|
Post by Brie on Aug 2, 2005 7:50:33 GMT -6
“Turner? Turner? Turner, you goll monging snitrag, you promised me you’d always be with me. So where are you?”
“I’m here, Brie.” Turner materialized before Brie. There were no surroundings where they were, they were just there. “What can I help you with?”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Brie informed her late husband. “I want to go with you.”
“That’s not possible at this time,” Turner calmly replied.
“What?” Brie was partially upset, partially hurt, partially surprised. “You said before that THEEEY had given me a choice. I made the wrong one, I never should have gone back.”
“The choice was last time,” Turner explained. “This time, you’re supposed to live. What changed?”
“What changed?” Brie repeated. “Hello, my doctor tried to kill me. I don’t know how many of Pierce’s followers survived. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”
Turner looked off to the side for a micron. “I’m allowed to tell you this much. Most of Pierce’s people died. Once he gave the suicide order they obeyed, expecting to follow him here.”
“Most isn’t good enough,” Brie said. “I can’t do it, Turner. I’m not going back.”
“You have no choice,” Turner told her.
“Yes I do,” Brie said defiantly. “I’ve made peace with those I needed to talk to, I’ve been cleared of the charges, so I don’t have to worry about how I’ll be remembered. I’ll just refuse to wake up.”
“Do you think that’s such a good idea?” Turner asked. “They’d be using food and supplies...”
“Why not, Amy’s doing it. Like daughter, like mother, right?”
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 3, 2005 10:55:30 GMT -6
Infuriated by the whole situation, Brie just walked away. She wasn’t mad at Turner, not really, she was just ready to let everything go. She didn’t know what she was walking towards, but she felt like she was headed in the right direction. There were still no discernable surroundings, although if she used her imagination she felt as if she was walking on a cloud. Even though a bright light filled the entire area she could see an even more radiant light ahead of her. She walked towards it. She was surprised to see a man standing under it. He smiled as she approached him. “You’re Major Brie, right?”
Brie nodded. “Did Turner tell you?”
“Turner?” the man asked. “I don’t know any Turner. I recognized you from the Agro Ship. I’m Gene, I’m one of the farmers.” Gene laughed. “At least I used to be.”
“What happened?” Brie wanted to know.
“I’m not really sure,” Gene replied. “I was injured by one of Pierce’s followers, and then during surgery I ended up here. Isn’t it exciting?”
“I wouldn’t know, they’re not letting me go,” Brie told him.
“I guess they think there’s still more for you to do,” Gene said. “Once I arrived here I suddenly had all kinds of knowledge about what had really happened on my ship, and what you did to help save us. Incredible. I do have one question, though.”
“What?”
“Is it true that you’re our darlin’ Amy’s real mother?”
Brie sighed. “If you have all this new knowledge then you should be able to figure it out. And Abby is Amy’s real mother, always and forever.”
Gene glanced to the side. “They’re calling me now. I wish you all the best, Major!”
“Thanks,” Brie replied as Gene started to disappear before her eyes. “And if you meet a man named Turner, watch out for him!”
“Why?” Gene could no longer be seen, but his voice could be faintly heard.
“He’s my husband, and he’s a pain in the...” Realizing that she was talking to the air, Brie didn’t bother to finish her sentence.
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 3, 2005 23:04:31 GMT -6
Although she saw another luminous light ahead of her, Brie was more intrigued by the sound that she heard coming from the same direction. At first she couldn’t quite place it, but as she walked closer she recognized it as a child’s cry. Brie picked up the pace and soon approached a young girl, about four yahrens old. Brie squatted down so that she could make eye contact with the weeping child. “Hi, I’m Brie,” she said, trying to not scare the girl any further. “What’s your name?”
“Rory,” the girl answered between sobs.
“What’s wrong, Rory?” Brie asked.
“I miss my Mommy and Daddy,” Rory replied.
Brie wiped a tear from the young girl’s face. “I know how you feel. How did you end up here?”
Rory thought, and for a micron the tears stopped. “I was playing, and I fell. I opened my eyes, and here I was.”
“Has anyone told you that you have to move on?”
Rory shook her head. “Nobody’s told me nothing. You’re the first person I’ve seen.”
“Tell you what,” Brie said. “Close your eyes, say a prayer to the Lords of Kobol, and wish really hard that you were home. Then maybe it will happen.”
Obediently Rory closed her eyes. Although she didn’t speak out loud her lips moved. She then smiled, opened her eyes and threw her arms around Brie. “I’m going home!” she screamed. “They said it’s not my time yet!”
“I’m happy for you,” Brie replied, returning the hug.
Rory eventually let go and took a step away from Brie. “They also said it’s not your time either.” She disappeared.
Brie stood again to her full height. In the distance she saw yet another light, the most resplendent of all. She knew that she was being drawn to it. She started to run, she had to find out what was waiting for her. She wasn’t prepared for what she saw.
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 9, 2005 13:35:19 GMT -6
Brie took a few more steps forward before sitting down next to Amy. They weren’t sitting on chairs or the like, but they also weren’t sitting on the ground. They were just sort of there, but it didn’t really matter. “Amy,” Brie said with a smile.
“It’s about time,” Amy replied, returning the grin. “I thought you’d never get here. Why haven’t you come to see me, either here or on the Callisto?”
“They haven’t let me,” Brie replied. “Amy, things have been so crazy. I actually went to the brig for your murder.”
Amy laughed. “My murder? You didn’t do a very good job of it, since I’m still alive. Officially, that is.”
Brie looked down. “It was because of the mission. I never should have left. If I had thought that there was even a chance that you were still alive...”
“No,” Amy said softly. “No regrets. A lot of people survived because you left when you did. Since I’ve been here I’ve been given knowledge about things that I probably wouldn’t have known otherwise. I understand why you left. Deke does too.”
“Deke’s here?” Brie asked quickly.
“Not anymore,” Amy replied, shaking her head. “He was allowed to stay long enough to see me, and then he was called home. And you’re not supposed to be here either, Brie. You’re supposed to go back. You want your death to be on Doc’s conscious for the rest of her life?”
“I don’t want to go back,” Brie told her. “I’m tired of it all. I’ve had enough.” She decided to change the subject. “So what’s going on with you?”
“I’m not sure,” Amy said. “I guess how long I’m here depends on my mother. She doesn’t seem to trust the doctors.”
“Your mother,” Brie mumbled, wondering just how much new knowledge Amy had been given.
|
|
|
Post by Amy81 on Aug 9, 2005 17:42:27 GMT -6
"Come here" Amy said, reaching out her arms toward Brie. Brie leaned in closer, and Amy hugged hard for a long moment before letting go.
"What was that for?" Brie asked.
"For a lot of things" Amy replied. "For always being there for me, for being so wise, and for believing in me. And for other reasons..."
Brie looked at Amy, but said nothing, waiting for the explanation. Amy looked back, her eyes and expression full of fondness, but then she looked away, changing the subject.
"I'm sick of things too" Amy said. "But I don't know where to go from here. Deke understood, but there were some infantry guys who weren't too happy to be here. Blamed me for getting them fragged by those golmonging purple cylons."
"Purple?" Brie asked.
Amy nodded. "It was hades my whole time on that station. Deke, Lazant, Baltar..."
"You ran into Baltar?"
Amy again nodded. "Well, he sort of ran into us. But he's pure evil." Amy shuddered at the thought of him. "I nearly was a prisoner aboard his basestar." She laughed. "I ended up one anyway, but not on his ship. I can tell you this though" she said, her expression falling, "coldcells s-u-c-k. Until I came here, I only had one tiny fragment of a memory left in me. Everything else the cylons ripped out of me. It's why I'd rather not go back. I'm back to nothingness if I go back."
"What was your one memory of?" Brie asked.
Amy smiled in spite of herself. "Charybdis, not wearing a stitch." They both shared a laugh over it, and for a moment it was like old times again. Then Amy grew serious again. "I hope they harvest me soon. Then I couldn't go back, even if I wanted to. Or even if THEY wanted me to."
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 9, 2005 19:10:25 GMT -6
Brie thought for several microns. It felt so good to be sitting with Amy again! It had been so long. “What if we helped you regain your memories?”
“We as in who?” Amy wanted to know.
“Me, Abby, Najinn, Commander Sheba, even Lazant,” Brie replied. “Anyone who knew you well.”
“What about Charybdis?” Amy asked.
Brie quickly shook her head. “He’d be of no help. From what I understand, he’s not even around anymore.”
“He’s...” Amy looked around, as if she was expecting him to show up at any micron.
“No,” Brie said quickly. “Things just got a bit hectic, so he ran home to his parents. I don’t know the whole story, because the last time I saw him was when my doctor was trying to kill me. And even if you and I were to go back...Charybdis has changed.”
Amy looked sad for a micron. “Even if it was possible to somehow get my memories back, everything is still up to my mother. I’m just worried that she’s not strong enough to let me go.”
“You mother is a VERY strong woman,” Brie remarked, more to herself than Amy.
Amy seemed surprised “You think so? I wasn’t aware that you knew her all that well.”
“She and Elmer came to see me before the Tribunal,” Brie said quickly, hoping that she wasn’t speaking a little bit TOO fast. “When we all thought that you had died. We talked then. And of course you introduced me to her once.”
Amy smiled. “I remember that. I think my dad had a bit of a crush on you. He kept looking at you funny.” She sighed. “Lords, it’s good to have my memories again!”
|
|
|
Post by Amy81 on Aug 9, 2005 19:50:43 GMT -6
Amy thought back a little further. "You know, I think my godmother had a thing for Charybdis. I remember her looking at him funny when I brought him over to the agro ship!" She once again grew serious. "I wouldn't count Charybdis out if I were you. You weren't there the last time we were together."
"I don't think I'd have wanted to be" Brie said with a smile.
"Yeah" Amy agreed. After a long silence, she spoke again. "My dad is here, do you know that? He doesn't want to see me though. Maybe he'd want to see you? Cause of his crush and all? He's avoided me like crazy. I think it's cause he knows that I know some things here that I didn't know before. Not that it does anybody any good."
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 9, 2005 23:30:08 GMT -6
“What kind of things do you know now?” Brie asked. She was pretty sure that Amy wasn’t referring to her paternity since she hadn’t said anything. “They don’t let me know ANYTHING, probably since they don’t think that I should be here.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Amy replied. “Stuff about my parents, their relationship with each other and even my grandparents. Also stuff about the moon mission and what happened after. Things like that. I also know, somehow, that if you stay here it will cause Doc Bkj a lot of guilt, but I don’t know why I know that. And I know a lot about my dad’s death.”
“Oh,” Brie said, hoping that Amy didn’t pick up on her sigh of relief. “I can’t imagine why Elmer would want to see me. He testified against me at my tribunal, and he don’t think he liked anything that Pierce asked him.”
“Pierce?” Amy asked.
“Long story,” Brie replied. “He was Chief Opposer, and he’s sort of the reason that I’m here. He also murdered Turner, but that’s yet another long story.”
“So what did Pierce ask my dad?” Amy wanted to know.
“Just questions about your growing up and becoming a warrior,” Brie responded. “Pierce said that I was negligent because I put you in charge, and you weren’t ready for it.”
“And you were acquitted, right?”
“No, I was convicted,” Brie said with a smile. “But it turned out that the whole thing was set up by Commander Apollo to try to catch Pierce, who led a mutiny to try to take over the fleet. Pierce thought that he was a god and convinced a lot of others as well. But then he committed suicide, the coward.” Amy looked down, her face fallen. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...Pierce didn’t want to get caught. That’s all that I was trying to say.” Brie paused for several microns. “If you want me to try to talk to your dad, I will.” She had a terrible feeling that she would regret those words.
|
|
|
Post by Amy81 on Aug 11, 2005 16:50:55 GMT -6
"Yeah" Amy replied, "if only to let him know that I still love him no matter what things I know, or how we all behaved when we were alive. But I don't know if he'll talk to you or not."
Brie nodded. "I'll try anyway."
"Ever notice how things go in cycles, in circles?" Amy asked. "My dad did the same thing I did, rejected farming. Then spent his life trying to make up for it after the fire that wiped out his dad's farm and took his mom."
"I didn't know that" Brie answered.
"It's funny, but I don't even think of his dad and mom as my grandfather and grandmother. I suppose it's cause things are so disjointed in the fleet, with everyone's family tree in ruins. Still, it's seems like there's more to it." She shrugged. "But how could there be, right?"
Brie opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing. Amy went on with her train of thought:
"So my dad's dad ended up committing suicide, and my dad did too. I rejected farming like my dad did, so where does that leave me? My mom can't cope with all the responsibilities without my dad. If I went back, would the guilt overwhelm me too? Make me give up being a warrior and spend the rest of my life making up for the hurt I caused my dad?" She shook her head. "It's funny, cause I'm about to be harvested like some crop at picking time. And when it happens, I'm here to stay."
|
|
|
Post by Brie on Aug 11, 2005 19:08:24 GMT -6
“You can’t blame yourself for your dad’s decisions,” Brie said quietly. “He had to make his own choices, just like you had to choose what was best for you. And your mom...don’t count her out. As I said before, she’s a very strong woman.” Brie sighed. “I don’t think she’s in any hurry to let you go. From what I heard, she’s not even on the Callisto at the micron, and she’d need to be there to sign the paperwork. So I don’t think it’s harvest time quite yet.” She sighed again. “I hope you realize how lucky you’ve been. You had the closest thing possible in the fleet to a ‘normal’ childhood. You had your parents...I know they didn’t always understand you or support you, but at least they were physically there.” Brie didn’t look at Amy for almost a centon. “Did I ever tell you that you remind me of my mother? I hardly even remember her, but for some reason, you do."
|
|