And Storms Will Rage
by Tarlan
Pairing: Jacob Hardy, Outer Limits - The Inheritors
Rated: T
Author's Notes:For the FONLG 'Storm' challenge.
Disclaimer:Jacob Hardy and the rest of the 'The Inheritors' cast belong to someone else - I'm just playing with them. No copyright infringement intended. Any characters you haven't heard of before are copyrighted to me.
Summary: Jacob discovers why his people are needed.
Series: Sequel follows, The Storm Within
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~oo(O)oo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jacob clutched his stomach tightly; his eyes fixed on the woman who had meant everything to him before the night he had been struck by the meteor fragment. He could feel the warm blood trickling through his fingers as he touched the wedding band he and Kara had chosen, remembering their laughter as they discussed elopement. He had hoped she could have loved him enough to trust him but, as his atoms were decomposed, separating him from Kara forever, his last earthly thought was that they would never be man and wife now.
His vision blurred, tears falling as Kara faded from his view. Strange lights flickered around the edge of his vision, stunning him with a fast growing intensity as his eyes were assaulted by the most vivid colours; like those spilled from white light refracted through the purest crystal.
There was the briefest sensation akin to pain as his body was wrenched from the Earth, his consciousness stretched across light years of space. His body began to coalesce within the strange metallic form of a device similar to the one they had built on Earth. His eyes focused ahead, gazing at a softly glowing metallic wall as he felt a tingling throughout his entire being. Warmth radiated out from the bullet wound; the pain in his stomach receding as his body was rejuvenated during the final moments of the transportation process. He heard a gasp beside him and glanced at Kelly before his eyes flicked back to the incredible vision that lay before him. The others, whom he had sent ahead, seemed completely unaware of their own healed bodies as they stared through a clear portal at a storm raging outside. They were mesmerised by the jagged bolts of energy that lashed at the ground; a shocking white against the brilliant orange and red of the dust filled air.
Jacob pushed his way through the small group until he had a clearer view. He was startled by a voice deep inside his head.
'The plasma storm has been raging for centuries. It has destroyed almost all life on this planet, including our own.'
"And that's why you needed us."
'Not just you. Others were chosen from around your world. Altogether, more than three hundred of your people have been brought to us, and more are yet to arrive.'
"We brought across so few..."
'Your work was interrupted. Others were more fortunate.'
Jacob gazed out in awe at the amazing storm flashing before them, watching the swirling orange dust that obscured any view of the land itself. If this storm was raging across the entire planet then he doubted there was anything outside this portal except dust no water, no vegetation - possibly no other life at all.
"How are we to rebuild such a world?"
He heard the ripple of laughter within his mind. 'The plasma storm is passing, moving beyond this planetary system. Within another two years the dust will settle and the air will become breathable once more.'
"I still don't understand how we can help you. You're so different from us."
'Yes. But you are not so dissimilar from the race of people who were our hosts.'
"I don't understand."
'My people cannot survive without hosts. We are not parasitic. We are symbiotic. In return for the mobility and sustenance provided by the host, we enhance mental capacity and engender longevity through maintenance of the host's body.'
Everything became clear to him as the entity created an image in his mind, and Jacob gasped at the realisation of what these beings wanted from the humans. It had said they were symbionts but he had been given no choice about this on Earth. It had chased him down, slammed into him... killed him. With growing horror he glanced around at the small group of people filling the chamber. Had he been deceived? Had he offered these people a new life under false pretences, delivering them into an obscene form of slavery?
"What if we don't want this?"
Jacob felt a ripple of sadness flow through his mind, one that did not originate from his own consciousness.
'We have never forced ourselves upon a potential host... except with you and the others chosen to help us repopulate our world. You have the right to ask me to leave your body.'
His eyes narrowed in confusion, sensing the truth behind the silent words that flowed into him.
"You can survive outside my body?"
'No. A new host must be found.'
"And if there is no new host?"
'Then I die.'
Jacob's eyes widened in horror tinged with anger. "That's unfair. You have no right to blackmail me..."
'Not blackmail. It is a simple statement of fact that I am prepared to die. I volunteered for this assignment to your planet, fully aware that I would be taking my host by force, and fully accepting of the consequences should that host - should you - choose to reject me.'
Jacob nodded his head, his eyes ranging over the crowd to where his fellow 'forced' hosts seemed just as deep in thought. He wondered if they were having similar conversations with the symbiont that had forced itself upon them.
"I need time to think about this. It's all so... so... weird."
'I understand. Perhaps we can get to know each other during that time, allow me to show you our world, and the great plans that are being formed for when the plasma storm passes.'
Pursing his lips, Jacob stared back out through the massive portal at the raging storm. While on Earth, he had never questioned the voice in his head, believing totally in the visions of a glorious future that lay ahead of him. When he thought of Kara, his heart was heavy with loss. As the machine transported him he had been saddened, believing she should have been here with him. They should have been standing here, side-by- side, looking out across this new world, planning their new future - together. Now he was uncertain. Only time would tell if this creature's intentions were true, or if this was just another attempt to lull him with a false sense of security.
"Are you male or female?"
'We have no gender.'
So many more questions were filling his head. If the creatures could not exist outside of a host then members of the original host race must still live. He wondered what form they took, and if they were even remotely humanoid in shape.
The artist in him was drawn back to the deadly, natural beauty of the storm, awe-struck by the vivid flashes of pure energy that scorched the ground, sending plumes of dust swirling high into the atmosphere. His hands itched to capture this magnificence on canvas; his imagination firing as another jagged bolt parted the dust, momentarily, with its brilliance.
Jacob clenched his fists, drew back his shoulders and stood tall, turning his thoughts away from the passion of the storm and back to his new life. From the moment he stepped into the machine on Earth he knew there would be no turning back. This was his future now, and he would face it with dignity. He turned away from the majesty of the storm and, following his symbiont's directions, Jacob began to lead his people away from portal, taking them deeper into the complex that would become their temporary new home.
As he made his way through the glowing corridors, a different storm raged deep within him. One that would batter at both him and his symbiont until he was reassured, fully, that his people would be granted the glorious future that they had all been promised while on Earth.
Strange warmth filled his mind, drawing him away from his stormy thoughts. It was a feeling full of pride and, perhaps, even growing love, as his symbiont radiated its happiness and approval in finding such a strong, proud and compassionate host - even should it be for such a short time only.
~~~~~~~oo(O)oo~~~~~~~
On to part 2: The Storm Within
| Alex Annex | Characters | Stories/Alpha | Stories/Author | Home |