Daniel sat at home reading through the information on his datapad, his eyes semi glazed in shock at what he read. So many thoughts and emotions running through his mind, intense and vague all at once. This pivotal moment in his life, the event that had started all this trouble, that had brought a distance between him and the reality he understood was layed out, fact by fact, infront of him.
He couldn't cope.
He leant back and closed his eyes, unable to bring his focus back to the datapad he got up and made himself a drink. Strong and fiery, the bourbon swilled in his glass, and burned away the confusion.
He started to read the datapad again, scanning through every comm message sent. The Nomad's 'speech' wasn't recorded other than an odd quiet humming noise on the comms, but Dan's memory was a different matter. Bizzare images and contorted thought, not words as such. More concepts implanted into his head. It seemed a very clear way of communicating, far less cumbersome than this speech that people used, so open to interpretation and misunderstanding. He got the impression that the Nomads 'said' exactly what they meant to 'say'.
And then the junker. Hyung Soong was his name, young bloke, only in his early twenties. The navy didn't find him after the event, seemed there has been a seach going on for him and his ship, but he had disappeared. Maybe this man was the key to Daniels confusion, the recurring nightmares, the rift with reality. But if the Navy and LSF couldn't find him how could he even hope to.
Daniel looked into his glass. The ice rattled around now devoid of any liquid to sit in, he got up and poured himself another.
His wife was asleep, she knew nothing about Dan stealing his records, and it was going to stay that way, thought Dan to himself quietly.
He drained his glass and went to bed. Lying down next to Lucy, his wife. He eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep. He had thought that getting this information would make his life easier, and now he was left with even more unanswered questions.
Dan tried to sleep, his thoughts racing and mind unable to still itself, he forced his eyes closed. Not even the comfortable warmth of Lucy lying beside him made him feel any peace. He eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Suddenly Dan's mind was awash with images. Like a flood of thoughts just pouring in. More intense than any dream he had had before, this immersed him utterly. He lost all control and his mind was taken away.
Images first of blues and pinks, the same alien skies he had seen before, but this time with voices, or not voices, more like concepts, drifting through it.
Wisdom, old and powerful suddenly became one with the planet on which he lived. Then , clear and bright as day he saw a face, Kusarian in shape and tone, asleep, still, but it seemed troubled, lost and confused. Dan felt a draw towards the image, some kind of connection, like a missing piece had been slotted into place.
The face opened it eyes, and looked shocked.
"Find me"
And then it was gone, replaced by a new torrent of images.
Some hands holding a set of keys, 'Blue Moon Motel' printed on the plastic tag the number was obscured by a small bottle of pills with the name of the chemist clearly written on the side.
Dan's home, Manhattan, and his work, he saw himself in his guardian, his mind filled with fog, then he received a shock, he saw himself shooting, it was unclear what it was but the fight was right in front of the docking ring to his home planet. "Only a fool would start a fight there," thought the semi conscious section of Dan's mind as he saw an explosion.
Dan awoke with a start and terror in his mind. he sat bolt upright in bed, whispers screaming out of every corner in the room. Lucy stirred, and rolled over. "Hun? what is it?" she asked sleepily.
He tried to still his beating heart and breathing, to hide his terror from Lucy, but she knew him too well. Even as she woke up, more concerned about Dan than sleep, he lied to her again, and said "It's...It's nothing...go back to sleep..."
Lucy lay back down, moonlight caressing her features, betrayal and pain in her eyes. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with him when Dan was like this.
Dan sat up, and held his head. "I.. have to go for a walk. Help...clear my head." Lucy said nothing. He got up, dressed and went downstairs. He pulled his collar up around his ears and walked around his neighborhood. His mind was going 2,000 Klicks a second. He didn't know what to think, or do.
The memory of that face...it hung in front of his minds eye...like a ghost. "Find me" The blue skies. "Find me". The keys. "Find me". Daniel cried , "But HOW?!??!" almost sobbing with the tension.
Daniel didn't sleep the next two nights. Lucy was more than concerned, he looked gaunt and pale, he had been losing weight fast over the last month and was getting increasingly ill with each passing day. He was still working but that just seemed to be adding to the stress.
His thoughts contantly wandered to the image of the face he had seen in his dream. It must be the junker, and the words, they were so comanding and desperate. He made a decision.
Dan sat up long after Lucy had gone to bed, he wrote down all the things he had seen in the most recent dream, the images still clear as day in his head. There had to be some connection, maybe a clue to Hyung Soong's whereabouts coded into his vision. He assumed it must be Hyung, the man who was there the day he was shot down by the Nomads. Who else could it be? Some fevered imagination? No... These dreams felt like they came in from the outside, thought alien to his own head.
The keys... The Blue Moon. Not a motel he had heard of, and it wasn't listed in the standard directory. He assumed it must be a slightly shady place.
He wracked his brain for more clues, more ideas... Suddenly it came to him. The pills. He tried to remember the name printed on the side, failing he grunted with frustration and poured himself a drink. As the burning liquid slipped down his throat it came to him. He spluttered on the bourbon and quickly wrote down the name. Looking it up in the directory he looked in for the motel he found it. East Street Pharmacy. He knew where that was.
The next night Danny grabbed his jacket and pulled it round him against the cold, heading to the pharmacy mentioned on the bottle. Lack of sleep was making him irrational, this was rash behaviour and he knew it.
*Manhattan City Streets* (Co-written by Hyung Soong and JihadJoe. Picture by loungefrog)
Hyung Soong walked around the corner of the local newspaper store. A cold wind blew
and the sun had long gone below the darkened skyline of Manhattan. Hyung took specific
notice of dark shadows and had the creeped out feeling that he was being watched.
A not-very-pleasant sensation went up and down his spine, like electricity, and he quickened
his pace. Hyung glanced over his shoulder after a half block of walking, and sure enough,
a shadow had separated from the surroundings and was moving down the same street. Hyung looked around and found a nice looking alley to attempt an ambush, or to flee.
He crossed the street and began to walk down the slightly dark alley, the walls of the
adjacent skyscrapers looming overhead. Onward, past the graffiti that is in every
"civilized" culture, and around the corner he went. He sidled up against the wall, partially concealed beside a rubbish compactor and the dark.
He heard footsteps from the entrance to the alleyway and barely breathed, his pulse
quickened as his eyes tried to adjust to the darkness. The footsteps sounded closer,
and faltered, and Hyung knew it was almost time. As the footsteps started up again,
so cautiously, Hyung closed his eyes and counted down to himself. As he counted to
"one" Hyung stepped out and tried to grab at the shadow, attempting to scratch the
eyes of his unknown stalker.
Straight away he realised his mistake, as a flash of light caught the man's profile. He was a clean shaven military type, and although the stalker didn't have it stamped
on his forehead, he was cut from that mold. Hyung could smell the regulations all
over him and in the stalkers trained quick reactions. The stalker took a swing at
Hyung out of pure instinct and said with a little vehemence in his voice, "You bastard!"
Hyung ducked and dodged out of the stalkers reach, and eyed him warily.
He rolled to a crouch, ready to run at a moments notice, and challenged the stalker.
"Who are you?", his tongue and eyes spitting out the words like a bullet.
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
The stalker paused as he saw Hyung's face, now in the dark open alleyway, and started grinning.
Hyung frowned, and anger darkened his features even further. The stalker, with his back against
the wall, sagged slightly and said "I found you," relief evident in his voice. Hyung just continued
frowning at the stalker, not understanding the stalker's words, nor their significance. "I'm Daniel Hale.
You shot me." the stalker said. Hyung's face went slightly pale but he stood his ground. "You can't
be him. He's dead. I killed him." Daniel reached into his inside jacket pocket and Hyung tensed,
expecting a hand-gun. But all Daniel brought out was his standard issue leather ID and flipped it out,
the holoimage automatically shone up. "See? I'm Daniel."
Beads of sweat started to glisten on Hyung's forehead and he glanced around, looking for other
agents that this stalker might be trying to cover for. "I don't believe you," he said, and a crazy look
came into his eyes. Daniel saw Hyung look around in a concerned spasm, and involuntarily checked
the area for himself. He didn't like the look of places that could potentially be used as hideouts. "Look,"
said Daniel, "this isn't a safe place. Nor is my house. I think we need to go some place where we can talk.
I get these dreams...well never mind about that now."
Hyung had started to look like he was on the verge of a panic attack.
Daniel attempted to take control of the situation before Hyung did anything rash. "Let's move. I lost
them a few minutes ago, but they will be looking." Hyung stood there, as fear crept into his eyes,
and a chill swept up his back, raised goosebumps on his exposed flesh. "NOW!" Daniel commanded.
Hyung looked shaken as he whispered quietly, "You can't be here. You're dead. I killed you."
Daniel looked slightly amused and exasperated at the same time and started to explain. "My escape
pod survived the explosion. We build them for that very purpose. C'mon, we need..." said Daniel as
he gently grabbed Hyung's arm to lead him away. Hyung yanked his own arm back and shouted at
Daniel, "YOU'RE DEAD. YOU'RE DEAD!!! I KILLED YOU!
I WATCHED YOUR SHIP BURN AND I SAW YOU DIE!!", "...to move "
Daniel Hale looked around and saw that the commotion had gained some attention from the locals.
He tried to remain calm, but failed and then grabbed Hyung in an arm lock, dragging him away
deeper into the alley. He held Hyung's mouth closed in a tight grip.
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
"You saw my ship explode, but by that time I wasn't in it." Daniel said quietly. Hyung struggled against the
trained grip of the military man, but the larger man was too strong for him. That didn't stop Hyung from
trying. "I ejected as I was trained to do. I suffered serious injury and I have only recently been let back on
active duty." Hyung calmed down, the sweat from his struggling making his skin slippery. "I stole my own
records from a classified vault in Virginia and I have been looking for you ever since. If I was to be found
here, you would have got me killed, now... be quiet." Hyung stiffened his spine, then stomped on Daniels
instep, the larger man let go in a yelp of pain as Hyung broke free and ran down the alley. He sprinted
away, terror in his pace and steps. Daniel recovered pretty quickly and ran after him, hobbling slightly.
Daniel put his military training into action and started to pace himself as he chased after Hyung. They ran,
for what seemed like an eternity to both, but in actuality was only seven minutes. Hyung ran, until exhaustion
started to claim it's hold over his legs and he stumbled one too many times. He hit the wall at full tilt and
didn't make a good recovery as his balance failed him. Hyung fell over awkwardly into a rolling heap just as
Daniel came up eight paces behind him.
Daniel puffed out ,"Look, we need to talk this over. I know this must be weird for you but my life is falling
apart around me. I need this to all make sense...". Hyung slumped to the ground, tears in his eyes as he
whispered, "You cant be here. You're dead. You must be a ghost or something..." Daniel shook his head as
he said quietly "What the hell happened out there?... This is much harder than I thought.... I am very much
alive Hyung." Hyung's head sunk down, and his hair fell over his eyes, shadows gathered around his face, "I shot you." Daniel said back at him, "..and that is OK Hyung, the nomads make people do strange things.
That's what I was told. The LSF have been watching me ever since." Hyung whispered,"It wasn't them. I shot you. Not the nomads. Me."
As Daniel spoke, "I'm scared," Hyung jerked his head up and interrupted, "You? You're scared?" and then laughed manically. Daniel didn't bat an eyelid as he said, "I have the flight recorder from my ship. You did
shot me, yes, but most of the damage was done by them." A small grin appeared on Daniels face, "Heh,
looking back though, I gave quite an account of myself.." and the grin faded, "...but that's beside the point.
Look. I am scared. Very scared."
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
Hyung still didn't understand and said, "The nomads weren't controlling me. I shot you Daniel.
I stayed on your butt and believe me I was making your shield go down." Daniel said, "I don't
doubt it Hyung." Hale grabbed Hyung's shoulder in what was supposed to be a friendly way and
Hyung miserably tried to push Hale away. He was so exhausted; Hales arm barely moved.
Hyung gave up on trying and muttered, "Just kill me now." Daniel let go when he saw Hyung was
so uncomfortable with the close contact. Hale stepped back a few steps and said, "I don't want
to kill you Hyung. I want to know what happened." Hyung, annoyed, growled at Daniel, "I told you what happened. I shot you. I was talking to the nomads
and you interfered. I couldn't just stand by. I had to do something."
Daniel paused, then said, "I don't know how to make you trust me. I suppose that's not up to me..."
Hale looked uncomfortable for a second and started again, "Look.... I have these.... dreams...
filled with pink skies and flashes of blue. I don't know what they are. I need to be with people
who were there. Hyung, the only person I could find is you." Hyung turned pale and whispered,
"Pain...death...thats what the skies are..." Daniel looked on the verge of tears when he said,
"Help me... please? Why doesn't my daughter look me in the eye any more?" Hyung gave a
panicked hiccup and said, "Crazy skies," then laughed manically. Daniel slumped against the
wall and tried to hold back tears. He looked up at the night sky.
He said softly "This had a toll on us both didn't it. They want something don't they..."
Hyung stopped laughing abruptly and whispered, "Help me." Just as Daniel opened his mouth to
reply, Hyung said sharply, "NO. Don't help me." Daniel looked a little perplexed as he said,
"I know that they were talking to you... you told me that back then. I remember that part now. Let me help you."
Hyung said, "I don't want your help." Then he sneered at Daniel, "Your *Liberty Navy* hunts my kind.
Us Junkers. We don't fit in anywhere." Daniel looked startled and upset at that. He replied,
"I have no problem with Junkers. I opened fire on the nomads to protect you. They nearly
killed you Hyung." The Junker mumbled something derogatory aimed at Hale under his breath.
Daniel continued as if he didn't hear, "I was doing my job, nothing more.
Now I wish I had just stayed in med school."
Hyung froze at that comment. He listened as Daniel said "At least there I understood what my job
was...They told me the plan" Hyung asked, "You were in med school?" Daniel continued,
"Here I am just a little tiny piece being moved around a board by people higher up.
I don't even know their name and they control my life Hyung. Yeah, I was in med school."
Hyung asked,"What planet?" Daniel responded "Los Angeles. It's where I was born."
Hyung slumped quietly against the wall, watching Daniel.
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
Daniel said quietly "I joined up to the Navy 'cos I saw what the hackers were doing to the people I lived
around, my countrymen... hmm, I'm not sure if I believe in Liberty any more." Daniel joined Hyung in
silence for a few minutes, the sounds of Manhattan at night echoing down the alleyway. Hyung stirred and
looked at Daniel abruptly. "I got no where else to run. You got me cornered. Now what?" he sneered. Daniel
replied, "I am not here to corner you Hyung. You are free to go wherever you want. I just want you to know
that I forgive you." "What? Why?" Hyung asked, surprised. Daniel looked at Hyung calmly and said, "We both
did what we thought was right. I had to know that. I had to know why you fired on me at all. And now I
see...they are beautiful. And lonely...and lost... why do I know that?" Daniel looked at Hyung expectantly.
Hyung went quiet, his mouth opening and closing, and a vacant look came into his eyes, as he whispered,
"Because...you...heard them..." Daniel nodded as he said, "But nothing clear. Only patchwork thoughts."
Hyung muttered strangely "You saw something," as a cunning gleam appeared in his eyes. ... They got to
you,... didn't they..." Daniel started to look uncomfortable, as unbidden thoughts rose to his memory.
"What do you mean?" he asked, shifting slightly on the wall.
Hyung gleefully giggled, "The pretties *teehee* they got to you. ... I can see it in your eyes ... YOU know..."
Hyung then whispered, "you know...". Daniel shrugged and looked away as he said, "I don't...What? What are you talking about?" and started to walk away, the conversation very much not to his liking.
Hyung watched for a few steps then quietly said, "The skies. The pink skies and blue." Daniel didn't turn
around as he said, "I knew this was a mistake." Hyung said quietly," You know about the cold."
Daniel stopped in his tracks. Daniel half turned and looked at Hyung,
something undefinable in his eyes.
.
.
.
"But they didn't touch me..."
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
Hyung shook his head and said, "They dont have to." Daniel replied weakly, "Yes they do.
It says so in all the manuals." Hyung just looked at Daniel incredulously.
After a minute of uncomfortable silence, Hyung glanced around. Finally seeing that no one else was coming,
Hyung slowly got to his feet. He walked closer to the bigger man and looked him in the face. Daniel didn't
know what to do, so he offered a hand for Hyung to shake. Hyung ignored the hand, pushing it away slowly
and whispered, "I'll come with you. But not because you forced me to." Daniel looked surprised for a
fleeting moment and then replied, "But I don't know where I am going Hyung. I want to get back to my job
and family. I can't hide you." Hyung looked at Daniel and narrowed his eyes,
"You came looking for me. You must've had a plan."
Daniel thought for a minute and said, "I could try to get you pardoned...but... I mean. I would have to talk
to Captain Benson, Talon would never listen..." Hyung interrupted sharply, "NO. No one else must know."
He giggled madly and added, "Everyone must know! No. No one else." Daniel continued, "...Look.
I came looking for you yes. but... I mean... I don't know...I wanted to find direction." Daniel sat down
slowly and sadly. Hyung bent over slightly, held his head and started to keen quietly. Daniel looked at him
with grim humor in his face as he said, "look... maybe... no... that's mad..I can't do that. She'd kill me.
Worse... she'd leave me." Hyung breathed deeply, still doubled over, and started to calm down.
Hyung glanced up and said, "My doc taught me that. Helps me not panic so much.
Especially when.. I get nightmares." "Daniel commented, "hmmm, useful."
Daniel straightened up, "The security force don't know it was you flying that ship,...unless you told anyone,
and I mean ANYONE?" Hyung replied calmly, "I didn't. Except my doc knows what ship I have." Daniel
looked concerned as he tried to press the point, "I have the flight logs... the ship was unregistered right?
I know that you junkers like to fly under the radar. And you trust him right? How much?" Hyung said, "Well,
it was registered...they brought my ship over after they found me at Rochester. I am a Junker after all.
I need to stay 'legit'." Daniel asked quickly, "...but it wasn't in your name...?" Hyung said, "Yes. It was."
Daniel barked out, "What?!" then swore quietly. Hyung looked downcast. He said, "I'm only 22...I didn't
know any better. My mom got me my first ship for my 21st birthday. I bought this one on Rochester and the
registration was transferred." Daniel looked crestfallen, "Oh. I... I don't know what to do Hyung."
Hyung looked sheepish as he shrugged,"Sorry."
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
Daniel thought out loud, "The LSF are watching my house day and night. Have you got a criminal record?
Do you have a house?" Hyung shook his head, "No record that I know of. I almost got put in prison for
something, but John Talon said he'd let it pass after I gave him a "DVD Collection" I found in the debris
field. I live in my ship most of the time." Daniel chuckled humorlessly, "Heh... I know Talon. He trained
me in West Point. He's a great pilot, but not someone I would trust." He paused for a moment. "Hyung.
I think we need to move." Daniel looked up as rain started to fall more heavily. Hyung looked at his feet.
And quietly said, "I'm coming with you." Daniel thought for a moment and said, "Ok... look I'm going home.
I can smuggle you in over the roof."
Hyung said, "I should .... leave my ship....." a wince of heart-loss crept into his voice, and Daniel tried to
comfort Hyung, "They don't watch that as far as I know." Hyung shook his head, "It needs to be ...
destroyed..." Daniel was silent for a few seconds then nodded, "Where is it?" Hyung said, "It's at the
hospital. Dock, ...wait... I need to get something from it." Daniel looked tired as he rubbed his face and
said, "Ok..look... I'll meet you in Freedom Square in a few minutes. Look near the clock tower, ok?"
Hyung started to look relieved for the first time since his impromptu meeting with Daniel in the alley.
Daniel suggested, "Do you have any other clothes? Something to cover your face..."
Hyung's face suddenly clouded over, "You're...not...gonna...turn me in are you?" Daniel frowned, "No.
Why would I do that? I have broken the law far more than you. You'd end up on Huntsville," Hyung
interrupted with "I've seen the vids where the cops go undercover." Daniel smirked then continued,
"I could be executed for this. I stole a copy of my own records. Ones that had been classified." Hyung
looked thoughtful... and Daniel said, "I doubt even Talon has access to that." Hyung shook his head and
replied, "He's your CO isn't he? I would think he does have access..." Daniel grimaced, "Yes... but... this
is bigger than I thought." Hyung shook his head again, "It doesn't matter. I'll meet you at that square in
30 minutes." Daniel, looking relieved said, "Ok... I'll be there."
Hyung started to walk away into the shadows...towards the Manhattan Hospital and his ship.
Daniel Hale walked towards the square, wondering what else he was getting himself into...
Sovereign Wrote:Seek fun and you shall find it. Seek stuff to Q_Q about and you'll find that, too. I choose to have fun.
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