In the Blackest of Space III
I peer out from behind my cover to see a veritable army of ectoplasmic ghosts flowing into the armor, repowering it, lessening its new translucency. Whole again, it takes to the sky. It’s then that I notice that the ice structures were filled with the bones and bodies of billions of the dead. The explorers, the travelers: all dead, encased in ice. Wait. It just took to the sky. Oh no, I know what I would do in this situation. Gravity spheres begin to rain down from this ethereal doppelganger, leveling the entire field of ice.
I run towards it, and run up one of the few standing ice slopes, leaping off it towards my duplicate figure. I grab hold of it, and drag it to the ground. It tries to gain some distance, but I don’t let it, and strike the armor. It matches every one of my hits in exact mirrors. I punch it in the stomach, it responds simultaneously likewise. I’m just beating myself against an infinitely more powerful foe while I cannot transform into my suit. The real suit. I stop fighting and stand to face my doom on this planet from which none have ever returned. I’m prepared to accept my fate, standing in front of the eternal black death of this cave. Death by my own hands. A fitting end for one who has accomplished his life goals. It stands back, going a short distance and readies itself, placing its hands together.
[Activate: Quantum Destroyer]
It fires the massive blast…
It connects, and begins to disintegrate everything that I am. I can now hear the souls of all that have been brought here, screaming, crying out for me to save them from this planetary torment. How can I save you when I can’t even save myself? Hate me, save me, kill me. Doppelganger; my pain is your pain, your pains are my pains, your chains are my chains, too… The blast continues, fires into the cave, drawing power while destroying all within.
The chain reaction continues, destroying the darkness, flowing out of the other side of the cave. Expelling every last bit of ectoplasmic energy. Changing the orbit of the planet, restoring yet destroying everything. Freeing the souls of billions.
I give a gift that I cannot have. I am trapped in life. The dead are the lucky ones. The brutality I incur is a blessing they should be thankful for. A grand end to a life with ultimately no meaning. Even a tormented afterlife had meaning, and I was able to extinguish that, creating more. I am surrounded by meaning, things that have a purpose, and yet there is none for me save what I create within my own mind. There is no meaning to life. I am trapped in eternal meaninglessness. Only in death does life have meaning. My death is a part of me, part of my life; I cannot end.
When I come to from within the ethereal wave I can see it: Loameria; my former planet that was reduced to waste. It is once more filled with life. The trees and plants appear to spring to life and grow before my very eyes. How is the restoration of Loameria possible? But the growth is slowing, and something is wrong. That’s when I sense what should not be possible: A giant portal, a dimensional rift of indeterminable origin that seems to be pulling my planet into it. No, it can’t happen again. I exit my craft fully armored once more, bursting towards this anomalous black hole. I engage all of my power, once more returned to me.
I’m the only thing that is between it and my planet. I have to save it. I focus all of my powers, and take hold of the gravitational rift. I reduce its size, but that only focuses its power upon me. I’m sure if this was a normal black hole I’d be able to close it. I can feel it. But it’s not. The only way out is to go through it, close it from within its depths. Beyond the gates of space and time. Thunder and lightning and fire erupt from the planet and the rift. I begin to control the pull, and go into the spiral, down into the dark. If there’s a possible chance for something that can be called future behind the spiral, there’s only one way to find out. I stare into the spinning abyss: Let me take it out on you, the hate inside, the pain that I wear. I can no longer hide. Tear me apart. I can sense that I may never come back, through the ether. Explanation will defy what I will see beyond the black hole. Maybe one day I’ll return brand new: lost to the ether.
GuNNhead 
March 27, 2010 at 2:04 am
Gah, for a story so long and so important (i.e. the end of GS), a comment must be made.
Ok, so,”army of ectoplasmic ghosts flowing into the armor”, I like this image a lot, it makes me think of your Threadless space anxiety shirt. The doppelganger plot is very cool btw. “it responds simultaneously likewise.” There may be a better way of expressing this so it sounds less wordy/redundant. You definitely created a dark, empty atmosphere…I can feel your character’s loneliness and sadness. Everything seems so cold, like that feeling you get walking home when the sun just goes down and it’s really cold and you have nothing to look forward to. Despair, I guess.
“It connects, and begins to disintegrate everything that I am. I can now hear the souls of all that have been brought here, screaming, crying out for me to save them from this planetary torment. ” Love this part, reminds me a lot of A Nightmare on Elm Street when you see all the souls of Freddy’s victims popping from his chest…or the pizza scene even..
I like how you call your doppelganger doppelganger instead of by a proper name, it’s silly.
I am surrounded by meaning, things that have a purpose, and yet there is none for me save what I create within my own mind. There is no meaning to life. I am trapped in eternal meaninglessness. Only in death does life have meaning. My death is a part of me, part of my life; I cannot end. Wow, what a strong paragraph. Honestly, this portion of the story is SO you. It’s just so so so your style. I love it. That is Jake Gunn, the author writing right there. I suppose despite all of your (well, the character’s) efforts and battles and adventures, he was simply not happy and felt fulfilled only superficially. It’s sad and makes me very sympathetic towards him.
The ending is very dramatic, but ambivalent. Readers can sort of conclude the series how they wish; maybe you will come back in another form, maybe the black hole mirrored your lonely depression and ended up swallowing you whole, finally allowing you the death you so desperately sought…etc…(that is my interpretation btw).
Congratulations on writing your first full-length series of science-fiction/fantasy/horror/existential stories. You did a wonderful job and for anyone who does read the entire series from A to Z, they will definitely be drawn to the main character. His development is sad though, he is so confident and cocky at first and finishes so weak and indifferent. Interesting for sure. Anyways, I could keep making tons of detailed comments on the entire series when all I’m trying to say is a job well done Jake. I’ll always be proud of you. Keep it real! Keep it GuNNreal!
March 27, 2010 at 2:09 am
OH! and if you end up publishing Gravity Surge, you most definitely should include a feature page on the main character in the same style as Marvel’s heroes&vilains cards. Stats, facts and all (i.e. agility: 8/10). A little bit about thehistory of the armor/character’s main strengths and weaknesses/enemies/allies/accomplishments/special appearances/love interests (or, How Muun ended up being shedevil)….etc….With a little photo up top (which you have already created). Just a thought/piece of advice!