Re: Chapter 2 - The Patrol
Captain Jackson growled fiercly. "If you don't honor your oath, I will haunt you for eternity."
The General chuckled. "I don't doubt it, old friend. Worry not; after this, I will finally be rid of you."
Jackson rattled the box again, water splashing around at his movements. "There's really no need to kill me, Ribische. This is ridiculous. I won't beg, but I'll ask you politely; release me."
General Ribische sighed. "Sorry, I just can't. I've hated you for so long, chased you for so long, now that I've finally caught you, I can't let this oppourtunity pass."
Anger crept into Jackson's voice. "This is rediculous! It makes no sense. Why kill me, when I'm the only one who knows the secret!?"
"Because I'll kill these young people if you don't tell me before you die. Horribly, slowly. They'll linger for hours. Dillon is quite talented." In his corner, Dillon smirked, a thin sheen of sweat covering his shaved head.
The water was rising up over his chest. He swallowed against the hard knot of panic and fear rising up his throat. " If you would be so kind as to lean in closer, General. The secret is..."
The rest was delivered in a whisper, only audible to the General, whose ear was pressed to the lid of the box. The last words were gasped as the water rose up his throat; Jane could see his face pressed up to the air bubble at the little glass window. His eyes were wide and frightened, his breathing quick as the General leaned back with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Remember your oath, Genera-" The Captain was cut off as the water closed over his head. Thin streams of water squirted from the sides, onto the warped wooden floor below. Dillon lifted the lever; the gurgling sound of water faded away.
The water filled box was silent, as Jackson Knight was faced with a quandry. Should he breath in the water, make it as quick as possible? Or hold in his breath for as long as he could? After a split second of consideration, he chose to fight. It was possible he had doomed everyone by telling Ribiche how to remove the necklace; but he hadn't told him everything. The General would get a nasty shock once he tried it. But if he had made things ultimately worse, in this, at least, he would fight. He would fight until the end.
The box rattled with his panicked movements, but it didn't give any more than it had before. Be banged repeatedly at the little glass square, the only thing visible to him now, a few inches of light. It was too small and thick to break. His pounding became more frantic as his lungs began to burn.
Outside, tears were running freely down Connors face as he witnessed his Captain struggle in vain.
Jane was close enough to see his final moments. The crashes became weaker. She saw three of his fingers press up against the glass; they shook as they clenched into a fist. Finally, after over a minute of weak pounds, they stopped. Captain Jackson Knight used the last of his strength to pull his body up to the little window, and put his eye to the light.
His green eye fixed on Jane with an intensity she had never before felt. There was also a desperation in that eye, as if he was drawing strength from the very sight of her. Suddenly, Jane felt something. Like another person was suddenly with them in the little room. She heard a sound like a far off, agonized wail of grief; right after that her mind was flooded with an alien presence. All thought of hers was erased, drowned out by the words screaming through her mind with a nearly incomprehensible volume and power.
"HE IS DYING FOR YOU. FOR YOU. IT IS AS IT SHOULD BE, BUT I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS, JANE LEWIN. FEAR NOT. HIS EMOTION HAS GIVEN ME STRENGTH. GET ANGRY, JANE LEWIN. YOU WILL BE MY LINK ONCE HE PASSES. FOR THIS, HE MUST DIE. BUT I CAN SAVE HIM, IF YOU FEEL. I WILL HAVE TO BREAK THE RULES. IT WILL HURT, BUT FOR HIM, IT WILL BE WORTH IT. YOU CAN GIVE ME THE POWER TO HELP HIM, JANE. FEEL. REALLY FEEL."
Then, as quickly as it had come, the presence was gone. No one else seemed to have noticed. It had only taken a moment; Captain Jackson was still looking at her. As he did, he began to convulse; all at once, he lost the battle. He pushed away from the glass as his visible eye widened in terror and pain as he gasped water into his lungs. The little window was blocked by his long, vibrantly red hair.
The box jittered for a moment more in his final, agonized throes, then was still. The window was dark, a single, small bubble wobbling against its clear surface. The General had rested a hand on the box throughout the whole ordeal, and as the Captain died, a cold grin spread across his face.