Listen to My Song (Ch 3c) - Infinite Feedback
Califf, Jennifer (jcaliff@nsai-petro.com)
Fri, 11 Jun 1999 18:37:35 -0500
Listen to My Song (Ch 3c) - Infinite Feedback
Having left Mecklinger and Jigglypuff in the makeshift communications
room, Kircheis joined Reinhart on the bridge of the flagship Brunhilde.
"Ah, Kircheis," Reinhart said, motioning for his friend to join him.
"It's almost time. Soon, the Rebel fleet will be thrown into chaos by
the song of that cute little creature." Reinhart had a look of supreme
confidence on his face, and Kircheis hoped that his friend was correct.
"Your Excellency!" shouted a member of the bridge crew, "The enemy has
launched fighters!"
"What!?!" Reinhart said in shock. "But they're not yet in range. . ."
He let the sentence trail off as he realized his opponent's plans.
Then, regaining his composure he sprang into action giving orders to his
fleet. "All ships, target those fighters. Launch our Valkyries.
Whatever you do, don't let them get too close!"
The Imperial fleet began firing laser cannons at the incoming Alliance
"Valkyries", as they began to drop their own Valkyries. They were
determined not to be beaten yet again. However, the small, maneuverable
Alliance ships had no trouble dodging fire from the large battleships,
and before the first wave of Imperial Valkyries could engage it was too
late. Sound Force had already begun their concert.
"Listen to my song!" shouted a man's voice, as sound pods attached
themselves to the Imperial Battleships. As the sound of electric
guitars and drums filled the bridge, Reinhart clenched his fists in
anger.
"No," he said aloud, and Kircheis could see the fire burning in his
commander's eyes. "I won't be beaten this way again." He looked at
Kircheis and Kircheis knew that this time there would be no retreat.
"ALL SHIPS, CONTINUE ON COURSE!! AS SOON AS WE ARE IN RANGE, BEGIN
OPERATION JIGGLYPUFF!!" Reinhart commanded, just as the horrific
singing straight out of his nightmares began once again.
"POWER TO THE DREAM! POWER TO THE MUSIC! ATARASHII YUME GA HOSHII NO
SA!"
It was all Kircheis could do to stand upright. The noise nearly swept
him off his feet, and he felt like his brain was going to explode. And
in some subconcious part of his mind, he wondered what language the
lyrics were supposed to be in.
"POWER TO THE UNIVERSE! POWER TO THE MYSTERY! ORETACHI NO POWER O
TSUTAETAI!"
Every second felt like an eternity, and the strain of the situation was
beginning to show even on Reinhart's face.
"Just a little farther. . .," he said to himself, his eye on the display
in front of him.
Meanwhile in a service area in the capital building of Phezzan, four
rather attractive young men called "Weiß" recovered their footing while
a large humanoid mobile suit/Gear lay in a pile of rubble. It had
attacked them head-on, and crashed right through a wall into the next
room. As it slowly turned around, a sinister disembodied voice laughed
eerily overhead.
"Gha, ha, ha, ha, ha!!! You can never win against this Gear! And if
you can't even defeat this, then how do you expect to control Deus?"
the voice demanded.
"Does anyone know what he's talking about?" asked Yoji. Ken shrugged,
while Aya turned to face their current adversary.
"It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the mission. Omi,"
Aya said in a cold voice as he drew his sword, "we'll handle this. You
go ahead and find the target. Make sure he doesn't get away."
Omi nodded and ran toward the door on the other side of the room.
Looking back momentarily, he saw his friends dodge yet another
kamikaze-style attack from the Gear. He quickly turned away and headed
up the stairs that, according to the blueprints, should have lead to
Rubinsky's office.
Arriving at the office, Omi stopped and listened carefully through the
door. He made out two distinct voices. One of them he recognized as
the voice that had sent the Gear after them. The other he knew had to
be Adrian Rubinsky. He silently armed his crossbow as he listened with
interest to the conversation.
"Doctor Hojo, are you certain that you have the situation under
control?" asked Rubinsky.
"Of course I do. Have no fear, Ramsus will take care of the intruders,"
replied Hojo, the owner of the mysterious voice.
"I thought you said he was unstable. . ." Rubinsky remarked uncertainly.
"Oh, he is. But in a good way. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!" Hojo laughed.
"Alright Doctor. I'll leave it to you. Report back to me when you've
finished disposing of the intruders." With that, Rubinsky severed the
connection. Omi took the opportunity to take a step forward so the he
could see his target. To his surprise, his gaze was returned by
Rubinsky himself, who sat in his chair and smiled evilly at the young
asassin.
"Welcome, Omi. I've been expecting you." Omi nearly dropped his bow in
shock at hearing his name.
"How. . .??" asked Omi, staring at the bald-headed leader of the small
neutral planet.
"Don't be so surprised, Omi. I know all about you, and your friends. I
make it my business to know," replied Rubinsky. "I have a proposition
for you. Please, have a seat." Rubinsky motioned to a nearby chair,
which Omi looked at with distrust.
"Oh, don't worry," added Rubinsky, noting his "guest's" discomfort, "If
I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be standing there right now. You never
would have made it past the front door." Omi reluctantly walked over to
the chair and sat down. He noticed that a video screen showed an image
of his friends battling against the Gear several stories below.
"What do you want?" asked Omi, fingering his weapon. He knew that this
might be his opportunity to kill Rubinsky, but something told him that
he should wait and hear what the man had to say first.
"It's a simple thing, really. I'm surprised you haven't already figured
it out. I want you and your friends to work for me. This war between
the Empire and the Alliance has gone on long enough. Join me. With our
combined strength, we can end this distructive conflict and bring order
to the Galaxy." Rubinsky cast an unfathomable look at Omi, who
instantly knew that this man was the incarnation of evil itself.
"We'll never join you," Omi replied.
"If only you understood the power behind Phezzan," Rubinsky said darkly,
clenching his fist in front of him. Then, almost casually, he remarked,
"No one ever told you what happend to your father."
"My father?" asked Omi darkly, "My father is dead. He died in the war."
Rubinsky smiled the most sinister smile imaginable.
"No. I am your father." Omi was completely caught off guard by
Rubinsky's last statement. However, as he stared at the man the truth
slowly dawned on him. But it was a truth he was unable to accept.
"No. No. That's not true. It's impossible!" Omi yelled somewhat
hysterically, pulling out his crossbow and aiming at the man claiming to
be his father.
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
"NOOOOO!! NOOOOOO!!" cried Omi, pressing his finger against the
trigger.
Back in the battle, Reinhart watched as one of the bridge crew ripped
off his headset and flung it into the console. Another had already
passed out. Even Kircheis looked as though he could barely keep his
feet.
"Almost. . ." he said to himself, forcing himself to ignore the pounding
beat that seemed to drive itself into his skull.
On he Alliance flagship, Yang Wenli studied the approaching Imperial
fleet.
"How can he still be advancing?" Yang asked aloud, scratching his head.
"Sir, the enemy is coming withing communicaitons range," announced a
member of the bridge crew. "They'll be within firing range in 5
minutes."
"What can his plan be?" Yang asked himself. Suddenly he sat upright, a
flash of inspiration dawning. "It can't be. . .."
On the Brunhilde, Reinhart felt his heart leap into his throat. Now was
their chance! On the video screen, Mecklinger recognized the signal and
released his Jigglypuff.
"Alright, Jigglypuff! Now is your chance to really sing! Sing so that
the entire galaxy can hear you, Jigglypuff!!" Mecklinger shouted, as
Jigglypuff pulled out it's microphone and began to sing.
"Jigglypuff, jigglypuff, jigglypuff, jiggly. . . ," it sang as it had
never sang before, a look of complete joy on it's face. Mecklinger
watched as the communicaitons array lit up and began to transmit
Jigglypuff's song on all known Rebel audio bands. And then, he fell
asleep.
"Sir, we're receiving an audio message on all frequencies!" announced a
member of the bridge crew. "It's interfering with all systems."
"I thought he might try something like this," Yang remarked, "I should
never have underestimated him."
"Sir, you should hear this," said the crewman, a glazed look on his face
as he played the audio across the bridge speakers.
"Jiggly puff, jiggly puff, jiggly puff, jiggly. . .," it sang, the
haunting melody causing every member of the crew to listen in rapture.
Until they started to fall asleep. Yang, barely able to keep his eyes
open, quickly realized that the music was the cause. Fighting to stay
awake, he pushed his way past the other sleeping members of his crew and
tried to shut off the music. Not finding a way to do so, made what
alterations he could and sat down on the ground next to Fredericka.
"Sound Force, it's up to you now. . .," he said, falling asleep.
Omi fired the crossbow, and the bolt shot it's way across the room
directly toward Rubinsky, the man who called himself Omi's father. Just
before it struck it's target, however, a hand reach out and plucked the
bolt out of mid air, crushing it in its mightly grip. Rubinsky's eyes
widened and for the first time he looked completely shocked at the turn
of events.
"I'm sorry, young man, but I can't let you do this," said a deep voice.
Omi stared at the person who seemed to have magically appeared in the
room - a man out of legend, who's fame stretched back through the ages.
He turned to Rubinsky.
"You thought you could escape justice by traveling to the future, didn't
you Luthor. Well, I found out all about your little scheme. The Flash
was nice enough to let me borrow his treadmill. Now I'm taking you back
to the past where you can stand trial for your crimes," said the man of
steel as he took a step towards "Luthor".
"Damn you, Superman. You'll never take me alive," snarled "Rubinsky",
as a confused Omi looked on. Suddenly and without warning he reached in
his open lead-shielded desk drawer and pulled out a glowing green stone.
Superman suddenly found himself powerless and in mortal danger in the
presence of Kryptonite.
"You won't get away, Luthor," gasped Superman as he fell to the ground
in agony.
"Wrong, Superman. I already have," laughed "Luthor" as he took another
step closer to the dying hero.
"Don't move," said Omi quietly, and Luthor/Rubinsky stiffened as he felt
a needle-like sharpness in the back of his neck. He'd nearly forgotton
about Omi, and Omi had used the opportunity to make his own move.
"I meant what I said earlier, Omi," he said nervously, feeling the sweat
roll down his face, "I am your father, and together we can rule the
Galaxy. Together we . . can. . .." Rubinsky/Luthor never finished the
sentence as his dying body slumped to the ground. The piece of
Kryptonite rolled across the floor from his lifeless hand, and Omi
walked over and picked it up. Just as he did so, the other three
members of Weiß arrived in the room together, alive but exhausted from
their harrowing battle against the Gear.
"Omi," said Ken, as the three surveyed the room. Two dead bodies lie on
the floor near where Omi stood.
"The mission is complete. I've eliminated the target," he said, putting
the green stone in his pocket. He walked past his friends and out of
the room, never looking back.
>From the relative safety of her country estate, Dominique San Piel and
Rupert Kesselink watched the entire scenario transpire between Omi and
Rubinsky transmitted by their secret camera. As it drew to a close,
Kesselink began to pace wildly.
"I can't believe he was also that boy's father! That, that, ARRRRGH!!"
Kesselink pounded the wall with his fist, rocking the furniture in the
room. "Well, at least I'm finally rid of him. At last!! Muah, ha, ha,
ha, ha, ha!!" he laughed wildly. Dominique stood several feet away from
Kesselink, drinking a glass of champagne. As he continued to laugh, she
walked up behind him and draped her arm around his body. Suddenly he
stopped laughing as his body slumped to the ground. Dominique held a
laser pistol in her free hand. She took another sip of her drink.
Stepping over his body, she gazed at her own reflection in the video
screen.
"Now _I_ control Phezzan, and soon, I will control the entire galaxy."
At first, neither Reinhart nor Kircheis noticed the difference in Sound
Force's song. Not until their own bridge crew started falling asleep.
"Kircheis!" Reinhart yelled, "How is this possible!?!"
"I don't know, Lord Reinhart," Kircheis replied, stifling a yawn. "Only
the Jigglypuff's song should have this power," he added, falling to the
ground asleep.
"Of course!" Reinhart suddenly understood. "That man! It must be Yang
Wenli!! He's feeding Jigglypuff's song back to us through his own sound
pods. I must tell Mecklinger . . .." However, Reinhart could do nothing
but join his fleet as sleep overtook them all.
Even thogh they tried to continue flying and singing amongst the enemy
fleet, even Sound Force was not unaffected by Jigglypuff's song.
"Basara!" Mylene called, trying to stay awake, "It's a Jigglypuff!"
"What's a Jigglypuff?" Basara asked, as he momentarily stopped singing
so he could listen.
"It's a type of pokemon," Mylene explained, "My dad told me about them.
Their song puts people to sleep. But," she added, yawning, "how can we
have a pokemon battle in space ships? If we were face to face, I could
fight like this," she added, pulling out a pokeball of her own.
"Guvava, I choose you!" she called, and the little red and white
pokeball exploded in the cockpit of her Valkyrie leaving behind a little
tribble-like creature with eyes wearing it's own cute little space-suit.
However, neither Mylene nor Guvava could stay awake any longer. Her
Valkyrie began to drift as she fell asleep.
"Mylene!" Basara called, but there was no response. There was only the
singing.
That beautiful song. He'd been trying to sing that song his entire
life.
"Jigglypuff, jiggly," it sang, and he couldn't help but sing along.
Back on the flagship Brunhilde, Jigglypuff heard Basara's voice. And it
realized that he was singing too. For the first time in its life,
Jigglypuff sang with another who loved the song as much as it did; for
the first time they had each found another who understood the song in
their hearts.
Both Basara and Jigglypuff's eyes filled with tears at the sudden
revelation, and the song intensified. And then, without explanation,
both fleets began to awaken. As their eyes opened, soldiers of both the
Empire and Alliance were unable to do anything but listen in awe to the
magnificent harmony. Yang looked sideways to Fredericka, who smiled as
she lost herself in the music. Reinhart and Kircheis lay on the ground
next to each other like children again, and lived in the wonder of their
youth. And Mecklinger stood and watched his Jigglypuff, with tears of
pride unshed in his eyes.
Finally the song ended. And there was silence. And then, one at a
time, members of both fleets began to applaud. The ovation grew until
each and every ship was filled with thunderous applause and cheering
voices shouting "Encore! Encore!" in unison.
And so the concert continued, long into the night. Basara and
Jigglypuff sang together, song after song, until finally they could sing
no more. Something special happened that night, although no one could
say for certain exactly what it was. But somehow, the song of Basara
and Jigglypuff touched those who heard it in such a way that they all
understood, without even having to try. At last the two fleets parted,
without a word spoken or a shot fired between the two. This wouldn't be
the end of the war. But it was the beginning of the end.
See you, singing space cowboy. . .
Author's note: Well, I did it! I actually finished a multi-chapter
story! ^_^ YAY!!!! It definitely turned out a little longer than I
expected, but it was fun to write. I hope it was fun to read as well.
As always, C&C is welcome. Now I'll have to go back and work on all the
other stories I've started and not finished. ^_- But I'll probably end
up writing more bizarre crossovers too. Thanks to everyone who
encouraged me to finish this! And for those who might wonder about
Phezzan and Dominique San Piel, bear this in mind. I only said it was
the beginning of the end. But I never said how that end was actually
acheived. Imagine what you will. ^__^
Jennifer
jcaliff@nsai-petro.com http://www.topher.net/~jcaliff/iserlohn.htm
Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer and then
We can run to the end of the world
-"Small of Two Pieces" lyrics by Masato Kato, end theme of Xenogears
