Sharp Clouds in Eden (Finish The Story Entry)

Opening by @f3nix

As the seasons went on, she had not yet accustomed to that sight.

The expanse of clouds unfurled just beyond the edge of the plateau like a harmonious and yet restless carpet, woven from ranks of industrious angels. Only the blue condor, curious to taste the rarefied ozone flavor, occasionally tried to pierce the milky diaphragm.

An unnamed and timeless plateau. It had always belonged to that celestial ocean, cradled by its waves like the head of a gigantic primeval tortoise, asleep for thousands of years.

The woman sat absorbed on the black basalt edge. Lying on her knees stood a tablet with elusive colors. Her tapered fingers danced over it decidedly, following the counterpoint of secret music. A warm upward current ruffled her thick brown hair until she was forced to give in and stop the dance, hastily moving the curls from her forehead.

She procrastinated, holding back her knowledge on the tips of those solitary fingers that, slowing down, now left room for memories. Now the memories were transmuting, stretching in long meditating axons, which she watched parading before her eyes at the capricious rhythm of the clouds.

The plateau had no name and, at the same time, kept all the names, including those that she wanted to forget.

The fingertips resumed drumming on the iridescent surface of the tablet to stop almost immediately. As always, before even hearing him approach, she had felt his eyes on the back of her head.

"I'm almost done, Heitor." It was not true, but she tried to comfort her husband as her fingers flew frantically, receiving small luminous epiphanies from the device.

“Debes beber, mi amor. Al menos esto.” He sat close and gently pushed forward the cup of muña until the mint's scent convinced her to stop and take a couple of quick sips. Hidden among the gestures of daily care, she could not ignore a note of concern in her husband's voice.

"We were fine here until it lasted, weren't we?" The words came out crumpled, making their way slowly through the wood of thoughts. He raised an asymmetric smile at her and blinked the way she liked.

Her distinctive wrinkle of concentration formed between her eyes, two delicious hazelnut drops, while she sighed.

"You know it does not help us, mi vida. I'll join you as soon as I can." At that moment, the importance of what she had to do was the perfect alibi not to raise her gaze on him. She silently kept repeating to herself that this wasn't a goodbye.

The vibrating bark of the imperial ship came suddenly. As it emerged, the clouds frayed around the cobalt metal frigate like impotent fingers, in the last desperate attempt to hold back a blind, deep-water fish.

She watched her husband run back to the house, as planned.

"Let the show begin, bastards." She thought while the ship's jaws already spewed out a black phalanx, heading at a steady pace in the direction of the woman.

"Kalliska Pan, Imperial Master Grower, you're under arrest on evidence of desertion and high treason. Do not resist and follow us spontaneously or I will not hesitate to order coercive measures against you. "

"The Empire has no sovereignty over this soil. Be careful what you do, Colonel. "

"Master Grower, you have lost all diplomatic immunity. I repeat: do not resist. "

"I know the reason for your visit, Colonel. And I regret having to point out that you are not in the position to order anything. We could save time if you left your pathetic bluff right away. "

In an abrupt gesture toward the guards, the black leather of the colonel's glove stood out against the diaphanous sky. "You all. Back to the ship now."

The warm upward current strengthened, making the imperial frigate’s hull resound like a grim stork. They were alone. She held the Colonel's stare.

"There's still time to fix this, Kal .."

"Since long already you have lost any right to call me like that, Musashi"

While even the clouds seemed to stop, the fingers of the Master Grower continued to dance.

My Ending

“It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Kal only needed seconds longer, her mind was long numb to the pain of her finger joints, elegantly skimming the tablet. Colours twitched, soft tones responding to each touch, until her fingers finally pausing, she looked up.

“Yes Musashi, it does.”

A soft, sorrowful sigh escaped the Colonel, whispering regret through the fine hairs of his moustache.

“I don’t want to do this to you.”

“You made your choice, and this is where it led you. It’s too late for this.”

“I never meant for that… I was sorry to hear about Heitor, I wanted to tell you that at the time.”

Her deep hazel eyes held his, bristling with resentment.

“Are you done trying to ease your fucking conscious Musashi?”

“Kal, this isn't..”

She glanced at her tablet, awash with the bright absence of its previous colour. Raising her hand, she dismissed him, turning back towards the house.

“Leave, or do what you came to. I’m not coming with you.”

Her heart jarred through every step, she'd bought as long as she needed. Heitor's anxious face watched through the window. The beautiful asymmetric mouth, twisted with devastation, a perfect reproduction of the man she loved. She dragged her eyes to the rich, dark soil, trying to focus her resolve. This wasn't goodbye.

She knew Musashi wouldn't let her reach the door, he couldn't. He watched, unable to save her, yet again. She had forced his hand - a gloved hand, silhouetting the sky with it’s signal, as a single tear slipped unnoticed into the dirt.

The red eye of the frigate’s laser blinked in response; charging as it found it's target.

Kal carelessly dropped the tablet into soft soil; it didn't matter now, she'd uploaded everything to the Heitor she had built, broadcast it directly to every other synthetic in the empire. Everyone would have the secret defence she’d stolen.

A sharp pillar of red singed through the clouds, searing the steps her feet lifted out of, churning a deep furrow in the fertile ground.

The rising wind ebbed at words, desperately called after her.

“They only fire one warning shot Kalliska, this is your last chance to surrender!”

Her warm laugh hit Musashi hard in the gut, he hadn't heard it in so long.

“You say these things like I don't know them, like I didn't bank on you following your orders to the letter, again.”

The earth shifted, dark grains of soil spilling over each other in the vibrations.

Kal closed her eyes, turning back to Musashi, a smile on her face, her heart swelling with the thought of her Heitor. That unpredictability she’d never been able to replicate.

It came.

An arrow of red light exploding into a great crimson blossom as it torn through her torso, spattering the ground in wet, fleshy confetti.

Deep below the earth, her Titan grown, rose - summoned. Pale tendrils broke the soil’s surface, churning the dirt with its immense wake.

Musashi did not see the thick root of the great plant strike into the sky, crushing the silver metal of the frigate between it’s coils, instead he watched a flash of loving recognition fade from Kalliska’s empty eyes.

There was an awful lot to try and wrap up in this one, ended up coming it at 534 (I think) so not too far over. Very much hope everything came across in this one, and the ending wasn't quite too out of no where.

This is my entry to @bananafish's #finishthestory contest - make sure to check out the latest round and all the entries resteemed on the page. This round has been opened by the very talented @f3nix, who is busy orchestrating quite the adventure for our exciting new project, and hosted by our very own @brisby - a fantastic author in her own right - just watch out, this one has claws, teeny tiny little squirrel ones ;)!

Head over to the @bananafish page for more contests and ways to win

Photo Credit

Love and sparkle ~ Calluna <3