Kerrigan's Platform Above Char
River tilted her head as she watched the screen. Her brother was here, brought by Raynor. She had expected Simon to come, eventually. He didn't understand, and when he didn't, he didn't listen. While her face was a calm mask, the emotions inside her ran like contradictory currents, painfully crawling under her skin. He wasn't a threat as much as an inconvenience. He was also her brother and he should be with her.
River turned her head to look at Kerrigan. "Let them in?"
Kerrigan's eyelids shuttered. "For what purpose?" she asked.
"Closure." Her gaze turned back to the screen, waiting for Kerrigan's response.
Kerrigan stayed silent for a long moment. She cast a calculating look towards the screen.
"Very well," she said. "But I expect you to clean up yourself when you're done."
---
"A little too easy," Raynor muttered as they were led to the fortress.
"She knows who I am," Simon replied. "She knows I won't... abandon her." He had been about to say 'let her down', but he wasn't sure that was the case.
"Yeah," Raynor muttered. He didn't sound too hopeful. "Must be it."
---
River folded her bony wings as she turned to face her brother. She tilted her head, searching for the look of recognition in his eyes. She had changed, after all. "Simon?"
The alien creature in front of him moved in a familiar way. Part human, part insect, it seemed, with inhuman yellow eyes and hair like long insects' legs. And then she spoke. Simon's eyes widened in shock. "River?"
Struggling with himself for a while, Simon took a few steps closer. "Is that you?"
"It's me." His eyes were filled with revulsion. River had expected that, but her it made her human self hurt. Her wings dropped a little. "I've changed. Couldn't tell you before."
"How..?" That was all he could think of.
He needed facts. River could provide them. "Am a Zerg-Human hybrid," she said. "Kerrigan had me infested. I serve her." But he needed more than facts. "Was never quite human after the Academy. Something half a weapon, half a human in the shell of a girl. The transformation is completed and improved." Would that make him understand? "We have a purpose." She glanced at Kerrigan.
He hadn't been sure what to expect, but he could never have imagined this. "When we met in Fandom you were human." It was the first thing that came into his mind.
"Illusion. I was hiding." River approached him slowly, spreading her wings. She reached out a hand.
Instinctively Simon moved back, but then he forced his mind to recognise that this was his sister. He reached out his arms and took her bony hand in his. "Come home with me, River."
He still didn't understand. "This is home." There was a hard edge to her voice. He needed to listen. Perhaps he wasn't as good at that when what was being said wasn't what he wanted to hear.
Stepping closer, the strange creature in front of him became more familiar. The expression and the movements were all River's, and even the way she spoke. "No!" he said. "Come back with me to Serenity! You said you could hide - look human - if needed. They will accept you, of course."
"Like they did before?" She smiled a little. "The crazy girl now grown up?" No. They had accepted her, but sometimes she had made them uneasy. Now, the girl was gone and all that remained was her, a creature made for battle. Apart from her zerg mother, only Jack would have truly been able to admire what she had become. What had happened to him?
Before Simon could reply, she said: "We don't have to be apart. You can join us." A glance was thrown in Kerrigan's direction.
Kerrigan's eyes found River's briefly. He wasn't a telepath; he likely would be of no use to her.
But she said nothing, leaving this to her to decide. She had other guests to deal with. Her mind reached out for her troops.
Simon hesitated, then said: "You mean, become like you?" The horror he felt about that was clearly visible on his face. He couldn't hide it.
The little sister inside leapt forward and clung to his hand. "It's not hard! We'd be together! Minds open to each other, no need for words! The zerg don't have that limitation!"
"Telepathic?" he asked, to make sure he understood. It didn't make the choice any more palatable, though - if anything the opposite.
"Yes!" There was a bright smile on the alien face, aimed to change his attitude, but the zerg mind was expecting this to be a battle lost.
"I can't do that, River." Simon shook his head. "It's..." Not a life?
She could force him. She could knock him out and transform him against his will. He'd be angry at first, but he would forgive her. He always did.
"Do tell us what it is," Kerrigan said, tilting her head. Almost... curiously, if you couldn't recognise the malice in her eyes.
"What if I didn't let you leave? What if you had to?" River challenged her brother.
"I won't leave, River. Not without you." He looked back at her, tiredness showing. "But I can't be... like you. I... thought you'd know that."
So. He'd stay. She'd throw him out and he'd return. He was stubborn like that.
River let out a cry that hardly sounded human. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and spun around, then fell on her knees.
He was her human life clinging to him. "Not free," she muttered. What would he be if she forced the transformation? A human shade trapped in a life not for him. "No patients to rescue."
"River." He moved closer, reaching out to place a hand on... her wing? No. He pulled the hand back. "I won't leave you."
"Go away," she muttered, but it was pointless.
"I won't leave you," he repeated.
"GO AWAY!" She turned suddenly and let the zerg move. The wing lashed out with precision.
The pain in his chest was so sudden. Simon's eyes widened, looking at River rather than at the bony tip of a wing that impaled his body.
The light in his eyes was gone quickly and River dropped him on to the floor. "Bye, Simon." She tilted her head slightly. "I'll mourn you." Maybe she'd miss him too.
[NFI and NFB due to distance. OOC welcome. Warning for violence and dark themes. And thank you to on_her_korhal !]
River turned her head to look at Kerrigan. "Let them in?"
Kerrigan's eyelids shuttered. "For what purpose?" she asked.
"Closure." Her gaze turned back to the screen, waiting for Kerrigan's response.
Kerrigan stayed silent for a long moment. She cast a calculating look towards the screen.
"Very well," she said. "But I expect you to clean up yourself when you're done."
---
"A little too easy," Raynor muttered as they were led to the fortress.
"She knows who I am," Simon replied. "She knows I won't... abandon her." He had been about to say 'let her down', but he wasn't sure that was the case.
"Yeah," Raynor muttered. He didn't sound too hopeful. "Must be it."
---
River folded her bony wings as she turned to face her brother. She tilted her head, searching for the look of recognition in his eyes. She had changed, after all. "Simon?"
The alien creature in front of him moved in a familiar way. Part human, part insect, it seemed, with inhuman yellow eyes and hair like long insects' legs. And then she spoke. Simon's eyes widened in shock. "River?"
Struggling with himself for a while, Simon took a few steps closer. "Is that you?"
"It's me." His eyes were filled with revulsion. River had expected that, but her it made her human self hurt. Her wings dropped a little. "I've changed. Couldn't tell you before."
"How..?" That was all he could think of.
He needed facts. River could provide them. "Am a Zerg-Human hybrid," she said. "Kerrigan had me infested. I serve her." But he needed more than facts. "Was never quite human after the Academy. Something half a weapon, half a human in the shell of a girl. The transformation is completed and improved." Would that make him understand? "We have a purpose." She glanced at Kerrigan.
He hadn't been sure what to expect, but he could never have imagined this. "When we met in Fandom you were human." It was the first thing that came into his mind.
"Illusion. I was hiding." River approached him slowly, spreading her wings. She reached out a hand.
Instinctively Simon moved back, but then he forced his mind to recognise that this was his sister. He reached out his arms and took her bony hand in his. "Come home with me, River."
He still didn't understand. "This is home." There was a hard edge to her voice. He needed to listen. Perhaps he wasn't as good at that when what was being said wasn't what he wanted to hear.
Stepping closer, the strange creature in front of him became more familiar. The expression and the movements were all River's, and even the way she spoke. "No!" he said. "Come back with me to Serenity! You said you could hide - look human - if needed. They will accept you, of course."
"Like they did before?" She smiled a little. "The crazy girl now grown up?" No. They had accepted her, but sometimes she had made them uneasy. Now, the girl was gone and all that remained was her, a creature made for battle. Apart from her zerg mother, only Jack would have truly been able to admire what she had become. What had happened to him?
Before Simon could reply, she said: "We don't have to be apart. You can join us." A glance was thrown in Kerrigan's direction.
Kerrigan's eyes found River's briefly. He wasn't a telepath; he likely would be of no use to her.
But she said nothing, leaving this to her to decide. She had other guests to deal with. Her mind reached out for her troops.
Simon hesitated, then said: "You mean, become like you?" The horror he felt about that was clearly visible on his face. He couldn't hide it.
The little sister inside leapt forward and clung to his hand. "It's not hard! We'd be together! Minds open to each other, no need for words! The zerg don't have that limitation!"
"Telepathic?" he asked, to make sure he understood. It didn't make the choice any more palatable, though - if anything the opposite.
"Yes!" There was a bright smile on the alien face, aimed to change his attitude, but the zerg mind was expecting this to be a battle lost.
"I can't do that, River." Simon shook his head. "It's..." Not a life?
She could force him. She could knock him out and transform him against his will. He'd be angry at first, but he would forgive her. He always did.
"Do tell us what it is," Kerrigan said, tilting her head. Almost... curiously, if you couldn't recognise the malice in her eyes.
"What if I didn't let you leave? What if you had to?" River challenged her brother.
"I won't leave, River. Not without you." He looked back at her, tiredness showing. "But I can't be... like you. I... thought you'd know that."
So. He'd stay. She'd throw him out and he'd return. He was stubborn like that.
River let out a cry that hardly sounded human. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and spun around, then fell on her knees.
He was her human life clinging to him. "Not free," she muttered. What would he be if she forced the transformation? A human shade trapped in a life not for him. "No patients to rescue."
"River." He moved closer, reaching out to place a hand on... her wing? No. He pulled the hand back. "I won't leave you."
"Go away," she muttered, but it was pointless.
"I won't leave you," he repeated.
"GO AWAY!" She turned suddenly and let the zerg move. The wing lashed out with precision.
The pain in his chest was so sudden. Simon's eyes widened, looking at River rather than at the bony tip of a wing that impaled his body.
The light in his eyes was gone quickly and River dropped him on to the floor. "Bye, Simon." She tilted her head slightly. "I'll mourn you." Maybe she'd miss him too.
[NFI and NFB due to distance. OOC welcome. Warning for violence and dark themes. And thank you to on_her_korhal !]