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Elven Suicide: Part Three-Oh Shit
Posted By: The Arbitress
Date: 26 February 2005, 2:53 PM
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Running. That was all she could think of.
This was too hard. Why did they think we could do this?
Chris didn't know how far she had run, as long as it was away from Liz and the training camp.
She stared at the ground rushing by as she fled. Branches scratched at her face, but Chris didn't care. She was at the point of exhaustion where she couldn't hear or feel anything any more.
She looked up just in time to notice something in her path. She slid to a stop before she crashed into it: the largest tree she had ever seen. She had heard of massive ones called redwoods on earth, but around Reach, they were lucky if they could find a fifteen foot tall pine tree. This monster had to be at least seventy feet tall.
Chris craned her neck to see how far the rough bark soared into the sky, and was startled to hear a scratchy voice calling to her.
"My dear, you look like a mess."
She took a few tentative steps backward. She could have sworn-no. She was delirious from the day's work, that was all.
"Don't be frightened," came the strange voice again.
When she brought her face up from staring at the ground, she noticed that the branches seemed to be moving. She stared in awe as a few thin branches slithered forward and wrapped themselves around her thin form. She tried to pry loose and expected the branches to retaliate and squeeze her, but instead, they just held firm.
After a few moments of regaining her composure, she peered up at the massive trunk. She figured that her best bet was to remain calm.
What the- she thought. She could faintly make out, what, no- couldn't be. The tree seemed to be smiling, and it was then that she noticed a nose wreathed in moss, two sappy eyes, and a beard made out of a bird's nest. She had to be dreaming.
As she started to settle down, the tree started to sing.
"Learn now the lore of the living creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses."
Christine was lulled by the words. She lightly rested her head against the nearest branch, and drifted off to sleep. With her fading consciousness, she heard a few more lines of the song.
"Beaver the builder, buck the leaper,
Bear bee-hunter, boar the fighter;
Hound is hungry, hare is fearful,
Eagle in eyrie, ox in pasture,
Hart horn-crowned; hawk is swiftest,
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest..."
Elizabeth stood before the empty table, waiting for the office to fill up with the ONI spooks, her arms limp at her sides.
She had failed. That was all there was to it.
The heavy oak door behind her creaked open. Didn't matter. She stood still, facing the front of the office, not even paying attention any more.
"Ahem."
She slowly raised her head to look at her judges. That was what they were. Her career was in their hands.
Liz locked eyes with the person sitting at the head of the table, Admiral Prescott. The one that had started this all. Immediately she paled.
"I assume you know why you are here."
She closed her eyes and prayed for this to be over. But that nagging voice in the back of her mind yelled at her to listen and wait. So she nodded her head.
"Excellent. Shall we start?"
She again nodded, attempting to swallow the lump that had formed at the back of her throat.
"Very well then. All any of us can say is that this was despicable. A pure display of insubordination and direct disobedience of given orders. Not only that, but..."
No matter what the voice told her, she eventually lost interest. She already knew all the facts. Her Eldar had performed horribly. Thirty-one dead. They simply didn't know what they were doing. She had given in and ordered Sergeant Erickson to bail them out. And he did. He led a group of soldiers--trained soldiers--to the base and finished the fight. If she hadn't done that, they would all have died.
Christine drowsily lifted her head from her pillow. She glanced around to check out her surroundings. Why the hell was she in a hospital bed? She put her hands against the bed and sat up. The last lines of that song rang through her mind.
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest...
What did that mean? Sure, they had hard training days, but talking trees on Reach? She was sure she never became that delirious.
Chris felt a light tugging on her right wrist. One glance was all she needed. She ripped out the IV and fell back against the pillow, exhausted.
God, why needles.
A light voice managed to filter into her cloudy mind.
"That's probably not a good idea."
Christine turned her head to face the chair at her bedside. She didn't expect to find what she did.
Elizabeth was sitting with her head in her hands. Chris thought she could hear tears in her voice.
"Liz?" she called worriedly.
Elizabeth let her hands fall into her lap, and Chris's fears were answered. Liz's face was puffy red, and her eyes were bloodshot.
"Christine, I'm so-'Liz tried, but buried her face in her hands again and started to sob.
Chris swung her legs over the bed and rested a hand on Elizabeth's arm. Genuine worry spread across her face.
She noticed a packet of papers in Liz's lap. With a little tugging, it came loose. She rested it on her lap, and flipped to the first page.
Page after page. Chris absorbed it all, but none of it could be possible. She glanced up at Elizabeth again, with a look of unbelieving confusion.
The door to the hospital room creaked open. Elizabeth peeled her cheek from her palm and rolled on eye toward to door.
"Ah, we're looking so happy today, aren't we?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes and prayed for the dream-nightmare-to end. When she opened her eyes a crack a few minutes later, the nightmare became real.
"What do you want Halsey?" She moaned, muttering the last word as if it hurt her to say it.
Doctor Katherine Halsey stole a glance at the catatonic Christine.
"Hmmm...interesting." She whispered to herself.
"What?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nothing. We have to talk." Halsey replied, poison dripping from her words, or it seemed to Liz.
Katherine gestured to the hall, then turned on her heel and walked out.
Elizabeth lifted herself from the chair and shook her head.
This isn't happening. I'm just still dreaming.
She walked around the bed. She looked up from the floor, and noticed Chris, still sitting in the same position.
Oh no.
She reached down and picked up the packet from the floor. One glance and her guilt overpowered her.
Chris was catatonic.
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