Outside, the sun’s light fades to nothing as the wind grows, its hollow moans filling the
room. Kat can just see Jal’s dim outline as he raises his hand to touch Siah’s face.
“Despite all that’s happened, despite all you’ve done- I don’t want you to die. We’re part
of each other and neither one of us can change that- we can be the same person again.
Take my hand- quickly!”
Shaking, Siah extends his hand touching Jal’s fingers lightly before folding the hand
completely into his own. A small light grows between them, illuminating their expressions-
Siah’s filled with loathing, Jal’s voracious and eager. In the light both begin to take on
features of the other, both of them fading as a new being slowly takes form between their
bodies.
Even as he fades, Jal leans forward and kisses Siah deeply on the mouth. As he does
so and pulls away, Siah’s expression has changed- he smiles and tilts his head back as
the last wisps of his essence flow into the entity.
Just before flickering into nothingness, one of Jal’s hands flashes upwards holding
something bright that catches the light of their joining, finishing its arc covered in red. Kat
feels warm liquid spatter against her face and clothes. Siah’s eyes widen as he spreads
his hands before him, his chest and stomach pouring blood on the ground before he falls
limply back into the darkness. The luminescent creature that had been growing between
them- its expression has turned to horror as the fabric of its being slowly dissolves. Jal’s
face is locked in an expression of fascination as he watches it die. The light fades.
For a moment there is only the roar of the wind, followed by a tearing sound of thunder
as lightning provides a brief glimpse of the deluge outside. One of these flashes gives
Katya a look at Jal bending over the body, touching Siah’s face, which still holds an
expression of happiness. She sees him getting up before the room plunges into
darkness again.
Kat pulls out her light and readies her weapon in one motion. Turning the light on, she
sees Jal moving toward her, raising his arms as if to embrace her. Stepping back, Kat
pulls the trigger- a bright flash of light and a tearing sound- Jal is thrown back against
the wall, falling in a broken heap to the floor. Shining her light down, Kat sees Jal’s eyes
watching her blankly, his chest and stomach open obscenely to the air. Blood pools
rapidly beneath his body, mixing with Siah’s on the floor.
Lightning flickers distantly, casting pale shadows that dance around the room. Katya
watches it numbly for a moment before realizing there is a face in the window. Starting,
she raises her light and weapon. When the light’s bright beam falls on the human-insect
countenance of one of Jal’s biomachines, her breath quickens with rage and she almost
pulls the trigger. But no, she thinks, lowering the gun- if Jal is going to fail, at least let
him succeed here- let his artwork of millennia unfold to its final scenes- the creatures
would all perish when the worlds collided- by that time, she would be safely away. Once
this was accomplished, she would launch Jal’s satellite- that much of him would live.
Moving toward the door, Kat notices the biomachine moving two of its tentacles through
the open window, arcing gracefully toward the two bodies on the floor. On reaching
them, they sprout extra sensors and blades that gleam dully in the light beam. They
pause over Jal, waving gently before cutting away at his face with the scalpels, neatly
peeling the skin back before dismembering the skull. Sickened, Kat turns away, running
out the door toward the spacecraft.
#
There had been pain, briefly, when the projectiles struck him. He hadn’t felt himself hit
the wall. Now, he lay on the floor, arms and legs dead weight pulling him down, his
vision washing in and out in waves of gray, ears ringing with fading sound. Kat’s light
dazzled his eyes for a moment before switching to the window- she’d seen the
biomachine there- raising her weapon now- no, that would ruin so much- the vital scenes
played out here would be lost, the satellite’s program incomplete- it could ruin
everything. Jal tries to speak, but only a soft breath escapes his lips- as he blacks out,
he sees Kat lowering her weapon- good, good.
His eyes open again- light flashing off blades, pain- biomachine cutting out the only part
of him that matters, his subconscious, beautiful black pearl- he laughs with his last
breath. Darkness.
Jal tries to breathe but can’t. Willing himself to see, he looks down on his own body- then
he remembers that the biomachines didn’t need to breathe- he can feel himself slowly
gaining control of the creature’s central nervous system.
In that moment, he sees the Tep; proud in its control, arrogant in the limited sphere it
called eternity. The shockwave from the weapon was still approaching- soon there would
not be enough souls to sustain it from the weapon’s impact. Feeling himself in control of
the biomachine’s body, he races out into the darkness and rain.
#
Kat moves her hands gracefully over the ship’s control panel- as the engines are
warming up, she runs to check the readiness of Jal’s satellite- surprisingly, it isn’t ready
for launch. Calling for a functionality display, Katya follows the cryptic diagrams that flow
in raised type across the machine’s skin with difficulty, watching them patiently for
precious minutes until she understands- the key component is missing- the embodiment
of Jal’s subconscious still lay in his body. The control panel is signaling that engines are
ready. Kat pauses half way to the console- she will have to go back to get it.
Grabbing a weapon, she races for the door, pausing to look at the exterior ship display
before leaving. A flash of lightning reveals one of Jal’s biomachines racing with unnatural
speed over the crest of the hill that led down to the village, closely followed by another.
The more distant creature pauses, deploying its telepathic recording sensors while the
other races on, stopping at the entrance of the ship, using it’s metallic tentacles to pound
on the door.
Returning to the ship’s controls, Kat runs her hands rapidly over several panels,
activating the ship’s weapons. The view from the exterior display begins flashing brightly
as they fire, several bursts striking the biomachine, driving it back, tearing pieces from its
body until it lies still on the ground- the second biomachine, farther back, records the
events dispassionately.
Opening the ship’s door, Katya rushes outside, almost at once getting blown down by
the wind. Struggling to keep her weapon at the ready, she moves slowly toward the
wounded biomachine, two of its tentacles waving lazily in the air.
“I know it’s you, Jal!” she shouts over the wind. “If you try to kill me, it ends for you here.
Trust me- I’ll help you!”
The tentacles sag to the ground as a large black pearl emerges slowly from one of the
wounds. Picking it up, Katya carries it to the ship, stroking it softly with her hand. “One
more chance Jal my love, one more chance.”
Rushing to the satellite’s alcove onboard the ship, Kat places the pearl into a
compartment that gapes open in the satellite’s side to receive it. Placing it gently inside,
she watches for a moment as it’s surrounded by synaptic gel secreted by the satellite-
this would amplify its neuroelectric impulses, carrying data to the transmitters around the
hull. For now, however, the machine still records- pictures of emotion and psychic
templates from both worlds in their final moments of existence.
Moving quickly toward the cockpit, Katya straps herself in and begins the launch
sequence. As the ship leaves the ground, chaos churns below- forests ripple and fall,
oceans spilling over the land as mountains fold inward.
Leaving the atmosphere behind, Kat’s hand hesitates over the button that will launch Jal’
s satellite into space. Through Kat’s eyes, the planet below blurs as tears stain the
console. Closing her eyes, she feels the ship jolt as the satellite falls free of the ship.
Opening her eyes, Kat sees two worlds collide, purest white light filling the cockpit.
Goodbye, Jaldeja. Goodbye.