Gizzy stood back and admired the work they did to the silver crate wired to the computer navigation system.
“Just like the Medusa… only sadder.” Dee said.
“This ship is also navigated by fate, except instead of looking for the items we need to destroy, it’s set to navigate us into the same black hole we killed the first impostor with. That’s the fate of this new ship and crew. Very short and easy mission. We don’t have to do anything but wait. Vinn and Nicole have their own destiny and we have ours. Theirs just lasts longer.” Gizzy said as they stepped out of the bridge and Jack welded the bracing on the bridge door, locking them out and sealing the controls with the crate and the artifacts, except the one standing beside them.
“Everyone back, do not look directly at the thermite.” Jack said, setting off the charge and with a flash, the door was closed.
They rolled the big tool cart to the airlock and Gizzy stepped inside, shutting the doors and saluting the box.
“What are you doing?”
“Saying goodbye to a friend.” Gizzy said as Jack saluted as well like a military funeral.
“Wait, who died?’ Dee asked.
“That’s the last of the armory, the cutting torches, the tools needed to break into the bridge, and the guns… including the 20X13 reaper assault rifle. The best damn gun a girl can have.” Gizzy said bowing solemnly. “Don’t give me that look. I spent a year designing that gun for this mission. It’s a perfect gun. I love that gun. That’s just evidence now and we don’t need the capacity to kill each other and get through the door. So the reaper lives up to its name and joins the hall of the dead. You sent many evils to the afterlife, and you were a great gun. You will be missed but not for long. You deserved a higher honor, but your mission is over, soldier. Dismissed.” She said before pressing the button with a silent flash of an explosion behind them, complete with Delmarian red and yellow flag fireworks.
“You military people are fucking weird.” Dee said “So what do we do now?” She asked.
“Well, it’s a 2 day trip. Play some games, eat some synthesizer food, have sex, watch some movies, listen to some music." Vicki glared at her from the end of the line.
“I swear to Christ if you play Frank Sinatra I WILL kill you.” She said storming off as Jack shook his head and followed.
“Damn, whoever that is, she really hates Frank Sinatra.” Dee huffed.
...
The alarm clock went off. Gizzy and Dee reluctantly rose out of bed and got dressed, walked down the hall to the kitchen, nodded at Jack and Vicki politely as they all made their coffee. Jack said nothing, Vicki said a lot with her eyes but spoke no words, and Dee and Gizzy just whispered back and forth. Like tiptoeing around the elephant in the room and daring not to speak its name. Finally Jack cleared his throat.
“So do we do this together or separately?”
“I think that depends on how we each want to see this play out.” Gizzy suggested.
“I wanna see it.” Jack said. "I wanna look it in the eye and see what nobody else has lived to see the final monster to face.”
"I’ve seen it before.” Vicki said, “But apparently I don’t remember it so I better try that again while I have the chance.”
“Oh fuck that.” Dee said “I’d prefer not to even know when it’s gonna happen. This is terrifying, I want distractions and happy things to think about.”
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“I have an idea. You two enjoy the show, we’ll do our thing.
...
Jack and Vicki sat on the observation deck just below the bridge, opening the shielding panels and taking in the view.
“Wow…” Vicki sighed, “It’s terrifying but kinda beautiful.”
“Just like you. Hard to look away from, even if you know it’s gonna be your doom.”
“Stop," she said with half a smirk, opening up the popcorn and holding hands. “Just imagine. All that power, so much destruction and these just hide out here in the dark for you to run into. And here we are pointed right at it with a ship full of violent shit almost as powerful, just ready to turn the blender on. Isn't it kind of a turn on?”
“Death, or the power?”
“Both.”
“A little bit. You really wanna miss the ending of the movie because you decided to fuck in the theater seats?” Jack chuckled.
“No, I’m saying it’s tempting. I’m saying even facing death together with you is kind of exciting and almost… fun?”
“We have changed, haven’t we?” he asked.
“We have… we’ve changed together. So at least we ended up wherever we are at the same time.” She said before crossing her legs and munching some popcorn. "Oh come on, Mister black ops, suicide mission hired assassin from a homeworld of killers. Can you think of a more badass death than falling into a vortex of endless destruction on a ship full of weapons, with a chaos goddess on your lap letting you steer?” she smirked.
“Oh to hell with it, we won’t remember a damn thing anyway," he said before grabbing her and yanking her on top of him.
“Plus we gotta outdo them. You know right now they’re probably playing fight music, snorting robot cocaine, and fuckin' like animals. We don’t wanna be the lame couple that dies tonight.”
...
Dee rested her head on Gizzy’s chest, eyes closed and slowly swaying back and forth as the soft piano music played. They slowly danced in the dark, trying to keep it together just a little longer.
“Is it going to hurt?”
“No. It’s gonna be violent but fast. The ship’s shielding will hold long enough to keep us safe until the reactor cascades from the gravity shift. Milliseconds between the first quantum break and the whole thing imploding, there won’t be a grain of sand sized piece of us left to feel or react or comprehend a thing way before the black hole even shreds the atoms apart. Extremely violent, but quicker than you can even comprehend. Like popping a bubble. There, gone."
“What if we they didn’t get the signal, or if something to in the way?”
“They got it. We’re already gone and bac,k Dee, we just haven’t caught up to it yet. Right now we’ve already stepped out into the light. Showered off the cryo goop in a nice clean white marble bathroom. We’ve put on comfy clothes and I’ve shown you around my lab. Right about now you’re meeting the team, meeting Jack and Vicki for the first time. You like them. They’re different, more complete somehow. Vinn and Nicole are shaking your hand, probably confused and baffled how you know them because you know them but they’ve never met you before. They get to meet you for the first time and you already feel familiar. There is a big golden shimmering ring of light at the end of the room, like magic. Just waiting for us to pass through and enter a whole new world of light and wonder so much better then this dark unrelenting hell we know. And you’ll have forgotten this sad moment, and so much of the terrible things we’ve seen, and just remember the good times we’ve had and that we love each other. And I’ll have forgotten the worst of this nightmare and only have what I need to know. No more dead worlds, no more mass scale wars, no more chaos demons and primordial horrors to kill. Just nature and fresh air, music, traveling scenic landscapes and the occasional mishap you can never fully avoid. But we’re ready for it. And we’ve already started our adventure.”
“Please don’t be lying to me, but if you are, please don’t stop. I’ve been hidden so long and free so briefly, it can’t just end like this.”
“You know what Nicole likes to say, fuck it Yolo? That stands for You Only Live Once, and it’s funny every time she says it because she’s lived 3 times before and it’s never the end.”
“Don’t let me go.” She said softly. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be… I’ve done this before, and I won’t lose you. I already haven’t.” Gizzy said. As the ship began to rumble gradually, Dee squeezed her tight.
...
Jack pulled Vicki in close as she turned her head, both of them staring into the abyss, the maw of hell and darkness.
“Hello there.” He said calmly. “It’s about time you showed your face.”
“Is it everything you imagined?” Vicki asked softly.
“No… it’s even more majestic.” He replied as the rumbling roared to a deafening intensity and then… silence. Nothing at all. Just the absence of four souls, flesh and metal, and the inevitability of eternity. Only silence remained.