OVER THE SILVER SKY TO THE WORLD OF NEVER : Part 240 - I Really Hate Me Sometimes.

As anyone who has read my insane ramblings will gladly tell you I do tend to go on about shit. There are recurring themes in my paranoid delusions. Today I'm going to wax lyrical on the subject of my feet. So prepare yourselves for another illogical brain fart. Like all of you I expect, the first thing I do every morning, after scraping the butchered prostitute flesh off my naked body, is count my feet. This morning there were 2. As I understand it that's the preferred arrangement. Other options are available, but 2 is the most popular by far. It works for me anyway and that's what matters. I don't want to get into an argument over quantities of feet. Your preference may differ. So every morning I make sure they're all present and accounted for and that no stray feet have wandered into my bed chamber while I slept. It happens believe me. I keep meticulous records of my feet count and if I'm feeling extra insecure I'll count them throughout the day. This helps me with sock loss. Which, if you have read my bleats on the subject, is a seriously dangerous problem. Without accurate records of feet numbers I could mistakenly come to the conclusion I have an extra foot. Then I might remove that foot and make attempts to return it to its owner. Only to discover it was mine all along. I don't want to fall into that trap, yet again. Count your feet.

(The copyright to this image is the property of Rush University Medical Center.)

He'd seen enough. So he thought. Until he told Pip he was leaving. This was all very bewildering. No rhyme or reason. From the non sequitur dialogue to the distortion of reality. There was no pattern this fitted.

"Don't leave yet. There's more." She insisted.
"Let's have a look then."
Pip looked worried. As worried as he felt. This was a confusing time for her. The same pattern she must have experienced when the Ashenram first arrived on the scene. Not knowing who or what you could trust. This odious creature had wrapped the entire crew in its spell. Its malevolent influence had even spread to the settlement outside Bristol.
"Where did you step into this piece of dog shit? I was given the impression it was the Never, but the Time Agents meticulously exterminated any that even attempted to come here."
"Kar Parvel, on earth Delta 3971. The captain wasn't exactly forthcoming with the precise circumstances. She's the one that gave you the impression he'd arrived from the Never with us. It was a lie the crew were only too happy to adhere to. I should have known something was wrong right away. The detours we had to take to get back to earth prime delayed us for weeks. She pretended there were jobs she had to take care of. Five translational portals we had to pass through." She clasped his arm tightly. "This is it I think."
The door to the cabin opened again. Same blinding light. Pengelly and Daisy emerged from it. One bowing the other curtsying toward the bed. Both then took up positions sitting at the foot of it. Expressions of adoration plastered all over their faces. He was glad he'd stayed for this. Not that it gave him any deeper insight.
"Is it like this when you've been here before?"
"Yes. The actual choreography and script are different. Always along the same lines. Pengelly and Daisy always show up at some point. Sometimes they're already here and then they come in. They don't get a lot of lines. When they're here alone together they're silent."
"What are your thoughts on this? I am more baffled than ever."
Pip looked at him earnestly.
"Pengelly and Daisy are the captain's closest friends. When we docked in Bristol she'd go visit her shack most days. Until we brought the Ashenram back with us. Then she went out of her way to avoid all contact. I think she might have visited Daisy a couple of times. Can't be sure though. I hate to say this Jake. Not that there was a lot of time for them to meet. Thanks to the Ashenram she'd defrauded several clients of ours and failed to deliver to others. That's what led to her and the crew being arrested. I thought it strange at the time that only she was bailed out. Although that story chopped and changed as well. Sometimes she told people she'd escaped."
"I thought Daisy was some kind of hermit when I met her. I don't know whether I simply expected that or it was an impression I was given."
"No. The captain spent a lot of time with her. Daisy would visit the ship as well. Made more than one voyage with us over the years. Generally to the Never. Getting arrested might have been deliberate. I'm absolutely certain if Daisy had met the Ashenram she'd have seen right through it. It's a possibility the captain was avoiding that." Pip halted. "Is it possible Daisy and Pengelly are in on whatever scheme she's perpetrating do you think?"
There was a danger this was getting out of control. The suspicions multiplying at an ever increasing rate.
"Next to impossible I'd say. I know Daisy pretty well from my past lives. You've known Pengelly your entire life. I don't see either of them endangering us. You in particular."
"I'm not fully convinced. I've known the captain all my life as well. She still had a shit eating grin on her face when she tried to kill me. How about this then? Giving them both the benefit of the doubt, because that's what we seem to be doing most of the time, what if they aren't fully aware of her real plan. They could have been persuaded her actions were for another entirely fictional reason. She can spin a good yarn in less than a second. It's in her nature Jake. Lies trip off her tongue with ease. Look at what's going on now. The captain and her two best friends shacked up with Ydrie and Taini. Is that a coincidence?"
Nothing Pip had suggested or stated was irrational or illogical. It didn't make it true. Daisy was his oldest acquaintance as the Wanderer. They'd been lovers more than once. The scene flickered out of existence. When the door opened Scarlet and Jean-Pierre fell through it wrapped in one another's arms. Giggling like children as they fondled one another.
"Before we head off into an even more convoluted tale, let's get through our most immediate crisis. If we do we can head down this alley with our full attention."
Pip nodded. Still watching the couple.
"You can go if you like. Thank you Jake. I appreciate this. You've been far more supportive than I could have hoped for. I'm staying here though. There has to be a pattern to this."
Since, regardless of the amount of subjective time they spent here, they'd both get back the instant they left, Jake accepted this. If he tried to force her to leave, it would only keep bugging her.

He hung on for a few minutes. Thought about opening that door. It would take him back to his bed. He could get there just as easily by thinking himself there. He already knew he was going to use it. So his time was spent trying to think of a reason why it would be worth it. Finally deciding that it was, because this time would be different. For example he had to step through this one when he opened it. The brilliant light faded. Not back in his bed. Jake was standing in the infinite corridor of doors that almost existed in his own memory palace. Raven only a couple of feet in front of him. Wearing something entirely see through that showed her perfect body. Blue hair and green eyes.

"For some reason I expected Angelique." He admitted.
"Angelique is elsewhen. She'll arrive then."
His sigh turned into sardonic laughter.
"Complete nonsense. As usual. Thanks for the helpful hints, you didn't give me, that this might happen."
"You know the rules Wanderer. This was a probability greater than zero. Among a hundred others. All of which would have altered your actions or rendered you inactive, if you'd known them. I'm not here to direct you or warn you of anything. I'm here to help you."
"Is that your apology?" He asked ironically. "Because you've all been a great help." He'd switched to sarcasm
"The time will soon come when you must take up your mantle fully." She turned to the door they were both standing at.
Exactly the same as all the other doors. Except this one had a certain aura. A very disturbing one. Hinting at the horrors concealed within. The inference here being, he'd be opening this one pretty soon. That it would be a toss up whether it would be for better or worse. Not knowing what was behind that door was for the best. That was beyond doubt. This one should never be opened. Oh dear.
"Well you've appeared. Dished out your enigmatic riddles. Is there anything else before I get back to sleep?"
She slapped him across the face, sending his head sideways so hard Jake's neck cracked.
"You would do well to listen to Pip."
He nursed his badly bruised cheek. Grinned ferally.
"I have been... Wait.. Do you mean I shouldn't trust Daisy anymore?"
"I mean that nothing lasts forever. The unbreakable can be broken. That which was once true can become a lie. The truths we have told you are mutable Wanderer. Without change there is nothing. Lies can also become truths. Listen to Pip. More importantly listen to yourself. In amongst all that inane chatter inside your skull you will find the way. Eventually. The closest of friends make the bitterest of enemies." Her entire manner changed. Instead of standing straight and tall she looked casual. "I've got a few more, but I think that's enough enigma for now."
Was that a joke? It was a joke. An artificially created demigoddess had cracked a funny.
"Holy shit. That means there's going to be a fuck ton of trouble... I'm sorry Raven. I've been in your position. It's hard for me to know what to say and what to keep to myself. Are you doing anything later? Because you look mighty fine."
A slight smile on her plump lips.
"Whatever you do, don't lose that Wanderer. Humor can brighten even the darkest of times."

He was back in his bunk. Pip wasn't with him. A quick check told him it was already 7 in the morning. Right, so telling her off wouldn't be necessary. Chiro confirmed Pip was in the control room. Had been there for nearly half an hour. All of the playmates were up. Thank God they were eating breakfast together. Pip having squeezed her shower in without anyone catching sight of her. She'd brought coffee back. What a star. Oh but what a mess. Now Daisy and Pengelly were suspect. He still hadn't fully accepted Scarlet as being a problem. Where did that leave Pip? Could he trust her? Was she a part of Scarlet's plan? Whatever that was. Not a path to go down without a cup of coffee. He'd make Pip one as well. Understanding at last. His reluctance to consider all these different things came from having been down that path before. A thousand times or more.

"Hermes? What are you up to pal? You've been too quiet for too long."
"Got my work cut out taking precautions. I'd like to survive long enough to plow Morag into a semi coma and me into fatal exhaustion. Thanks for leaving me out of that particular nasty loop. I do not want to be figuring out what anyone is up to right now. I'm doing my best to filter out the more useless background noise coming from all directions. Chiro is fucking useless you know. It's all that processing power and it couldn't find its ass in a badly lit room. I'm pretty sure your link with the ship is permanent I'm afraid."
"I'd already worked that out thanks. Once we get out of Fafindi it will be far less intrusive. Absent in a lot of places. I've always got my quiet room I can go to."
"You know what this means don't you?" Hermes asked.
"I do. It means I did this to myself. Pretty sure it wasn't anything to do with this mess though. It's another complication that's decided to crash the party. I really hate me sometimes."
"Hang on to that. It's going to help you empathize with Scarlet later."
"Never thought of it like that. It's about the only thing she and I agree on."
"Common ground at last."