The Maiden's Tale ~ chapter two

~ on Nibiru ~

(follows the events in 'Cost and Diversions')

Pragmatism sits upright against the wall amid the rubble.  He stares at a photograph of Nocturne, cigarette unlit, lighter burning.  He touches the corner with flame and watches it go.

Nocturne (Eastern Version, silver greyed hair with age) - Standing behind the burning photograph as it's gone, "Hey." 

...

Pragmatism - "You ... I know you."

Nocturne - "Yeah.  You know me.  And we need to go.  Right now."

 

Up to the view of the Nibiru cityscape, rubble and buildings past it, protection towers still standing in the main street to the gate where the massive cargo crates of seed are marched through from Earth.

The Maiden's Tale

chapter two

~Romeo Found ~

('La Vie en Rose' by Josephine Baker)

Nocturne throws Pragmatism against the wall in the alley past the wreckage as a search ship passes.  They look over as the light from the gate goes out, leaving darkness.

A flock of birds like starlings swarm over as their gazes follow and she smiles, bringing the view over the city's broken edge.  All appears abandoned, while great furnaces stand between, the occasional burst of flame.

(music break)

At the gun shop, the owner at the counter looking back and forth between them suspiciously as they talk ...

Maiden - "Why can't I just have your pistol ?"

Man - "Why would you want my pistol when you can have that nice shotgun ?"

Maiden - "Why would you buy me that nice shotgun when all I want the pistol we already have ?"

The owner looks at him, waiting.

(music back)

Distly, the slip between alleyways while near the cargo rollers carry loads of seed through the gate, alien soldiers and their remnants gathering to line around to guard it, clear the major rubble from the convoy's way.  The no-birds flock the view.

(music break)

Man - "We'd like the shotgun please."

Maiden - "You'd like the shotgun."

Owner - "Scatter then ?"

Man/Maiden - (at the same time) "Scatter./Buck."

...

The shop owner glances at the newspaper and back ... extra bills slide ...

(music back)

Apollo watches arms crossed with a laugh as the seed are brought to the greater furnace and dumped.  A burst of flame, flock of birds.

(music break)

In the car chugging ~

Maiden - "So what about money ?  Babies cost a lot of money."

...

Man - "You ... really don't know."

Maiden - "Know what."

(music back loud)

They walk into the bank, he fires the shotgun in the air (scatter drop from the ceiling).  She pulls the pistol and yells "! POW !"

They fill their bags, the crowd between terror and star-struck.  Ladies whisper to each other while looking the Maiden over, some fawning.  Blinding phosphorous flash 'selfies', the last with the handcuffed security guard, sloughed in a corner with a wide smile.

The man gets up and checks the guard's pistol.  Raises a brow at the guard, the guard looks down.  He takes the bullets and tosses the gun back to him.

Maiden - As they leave, pointing the gun, "Pow !  Pow-Pow !"  As he drags her out, "Bye !"

Romeo Found ~ two

~ The Maiden's Tale ~ chapter two ~ part two ~

~ on Nibiru ~

Nocturne - "The world I come from is different.  Better.  But it's being absorbed by yours now and I don't die."

Pragmatism - "So that's why you're here, but how ?"  

...

Nocturne - Stops and steps back, "That what you never got.  None of you did.  It doesn't matter how.  Reality itself will adapt to ensure I survive.  It's what I am.  Both realities will."

Pragmatism - Examining her, "And that's the problem ... isn't it.  It's you.  You're the reason it's all gone mad.  All because you're just too selfish just to ..."

Nocturne - Backing away, "To die ? ..." Shakes her and looks down, "I don't even know if I can and sometimes I have wishes but I am just a byproduct.  The problem is that our two realities themselves are fighting and until one becomes dominant ..."

...

Pragmatism - "They'll tear each other apart and all of us with them.  And you ... thank God I'm on mission."  He lights the cigarette he's been holding.  "Otherwise I might have to enjoy watching what it does to you."

...

Nocturne - "How's your car ?"

Pragmatism - "What car ?  I'm here for a ship."

...

Nocturne - "! Fuck !" 

...

Nocturne - "... i got the wrong one ... you're like the worst possible permutation ..."

Pragmatism - Smiles, "The one who could survive."

...

She slaps him hard and knees his kidney, grabs his head and slams it on a pipe.  He grabs her throat and throws her against the wall.  She spits in his face and crawls her legs up around his neck and twists, bracing against the wall.  She kicks off over him, landing fours to a spring.

His claw hand ejects on the coil, grabbing her neck as he brace holds a heavy vent pipe.  He pulls the coil back in dragging her back.  Ear to the pipe, he hears the screams, distant and echoing through.  Burning.

Pragmatism - "My God ..."

A ribbon blade throws uncurling from her arm, pinning his hand to the pipe.  She throws the handle weight around wrapping him to it.  Flash of a kick and the sound of a hard strike, it all goes black.

________

Juliet - The dead across the battlefield, "But what even happens when they die, if already dead or demon ?"

Germain - "Or angel or otherwise, the mirror.  But cleansed to pure soul."

Juliet - "You mean born in our world ..."

Germain - A laugh, "No Juliet, I mean theirs."

Juliet - "And yours ?"

Germain - "Clearly both.  But you are something else entirely, while I have a penchant for finding new and interesting forms of intelligence."

...

Juliet - Somewhat insulted, then setting it aside ... "And Romeo ?"

________

The Buick chugs ...

Maiden - "Why won't you tell me the secret ?"

...

Man - "Which ... what secret."

Maiden - "Why your gun doesn't shoot."

Man - "What do mean ?  Shoots fine.  Hand tooled."

Maiden - "Stop lying to me !  I pull the trigger and it doesn't even budge !  It's like ..."  Eyes wide, "... something's blocking me ... i put the bullets into the gun and i pull back the thingie with my thumb and then i point it at people ..."

The man looks out the window trying to hide laughter ...

________

Juliet - Turning back to the carnival, staring at the distant wheel.  "Free will."

Germain - "So they say."

...

Juliet - "Did I ever really love him ?"

('Devil's Work' by Joyner Lucas)

Nocturne - As sight fades in, over him, tying the bandage to his hand.  "You don't understand.  It's bad here.  People like you ... you talk about hell and you talk about war ... you say you know death and you think you do but you don't know ... this is what's coming for you.  This is going to be your world too."

(view over the world)

Pragmatism - "You mean the alien ..."

Nocturne - "I mean Apollo.  This is his world now.  His father rebuilt this world into this ... and now he's gone.  Because of you.  And Apollo ... he is so much worse."

She pulls him up, and slams him to the wall.

(view over the world)

Nocturne - "And what do I get.  What do we get to work with ?  The tin soldier model.  The worst possible one.  Broken and spent.  The one who would fucking love it here."

Pragmatism - "You're mistaken."

Nocturne - "Really ?  Once you've adapted it's all home to you, right ?"

(continued view)

Pragmatism - "Why the hell do you think I'm the one who's here !?  The one you wanted wouldn't have made it ten feet past the gate.  Meat.  No ... your soft and supple mister perfect me is off free-banging your other you.  The one who isn't a fucking aberration.  Like me."

Nocturne - ... "Fuck you."

Pragmatism - "Love you too.  You'd let reality itself tear itself apart for one more day with him.  Whatever plan you're about to tell me I already know what you were really in it for and yeah.  What did you get."

...

Nocturne - "I got you."

...

She throws him to the wall and kisses him, he flips her around and pins her against it, claw arm ripping off her top armors.  Pants tear, he picks her up and she rides hard.

Nocturne - Leaning in over his ear, hands sliding around his throat, with tears.  "I fucking hate you so much."

His hand pushes against her chin and to the side, claw prying off a strangling hand, he drops her and spins her around.  Her face against the wall.

Pragmatism - "I love you too."  He pushes in with her shudder, she pulls his bandaged hand over her heart, holding it tight, she closes her eyes.  He pushes again.

(continued city view and out)

Romeo Found ~ three

~ The Maiden's Tale ~ chapter two ~ part three ~

Juliet - "So am I the character or the story ..."

Germain - "More than that.  This world only came to be when you got here.  While that world of words you come from only exists in the minds of those who imagine it."

Juliet - "Then you say all I am is a figment."

Germain - "Juliet I've told you.  This is all.  Just.  A tale."

Juliet - "And the ending ?"

...

Germain - "When the tale takes up a mind of its own and leaving all fates discarded in it's wake ... what happens next is entirely up to you, Romeo."

She stops.

Germain - "A farce.  There is no one else here like you.  I would know."
________

Distant from the core city, amid forgotten rubble.  A small leathery tarp encampment, foundations of piled debris aged over for generations, skin leather stretched across.

Nocturne - Wearing his coat over shreds.  "Guess what's really hard to come by here."

Pragmatism - "Appreciation."

Nocturne - "Clothes."

She slips into an indecorous crevice between shanties, he follows squeezing through.  Then crawling a long gradual downward slope before the tunnel grows, then into crumbled walls.

Pragmatism - Stopping to examine deep cut hieroglyphs along a clean wall, "What was this place ?"

Nocturne - "A museum.  Can't you tell from the smell ?  We found it in the rubble.  Just like you."

Pragmatism - "Nice.  How the hell long have you been here ?  You're close enough to real for me to see you're shock-worn.  Long time."

...

Nocturne - "I don't know.  Like maybe ten or twenty of your years.  My world ... apparently we only existed in the vacuum from what was taken from yours.  Just to fill the void ... but now ... Sanctuary's back and ..."

Pragmatism - "Sanctuary ?"

Nocturne - "Wow.  We really did get the stupid one.  Sanctuary.  First Realm ?  Second Heaven.  Outer Heaven ?  Aboriginal Dream Time perhaps ... ?"

...

Nocturne - "The place where all the archetypes come from."

...

Pragmatism - "I've heard of it."

Nocturne - Turning back to the path with an eye-roll ... "Okay well we're here now, but not there."

The cavern grows dotted with life and greenery in moss and tiny pale flowers, until becoming carpeted with it.  A brief walk further until a closed double door, mechanical.

She bangs three times hard and yells "! Password !"

...

The door slides open.

Tiny spider-like drones scatter and gather, watching them amid the greenery.  Walls overgrown surrounding grow lamps set in ceiling and rare controls.  The pass the entrance to a central chamber.

An ancient alien, greyed further with age and nearly silver, gunblade held at the barrel for a walking staff to lean on while tending the green.

Nocturne - Throwing down her gear casually on the table, "Found him.  Right where you said he'd be.  But he's stupid."

Strophius - Smiles, "Teacher knows."

~ 1977 ~

('Rock of Ages' mix by Dido)

~ Pragmatism (still young and 'Doeish'), military uniform, lights a smoke with his Zippo in front of the launch site.  A Titan IIIe (dual booster) rocket begins its launch, the exhaust cloud blooming.

The rocket begins the slow lift into the smoke cloud.  A crowd gathered on the distant hill in lawn-chairs, beers held high.  Estes toy rockets launch among the children playing.

~ The nose breaks the cloud of smoke.

A burger's flipped over a barbecue on the hill, kids playing with rocket toys, news camera behind, news humans babbling.

~ Along its arc and through the atmosphere ...

The news human babbles, the launch behind.  The camera follows the rocket ignoring the reporter falling out of view.  Kids gather around the television watching at home.

Burger flip.

~ The boosters drop.

Into space, then the payload released.

Voyager One spins out from the parted hull, extending it's panels, disc prevalent on the side.  It passes the planets and moons one by one on it's historical course, collecting and transmitting its data.

As it passes over the asteroid field before Mars, clinging mists among the stone, seeming with form.  One becomes complete, watching it as it passes.

It lingers over Jupiter's eye (Doors cut).

~ Different monitors over the eras, showing the course and data.

Continuing through the system, (noting Mimas specifically 'What, Is, This.' cut), ending with travel through a vast field of emptiness past Pluto.  It begins icing over, dimming, then flickering out.

~ why ... just the other day ! ~

Nibiru in sight, panels begin to close, spin stabilizes.  A beacon pulses.

(song over)

Nocturne and Strophius observe its location, hovering over an aged monitor, the holo-mapper crusted over and used for a table.  A static pulse comes through.

Pragmatism - "Hey whatsername."

They look up.  A tobacco pile hits the floor.

Pragmatism - Licks a cut Swisher blunt and holds it up.  "Does your you like this like my you does ?"  Lights it.

...

Nocturne - "oh my god i love you so much"

Strophius - Ignores them annoyed while moving over to and brushing off a nearby control as the monitor clicks on.  Earpiece in ... yanks it out in pain.  "But this makes no sense !"

He looks back to where they were, they're gone.

~ ! The End ! ~

('Johnny B Goode' by Chuck Berry (rarity version)

Fighting and fucking (occasionally working) through credits.  The Buick chugging, the occasional robbery in phosphorous flashes.

Sparks and spot welding they fix a flash drive's adapter to the console.  Systems networking, spiders watching.

Juliet parts with Germain, he backs away with a bow and disappears with a dropper then a breeze in the mist.  A structure randomly appear curling steam, filling in the empty place behind, pipework lining a dark alleyway.

She she peers into its darkness, then turns  to re-enter the carnival.

('Twelve times Twelve' part three is leaked onto the web here)