by Alicia McKenzie
DISCLAIMER: Cable and Blaquesmith belong to Marvel, and Delirium and Barnabas belong to DC/Vertigo. No money is being made from this story.
He'd found shelter. Bit of a grandiose way to put it. Implied thought. . .planning. Observe our subject, ladies and gentlemen. He woke up in an alley, noticed he was bleeding from several gunshot wounds, and decided that finding someplace out of the rain might be advisable. Nothing like that. Just finding the quiet. The dark. Out of sight. A wounded animal dragging itself to a corner to die in. . .
He thought it was a warehouse. Not quite sure. . .it looked like one, but there were always places that weren't what they looked like. Places that would have been him, if they were people.
As he laid on the floor, staring up at the shadows the ceiling was hiding inside, his vision kept going in and out of focus. There was something hot. . .blood? running into his eyes from somewhere. Cable lifted a hand to wipe it away, but let his arm fall back to the floor. Too much effort. His arm wouldn't move the way he told it to move. . .imagine that. The gall.
Cold. He'd been cold since he'd woken up in the alley. At least the blood was hot. He could feel it beneath him, too, on the floor.
Solo missions were bad things, he decided. If the rest of the Pack had been here. . .well, he wouldn't have been here, would he? Cause and effect, backwards and forwards, the same whatever direction you looked at it. He wouldn't do THIS again. Much better to have someone watching your back. Much less chance of getting shot in the back, that way. Literally as well as figuratively.
His hazy mind toyed with the metaphor. He liked metaphors. Especially when they were true. Had a sort of lovely irony to them, true metaphors, at times like this.
Metaphors. Words. Names. "What's in a name," someone murmured in a strange, weak voice. "Truth and l-lies. . .and keys. . .and g-games. . ."
Something was nudging his hand. A cold wet something.
Now the something was licking it. Cable let his eyes drift closed for a moment, wondering with detached indifference if he was about to become lunch for a rat. A rat or a cat or a bat. . .the words echoed inanely in his mind, silver coins falling into dark water and sinking right to the bottom. . .
The something nipped him. He twitched, too weak to do anything else, and the buzz in his mind altered, started to taste like surprise.
*I do SAY! He's alive!*
There was a soft giggle from another something, a giggle that sounded like bells and bubbling water and maybe a little like madness, too, if madness could laugh. Which it could. He'd heard it. All in silver armor, laughing. . .
"Of cOurSE he'S aLivE BaRnABas. FeLt HiM in My hEAd I diD. AlL goLDen and. Um. ShiNy."
*Well, he doesn't look terribly shiny at the moment, sweetness. A little under the weather, if you ask me.*
"BuT hE Is ShiNY iF yOU KnoW HoW To LoOK, anD ThAt'S WhY I thOughT wE shOuld StOP HeRe BeFore We wENT tO sEE tHE oThErs, yOU KnoW, BeCAusE i lIKE shINy ThiNGs aNd yOu DoN'T sEE shiNY pEopLE aS mUCh As YoU Do shINY ThinGs sO MayBE He MiGHT bE. Um. SpeCIAL or SomEtHinG, aND maYbE I waNT to TalK to HiM For A WhiLE iF He'LL lisTEN."
Cable opened his eyes and blinked, blearily, at the faces looking down at him. One was a dog. A talking dog?
*The name's Barnabas,* the dog said pleasantly. It started to extend a paw, and then hesitated. *Ah, well. You don't look as if you're up to shaking hands, at the moment.*
"oF CoURse hE's nOT uP siLLy bArnAbas. He'S On thE. Um. fLoor," the girl beside him said.
Cable blinked up at her, a little dazzled. Her hair was a wild blaze of color around a small, pale face that wore a slightly lost expression. Her eyes were as mismatched as his. Blue and green. Only they weren't eyes, they were doors, and he didn't want to see what was behind them. Not when he had no walls of his own to hide behind and no way to pretend that it was all a dream. . .
She smiled at him. Vacantly. "yOu hAve eYes liKe mIne buT miNe dOn'T GlOw. CaN yOU sHow me HoW tO gLow?"
He tried to say something, but nothing came out but a groan. She frowned, her brow knitting as if in concentration. Somehow, it was a very frightening sight.
"cAn'T yOU tAlk tO Me aND TeLl mE hOw tO GlOw?"
*I don't think he can,* the dog said almost regretfully. *He's hurt. I find myself wondering if we shouldn't be expecting your sister, shortly.*
"sHe wOn'T coMe FoR hiM. NoT tHIs oNe yet. I kNOw tHesE tHinGS yOu KnOw. i KnoW lOTs of tHinGs lIkE tHaT, eVeN iF pEoPLe dON't tHinK I Do, aNd I lIkE pEoPle wHo See ThAt." The girl knelt down beside him, her strange eyes never leaving his face. "pEoPle dOn'T liSTen tO Me uSuaLLy but YoU wiLL wOn'T you? BeCAuse you SeE thiNGs Too and HaVe aLL tHose ThiNGs aNd TiMes aND uM. AlL ThoSe ThiNGs LikE tHaT BalaNcEd All BaLAncEd iN YoUr HeAd LiKe a JumBlE or a Riddle, AnD I tHinK I kNow ThAt RiddLE sO dO you WanT mE tO Umm TeLL yOU?"
Her eyes were. . .
Hypnotic.
"What. . .r-riddle?" He wasn't sure how he managed the question.
She blinked at him. "wHy tHe One YoU wANt To KnOW sO mUCh, tHe OnE thAt MaKes YoU nOT sLEEp aND cRY wHEN yOU Do bEcAUse YoU dreAM bAd thINgs aND tHEn WaKe uP aNd WisH YoUr um LifE waS alL a dREaM, aNd I tHiNk yoU MuSt KnoW My BroThEr BeCauSe YoU DrEam sO muCH, EvEn WhEn You'Re aWAkE anD Don'T yOU eVEr GeT tIReD oF DrEaMinG?" She reached out and touched his forehead lightly. His whole body jerked as a strange chill shot through him. "I CaN TeLL yOU the RiDDlE iF YoU LiKe, BeCaUsE yoU'Re BeIng HeRe AnD lIStEning To Me And aLl ThAt. OnLy YoU nEEd tO StOp leAkIng sO tHaT yOu WoN'T dIe fIrSt, So MakE it StOp, YoU kNow, WiTh yOur MiND?"
*Maybe we should go away and let the nice man die in peace. Your sister should be here soon, from the looks of it. . .*
Make it stop. With his mind. Cable thought about it. She made it sound so simple.
"YoU KnOW. JuSt MaKe aLL tHe ReD sTuFF StaY InsIdE yoU, wHere It BeLOnGS. JuSt LiKE tHAt, YeS, Isn'T He ClEVer BarNaBas?"
*Very clever, yes.*
It took a great deal of his strength, the strength he didn't really have, but he focused, keeping blood flowing where it should, past the holes. Holes in him, he thought dazedly, staring into the girl's eyes. Holes in reality. . .
"TheRe NoW isN'T ThAt BeTTer wItHoUt AlL ThAt ReD CoMInG OuT oF YoU?"
He tried to answer her, but choked on the taste of blood. Not quite. . .fixed, then, he thought weakly. Just. . .some more time bought.
Time? Was he on a clock, here? He didn't know what time it was, what day it was. He was having trouble remembering where he was. . .
"dOn'T tRy AnD tAlK iF yOu DoN'T wAnT tO TaLK beCauSE I CaN HeAr yOU In My HeAD anD sO If YoU dOn'T WaNT tO tAlK wITh YoUR VoICE, EvEn ThOugH It'S A NiCe VoicE, wE cAn StiLL hAvE a NiCe ConvErsAtion aNd ThiNgs Like ThaT. um. YoU ThInk A LoT AboUt TiMe, DoN'T yOu?"
*He does have the look about him, doesn't he?* the dog said, sitting down on his other side. *The type that's always rushing to do something, or see someone. . .*
"nOT QuITe BarNaBaS, DoN'T YoU See? He'S NoT RusHing BeCAuSe He'S AfRaid, BuT He SeEs iT oFF In ThE DisTanCe aNd KnoWs He Has To Get TheRE SomeDaY, sO He TriES tO LivE aNd Do Um. ThINgS tHat MorTalS dO BuT hE thInkS He'S GoINg To LoSE thEm All So He DoESn'T HoLd On Too TiGhtLy AnD TheY BlOW AwaY SoRt Of lIKe ThoSe FlufFy wHiTE ThiNgS From PlAnTs, You KnoW. . ." She trailed off, a puzzled look on her face. "WeRe wE TalKiNg AbOuT FlOwErS, NiCE MaN? I HaVe A FloWeR, SeE?" She held up what looked like a slightly crushed orchid. "It'S PrEttY and I FoUnd It in a GarDen. Um. SoMeWheRe aRoUnd HeRe Or MaYbE It WaS In The HoT PlacE, Do YoU RemeMbEr wHeRe The FloWeRs WeRe, BaRnaBAs?"
*I think you acquired that one in the greenhouse, yes.*
"ThE HoT PlACE. I LikEd It TheRe, So MaNy FloWeRs AnD All So PreTTY, AnD All ThE GlAss WalLS anD CeILinGs So YoU CoUlD See ThE SkY, AnD YoU DoN'T LooK At ThE SkY A LoT Do You, NiCe MaN?"
Skies. The sky in his time had been dirty gray, more often than not, and when the sun had been out, it had been worse, because the sun killed, not fast unless you were out in the desert, the desert he hated, but slow, so slow it was invisible. . .
The girl smiled and patted his shoulder. "BuT ThAt'S NoT HeRe YeT aND So YoU shOulDn't Not LikE the PreTTY BriGHt Sun ThaT'S HeRe, AnD I ThInk ThaT I WoUlD gEt mY TiMeS MiXed Up ToO iF I WeRe yOu AnD HaD So maNY TiMEs AlL BaLanCed In My HeAd, AnD I WaS GoInG To TeLL YoU a RiddLE, WaSn'T I?" She turned a reproachful look on the dog. "BARnaBas, YoU ShoUldN'T LeT me FoRgeT ThiNgS LikE ThAT, BeCAuSE It'S NoT PoLiTE To KeEp The NiCE MaN WaiTInG To HeaR the RiDdlE thaT MakEs HiM SaD, AnD I ShoUlD TeLL HiM SooN, BeForE hIS fRienD gETs HeRE BeCAusE He WoUlDN'T knOW mE EvEn if He ThiNKS hE WoulD, NoT EvEn a LittLE lIke I KnoW mYself."
The dog snorted. *Well, tell him now that you remember. Before you forget.*
Cable flinched as the world stopped its slow spinning. The dog's blunt, pragmatic words were like a dash of cold water in the face. But then the girl was talking again, and he was drawn back into the spell her words cast, the slow, dreamy flickering lights each word sparked in his mind, as if she wasn't talking to him, but to a deeper part of him, one he couldn't touch when he was awake and in his right mind.
"yOu WanT to KnoW WheRe TiME GoEs WhEn It'S OvEr And WheThEr ThInGs ChanGe WhEn YoU WanT TheM To, oR If YoU'Re JuST DrEamInG oF ThiNgs ThAT Can'T Be ReAl BeCAuse OtheRwiSe tHe WorlD LoOkS ToO SaDly aNd YoU WaNT iT AlL To StOp. . ."
And the floor beneath him didn't feel quite solid, anymore. It was as if he was floating, the girl's eyes the only thing anchoring him anywhere, and that 'where' was a place where there weren't any rules and he could see forever. . .
"YoU WanT tO KnoW iF DrEamS tHat yoU BelIevE iN ArE ReAl If YoU BeLiEve In TheM oR iF PeOpLe DiE foR TheM sInCe YoU'Re AfRAiD To BeliEve In ThiNgs ThaT yOU Can'T MaKe rEAl YouRSelF. AnD You WanT tO KnoW iF YoU CaN CaLL PeoPlE BaCk FroM My SiSteR's ReAlm, YoU kNoW, ThE LanDs WhErE the SuN DoESn'T ShInE, JuSt By MakIng The ThInGS And PlAcEs DiFFeRENT So TheY LivEd in DiFFeREnT WaYs aNd maYbE NeVeR EvEn KnEw YoU." Her eyes were luminous, blank and incurious. "BuT ThAT'S So SaD, NiCe MaN, DoN'T YoU See? IF TheY DiDn'T KnoW YoU TheN YoU CaN'T Be YoU, BeCauSe EveRytHIng YoU SeE anD tOuCh Is ParT oF YoU, AnD If YoU TaKE ThE PeOpLE AwAy TheN YoU TurN InTo AlL FaDiNg ThIngS LiKe StReeTLiGhTS WheN the SuN CoMeS Up oR StAR StuFF AfTeR ItS StAr DieS, AlL AlOnE In ThE DaRk, aND YoU'RE AfRaiD EnOugh Of The DaRK AlREady, So I WoUlDn'T Do ThaT If I WerE yOU, BuT I'M NoT. Um."
*Well put, my dear.*
"ThaNK YoU BaRnABaS, I tRy To sAY ThiNgS ThAt MaTTeR WhEn I TalK BeCaUSe TheN PeoPle DoN'T JusT ThiNK I'M AlL FisHiEs or AnyTHiNG," the girl said with another giggle.
Cable felt something. . .tug at his mind. Something familiar. But everything was fading. . .like streetlights at dawn. . .and he was too tired to answer. . .
A flash of light nearly blinded him. "Nathan! By the Bright Lady, are you. . ."
He blinked, trying to clear his eyes, and turned his head slowly, painfully, to see Blaquesmith. Who was staring, the expression on his insectoid face one of complete shock, directly at the girl.
The girl stood up smoothly, smiling vacantly at Cable's old teacher. "yOu ShoUlDn'T MaKE HiM ThiNk ThaT TiMe GoEs AwAy," she said, almost chidingly. "beCauSe TheN He'LL Go AwAy aNd YoU DoN'T ReaLLY wAnt That, NoT in The PlaCes InsiDe wHEre YoU fEeL ThiNgS, Do YoU? Um. The OtHeR Ones. TheY'Re NoT VeRy NiCe ArE TheY, MayBe TheY NeED To SeE HiM LikE YoU dO wHEn YoU SaY TruE ThiNGs InSide You. TheY WanT HiM To Do WhAT tHeY wAnT aND thEn Go AwAy, TheY wAnT HiM To Be TheIR DreAm tHat TheY cAn WaKE uP FrOm AnyTIME TheY WaNT, But YoU Don't, AnD MaYbe YoU ShoUld TeLL Him ThaT soMeTimes, ThaT yOU DoN'T WaNt HiM To Go AwaY?"
"I. . ." Blaquesmith swallowed. He was shockingly pale. Cable wondered dazedly why he seemed to be so afraid of the girl. She seemed so sweet, after all, and she made so much sense if you listened to her, even if she did talk around and around in circles that you drowned in. . ."I will most certainly consider it, my Lady."
"GoOD BeCauSE he'S A NiCe MaN, EvEn iF He'S So SaD, AnD hE NeEdS To LoOk At ThE SkY AnD PiCk FloWeRs anD SwiM wiTh the FishIeS anD um. LoVe aNd ThiNgS LikE ThaT. YoU KnoW. BeFoRe eNdS AnD tHiNGs. aNd EvEn peOpLe lIkE yOu AnD HiM, wHo LiVE OuTSiDe Of TimE, yOu AlL EnD. . ."
Cable turned his head to look back at the girl, but she was gone. So was the dog. He stared through the empty space where she'd been, a little regretfully. He hadn't even gotten the chance to say. . .
He passed out, and awoke eighteen hours later in Greymalkin's medbay, only vaguely remembering a strange dream about a girl with stranger eyes.
Neither he, nor Blaquesmith, or even the usually observant Professor noticed the tiny, jewel-like fish that floated in a corner of the room, watching them with a friendly sort of detachment for a few moments, before it swam unconcernedly through the window into space.
And disappeared.
fin