Dreamlike (40k fanfic)
Posted: 2006-10-04 12:47pm
I've written a couple of stories, and haven't gotten many reviews for them. However, I am not deterred.
Personally, I've always wondered what people go through when they get hit by a terrorfex in TT. Well, I decided to write a short story about it.
[center]Dreamlike[/center]
Private Jackson shoved another power cell into his lasgun. He poked his head and weapon around the rubble he was firing behind, and fired. The beams kicked up dirt and shattered concrete. A pair of beams struck a renegade Eldar, and tore off its arm. He ducked back behind as a shower of miniature needles turned a door lying on the ground into splinters. He motioned to his friend, who was inside a building.
They simultaneously pulled out the pins on their grenades, and threw them at the oncoming Eldar. He could hear shouting, and an explosion. The sound of bodies hitting the ground permeated the area, and Jackson got up again, this time to fire more accurate, timed shots. One of the Eldar renegades was already aiming at him. Underneath the Eldar’s weapon, Jackson could see a miniature grenade launcher. The device spat out an object, too fast to recognise, which hit Jackson in the chest.
He fell backwards, and saw the grenade stuck to his chest. He tried to hit it off, but as he did so, it shattered, and he could hear the air pressure around him change. He breathed heavily, and smelled the strangest of odours. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy. He wanted nothing more than to sleep. He closed his eyes for just a second, as a compromise.
Jackson opened his eyes. He was standing in the back yard of his home where he grew up. The brick house was in front of him. He turned around. He could see the renegade Eldar behind him, it’s wicked looking rifle aiming at him. Jackson raised his own weapon, and found his hands surprisingly light. His lasgun was gone. He turned to run, but the air felt like treacle. He took his first step, and stayed in the air for what felt like a year.
He turned his head back to the house, and could see his mother bringing in a basket full of clean clothes. He opened his mouth to shout at her, to tell her to get inside and lock up. Nothing came out. His mother looked at him, and said “What are you running from, honey?”
Jackson looked behind him in his slow motion run. The warrior was gone. He tripped. As he fell, he could see his mother laughing. Her teeth were sharp and pointed, her tongue long, thin, and dark. He blinked. Her eyes had now turned to completely black, no sign of the whites whatsoever. Her hair changed from blonde to the colour of pitch. Her freckles disappeared, to be replaced by an eerie pallid flesh that glowed.
He couldn’t breath. He saw bubbles floating up from her nose and mouth. Jackson glanced up, and saw the sun shimmering through what looked like water. He jumped, and tried to swim up. His mother grabbed his leg, not with her soft hands, but long, thin strong fingers, that ended with black claws instead of fingernails. He tried to break free, but couldn’t.
Jackson looked down again, and saw his mother’s clothing had also changed, from a red dress to almost nothing, which covered just enough. He shook his head, and continued to swim. His mother slipped, and he swam up. His chest was hurting a lot, and he could barely swim the five metres upwards. He slowly rose, and his jaw ached. He opened his mouth, and bubbles left, rising above him, taunting him. He kicked, and put his last bit of effort into swimming away from his house and what was his mother. He broke the surface of the water.
Jackson looked around him. He was in a lake he used to enjoy swimming in. He looked around, and saw his scholum at the edge of the lake. The swings and monkey bars were in the water. He didn’t remember that his scholum was so close to the lake. He began to swim towards it. He was getting closer, and then he stopped. He tried to swim forward, but couldn’t. He looked behind him, and saw the water was draining over a waterfall, dragging him with it.
He kicked hard, and ended up on top of the water, and ran. Despite his sudden increase in speed, the waterfall got closer and closer to him. He jumped, and flew high into the air, and could see into the courtyard of his scholum. He looked behind him, and saw that the waterfall fell so far. He could see the landscape below, a battlefield, reminiscent of viewing from a Valkyrie. He soared over class room blocks, and landed in courtyard. There was no one there.
He could hear giggling, and he ran into a class room. The door closed behind him, and he could hear the bustle of people shopping in a centre, but no one was there. He looked up and down the shops that apparently stretched on to infinity. And then he saw the source of the giggling. A girl that he had lusted after in his teenage years, blonde, blue eyed, with an amazing figure. She was in her uniform. She ran into the female rest rooms.
He didn’t want to follow, but his legs carried him there. His hand felt a compulsion to open the door, and he did so. He ran in, and saw her standing there in the school courtyard. He looked behind him, but there was no door. He turned again, and the girl hugged him and kissed him. She leaned back, still gripping on to him with her legs and arms, and laughed. Her long, thin tongue stuck out, and Jackson heard a rumbling behind him.
He saw the waterfall had advanced on to his school, and was nearly upon him. He couldn’t move, as the girl’s legs restricted his own. The ground collapsed under him, and he fell. As he tumbled, he could see the ground coming up to meet him, with the sounds of battle sounding clearer. He looked the girl in the eye, and found that her eyes had changed to black. Her face shook about for a second before turning into a dark helmet.
The scholum uniformed darkened, shortened and hardened. Her stomach was now revealed, but only for a moment before skin tight mesh swallowed it up. Her shirt was now a breastplate, exaggerating her features. Her legs were now brought up, crouching on him. Bat-like wings came out from her back, and Jackson’s descent slowed. The force of the air pulled the girl off him, but not before grasping on to his arms, tearing holes in the wrists with talon like fingers.
As he fell, he felt something on his back. A grav-chute! He slapped a button on the left strap, and the chute activated. He slowed again, to a much more reasonable descent. As he fell, he could see the blackness of space. In fact, the battlefield below was all that existed. Beyond it lay stars and galaxies. There was no sun here. In fact, this wasn’t a world. It was a rectangular board. As he came closer, he could make out an Imperial camp. He turned towards it, and his body spun a few times. He concentrated for a moment, and he swerved in much faster than normal.
Jackson landed in front of the command tent. He unstrapped the grav chute, and ran inside. He saw Sergeant Palsy, his first officer when he got recruited. The Sergeant grabbed him, and looked him in the eye.
“Why aren’t you helping your brothers out there?”
Jackson shook his head.
“Sir, I-”
The Sergeant snarled, his needle-like teeth separating for just a moment. His eyes dilated to the point where Jackson could no longer see the whites. His skin paled, and then turned scarred. His hair fell out in tuffs, turning into fat, black, leeches on the way down. A renegade Eldar looked at Jackson. The tent blew away, to reveal purple and black streaks lining the stars. Jackson’s wrists hurt. He couldn’t move his arms or hands.
He looked about. He was strapped to an Eldar transport vehicle. Chains went through his wrist, and one of the renegades was looking down at him. Unlike the elegance of most of the Eldar he had encountered today, this one was ugly, scarred. It looked down at him and chucked, it’s needle teeth showing. He screamed, and screamed. The Eldar stroked his hair before balancing itself on the transport. It was going to be a long day...
Personally, I've always wondered what people go through when they get hit by a terrorfex in TT. Well, I decided to write a short story about it.
[center]Dreamlike[/center]
Private Jackson shoved another power cell into his lasgun. He poked his head and weapon around the rubble he was firing behind, and fired. The beams kicked up dirt and shattered concrete. A pair of beams struck a renegade Eldar, and tore off its arm. He ducked back behind as a shower of miniature needles turned a door lying on the ground into splinters. He motioned to his friend, who was inside a building.
They simultaneously pulled out the pins on their grenades, and threw them at the oncoming Eldar. He could hear shouting, and an explosion. The sound of bodies hitting the ground permeated the area, and Jackson got up again, this time to fire more accurate, timed shots. One of the Eldar renegades was already aiming at him. Underneath the Eldar’s weapon, Jackson could see a miniature grenade launcher. The device spat out an object, too fast to recognise, which hit Jackson in the chest.
He fell backwards, and saw the grenade stuck to his chest. He tried to hit it off, but as he did so, it shattered, and he could hear the air pressure around him change. He breathed heavily, and smelled the strangest of odours. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy. He wanted nothing more than to sleep. He closed his eyes for just a second, as a compromise.
Jackson opened his eyes. He was standing in the back yard of his home where he grew up. The brick house was in front of him. He turned around. He could see the renegade Eldar behind him, it’s wicked looking rifle aiming at him. Jackson raised his own weapon, and found his hands surprisingly light. His lasgun was gone. He turned to run, but the air felt like treacle. He took his first step, and stayed in the air for what felt like a year.
He turned his head back to the house, and could see his mother bringing in a basket full of clean clothes. He opened his mouth to shout at her, to tell her to get inside and lock up. Nothing came out. His mother looked at him, and said “What are you running from, honey?”
Jackson looked behind him in his slow motion run. The warrior was gone. He tripped. As he fell, he could see his mother laughing. Her teeth were sharp and pointed, her tongue long, thin, and dark. He blinked. Her eyes had now turned to completely black, no sign of the whites whatsoever. Her hair changed from blonde to the colour of pitch. Her freckles disappeared, to be replaced by an eerie pallid flesh that glowed.
He couldn’t breath. He saw bubbles floating up from her nose and mouth. Jackson glanced up, and saw the sun shimmering through what looked like water. He jumped, and tried to swim up. His mother grabbed his leg, not with her soft hands, but long, thin strong fingers, that ended with black claws instead of fingernails. He tried to break free, but couldn’t.
Jackson looked down again, and saw his mother’s clothing had also changed, from a red dress to almost nothing, which covered just enough. He shook his head, and continued to swim. His mother slipped, and he swam up. His chest was hurting a lot, and he could barely swim the five metres upwards. He slowly rose, and his jaw ached. He opened his mouth, and bubbles left, rising above him, taunting him. He kicked, and put his last bit of effort into swimming away from his house and what was his mother. He broke the surface of the water.
Jackson looked around him. He was in a lake he used to enjoy swimming in. He looked around, and saw his scholum at the edge of the lake. The swings and monkey bars were in the water. He didn’t remember that his scholum was so close to the lake. He began to swim towards it. He was getting closer, and then he stopped. He tried to swim forward, but couldn’t. He looked behind him, and saw the water was draining over a waterfall, dragging him with it.
He kicked hard, and ended up on top of the water, and ran. Despite his sudden increase in speed, the waterfall got closer and closer to him. He jumped, and flew high into the air, and could see into the courtyard of his scholum. He looked behind him, and saw that the waterfall fell so far. He could see the landscape below, a battlefield, reminiscent of viewing from a Valkyrie. He soared over class room blocks, and landed in courtyard. There was no one there.
He could hear giggling, and he ran into a class room. The door closed behind him, and he could hear the bustle of people shopping in a centre, but no one was there. He looked up and down the shops that apparently stretched on to infinity. And then he saw the source of the giggling. A girl that he had lusted after in his teenage years, blonde, blue eyed, with an amazing figure. She was in her uniform. She ran into the female rest rooms.
He didn’t want to follow, but his legs carried him there. His hand felt a compulsion to open the door, and he did so. He ran in, and saw her standing there in the school courtyard. He looked behind him, but there was no door. He turned again, and the girl hugged him and kissed him. She leaned back, still gripping on to him with her legs and arms, and laughed. Her long, thin tongue stuck out, and Jackson heard a rumbling behind him.
He saw the waterfall had advanced on to his school, and was nearly upon him. He couldn’t move, as the girl’s legs restricted his own. The ground collapsed under him, and he fell. As he tumbled, he could see the ground coming up to meet him, with the sounds of battle sounding clearer. He looked the girl in the eye, and found that her eyes had changed to black. Her face shook about for a second before turning into a dark helmet.
The scholum uniformed darkened, shortened and hardened. Her stomach was now revealed, but only for a moment before skin tight mesh swallowed it up. Her shirt was now a breastplate, exaggerating her features. Her legs were now brought up, crouching on him. Bat-like wings came out from her back, and Jackson’s descent slowed. The force of the air pulled the girl off him, but not before grasping on to his arms, tearing holes in the wrists with talon like fingers.
As he fell, he felt something on his back. A grav-chute! He slapped a button on the left strap, and the chute activated. He slowed again, to a much more reasonable descent. As he fell, he could see the blackness of space. In fact, the battlefield below was all that existed. Beyond it lay stars and galaxies. There was no sun here. In fact, this wasn’t a world. It was a rectangular board. As he came closer, he could make out an Imperial camp. He turned towards it, and his body spun a few times. He concentrated for a moment, and he swerved in much faster than normal.
Jackson landed in front of the command tent. He unstrapped the grav chute, and ran inside. He saw Sergeant Palsy, his first officer when he got recruited. The Sergeant grabbed him, and looked him in the eye.
“Why aren’t you helping your brothers out there?”
Jackson shook his head.
“Sir, I-”
The Sergeant snarled, his needle-like teeth separating for just a moment. His eyes dilated to the point where Jackson could no longer see the whites. His skin paled, and then turned scarred. His hair fell out in tuffs, turning into fat, black, leeches on the way down. A renegade Eldar looked at Jackson. The tent blew away, to reveal purple and black streaks lining the stars. Jackson’s wrists hurt. He couldn’t move his arms or hands.
He looked about. He was strapped to an Eldar transport vehicle. Chains went through his wrist, and one of the renegades was looking down at him. Unlike the elegance of most of the Eldar he had encountered today, this one was ugly, scarred. It looked down at him and chucked, it’s needle teeth showing. He screamed, and screamed. The Eldar stroked his hair before balancing itself on the transport. It was going to be a long day...