Duncan McNeil
[release].your.grip
- 209
- Posts
- 16
- Years
- the depths of darkness
- Seen May 7, 2009
Hey guys. This is a one-shot I wrote a few months back for a Sci-Fi contest on SPPf. I really liked the way it turned out, so I figured I would post it here on PC. Feel free, although certainly don't feel obligated, to review and tell me what you think.
Huge, huge thanks go out to Bay for betaing this for me and just in general giving me plenty of tips and advice to get it to this point.
Enjoy, guys.
Thick shafts of light illuminated particles of dust before falling off into shadow. Distant ringing echoed in his ears; the rest of the world had melted away. The slight clink of a bottle as it fell to the floor and shattered made it's way through the fugue, but he paid it no attention. The strong, almost metallic odor of blood was suddenly apparent, and vaguely he looked down to see a scrape on his hand.
He blinked, wiping it gently with his sleeve. Everything...it seemed so surreal. He sat back in his chair, his glazed eyes falling onto the television. A frantic looking news anchor was talking rapidly, but it was all white noise to him. Only a few words were going through his mind.
The apocalypse was coming.
His breath hitched. Trembling, he looked down at his feet where the bottle had broken. Miniscule shards of glass twinkled in the dull light, shimmering and sparkling as if a vast, far away field of stars. He shook his head. It was all about to end...so much was going to be left unfinished.
Random, disjointed words floated to the front of his mind...stay in your homes...preparations are being made...don't panic...it was almost unbearable.
He took a breath, blinking. Time was wasting, he had two hours left. There were plenty of things he could do, things he had always planned on but for some reason had never gotten around to.
"I..." The voice rang out in the silence, hoarse and unfamiliar. "I'll..."
His mind drew a blank. He had dreams, fantasies, always things he had put off for a later date. Why couldn't he remember...?
He stood up shakily, ignoring the untidy apartment that surrounded him. He had to get out, clear his head.
"Grandfather...what's happening?"
An immensely aged face leaned forward, catching the dim candlelight. "Son. My son, man has finally wrought destruction upon himself and his fellow man. He has committed the worse Sin of all."
A young boy sat back in the darkened church pew. "I don't understand."
The old man sighed deeply. "Everything has a beginning and an end. What is born, dies. Man has always been on a path to destruction...this is the culmination of everything."
"...Are we really gonna die?" the boy's meek voice whispered.
Sadness transformed the man's face. "Yes, we are all about to die. But fear not...fear not. The Great God in Heaven will spare those who have remain faithful...fear not..."
The boy's face screwed up, his eyes glistening with tears. "Then why is he doing this, Grandpa? If he loves us...why?"
A careful silence fell upon the darkened church. "Come here, do not worry. He has his own mysterious ways, but never let your love for Him waver...do you understand? He will deliver us all to Heaven...rest assured..."
The boy sniffed, hugging his grandfather. "Okay...thank you, Grandpa..."
A smile lightened the grim face. "Rest easy, my son, rest easy. It is almost here...let us pray..."
Dull, exhausted eyes stared out the car window at the vast expanse of steel that sat resolutely still. The girl sighed. Everyone was panicked, running around fretfully and trying to find a way to get moving again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father yelling angrily at another gridlocked driver, motioning with his arms wildly.
She looked away, lying her head back on the seat. Her eyes blankly found the roof of the car. Dejectedly, she shut them. Her mother had furiously insisted that the entire family leave as soon as the news had broken in. For what reason, she didn't know. Did it matter where it happened?
A tear leaked out of her eye, running down her face and falling gently onto her lap. She was frightened, but more than that...just exhausted. The spirit was sapped from her, there was no reason to do anything but wait and watch.
She thought back dully. She had been normal, utterly normal. It seemed like days and days ago that her mother had burst in while she was on the telephone, chatting with her best friend about the new boy at school and whether or not he had ever been with anyone before. Within five minutes, she was protesting loudly in the car, while neither her mother nor father would hear any of it.
Sometime between the desperate pleas of the radio station for people to stay calm and the fury of her parents at the stopped motorists that had frozen up the road for miles in both directions it had sunk in. The details were hazy, something about a mutated space virus? But...seeing the desperation of the peoples' faces, the sad cries of the children...it really was going to end, wasn't it?
She absentmindedly fingered the hem of her skirt, staring out at the trees that were all along the side of the road. Her blue eyes blinked. It...was beautiful. A gentle wind blew the tops of the emerald trees, sending them moving to and fro ever so slightly. Some of the taller trees' leaves were already turning colors, splotching the green with hints of gold and red.
It was so clear. A small smile spread itself out on her features. "How...nice."
A red faced woman turned around in her seat, affixing a stern gaze upon the teenager. "What?"
The girl blinked, not turning away from the window. "The...trees are turning..."
"Trees? Trees! Do you not understand what is going on here?"
A loud car horn sounded from behind, as an angry motorist flashed a rude hand gesture at the traffic in general. Another man yelled something loudly at him. She shrugged, looking down at the car that sat beside them. A small girl, no more than five, was frowning at all the noise and chaos that was going on outside the cars.
The girl's eyes fell upon her, and she smiled and waved happily.
The teenager paused, then waved back.
"Come on man, go stay with your family. There's nothing else we can do here."
He looked up at the tired, scruffy looking man that stood above him. Dark circles framed his eyes, and sadness was etched into every line of his face.
"I...I can't just leave now. I'm the one who...who did this. How can I just leave?"
The man sighed. "Look...it wasn't your fault. Every one of us looked at the same data you did, and no one could have foreseen that...this would happen. Just go home to your family...enjoy the time you have left with them, okay?"
"You go on. I'll...I want to look at a couple more things and then I'll leave."
With a grave nod, the man turned and left. He heaved a deep sigh. How could he have screwed up so badly? He...he had just ended the world.
Tired eyes looked up at the vast computer room that surrounded him. Almost all of the monitors were off, only his own screen was left on, displaying the words "Mossdeep Space Exploration Center - Where The Final Frontier Is Explored". Horrible, gnawing guilt was eating him up; he couldn't even summon the will to move.
Blindly his hands skated across the keyboard, almost subconsciously bringing up the files he had spent so many sleepless nights working on. It paused, a quiet whir filled the air until the file opened.
Masses of equations, hundreds of thousands of them, all appeared. He blinked tiredly, then typed a few more keys in. A 3D model of a creature appeared. It stood tall, a dull red color with a shimmering black gem set in the center of it's chest. Six long tentacles swung from it's shoulders, with a triangle shaped head containing a pair of beady black eyes. Thin, tapering legs finished off the design.
His great project.
The sight of the creature was sobering. Large, desperate eyes gazed at the screen, willing the...the thing to go away. It merely stared at him, slightly moving with an apathetic look.
Deoxys. His mouth formed the word silently. It was to be his masterpiece, a creature that was infinitely variable to all habitats, to all realms of space...the perfect traveler to explore the universe.
He cringed as memories washed over him. How he had overlooked the most important fact of all...it could adapt to any environment, including the one that had been created to contain it.
A shaking hand wiped the sweat away from his pale face. Was there any reason to stay that still remained? Perhaps he should at least go see his family...
I do not believe that is in your best interest.
The man jumped, staring at the computer monitor in horror. "What...?"
There is no logical reason to move yourself to your home.
"I...you...are talking...?"
The 3D animation shifted, still boring holes in the man with it's gaze.
I am capable of speech.
"Why are you doing this?!"
To explore the Final Frontier...humanity.
"What?" he asked sharply.
I am merely doing what you requested of me.
"You will listen? Then stop it right now, quit attacking the...the world!"
The screen went dark abruptly. The man paused, frowning. Was...it possible?
I am Man's Creation.
I am his last hope.
I am his savior.
I am Deoxys.
Man is fundamentally flawed.
I must help Man.
I must destroy Man.
I am Deoxys.
Dark, soulless eyes gazed down upon a great blue and green sphere, alone in the infinite depths of darkness. It's ever changing form drew closer and closer, flashing in the night sky like a lighthouse.
Warning of impending danger.
Slowly, deliberately, the long tentacles that stretched out into infinity morphed together into one. The bright glow grew more intense with every second as the very fabric of Space seemed to shudder at the immense power.
Man is my father.
My father is ill.
I will save my father.
I am Deoxys.
|||end|||
Huge, huge thanks go out to Bay for betaing this for me and just in general giving me plenty of tips and advice to get it to this point.
Enjoy, guys.
i am deoxys
by duncan mcneil
rated pg
by duncan mcneil
rated pg
Thick shafts of light illuminated particles of dust before falling off into shadow. Distant ringing echoed in his ears; the rest of the world had melted away. The slight clink of a bottle as it fell to the floor and shattered made it's way through the fugue, but he paid it no attention. The strong, almost metallic odor of blood was suddenly apparent, and vaguely he looked down to see a scrape on his hand.
He blinked, wiping it gently with his sleeve. Everything...it seemed so surreal. He sat back in his chair, his glazed eyes falling onto the television. A frantic looking news anchor was talking rapidly, but it was all white noise to him. Only a few words were going through his mind.
The apocalypse was coming.
His breath hitched. Trembling, he looked down at his feet where the bottle had broken. Miniscule shards of glass twinkled in the dull light, shimmering and sparkling as if a vast, far away field of stars. He shook his head. It was all about to end...so much was going to be left unfinished.
Random, disjointed words floated to the front of his mind...stay in your homes...preparations are being made...don't panic...it was almost unbearable.
He took a breath, blinking. Time was wasting, he had two hours left. There were plenty of things he could do, things he had always planned on but for some reason had never gotten around to.
"I..." The voice rang out in the silence, hoarse and unfamiliar. "I'll..."
His mind drew a blank. He had dreams, fantasies, always things he had put off for a later date. Why couldn't he remember...?
He stood up shakily, ignoring the untidy apartment that surrounded him. He had to get out, clear his head.
~-~-~
"Grandfather...what's happening?"
An immensely aged face leaned forward, catching the dim candlelight. "Son. My son, man has finally wrought destruction upon himself and his fellow man. He has committed the worse Sin of all."
A young boy sat back in the darkened church pew. "I don't understand."
The old man sighed deeply. "Everything has a beginning and an end. What is born, dies. Man has always been on a path to destruction...this is the culmination of everything."
"...Are we really gonna die?" the boy's meek voice whispered.
Sadness transformed the man's face. "Yes, we are all about to die. But fear not...fear not. The Great God in Heaven will spare those who have remain faithful...fear not..."
The boy's face screwed up, his eyes glistening with tears. "Then why is he doing this, Grandpa? If he loves us...why?"
A careful silence fell upon the darkened church. "Come here, do not worry. He has his own mysterious ways, but never let your love for Him waver...do you understand? He will deliver us all to Heaven...rest assured..."
The boy sniffed, hugging his grandfather. "Okay...thank you, Grandpa..."
A smile lightened the grim face. "Rest easy, my son, rest easy. It is almost here...let us pray..."
~-~-~
Dull, exhausted eyes stared out the car window at the vast expanse of steel that sat resolutely still. The girl sighed. Everyone was panicked, running around fretfully and trying to find a way to get moving again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father yelling angrily at another gridlocked driver, motioning with his arms wildly.
She looked away, lying her head back on the seat. Her eyes blankly found the roof of the car. Dejectedly, she shut them. Her mother had furiously insisted that the entire family leave as soon as the news had broken in. For what reason, she didn't know. Did it matter where it happened?
A tear leaked out of her eye, running down her face and falling gently onto her lap. She was frightened, but more than that...just exhausted. The spirit was sapped from her, there was no reason to do anything but wait and watch.
She thought back dully. She had been normal, utterly normal. It seemed like days and days ago that her mother had burst in while she was on the telephone, chatting with her best friend about the new boy at school and whether or not he had ever been with anyone before. Within five minutes, she was protesting loudly in the car, while neither her mother nor father would hear any of it.
Sometime between the desperate pleas of the radio station for people to stay calm and the fury of her parents at the stopped motorists that had frozen up the road for miles in both directions it had sunk in. The details were hazy, something about a mutated space virus? But...seeing the desperation of the peoples' faces, the sad cries of the children...it really was going to end, wasn't it?
She absentmindedly fingered the hem of her skirt, staring out at the trees that were all along the side of the road. Her blue eyes blinked. It...was beautiful. A gentle wind blew the tops of the emerald trees, sending them moving to and fro ever so slightly. Some of the taller trees' leaves were already turning colors, splotching the green with hints of gold and red.
It was so clear. A small smile spread itself out on her features. "How...nice."
A red faced woman turned around in her seat, affixing a stern gaze upon the teenager. "What?"
The girl blinked, not turning away from the window. "The...trees are turning..."
"Trees? Trees! Do you not understand what is going on here?"
A loud car horn sounded from behind, as an angry motorist flashed a rude hand gesture at the traffic in general. Another man yelled something loudly at him. She shrugged, looking down at the car that sat beside them. A small girl, no more than five, was frowning at all the noise and chaos that was going on outside the cars.
The girl's eyes fell upon her, and she smiled and waved happily.
The teenager paused, then waved back.
~-~-~
"Come on man, go stay with your family. There's nothing else we can do here."
He looked up at the tired, scruffy looking man that stood above him. Dark circles framed his eyes, and sadness was etched into every line of his face.
"I...I can't just leave now. I'm the one who...who did this. How can I just leave?"
The man sighed. "Look...it wasn't your fault. Every one of us looked at the same data you did, and no one could have foreseen that...this would happen. Just go home to your family...enjoy the time you have left with them, okay?"
"You go on. I'll...I want to look at a couple more things and then I'll leave."
With a grave nod, the man turned and left. He heaved a deep sigh. How could he have screwed up so badly? He...he had just ended the world.
Tired eyes looked up at the vast computer room that surrounded him. Almost all of the monitors were off, only his own screen was left on, displaying the words "Mossdeep Space Exploration Center - Where The Final Frontier Is Explored". Horrible, gnawing guilt was eating him up; he couldn't even summon the will to move.
Blindly his hands skated across the keyboard, almost subconsciously bringing up the files he had spent so many sleepless nights working on. It paused, a quiet whir filled the air until the file opened.
Masses of equations, hundreds of thousands of them, all appeared. He blinked tiredly, then typed a few more keys in. A 3D model of a creature appeared. It stood tall, a dull red color with a shimmering black gem set in the center of it's chest. Six long tentacles swung from it's shoulders, with a triangle shaped head containing a pair of beady black eyes. Thin, tapering legs finished off the design.
His great project.
The sight of the creature was sobering. Large, desperate eyes gazed at the screen, willing the...the thing to go away. It merely stared at him, slightly moving with an apathetic look.
Deoxys. His mouth formed the word silently. It was to be his masterpiece, a creature that was infinitely variable to all habitats, to all realms of space...the perfect traveler to explore the universe.
He cringed as memories washed over him. How he had overlooked the most important fact of all...it could adapt to any environment, including the one that had been created to contain it.
A shaking hand wiped the sweat away from his pale face. Was there any reason to stay that still remained? Perhaps he should at least go see his family...
I do not believe that is in your best interest.
The man jumped, staring at the computer monitor in horror. "What...?"
There is no logical reason to move yourself to your home.
"I...you...are talking...?"
The 3D animation shifted, still boring holes in the man with it's gaze.
I am capable of speech.
"Why are you doing this?!"
To explore the Final Frontier...humanity.
"What?" he asked sharply.
I am merely doing what you requested of me.
"You will listen? Then stop it right now, quit attacking the...the world!"
The screen went dark abruptly. The man paused, frowning. Was...it possible?
~-~-~
I am Man's Creation.
I am his last hope.
I am his savior.
I am Deoxys.
Man is fundamentally flawed.
I must help Man.
I must destroy Man.
I am Deoxys.
Dark, soulless eyes gazed down upon a great blue and green sphere, alone in the infinite depths of darkness. It's ever changing form drew closer and closer, flashing in the night sky like a lighthouse.
Warning of impending danger.
Slowly, deliberately, the long tentacles that stretched out into infinity morphed together into one. The bright glow grew more intense with every second as the very fabric of Space seemed to shudder at the immense power.
Man is my father.
My father is ill.
I will save my father.
I am Deoxys.
|||end|||