Here's the second part:
Robert was about to respond to that statement when sharp tapping sounds pierced the air. They both turned to see Weir, who was clapping slowly and intently. Glaring at Pinbacker, he replied sarcastically,
“Oh, that was such
a fascinating tale…so thrilling…so compelling. Unfortunately for you, my friend, story time is over. Now, take your ‘God’ and your bad storytelling, and move on so I can get back to business. You see, Capa here has yet to be broken, and you’re preventing that from happening!! I – “Less than amused with the interruption, Pinbacker thrust out his hand, and a blast of fire shot out of his hand and enveloped Weir. Robert was expecting Weir to be burned to cinders by the fire, but was surprised and fascinated to see that instead of burning him, the flames seemed to coil around him like thick, glowing ropes. Now incapable of movement, Weir was about to say something when a smaller coil of fire broke off from its thicker source and shot into his mouth until it was completely filled with fire, rendering him unable to speak.
Pinbacker smiled widely at Weir’s current predicament.
“Your arrogance will become your undoing, Dr. Weir. Those who defy my God will be punished without mercy…” he whispered smugly. Weir’s eyes smoldered with hatred, and he glared as icily as he could. Pinbacker’s attention, however, had already strayed from him and was now once again focused on Robert.
“However, my God severely underestimated Humanity’s determination and will to survive in the face of its own extinction,” he said, as if Weir had never interrupted him.
“The Icarus I was supposed to be their greatest hope. I suffered from an excess of pride back then, seeing myself as the one who would restart the Sun and save Humanity…this folly almost consumed me…” he smiled widely, appearing lost in thought…as if he was remembering something.
A moment later, he snapped out of his reverie, nodded slightly, and continued.
“Luckily, before life could be restored to this undeserving star, I managed to…‘see the light’, as it were. It’s not necessary to go into details, but my God appeared to me and revealed my weaknesses. It was harsh and painful to endure, but under His influence, I gained enlightenment and soon stripped myself of all delusions about Humanity. Armed with my new knowledge, I tried to spread these revelations among the crew, and at the same time, stop them from completing their blasphemous mission. “Unfortunately, the others didn’t feel as I did. They clung to false hope, refusing to give up their illusions, thus they tried to stop me from destroying Icarus I. Led by your counterpart, – a very resourceful man, our Dr. Sampson was…thwarting me at every turn…– they managed to succeed, and their success resulted in irrevocable damage to the ship and my rather…painful death…but in the end, they wasted their efforts on an ultimately futile gesture. Through both fire and heat, my body and soul were purified and by the will of my God, I was returned to life. However, my physical form couldn’t handle the process, and…well, you can see for yourself. As for the others, they were condemned to wander the ruins of Icarus I, suffering from madness and despair. Even then, they still refused to abandon a hope that was now worthless. When the despair finally crushed their will to survive, they chose to end their existence in the presence of their life-giver, immolating themselves in its dying light.“And now, it has happened again. Humankind has once more engaged in a desperate attempt to fight against its inevitable end. They have sent another Icarus spaceship with another bomb in a second attempt to restore their main source of life. They knew full well that if they failed this time, there would be no hope left.” He stopped speaking and gestured to the bloody window.
“Take a look, Robert. See where Humanity’s misplaced hopes have led them.” As if his body was moving on automatic, Robert turned from Pinbacker and stared out towards the Sun. As before, the faint light it exuded no longer extended past its surface. As he watched, small, scattered blotches of darkness appeared on the surface, slowly spreading and absorbing the light around them. Feeble strings of light erupted from the few unabsorbed patches that now remained, only to fade as quickly as they appeared. “Hmph…I only see the Sun. It’s dying, like you said,” Robert murmured. Pinbacker chuckled softly and waved a scarred finger in a
<tsk-tsk> gesture.
“Ah, but Robert…I wasn’t referring to the Sun at all. Look again.” Shaking his head, he once again looked out the window. This time he saw it: a long, gigantic object with a large cube attached to a bowl-like structure that protruded outward on one end. He recognized it immediately: the
Icarus II…his ship… It appeared to be spinning rapidly in place, but Robert could see that it was moving ever so slowly towards the Sun. He also noticed that, while it spun, it seemed to deteriorate. With each rotation, pieces both large and small broke off from various parts of the ship. They soon floated off, never to be seen again.
He turned away from the window and stared at Pinbacker evenly. “If you were trying to make a point, then you obviously failed. We already know that the Human race is now lost…you made sure of it. You successfully managed to defeat us – no, that’s not true -- you only managed to sabotage my ship and kill the others…it was
me you really defeated…for the power to restore the Sun was mine alone…” Robert murmured icily as he unconsciously raised his right hand and gently brushed his fingers against the bleeding slash on his chest. He then raised it to eye level, gazing indifferently at the blood that now covered it. When Pinbacker didn’t respond, he lowered his hand again and turned back to the window to watch the deteriorating
Icarus II as it continued its slow, spinning march towards the Sun. A major part of the ship had already been lost by this time…only the large bowl-like structure that housed the cube-like Stellar Bomb, and the bomb itself, remained, and even that was slowly starting to disintegrate. He continued to watch as the bowl soon melted into nothing. Now, only the Stellar Bomb remained, and it seemed to remain unaffected as it somehow picked up speed and advanced toward the Sun. Robert lowered his head in sadness as he saw his bomb plunge into one of the dark patches on its surface and disappear from sight.
“It’s quite ironic, isn’t it, Robert? That little bomb -- Humanity’s final hope -- finally reaching its destination, only to lie there, useless, for all eternity… Yes, I can see it now…your life-giver, nothing more than a burned out husk, the very thing that could have saved its worthless existence lying forever dormant within. Indeed, such irony…” Pinbacker’s harsh voice hissed very close to Robert’s ear. He remained stone still, not giving Pinbacker the satisfaction of flinching or edging away from him. “So…what happens now?” Deep chuckling echoed in his ear as Pinbacker continued to lean close to him.
“I’m so glad you asked that, Robert. As you can see, my God doesn’t like those who defy His will. The fact that you found a way to restore that which He found useless and had thus eliminated displeased Him immensely. He has, however, gained a small measure of comfort when He learned of your failure and subsequent demise. He rarely deals with mortals directly, but you’re a special exception. Your mortal shell is long gone, but He is not satisfied with just that. He has decided that you will suffer eternal torment at His hands personally. As such, He eagerly awaits your arrival.” When Pinbacker stopped speaking, the
Event Horizon’s bridge fell deathly silent. Even Weir, still trapped by the fiery ropes, seemed to make no sound as he struggled against his bonds. Robert continued to stare out of the window, his entire body tense. He could no longer sense Pinbacker’s presence near him, and that unnerved him in a way he couldn’t put his finger on. His left hand gripped the object it held so tightly that blood started to flow down its surface and add to the constantly growing pool at his feet.
Robert heard a familiar
whooshing sound and reacted to the sudden movement behind him very quickly, not even having time to register what had just happened or even feel the tremendous rush of pain that erupted from the wound on his chest and spiked throughout his body. He rapidly spun himself around and veered to his left just as a pointed, sickly green colored object pierced the air where he had been standing only seconds ago. After he stopped moving, the pain he had ignored surged forward with a vengeance. The sheer force of it brought him to his knees. As he clutched his wounded chest with his right hand and breathed deeply in an attempt to quell the pain and regain his bearings, Robert felt a sharp object press against the open cut. Wincing at the contact, he looked up and frowned.
Pinbacker was now standing directly over him, teeth exposed in a wide, deranged grin, a green dagger-like blade pressing directly into the area of the wound that lay just above his heart.
“Well, well…now this brings back memories, doesn’t it, Robert? Yes…I remember it well: this is exactly how we ended up after our little fight in the heart of your bomb.” Here, Pinbacker’s grin grew even wider, and a bit smug. He pressed the dagger just a little deeper into the wound.
“I also remember how clever you tried to be, even at the end. There you were: weak, wounded, broken…dying…and even then you still defied me. I almost fell for it, too…how you shifted your arm behind you ever so slowly in an attempt to activate your bomb without me noticing… Ironic that you would have most likely succeeded and saved your race had you not dislodged that little wrench that lay right next to the activation switch, or if I had taken just one second longer to kill you. Isn’t it funny how luck tends to work out?”Robert glared as icily as he could, at the same time shifting the object in his left hand. For a second, he became panicked when it almost slipped from his hand due to the blood that coated it. Forcing himself to relax despite the raging pain he felt, he carefully coaxed it back into his palm. Moving his fingers as slowly and as cautiously as he could, the object had soon been placed in the position he desired. Not noticing the subtle movements, Pinbacker leaned down until their faces were almost touching.
“Do you have anything you want to say before I take you to meet my God?” Robert’s icy glare suddenly became a wide smile. “Well…if you’re really that set on killing me again, then…
you’re just going to have to work for it this time!!!” Despite the now almost overwhelming pain, he shouted as he opened his left hand, pushed the object into Pinbacker’s arm and held it there.
The effect was instantaneous. A loud, inhuman shriek came from Pinbacker, who dropped the dagger and tried to withdraw his arm from Robert’s firm grasp. At the same time, the fire that imprisoned Weir wavered and its brightness dulled slightly, but continued to hold him in place. Now sporting a deep, almost psychotic grin, Robert slowly stood up, still pressing the object into Pinbacker’s arm. After a moment, their positions were reversed. Removing his hand, he stared smugly at the shouting form kneeling at his feet. Taking the arm again, he pulled at the object, but it took a little effort, for it seemed to have melted the burned skin and embedded itself firmly in his arm. Finally, after a few moments of not-so-gentle pulling, it finally came out, accompanied by a loud
<pop>. Looking at the melted hole, Pinbacker saw what looked like some kind of symbol burned into it, but the sudden rush of blood that filled the wound quickly obscured it. Shock overruling his pain, he glared, first at Robert, and then at the object, which was again hidden within his fisted left hand.
“HOW?!!! HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO USE THAT?!!! IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR THOSE WHO DON’T BELIEVE IN ITS POWER!!!”Kneeling down to Pinbacker’s level, Robert stared into his eyes and said, “Tell me...how do you like it, feeling weak and helpless…being cruelly toyed with by the person who held your life in his hands?” Not waiting for an answer, he opened his left hand and with an arch grin, pressed it directly into Pinbacker’s forehead, at the same time whispering, “You saw fit to mark me…it’s only right that I return the favor.” The resulting scream was even louder than before, nearly deafening. Pinbacker howled and writhed in a futile effort to push himself away from the source of the pain. Again, the object was stuck in place and strong tugging was needed to remove it. Once accomplished, Robert watched as blood rushed into the gaping wound and flowed down Pinbacker’s face. He then stood up and stared emotionlessly at the writhing form on the floor. At that moment, the bonds holding Weir in place suddenly faded, but Robert paid no attention as he turned away from Pinbacker and went back to the window.
No longer held back, Weir slowly walked over to Pinbacker’s writhing form. As Robert did before, he knelt down in front of him.
“Now…what
were you saying before about arrogance?” he hissed smugly. Glaring through the layer of blood that covered his face, he tried to rise, but Weir stood up quickly, raised his foot and then pressed down firmly, keeping Pinbacker in place.
“Ah-ah, not so fast. You see, I told you before that only I
have any authority here. Intruders like you, who come here and start throwing their weight around like they own the place, are unwelcome, and the Event Horizon
has ways of dealing with such individuals.” Removing his foot from Pinbacker’s chest, Weir walked to the center of the bridge, where the
Event Horizon’s main computer resided. Looking over the various monitors, he went over to the one closest to Pinbacker’s position. Tapping his fingers on the monitor’s surface, he smiled as the
Event Horizon responded:
‘Attention, all Event Horizon
personnel: Activation of Gravity Drive commencing…Gateway will open in T-minus <distorted> minutes…Repeating: Gateway will open in T-minus <distorted> minutes…’Weir grinned as the ship started rumbling. Returning to Pinbacker, he was about to say something when suddenly, he was met with a green dagger pushing its way into his chest. He looked from the dagger to Pinbacker, who was again standing. The wounds on his head and arm were still bleeding. His face was masked in blood while even more dripped along his arm.
“You shouldn’t have turned your back on me, Dr. Weir,” he hissed.
“Now, face the wrath of my God…Iä Azathoth…” However, he didn’t expect what happened next: Weir smirked as he took the dagger and pulled it out of his chest, leaving a hollow hole that quickly healed over.
“You were saying…” he replied as he threw the dagger at Pinbacker’s feet.
Unconcerned with the fight that was just about to break out, Robert watched the Sun as it continued to die. Its surface was almost fully dark now; the shadowed patches have swallowed up whatever light was left. Any traces of the
Icarus II were also completely gone, as if it had never been there in the first place. Nodding sadly, he almost didn’t notice that the object in his hand had suddenly become searing hot. As he turned his attention to it, he felt what he could only describe as a
presence speak in his head:
There’s not much time, Robert. Do it now,
while they’re distracted…“…What…? Who – “
Remain silent, Robert, and do not ask questions. If you continue to delay, it will soon be too late. You have to do it now, before
the Gravity Drive finishes activating.Robert was deeply confused now. “…
What?! Do
what?!” Just hold the talisman to the Sun, and it will come to you automatically.“…” Shaking his head, Robert took one last look at the object, and then raised his left hand, making sure that it faced out towards the Sun, ignoring the pain that came from his outstretched arm pulling at his wound, as well as the object’s heated surface. Almost immediately, he found himself starting to speak, but in a way that defied explanation. The bizarre, tongue-twisting nature of the
‘words’ (if they could even be called that) that now came out of his mouth were almost impossible for his human vocal cords to successfully articulate, and yet, Robert found himself doing it anyway, despite the intense pain it caused in his throat. The object continued to grow hotter as he started speaking faster, his now ragged voice increasing in volume. For the next few minutes, Robert continued chanting in that strange ‘language’, his voice growing louder and harsher as it progressed.
Pinbacker, upon hearing what Robert was chanting, suddenly froze in panic, ceasing his current assault on Weir.
“No…that’s -- it’s not possible!! He can’t -- NO, I WON’T LET HIM --!!!“ [/b]Raising his hands, he dropped the dagger, turned from Weir and begun to quickly shout something in a form of speech similar to the one that Robert was using. However, it came too late, for at that moment, the
Event Horizon, which had been only rumbling slightly before, started shaking uncontrollably.
‘Attention, all Event Horizon
personnel: Gravity Drive engaged…Gateway opening in T-minus 60 seconds. Counting down: T-minus 60 seconds…59…58…’The force of the shaking threw Pinbacker and Weir to the ground hard. Robert, however, barely managed to remain standing in front of the window, still holding the object over his head and shouting out those seemingly nonsensical words. His left hand now looked like it was on fire, yet there were no traces of burns on it.
’45…44…43…42…41…T-minus 40 seconds…’Pinbacker shakily got to his feet, desperately looking for his dagger. He had to stop Robert
now, before he finished that incantation, and that dagger was the only thing that would work. Darting his eyes around the bridge while trying to stay on his feet, he finally managed to find it sticking out of one of the patches of living shadow near the main computer terminal. Just as he stumbled over to where it was lying, the
Event Horizon gave a violent jolt, causing him to fall and crack his head against the edge of the terminal.
’31…T-minus 30 seconds…29…28…27…26…T-minus 25 seconds…’ Getting back on his feet, Weir looked around and laughed triumphantly. The cringing of the
Event Horizon was indistinguishable from the rumbling and shaking caused by the Gravity Drive. Turning to Robert, who was shouting incessantly, the wound on his chest now spurting great amounts of blood around him, Weir grinned while calling out,
“Too late, Capa…TOO LATE!!! Whatever it is you’re doing over there, it will be completely useless to you where you’re going!!!”’12…11…T-minus 10 seconds…9…8…7…’Robert was growing steadily weaker. Blood was being forced out of his body at an alarming rate. His wound was now the source of a bloody waterfall. The words he could barely speak were tearing at and burning his throat, but he knew he couldn’t stop. He was almost there…he could sense it -- just a few more seconds…
‘T-minus 5 seconds…4…3…2…1… Coordinates set…Gateway open…beginning transport….’At the very instant the
Event Horizon ticked off the final second, Robert shook off his exhaustion and pain, hoisting the fiery object as high as he could while shouting in his ragged voice,
“NOW, BY THE POWER OF NODENS, DO I SUMMON YOU HERE!!! AZATHOTH’S BANE, I COMMAND YOU TO ARISE!!!” At that moment, the bridge was suddenly engulfed by two different shades of brightness. One of them was caused by emanations from the Gravity Drive as it opened up the path that led to Weir’s dimension. The other shade looked…almost suspiciously like…
sunlight… -- And that's how this deranged little vision ends. This just proves exactly
how disturbing a place my mind really is...