>With a shriek of terror and a moan of painful recollection, Jim darted into the passenger deck, only to find that it was just as empty as the rest of the ship was. All the windows were covered in crime scene tape, making his flashlight the only light source in the room. He spotted something in the back row of chairs and headed up to it, finding a package wrapped like a birthday present sitting there. He picked up the card attached and read it aloud:
<P>"'Here's a little something for your recent marriage, Jim. Me and the boys know that you'll probably need it some day when the wife is giving you a lot of shit. Trust me, it works for all of us when we need to let her know who's the man of the house. Signed, the boys at the shipyard'," he read. "What the hell could possibly-"he began to ask as he tore off the wrapping and opened the box. Inside was a hunting rifle, complete with two boxes of ammo. Jim's eyes widened as he fumbled back into one of the seats, dropping his "gift" to the floor. "That's....that's horrible! Who would ever think to?"
<P>"James...."
<P>It was like it was answering his own question. Him, of course, would think to; in fact, he already did.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>....And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
<BR>Then the piper will lead us to reason.
<BR>And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
<BR>And the forests will echo with laughter.....</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>The TV was suddenly reduced to fuzz and white noise in the other room, causing Jim to startle once again. The sobbing was replaced with a low groan, like a monstrocity was growling for food. Now completely freaked out of his mind, Jim reached down and picked up the rifle, clumsily loading it from what elementary knowledge of firearms he had. His hands shaking, he crept into the lounge and almost lost his bladder at what he saw.
<P>It was a highly bloated and grossly deformed female figure. "She" stood there in the middle of the lounge on stumps for feet and legs, a stomach of deformed and lacerated flesh hanging over and its stubs for arms flailing around to keep balance. There was no face on it, but there was a nose and indents for eyes, and a small patch of green hair with crimson stains. A groan escaped an unknown oraface on its body, the sound giving Jim the impression that it was in pain. It staggered up, a scream now escaping it like a hoarse and haggard old wench writhing in anger. The sound was all too familiar, causing Jim to pinch his eyes shut to keep from crying again.
<P>"What the fuck are you? Who is doing this? Why? Why me?" he begged to know.
<P>The creature was getting closer, causing the hair on Jim's neck to stand up. Instinctively, he raised the rifle and shot at it. He kept firing until all five rounds in the gun were used up and he heard a flop noise. Opening an eye, he saw the creature on the floor, flailing helplessly on limbs that were too short to right the body. Somehow, the same rage that filled him when he saw how helpless his wife had become filled him and he reloaded, putting a mercy-shot into the heart of the beast.
<P>Now sobbing again, he walked over the almost deflating creature and headed back to the hallway. The crime scene tape wall was now cut out with a large hole to allow him to exit. He stepped through it and went down the stairs, ready to put another shell in anything that came close. He was too scared to think about how or why any of this was happening anymore, but it seemed obvious that it was leading him around, showing him things and then testing him. There, at the bottom of the stairs, written in blood across the walls, was yet another phrase that reduced Jim to tears:
<P>"If you want to see Katherine, you should just die! But you might be heading to a different place than her, James..."
<P>He screamed and bolted back up the hallway towards the bridge, not knowing where else to go; the bulkhead was still closed after all, so he didn't have much choice. As he ran, he passed yet more messages on the wall:
<P>"You think you'll get Heaven for your sins? I think you deserve Hell!"
<P>"You will always suffer for your sins!"
<P>A moan of mental agony escaped his lips as he pounded the button to open the bridge door. It responded and light poured into the hallway, almost blinding him.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
<BR>There's still time to change the road you're on.
<BR>And it makes me wonder...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Jim! Where have you been?" Miryhn asked, sitting on the stairs up to the control platform.
<P>"We got rid of all the enemies, but when we came back, it was like you disappeared!" Vera added, her standing nearby Miryhn with her arms folded.
<P>"Plus I found the microwave trashed on the floor, what was that about?" Nash asked, leaning on one of the consoles.
<P>Judas was keeping to himself off to the side, looking around suspiciously.
<P>"I...I....um...." Jim said, stammering for words to explain. He looked around, his skin white as a sheet. It was strange; it looked like nothing had ever happened, the ship was still the same. However, he still had his flashlight and rifle, which was starting to indicate to him that maybe the whole thing was all in his head. Was he going insane? Was he only imagining these things? Could he possibly be suffering from some form of painful psyshosis?
<P>"Why do you have a rifle with you?" Nash then asked, raising an eyebrow.
<P>Jim was too startled to reply. He looked up at the space just above the glass at the front of the bridge and read another message. This time, it said:
<P>"Your Judgement is coming, James. Decide which path you take. You know it's coming, you can't stop it any longer. Just decide and go there without any more fuss."
<P>He shuddered, somehow knowing exactly what that meant. He was condemned, he was going to die; something well beyond human comprehension was coming for him and it was going to send him to his fate depending on what he did next. The siren, calling <I>Entropy</I> to shipwreck....the illusions he was seeing, the very life being sucked out of his body and all the painful things he was seeing; something horrible was going to happen, he could tell. Jim then sucked up his gut and knew what he had to do as his final act as the captain of the ship. If he did this, if he could protect his now loyal crew, then perhaps he'd have his chance...
<P>"All of you, you're all fired," Jim announced.
<P>"Huh?" Vera said, instantly confused.
<P>"Say what?" Miryhn chimed in with the same confusion.
<P>Nash just sloped his brow, Judas wasn't paying attention.
<P>"You heard me, you're all fired, okay? I want you all off my ship right now. Get your shit, get your Frames, and leave!" Jim commanded with steel in his voice.
<P>"But we're only hours away from Ganymede! Why bail now-" Miryhn began to ask, but was cut off when Jim fired the rifle into a nearby console, shorting it out.
<P>"You're all leaving, even if I have to get you off in body bags!" Jim said, furious. "I'm not exactly mentally stable here, so nobody better fuck with me. Just leave, now!"
<P>"But we can't leave you out here! Judas just found out that those Raptors were probably from the Earth military! They know that we were involved with Dingo and his pals and now-" Vera began to explain, but was cut off just like Miryhn when Jim fired a round to the side of her. She whelped and staggered aside.
<P>"This is an order as your employer, boss, and captain of this vessel! I want you all to leave, now! If you stay on this ship, I can guarantee you that you won't be alive much longer," Jim said firmly, holding up his rifle. "I'll only say it one more time. Pack up every last bit of your shit and leave."
<P>With a sigh, Miryhn was the first to stand up and head for the door. Jim stepped aside and let him pass. Vera had a long look at Jim and then looked about to cry, following closely behind Miryhn. Nash looked angrily at Jim as he passed, Jim replying his look with a stone-cold glare. Judas didn't even glance, leaving straight after the others.
<P>It wasn't long before each crew member had stripped their room of their belongings and put them away in old boxes. Nash proposed that they use the Frames' Vector Traps to store all their stuff and was responded by a worried look from Vera and a simple nod from Miryhn. They did so, save keeping the animals Benu and Peniel for transport in the cockpit, and were soon ready to leave.
<P>"Miryhn, what are we going to do?" Vera asked Miryhn before they were about to go.
<P>"I don't know. We'll talk about it on the way," Miryhn replied before being hugged tightly by Vera. He looked down at the top of her head with a despaired look, having to lie to her. Truth be told, he was just as lost as she was probably feeling. <I>Entropy</I> was their home and had been for so long now; going anywhere else would certainly be difficult to adjust to.
<P>"Yeah, come on, Vera, we'll just head to Ganymede and figure it out on the way. We'll stick together until then," Nash said from Zeus' open cockpit.
<P>"I guess you're right. But what about-" Vera began to say before looking at Jim, who was standing near the hangar door looking at them impatiently.
<P>"Don't worry. He must have his reasons," Miryhn said, stroking Vera's hair.
<P>Vera sighed and stood on her toes to kiss Miryhn once. She then trotted off to Freya and put Peniel in her lap. Miryhn shuffled to Masamune and sat, Benu's cage in between his legs on the floor. He looked up at Jim and gave him a smile, grateful for all the guy had told him about life, love, and where to go from there. Jim's impatient look softened and he looked at the floor, unable to find the right way to reply. Miryhn frowned and closed Masamune's cockpit, the others doing the same. Jim ducked inside the doorway and closed it just as the back of the ship opened and his crew departed. He walked slowly back up to the bridge, where he sat in his chair and began to cry again. He didn't want them to leave, he really didn't, but if they stayed any longer, they'd be victims of his Judgement as well. He, <I>Entropy</I>, and everything up until this point, would soon be all over...
<P>He just hoped that by protecting them, he had chosen the right path...
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
<BR>The piper's calling you to join him,
<BR>Dear [man], can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
<BR>Your stairway lies on the whispering wind...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>He sat in his chair for a long time, staring forward until he calmed down. The idea of perishing all alone was always frightening to him and now he would have to do it. It was like this was all some carefully planned and elaborate scheme to put him through as much shit as possible; in order to drive him insane, though? Or what really was the point of all this? Who or what was doing it? And when would it end?
<P>Eventually, it all just seemed to settle in and he closed his eyes, nodding his head back. Sleep was catching up to him and he figured if he was going to go, it would be best to do it during his sleep. Fast, easy, painless, and he'd never know it happened. But that's about when the siren suddenly grew louder, much louder; but ironically, it wasn't even a voice at all. The "siren" all along was an old air-raid siren from back in twentieth century Earth, used to indicate that danger was coming or that the area was under attack. The irony was nearly killing Jim; a siren and an air-raid siren....funny....
<P>He opened his eyes as the siren kept going in the background, revealing a drastically changed spaceship. The walls were rusted over and covered in layers of mold, looking as though they were so old and decayed that they could break appart at any moment. The entire front canopy was covered in crime scene tape, blocking all view to the outside space as well as any means of steering the crate successfully. Upon a closer look, there were what looked like small viens in the walls, pulsing blood or whatever unknown substance it could be around. They seemed to be spreading around slowly, giving Jim a moment of panic.
<P>The first thing he did was scoop up his rifle and reload it from the box in his pocket. Next he hit the button by the door and charged down it, too scared to look back or even think. It was like he was on a totally different ship now, a ship from some "otherworld" or something; like he was slowly leaving reality, moving into a realm no one had ever seen or wanted to be in. It was a demon's paradise, no doubt; a trip to Hell, in other words.
<P>"James..."
<P>It was clearer now more than ever, coming straight from the back of the ship; straight from the hangar. His mind seemed to travel without his body down the heating ducts, revealing to him a woman standing in the middle of the hangar. He snapped back to his own body, shaking it off, and charged forward. Somehow, all this seemed to be coming from her; a feeling deep down that he couldn't really explain. Jim knew he was feeling the effects of siren on him now and it was all clear: he was being called now, summoned in full strength. A pull he couldn't escape now, the drag down to the Hell he rightfully deserved. He was being Judged, and it was now that he'd determine for himself where he'd go for the rest of his life.
<P>"James....."
<P>He ran down the hall, not bothering to look back. Every door along the way was boarded up and locked tightly, the stairwell bound off with crime scene tape. His sprint came to an end at the hangar door, where he punched the button and it slid open, revealing a dimly lit hangar in the same style as the rest of the ship.
<P>"James, you finally came!" a female figure said happily from the middle of the hangar.
<P>He couldn't believe his eyes as she stepped forward; it was Katherine standing there in the same dress the night he me her, there like nothing had ever happened to her. He wanted to believe it was her, but something was wrong here. The siren kept going in the background, almost like it was both calling him and warning him of danger.
<P>"Katherine? Is that you?" Jim asked, awestruck.
<P>"Of course it is. I never left you, I was just where you couldn't see me, or touch me," she said, stepping forward.
<P>"But you died! I watched with my own eyes!" Jim exclaimed.
<P>"I can't be dead, I'm alive right now! See?" Katherine said, taking his hand and putting it on her side. "I'm warm, see? Dead people don't feel like this."
<P>"Dead people also can't come out of nowhere onto a spaceship that's quickly turning into a slice of Hell itself!" Jim shouted, stepping away and yanking his hand back. "What are you? Who are you? Tell me, Katherine!"
<P>"I'm not Katherine, James. Don't you recognize me? I'm that woman that you hated so much that you condescended me! You treated me like a baby because you didn't want to love me the way you should have! I'm that woman that you killed because you were only thinking of yourself!" Katherine shouted, steadily growing more angry with her accusations.
<P>"No! You have it all wrong! There's more to it than that!" Jim shouted, almost pleading. Old memories resurfaced, it was just like it was back then...
<P>"He's coming for you, James. Time to die!" she shouted and let out an ear-piercing shriek. Her skin melted away to reveal a horrific demon in a female shape. She sprouted a long, pointy tail and two bat-like wings, her new skin leathery and soiled with shades resembling dried blood.
<P>"No, I can't! Not if it means living every day like this! I don't want to go, I can't after all I've done!" Jim pleaded.
<P>"I pleaded too, James, and all you did was think of yourself!" the demonic Katherine shouted in a cacophonous voice. The creature shot forward and threw its nails across his chest, instantly drawing blood.
<P>Jim stumbled backwards and cringed. Everything was much clearer now and feeling physical pain somehow made it all add up. This was his final test, a test to see if he could overcome the one thing that lead him down this path.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...And if you listen very hard
<BR>The truth will come to you at last.
<BR>When all are one and one is all...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Sorry, Miryhn, but I'll have to cash in on that stairway right about now," Jim said, then raised his rifle. He quivered, still scared out of his mind to aim straight. His aim was true enough and he shot the demon right in the chest. It was hard enough on him to do so, bringing back all the pain of having to commit a murderous act on someone else, even if it was such an inhuman beast.
<P>"You're attacking me again? Why do you hate me so much, James? Come on, tell me!" the demon shrieked and took to the air above the hangar.
<P>"I never hated you, Katherine! I loved you more than you probably ever imagined! I just didn't know how to help you, that's all. You were so down that....that it was you who forgot how to love!" Jim shouted, working up the courage to say it even though it easily brought tears to his eyes.
<P>"You liar!" the demon shrieked and released a maelstrom of small red tentacles from its fingers. Jim quickly ducked behind a stack of boxes and reloaded while the tentacles retracted back into the demon.
<P>"Why do I hate you, you ask? Why are you doing this to me is what I want to know!" Jim cried out.
<P>"You deserve to be punished, James. Punished every single day of the rest of your life!" the demon screamed.
<P>"By you? The one who holds nothing more than misunderstood hate for me? Who are you to judge me when you only listen to yourself?" Jim shotued, now furious as he raised the rifle again and shot the demon in the stomach, now having a bit more accuracy.
<P>"It's all about you, isn't it, James?" the demon cried out as it flew in close and stabbed at him with its tail.
<P>Jim stumbled aside and tumbled behind it, turning and raising the rifle again to shoot it in the back. The demon took off to the air above the hangar agian.
<P>"No, it was like this! I tried my best to help you, I wanted you to live and to be happy again. It wasn't just for me, but for you too because when you were glad, so was I! And when you were sad, so was I! What's what we shared, don't you get it?" Jim cried out.
<P>"How dare you keep wearing our wedding band! You dance on my grave by running your mouth, James! I'll never forgive you, never!" the demon shrieked, sending another wave of tentacles at him.
<P>Jim bolted to the side to dodge. "No, it isn't like that! I can't forget you no matter what and I regret it every day of my life! It's a reminder of what I should have to suffer and it's a reminder of what we use to have!" he said with steel in his voice, returning fire.
<P>"You liar! You only say those things to serve yourself! You hated me and you never wanted to help to begin with! I was a burden and nothing more!" the demon accused.
<P>Jim bit his lip. "Okay, I admit it, I did have a sense of animosity towards you. I wanted to just give up and run away, Katherine, I wanted to stop trying because you obviously didn't want me to. I wanted my old life back, can't you understand? I wanted us, or at the very least one of us, to just be happy again!"
<P>"So the truth comes out!" the demon shrieked, then cackled in delight.
<P>"This isn't a ruse! It's what I really feel!" Jim shouted as loud as he could and let loose another round from the rifle, this time landing in the neck of the beast. It moaned and collapsed to the floor. "Now I understand everything. Now I see what you and all this really is!" he said, so upset that he had to clear a lump in his throat. "You're not Katherine at all! You're that horrid, twisted, digusting excuse for a human being that she turned into!" he shouted, putting his boot down on the monster's throat. "This is the only thing I can do for you now, Katherine, I can slay this thing and free your soul. And by doing so, I can put aside every damn thing that's pained me all these years! I'm going to be free, God damn it!" he shouted, both furious and determined as he raised the rifle to his shoulder and aimed it at the demon's head. "Free!" he roared as he unloaded all the remaining shells into the demon's head, resulting in a bloody mess. "Rot in hell, you filthy bitch!" he roared again as he suddenly broke into tears again.
<P>He stumbled backwards to his rear end and dropped his weapon to the side. He put his face in his hands and simply bawled, a torrent of emotions washing over him. He was sad to have to kill something again, but for some reason, euphoric to the point of tears. The demon his beloved had become was now dead, slayed by his own hand, and she and he could finally rest in peace...
<P>The hangar door flew open, revealing a brightly lit corridor back to the bridge. Jim, almost as though he were a free-floating spirit, no longer bound by flesh, seemed to float towards it. He went down the hallway all the way to the bridge and gasped in awe at what he saw.
<P>There stood an absolutely gorgeous Katherine, clad in a white ribbon that encircled her body and covered her decently. She wore fantastic beaded necklaces and a gold hairpieces adorned with jewels, her entire body glowing softly with an other-worldly feel. She smiled softly, about to cry at seeing her husband before her.
<P>"James," she simply said.
<P>The way she said it was all too familiar. It was the same way she said it every time she saw him, long before she had ever changed. It was also the same way the voice in his head had said it, making the whole experience come full-circle for him. It was obvious, Katherine was both his plague and his salvation; his own demon and his own angel.
<P>"Is it....really you?" Jim simply asked, quivering with delight, unable to stop his tears of joy.
<P>"You did it, James, you saved us both. I can now go and join the rest of the heavenly maidens, as you have desired ever since you kept me so close to your heart," Katherine said, crying as well.
<P>"The who?" Jim just had to ask, smirking stupidly.
<P>"The tennyo," Katherine said with a giggle. "But like all heavenly beings, we're also susceptible to those that are demonic. That's the best way I can metaphor what occurred."
<P>"Nevermind that, I'm just so glad I could see you again," Jim said, reaching out and embracing his lost love. Despite what he thought, she wasn't a ghost, she was real enough; warm, loving, and her salty tears touching his skin.
<P>"You can see me all the time from now on, James. It's time to go," Katherine said, kissing his forehead. "You've suffered long enough and your sin has been cleansed. You can now be happy again for all that you've done."
<P>"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Jim said, shaking his head and pinching his face for another sob.
<P>"You helped a lonely seraph find his way, you helped two souls find the love they never knew they shared, you saved all of them from peril, and you found the strength to overcome all your grief," Katherine explained. Slowly, light was enveloping the two.
<P>"That's because it was you, Katherine. I would do anything for you, I love you that much," Jim said, choking up again.
<P>"I know, Jim, and now you can be as free and happy as you always wanted to be. Together, with me, forever," Katherine said, holding him tighter and slowly embracing him on the lips.
<P>"Thank you....thank you," was all Jim could muster. It was about that time that the arm of Deus, transformed into a blade long enough to slice the ship top-to-bottom slammed into the front of the bridge. It tore through the hull like a knife in butter, slicing Jim's fragile flesh in half along with the rest of his ship. Deus completed the cut and <I>Entropy</I> exploded, taking with it the life of its captain, James Rodney Hauser.
<P>And so, with that, the little row boat to Heaven sank, but its passengers were safely back in the river; they were free to float for the time being, but the currents of fate were still to move them along, having much more in store. As for Jim, he took his place in the great below, resting in the ebb and flow of eternity; always alongside the love he lost so long ago. And now they can share in the music they so lovingly made together once again.
<P>Rest in peace, piano man.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>And [he's] buying a stairway to heaven..."</I>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>End of Acte 2. Please remain seated, as Acte 3 will begin shortly...</I></CENTER>
</BODY>
</HTML>
<TITLE></TITLE>
<BODY>
<CENTER>All italicized quotes from "Stairway to Heaven", by Led Zeppelin</CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>"There's a [man] who's sure all that glitters is gold
<BR>And [he's] buying a stairway to heaven... </I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>It was morning, or so the clocks across the ship said. Outside the windows, space was slowly passing by. The crew of <I>Entropy</I> were on their way to Jupiter again; but this time not to deliver or go looking for anything, only for Jim to keep running away.
<P>Miryhn was asleep in his burrito of covers, headphones pounding one of his favorite techno groups, Funker Vogt, into his subconscious mind. Vera was hugging one of her pillows tightly as she slept, pretending it was her lovable new boyfriend, carressing it as she slept. Nash was snoring softly, sprawled out across his bed. Judas was quietly curled up on the couch in the lounge, shivering under the slightly cold conditions of the ship. Peniel was curled up at the foot of Vera's bed and Benu stirred softly in his cage. Jim, however, was up all night, standing at the top of the control platform, staring literally into space the whole night. His eyes were bloodshot, bags under each, all due to the recent events that were transpiring. He was too afraid to leave the bridge, too afraid to sleep; something, or someone, was coming for him. Somewhere out there, something was calling him; like a wordless message to his mind, begging him to let go and just head towards it. Like it would never stop until it finally had him. It was the voice of fate, perhaps, like a siren calling him to shipwreck. Ironic, he though, considering he was on a space"ship". The song of this particular siren was enough to keep him awake and he would sometimes stare at the steering wheel, thinking that he was doing just what the siren wanted: leading him and his crew to disaster, leading them all to death.
<P>But like in the legend, he was only human. He wasn't an epic hero like those of Homer's poems, he was just an ordinary man and such tricks like the sirens were easy for him to fall into. However, right now he felt like the victim of the gods themselves, someone condemned by divine creed. It was calling him, something out there, calling him every time he closed his eyes or lost himself in thought; always calling for him with a soft whisper just inaudibly enough that he couldn't hear it and too distant that he couldn't tell where it was.
<P>Always calling him...always calling ever since they left Mars and went into the darkness of space.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...When [he] gets there [he] knows, if the stores are all closed
<BR>With a word [he] can get what [he] came for... </I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>They crew had gathered for breakfast in the kitchen, but Jim didn't join them. Vera bravely ventured to the bridge with a glass of milk and a granola bar, but Jim turned it down. He had been reduced to a fetal position on the floor; all around his position there were cigarettes and random pieces of paper, like he had flew into a rage at one point and simply threw them all to the floor. He kept staring, wide-eyed and paranoid, scared to his very core and frozen solid. He spoke in a distant monotone whenever someone addressed him and he refused to move from his position.
<P>He just kept staring, his mind blank whenever it wasn't hearing the calling of the siren, as he dubbed it. He had somehow broken down to the point where he no longer pondered or questioned anything; he had taken enough mental abuse and now his brain had run out of things to think about. Nothing in his life made sense anymore to him; he was now without purpose or feeling, just a shell of a man due to his own weaknesses finally crashing in on him. He couldn't think of anything, he had shut out every single aspect about himself and was now just one man, no longer James Hauser. He didn't want to be James Hauser anymore, the callow, pathetic fool who kept pushing everything away and running. He didn't ever want to be that man again, he wanted to be someone else, someone who could actually handle their problems. But he was wishing against the impossible; to change one's self so radically was inhuman, and no one could be that perfect. But he just couldn't settle for anything less; he was sick of being just a man, he wanted more.
<P>It was a horrid, twisted feeling he was feeling. He wasn't sure if he wanted to get up or even move around, to eat or to even speak, or even what to say. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to live or die, or if it would really matter anymore. Anything and everything that he formerly was had been shut out and locked away within him; he was vacant, empty, and worthless.
<P>And always....it kept calling him....it was calling every few seconds now.....calling him away....
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...There's a sign on the wall but [he] wants to be sure
<BR>'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Jim! Come on, get up! You can't lay there forever!" Nash demanded from behind.
<P>Jim didn't so much as move a muscle.
<P>"Nash, come on, let's go. He just wants to be alone," Vera said from behind, the sound of her heels tugging Nash's boots across the floor meant she was trying to tug him out of the room.
<P>"But, but....Jim, please! Just tell us what's wrong! Why won't you do anything? Why are you just laying there?" Nash pleaded. Jim could tell that he was instantly brought to tears.
<P>"Nash! Don't make it any harder! Just come on!" Vera insisted.
<P>"Jim! Boss! Captain! Whatever you want to be called, just please, answer us!" Nash pleaded, sobbing once in a while.
<P>The two crew members left the bridge and shut the door. Jim could hear Nash sobbing all the way down the hall until it was drowned out by the siren, putting it's insane call above all else in his mind.
<P>Then suddenly, something caught in his mind; a note of sympathy hit the back of his throat and struggled to escape, a muttering of how he was okay and Nash shouldn't worry. However, his body was still frozen without purpose. Or was it?
<P>Something fought from the back of his mind and he reached for a pen on the console. Tears began to well up in his eyes and suddenly he began picking up random pieces of paper from around him and scrawling across them the phrase "There was a hole here. It's gone now" over and over again. When he was done with them all, he broke down into a sob, laying flat on the floor, the tears stinging his dry eyes. The hole in his soul, the endless void he kept staring into all his life, was starting to suck him and everything he ever knew in. It was just like Nietzche said, the more you stare into the darkness, the more it stares right back into you.
<P>Suddenly, he looked up as the siren became a little louder in his mind. He swore he could hear metallic clanging and banging, beating a sinister arhythmic beat, softly but surely. His eyes bulged as he looked up and around, trying to figure out what it was or where it was coming from. His directional sense was failing; it sounded like it was coming from everywhere, or from within his own mind...
<P>He flew into a rage again, rising and slamming his fist against the wall of the bridge. The moment he did, all the sounds ceased and he was alone again in his own head with the soft beeps and blips of the bridge controls. He began to go into hysterics, breathing fast and heavy as he sobbed, staggering backwards and begging whatever supernatural force was doing this to him to stop. What was it and why was it doing this? Could this be...his punishment after all this time?
<P>He staggered to the middle of the bridge, in the middle of his nebula of cigarettes and desperate reminders of the hole missing in his soul. Then, as he looked up at the wall over the doorway, he saw it there scrawled out in crimson letters; the phrase that started this whole chain of events, the phrase that sent him into the downward spiral he was riding on:
<P>"Just go and die, James! It's the only way you'll ever see her again!"
<P>A moan escaped his lips as he fell backwards on to the stairs, gripping his head. The siren was calling just a little louder now, but still too softly for him to tell what it was. He sobbed again and looked up once more, trying to convince himself that it wasn't really there. However, this time it was replaced by crimson lettering all over the walls of the bridge:
<P>"You're still a criminal, James, and you need to be punished."
<P>"There's nobody who loves you anymore, is there, James? a killer, a murderer, a filthy, rotten, coward and that's exactly why!"
<P>"You're the monster, James, you're the one who's lost their humanity!"
<P>"Just die, James, die and do the entire human race a favor you sick, disgusting excuse of a man!"
<P>Silent voices assaulting his fragile and defeated mind. Words on the wall, sending him double meanings. Threats, accusations....but at the same time, the truth. The one thing that might save him so long as he could find the strength to accept it. But how? How could he now if he couldn't before?
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...There's a feeling I get when I look to the west,
<BR>And my spirit is crying for leaving.
<BR>In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
<BR>And the voices of those who standing looking...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>The radar was going off, signifying an attack upon the ship. Of course, everyone but Jim was concerned about this and hurried to the bridge to see what was going on. Jim was there, laying flat on his back, seemingly comatose as he stared at the ceiling.
<P>"What the hell could be coming after us?" Nash asked over the shoulder of Judas, whom was looking over the sensors.
<P>"Several unmanned units from what I can tell. Visual shows no cockpit on them, so it's an A.I. attacking us," Judas replied.
<P>"How bad is it?" Vera asked, worried.
<P>"There's a pack of them, but it shouldn't be too hard. You'll have to be careful, though, they're painted black and might be hard to hit," Judas said, taking a deep breath.
<P>Miryhn sighed. "Alright, no time to waste then," he said, then hurried off.
<P>"Nash, you should come too. Zeus might be helpful here," Judas said, looking back at Nash.
<P>"So long as I don't kill anyone, I'm fine," Nash replied, then walked off. He paused to look back at Jim and sighed before hurrying off.
<P>A moment later, Judas and Vera left as well, taking time to examine Jim as well. Neither said a word and made sure to shut the door when they left.
<P>"It's coming, I know it. I don't know what, but it's coming," Jim whispered to himself. "God? The devil? Something wants me, bad, something has to have me and it won't stop until it does!" he then said with an angry crescendo.
<P>He sat up, something temporarily filling his being as so to animate him to find out the truth about what was really going on. The words on the wall, they had to be some kind of illusion; it was like something was forcing him to look beyond the obvious, to test the limits of human consciousness and believe in something more. What immortal power could possibly be coming closer to him? What terrible and mighty thing could have this much sway over one man's life?
<P>"James..."
<P>It was like a whisper, coming from behind the door. Did he really hear that, or was it just in his head? It couldn't have, no, it wouldn't have been one of the crew members. He had tuned the battle outside the ship out entirely, focusing only on what was going on around him and him alone. So then it had to be something...
<P>"James..."
<P>There it was again. Chilled to his bones with fear, he walked closer to the door, almost like it was drawing him nearer on invisible strings. He got closer to the door and then suddenly hit the opening button, it sliding open to reveal an empty corridor. A cold draft blew at his back and something seemed to be pulling him further inside. A curiosity he couldn't quite explain; a feeling of want to know more about what exactly was happening to him. He slowly walked down the hallway, the footsteps the only sound around him. A good three yards down the hall, the door shut behind him, causing him to jump and turn around. The corridor was suspiciously dark now, making Jim have to squint to see around and ahead of him. He continued to walk, noticing that the battle outside the ship was completely out of earshot; almost like he wasn't even really in the same ship anymore. He came to the stairs that lead up to the lounge and noticed something odd. One of the bulkheads that locked off the back end of the ship was closed, suggesting that the only way to go was up. He figured someone must have accidently triggered it when they left; after all, the ship was old and out of repair, so he'd just have Nash fix it or something. He headed back to the bridge and hit the button to open the door, but a fizzle and pop were all that replied. It was like the door mechanism had broken the moment he walked away.
<P>Now things were getting strange. It was impossible to break two doors that quickly, wasn't it? Something was definately funny here; in the back of his mind, Jim thought that the siren was getting louder, but still just too soft for him to make out what it was saying. He turned and jogged back down the hallway, starting to feel very uneasy as he stopped by the bulkhead and headed up the stairs. At the top, he saw a bright light blaring from the kitchen. He shaded his eyes and peeked inside, unable to see anything in the glare. Biting back his fear, he pushed forward and grasped whatever was making the light. In his hand was a small flashlight, the light now reduced to a more normal level for the bulb of that size. It would definately prove handy in making his way around the now darkened ship, so he stuck it on his belt and turned to leave.
<P>That's about when the fridge door exploded open and a small, partially mummified dog leapt out. Panicking, Jim fumbled backwards towards the opposite end of the kitchen. The dog snarled at him and slowly approached, curling back its lips to reveal rotten fangs. Jim grabbed the microwave off the counter and tossed it at the pup, knocking it backwards, but damaging the appliance in the process. He then found a knife and ran up to the stunned canine, ramming the blade into its neck. It whelped and fell dead, bleeding blood, the color all too familiar to Jim.
<P>"No, wait," he said, staggering back. "What have I done? I've taken another life?" he asked himself, shuddering. He couldn't keep pushing it away, he was still himself and seeing the defeated canine reminded him all to much of-
<P>"James..."
<P>It was clearer this time. It was a female, her tone soft and pleading. But from where, he couldn't tell. He stepped over the dog and peered into the hallway, using his flashlight to get a better look in both directions. The way to the lounge was clear, but to the left, where the stairs were, was blocked off; but this time, it was blocked by something that once again sent a chill down his spine: crime scene tape. From the floor to the ceiling, it was layered into a wall that he was sure he couldn't get through unless he found something to pierce it with. Without much choice, he headed for the lounge, seeing that an old TV show was on and playing. He went inside to get a closer look and found a scene all to familiar to him...
<P>While an old soap opera played on the TV, the coffee table was cluttered with objects that couldn't have possibly been there before. Bottles of anti-depressants, half-drunken bottles of various alcohols, a neat stack of smoked cigarettes built within the ashtray, and the couch had indentions, like an invisible person was laying there. Very faintly, he could hear sobbing...
<P>With a shriek of terror and a moan of painful recollection, Jim darted into the passenger deck, only to find that it was just as empty as the rest of the ship was. All the windows were covered in crime scene tape, making his flashlight the only light source in the room. He spotted something in the back row of chairs and headed up to it, finding a package wrapped like a birthday present sitting there. He picked up the card attached and read it aloud:
<P>"'Here's a little something for your recent marriage, Jim. Me and the boys know that you'll probably need it some day when the wife is giving you a lot of shit. Trust me, it works for all of us when we need to let her know who's the man of the house. Signed, the boys at the shipyard'," he read. "What the hell could possibly-"he began to ask as he tore off the wrapping and opened the box. Inside was a hunting rifle, complete with two boxes of ammo. Jim's eyes widened as he fumbled back into one of the seats, dropping his "gift" to the floor. "That's....that's horrible! Who would ever think to?"
<P>"James...."
<P>It was like it was answering his own question. Him, of course, would think to; in fact, he already did.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>....And it's whispered that soon if we all call the tune
<BR>Then the piper will lead us to reason.
<BR>And a new day will dawn for those who stand long
<BR>And the forests will echo with laughter.....</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>The TV was suddenly reduced to fuzz and white noise in the other room, causing Jim to startle once again. The sobbing was replaced with a low groan, like a monstrocity was growling for food. Now completely freaked out of his mind, Jim reached down and picked up the rifle, clumsily loading it from what elementary knowledge of firearms he had. His hands shaking, he crept into the lounge and almost lost his bladder at what he saw.
<P>It was a highly bloated and grossly deformed female figure. "She" stood there in the middle of the lounge on stumps for feet and legs, a stomach of deformed and lacerated flesh hanging over and its stubs for arms flailing around to keep balance. There was no face on it, but there was a nose and indents for eyes, and a small patch of green hair with crimson stains. A groan escaped an unknown oraface on its body, the sound giving Jim the impression that it was in pain. It staggered up, a scream now escaping it like a hoarse and haggard old wench writhing in anger. The sound was all too familiar, causing Jim to pinch his eyes shut to keep from crying again.
<P>"What the fuck are you? Who is doing this? Why? Why me?" he begged to know.
<P>The creature was getting closer, causing the hair on Jim's neck to stand up. Instinctively, he raised the rifle and shot at it. He kept firing until all five rounds in the gun were used up and he heard a flop noise. Opening an eye, he saw the creature on the floor, flailing helplessly on limbs that were too short to right the body. Somehow, the same rage that filled him when he saw how helpless his wife had become filled him and he reloaded, putting a mercy-shot into the heart of the beast.
<P>Now sobbing again, he walked over the almost deflating creature and headed back to the hallway. The crime scene tape wall was now cut out with a large hole to allow him to exit. He stepped through it and went down the stairs, ready to put another shell in anything that came close. He was too scared to think about how or why any of this was happening anymore, but it seemed obvious that it was leading him around, showing him things and then testing him. There, at the bottom of the stairs, written in blood across the walls, was yet another phrase that reduced Jim to tears:
<P>"If you want to see Katherine, you should just die! But you might be heading to a different place than her, James..."
<P>He screamed and bolted back up the hallway towards the bridge, not knowing where else to go; the bulkhead was still closed after all, so he didn't have much choice. As he ran, he passed yet more messages on the wall:
<P>"You think you'll get Heaven for your sins? I think you deserve Hell!"
<P>"You will always suffer for your sins!"
<P>A moan of mental agony escaped his lips as he pounded the button to open the bridge door. It responded and light poured into the hallway, almost blinding him.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
<BR>There's still time to change the road you're on.
<BR>And it makes me wonder...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Jim! Where have you been?" Miryhn asked, sitting on the stairs up to the control platform.
<P>"We got rid of all the enemies, but when we came back, it was like you disappeared!" Vera added, her standing nearby Miryhn with her arms folded.
<P>"Plus I found the microwave trashed on the floor, what was that about?" Nash asked, leaning on one of the consoles.
<P>Judas was keeping to himself off to the side, looking around suspiciously.
<P>"I...I....um...." Jim said, stammering for words to explain. He looked around, his skin white as a sheet. It was strange; it looked like nothing had ever happened, the ship was still the same. However, he still had his flashlight and rifle, which was starting to indicate to him that maybe the whole thing was all in his head. Was he going insane? Was he only imagining these things? Could he possibly be suffering from some form of painful psyshosis?
<P>"Why do you have a rifle with you?" Nash then asked, raising an eyebrow.
<P>Jim was too startled to reply. He looked up at the space just above the glass at the front of the bridge and read another message. This time, it said:
<P>"Your Judgement is coming, James. Decide which path you take. You know it's coming, you can't stop it any longer. Just decide and go there without any more fuss."
<P>He shuddered, somehow knowing exactly what that meant. He was condemned, he was going to die; something well beyond human comprehension was coming for him and it was going to send him to his fate depending on what he did next. The siren, calling <I>Entropy</I> to shipwreck....the illusions he was seeing, the very life being sucked out of his body and all the painful things he was seeing; something horrible was going to happen, he could tell. Jim then sucked up his gut and knew what he had to do as his final act as the captain of the ship. If he did this, if he could protect his now loyal crew, then perhaps he'd have his chance...
<P>"All of you, you're all fired," Jim announced.
<P>"Huh?" Vera said, instantly confused.
<P>"Say what?" Miryhn chimed in with the same confusion.
<P>Nash just sloped his brow, Judas wasn't paying attention.
<P>"You heard me, you're all fired, okay? I want you all off my ship right now. Get your shit, get your Frames, and leave!" Jim commanded with steel in his voice.
<P>"But we're only hours away from Ganymede! Why bail now-" Miryhn began to ask, but was cut off when Jim fired the rifle into a nearby console, shorting it out.
<P>"You're all leaving, even if I have to get you off in body bags!" Jim said, furious. "I'm not exactly mentally stable here, so nobody better fuck with me. Just leave, now!"
<P>"But we can't leave you out here! Judas just found out that those Raptors were probably from the Earth military! They know that we were involved with Dingo and his pals and now-" Vera began to explain, but was cut off just like Miryhn when Jim fired a round to the side of her. She whelped and staggered aside.
<P>"This is an order as your employer, boss, and captain of this vessel! I want you all to leave, now! If you stay on this ship, I can guarantee you that you won't be alive much longer," Jim said firmly, holding up his rifle. "I'll only say it one more time. Pack up every last bit of your shit and leave."
<P>With a sigh, Miryhn was the first to stand up and head for the door. Jim stepped aside and let him pass. Vera had a long look at Jim and then looked about to cry, following closely behind Miryhn. Nash looked angrily at Jim as he passed, Jim replying his look with a stone-cold glare. Judas didn't even glance, leaving straight after the others.
<P>It wasn't long before each crew member had stripped their room of their belongings and put them away in old boxes. Nash proposed that they use the Frames' Vector Traps to store all their stuff and was responded by a worried look from Vera and a simple nod from Miryhn. They did so, save keeping the animals Benu and Peniel for transport in the cockpit, and were soon ready to leave.
<P>"Miryhn, what are we going to do?" Vera asked Miryhn before they were about to go.
<P>"I don't know. We'll talk about it on the way," Miryhn replied before being hugged tightly by Vera. He looked down at the top of her head with a despaired look, having to lie to her. Truth be told, he was just as lost as she was probably feeling. <I>Entropy</I> was their home and had been for so long now; going anywhere else would certainly be difficult to adjust to.
<P>"Yeah, come on, Vera, we'll just head to Ganymede and figure it out on the way. We'll stick together until then," Nash said from Zeus' open cockpit.
<P>"I guess you're right. But what about-" Vera began to say before looking at Jim, who was standing near the hangar door looking at them impatiently.
<P>"Don't worry. He must have his reasons," Miryhn said, stroking Vera's hair.
<P>Vera sighed and stood on her toes to kiss Miryhn once. She then trotted off to Freya and put Peniel in her lap. Miryhn shuffled to Masamune and sat, Benu's cage in between his legs on the floor. He looked up at Jim and gave him a smile, grateful for all the guy had told him about life, love, and where to go from there. Jim's impatient look softened and he looked at the floor, unable to find the right way to reply. Miryhn frowned and closed Masamune's cockpit, the others doing the same. Jim ducked inside the doorway and closed it just as the back of the ship opened and his crew departed. He walked slowly back up to the bridge, where he sat in his chair and began to cry again. He didn't want them to leave, he really didn't, but if they stayed any longer, they'd be victims of his Judgement as well. He, <I>Entropy</I>, and everything up until this point, would soon be all over...
<P>He just hoped that by protecting them, he had chosen the right path...
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,
<BR>The piper's calling you to join him,
<BR>Dear [man], can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
<BR>Your stairway lies on the whispering wind...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>He sat in his chair for a long time, staring forward until he calmed down. The idea of perishing all alone was always frightening to him and now he would have to do it. It was like this was all some carefully planned and elaborate scheme to put him through as much shit as possible; in order to drive him insane, though? Or what really was the point of all this? Who or what was doing it? And when would it end?
<P>Eventually, it all just seemed to settle in and he closed his eyes, nodding his head back. Sleep was catching up to him and he figured if he was going to go, it would be best to do it during his sleep. Fast, easy, painless, and he'd never know it happened. But that's about when the siren suddenly grew louder, much louder; but ironically, it wasn't even a voice at all. The "siren" all along was an old air-raid siren from back in twentieth century Earth, used to indicate that danger was coming or that the area was under attack. The irony was nearly killing Jim; a siren and an air-raid siren....funny....
<P>He opened his eyes as the siren kept going in the background, revealing a drastically changed spaceship. The walls were rusted over and covered in layers of mold, looking as though they were so old and decayed that they could break appart at any moment. The entire front canopy was covered in crime scene tape, blocking all view to the outside space as well as any means of steering the crate successfully. Upon a closer look, there were what looked like small viens in the walls, pulsing blood or whatever unknown substance it could be around. They seemed to be spreading around slowly, giving Jim a moment of panic.
<P>The first thing he did was scoop up his rifle and reload it from the box in his pocket. Next he hit the button by the door and charged down it, too scared to look back or even think. It was like he was on a totally different ship now, a ship from some "otherworld" or something; like he was slowly leaving reality, moving into a realm no one had ever seen or wanted to be in. It was a demon's paradise, no doubt; a trip to Hell, in other words.
<P>"James..."
<P>It was clearer now more than ever, coming straight from the back of the ship; straight from the hangar. His mind seemed to travel without his body down the heating ducts, revealing to him a woman standing in the middle of the hangar. He snapped back to his own body, shaking it off, and charged forward. Somehow, all this seemed to be coming from her; a feeling deep down that he couldn't really explain. Jim knew he was feeling the effects of siren on him now and it was all clear: he was being called now, summoned in full strength. A pull he couldn't escape now, the drag down to the Hell he rightfully deserved. He was being Judged, and it was now that he'd determine for himself where he'd go for the rest of his life.
<P>"James....."
<P>He ran down the hall, not bothering to look back. Every door along the way was boarded up and locked tightly, the stairwell bound off with crime scene tape. His sprint came to an end at the hangar door, where he punched the button and it slid open, revealing a dimly lit hangar in the same style as the rest of the ship.
<P>"James, you finally came!" a female figure said happily from the middle of the hangar.
<P>He couldn't believe his eyes as she stepped forward; it was Katherine standing there in the same dress the night he me her, there like nothing had ever happened to her. He wanted to believe it was her, but something was wrong here. The siren kept going in the background, almost like it was both calling him and warning him of danger.
<P>"Katherine? Is that you?" Jim asked, awestruck.
<P>"Of course it is. I never left you, I was just where you couldn't see me, or touch me," she said, stepping forward.
<P>"But you died! I watched with my own eyes!" Jim exclaimed.
<P>"I can't be dead, I'm alive right now! See?" Katherine said, taking his hand and putting it on her side. "I'm warm, see? Dead people don't feel like this."
<P>"Dead people also can't come out of nowhere onto a spaceship that's quickly turning into a slice of Hell itself!" Jim shouted, stepping away and yanking his hand back. "What are you? Who are you? Tell me, Katherine!"
<P>"I'm not Katherine, James. Don't you recognize me? I'm that woman that you hated so much that you condescended me! You treated me like a baby because you didn't want to love me the way you should have! I'm that woman that you killed because you were only thinking of yourself!" Katherine shouted, steadily growing more angry with her accusations.
<P>"No! You have it all wrong! There's more to it than that!" Jim shouted, almost pleading. Old memories resurfaced, it was just like it was back then...
<P>"He's coming for you, James. Time to die!" she shouted and let out an ear-piercing shriek. Her skin melted away to reveal a horrific demon in a female shape. She sprouted a long, pointy tail and two bat-like wings, her new skin leathery and soiled with shades resembling dried blood.
<P>"No, I can't! Not if it means living every day like this! I don't want to go, I can't after all I've done!" Jim pleaded.
<P>"I pleaded too, James, and all you did was think of yourself!" the demonic Katherine shouted in a cacophonous voice. The creature shot forward and threw its nails across his chest, instantly drawing blood.
<P>Jim stumbled backwards and cringed. Everything was much clearer now and feeling physical pain somehow made it all add up. This was his final test, a test to see if he could overcome the one thing that lead him down this path.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>...And if you listen very hard
<BR>The truth will come to you at last.
<BR>When all are one and one is all...</I></CENTER>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<P>"Sorry, Miryhn, but I'll have to cash in on that stairway right about now," Jim said, then raised his rifle. He quivered, still scared out of his mind to aim straight. His aim was true enough and he shot the demon right in the chest. It was hard enough on him to do so, bringing back all the pain of having to commit a murderous act on someone else, even if it was such an inhuman beast.
<P>"You're attacking me again? Why do you hate me so much, James? Come on, tell me!" the demon shrieked and took to the air above the hangar.
<P>"I never hated you, Katherine! I loved you more than you probably ever imagined! I just didn't know how to help you, that's all. You were so down that....that it was you who forgot how to love!" Jim shouted, working up the courage to say it even though it easily brought tears to his eyes.
<P>"You liar!" the demon shrieked and released a maelstrom of small red tentacles from its fingers. Jim quickly ducked behind a stack of boxes and reloaded while the tentacles retracted back into the demon.
<P>"Why do I hate you, you ask? Why are you doing this to me is what I want to know!" Jim cried out.
<P>"You deserve to be punished, James. Punished every single day of the rest of your life!" the demon screamed.
<P>"By you? The one who holds nothing more than misunderstood hate for me? Who are you to judge me when you only listen to yourself?" Jim shotued, now furious as he raised the rifle again and shot the demon in the stomach, now having a bit more accuracy.
<P>"It's all about you, isn't it, James?" the demon cried out as it flew in close and stabbed at him with its tail.
<P>Jim stumbled aside and tumbled behind it, turning and raising the rifle again to shoot it in the back. The demon took off to the air above the hangar agian.
<P>"No, it was like this! I tried my best to help you, I wanted you to live and to be happy again. It wasn't just for me, but for you too because when you were glad, so was I! And when you were sad, so was I! What's what we shared, don't you get it?" Jim cried out.
<P>"How dare you keep wearing our wedding band! You dance on my grave by running your mouth, James! I'll never forgive you, never!" the demon shrieked, sending another wave of tentacles at him.
<P>Jim bolted to the side to dodge. "No, it isn't like that! I can't forget you no matter what and I regret it every day of my life! It's a reminder of what I should have to suffer and it's a reminder of what we use to have!" he said with steel in his voice, returning fire.
<P>"You liar! You only say those things to serve yourself! You hated me and you never wanted to help to begin with! I was a burden and nothing more!" the demon accused.
<P>Jim bit his lip. "Okay, I admit it, I did have a sense of animosity towards you. I wanted to just give up and run away, Katherine, I wanted to stop trying because you obviously didn't want me to. I wanted my old life back, can't you understand? I wanted us, or at the very least one of us, to just be happy again!"
<P>"So the truth comes out!" the demon shrieked, then cackled in delight.
<P>"This isn't a ruse! It's what I really feel!" Jim shouted as loud as he could and let loose another round from the rifle, this time landing in the neck of the beast. It moaned and collapsed to the floor. "Now I understand everything. Now I see what you and all this really is!" he said, so upset that he had to clear a lump in his throat. "You're not Katherine at all! You're that horrid, twisted, digusting excuse for a human being that she turned into!" he shouted, putting his boot down on the monster's throat. "This is the only thing I can do for you now, Katherine, I can slay this thing and free your soul. And by doing so, I can put aside every damn thing that's pained me all these years! I'm going to be free, God damn it!" he shouted, both furious and determined as he raised the rifle to his shoulder and aimed it at the demon's head. "Free!" he roared as he unloaded all the remaining shells into the demon's head, resulting in a bloody mess. "Rot in hell, you filthy bitch!" he roared again as he suddenly broke into tears again.
<P>He stumbled backwards to his rear end and dropped his weapon to the side. He put his face in his hands and simply bawled, a torrent of emotions washing over him. He was sad to have to kill something again, but for some reason, euphoric to the point of tears. The demon his beloved had become was now dead, slayed by his own hand, and she and he could finally rest in peace...
<P>The hangar door flew open, revealing a brightly lit corridor back to the bridge. Jim, almost as though he were a free-floating spirit, no longer bound by flesh, seemed to float towards it. He went down the hallway all the way to the bridge and gasped in awe at what he saw.
<P>There stood an absolutely gorgeous Katherine, clad in a white ribbon that encircled her body and covered her decently. She wore fantastic beaded necklaces and a gold hairpieces adorned with jewels, her entire body glowing softly with an other-worldly feel. She smiled softly, about to cry at seeing her husband before her.
<P>"James," she simply said.
<P>The way she said it was all too familiar. It was the same way she said it every time she saw him, long before she had ever changed. It was also the same way the voice in his head had said it, making the whole experience come full-circle for him. It was obvious, Katherine was both his plague and his salvation; his own demon and his own angel.
<P>"Is it....really you?" Jim simply asked, quivering with delight, unable to stop his tears of joy.
<P>"You did it, James, you saved us both. I can now go and join the rest of the heavenly maidens, as you have desired ever since you kept me so close to your heart," Katherine said, crying as well.
<P>"The who?" Jim just had to ask, smirking stupidly.
<P>"The tennyo," Katherine said with a giggle. "But like all heavenly beings, we're also susceptible to those that are demonic. That's the best way I can metaphor what occurred."
<P>"Nevermind that, I'm just so glad I could see you again," Jim said, reaching out and embracing his lost love. Despite what he thought, she wasn't a ghost, she was real enough; warm, loving, and her salty tears touching his skin.
<P>"You can see me all the time from now on, James. It's time to go," Katherine said, kissing his forehead. "You've suffered long enough and your sin has been cleansed. You can now be happy again for all that you've done."
<P>"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Jim said, shaking his head and pinching his face for another sob.
<P>"You helped a lonely seraph find his way, you helped two souls find the love they never knew they shared, you saved all of them from peril, and you found the strength to overcome all your grief," Katherine explained. Slowly, light was enveloping the two.
<P>"That's because it was you, Katherine. I would do anything for you, I love you that much," Jim said, choking up again.
<P>"I know, Jim, and now you can be as free and happy as you always wanted to be. Together, with me, forever," Katherine said, holding him tighter and slowly embracing him on the lips.
<P>"Thank you....thank you," was all Jim could muster. It was about that time that the arm of Deus, transformed into a blade long enough to slice the ship top-to-bottom slammed into the front of the bridge. It tore through the hull like a knife in butter, slicing Jim's fragile flesh in half along with the rest of his ship. Deus completed the cut and <I>Entropy</I> exploded, taking with it the life of its captain, James Rodney Hauser.
<P>And so, with that, the little row boat to Heaven sank, but its passengers were safely back in the river; they were free to float for the time being, but the currents of fate were still to move them along, having much more in store. As for Jim, he took his place in the great below, resting in the ebb and flow of eternity; always alongside the love he lost so long ago. And now they can share in the music they so lovingly made together once again.
<P>Rest in peace, piano man.
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>And [he's] buying a stairway to heaven..."</I>
<CENTER><P>-----------------------------</P></CENTE R>
<CENTER><I>End of Acte 2. Please remain seated, as Acte 3 will begin shortly...</I></CENTER>
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