Writer's Note: This is the first half of the final part of DARK CIRCLE, and PARADIGM, in its entirety, will bring to a close the third cycle in the increasingly lengthy Rimstalker saga. While the story began with William, it has grown, and spread, and in the best tradition of the story it follows, has taken on, in some respects, a life of its own. The story comes as it will, and the story that waits, beckons on...
In any case, this section, in many respects, sets up the preliminaries for the fiery conclusion to follow. For we all know what happened in the City of the Shadows, that dark day, at the end of the Earth Year 2260.
Now, know the REST of the story...
RIMSTALKER: DARK CIRCLE; PART 16
"PARADIGM" ACT I OF II
**"If you go to Z'ha'dum, you will die."**
- Ambassador Kosh Naranek
* * *
22 Dec 2260. Z'ha'dum.
It was a portent that brought him back to this place, one last time, to a more barren ball of rock then any other he had seen in his travels. In consideration of the situation, he had wisely left his companion well away from Z'ha'dum, and as he descended carefully towards the wasted, pillared landscape below, considered how much it had changed over the millenia he had been coming here.
In his youth, he had seen the battle that had lain waste to the lands of the Shadows, a time of terrible destruction and fear. But they had come back...and were driven off again by the Alliance of Order. And again. And again. And yet again. And now, he had returned, to converse, one last time, with the being who had, beyond any other, been the one responsible for those returns, the being he now served, he who had the honour of being the OLDEST.
*So* the Oldest proclaimed, his thoughts amused. *It is happening, is it not?*
*Yes. They have found ways to bring both Nexi to this place, as I predicted would occur; the change you have been waiting for is finally come*
*Perhaps*
*Why do you still doubt?*
*The Youngsters are unpredictable, friend...unpredictable, and, therefore, dangerous. If this..Sheridan acts in error, and destroys himself through no design intended, what then?*
*Sheridan is wiser then that, surely?*
*Sheridan is being drawn here by his memory of what was; a dangerous situation, you must admit. However, he is ALSO acting on his love of What Is; the One who IS has a hold on him beyond tasks, beyond the mission he performs*
The Oldest paused, and then fixed his attention solely on the Younger. *And therin lies our concern; and our greatest problem; I must, by means, focus on Sheridan's plight, and if possible, aid him in what he does...but Sheridan is not, as we well know, the only nexus coming to this place, at this fateful turning point in the Movements that Are*
*NO* The Younger replied, somewhat bitterly. *The One I know, the One called Westcastle, also comes, also drawn by that same emotion. Such power it has over the Younger Races...we passed beyond that aeons ago...*
*Indeed...but since I cannot help in this matter, you WILL perform, for me, one last task, and then I shall free you of all further obligations. The Nexus called Sheridan is my concern, the nexus called Westcastle must be yours*
*And if they destructively interfere with one another, what then?*
*I will not ask you to do what you cannot, but THEY must live...beyond tasks, beyond life, their part in this is unfinished, and must be completed, if we are all to rest at last, beyond the Rim. Do you understand?*
A pause, and then, grudging agreement. *I do, Oldest.*
*We all have had a reason to live for..NOW, you must determine what reason there is to DIE for...*
* * *
23 Dec 2260. Primary Care Facility, Tuzanor, Minbar.
"Please, Julia!" Dreann entreated, her gaze full of concern, "In Valen's Name, do not do this to yourself!"
"You do NOT even know what it is I do!" Julia nearly screamed at her, the agony of the truth still burning inside her. "You are not as I, you could not possibly understand what I am feeling now!!"
"Abandonment, perhaps?" Dreann shot back, her gaze sharp. "Fear? Both of loss, and of the knowledge that both those you care for, and the woman you Serve, more importantly, are now in the center of all we call Darkness?"
She paused, and then, all the grief came flooding out, out of control, to clash with the still constant, tight throb in her side, where the Shadow Agent had shot her, and left her for dead. She sagged in the bed, and then, the tears came, and Dreann soon after.
"Human I may not be, child.." the Ranger whispered, placing one hand on her shoulder, "But pain is an emotion I am quite familiar with. It is well known that no one who ever goes to Z'ha'dum has ever returned to the Light; but William could do no other thing!! The Shadows had issued a challenge to him that he could not possibly ignore...and if he did not go, then Jennifer would be lost to us, forever!"
"I..I know the histories, Dreann...and I understand your words. All who go to Z'ha'dum are killed or changed by their decision to travel there. The Man who took Jennifer, he was once an officer of Earthforce, one who served with them both in the past..and then, was lost to the Darkness, BECAUSE he went to Z'ha'dum!! What does this tell you, Dreann?"
"That this man made a foolish, terrible mistake..a mistake he will, in the end, no doubt pay for. Perhaps, however, if all goes well, William, in the strength of his beliefs and soul, can find a way to bring this man back to the Light, as he did to Brianna."
"NO!" she replied, her gaze tragic. "Those that work for the Shadows are never alone; any who betray them would die a terrible death. This man will not chance that."
"Your words have merit, as always.." Dreann observed, her gaze solemn. "If so, then to save the One he will not live without, William may, by his nature, be forced to battle this agent of Darkness, in order to save her."
She nodded. "I NEED him to succeed, Dreann!..I don't know if I can do what I must, without her."
"You already are, child..." the Ranger whispered in closing, as she departed. "You already are."
It was only some time later, after Julia found the strength to walk to the portal, and look out on the deceptively sunny day outside, that she realized the entire conversation had taken place in the Minbari Religious Caste tongue; and she sighed, and nodded.
She was the Second to earn the Circle and the Star, and if necessary, she would do what she had to, if not in Jennifer's memory...
Then because her Gift gave her no other choice.
* * *
Z'ha'dum. 25 Dec 2260...sixteen hours before the arrival of White Star One.
The Cha'hal'zhamon had done exactly what they promised, no more, and no less. Surprisingly enough, there had been no Shadow interference in the Z'ha'dum nearspace portion of the hyperspace domain...or maybe, it was just that his allies were being more careful as of late. In any case, after a brief rifting effect similar to that which they had used in taking him from the Point, days before, here he was, as expected, on the surface of that place with the unhealthy distinction of being the Homeworld of those called the Shadows.
All around him, desolation reigned supreme, the blasted landscape coloured blood-red by the nebulae around Z'ha'dum. Periodically, it was as if the great bones of some long extinct creature had been spiked into the landscape; he could see, clearly enough, that the nearest of these seemed to be covered in some sort of dark runes.
"Westcastle." He turned, to see a human figure striding quickly across the rubble towards him..a figure he was most familiar with.
"Walther."
"So good of you to have come.." Gideon paused, and then, he smiled through the mask. "It seems that you have saved Jennifer's life..at least for a little while."
He would have gladly killed Gideon right there and then..but that would have served nothing, for his opponent was surely accompanied by several of his invisible 'associates'. And they would not be lenient if he tried, that much was certain.
He felt the tiny cylinder of the denn'bok gently bounce against his ribs as he moved, and nodded to himself. The oppurtunity would come, but the time for such an action was not yet.
"Prove it, then..take me to her."
Walther shook his head, almost sadly. "As much as I would wish to, I cannot, William...not yet. First, there are several...someones who have looking forward to talking to you for some time now. This is not an appointment I can allow you to miss, it is, I'm afraid, for your own good that we do this."
"How so?"
Gideon's smile grew wider, if that were possible. "The Vorlons have been lying to you; guiding you to their own purposes, all along. You can achieve your true purpose as the Rimstalker only when you understand the rest of your tasks..the reason those you call the Shadows, my companions, when given the chance two years ago, spared your life TWICE over. Don't you want to know why?..the Rest of the Story is far more important then you might think."
"For this, you kidnapped Jennifer, and brought Julia Tikopai near to death?" he demanded, voice harsh.
Walther nodded, his gaze solemn. "Yes, although young Julia's present state was not what I intended for her, I assure you." With that, the Shadow Agent's expression grew set. "Come, then; They await our coming, there is no other choice or option open to you, now. Learn your true destiny, or die, here and now, along with your lost love. Which do you choose?"
There was no option, of course. If he could not make the attempt to save Jennifer's life, and take back Julia's honour for her, then his life, what little there was that remained of it, would be meaningless. The Shadows had begun this...but would he have the courage to finish this movement of fire and certain pain??
The portal closed behind him, and the whining, thin wind over the surface of Z'ha'dum sung no answer to that question.
* * *
To be concluded...
RIMSTALKER: DARK CIRCLE; PART 16
"PARADIGM" ACT II OF II
Writer's Note: the majority of this part was written while listening to the music of Chris Franke..specifically, "Z'ha'dum" and "Into the Fire". If it seems dark, that is partly why. Enjoy, all.
* * *
**"Do you have anything worth living for??"**
- Lorien, the First One
* * *
Babylon 5. The early hours of Dec 26th, 2260.
"Is it true??" Colvhar demanded of his Sha'vei, his gaze aghast. "You cannot mean to say..."
"It is true.." Shival replied, his gaze dark and troubled. "The man we both know, the man we both have served, in our time, has gone to Z'ha'dum. And what is worse, is that we know, as he does not, that he is not there alone. Sheridan has ALSO gone to Z'ha'dum in the White Star One, along with the woman who calls herself Anna *Sheridan*...it is perfectly CLEAR what the Shadows may intend of them both."
"That they are both there at the same time, one without knowledge of the Other...this is terrible news!!"
"Terrible indeed...but it is equally clear, Colvhar, that the Entil'zha does not know that the Sha'vei has gone there. She has not been told, and this is due to the fact that those who have come to serve the Rimstalker have formed a bond stronger then any we have seen before. It is a dangerous thing, a dangerous responsibility...and now, that cadre, the Anla'shok who Ride on the Storm in his name, are without their leader, without his guidance, or of she who Serves at his Right Hand. We must make a decision, Colvhar... and we must make it *soon*."
"Who will have the deciding vote, then??" Colvhar inquired, his gaze desperate. "You?"
Shival shook his head sadly. "No, not I; the only one who can make this decision, even now, stands close to full recovery..."
* * *
Tuzanor, Minbar. Primary care facility.
The mirror both helped and hindered, but Julia could not look away. The package had come the hour before to her room, and it was, at last, time to act.
With careful hands, she undid the clasps, and drew out her uniform. But it had changed, on her request; where before she had worn gray, now the uniform, made to replace the one destroyed by the attack of the Shadow Agents, was a setting in gray and black, and a tunic to join the cowled shirt and trousers, in the same setting. With measured hand, she reached to the bedside stand, and picked up that most important of all sigils...the Circle and Star that was hers, and fastened it in the proper place. Finally, a cloak of midnight black went over it all, and she strode to the door.
Her time in this place was now over, far sooner then it should have been, but the determination to do what was needed was overwhelming, against the ache in her side. Beyond the door, two figures in Midnight Ranger Black awaited her, their faces grave. They had served those she served, and now, like her, they stood alone, the sole remaining members of the Val'na shal'vae that had strode behind William, into the Fire. And now, she joined them, to do what must be done, not replacement for that which was lost, but something more.
"It is noticable.." Tashann commented, as she fell in beside him and Dreann, "That word of what has happened is beginning to spread, despite all; I suspect that certain members have heard what they should not have. In any case, we are compromised, and sooner, rather then later, the Entil'zha will hear of this. How she reacts to the news will be completely dependent on how it is received...through rumour, or HONESTLY.
What do you choose, Julia Tikopai?..you who have aligned yourself with our code, you who stood at the Observer's Right Hand?? The Shadows nearly killed you to get what they wanted, and your honour is stained by this action. Redeem yourself, do the right thing."
She nodded; it was true, all of it. If Delenn heard of this from a passed word...then anger would follow; and if William returned to face her wrath, then what had been built would then be destroyed; there was no other choice open to her! "Let us proceed to a comm terminal, and do what must be done, then."
"So be it." Tashann paused, and then, made a final, telling comment. "You proceed towards your goal with impunity, Julia; be very careful what you strive for, you may arrive at that goal faster then you may believe."
She sighed, and carried on into the fiery light outside. The future waited for them all, whether in death or life she did not know, but it waited, and so, she advanced.
What other choice was there??
* * *
Z'ha'dum. Five hours before the arrival of White Star One.
The portal grated open, and William rose to face those who came. Since his descent into this complex, over ten hours before, he had nearly been alone; it was, of course, on purpose that this was so. They WANTED him unsteady, worried, concerned; the thoughts he had...of Jennie, certainly hurt, tortured by the Shadows or their minions, lost to him forever. He shook his head irritably; no, he had not come here to face that. But what he did now, what he said now, would decide whether or not they were reunited, or not. The pit of fear and doubt grew within, as he faced Walther and the two men who came behind, one short and aged, the other tall and dark, a slight smile on his face.
"William.." Walther greeted him, an amiable smile on his face. "I must apologize for the wait, but those that wished to speak with you have been most busy."
"Bah!" The short, aging, moustached man beside Walther exclaimed, waving his hand in non-commitance.."Let us have none of that, now, Walther, William here has more then likely been living on the edge of his wits for some time now. No, boy, you may put aside your fears for the time being; while we talk, your precious Observer is quite safe, and, as long as you make the RIGHT decision, that state will continue."
"Do you threaten me?"
"No, of course we don't." the dark man said, his gaze amused. "Justin is merely stating the facts as they exist. Come now, sit, William Westcastle of Earth...we have a great deal to discuss; the reason we took Jennifer will soon become clear; the reason we wanted you here, on the world you would call Z'ha'dum."
"I'm listening...for now."
"Let me get right to the point, then, my boy.." Justin commented, with a short harrumph. "From the very beginning, those you call the 'Shadows', not that anyone in their right mind would call them that if they knew better, have been interested in you. Two years ago, when this whole mess started, before you knew a damn thing, our associates acted to push you onto a different course then the one you had been following; a course that would serve to make you QUESTION what was going on around you, and why."
"And they would have succeeded.." Walther interjected, his face intent, "If the Vorlons and their agents had not interfered, primarily the one called...G'kael, was it not?? Yes, I remember that time well...but I made wiser choices then you, it seems. The Vorlons twisted you into something you would not otherwise have been, twisted your true purpose; focussed your intent on their RANGERS. You have been diverted, my friend...diverted, and lied to."
Damn it all, he woulld not take this!!..but anger would get him nowhere, in this. "You speak, powerfully, gentlemen, and I do not begrudge you the choices that took us down different roads, Walther...but you will have to try a lot harder then that before I believe those words."
Justin sighed. "Fair enough that we had to deal with you first, I suppose, you're the least hard headed of the pair." He frowned, what was THAT all about? "The Vorlons, you could call them, I suppose, Lords of Order, when they found out that you existed, moved to take your talents for their own gains. Correct if I'm wrong, boy, but isn't your guiding principle the following?"
"To stalk down the lies.." the Dark man mused. "To find all that is wrong, all that is hidden, and reveal the truth to all?"
"Yes."
"Well, then.." Walther added, his smile amused. "We come to the heart of the problem, then; the Vorlons have lied to you, William...all along, they have lied to you, and all who follow them. You want to find the truth, do you?? Very well, then, find the truth, not only for them, but for US, as well. You must balance what you have done, and reveal the truths not only of the Vorlons, but for US, as well!! You can do it, I know you can; Jennifer would want you to. In fact, she's waiting on your decision, even as we speak."
"Stalk the lies down..." the Dark man added, his gaze knowing. "We believe that you are capable of it, William; we know that you are capable of MORE then you are. Cast off the aspirations you have, cast off the uniform you wear; it does not suit your true purpose, or your true calling. Stalk the Rim if you wish, but stalk it for the Good of ALL, not just the VORLONS."
"And in that stalking.." Walther added, as a final point, "Jennifer will still be at your side, Observing, noting, recording what is, and what will be. You will survive, after all..our Associates can make sure of THAT, despite what the Vorlons want of you."
The cold fear and doubt raged within him; was it true?? COULD it be true? It was true, that the Shadows had, on any number of occasions, spared his life, and certainly had spared Jennifer's. It was also true, that the Vorlons told no one what they did not need to know. The truth, on both sides, was hidden; if he worked, not for the Vorlons, but for all, then would the truth be sooner revealed?
Or, instead, were the Shadows merely trying to do what he had been expecting all along? He had, in the last year, aided the side of Light enormously, by bringing together Babylon 5's Ranger Council, and honing the White Star Fleet from the bottom up. He nodded to himself in satisfaction...that sounded more likely.
"Your words are powerful, gentlemen...a little TOO powerful, I'm afraid, too rushed. You *ensured* that I would come to Z'ha'dum, kidnapped the woman I love more then anything else, and brought me here, to argue that I should believe in something I have not, just because YOU say I should??"
"Be *careful*, boy!" Justin warned, his bushy gaze sharp. "Don't say anything you'll regret later on!!"
"I regret nothing...Justin. I have been many things in my life; a dutiful son, a dutiful officer, and a servant of all that is Right. I have stood for what I believed in, I have stood by the side of the Woman I love, because I could do NO OTHER THING. And as for your offer, gentlemen...the answer..
is NO."
"Are you sure??" The dark man inquired, his gaze now venomous. "*Very* sure?"
He folded his hands, and stood tall. "Yes, quite sure. Whatever you do to me now, is as nothing, for against all your ASSOCIATES have done, I must, by my beliefs, stand. I am a Ranger, born to the cause; cause me pain, kill me if you wish, but I SHALL NOT SERVE YOU; I live for the One, I die for the One."
"You FOOL!"
"Paah!" Justin added, his face wrinkly with disgust. "We have been wasting our time here."
Walther shook his head sadly. "William, William, William...stubborn to the last. But very well, since we can't convince you of what is right, you are now useless for the Purpose my associates intended, and as such..." and at that, the Shadow Agent smiled sardonically, "I will be merciful, and reunite you, one last time, with the woman you have professed not being able to live without.
And then, you will watch her DIE, William...far from her friends, in the heart of all you call Darkness.
And then, William...you will get your wish." Walther raised one, long finger. "Take him away."
He whirled, only in time to see fiery red eyes, and white bone. And then, a smash of fiery pain, and he descended into darkness.
* * *
The Surface of Z'ha'dum...five hours later.
Above, the being others would call a Shadow watched with interest, as the vessel of Light achieved its orbit. It was good that She who served Them had convinced the one called Sheridan not to bring IT any closer; in due course, that SHIP would be elliminated from Their sight, but that time was not yet.
In due course, a shuttle descended across the pillared wastes of its home, and with purpose, the Shadow strode across the land, following the course of that Shuttle.
The time was NOW.
* * *
The Beams of Zha'vul...shortly thereafter.
The view was darkly magnificient, if he had possessed the integrity to appreciate it. All around him, the dark city of the Shadows stretched for miles, great spires and pinnacles, completely filling the impossible cavern within Z'ha'dum. Ahead of him, a massive, ringed structure surrounded and encompassed a set of rotating beacons, their light and sound shrinking the world. The Drakh dragged him, their hold as of steel, beneath those Beams, and out onto a rapidly thinning point, above an endless abyss in the crust beneath. His gaze blurry, he fell to his hands as the Drakh dropped him, and then turned to depart. He slowly drew on enough energy to struggle to his feet, and turned...and almost cried out loud.
Against the abyss, and for as far on each side as he could see, black spires rode against the edge of the platform. Some of these held skeletons, both human, and not...but directly in front of him, her face bruised and bloody, was the woman he loved..the woman he followed here, the woman he would now, apparently, die with, shackled to this black spire, in the city of the Shadows.
Jennie's eyes flickered open, and she managed to smile. "You came, Will; I knew you would."
He rushed forward, and held her as tightly as he could manage. "You should know, in Valen's Name, better then to ask that. In Valen's Name, I swore a vow to you, that we should never be seperate in this life. If we go to That Place where no Shadows Fall, we will go *together*, or not at all."
A mocking laugh answered him, and he turned, to see Walther, and a woman, evil of smile, behind him. "Brave words, RANGER...but I would gladly do the same to you as I did to *her* Follower.
But my Masters are not that lenient. You will die, Rimstalker, for your decisions, but you will die slowly...and we will enjoy that death, and she who follows you will die as well." The woman waved her hand almost indifferently, and the shackles holding Jennifer onto the spire clacked open, and she near instantly collapsed in his arms.
"Defend yourself, if you can.." the woman mocked, and as he watched, the ice within near total, a blindingly purple staff grew from nothing in her hands. "For if I touch her enough, she dies...and the same goes for you." The woman laughed again. "You are weak, both of you...and for that, my associates have decreed you should die...here, and now..."
The breath caught in his lungs...one long passage of thought, between the moments. The time was *now*, and while he did not understand how it had been possible that they had missed it, it was so. With one long motion, he dropped the cloak covering him, unhooked the denn'bok from within...and threw it..
The pike spiraled end over end, seemingly in slow motion, and landed in Jennie's outstretched hand. He met her astonished gaze, and nodded. "Do you what you must...this may be the moment you have been born for."
She smiled once, and turned to face the astounded female Shadow Agent. "Did you think it so simple, Enemy Mine?? Know *now* what I am!!"
And in that moment, was battle joined.
* * *
Babylon 5. During the Crisis...
Now, the Darkness stood all around, Lennier noted sadly. Delenn had barred herself away from him, with the message that Sheridan had left for her. There was nothing he could do.
The beep of the in-station message system broke his concentration, and he immediately activated the station.
<Message incoming for Ambassador Delenn.>
Lennier noted the location of origin, and his lips tightened. Delenn was in NO condition to deal with Ranger business at the moment. "This is Lennier; I accept the message, in her name."
<Acknowledged.>
Lennier was then startled to look into the face of the child who had, for a time, studied under him...it seemed, in his eyes, that she now appeared years older then her true age; what had she SEEN and LIVED thorugh to look as she did?
"Lennier." the child addressed him, in the Religious Tongue. "It is with great need that I must address the Entil'zha."
"I must...regretfully decline your request, Acolyte Tikopai. The Entil'zha is unavailable, due to other pressing concerns."
"Pressing CONCERNS?" the girl shot back, her voice cracked with emotion. "Can there be a greater PRESSING CONCERN then the one that I face, Lennier?? If she is unavailable, will you pass...my message on to her??"
In that moment, did Lennier make a choice he would later regret. "Of course, Acolyte; what is your message??"
The message was received; and then, in his astonishment, Lennier made another mistake.
"Acolyte; there is...something I must tell you."
* * *
Z'ha'dum...the End Nears.
This battle mattered more to her then any that come before, and possibly more then any that would come after, IF she survived it. It was clear that if this woman touched her, she would die. The weapon sang to her, and she danced with the weapon...danced with it across the black surface beneath the Beams of Zha'vul, danced the dance that could end one way..
Or the other.
The Pike sang in her hands, the moves came as One. That which she faced was an instrument of nature, an instrument of War. The woman had, in the earlier tortures, mocked her with the knowledge that she had been the one to destroy the Narn Fleet, she had existed as one with the MACHINE. And now, those thoughts of destruction were all pointed towards her.
Fight, or die. Fight, for life. Fight, for existence. Up, and up, and back, and forward, and outward, the two fought, to the very edge of the great point, to the edge of the Prison that Was, on the edge of the Abyss below, she fought. There was no rail...and then, she made the mistake that nearly killed her, as her guard dropped for an instant, and the Other's staff touched her hand...
She shrieked at the pain, then, and fell to her knees, before looking up, and into the mocking, dark eyes of the Other. "Surrender. It will be easier, and far less painful, I assure you."
Would it work?? Could it? She nodded, and retracted her pike, still kneeling, before gazing down on the bloody, shattered ruin of her left hand. "End it, then...the Pain!"
"Gladly." the woman whispered, her smile glorious.
That was her final mistake.
* * *
William fell to his knees, on the edge of the abyss, and barely kept himself upright by hanging onto one of the black spires beside him, as Walther casually advanced, glowing staff in hand. "Foolish of you to give up your weapon, William...my Amilia will kill her slowly, and in pain."
"We will see."
"I suppose I will." the Shadow Agent commented, his smile darkly mocking. "But YOU will not."
* * *
In a single motion, Jennifer shifted her pike from left hand to right, and slammed it back open, as the woman descended on her final strike, leaving herself wide open...and the attack when it came, was near undefendable, due to the sheer nature of the pike itself...
As it slammed open, and rammed into her opponent's stomach, tearing both fabric...
And skin.
The woman looked down on herself, her disbelief clear, and then...then, her eyes rolled up into their hollows..and she collapsed, and rolled.
And fell.
* * *
"NOOO!!" Walther screamed, and William looked over, disbelief and relief simulataneous, to see Jennifer's opponent fall past her, and off the edge, into the abyss below. The defining moment of any battle was when the opponent was most distracted, Durhan had told him once...
This was that moment. He had seen the crack in the black spire behind him, and in a moment of belief, a moment of hope, he grasped that spire...and pulled.
To his astonishment, it came away in his hand, and he turned, to face Walther's black rage.
"Not possible...she killed her! YOU did this!!"
"I did, and she did." he replied, as the two circled. "Which of us believes more in what we do?"
"You will see who believes more, and you will experience what she will in due course!" And it was then, full of rage, full of grief, full of what the Shadows had made him to be, that Gideon advanced at a run...all training forgotten.
It was clear, now, what must happen...and in that instant, all the memories that had come before returned to plague him...the day he had come to Nighthawk, and met this man; and the day he had said farewell to him, forever.
And with merely a half twist, a twist that took all the remaining energy he had, a twist that Gideon in his rage did not even see, William spun the spike beneath his opponent's staff...and with all the energy he could muster, thrust it in a killing blow, through his opponent's chest.
And then, as the Shadow Agent fell, collapsed himself. All around, he could see the distant forms that waited, the distant angry forms that had been watching...the distant forms that even now approached.
Beside him, Walther laughed, a burbling sound of pain and death. "Is this how you think...it will end?? You fool! This is only...the beginning of your torment. You may have defeated us...but now it is THEIR turn." And then, Gideon fell silent, and his eyes closed.
William turned away from that sight, and struggled to his feet, and gazed into the lightning gaze of those dreadful eyes coming ever nearer. And of all the things that Walther had told him, this was, perhaps, the only one he believed.
And then, Jennifer was at his side, and together, they faced what was coming.
"And now.." she whispered to him, "we stand on the bridge, and no one shall pass. We have lived for the One, now, we shall die for the One, knowing that we DID THE RIGHT THING."
He nodded. "I understood, and accepted this fate, the moment I decided to come here; but I have taken back my *honour*, and more importantly, YOU have taken back both your honour, and Julia's. We may now die, in peace, knowing that *they* will carry on what was begun..."
And then, they both realized, simultaneously, that something had changed. The Shadows advancing on them from all sides...
Were gone.
"In Valen's Name..." Jennie whispered, her eyes wide, "What has..."
He gazed up, and understood; finally, he understood the fate that awaited them. Through the monstrous roof above, a dot of fire was descending; a phoenix of purpose...the instrument of final justice. He recognized that instrument, in the end, and nodded sadly.
They held each other then, in the City of the Shadows, and simply, stood. It was clear enough to William what might have happened. He could not prove it...but it was FAR too late for that.
"I love you." he whispered in her ear, as the end drew near.
"I don't want to look." Jennie whispered, as she pressed her face into his chest.
"Then *don't.*"
##There is an option## a voice spoke to them, a voice they both knew. ##If you have the courage to accept it##
"Do we dare to hope?" Jennie asked him, eyes wide, as she moved to kiss him, at the last...
"Hope is all we have."
And then, above them, Heaven Fell; and the world turned white...
* * *
"You have heard?"
"Yes; Lennier told me."
"What do you believe??"
"I don't want to believe...but I have hope."
"Is that enough??"
A nod. "Hope is all we have."
* * *
The woman knelt before the candle, the grief she felt almost overwhelming. The man she loved had followed the woman he had loved into the center of all Darkness...but in the end, he had told her the truth, that he loved her, as well. But too late to matter.
And now, she found that another had done the same...in the name of love, in the name of hope, in the name of their beliefs, they had both gone to Z'ha'dum, to do what they had to; both lost to the Light, if the worst was to be believed.
But was the worst the truth?
She did not know; but he had taught her, and the Other had shown her, in his own way, that to give up was to admit defeat. And she could not do that, she would not *allow* herself to do that.
For as long as the candle burned in front of her...there was hope.
* * *
It was the end of the Earth Year 2260...and what we started was *not* what we ended with. What we believed in had brought us to pain, what we followed had brought us to grief, and who we loved had caused us to sacrifice everything. And we would walk into the Darkness willingly, knowing that they would want no other thing...and there, see what we had become, written in the Fire before us.
* * *
"See, then, the grief of angels, see around the fire of being. Believe in, then, the hope of Justice, face and conquer all the pain. Stand before the phoenix flying, fight the fight that must be fought, and in those eyes, believe your choices, trusting Fire that conquers all."
- Quote from the Book of The Observer, 33rd Century, Earth Reckoning.
* * *
Whew. Hope everyone enjoyed that one as much as it was to write it, as the strains of the White Star's fall fade from my CD player. Now, ladies and gentlemen, you may ask, what next??
In due course...
* * *
It is the Earth Year 2261, and Julia Tikopai, the Follower of she who, it seems, has died on Z'ha'dum, must come to terms both with herself and her destiny, alone, without instruction. At the same time, those who have been brought together to fight the Shadows by the man named Rimstalker must make similar, desperate decisions. All around them, the war has paused, for now, but will any of them have the courage to carry on, once the Shadows resume that war?? For now, no one can answer those questions, for the most important question facing them has yet to be answered...what really happened to the Rimstalker and the Observer, at the end, on the world named Z'ha'dum??
Those answers, and others, will be revealed, in due course...
RIMSTALKER IV: THE RIDERS ON THE STORM, coming to a computer screen, near you, very soon...