(Anaya's POV)
Nightfall and I were messing around in the bridge. It was nice to just relax once in a while.
And Nightfall reminded me of Quinn, so it was even better. We both laughed as Nightfall, who was sitting in the chair while I leaned against it, pressed buttons.
"What do you think this button does?", Nightfall asks me. I giggle while saying, "I wouldn't press that. That is a dangerous button."
"Too late~", Nightfall teased, pushing the button. "No, I told I told you it was dangerous.", I tell him, laughing.
"How about this one?", Nightfall says, pointing to another button. "Oh, no! I know that button. That is a bad button!", I said.
He pressed it just as I reached out to stop him. The lights went off and we looked at each other.
Suddenly, Nightfall started leaning towards me like he was going to kiss me and I pulled back. He took his finger off the button and looked upset.
"I'm sorry, but I was pretty sure I was getting a signal from you.", Nightfall said. "Uh, yeah. 'Don't press the button.' I thought that was kind of clear.", I tell him.
"Yeah, no. It- It's fine.", Nightfall said, getting up and walking towards the door. "It's not you, it's me. I have way to much going on right now to even think about a relationship. We have to find the keys, I have to look out for Little Cato, and we got to save Quinn. You understand, right?", I ask him with a nervous smile.
"How long are you going to wait for him? For Quinn?", Nightfall asks me. I tilt my head to the side in confusion.
"What are you talking about?", I ask him. "No human can withstand Final Space for long.", Quinn tells me, walking away.
"Are you okay?", I ask him. "I'll deal.", Nightfall tells me, sternly.
"That doesn't sound like you are okay.", I say. "I said, I'll deal!", Nightfall yells at me, walking away.
I look at him sadly before sitting down in my captains chair. "What am I going to do?", I ask myself.
~Intro~
Alarms went off and Anaya, Gary, and Mooncake came running out of the room they were previously in.
KVN tried to greet them, but Gary kicked him.
Hue held his hand up for a high five and Anaya gave him one.
As the three turned the corner, they were joined by Nightfall.
They went up the gravity elevator to get to the bridge, only to be intercepted by Little Cato, who jumps into Anaya's arms from above.
Everyone, including KVN and Hue, jumped out at the right deck and ran for the bridge.
They pass Ash and Fox and the two run after them.
Ash and Fox then uses her powers and his gun to blast the door.
They pass through the smoke and as it cleared, Tribore did a cool pose.
Gary, Nightfall, and Anaya hop into their seats and Clarence jumps into Gary's lap as everyone gathered behind them.
Anaya flies the ship through the title of the story.
(Anaya's POV)
I decided that I had to find Gary and get him to talk to Nightfall. Those two are in the same boat, so maybe they can help each other out.
I walk to his room and knock. He answers and I smile at him.
"Hey Gary, sorry to bother you, but Nightfall is a little upset because he tried to kiss me and I told him I couldn't do that. So I was wondering, could you go check on him and make sure he's okay? I don't think he wants to see me right now.", I tell him. Gary smiled at me and said, "Sure. I'll take care of it."
I kissed his cheek and say, "Thanks Gary, you're the best!" I then walk back to my room.
While I was passing through, I saw Fox yelling at Little Cato in their room. Something about zones. I ignored it because this was just how their relationship was. If it gets out of hands, I will step in, but I am sure it is fine.
I walked into my room and decided to do some drawing. It's been a while.
(3rd POV)
As Gary made his way past the wires to get to the virtualization, Avon told him, "Gary, you're not going to walk into the virtualization unannounced, are you? Because that's really bad form." Gary ignored him and entered.
"Hey, Nightfall? Anaya told me what happened and I wanted to check on yo- Oh!", Gary started, before crying out when he saw Nightfall doing something. Nightfall gasped in shock when he saw him and tried to cover up what he was doing.
"What the hell's going on here?", Gary asked him, as Nightfall tried to hide what he was doing from Gary. "What are you doing?! Who walks into a virtualization without knocking?", Nightfall demands.
"What is this?!", Gary asks, walking towards Nightfall. He quickly tried to find an answer.
"This? It's just a side project! I told Anaya I was dealing. This is how I'm dealing. Leave me to deal!", Nightfall demands. Gary ignores him and keeps pressing on.
"Okay, ah, well, you know, that side project has a familiar smile and soft, flowing hair. It looks like a- Ah! Ah! It looks like an Anaya!", Gary cries out, as colors appeared on the developing hologram. "What? No way.", Nightfall tried to deny.
"Yes way. I'm- It's an Anaya! I have been staring at her while she wasn't looking long enough to know what she looks like!", Gary exclaimed. "That's creepy.", Nightfall states.
Electricity then began crackling, as the ship began to shake. Avon then says, "Nightfall, if you continue in this way, you will short out the ship's p-"
Avon was cut off by the loss of power. Everywhere on the ship, doors and windows were closing and the ship was now floating dead in the water.
(Anaya's POV)
I was minding my own business when all of the lights shut off and my door closed. I ran over to try and pry it open and had no luck.
I had a feeling something was about to go down and I knew I had to get out there. So, I tried to summon my powers.
I felt a new wave of strength wash over me and jammed my hands between the doors and pulled them apart. The feeling went away once I was done.
"Sorry Avon, I'll fix that later.", I promised, running off to find Little Cato.
(3rd POV)
Back with Gary and Nightfall, Nightfall decided to show Gary the first time he and his Anaya met, while waiting for the hologram to complete. The background around them changed.
They were now what seemed to be the inside of an apartment building. Doors lined the baby blue painted hallway.
Anaya then came walking out of one of the doors, walking into a Quinn who was carrying a box of books, causing him to drop it. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! Let me help you!", Anaya exclaimed, quickly kneeling and picking them up.
He smiled at her and kneeled next to her. "It's okay, I was getting rid of them anyway. I don't think I've seen you around here before.", Quinn says.
She stacked the book, putting them back in the box and says, "Yeah, I just moved in last week. I am on my way to the police precinct for my first day." He takes the box and asks, "Need a lift? I'm passing through there anyway."
She smiled up at him. "Sure, but I owe you.", Anaya says.
They start walking away. "Let me buy you dinner sometime and we can call it even.", Quinn said, as they both laugh.
"So wait, that's how you met your Anaya?", Gary asked Nightfall. Nightfall smiles, watching the two walk away.
"Yes, that's how I met her. My Anaya.", Nightfall replied.
(Anaya's POV)
The setting around me felt like something out of the movie 'Alien'. It was unnerving.
And to add to the creep factor, I could swear I heard something laughing and scuttling around in the interior of the ship. I whipped around when I heard Fox's girly scream and took off towards where it came from.
I saw Little Cato and Fox surrounded by a bunch of KVNs. The feeling returned and I launched myself at the KVNs.
I tore them off of the kids, grabbed one and used it to smack the others away. I then helped up a limping Fox and we made our way to the bridge.
Because the door was stuck, Fox had to shoot it open. "The KVNs are loose!", Fox exclaimed in a panicked tone.
"Why do you have an army of KVNs?!", Little Cato demands, as I start tending to Fox's injuries. "It was a clearance sale! Turns out they have a derangement virus. So I locked them up for 30 years, hoping they'd become collector's items. But that only made them crazier. And worth even less! Oh, God.", Clarence tells us.
Why the hell would he keep something like this in a ship full of children! "Well, how do we kill them?", Little Cato asks him.
"You don't! They're mine. I'll never recoup my investment.", Clarence states. I then add, "Also I've seen for myself that KVNs are borderline indestructible. Gary tried killing KVN for 5 years and hasn't been able to lay so much as a scratch on him. So you literally can't."
"If we leave them out here, they'll kill you and us.", Little Cato points out. "I-In which order? Because that makes a difference to me anyway.", Clarence asks.
Ash steps up and says, "There's no capturing them. If they can't be destroyed, we just have to blast them into space. It's the only way." "This is just like 'Alien'.", I whisper to myself.
(3rd POV)
Back in the virtualazium, the ship started shaking and sparking. "Don't you think we should be getting out of here by now? I mean, I'm sure you've noticed these blaring sirens, and there's an unnerving little shaky shake that the ship is making. So if we could just get outta here.", Gary demands.
But, Nightfall stood his ground. "No. I need more memories. This is one of my favorites.", Nightfall said, as the scene changes again.
They are in a movie theater, watching what seemed to be a scary movie. Anaya was so fixated on the movie she didn't see that Quinn was staring at her with a dreamy look on his face.
There was suddenly a jump-scare and Anaya let out a small shriek and buried her face into Quinn's chest. Tribore was sitting in a seat behind them was focusing more on the Anaya and Quinn rather than the movie.
Quinn hugged Anaya to comfort her. "Oh, heavens. I thought the movie was good. But this is better.", Tribore states.
"That right there is one of your favorite memories?", Gary asks Nightfall. "Yeah.", Nightfall replies with a love filled sigh, desperately wishing he had confessed his love to her back then.
The movie ended and everyone, including Anaya and Quinn walked out. "She blindsided me. I never thought someone would see me, like really see me.", Nightfall said, as he watched Quinn give his jacket to a shivering Anaya and walk out of sight.
"That's what love is. You don't see it coming. It sneaks up on you like a thief and steals your heart. To be honest, it's a little bit of a bastard. And when you look into Anaya's beautiful eyes, you can really see her. Your Anaya. But...", Gary trails off. "But?", Nightfall asks, urging him to continue.
"But Anaya isn't the one you used to know. She is someone who's had a life without you. Without you you. All those experiences the two of you never shared because she's not your Anaya.", Gary continued. Nightfall then sighed.
"Right. I know she's not my Anaya. That's why I have her now.", Nightfall said, as the hologram completed itself. The capsule opened and Gary looked away so he didn't see anything Anaya wasn't ready to show him.
"What's going on? How am I here?", the hologram asks the two humans, as holographic clothes covered it. Nightfall tears up and walks up to the hologram.
"Quinn, is that you?", the hologram asks him. When reaching it, he hugs it tightly.
"I thought I lost you.", Nightfall told it. After a minute, it hugged him back.
(Anaya's POV)
Our plan was in motion. We sent Clarence out to draw them out.
He was terrified, but it worked. Unfortunately, it worked too well.
"Hello, Clarence.", They greeted. "Run!", Clarence exclaimed, running away.
We followed after him. We tried to turn down a hallway, only to see it was full of KVNs, two of which were holding their hands just like in the Shinning.
What is this?! Some kind of Halloween special?
"Hello, Clarence.", They creepily greeted. "What do you want with me? What do you what?!", Clarence demands.
Our KVN pushed through the hoard of KVNs and says, "They want to murder you, silly. But don't worry. I made them promise to work it out with you first." One of the evil KVNs pushed him aside and said, "Okay. We tried. Murder him!"
"Oh, no!", Fox cried out in fear, picking me up and carrying me like a teddy bear, while the others ran after us. "I'm gonna eat Clarence's livers!", One KVN said.
"I'm gonna make him eat his livers.", Another KVN said. We managed to make it to the gravity elevator.
Fox put me down and we were about to go in when suddenly, we heard thumping and turned back to see the KVNs had somehow merged into a monster. I stepped in front of the kids in a protective stance.
"Hello, Clarence.", It greeted. "A Mega KVN! The rarest and most valuable kind! I must sell you.", Clarence said, forgetting it was trying to kill him.
"We're gonna cut off your junk and wear it as a necklace!", It exclaimed in response. "I don't want to be your ample necklace!", Clarence cried out in alarm.
The shaking of the ship then forced us down the elevator and away from the MegaKVN.
(3rd POV)
Nightfall conjured up a beach scene with a car and he and the hologram sat on the hood, while Gary watched from a distance. The hologram glitching a lot and Nightfall grew concerned.
"Anaya, are you okay?", Nightfall asked. "Yeah, why?", It asked him.
Nightfall shook his head with a smile. "It doesn't matter.", Nightfall told it.
"So what now?", It asked Nightfall. Nightfall got off the hood of the car and held out his hand.
"Now we make every moment we have count. I am not wasting another second regretting what I never did by doing it now.", Nightfall replied. The hologram looked at the hand with an unsure look, before reluctantly placing grabbing his hand.
When their hands joined, the scene around them faded, the power surges became worse, and the ship started tearing itself apart. "Whoa! What was that? Okay, uh, uh, Nightfall? These power surges You need to let her go.", Gary calls out to Nightfall.
"I can't. I just got her back.", Nightfall said. The hologram looked around and knew what it had to do to fix everything.
(Anaya's POV)
We made it to the hanger bay, but were being closely followed by the Mega KVN. Fox was holding it off long enough for us to get in.
When we all were, he backed in and I locked the door. "What do we do now?", Ash asked, worried.
"We cry! It's the only way!", Fox cried out. "How will that help?", Little Cato asks.
"I don't know! But it's happenin'!", Fox says, crying. I rub his shoulder and try to comfort him.
"Hello, Clarence.", The Mega KVN greets through a crack in the door. Fox screams and holds onto me like a teddy bear.
"We've got to open that hatch and blast them into space! Somebody, who is definitely not me, should pull the release lever!", Clarence instructed. "Where's the lever?", Little Cato asks.
"It's up there.", Clarence replies, pointing to the lever which is like 30 feet above us. "Why would someone put the release lever all the way up there?", I ask, frustrated with our situation.
"What am I, a lever-ologist? I don't know!", Clarence replied with much sass. The Mega KVN broke in and we rushed to the ladder.
Fox put me down and we climbed it up as far as it went and turned to see it climbing after us. "Here it comes.", Fox said.
Little Cato, Ash, Clarence, and I shoot fire at it with our flame throwers, while Fox shot it with his gun hand. "It's like I'm literally burning money! It hurts!", Clarence complained.
"Ooh, hot, hot, hot, hot. Hot!", The Mega KVN complained. Ash may have been getting too into this.
"Eat flames, you dipwads! Bathe in my punishing fire!", Ash exclaimed. Little Cato called out to her, "Hey, Ash, you wanna fly up there and get that lever or, uh-"
He was cut off by her laughing maniacally. "Yeah, okay, uh, looks like I'm on lever duty.", Little Cato told us.
He jumped off of Fox like a diving board and grabbed the lever. Little Cato tried pulling it, but, apparently, it wouldn't budge.
"It's jammed!", Little Cato called down to us. "Give it everything you've got! My junk depends on it.", Clarence called back, as the Mega KVN took our flame throwers away.
Ash and Clarence ran behind Fox and I got in front of them, glaring at the Mega KVN. "Revenge is finally ours.", The Mega KVN states.
I close my eyes to brace myself for the pain, but then the lever finally switched and the hanger bay door opened, pulling the Mega KVN out. Unfortunately, it began to pull Little Cato out, too.
He was sent flying. I grabbed onto him, but was being pulled out too.
Then, unexpectedly, Fox grabbed onto us. "It's a good thing you two are light, Anaya and stupid little Ventrexian!", Fox told us.
Little Cato sighs. "Just so you know, you saving our lives doesn't change anything between us.", Little Cato tells him.
"Good!", Fox shouts at him. But I then see them smile at each other.
Looks like I didn't have to worry about them fighting anymore. The hanger bay door closed and we were put down on solid ground.
But, suddenly, the ship started rumbling and pieces were breaking off. "What the hell is wrong with this ship? It's falling apart!", Fox exclaimed worried.
(3rd POV)
"Nightfall, it's now or never!", Gary called out to Nightfall. "I can't. I can't loose her again.", Nightfall replied, turning to face Gary.
When he turned back around, he gasped at what he saw. The hologram of Anaya looked worse for wear.
It was pale and sickly, deep sunken eyes, a large hole in its chest, and half of its left arm was missing. "Anaya, what happened to you?", Nightfall asked.
The hologram placed its remaining hand on Nightfall's shoulder and said, "You know what. We failed. It's too late for me, but it's not to late for you. You know what you have to do." Nightfall nodded and put a shaky hand on the cable and looked at the woman he had loved and lost for the last time, tears trickling down his face.
"Goodbye, Anaya.", Nightfall said, tearfully. "Goodbye, Nightfall.", It told him, as Nightfall pulled the plug.
The hologram dissolved and Nightfall ran off. All Gary could do was watch him go.
He knew he couldn't do anything, but he knew someone who could.
(Anaya's POV)
The rumbling and electricity crackling came to a stop and it was safe to climb back down the ladder. "The homicidal KVNs are no more. You know, I kind of miss them-", Clarence said, before screaming, as our KVN came up behind him.
"Hi, friends! Everybody having fun?", KVN asked us. "Uh! W-Wait. KVN?", Little Cato asked.
"Of course it's me, you silly billy.", KVN said, ruffling Little Cato's Mohawk. One of the evil KVNs floated up behind him and greeted him.
"Hey, KVN.", Evil KVN greeted. "Hey, KVN.", Our KVN greeted back.
"Oh, crap! Which one's the real KVN? Guess we're gonna have to kill both of 'em.", Little Cato said in a really fake voice. I turned to him shocked.
"What?", I ask him. "Me. I am. I am. Don't listen to him. I'm the real KVN.", They were saying trying to save their own skin.
Eventually our KVN had enough. "Stop! I started this by bringing you into this world. And now I'm gonna finish it.", Our KVN said.
He then proceeded to rip out the heart of the KVN, which left him convulsing on the ground. I had to stop myself from throwing up.
"Okay, guys! What's next?", KVN asked, throwing the robot heart into the wall. I found a bucket and threw up into it.
Gary bursts into the room and pants. "Where's Anaya?", Gary asked, not seeing me.
They all point to me as I am still throwing up and he rushes over and rubs my back. After I am done, I pop a piece of gum into my mouth and ask, "What's up?"
Gary then started explaining what happened with Nightfall and I quickly went to go find him. I found Nightfall staring out into the infinite abyss of space.
I approached him. "I heard about what happened. Are you okay?", I asked.
He didn't face me as he said, "Anaya, I've traversed time lines over and over to try to save you. It never works. Sometimes you face the Lord Commander alone, but in every variation you and Gary die. I haven't told you this, but I've never closed the breach before." "What?", I whispered, shocked.
"It was always Gary. And you were always drained of your powers and lost your life.", Nightfall continued.
(Flashback: Nightfall POV)
I looked around at the wreckage. After Gary sacrificed himself, Mooncake went ballistic and destroyed the Lord Commander's ship.
The ship Anaya was on. "Anaya!", I called out.
She has to be here. I heard groaning from a pile just 10 feet from me and saw a familiar shoe.
"Anaya!", I cried out, racing over. I kneeled down to pull her from the scrap, ignoring to cuts and blood pouring from the wounds completely.
I gasped when I finally discovered her. She was pale, missing an arm, impaled by a large shrapnel and lying in a pool of her own blood.
I gasp and pulling out the pole, but it only made things worse. The pool grew steadily and she coughed, blood dribbling down her chin.
Her eyes opened and she rasped out, "Quinn?" "Anaya! It's going to be okay! I'm going to get you help!", I exclaimed in panic, getting up to get help.
But her grip on my sleeve stopped me from moving. "Don't go. Stay with me. Please.", Anaya begged.
I couldn't say no to her, so I knelt beside her. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want to be alone when I go.", Anaya told me.
I shook my head and tears fell from my eyes. "That's not going to happen, you will be okay. I promise. Just stay with me.", Nightfall kept repeating the last part of his sentence over and over, while holding her close.
He didn't realize until later that she passed away after only hearing it once.
(Flashback Over: Anaya's POV)
"I've lost you hundreds of times. I finally found a way for us to be together. And you don't want me.", Nightfall said, crying. I thought we lost a lot, but he lost everything hundreds of times over.
"I'm sorry.", I tell with him. "Don't be. Something in your past, or maybe the past itself, connected us. And now I have to accept the possibility that there is no happy ending for me. That the two of us are meant to be together, but never meant to be.", Nightfall said in a bittersweet tone.
We said nothing else, as we watched the sunset together.