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kenselvrenThe Doorway was heavy, an intricate mass of electronics and adapted alien technology that had taken the clan months to build. When they found she had stolen it, they would probably kill her. Or perhaps only exile.
But first they would have to catch her.
She had it unpacked and set up, had the probes sent off, and now she waited. She sat as patient as a hunter could be, waiting for the warning indicator that would show one had found what she was looking for.
There was no sign of the hunters yet, but if she reached out with her mind, she could catch them, and...yes. There. But they would be too late.
The indicator flashed. Through the Doorway, the Big Road appeared. The left and right were reversed, the colors inverted. She watched for a moment, but it was a one to one entry ratio; not what she needed. In order to get where she wanted to go, she would need to skip like a stone on the river; she needed the highest entry ratio the Doorway was capable of, and that it had the power to maintain for long enough.
She set the Doorway for an entry ratio of fourteen million to one.
Behind her, she could hear the pursuit now. In front of her, the Doorway flashed and blurred, cycling through timelines and times. Jalian waited. Then she took the call-back remote from the control panel and stepped through the Doorway.
Needles thrust themselves into every exposed patch of skin on Jalian's body. Fire washed over her. She screamed, and the fire washed down into her lungs. She dropped to the concrete of the Big Road, with the pain all that she could think of. The fire crept in through her ears, and melted in through the surface of her skin until it touched her bones.
She fell to the ground, the pain worse than any other she had ever experienced. Almost, she couldn't go on. But Jalian was nothing if not stubborn.
She knew she didn't have to move; she'd exit the timeline when the Doorway ran out of power. But Jalian stood. She struggled to her feet, looked down the length of the Big Road, and ran.
...
On the shore of Fandom island, a vague blur of light appeared. It brightened rapidly, rainbows coruscating outward from it, the wavelengths cycling faster until it appeared white again, and then it disappeared.
Standing in its place was Jalian d’Arsennette. Her hair and clothes were white, her skin the color of a bad sunburn. She blinked and stumbled. She put out a hand to catch herself, and only then realized she still held the call-back remote. It took more energy than she cared for to let go of it.
Then she collapsed to the sand, dazed. She should get up, she knew. But for now, it was enough to know it had worked.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to stop Armageddon.
[Bit in italics directly from The Armageddon Blues; the rest adapted from it and adjusted for this Jalian. Open post to anyone who wants to show up and help, but she'll also be fine on her own. :) WARNING for rather graphic description of pain.]
But first they would have to catch her.
She had it unpacked and set up, had the probes sent off, and now she waited. She sat as patient as a hunter could be, waiting for the warning indicator that would show one had found what she was looking for.
There was no sign of the hunters yet, but if she reached out with her mind, she could catch them, and...yes. There. But they would be too late.
The indicator flashed. Through the Doorway, the Big Road appeared. The left and right were reversed, the colors inverted. She watched for a moment, but it was a one to one entry ratio; not what she needed. In order to get where she wanted to go, she would need to skip like a stone on the river; she needed the highest entry ratio the Doorway was capable of, and that it had the power to maintain for long enough.
She set the Doorway for an entry ratio of fourteen million to one.
Behind her, she could hear the pursuit now. In front of her, the Doorway flashed and blurred, cycling through timelines and times. Jalian waited. Then she took the call-back remote from the control panel and stepped through the Doorway.
Needles thrust themselves into every exposed patch of skin on Jalian's body. Fire washed over her. She screamed, and the fire washed down into her lungs. She dropped to the concrete of the Big Road, with the pain all that she could think of. The fire crept in through her ears, and melted in through the surface of her skin until it touched her bones.
She fell to the ground, the pain worse than any other she had ever experienced. Almost, she couldn't go on. But Jalian was nothing if not stubborn.
She knew she didn't have to move; she'd exit the timeline when the Doorway ran out of power. But Jalian stood. She struggled to her feet, looked down the length of the Big Road, and ran.
...
On the shore of Fandom island, a vague blur of light appeared. It brightened rapidly, rainbows coruscating outward from it, the wavelengths cycling faster until it appeared white again, and then it disappeared.
Standing in its place was Jalian d’Arsennette. Her hair and clothes were white, her skin the color of a bad sunburn. She blinked and stumbled. She put out a hand to catch herself, and only then realized she still held the call-back remote. It took more energy than she cared for to let go of it.
Then she collapsed to the sand, dazed. She should get up, she knew. But for now, it was enough to know it had worked.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to stop Armageddon.
[Bit in italics directly from The Armageddon Blues; the rest adapted from it and adjusted for this Jalian. Open post to anyone who wants to show up and help, but she'll also be fine on her own. :) WARNING for rather graphic description of pain.]
