The Adventures of Goldfish and Geneva

The Five Goldfish (Part 6)

Dave watched whilst the shot was fired. He watched his friend get hit and fall. He watched Stryker stand over the body of his victim, obviously to taunt him on how futile his powers were against a man backed by god. However Stryker was about to meet God face to face. No way he lived, thought Dave, no way. As Stryker was about to speak, Dave burst in, the metals of the surrounding area falling away. No gestures were made by him, as this was not a time for dramatic flare. He didn't say a word as he focused on Stryker, slamming him in to the wall with a force powered by rage, hatred and
revenge. The Reverend hit the wall with a crack as the bones in his back were smashed and tore in to the tissues surrounding them. If he lived he would be crippled forever. But that wasn't going to happen. A rib had cracked and pierced his heart. He had a few seconds left before his brain realised he was dead. That was more time than Dave wanted to waste on the Reverend William Stryker. He knelt down next to his friend. It was a serious wound and Dave wasn't sure what he could do to help his friend. He had never known how Blaquesmith had died, but he was angry to think it was like this, alone. No, Micah would never be alone. Dave was here. He used his powers to control the bleeding, but there was more damage than broken skin. He wasn't Jo. He couldn't heal him, but he would do what he could to make the end more comfortable than this. He wondered how much of his psionic energies Blaquesmith still commanded.
"Come on, old friend," he said. "Speak to me. Please."

 "Y...you're right on schedule..." Blaquesmith smirked, as he glanced over at Packrat, who was hiding behind his cot. Good man. Things were going as he planned them, all things considered. Dave didn't notice. "I... I kept my promise." He tried to lift his arm, the gauntlet strapped on tight, but could not. "Now you... have to... have to keep..." He coughed up blood. "You have to remember your true purpose, no matter what." He blinked. It was getting harder to see.
 He motioned with his head at the wall. The blood from his head wound had formed a starburst pattern on the wall among the other Askani writings. His symbol of death. He smiled. "My time has come. You have to remember...
remember to always... always haff... have...closure. And remember your purpose, as I, I, I... remembered mine." He lowered his head. "G'journey, my fr..." He sagged in Dave's hands.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" called Dave as he shouted at the inevitable. Then he found he couldn't shout any more. He didn't have the voice. "No," he whispered. "Not like this. This was pointless. It shouldn't have happened." Then he thought to himself. "It doesn't have to." The gauntlet would work here. It would save Blaquesmith. To hell with the timestream, this was more important.The gauntlet was deactivated so none of the buttons were lit. Dave looked at it. It had been a long time since he had used it. Which button did what? He pressed the red button and a portal opened. He would send Blaquesmith to one of the other worlds where he would be healed and alive. Of course he would never be able to return here, but would it be too higher price to pay?
"Damn it all to blazes," said Dave and put Blaquesmith through the portal, shutting it down when Blaquesmith was on the other side. Then memory hit him. The red button sent the person here, to Earth. In all the time he had had the gauntelt he had never used a portal to Earth in the Earth realm.
"NO!" he said as he found his voice, realising what he had done. There was no chance he could bring his friend back now. He didn't even know where he was. He had lost his friend twice over. "You stupid, stupid, bastard," he chided himself. Then he glanced at the cowering Packrat. "Tell the people waht has happened here. But if you mention me in any of it, I'll find you and I'll kill you. Capice?" Dave didn't fgive him chance to answer and left the building. He had to get back to the other Dave, though this wasn't as urgent as it this had been. He'd arrive in time for Jo's funeral.

Goldfish sat alone in his orbital station, thinking of the recent events. Jo's funeral had been a solemn affair, with very few attendees, though the few friends Dave still had had sent some flowers. He wondered if Blaquesmith and Slen would be still be amongst them, but as they were still missing, he did not know. The government had taken Ricardo Aughoti's body and a cover up had been implemented. Dave still had questions about him but since he was dead, he'd get no answers that way. He still had no idea what to say to the Fringe, something compounded by the fact he had made a huge mistake in his judgement - the problems with the time line were NOT Fringe related and there were other forces at work. He had not needed to make a move against them, perhaps he never would have done. He laughed at the futility of it all. One minor miscalculation and his entire life had been destroyed. All that remained was WeaponsTech - the only link to his old life left. His own industrial company had been making certain acquisitions from other companies, and WeaponsTech were fast becoming a large multinational corporation. At least it provided an income for him and Beth, who still did not understand what had happened; though she knew she would never see her mother again. Dave looked at the bottle of scotch on the table, and he opened it planning to get very drunk indeed.
"Don't," said a voice. "It's not worth it." A figure stood behind him.
"Who?"
"The one man who can answer all your questions..."

"Who are you asked?" Goldfish, as the man stepped in to the light. "Well, isn't that the icing on the cake?"
"Don't, okay?" said Dave. "I'm here to explain not to fight."
"What, you're a clone?"
"No, a temporal anomaly. I'm you from the future. Or rather a fraction of you. An event occured which shattered me... us... in to segements which were scattered across time. I rounded them all up, bar one. Ricardo Aughoti. I was too late."
"Gee, thanks. Do you know what it cost me?"
"Of course I bloody do! You think this was bad? You have seen NOTHING! Blaquesmith is dead. You will join the Crimson Shadow. Bethany will die. The future is not a pretty sight for you. Things are going to get one hell of a lot worse before they get better."
"Then what's the point? Why does anything I do matter. You know as well as I do that fate is inescapable."
"Yes. But then again what about me? I just altered the past by telling you. You might alter things to stop it."
"I could, but why do I get the feeling that things have to happen this way?"
"Because," Dave said sadly, "they do." Goldfish looked at Dave and the link was made between them. The information exchange was made and Dave was finally whole. Goldfish understood that his powers had been waning because there was another avatarr in the universe, and both of them were using the same power source. It was why Aughoti hadn't enough power to take down Stout. Dave looked at Goldfish. "You know what is to come?"
"Yes," said Goldfish. "And I understand."
"Then we'll meet again."
"Same time, same place," said Goldfish with a faint smile. He offered Dave the daystaff. "Take some of the energies within it. It'll get you home."
"Thanks," said Dave, and he held on to the cosmic conduit and was sent back to his proper time. Goldfish smiled to himself. Yes, there was a reason why things had happened like this. It gave him a shot at something he could use to make things as they should be. And as part of the Crimson Shadow, he would be able to get everything he wanted to.

Dave arrived back home at the site of the crashed vessel.
"Bethany!" he called out. It was mere moments after the crash. But his daughter was nowhere to be found, and there was something here that seemed familiar. Then the pieces fell in to place. He knew who the enemy was and the best thing he could think of to express his concern was "Uh oh."

Dave headed back to the island, using the teleport systems. He wasn't fond of using it but he knew that this was an emergency. He sat back down at the console and tapped the keys to locate Bethany. The sensors couldn't pick her
up, so he scanned for the one person he knew was responsible. He found her fairly easily and he shook his head. He'd hoped it wouldn't be her. He wasn't sure he could handle this. How could she hate him so?
Okay that was a stupid question. He killed her two best friends and trapped her forever. Or maybe not, as seemed to be the case. He sighed as he looked out of the window. A storm was brewing and he knew it. He used his powers to warp the metals around hi to a combat uniform. It had been a while since he had worn one, but this needed doing. His powers felt good and he put the co-ordinates in to the teleporter. Muttering a silent prayer to the forces of the universe for the strength he'd need, the island faded away to replaced by the black void that made the inner part of the M'Krann crystal.
The inner glow he had expected to find from the centre of the nexus was faded to almost nothing, confirming his worst fears. The crystal had been breached and taken over. This meant that the dimensions of the crystal would alter and he had to find the new centre. There was no sign of the guardians Jahf and Modt. Keeping his guard up he made his way through the darkness, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light and his other senses straining to catch something that would help. Then he saw the glow getting brighter. He was on his way to face the most difficult fight he would ever have to. As he entered the chamber he saw Bethany lying deathly still on the floor. Jahf and Modt were across the way, neither of them moving at all. Bethany seemed relatively unharmed but there was something wrong. Something missing.
"I'm here, damn you!" he called. "Show yourself, Josephine!"
"What happened to Jo?" asked a figure appearing behind him. The flash from her teleport had been masked by the light of the nexus of all realities. "You used to call me Jo."
"That was before I found out what you were. You're an evil bitch who needs putting down."
"You couldn't do it the last time. What makes this one so different?"
"Things have changed. I've changed. I am not the same man who stopped you invading my reality all those years ago."
"More than you know," said Jo with a smile as she focused her powers on him.
Dave doubled up and dropped to the floor.
"What.. did you... do to me?" he said through clenched teeth."
"For every side of a power, there is another side to go with it. Power is not a one dimensional aspect. Healing can also become hurt. At the moment, your spleen has just ruptured and you're bleeding internally." Dave closed his eyes as if in pain, but he pushed past it to concentrate on the blood inside him. He could control the internal bleeding with the iron ih his blood, but his spleen was a problem. He focused all his energies, every iota of his powers, in to a single blow that would finish her and fired it towards her with all his strength. Jo watched as the molten iron blast came towards her
and smiled. She teleported the blast out of the way, redirecting it at Dave. He ducked out of the way so that it missed him and it vanished in to the darkness. He was not operating at full strength with his injuries and he could feel the healing field surround him, but he knew it would not have healing effects. He felt the bones in his arms become brittle and splinter. He lost conrtol of his blood and the internal bleeding began again. This was not good, and it was taking all his strength to now stop from passing out.
"How?" he managed to ask.
"The last time you saw me was just after the altering of the reality. You knew that myself, Bandit and Gremlin were going to take over your world, seeing that your peoples were weak, nowhere near as formidable as they were in our world. They were ripe for the plucking. But you had to stop us. The crystal trapped me within it and it was here I learned secrets about it that even the guardians do not know. I know who created it, how it came in to existance, it's true power and potential. I used the knowledge to create a plan for revenge and escape. But after time I saw that your so-called X-War had depleted the Earth's resources and heroes. I can restart the plan with the powers I have gained and keep control with my own abilities." Her eyes narrowed. "Bandit was wrong when he and Gremlin plotted to kill you. You should have joined us. The darkness within you yearns for release. It happened before and it could happen again. Join with me, let us forget what has happened. Together we will rule the Earth, and you will get to see your daughter grow to a fine young woman, the daughter I never had. Or you can die. Slowly and painfully, unable to do anything to prevent it. It's your call, oblivion or glory."
Dave's mouth was dry, whether from temptation or his injuries he wasn't sure. He was also certain that Jo had re-established their psionic link to see if he was telling the truth. He looked within himself and saw the truth.
He didn't want to die and he didn't want to lose his daughter, at any cost. He also saw the good they could do together by ruling the Earth as partners, as a family. There were none left to challenge them. He had nothing left to lose.
"I accept your terms," he said quietly as his strength faded. He was losing the ability to stay alive.
"That's unfortunate," said Jo. "Because there's no way I'd team with you." Dave's face fell. It had been a trick. A test of his character and beliefs and he had been found wanting."As I am stripping you of your life, I've stripped you of your self belief, and so called heroic notions. You will die broken and alone." Jo laughed as she knealt down by him. "How does it feel to know you're no better than the scum you've fought all your life?" Dave looked within himself again. He was numb, not feeling anything. He could not face up to hisrecation, the part of him that had always believed he'd done things for the best would not let him. There was only one way out of this, and he released the darkness in his soul, the side of him that had made him betray the Fringe, kill his Jo and join the Crimson Shadow. He had vowed never to let it happen again, but he knew he had no choice. He also knew he didn't have much longer left. He looked up at Jo, the light in his eyes fading. Jo saw it as the man dieing, not the man altering personality.
"It feels," he said, "satisfying." Jo started at the comment, which was not what she expected. It was the truth and she knew it. The distraction was all Dave needed to grab her neck and squeeze, crushing her throat. The pain of forcing his broken arms to do that was excruciating, but it gave him the focus he needed to do it.Unable to breathe, Jo focused her healing field on herself to fix the damage, but Dave was ready. He used his powers over heat to start to make her blood boil. He knew how much this would cost him but he no longer cared. His life for hers would be a fair and justified trade. Jo began to scream as best she could with a crushed throat, making the noise almost silent. The damage being done was
too intense for her healing field to keep up with and she collapsed next to Dave who released his power over her and slumped to the floor.

They both lay next to each other, dying with every passing second. The legend of Dave Goldfish was almost over. He looked at her. "It could have been magic," he said and he closed his eyes. Jo could give no response, but a tear rolled
down her cheek. Whether it was for what she had lost or what she could have gained she was not sure. However her hold on the powers of the crystal began to fade, releasing Jahf, Modt and Bethany. Bethany raced over to her father.
"Daddy! NO!" she cried out, but Dave did not respond. He was fading fast and soon it would be all over. "Help me!" Bethany implored the guardians of the crystal. "Help him!"
"All things die," said Modt. "It is a vital part of life."
"But this is not fair. It wasn't his time."
"It never was Dave's time," said Jahf. "But there is a way." He didn't look at Modt as he spoke, knowing that what he was about say would cause a great deal of damage. "You have to open yourself to the powers that are your heritage. Only they can save Dave, but your powers will stay with you. It will rob you of all the things a normal girl would have. Life, love, a childhood."
"None of that matters without my father. I'll do what I have to so that he lives. I can't afford to lose him. He's all I have left. He's all I have ever had." Now Jahf and Modt looked at each other. They knew this would alter things throughout reality. This would create an imbalance by activating a power the universe had not yet prepared for. The very structure of the universe would strain to cope with it and things would never be the same. It was all possible that this would also mess up the timeline and intermingle it with others. This would theoretcially never happen, yet because it could never happen it surely must. A paradox of immense proportions. Jahf looked at Midt and shrugged.
"Ah the hell with it. So the timestream gets a bit screwed up and the universe has a few bad decades. Whatever the problems, we can always get help from somewhere to sort it out." Bethany looked at him. "Just open yourself to the powers and let them come. You are homo ultima, the first of the human gods. And probably the last." Bethany nodded and let the powers come. She felt herself experience everything that she could, seeing her full unlimited potential. Was this what her father had felt like with the powers of the avatarr? She would ask him as soon as she restored him. She placed her hands upon his head and a glow appeared around him, healing his wounds, both mental and physical, driving the darkness in his soul back to the depths of being where he kept it. His body lifted off the ground about an inch and gently lowered itself back again. He opened his eyes.
"How?" he asked.
"I accepted my destiny," said Bethany. "A little earlier than scheduled. I used my powers to restore you."
"But the cost..."
"For you, I'd pay anything. You're my Dad. I love you." Dave nodded, and looked at the guardians.
"There's gonna be hell to pay for this one," he said.
"Where you're involved there always is," said Jahf. "Go home, D. Rest, plan, live your life. We'll clear the mess. With the help of a few friends." Dave nodded and looked at his daughter. They both vanished in a flash of light and went back to the island. Whatever destiny had in store for them, they'd face it together.
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The Adventures of Goldfish and Geneva: The Five Goldfish (Part 5)

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