Absolution Part 3
Aug. 7th, 2014 08:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
candygrammeWe’re trying to rebuild our land
and make it more than toxic sand
The noise was indescribable as the Impala skimmed and skipped across the sandy Martian terrain. Jensen could hear clanging and crashing as loose items in the cabins that they hadn’t had time to stow were tossed around, and more from outside, where the rough ground was no doubt making its mark on the superstructure. Jensen held his breath and mumbled a prayer, although who that was directed to he had no idea.
The momentum of their forward movement flung him hard against the straps that held him in his seat, and he found himself grateful for the one that held his head in place, knowing that his neck would have snapped before now if it wasn’t for that piece of the safety harness.
He couldn’t see either Jared or Ty, and while he had every confidence in Jared to get them down safely, he was afraid that the hull would be torn open by some random rock and they would die before they ever got to save his mom. The shaking and crashing seemed never ending, and it came as a shock when at last the little ship gave a final ear-splitting grating sound and came to a stop.
There was silence. None of the instruments were making their usual noises, and he couldn’t hear Jared or Ty either, in fact he didn’t even know if they were still breathing.
“Jared?” His voice sounded muffled and odd to him, but he called out again anyway. “Ty? Jared? Are you okay?”
Something moved at his side, and a second later he saw Jared appear, reach out to set him loose from the tangle of safety webbing that held him so firmly. Jared’s lips were moving, but Jensen couldn’t hear a thing.
Stumbling out of his safety net, Jensen reached to cup Jared’s face, turning it toward him so he could check for injury. “Are you okay?” he asked again. He could see Ty, groggily climbing free of his own restraints, and his lips were moving also, but there was still no sound. “I think I’m gonna need a healer,” he said. “I’m deaf.”
Jared nodded. He raised his wrist and spoke into his PAD, and as the words appeared on the screen he held it up for Jensen.
We have to get out of here. They’ll be coming for us, and if we’re still in the ship they’ll take us in. That would be bad.
Nodding, Jensen looked around for the helmet to his pressure suit. He could see that Ty was putting one on, and he suddenly recalled that his was in the cabin. Turning to go and find it, he was crossing behind Ty, when the man suddenly vanished. Seconds later he felt a weird shudder go through him, and there was a faint pop. His head swam, and he was about to yell for help when he realized that he was no longer on the observation deck of the Impala, or indeed anywhere he’d ever been before. Not only that but he was facing a man he had never laid eyes on in his life, a man whose appearance was so strikingly different that it reminded him of stories he’d heard when he was a child - of the thin man who would appear before you when you were about to die.
“Am I about to die?” he asked, and the gaunt creature in front of him smiled, his face crinkling in good humor as he answered. Jared seemed to have arrived where ever this was as well, and he stepped forward, speaking earnestly to the other, apparently telling him that Jensen couldn’t hear. He turned back to Jensen a moment later.
“This is Master Julian,” he told Jensen, via his PAD. Julian was busily rummaging through a little box on the counter of what appeared to be a well-equipped work station and turned with an envelope, which he held out to Jared. Jared nodded and tipped the contents into his mouth, then received another which he held out to Jensen. “Here. This will apparently solve some of the problems for us. Don’t touch it, put it straight in your mouth and press it up against your palate. It will do the rest.”
Peering into the envelope, Jensen wasn’t quite sure what to do with the small scrap of what appeared to be metal - if metal were liquid. Finally, he shrugged and did as Jared had said. There was a brief burning sensation and then suddenly he could hear - or maybe not hear. Jared was cursing softly, and the man, Julian, was asking him if he was all right now.
Nodding, Jensen frowned. The man’s lips hadn’t moved, and Jared’s weren’t either. “What...?”
“The fish should enable you to hear our thoughts. With it you can communicate with anyone who has a fish installed, even though they aren’t actually here.” Julian smiled his toothy grin again, and Jensen goggled at him. Julian’s face was that of an aesthete - he resembled one of the holy ones who had withdrawn from all of life’s pleasures in order to contemplate the light back in the days of the Lone Star, but that smile transformed him, made him look like a mischievous schoolboy plotting something especially wicked. Jensen frowned as Julian’s words suddenly caught up with him.
“Fish?” he asked. “I just ate a telepathic fish?”
“Not exactly.” Julian was laughing now. “That was what Nicki called the things - she said they were Babelfish, like the ones in a book she’d read. The name just stuck, but they are genetically engineered biochips designed to hook into your corpus callosum and enable latent telepaths to become active. So far, nobody on the team has proven to lack the latency.”
Ty was sitting in a corner looking very pale, and, as Julian was speaking, he pitched forward, collapsing onto the floor, apparently unconscious.
“Oh dear,” Julian frowned. “Lindsey, darling, are you able to come help me? Bring your kit; we have a couple of casualties.”
“Wait a minute,” Jared’s thought was loud, but he was speaking too, if the movements his face was making said anything. He’d dropped down to his knees to check Ty out, and he looked rather worried. “How did we get here? Where is here anyway? And who is Lindsey?”
“Lindsey is a healer, and a very good one,” Julian told Jared. “She will be here momentarily, because I am about to use my hypergate to fetch her. Ty looks as though he needs urgent assistance.” He had turned to a machine in the corner and was manipulating touch pads as he spoke, and when he pressed a small lever, there was a sudden puff of air against Jensen’s skin, and a very pretty dark haired girl materialized. “She’ll get Ty sorted out and then look at your ears.”
Jensen felt as though he was missing several key concepts. He frowned. “Hypergate?” he asked.
“That’s what I call it,” said Julian. “It’s a matter transmitter, and it’s going to prove very useful, because I am about to use it to liberate Richard and Misha from their captivity. You, Jared and Ty were in fact the very first live bodies to be transported via my hypergate, and I am really glad that it worked. The Guardians would have taken you in a matter of only a few moments more.”
The thought that he’d just been dematerialized and moved bodily by a completely untested device made Jensen feel quite faint. He opened his mouth to say something about that and then on second thought closed it again. He was here, Jared was here, and as far as he could tell, everything was still where it ought to be. He hadn’t lost any limbs in transit. He shrugged; it was what it was.
“Uh, thanks,” he said, finally.
Lindsey had deftly uncovered Ty’s chest, revealing a set of huge, purple bruises that were the outward signs of ribs that were either severely bruised or cracked. She’d administered painkillers and set a small device going that she’d placed on his chest, and which was now radiating a light which fluctuated between blue and lilac in steady pulses. “He’ll be all right shortly. The beam will start the bones knitting together, and nothing has actually pierced his lung. He’ll be sore for a few days though,” she said. Turning to Jensen, she gave him a smile that made him shiver. “Now it’s your turn, handsome. What can I call you, while I’m taking liberties with your person?”
“Uh...” he said, rather less than brilliantly as he gazed at her. If he wasn’t already in love with Jared, this girl might have...
“His name is Jensen, and he’s taken.” Jared had stepped up to slip his arm around Jensen’s waist, and it seemed to Jensen that his lover might be just a teeny bit jealous. He smirked up at Jared.
“She’s not going below my waist, I promise,” he said with a grin.
Lindsey’s eyes had widened when she realized just who her patient was, but she laughed when she heard Jensen. “It’s okay. I’m taken too,” she said to Jared. “I’ll introduce you to Katharine later, but first I need to fix your boy up. He’s concussed, I can tell, and Julian tells me that he can’t hear.” She gestured to Jensen. “Sit down and let me take a look.”
~*~
Jensen had fallen asleep despite attempts to remain alert while Lindsey did her thing, and when he awoke - who knew how much later? - he could hear distant voices, although there was still a ringing in his ears that made making sense of them a problem.
He’d been moved, he could tell that, and was currently lying on a pallet on the floor next to a similar one which contained Ty, who was looking far less pale although he was still out for the count. The thing on his chest was radiating more blue light than purple now, and was giving off little buzzing sounds as it worked its magic.
Rolling over, he sat up and then decided that he wouldn’t fall apart if he got out of bed, so he did, observing with some satisfaction that he was able to stand up without his head feeling like it was being pounded on by a sledgehammer. Back in the workshop, he found Julian and Jared with their heads together, poring over a set of technical drawings which were spread out over the worktop. Lindsey seemed to have gone back to wherever she had come from, and Jensen felt a faint pang as he looked around and noticed she was gone.
Jared was the one who noticed him first, and he was over to his side in an instant. “Hey, baby, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” The high pitched squeal in his ears was annoying, but it wasn’t stopping him from hearing Jared speak. “What are we going to do now that the ship is a wreck?”
“That’s what Julian and I were just planning. “We’re going to move her over to Traci’s garage so we’ve got a space to fix her up in.”
“Ummm... newsflash, Jay. The ship was trashed when we hit Mars at a gazillion miles an hour. How are you going to get her to Traci’s garage up there in the clouds?” Jensen was hungry and thirsty and still somewhat shocked, which made him grumpy. “And what about us? We’re stuck here.”
“We’ll use the hypergate, silly.” Jared was grinning. “We were just planning the logistics of getting Impala there. Once she’s in place, we’re a piece of cake. Julian can put us down on a dime if Traci wants to put one on the floor.”
“Hey, that’s...” Jensen had a sudden idea. He smiled at Jared and turned to where Julian was rolling up the drawings to insert them in their sleeve. “Can you use your hypergate thingy to pull my mom free? I don’t like the idea of her stuck in that temple.”
Julian froze. The expression on his face spoke of an urgent need to escape the question, but Jensen was right there, standing before him. He swallowed; Jensen could see the muscles playing in the slender throat, and he shook his head, suddenly aware that there was bad news but hoping against hope that it wasn’t too awful.
“Jensen, I’m sorry.” And those words, right there, told him that it was going to be the worst news he could possibly imagine. Julian was looking at him with mournful eyes. “Your mother... she died.”
“Died?” The word rattled in Jensen’s head, somehow echoing and reverberating until it no longer made sense. “People don’t just die. What happened?”
“She...” It was evident that Julian really didn’t want to be the one to break the news to him. “They executed her for treason. It was before we got the hypergate working, and it was done so quickly that we couldn’t get to her in time. I’m so sorry.”
For a moment, Jensen stood motionless, processing the idea that the mother he’d come to rescue had already been taken from him. Then his face crumpled in fury, and he sent out a psychic scream of rage that caused both Julian and Jared to turn pale and clutch at their heads in agony.
Protests came from the others who had babelfishes. Sebastian, pulled from sleep, bellowed, “What the fuck?” and even Ty, who had been unconscious a few moments ago, muttered a few choice obscenities. Traci’s clear thought cut through the cries of anguish, soothing wordlessly. “Jensen...”
“I’ll kill them with my own hands.” Jensen was yelling, but his mind was sending out the message too, loud and clear.
“That’s the spirit.” Richard’s comment made him jump. “Not a good idea to tell them though. They’ll be ready for you if you announce it to all, and it’ll make it so much messier. Best to sneak up on them while you can take them unawares.”
“I... you... what?” Jensen lifted his head. “Richard?” He turned to Julian. “Where’s Richard? Where’s Misha?”
“I’m afraid we’re guests of Supreme leaders Rolston and Heyerdahl at the moment.” Misha sounded amused. “Have a drink for me.”
“Why are they there?” Jensen was pacing now. “Can’t you bring them here? Get them out of there.”
“Might be a good idea.” Nicki chimed in. “They’re discussing how to televise an execution right now. Apparently they think it would be dangerous to wait, because you guys have just arrived and upset the status quo by sneaking in past their defenses.”
“In which case, by all means, let’s check out of this fleabag motel.” Richard still sounded faintly amused, but there was a detectable undercurrent of fear there too.
“Do it, Julian,” said Traci. “We can’t afford to wait any longer. I’m going to go down and make myself sufficiently annoying that they will be forced to discipline me, and you others can start rousing the people. Nicki feels that it will only take one more oppressive action from the Guardians to set a real protest going. I think getting them to oppress me is the best way to get things started.”
“Vive la revolution!” That was Sebastian. “Old man, would you mind awfully springing me at the same time as our two prisoners? I’m awfully tired of scrubbing floors and cleaning toilets.”
Julian had been silent since Traci had made her announcement, but now he turned and made a few adjustments to the machine in the corner. There was a rushing sound and suddenly Misha appeared, followed by Richard and then Sebastian.
Richard and Misha were not in great condition. It smelled as if neither of them had been able to bathe for some time. They were both bearded and covered in cuts and bruises, a silent testimony to the abuse they had suffered during questioning. Misha had the tell-tale burn marks on his forehead that denoted a mind probe, and as he appeared, he sank to his knees looking pale.
“They just brought him back to the cell,” said Richard, bending to help Misha up. “I think it was going to be my turn next. They’re looking for ways to re-take control of Lone Star.”
“Good luck with that,” said Jared, looking grim. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before that happens.”
“Gentlemen, with your permission...” That was Julian. “My humble workshop is just not big enough to host so many, and both Richard and Misha need to wash off the residue of captivity. With your permission I would like to send you to Traci’s home. She has the space for you, and Lindsey will be able to take care of your injuries.”
~*~
Our people once destroyed the Earth
We all must work for its re-birth
Traci was angry with Julian.
She knew why he had sent everyone to her home, and it wasn’t because he didn’t have the space there. She’d announced her intention of going to the temple to cause trouble, and he was trying to stop her. And of course, he had not arrived with the rest of the crowd, so she was unable to do anything other than greet her guests and settle them in, when she had really just wanted to get things over with.
Ty needed help to get to bed, and Lindsey had arrived with Katharine, and was busily tending to him, while Richard and Misha took turns in her shower and Jensen and Jared waited for their turn.
Sebastian, who mercifully didn’t seem to feel the need to use her bathroom facilities, had begun to quiz her about her intentions, and when she explained that she would confront Rolston about the planned executions, he shook his head.
“No, no. Absolutely not.” He took a seat beside her. “Dear lady, your intent should be to have him angry at you rather than homicidal.” He grinned. “Why don’t you do what I did and tell him about the cracks that are appearing in the foundations of the dome where the plasteel is deteriorating. That ought to make him a little bit miffed. I bet he has a reaction that will serve your purpose; he never did like hearing things that went against what he wanted.”
Thinking about it, Traci realized that he had a point. The idea was not to be slaughtered out of hand, but rather to be publicly disciplined. She knew that the people of Righteousness saw her as a kind of figurehead, and she trusted that any overt aggression towards her would be enough, given the mood of the populace, to spur rioting. Jensen, who had been quietly listening to Sebastian’s suggestions, nodded his head.
“That seems like a really good idea. The only thing that worries me is that we don’t have any way of seeing what goes down when Traci does her thing. Seems to me that if we had someone monitoring the scene and relaying it to Julian, he could yank her away with his hypergate thingy and get her out of danger if he deemed it necessary.”
Traci nodded and sent a thought winging its way to Nicki. “When are you likely to be the attending priestess again?”
“Whenever you like.” Nicki’s thought was amused. “It’s not a popular duty. Anyone would be pleased to trade for something less unpredictable. Lately, Heyerdahl has been losing his temper all too frequently, and Rolston just smiles and watches when he’s hurting people.” She paused. “The next duty is Adrianne’s and she’s due to take over from Elaina in another hour and a half. “I’ll go see her and find out if she’d like to trade.”
Nodding to herself, Traci squared her shoulders, and would have risen to her feet, but Jensen put out a hand to stop her. “You know, if we could arrange for your apprehension to be in public, not only would that have greater impact, but I could maybe send out a broadcast to tell the people what was happening. If you’re going to do this, we need to make it count.”
“That would work.” Sebastian leaned forward, glee in his eyes as he considered ways to ensure that maximum nuisance value was achieved. “We know that Rolston won’t back down, because he never does, but the people would be completely aware of what was happening, and he wouldn’t be able to play it off and pretend that she’d just disappeared on one of her retreats or something.”
Misha wandered into the room at that moment toweling his hair dry. He was freshly bathed and shaved, and a cut across his cheekbone had been neatly closed with butterfly stitches. “It sounds as if the fight is about to begin,” he said. “In which case I will do battle, although I am as a little child without the sword of my ancestors.”
“Not quite yet, Misha.” Jared had been leaning against the wall by the window, listening to the conversation, but now he moved forward and took a seat next to Jensen, and Jensen instantly reached for his hand, squeezing it as if drawing Jared’s strength through the touch. “I think that you and I need to bend our minds to taking over the broadcasting system. If we can do that, we can override their propaganda without too much difficulty and cut into their programming to deliver news even if the Guardians try to pull the plug.” He beamed a thought to Julian. “Any ideas, maestro?”
“The improbable we can do instantly,” smirked Julian. “The impossible will take a little longer. Why don’t you come down to the workshop, and we’ll see what we can achieve.”
“I believe that you will need me too, old man,” Sebastian was up and pacing again, his ability to sit still never great, and now apparently exhausted. “You’re going to need me to get whatever you create into position inside the temple.”
Relaxing, Traci closed her eyes for a moment, summoning up a mandala she could focus on that would prepare her for what was to come. She doubted that she would survive this ordeal, and was prepared for that. Her one regret was that Julian would be left behind to mourn her, and although she knew that they would meet again somewhere in another life she regretted that she was not going to share any of this one with him.
Once she had centered herself, she opened her eyes again and looked around. Misha, Jared and Sebastian had gone, and she knew that they would be down in Julian’s domain below the Martian sands, working on a way to turn their plans into reality. Tears sprang unbidden to her eyes, and she jumped a little when she felt an arm go around her. She had forgotten Jensen’s presence, but now she looked up to find him searching her face with concern stamped all over his features.
“Don’t crumble now,” she told herself. He heard the thought and squeezed her shoulders.
“You have as much to lose as any of us,” he said. “Maybe more. You’ve been denying yourself and Julian the chance to be together for a long time. I couldn’t have done any of this if I didn’t have Jared by my side.”
“You are stronger than you think,” murmured Traci, although her eyes stung with the tears she refused to shed. “And Julian and I will find each other, always.”
Richard emerged from his shower, and the moment was gone. Their talk was inconsequential after that, until at last it was time, and Traci opened the door that led her into the garage.
~*~
Respect the earth, respect the soil,
she will reward you as you toil
True to his word, Julian had relocated the Impala into the large hanger, and it was now taking up most of the space, Her fuselage showed dents and scratches, but her harsh landing had gone surprisingly well, and there were no deep gashes in the superstructure that Jensen could see as he followed Traci through the doorway. He wondered if the craft would ever make the return to Earth or if she would remain here forever, a useless reminder of a time when everything had seemed so simple.
Traci’s runabout was outside, on the ledge above the city, and she went to it deliberately, turned to smile and wave at Jensen, and then was gone, the little craft arrowing down towards the temple.
Turning, Jensen closed the doors behind him and went back to where Richard was turning the vidscreen on in preparation as he listened to Misha’s instructions. “They’ve got an ally named Sterling down in the city and he’s got a camera trained on the temple. They’ll broadcast it to every screen in the city,” he said, excited.
“Oh, Light,” muttered Jensen. “I hope that they don’t kill her.”
Apprehensively, they watched Traci’s approach. Someone must have been monitoring the broadcast and noted the change from the prayers and exhortations to follow the Light, to the new feed, because even before Traci arrived on the rooftop landing space, Heyerdahl was there, face black as thunder. Behind him rushed Rolston and with him was Nicki.
“Showtime,” she sent to them. Then Traci landed and stepped down onto the pale marble of the temple.
A voice - Jensen recognized Jared’s voice with a sick thrill of excitement - was heard coming through the broadcast. “People of Righteousness,” it said. “The great Seer has news to impart to the Divine Guide Towards the Light and his top lieutenant.”
Rolston, intent on finding out what Traci had come to tell them, was focused only on her, but Heyerdahl was peering around, trying to see who was training a camera on them. He snapped an order to Nicki, who ran to try and turn off the large screen behind them which was broadcasting the events as they unfolded. Of course, it didn’t work, and as she turned to say as much to Heyerdahl he sideswiped her, knocking her to the ground, and began to make the attempt himself, punching and kicking at the screen when his efforts to use the controls didn’t pan out. Behind him, Traci was making her curtsey to Rolston. “I have been communing with the Light,” she announced. “And I bear a message of grave importance.” Her words were repeated from the screen, and below, the apparent echo revealed that people were watching on their PADs.
As he realized that every word spoken was being heard and repeated, Heyerdahl appeared to lose his mind completely. Nicki had very wisely remained down on the ground after being thrown there, so he made for Traci, apparently intending to harm her.
Rolston flung out an arm as he was passing, and uttered a curt, “Stop!”
He paused, although from the expression on his face he was far from ready to let things go.
Traci was speaking again, and Jared’s voice, which had calmly related everything that had happened so far, began to relay her words.
“I have seen destruction coming,” said Traci. “Righteousness is crumbling, and it is only a matter of time before the city will fall and be lost forever.”
“What are you talking about?” Rolston laughed. “We have been here for hundreds of years.”
Whatever Traci was about to say next, it never escaped her lips. As Richard and Jensen watched, aghast, Heyerdahl roared out a protest and sprang forward, grabbing hold of her and shaking her like a rat. “So you’ve seen, have you? Well, you will never see again!” He grabbed his discipline stick from where it hung at his belt and pressed it to her eyes, and then threw her down onto the marble, where she lay as if stunned.
Rolston had stood by, mute, but now he laughed. “Really, my dear Christopher, couldn’t you have waited to do that until we were no longer in the public eye?”
Traci and Nicki were still sprawled on the ground as the two leaders retreated into the body of the temple. Once they were gone and the door was closed, Nicki scrambled over to where Traci lay. It was evident that she was seriously hurt. Flowers of blood bloomed where her eyes had been, and she was mercifully unconscious.
“She’s still alive, but she needs help,” she sent, and gasped as the sounds of screaming and shouting floated up to her from down in the square at the base of the temple. The broadcast suddenly ended, and seconds later, she and Traci were transported back to Traci’s where Lindsey and Katharine were waiting to do what they could to help the injured woman.
They filled Traci with painkillers, and Lindsey staunched the bleeding. She was still unconscious when Katharine scanned her to determine the extent of the damage, and Lindsey had elected to keep her under sedation while she healed, pending a proper clinical appraisal of the injuries. When Katharine finally finished her scan, she shook her head. The news was not good.
“The optic nerves are still intact, but her eyes are completely destroyed.” Katharine said finally. “Without some kind of prosthesis, she will never see again.”
~*~
Fighting in the city had begun only moments after the broadcast, and now, several hours later, it had grown exponentially as the people of Righteousness finally reached their limits. At first, the Guardians had tried to wield discipline sticks and quell the rioting population, but by evening curfew it was evident that they had completely lost control. The riot was in full swing and most of the Guardians had retreated to the temple, barred the doors and were attempting to wait it out. The ones who hadn’t made it were, for the most part, either lying dead or tied up, captives until such time someone decided to put an end to them.
Ty had finally been pronounced fit to get up, and was now busily attempting to repair the instrumentation on the Impala while directing others to cut a hole in the hull and install a viewport in the cockpit. Richard and Jared had returned to Julian’s workshop, and now Jensen was preparing to make a speech to the people of Righteousness. He had been joined by Jake and Sterling, and a couple of faces that were new to Jensen, including a slight man with a devilish grin, whose name was Rob. He was dressed in Guardian’s uniform, which he confided to Jensen he’d stolen from a Guardian he’d garroted earlier that day, and a forthright lady named Kim, who was conducting an inventory of the available weaponry. Once Jensen had made his speech, they would be storming the temple and attempting to put an end to the regime that had permitted so many atrocities in the name of the Light.
Jensen was pacing, nervous as the time drew near for him to broadcast his speech. Jared had tried to reach him with words, to no avail, and now he reached out a long arm, snagging his lover around the waist and drawing him in to sit on his lap. “‘Baby, you’re making us all twitchy with your pacing. Anyone would think you were Sebastian.”
“I heard that!” Sebastian looked up from the game he was playing on his PAD. “And if you must know, my pacing is much more reminiscent of a leopard than that... witless shambling your other half was just employing.”
“Witless shambling?” Jensen’s eyes opened wide. “That’s harsh!”
“Harsh it may be,” returned Sebastian. “But so sadly true. You need to study my prowl. It’s slinky and sexy and does not ever include nail biting, mumbling and clutching at my hair. For a small fee I wouldn’t mind demonstrating.”
“That’s okay.” Jensen was chuckling now, and finally felt himself relax a little against Jared’s broad chest. “I know where it is if I ever need to avail myself of it.”
Rob came by at that moment with a cup full of something that smelled delicious and held it out to Jensen. “Kim sent this with instructions that you are to drink it all,.” he said.
“Why?” Jensen frowned. “What’s in it?”
“Don’t ask me. I’m just the messenger boy,” said Rob. “She terrifies me, but you can ask her if you want.”
Kim had followed Rob out from Julian’s little kitchen and stood behind him with her hands on her hips. “It’s something that Traci left for Julian to take if ever he needed calming. I thought it might help.” She rolled her eyes at Rob, who had scurried into a corner and was apparently attempting to make himself invisible. “So just drink it. There’s a good boy.”
Jared laughed as Jensen blushed and began to sip at the concoction. Once he’d tasted it, however, he beamed and began to gulp it down. “That was awesome,” he said, handing the cup back to her and rising to his feet. “I guess it’s time now, isn’t it?”
“It is indeed.” Julian appeared in the doorway. “Come with me. Your public awaits you.”
Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and followed the gaunt scientist down one of the warren like passageways to a small room that had been fitted out as a studio. Sterling flashed him a white-toothed grin as he took his place on the chair that had been set up in front of his camera.
“You just need to talk,” he told Jensen. “I’ll do the rest. You’ll be reaching every household and PAD in Righteousness. A star will be born.”
“Dude, I have never in my life wanted to become a star. I’m not sure where that whole idea came from.” Jensen squirmed in his seat. “Why can’t Richard do this part?”
“You’re whining, Ackles,” said Richard, who was fumbling through a stack of large cards. “I’m the one who’s going to be holding up your cue cards so that you remember what you’re supposed to say. I can’t possibly be in front of the camera as well. Besides, you’re the pretty one, remember?”
“Oh, fuck you!” Jensen turned to Jared. “I guess we just can’t get good staff these days.”
“Just talk, sweetheart. You’re gonna knock ‘em dead,” murmured Jared.
“I think that comes after his speech,” said Sterling. “And I’m gonna count you in, now. Ready? Five, four, three... two… one!”
There was no more time to panic. Taking a deep breath, Jensen began to speak. “People of Righteousness, you may not remember me, but I once lived among you, until the cruelty of the Guardians tore me from you. Like many before me, I was deemed dangerous and sent to the Earth, my very identity stripped away so that I would obey the Guardians. I am Jensen, the son of Donna and Alan Ackles.
“I won’t go into how things unfolded. Suffice it to say that I am here to bring you terrible news, but wonderful news as well. By now you know that Traci, the holy Seeress, has been sorely injured by one of your leaders and will never again see the sun rise over Righteousness. She went to the temple as was her duty, to impart the terrible knowledge that the dome that protects Righteousness is failing. There are ruptures in the foundations, and the plasteel can’t hold out much longer. Due to a great lack of foresight by your leaders, you don’t have enough of the material required to repair it on hand, and there’s probably not time to bring enough of it from Earth to effect the repairs before the foundation fails with catastrophic results. This is what she saw, and what she needed to report to your leaders.
“Unfortunately, your leaders have long since departed from the path of the Light and have taken a dark road from which there is no returning.
“You know this. You have seen it unfold in the barbaric punishments, the harsh curfews and the atrocities that have taken place in recent times. My mother was killed for speaking out against such things, publicly executed in the most hideous fashion.” Jensen closed his eyes briefly and swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat before continuing.
“Let me ask you this. How many more of you will die in such a fashion, or submit to the whims of Heyerdahl’s blind rage?. You saw what he did to our beloved Seer today. What else is he capable of? I tell you, none of you are safe.
“I told you that I also had wonderful news for you, and I do. We are going to reclaim the city and end this reign of hatred and despair. The Guardians are all hiding away in the temple now, trusting to the Light that they forsook long ago. They no longer walk in the Light, and the Light will forsake them, but it will not forsake you, if you are steadfast. However, that isn’t the good news that I have for you.
“The good news is that the Earth is no longer a poisonous place. It’s a fertile, bountiful world once more, reclaimed by those of us who live there, and ready to take you in and allow you to return to the home of humanity. Once the Guardians are no more, we offer all who wish to go a place on Earth. You will no longer need to fear the world outside the dome, and you will live freely, love freely, become whoever you dream of being.
“I’m going now to make sure that your future is safe for you. When the doors to the temple open again, either you will be free, or I will be dead.”
“Bravo!” As Jensen finished his speech and slumped back in his chair, heaving a sigh of relief, Sebastian was loitering in the doorway to the little studio, “I feel myself quite inspired. What’s next?”
“We go and fight.” Jared grinned. “At last. I wanna go stick a sharp object or two into Heyerdahl.”
“I’m reserving Heyerdahl for myself.” Julian had entered the room and stood, grimly frowning. “I have weapons for you here, and Kim is bringing some for the others. Once we’re ready, we will go and lance this abscess that is the temple.”
Back in Julian’s workshop, Ty and Nicki had arrived via the hypergate from Traci’s home. Lindsey was remaining with Traci, but Katharine was there, bristling with anger at the terrible thing that had been done to the woman who had trained her. Kim raised an eyebrow at Julian. “Did I hear you announce your intention of joining the battle?” she asked.
“My dear, I always thought I was free from petty emotions such as revenge and hatred, but I find that I do after all have a tipping point.” He sighed, then smiled ruefully. “It’s really sad, and Traci will take me to task for it, I am sure. I must now live another hundred lives to expunge my desire to run berserk in retribution for the way my beloved was treated.”
He stooped to pull a box out from under the workbench and opened it. Inside were a number of shiny metal objects. “I’ve built a number of weapons, but these are new, and I think that under the circumstances these will serve us best.”
He took one of them and demonstrated the way that it not only fired an alarming ray that instantly demolished the cup and saucer Jensen had been drinking from earlier, but that the touch of a button would also project a kind of electronic bayonet. Everyone took one and tried to resist testing it out, unsure what they could safely disintegrate in an underground shelter.
“Okay,” said Richard, who had thought this out very carefully. “Ty is the one who can send out compulsions to the people around him. He will be suggesting to them that we are not a threat, merely another group of Guardians taking our place ready to fight. That’s going to give us the chance to blast anyone in the main hall. I know it sounds unsporting, but they outnumber us by around fifty to one, so the sooner we start reducing some of those odds, the better.”
Everyone nodded, and Julian stepped into their midst. “Okay, Rob,” he said. “Send us through and then wait for my call to return.”
Rob shot him a shy grin, and slapped the lever that would send them into the temple.
~*~
When we look up to see the moon
we notice there’s a crack
and though we weep to see it there
we cannot turn things back
The inside of the temple was dark and somewhat sinister without the multi-colored pillars of light that usually illuminated the supplicant’s hall. They advanced in a line, Ty at their center, spraying the dark corners with the rays and hearing the cries that told of success. Ty had always been able to subtly cloud minds and make them believe what he suggested. That was the reason he had been sent to monitor Eric Brady’s progress back in the Lone Star Colony, before Jensen had reclaimed his personality. Now he concentrated with everything he had on suggesting that their small troupe was merely a platoon of Guardians making for the most strategic place to deploy.
Someone returned their fire, and a projectile sang past Ty’s ear, nicking it and making him lose concentration for just a moment. By the time he had the image he needed back in place and began to project it again, several more shots had been fired, and screams had announced the successful elimination of the shooter as a threat.
They reached the wide, curved stairs that led to the hall of confession and began to ascend, half of them moving ahead while the others stepped backwards up the stairs, covering their rear.
The lights were on as they reached the level above, and the little band of rebels shot down some twenty Guardians before they even realized that there were hostiles amongst them. It was too good to last, however, and before they were through the level to the one that would lead them to Rolston’s lair they found themselves in hand to hand combat against the remaining Guardians.
Ty lost sight of the others, all his attention on the one who was attacking him. He activated the bayonet that Julian had demonstrated and was mildly gratified when it sliced cleanly into his opponent and left him twitching on the ground. All around him he could see his companions hard pressed. Keeping the thought in his mind that he was not a threat, he worked his way over to where four or five Guardians were attacking Jensen, whose broadcast had most definitely not gone unnoticed. He found that inserting the bayonet into the back of the neck at the base of the skull was a very effective way of cutting down an opponent, and once he’d reduced Jensen’s opponents to a more manageable number he circled around and did the same to those who were outnumbering Richard.
Misha was uttering his war cry in an archaic language Ty didn’t recognize as he laid about himself with gusto, and Sebastian was in his element, neatly dispatching anyone stupid enough to come close. Kim had been injured, but despite blood trickling from a wound in her shoulder she was carving her way through the melee towards the stairway that would lead them to the upper level.
He could see Jared on the stairway already. He was firing down at anyone that gave him a clear shot, and as he watched, Richard reached him and took up a position a little lower down, emulating Jared.
Nicki was the one who killed the very last opponent who was still offering resistance. There might still have been people who had decided that discretion was the better part of valor, but they were nowhere to be seen, and it seemed that their pathway to the upper level was finally clear.
Cautiously, they made their way up the stairs, expecting at any moment to be fired upon. All was silent, and Julian pressed through to take the lead, followed by Sebastian, who was close behind him. They were all aware that the deserted appearance of the place had to be deceptive, and that they would find out just how deceptive soon enough.
Richard, Misha, Jensen and Jared had been in this situation before, and it was no surprise to Ty that they were happy to follow the others up the stairs and let someone else take point. Julian was the one who reached the head of the stairs first, and was turning to beckon the others when Ty saw movement in the darkness.
He wasn’t close enough to stop what would happen, but Sebastian, who had been pretty much stepping on Julian’s heels, screamed “No!” and flung himself forward to take the blade that had been intended for Julian.
Julian turned to fire, driving his bayonet into Heyerdahl as he simultaneously fired a shot that disintegrated a hole the size of a tennis ball through the man’s chest. Heyerdahl pitched forward and began to tumble down the stairs, narrowly missing taking little Katharine with him.
Dropping to his knees, Julian bent to study Sebastian’s wound. It was evident that it was a killing blow, but Sebastian wasn’t quite ready to go. He smiled a bloody smile at Julian.
“Sorry, Old Man. Got to go now, I think,” he said.
“No.” Julian was desperate. “I’ve called Rob. He’s going to send you up to Lindsey. She can fix you up, you know she can.”
“Don’t be silly, old man. It’s too late for me. I had fun, and that’s the best way to go, don’t you think?” Sebastian coughed, and there was foam on his lips as he labored for breath. “Wish I could’ve seen Earth. Catch you on the next...”
Julian saw the light die from Sebastian’s eyes, and as he rose to his feet the tears were blinding him. “I’ll take you to Earth with me,” he said. “You’ll go home with me.”
Stepping up beside him, Ty projected what comfort he could. They needed Julian if they were to finish this. He watched as the old scientist squared his shoulders and moved forward. Stepping into position beside Ty, Nicki nudged him. “That was well done,” she whispered. “We can’t have Julian falling apart. There’s still too much to do.”
There were fifteen Guardians left up on the third floor. They died one by one as the small troupe passed through the control rooms and entered Rolston’s private quarters. They looked everywhere - even in the most unlikely places, but there was no sign of Rolston. Julian refused to leave, ripping up mattresses and peering in cupboards, and it was only when Jake came rushing inside from the door that led to the roof and the landing pad that he paused for a moment, his frantic search on hold for a moment.
“I think we’re too late,” Jake called. “Traci’s jetcar is missing, and I’m pretty sure he’s the one that’s taken it. The coward’s run away and left his people to fend for themselves.”
It did seem to be true. The little runabout that everyone knew so well was no longer where Traci had parked it when she’d gone to confront Rolston and Heyerdahl, and the roof was empty. Julian snarled. Beckoning Nicki and Jake in close, he mumbled that he was going back to his workshop to take care of something important, and asked them to supervise cleaning up the temple, since they more than anyone else knew the layout of the place. As the two nodded, Julian gathered Sebastian’s limp body in his arms and sent a thought winging to Rob, and then, with a soft pop, he and his dead comrade vanished as Rob transported them back to his workshop.
Master Post | Absolution Part 1 | Absolution Part 2 | Absolution Part 4 | Fanlay's Art| Author's Notes
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