Random Adventure Three ? A prequel

I saw it, before my very sight, glowing to me like a precious
thing. That thing that revelled in its own secrecy for so many years,
stinging , stinging quietly into the heart of what was always meant to
be, an enviable and happy life. The bond, the vow of trust that we took
is wearing, how can I be expected to live with a man who shrouds that
greater part of himself, from me, the woman he called 'his greatest
ever passion'.

Today I found a key, maybe amidst the great storm of things
Chris hides from me, he somehow managed to forget this one thing, or
maybe I'm just telling myself to deny the fact that I've been looking
for that key, for years. The caring man of such warm good nature that I
loved is slipping away, night after night the flat depression in the
bed beside me where his warmth should lie gnaws at my mind, to know
that he has left, gone back to that precious thing, to be with his
secrets again. It's for our son; it has to be, I have to end this
standoff before it breaks us, and breaks William with us. He's already
too much like his father, I know he keeps things from us, suppressed
inside his little mind, and I won't let him be taken by it.

I remember the last time, when I even suggested that he might
tell me more about what he is doing in the dead of the night, locked
away from us. He had to bite down on his lip to keep from screaming at
me but the hate was as clear, strong and acid etched as the creases
breaking across his face. It has to end, now, I am taking the key and
exposing his secret, and even if it destroys our marriage I would
rather have it end this way now that slowly wear away at my son until
his future is corrupted by it. That is why I took it, I took the key up
and pushed directly towards the other room, I thrust the key in and
turned and entered, before the fear, could have a chance, to take me
again.

A plain wooden desk stood ahead in the centre of a pure white
space, a space dead of decoration or pretence, a space where my husband
could show his true form in isolation. Placed on the centre on the
table there was a cheap table lamp for the night, it shadowed a whole
new entity, a small black sphere glistening like polished marble, a
dense, silent and vengeful thing. Beside it though there is a pen and a
large a pad of writing paper full of scribbles, his diary?
...

---

---

December 18th, 1921a.
The Messenger is getting darker; I'm beginning to have trouble opening
it, most definitely a bad sign.
-
News is growing scarce; the others aren't speaking to me as frequently.
Lulls in communication do happen but this is something else, today it
took one hour to open the Messenger in contrast with early times where
the smallest trigger from my mind projected at the device would open up
a vibrant burst of flowing energy bearing the information I need.
-
I wish that this were simply some random event, but that is beginning
to seem so implausible now. Out there, in the depths of our plane? I
knew it was coming, I remember the rumours and whispers and fear
circulating in the luminous plume of the Messenger, and now it has
come, war.

---

December 23rd 1921a.
Doom is coming! I'm done for; I don't know if I can survive another
Christmas. Every year I'm subject to a deluge of tacky sentiment and
false promise, not to mention the God damned relatives - oh if Gene
turns up again I don't know if I can resist the temptation to kill him
before my family are subject to a repeat of the Christmas-1919c fiasco.
However, Joanna insists, and I so I simply must yield on the issue, how
can I not, I have lied to her and betrayed her on levels she could
scarcely imagine, damn it if she could just keep back from my private
life, end the questions and the intrusion we could be so much happier.
I can only hope that the war, if it really has begun, turns in our
favour before I have to hurt her in much more physical ways, God forbid
it.
-
The Messenger has been a little more forthcoming this night, I managed
to open the it in fifteen minutes albeit with a vigorous effort, as the
energy field encompassed me two voices came quite readily. They are
stationed on the far corner of the Andromeda galaxy, it always brings a
smile to me as the locals there have such a refreshing culture. They
know nothing of any war, so I could just be overreacting, I hope I
am.

---

December 26th 1921a.
MY GOD what I wouldn't give for five minutes peace from them, once her
lonely old parents show up with their tedious stories amassed from the
passing year, it's all over, there is no bloody escape from the -
-
Joanna called for me, she knew I was in here and she just couldn't
resist a chance to take me away, maybe even get a little glimpse
inside. The dear idiotic woman needs to learn to keep away for her own
sake; she could never be ready to know about us, none of the humans
are. All I wanted was a brief escape, a chance to use the messenger,
talk with the rest of my kind to heal my sanity but no. Well at least,
now's my chance, now I will open the Messenger again.
-
It's over, over, our race is going to be wiped out, why didn't I pay
more attention, I should have listened more carefully, I COULD HAVE
HEARD SOMETHING! SAVED PEOLE! The shadow has descended, some time
yesterday, while I was FORCING TURKEY MEAT DOWN THIS ORGAN BAG WITH
SOME DRY OLD CRONES? The Evil Shadow Men swooped down in a great
intergalactic surge throughout the universe, their brutal surprise
attack, th-
-
There's a good chance that a third of our race is already gone, I
touched upon the messenger and instantly there was an eruption of
screaming, dying, the energy began to gush out from it so hard and fast
that it started to singe hairs off my body and burn at it's skin. I - I
could feel their deaths coursing though me, those grasping on, fighting
on for life but few reached shelter in time. All of Andromeda now lies
as lifeless and dead as the moon, then they'll spread to the other
galaxies for the rest of us, they'll come here, to kill us all.
-
I don't know what to do, the Messenger is vacant now, I'm lost. It's
almost black now, greying darker day by day as my people are
massacred.

---

January 1st, 1922b.
Nothing, the Messenger won't open, who can say if there's anyone left
to contact.

---

January 2nd 1922b.
A new year, a new start, life goes on, the people here are happy,
renewed by some sentimental magic and for a while my wonderful family
will be distracted from the fact that I spend so much time locked away
in here. Good.

---

January 4th 1922b.
The Messenger is turning ashy, its spines are beginning wither and its
surface is glossing over and, growing cold and stony.
-
Joanna caught my crying alone in the kitchen, I lost all control,
sobbing like a child, whimpering and juddering as the emotion took
hold. It's felt good to share the pain, but I can never tell her why,
how can I risk the safety of Earth as well.
-
Finally I've heard a voice in the messenger tonight and it had
something extraordinary to tell me, he was a scientist from a million
galaxies away - deep within the heart of the domain of the Evil Shadow
Men, he was the only one who found shelter in time on his world - he's
taught me how to build something! A device, no a doorway! It's so
simple and it will save thousands of our lives I must get to work in it
right now - I'll go to an electrical shop and pick up the parts
tomorrow! That won't be the end of it, I'll build hundreds, there is
still hope for our people, the great black hellish shadow hasn't won
yet - THE RESISTANCE HAS BEGUN.

---

January 5th.
She stopped me at the door, she wanted to know NOW, where I was going,
what I was doing and what the fucking hell I am hiding in that room
upstairs. I think I've broken her, for all the massive difference
between our races I do love her and, how am I supposed to? she says I'm
neglecting her, and neglecting our boy, my God she's right. Billy,
little Billy, how could I let myself do this to him, and to her, how
can I help to fight th- the Evil Shadow Men- when I'm just a man who
can't even hold together a mortal family? God damn them all, God save
us?

---

---

Chris Cornell sat quietly on a sofa in the living room, pretending
to watch TV. Joanna Cornell sat opposite him, pretending to watch TV.
Silence reigned for so long that it became almost impenetrable. Neither
of them had the strength left to do anything to prevent the decay. "How
was your day?" Chris uttered. It was as if his words are laced with
poison the way she recoiled back into her seat. "Good." She bleated as
her eyes flared open at him, fighting the tremble that spread
throughout her entire body. Chris didn't dare look away from the TV
long enough to see what he knew was happening to her. "That's good to
hear." He replied
Joanna managed to push down the rising panic and using the force of
dread, cap it before it exploded. "how was your day, Chris?" Chris's
head grew drowsy and troubled until he could no longer keep it from
sagging down.
"The same as usual."
"And what's usual, Chris." She blurted immediately.
"You know I can't talk about that! ? never mind love, how's
Billy?"

At that moment an image appeared vibrantly in her mind, it was the key,
this morning, the key she took as Chris left for the store. "He hasn't
been called that in years, he wants us to call him William now like the
other kids do. But then you should know that since you're his father?
do you even remember what he looks like?" Suddenly a great dread
detonated in Chris's stomach like he'd never felt before and it
paralysed him, he froze dead in place peering down, as his wife finally
spoke the words: "Chris, what are you." And then the dread
took both of them.

"I'm a ranger." He choked in a drag of slippery breath, "We're not
like you, we're from really far away, not just in terms of distance as
you understand it, almost a different reality."
"Keep talking, Chris." Joanna began to take up a murderous demeanour,
whilst still dangling on the edge of complete nervous breakdown. "You
tell me everything." "I'm still the man you always knew, just lied
about where I was from." Not the time for wry jokes at all, and he saw
this immediately.
"You finish this before William gets home or so help me I'll destroy
you."
"I'm sorry about? Ok, I'll tell you, if it'll make things any better
I'll tell you everything, but it won't? I chose to come here, our
community always needs volunteers to go out into the field, learn, to
help, to discover, just like Star Trek, but things changed, then the
real reason I was here was to keep watch, in case the enemy
launched it's attack."
"The Evil Shadow Men" Joanna simply gasped.

"They're not just our enemies; they are all our enemies, every living
thing? Joanna, have you ever looked up at the stars and noticed that
they don't inspire you like they used to?"
Her mouth began to gape, and her gaze narrowed upon him, "I thought I
was just getting older. Right?"
"It's all dying, Joanna, because of them. They're expanding throughout
the entire universe like a titanic swarm, engulfing all life and
ceasing it. The only reason they aren't here yet is because they are
focusing their power on bigger civilisations, like ours, their final
invasion has already begun but it's not too late! We've found a way to
build a new transport network; survivors will be able to escape, to
places like here without being seen by them."
"You can't do this! What if they find you?"
"Please Joanna, help me. I've already built the first of the gateways
but I need to deploy them first, they need to be connected to a low
voltage electronic network and it must be inconspicuous. If the
refugees are detected, if they end up on the news or so much as one
transmission mentioning them escapes into space, the Evil Shadow Men
will come, here."

Joanna sat, her mind, dazed warped and overcome, she wouldn't say a
thing, the contours of her face flattened as if they simply did not
know a way to express what she was feeling. She had been pushed well
over the edge. "Why me."
As Joanna's expression slowly crumbled, Chris reciprocated
uncontrollably. "Its vital that as few people know as possible, you're
the only human who knows and even one is too many. I won't lie to you,
this will be harder than you can imagine but I need help planting the
gateways inconspicuously, we have to find a way. Will you help me,
please?"

Joanna careered ever further over the edge, she could barely speak
anymore, barely do anything while she was still being mauled by the
urge to be violently sick.
"Billions of us are going to die, if after all that, someone tried to
expose our hiding on Earth and risk invasion, they could become
dangerous and ruthless, they'd stop at nothing to keep it secret do you
understand me."
A rapid heaving lunge took hold of Joanna and she all but disgorged her
whole stomach through the unrelenting stress. A staggering trip took
her towards the door frame where she clasped on feebly, waning. "Where
are you going! Fucking get back you bitch!"

A lone moment of cohesiveness gathered in her, and in that moment she
stood upright, facing the man she knew, to force out through the mix of
gut wrenching sickness and numbness, what had to be said. "Make sure
William grows up knowing that it's not his fault I left? No, I will not
help you."

With that said, she began to flee, with a singular will taken hold she
made herself collect what bare essentials might keep her alive out
there, anywhere, as long did not once have to look back at him or
acknowledge the shame that saturated her body. Chris could only lay in
manic despair at the unshifting visions of all the lives that would be
crushed by the falling shadow.