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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ankh-Morpork Guard" data-source="post: 2695880" data-attributes="member: 10079">Chapter 297: Cold and Alone...TogetherNot a minute after hearing the familiar voice of Jen Voort and they saw her...or rather, she stepped into view. Seeing her again was at least mildly shocking, both because despite tracking her for so long, neither really expected to find her, and because she looked...the same. After the trail Shadow and Jyren had followed to get to Hoth a mental image had come to mind that contained much more black than Jen had ever worn. But she wore no black, unless one counted the boots that she’d always worn. Instead, Jen looked exactly as they remembered her...a little taller than Shadow was as a human, a thin figure, her usual blonde hair pulled back and out of her face...which was also the same. Perhaps that was the most shocking. Even her eyes were her...but none of it fit with the situation.    The Force, however, made up for the lack of change in her appearance. Even the strong resonances of the Darkwings were drowned out by the sheer power of what Jyren could only determine as anger that emanated from her. It made it more difficult to even look at her, knowing that this horrible feeling in the Force was really centered around someone as kind-hearted and wonderful as Jen had always been.    But this wasn’t Jen anymore...even though Shadow had to remind him of that, Jyren knew. He didn’t have to like it, but Shadow didn’t either.    “Put the blaster down, Akan,” Jen said slowly, stepping to within seven or so meters of them and standing right in the center of the rows of Darkwing-filled tanks. It was then that Jyren noticed she didn’t appear to be armed.    Jyren nearly did as she’d told him to. It wasn’t because of any use of the Force, but simply because it felt like the right thing to do...then Shadow whispered, “Shoot her, Jyren.”    Instead of lowering the weapon, he turned his arm to aim it straight at Jen. His finger was held against the trigger, but it felt rock-solid as he attempted to pull it but couldn’t manage the strength. Eternity long seconds passed as he tried to fire the weapon, and this time Shadow growled at him, “Shoot her!”    But he couldn’t...and, deep down, Shadow knew she wouldn’t have been able to either. To his credit, though, Jyren didn’t lower the blaster. This frozen moment lasted only for another minute before Jen seemed to grow tired of it. Without any trouble at all, she waved a hand to the side and Jyren’s blaster hand was slammed into the open doorway hard. He yelped in surprise and pain, then naturally let go of the blaster, which dropped to the ground with a loud clunk.    Jyren quickly retrieved his hand, rubbing it gently and trying to ignore the stinging pain. Through his link with Shadow, he said. [I thought she wasn’t any good at that...]    [Things change, apparently.] Shadow commented, though outwardly she was doing her best to hold a strong, neutral expression that had always served her well in situations like this. She needed to understand what was going on before acting. But what could be said?! Even Jyren, usually good at babbling, seemed to be blank.    Jen took two small steps forward, hands crossed over her chest, before saying flatly, “I’m surprised it took you so long to get here.”    “We had...other things to take care of,” Jyren mumbled, his usual sarcasm somehow lacking its bite. He was still rubbing his hand, and Shadow soon realized he was using that to distract himself as much as possible from the moment. Or rather, from the horrible feeling in the Force that even she had trouble pushing away.    For a short moment, Jen’s eyes examined the two humans that stood in front of her, obviously knowing full well what they were actually capable of. Then, her eyes on Shadow this time, she said, “I believe it goes without saying that there is nothing you can say or do that will stop what is going to happen.”     A pause. There was an unasked question pushed at the end of that...one that both Jyren and Shadow wanted to know. But Jen would only be stupid enough to talk about it if either she’d watched far too many holodramas with those villains that could never shut up, or if she was telling the truth and it really didn’t matter what she told them. Considering it was Jen, and that she knew both Shadow and Jyren fairly well, they were inclined to go with the latter.    Still, though, Jyren gave in and asked, “What is going to happen?”    “You,” Jen snapped at him, in the venomous voice that suddenly wasn’t her’s at all, “And all of the abominations like you, will be destroyed by the monstrous creatures you created yourselves.”    Despite the fact that she was wrong about the historical origins of the Darkwings, Jyren decided it was probably not the best time to argue minor details. Go for the major ones...like the fact that she shouldn’t have any idea where the Hidden Worlds were, and that she couldn’t destroy the species without that knowledge.    “I know now,” Jen’s face had twisted itself into a small grin, one that they knew and had seen a thousand times before but suddenly looked altogether different. But that didn’t matter...it was her words. Her words and the realization that the horrible feeling in the Force had suddenly retreated. She was doing that on purpose! And they were so busy worrying about it that they ignored the other necessary blocks...they’d left their minds wide open.    Her grin only grew as she saw the realization pass over both Jyren and Shadow’s faces. Not saying a thing, Jen simply took a few steps back and extended her arm. The blaster pistol that was on the ground shook slightly before flying straight into her hand. She caught it easily, then, without even turning her head, Jen extended her arm towards a nearby tank and calmly squeezed off a blaster shot. The red bolt hit the top, metal section of the tank, sending sparks everywhere and causing a tube to spin away from its normal place, which sent a gaseous substance everywhere.    As the foggy whatever-it-was began to fill the room, Jyren and Shadow both saw the movement within the tank...and heard the sudden thud as the contents began to break its way out. The fog continued to engulf the room, but they managed to see Jen still. Casually, she threw the blaster pistol back, and Jyren caught it out of reflex, before Jen said with a nod, “Goodbye.”    She then pivoted around, and walked farther into the room and out of their sight. And then there was a very loud crash, followed by a deafening roar that Jyren knew all too well. It almost froze him in place, but he knew better than that. Very quietly though, and reaching for Shadow’s hand again, he whispered, “We need to leave.”    Shadow’s eyes darted from the no-longer visible tank where horrible sounds could be heard, and then to Jyren. Quickly, she nodded and grabbed his hand. But she didn’t wait. By the time she’d grabbed his hand, Shadow was already halfway to a run, and right away was dragging Jyren as fast as she could...knowing all the while that there was no running from what was about to come after them.</blockquote>

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