The water held me in it’s arms and comforted me, the peaceful calm soothing me to sleep.

“I am so very tired…” I surrendered.

I slipped away…for what may have been an eternity.

RIGHT CLICK open in new tab/window. Play Song.

Before my eyes opened I heard the sound of rain, it’s rhythmic tapping against a window pane could easily lull me back to sleep…my body was grasping for awareness…I was curled up shivering, my soaking wet clothing clinging to my skin. I sat up and rubbed the sand from my eyes…with cloudy vision I stood up on wobbly legs. With a slight stumble I reached for the doorknob…and paused as I heard the muffled sound of music on the other side of the door. I opened the door and made my way down the hallway…my waterlogged shoes squishing with every step.

I came upon the source of the music, a boy contently playing the piano…I hadn’t seen one in years. His fingers flicking away confidently at the keys, aware of my presence he turned and smiled, and returned to his sheet music.



I recognized the boy…he was me…or I was once him. “Oh fuck I’m dead aren’t I?” The boy just smiled and giggled.

The room was familiar…our eyes locked and in that moment I felt everything…I was aware of everything a young me hoped for, everything I was, everything I wasn’t. I felt guilt, was it fair?…that boy hasn’t experienced everything I have, he would make the same choices I did…

The piano started shaking, the lid raised up and hovered on a plume of water… it poured over the sides and splashed on the floor…the boy began gasping and grabbed his chest….I tried to race toward him but each of my movements was slowed by the thick air…an intense cold pain exploded as my lungs spasmed…I winced in pain…when I reopened my eyes I was underwater, watching the remaining bubbles of air escape my mouth and dance their way to the surface…painfully beautiful. My feet connected with something solid, and with all my willpower I propelled myself upwards.

That first breath of new air tasted so sweet…I can’t get enough of it. Getting a hold of myself, I wade in the water, watching the neon lights flicker on the gentle ripples. Slowly I work my way to a ladder and started my soggy walk of solitude back to Pris. The streets were alive with curiosity, it was obvious something had been stirring the sleeping giant of Blue Sun. The delerium was still in my blood…light trails followed vehicles and people passing by.

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RIGHT CLICK open in new tab/window. Play Song.

(Sometime later back at Pris’ Gathering)

Pris was pacing back and forth, and twirling a lock of hair nervously.“Where the fuck are they at, should have been here by now!”

“Boys will be boys,” Vela said innocently. She was sprawled out on Ryath’s lap tickling his chins. He stared blankly ahead like a constipated frog.

Pris looked at Vela, sighed and shook her head. “I need the Arc Reapers to strike with another raid, but they willn’t budge without word from Acid Burn. Blue Sun is agitated and I want them to stay that way.”

Deaken stood up, “I don’t have all day.”

“If I remember it was you who volunteered your help Deaken, the least you could do is be patient.”

“I supplied the intel for this raid? Isn’t that good enough? Get your facts straight, you sent errand boy Reckard to me first. You never could organize worth a damn, should’ve gotten a second brain instead of a third tit…I’ll be waiting with my guys, comms us when the Arc Reapers are moving in.”
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It’s going to take forever for me to reach Pris’ place on foot…I do the best I can to recall everything that happened after the underground…to try and piece together the delerium fragmented memories before waking up in the water. I hope that Ace and T4 are alright wherever they are…maybe they are back at Pris’ waiting on me.

The uncomfortable squish of my shoes is a reminder that I smell like a wet dog. A line of people is waiting to get into a club, girls wearing next to nothing, and zombie faced drug addicts…you can smell the delerium coming out of their sweaty pores…it sends a shiver down my spine, without thinking I know my hand went searching into my pocked looking for another vial, but came up empty. In the distance I make out a familiar silhouette…A spikey haired man in a SCVultR8 speeding down the road . He a sharp turn down an alleyway..Deaken…not my first choice for help but I’ll take it. I figure the least I can do is catch a ride and ask about Ace and T4.

Dashing across the street I get a few angry honks and hear a man swearing in chinese. Deakens vehicle cuts the lights and slowly heads down the dimly lit pathway. I try to keep up so I dont lose him. Once he reaches a warehouse door he does a series of beeps and headlight flashes, a secret signal of some sorts. This must be one of his hideouts…the bay door opens and a couple of goons walks out to greet him…Aww fuck, I can tell its two of the guys I worked over in his club, hopefully there is no hard feelings.

As I am about to call out, a blur of blue light spins down to Deakens vehicle….undeniably, the agile swordsman…Vincent Shin. I’m the only one startled by this turn of events…the goons aren’t scared and Shin’s pulsing blade fades out. Taking cover behind a cyberdumpster I try to make out the conversation but I am too far away…a handshake or something small is exchanged between Shin and Deaken. The augmented ninja disappears into the night sky as quickly as he arrived.


originally sent 05.01.2012 @ 2:52PM – -McK-