There's always a lighthouse

[wheremst]

And just like that, you wake up in the basement of a lighthouse in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. There's a circle of 25 pods in the middle of the room, and two more in a room off to the side, and you can imagine who is in which.

An elevator to the side of the room leads up to the ground floor (or to the first sub-basement, if you want to check out the machine that brought you here), where you can for the first time in weeks look out a window and see the sky. Its a beautiful sunny day, with a strong breeze on the grassy ground of the island where the lighthouse stands. Have you ever been this happy to hear seagulls?

You're free. Whatever comes next, you're free and you won. Take some time to relish your victory, won't you? Reunite with friends you thought you had lost, go forth and just... well, enjoy this.

Comments

[nothingcanstop]

[ After some time, some reuniting and some crying and all the overwhelming stuff, Della gravitates towards him, because that's sort of how things work after the trials and that hasn't changed. ]

So. ...How're you doing, with all that?

[fivestagegod]

[It actually gets him to laugh a bit, softly; there's nothing derisive in it, at least.]

Pretty okay, all things considered. You?

[nothingcanstop]

[ She returns that with a tired smile. ]

Keep thinkin' I'm gonna look at the grass and burst into tears, but that's normal. ...You really taking that guy with you?

[fivestagegod]

That's the plan.

[He shrugs a bit.]

I'm not going back to my employers, as much as they'd love the guy, and there's no chance he'll be able to establish himself there. Even if I personally can't contain him, you know what the place is like - the world will take care of him. Either he stays near me or he dies.

It's not like I'm going to be working with him, and his life isn't going to be easy.

[nothingcanstop]

...Honestly, if you did go back to those guys for anything other than...grabbing your family and running, I'd be pretty surprised. And worried.

[ She nods. ]

Much as I want to break his nose... It's probably better that he...you know. Be beholden to someone else for awhile.

[fivestagegod]

We'll see how it goes, I guess. I hate him less than the rest of you hate him, but that's purely because he's the reason why I'm not dead right now, along with the rest of my family. So I owe him for that much.

[However, he's going to make sure his life is total hell so you know. There's that.]

I'm not going back to the corporation, though. Right now I'm just hoping that time can be displaced enough that I'll have time to grab my work along with my family. Annette and Sherry are going to come first this time if I can't, but if I can, I really don't want those guys to have it.

[nothingcanstop]

I mean. I wouldn't want your work in the hands of those guys, either.

[ KNOWING WHAT YOUR WORK IS..... ]

...It would be nice, to finally meet them, you know. But I'm guessing that would be a little...difficult.

[fivestagegod]

...If you'd want to, I'm not going to tell you no. Maybe give me some advance warning first so Annette doesn't shoot you on sight, but I'm not going to complain.

[nothingcanstop]

[ She cracks a smile. ]

I can get Dr. Gearloose to whip up a...inter-dimensional phone, or something, for just the occasion. And yes, before you ask, that is his legal name, and yes, it is accurate.