Pandora's Clock

OoC: I need to fix this up but i had to at least get it posted or Southern Belle was gonna kill me...!

BiC:
Deep in the unknown of time and space a large metallic ship streaks across the black void as far-off planets glow in the distance. A metallic shimmer alone in the darkness is all that is animate in this vacuum of black emptiness. The Ship that races on is just like any other from its time sturdy and robust, something that was built to last. At first glance the surreal setting that encompasses the ship is breath taking, but only for a moment do you see the beauty of a galaxy before you focus on the horror of the present.

On the main bridge of the ship, a little girl walks to the main viewing panel. Her face is pale and her eyes hold a sad look as she traces circles around the images of planets in the distance. She looks no older than twelve with hair the color of honey falling in tight curls around her shoulders. Violet eyes look out into space before they turn their attention to the 17th century style Victorian dress in the reflection of the viewing panel. The matching white lace on her parasol tickles her nose as she twirls it in front of her face. After she determines that she’s pleased with her overall appearance she turns her attention to the young man in the chair behind her.

“Astor… I do believe that it has started already”, her voice is light and sweet like a songbird and she giggles to herself before turning her attention back to the viewing panel. Off in the distance a brilliant flare of light erupts from one of the smaller planets as the planet itself begins to shimmer before getting split in half as another nova of light causes the planet to crumble and fling pieces of itself into space. In this symphony of oblivion the planets themselves are the instruments as they begin to rip and turn in on themselves before dissolving away into nothing. As chaos ensues the young man rouses himself from the chair, he lifts his leg off one the arms and sits up and stretches before standing.

His skin isn’t as pale as his child companion, a young man in his mid twenties with his face unshaven and long dark black hair falling well past his shoulders he gives a rather poor impression. A long sleeve dress shirt of gray with black stripes fits loosely over his chest; gray wool pants, black sharp toed boots and a black trench over coat help his haggard appearance become more acceptable. It is his eyes however that provide the most conflict with their pale green color and dazed look. Astor stares at the oblivion for a moment noticing the certain reactions of awe at this flash or that explosion by the girl.
He speaks with a soft tone yet his timbre is low not deep, “Kara… What is it that you see?” Kara put a finger to the side of her mouth and pursed her lips. “I don’t know Astor… I think I see what should have been according to our father.”

Astor gave a week smile, “All I see is pain and destruction”, and his fingers began to trace circles that Kara had already drawn. The contrast between the pair was undeniable yet as they stood there watching planets and other celestial bodies twist away into nothingness their visage looked somewhat natural. Kara looked up at Astor and wiped away the single tear that rolled down his left cheek. “If it hurts so much then why keep this up…we can stop anytime.”
Astor walked over to a flat metal table and waved his hand over it activating a hologram projection. The projection read the words NEXT LOCATION… before projecting the image of a small blue planet with several land masses and a white atmosphere…
Astor’s face twitched in pain, “because the end justifies the means..


In the not too Distant future…

“I’m so lucky”, I thought out loud to myself as I reclined back in my home made hammock and looked out over the cliff that gave a perfect view to the twilight cove that just happened to exist in my room. As a student at The Dome you come to expect the unexpected and the first unexpected shock most of the students get here in The Dome is simply finding their room. The door to my room is an Oak relief depicting a Gothic scene of laughing cherubs dancing in circles around a giant imposing skeleton in black ceremonial robes. In one hand he holds a scythe and in the other a golden door knob that also functions as the handle.

Yeah I know right…creepy. What do you think I thought when I saw that… Merrick’s Room in gold lettering with Old English font hangs over the whole solemn spectacle. Every time I open the door to my room it’s always the same thing, nothing just a black void. At first anyway then slowly the tiny pulsing lights of pale blues, crimsons, and yellow stars twinkle themselves into existence. As the perpetual night sky that resides in my room shimmers into full reality, usually with a brilliant spark of white blue light caused by the comets that streak across the sky, I always find myself warmed suddenly by the bonfire that always manifest like clockwork right after the night sky to my room appears.

The bonfire that burns in my room spouts flames, sometimes ten or fifteen feet in the air before simmering down to soft crackles. The logs that feed my fire never seem to ash or give way in the slightest to the flames and yet red embers float endlessly into the night. There’s a large sand pit that circles around the fire before making a trail through a serious of hills and grassy knolls before ending at the large trunk of an oak tree. A bigger, better version of my old tree house hung in the upper canopy of the tree, the rope ladder I used to get up to where my bed resided was just as I remembered it as the ladder swung backwards and side to side. The hills were more like giant lumps of soft earth covered in tall wavy green grass, the kind you would lay down in on sunny days and watch puffy clouds roll by. The hills went on for what seemed like miles in all directions except for the cliffs that started with a jagged outline before making a crater into the ground in which the cove formed itself. There was a trail that led all the way down to the cove that allowed access to the beach and water. The beach seemed to be locked in hazy blur of pale whites and purples, but the majority of the water was lit up by the giant Harvest moon that just happened to show itself tonight.

Really my room wasn’t a room at all it was more of a random alignment of elements that were composed from my memory that The Dome had beautifully reconstructed, or at least that’s what I thought. I was actually surprised by the moon in my room tonight, it certainly didn’t seem like what I felt at this moment, I had learned early on that the moon in my room was the only thing that changed depending on my mood. The introspective thoughts concerning my room began to lose their interest as I swung lazily in my Hammock listening to the sound of the ivory Coast below me. How much longer can I stall? I thought as I began to look for constellations that I could recognize in the sky above me. He Promised that if I…no we gave him what he wanted then he would stop all this madness. I sat up and took in everything around me, It had seemed like ages since I had been to my room here in the dome and I was a little sad to be leaving it again so soon after arriving.

It didn’t take me long to find what I came back for and I was about to rush off then and there when I saw the pool of silver below me and then the hammock came into view and before I knew it I had been lying here for hours. I felt rested enough after checking on Heaven’s Sweep my trusty bow and making sure everything was fine I began to fish around in my pockets. I felt the warm rock in my hand and pulled it out to examine it in the twilight. It was still in the same condition when I first received it. The dark crystal that set in the medallion had a more mysterious aspect to it now as it sparkled in the moonlight and the etched designs still felt the same as my finger traced over them.

I hope Sara can follow the instructions that I left her otherwise this plan will never work. I gave the medallion another brief glance then put it on around my neck in one swift motion. I knew what to expect this time around and wasn’t surprised when the medallion’s freezing chill wrapped me in darkness and I was falling, Immediately I knew something was wrong as I fell further in the darkness, there sensation of falling was no longer there and then I realized I couldn’t move. Panic flooded every part of my body as I struggled against my invisible restraints and then I noticed the small dot of light that was gradually started getting bigger some small distance in front of me.

There’s was movement on the other side, but it was hard to tell because of blinding light that poured of the small hole in front of me. I squinted my eyes to get a better look through this little portal and found that wherever it was it couldn’t be anyplace natural and then I heard a voice from the other side. “Ah yes here he is at last” My eyes widened in horror as recognition of the low and soft tone sank in. Astor’s voice always sounded lost and distracted and it always had this melodic quality to as well. “Don’t hurt him” I heard a young women cry as I caught a gleam of silver from the other side. Suddenly several things happened at once. The white hole in front of me expanded and flash of metal followed by an arm and hand came into view then the sudden piercing pain of cold steel racked my body, finally white light filtered in from everyone as I was pulled from the dark portal I was in and Sara gave an earth shattering scream.

How I was standing I couldn’t fathom, as my eyes focused in the light I gasped as I finally saw everything. Astor was standing right in front of me and in his right hand he held a grand, ornate sword half of which was planted firmly in my chest. I felt the pain, yes the pain was exquisite and yet the coldness of it in my body was what shocked me. Off to the side Sara was going berserk, but something was holding her back, she was behind some sort of unseen wall. In one small jerk he pulled the sword free and immediately I convulsed in painful shudders and fell to the floor Astor gave a distant glance over to Sara as she pounded her fist against the barrier that held her at bay. “Astor you promised you wouldn’t hurt him:”Sara screamed tears streaking down her face. “There’s a profound difference between hurting and killing” Astor said as he walked to my side and knelt down next to my face. “Don’t you dare touch him” Sara bellowed from her prison.

Astor ignored her as he studied my features, I could feel his eyes running over my body and he shook his head. “In the end there was nothing you could do… I wanted both of you to come back with me … I wanted to show you what it was all for…” Astor stood up and began to walk away and with the last of my strength I reached out and grabbed his foot, “You h-haven’t won”, I choked and Astor gave his usual serene smile and again I could see that some unseen gulf divided us, I wondered if he was really here at this moment.

“Little one… It was never about winning or losing…This is the will of God.” I watched as his blurry figure started to walk toward Sara and I took note that I couldn’t fell my legs anymore. As I lay there dying I ran my current plight through my head. My left lung had been pierced twice, The muscles in my chest and back were ripped, my second and third rib had been shattered from both ends as well as my left shoulder blade.

My body was going into shock due to severe trauma and acute blood loss, blood was beginning to fill my lungs and as an auto reflex I was gasping and gurgling for breath as I coughed up sickening amounts of blood. I’m going to die… I’m just a kid… I don’t want to die…no this can’t be happening.” Thousands of thoughts were racing through my head and all of them told me that I was going to die. The whole scene was surreal as I saw it, Astor was walking away holding a bloody sword, Sara screaming and hitting the wall that held her back and there I was shaking in violent spasms as I lurched and coughed up more blood that added itself to the sea of red that I was already drowning in.

I Hated the fact that this was how my life was about to end, I refused to accept it and I began to think back to how all this started some time ago. Sara sounded like she was far away now and I noticed how dim things were everything was getting darker, I closed my eyes. “MERRICK!” Sara’s voice was cracking and I opened my eyes one last time and could tell that she was hysterical. “Hold on Merrick…MERRICK!” I couldn’t make her out clearly anymore and the light was fading fast, there was frantic movement I didn’t know what she was doing.

More loud shouts erupted from her direction, but I was no longer paying attention to her. I thought hard about the day this all began. I was trying to find solace in the beginning rather than face the end. I remember smiling and laughing with Sara during the course of our journey and then I realized that my body had reached its limit.
I knew I didn’t want to die with my eyes open so I closed them and let the darkness comfort me again, and for the last time in my life I was falling….

OoC: I am SOOOOOOO sorry it took me so ridiculously long to get this up. Pwease forgive me? ._.

BiC:
Sarah groaned. A dull ache thudded in the back of her head, and spots swam before her eyes. She blinked, trying to clear the blurry image before her. It was dark, a dim half-light suffused into her surroundings from some unknown source. Everything glinted metallically at her, the crooked floors, the leaning walls…

She realized that neither the floors nor walls were on edge, but that she was crumpled in a heap, her head leaning to one side. She pushed herself up, trying to figure out what had happened. She took in her surroundings as the world straightened around her. There was little information to be gleaned from them. It was dark and plain. And the whole place looked like it had been designed by someone with a metal fetish. Hallways sprawled out confusingly every direction from her.

What happened? she thought to herself. The last thing she remembered, she’d been in Australia, at a fair. A hint of familiarity lent itself to her situation. When was the last time she’d been pulled from one place to another, with no warning or explanation? “The Dome…”

She heard footsteps and crouched back into the shadow of one of the twisting paths. Whoever approached, there was a chance that they knew why she was here, perhaps even had a hand in it.

She couldn’t see the figure too well, dark as it was. He was male, rather short, and walked with a sense of purpose. He definitely didn’t look like he’d been dumped here, as she had; which left her with one conclusion.

She saw her opportunity and took it. He passed her as she lurked in the shadows, and she leapt out. Her dagger pressed against his neck, and she whispered menacingly in his ear. “Alright, I don’t know who you are, but you seem to know what you’re doing around here, and I don’t. Now I want some answers, and I want them fast.”