Hauntings Part 3

Going Up?

Written By: Death Star and Seraphna

Origin
MedBay
10:55 PM
October 31st, 2200

John McCormick yawned, closing the book he had been reading to Elayne for the past several hours. While it personally dulled him to no end, Elayne Hianule, his fiancee, seemed to love it. "This is...different," he told her, picking his words carefully. He leaned back and stretched, trying to get some feeling back in his body after sitting for so long.

Elayne smiled at him. "I like it..." John grinned back at her, playfully. "I would assume so," he told her. Elayne giggled and moved over some to him, which John took the advantage to scoop her up in a hug, moving her closer to him. He looked at her. "Say, how about me and you sneak out of here, and go for a walk?"

Elayne nodded. "I'd like that..." John grinned at her playfully. "I'd would assume so," he said. He gave a devilish grin, standing up as he tiptoed over to the door. Looking out across the general area of the MedBay, he glanced back at her. "Coast is clear, m'lady." Elayne stood up slowly and walked over behind him, adjusting the shirt of her pajamas. Putting his arm around her shoulders, grinning at her, he lead her quickly out of the MedBay and into the hallway.

"X2 treats me like a little girl or something sometimes..." Elayne told him as they walked along the hallway. John instinctively pulled her closer, smiling as he walked along with her.

"I think he treats everyone like that. It's because he worries," John told her.

Elayne nodded. "John?"

John looked at her. "Yes?"

"Do you... well..." Elayne began, looking down shyly as she giggled. John grinned, trying to second guess what Elayne was going to say. "Um... Well... that is..." she continued, obviously trying to pick her words. He just nodded, giving her the time she needed to tell him. "When we're married... will we have... children?"

"I would imagine so. Lots of them," John assured her, thinking to the years ahead. He didn't plan on being a Wraith forever. If he survived his virus and the war, he wanted to settle down and have kids. He steered them towards the elevator. "What has you thinking about kids, El?"

Elayne blushed, her face turning a bit pale. It was interesting how people from Parnel blushed silver. There blood, John supposed. "N-Nothing important..." Elayne stuttered.

John stopped at the elevator, hitting the button. He removed his hand from her shoulder and began to rub his chin, studying her. "Oh really?" he prompted. Elayne shook her head, blushing pure silver at this point. "You know, you're even cuter when you blush," he teased.

Elayne giggled. "Meanie!"

John chuckled, feeling better than he had in awhile. Especially during the entire CorSec fiasco. The elevator door opened him, distracting from his thoughts. Gesturing towards the open doors, he said, "After you." Elayne stepped in and he followed after her, hitting a random floor button. It didn't matter to him, just as long as he was with Elayne.

Elayne leaned against him, yawning. John wrapped his arm around her waist as the elevator began to move. "Getting sleepy already?" he asked.

"Just a little," Elayne said, smiling.

Grinning, John asked, "Am I that boring?"

Elayne giggled. "Nope... Just a little drained from using all that power... I did good though... right?"

John sensed that she needed reassurance. So he spoke honestly. "You were spectacular. I don't think anyone didn't do a double take at that performance. Especially ol' Spade. Heh, I bet that hurt him."

Elayne grinned, making John feel better. "I hope so... he got what he deserved..."

"He did at that."

Elayne looked down and around the elevator slowly, when suddenly it jerked. John blinked and looked around in mild surprise. Another technical problem? "AH!" Elayne shouted. "John!?"

John held onto her tight as the power went off. "Hang on!" he warned her, preparing for the bumpy ride. Plus he could feel Elayne's breath quickening, due to some discomfort. Probably no lights. But the lights would be the least of their concerns...

* * * * *

Origin
Elevator
11:00 PM

The elevator groaned as it began to tilt to the side in the shaft. Almost immediately the support cables on it began to snap, causing it to drop rapidly. As it fell, the elevator continued it's strange tilting to the side, throwing it's passangers against the opposite wall before the emergency breaks kicked in, stopping it. After, the damage caused at the top of the elevator shaft began to fall, smashing into the tilting elevator, tearing through half of the elevator in a matter of seconds, leaving a gaping hole there.

Managing a strangled gasp of surprise, John heard Elayne scream. Below them unnatural sparks of electricity began to shoot every where. Also above them it began, surrounding the elevator in it's unnatural electricity. But other than that, everything remained calm.

John continued to hold onto Elayne, whispering to her in a soothing voice as he tried to make sense of what just happened. "It's okay, El, it's over," he whispered, running his hand through her hair as she began to calm down slowly. My God...that was...rough he thought to himself.

"Wh-What happened?" Elayne asked.

John looked around the smaller elevator, continuing to stroke Elayne's hair. Ignoring the sparks of electricity surrounding the elevator, he cleared his dry throat. "Not sure. Chip?" There was no reply. "CHIP?" Still, he got no reply. "Damn."

"Ch-Chip... this isn't funny..." Elayne chided weakly. However, there was still no reply to their calls. It was as if Chip and the rest of the world were cut off from them, alone in the darkness of the elevator, the sparks of electricity jumping everywhere.

"If the station was attacked, Chip could be offline..." John reasoned. He rubbed the back of his head, which he had hit during their little freefall. It still ached, but wouldn't prove to be too bothersome. Standing up slowly to investigate their situation, he felt the elevator groan in protest, so he sat back down. Elayne held onto him tightly as soon as he sat down. "It'll be okay, Elayne, really..." he assured her, rubbing her head softly, leaning his own against her's. "We'll just have to make the best of the situation." By not falling he thought silently.

Elayne looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here..."

John smiled softly. "I'd be glad to be stuck with you anywhere." Elayne giggled some, showing signs of relaxing finally. Feeling the heat in the elevator increasing, Snipe removed his trench coat he had been wearing, hoping to cut down on the heat. Wearing a coat in an elevator surrounded by electricity and no AC wasn't healthy. "I don't think coats were made to wear in a situation like this." Elayne giggled again. Feeling better, John reached into the pockets of the coat and pulled out a flash light, laying it off to the side, flicking it on. "Well, now we have some light."

And then it happened. Elayne looked at him, seeing his face now in the light. Looking back at her, John gave her a goofy smile. Elayne leaned over, kissing him softly on the lips. Taking the impulse, Snipe hugged her, pulling her close to him as he returned the kiss, not bothering to stop for air. They continued like this for several moments, both their feelings and emotions soaring high, neither wanting the moment to end. A moment in eternity that seemed to last forever, until finally John pulled back for some air, lest they both pass out from the kiss. They continued to look into each other's eyes. Elayne was happy, the thoughts of the trouble around them gone instantly.

"I love you so much," John told her, honestly. He didn't know when he had fallen in love with this girl. His feelings had goen much further than just the summer. He remembered when her ATLAN side got out of control and he desperately tried to stop her, without hurting her. Even back then he felt he cared. Things that summer had taken an unsuspecting turn when she too shared his feelings and things just picked up speed from there. They were engaged now, something John never thought would happen to him. Even if he was twenty-one and she was only fifteen, somehow, he knew...they would find a way to make this work.

Elayne blushed again. "I love you too..."

John smiled, leaning his forehead against her own. "You know, despite being in an elevator with no lights but my flashlight, I never want this moment to end."

"Me neither..." Elayne said. Silence passed, each of them to their own thoughts, until finally one spoke their mind. "John... C-Can we... get married... sooner than planned?"

John smiled. Like he thought earlier, things just keep speeding up. "When did you have in mind?"

"Soon as possible..."

Grinning playfully, he said, "Well, you pick a day, tell all the villians not to do anything, and we can get married."

"If things go like they always do... how about tomorrow?" She smiled, but it was sincerely. John felt like a punch just hit him in the gut. Like he thought, things go too fast sometimes and his mind went into an overload.

"To-tomorrow? Bu-But don't we have to plan this kind of thing?" he asked, truly doubting even if his mind wasn't melting right then it would be impossible to hold a wedding the next day. This stuff took planning and all that good stuff.

"A week then?" Elayne asked.

John grinned. A thought had hit him. They were in a war where in any moment, either of their lives could be stuffed out in an instant. He himself had always held back because he worried --- what if the virus killed him and made Elayne a widow? Would that be fair to her? Would she end up like Eve was now, who didn't even marry? But like that fight with Spade had proved, Elayne could be put in a situation where her life might end before his own. They were both living on the edge where a single action could result in the death of either of them. She might be young. He might be considerably older than her. But they loved each other and that was what mattered. Take the moment when it presents itself to you, not when everything looks calm and peaceful. If you cower behind every worry or protection, you'll never truly get to enjoy life. So, John made up his mind.

"Why not?" Elayne hugged him and he gladly returned the embrace.

11:15 PM

Getting married in a week...me...wow... he thought to himself, still stunned at the notion. He rubbed the back of his head in an old habit, touching the sore spot, causing him to flinch in pain. Elayne put her hand up there and healed him. "Thanks." He wiped his fore head, where some sweat was beginning to show up. The heat in the elevator was rising faster. Or is it just me...?

Elayne blushed once more. He looked at her. "It's hard to keep track of time in here, but I'd say we've been in here close to twenty minutes. Rescue teams are sure taking their sweet time. Not that I mind." He grinned. Elayne giggled and nuzzled him, in which John hugged her tightly, pulling her closer to him, not letting go. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment while Elayne smiled. All was silent, except for the sparks of electricity below and above them in the shaft.

Elayne hummed a little tune, in which John felt himself just watching. He enjoyed looking at her, feeling himself to be so lucky. He wiped his forehead again and knew that he had to look around for an escape route, or they'd be nice and crispy when the rescue team did show up. Looking over the side of the elevator, he saw no means of escape with the electricity hopping around.

"It's... so hot in here," Elayne commented.

"Yeah, no AC..." John said mournfully. He leaned back against the tilted elevator wall. "And the electricity isn't helping." Elayne took off her pajama top, still wearing an undershirt underneath it. John found himself blushing momentarily, despite the face he had seen women in the complete nude before. He never knew why he felt so shy around Elayne. She too, by now, was blushing again. John adjusted his blue shirt. "I wish I kept a little fan in my coat now..." Though it does have nice... side effects...Bad John! he thought to himself, chiding himself for even having the thought. Elayne giggled a little.

The elevator tilted some more, but for the most part, remained fairly stable.

11:27 PM

John had leaned his head back against the elevator, thinking back the past few weeks. His thoughts were a mess and he wondered what was the one thing keeping him sane. After the incident with Lyles, possibly killing children along with the supposed CorSec personnel, he had found himself wondering if what he was doing was right. Plus it seemed things around him were just breaking up or waiting to. And then when Thompson threw out the black hole, half the city around the mansion had been destroyed. His fault, again. He shouldn't have let him do such an attack.

Yet he remained sane. And he felt it had to do with Elayne. Having her kept him from totally breaking down like he had done one time, right when everyone decided Death Star would be the better leader for the Hunters. He had resented it, but at the time the virus had been putting a definite strain effect on him, so he had no choice. But lately it seemed like it had been put into a stalemate. Even the head injury by Garland was gone.

As if reading his mind, Elayne giggled. "You know... if daddy caught us here right now... he'd be crazy right now..."

John chuckled warily. "Lets hope he doesn't find us. I wouldn't want him to think---" he stopped himself, blushing slightly, but dismissing it as the heat. Elayne kissed him again and John blinked, surprised, but returned the kiss, once again beginning to lose himself...

When the damn elevator dropped a few feet, throwing them off balance. Elayne gasped and began to shake with fear. "John..."

Holding onto her, he said, "It'll be okay." He looked over the edge, noting how close they were to the electricity now. Leaning back, he glanced around, searching for some means of escape. Elayne clung to him tightly, looking at him with pure fear in his eyes. That stabbed into his heart. He gave her his most confident grin. "Trust me on this, Elayne, everything will be fine. We can't miss our wedding day, can we?"

Elayne smiled a little and shook her head. "The more we stand up or move around, the more the elevator shifts. Of course, laying down and waiting all night might prove to be too... hot." He wiped the sweat off his face again with the trench coat. Formulating a plan of action, he glanced at her. "Stay here for a moment."

Leaning over the side of the elevator, he looked down the shaft. Suddenly it tilted again, sending him sliding right of the side. "JOHN!" shouted Elayne. A couple of seconds passed in silence.

Then, faintly, from below the elevator. "Yes?" Elayne grabbed at him psionically, but his own immunities to it prevented it. Below the elevator he hung onto a cable connected to the bottom of the elevator, swinging. "You know, if we do have kids, I wonder what the hell they are going to be like psionically..." he joked. He glanced down, his feet inches above the sparks of electricity. Elayne could be heard laughing nervously. "Okay, pulling myself back up."

John swung and grabbed onto the edge of the elevator, straining as he pushed his upper torso back onto the floor of the elevator, when suddenly a vision came to him.

The entire land was charred, burnt, broken. He found himself walking along the dead land, surveying the area. What had happened here he had no idea...a moment ago he thought he was in the elevator with Elayne...

Stopping, he spied the dead bodies, all piled up on each other. Bending down, he frowned, considering there had been some type of battle. They mostly looked human...but from where? That's when he saw it...the CorSec logo on their shirts.

The men...women...children...all of whom he had killed a few weeks ago. Stepping back, he tripped over a rock, rolling backwards. As he fell down the hill, he came to a slow stop, his mind reeling. He didn't cause this! NO! NO! DAMMIT NO!

Pulling himself up, he made a mad stumble to his feet, looking over the new area. That's when Garland stood before him. He glared at him. "You'll never have Elayne. NEVER. You're no good for her." Confused, John felt the punch connect to his face, himself stumbling back.

Death Star was suddenly off to the side, crossing his arms. "The only way to solve it all is to kill him. You have to kill Garland... I cannot..." he whispered, falling to his knees, not moving, much like he had when he thought Katrina was dead.

In disbelief, John turned to look at Garland, who was still advancing. Only this time, there seemed to be something or someone behind him. "I am Azrael..." the spirit whispered. He drew a long sword, still standing behind Garland. "This here is my body in this world. With it all shall die..."

Gasping, John reached into his trench coat and found his rifle. Grabbing it, he raised it and fired three shots at he spirit Azrael, but all missing. Again, Death Star could be heard. "You have to kill Garland..."

Looking at Garland, John saw he wasn't moving, but it was obvious he was the source of all this. Aiming his rifle, he fired over...and over...and over...until the father of his fiance fell to the ground, bloodied and dead. Azrael vanished also, as did Death Star. He was all alone, until he heard her voice.

"John!" Turning around, he saw Elayne standing there, in a battle torn Wraith outfit, tears streaming down her face. "How---How could you?!" she shouted at him.

"I-I.." he stammered.

Elayne ran up and slapped him hard. "You didn't even try to save him! YOU KILLED MY FATHER!" she screamed at him, running away from him.

"No---wait, Elayne!" shouted John, pleading. But she was gone. Behind him he could hear the harsh laughter. He turned around to see Gravedigger, Dias, and Velocity.

Gravedigger crossed his arms. "You broke her heart. You're pathetic..."

Dias shook his head. "Thought you were are friend, but you didn't even try to save poor Garland. You cold blooded killer."

Velocity sneered. "I told you were a loose cannon." They all walked off in Elayne's direction, leaving John there, feeling vertigo. Suddenly there was a large light, forcing him to shield his eyes. That's when he realized an explosion had gone off where they all were.

"NOOOOO!" he screamed, running over the hill to where they were. The flames of the recent explosion tore at him, burning his flesh, but he ignored it, running on. Finally he found her, the body burnt to nothing but a skeleton. He knelt over, grabbing the skeleton, trying to control his rage and grief...

John's grip on the elevator slipped, causing him to fall back. Elayne cried out. "JOHN!" She remained perfectly still, hoping not to rock the elevator even more. Upon hearing her voice, he instinctively reached out and gripped the jagged edge of the elevator, the metal cutting into his hand like butter, but he hung on, swinging and dazed.

"Dead....all...dead..." he muttered. His grip began to slip as the blood made it harder to hold onto the jagged edge. His hand began to ungrip itself and he slowly began to lose all ability to hang on, when suddenly he let go, unable to hold on. A hand grabbed his own -- Elayne had psionically risen up and moved to him, grabbing him at the last second. "John!" she shouted.

He moved his head upward, slowly, still dazed, his surroundings confusing him. He saw her. "Elayne!?" he rasped out, jerking back in surprise. She was alive --- or was it a trick?!

"John..." Elayne whispered, using psionics once more to try and help move him up. Amazingly, it actually worked, as his they began to lift up. Elayne... John thought to himself, which actually reached Elayne. There was no psionic resistance at the moment. "John..." Elayne said again, landing back where they had been, using psionics to hold a platform of force together.

11:43 PM

John held his forehead against his hand, panting, not caring if he got blood everywhere. The vision he just had seemed to real, so true, that it continued to nag at the back of his mind. "It..wasn't..real..." he told himself out loud, trying to calm himself.

"Something worse is happening here...," Elayne told him. That snapped him out of his daze, especially when she took his hand, healing it. He was beginning to feel better in general now, as she wiped the blood away. He nodded slowly.

"So much for a nice, quiet night in the elevator, huh?" he joked. He gave her a smile, trying not let the haunted look in his eyes be seen. Elayne giggled and finished cleaning him up. He reached out and hugged her, as if trying to make sure she was still there and not some elusive dream. She returned the hug and kissed him.

"You had me worried..." she scolded.

"Sorry about that," he told her, looking around, still dazed. He didn't even know that his own psionic damper had turned itself off momentarily and he had reached out to her. "I think the best move will be to get out of this elevator."

"I can fly us up..." Elayne said.

"Only if you think you, yourself, can carry my weight...since I'm psionically immune," he warned.

"No.. like this..." Elayne corrected him. She closed her eyes and two wings spread from her back. John raised his eyebrow.

"Kinky." Elayne giggled at his response. She lifted herself, using her wings and whatever remaining strength she had left to to lift them both up. The electricity in the shaft began to increase and the elevator dropped to the bottom of the shaft. Grabbing John, she flew straight up as fast as she could. John looked down the ruined elevator shaft, watching the electricity following them. "Elayne, you're about to hit the top of the shaft!" he warned. Elayne nodded and burned a hole into one of the hallways with a kiama, rolling them both out onto it. John pushed himself to his feet and looked around the hallway, at the shaft, then at the emergency lights that lit the hallway. "Well, we made it..." he said, hugging Elayne. Elayne hugged him back tightly. "You did it, girl," he congratulated her, spinning her around as he hugged her. She giggled in response.

Stopping, John looked up. "Chip..."

Chip finally responded. "---yes?"

11:55 PM

"What's been going on...Chip?" John asked.

"Not sure. Though things have been pretty strange. Very wild stuff going on here, I still haven't gotten the power back on.."

John looked at Elayne, checking to see how she was holding up. "Are you okay?" She nodded. Grinning, he said, "You know, that was the best elevator ride I've ever had.." She blushed and giggled some more. Looking back up, John asked, "Chip, are the others okay?"

"To my knowledge...I haven't been in contact with all of them."

"What time is it?"

"Just turned midnight."

John nodded. "Have everyone meet in the Control room. I plan on finding out what this is all about."

"Roger."

John looked back at Elayne, smiling mischievously. "I'm sure your dad will love to find out how our little elevator ride went." Elayne blushed deeper. "Did I mention you look cuter when you blush?" he asked her, grinning. She blushed even deeper, her face really silver by now, and nodded. John tilted her chin up and kissed her briefly. "Lets go solve ourselves a mystery."

"Okay..." Elayne agreed.