dizzy_land | And the power of the people shall come to believe they do rule

((Continuing from this post.))

In the passageways beneath the park, where a group had gathered to break down a long-closed door, a laser beam was widening, and a broad circle began to blacken the surface of the wood, the locks melting and streaming down in shining rivulets, to puddle at the doorstep. The room was getting hot, now.

Outside, all at once, the rides all stopped. Animatronic figures jolted still; boats bumped each other confusedly; rollercoasters fell to the bottom of their tracks and did not continue up. The lights inside the buildings flickered off; the perpetual background noise of music and soundeffects went silent.

Below, the hole in the door began to crackle and spark around the edges, and for just a moment all the eyes trained on the door could see through it a fathomless darkness. An odd, organic silence filled the air; everyone's breathing and small movements were audible, but so too was a new absence of sound, as though the walls were all holding their breath.

And then the air around the door began to shimmer.

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Cayce nodded, not trusting her voice just now, and leaned forward to look into the hole.

The lamp and Psyche's arm were fully visible. The light didn't illuminate any walls or, for that matter, ground, but it stretched out like a halo that enveloped Cayce as well as Psyche, extending out to about arm's length.

"I can see you," Cayce said. "I can see you and your lamp.". Pause. "How?"

"Well," said Psyche, with a wobbly smile. "This is what it's for, you see."

She looked around at all the rest of her friends and fellow prisoners in the room. "So. Who will go with me, and who will stay to hold the door?"

"I'll keep it open," Adam volunteered quietly.

"Adam...." Setsuna peeked out from Kira's shoulder and looked at him with worry. "You'll follow when everyone's out, won't you? But...it kinda sucks to think of you left here alone keeping the door open. I know I don't mind staying here with Senpai until it's done. Then we could at least keep each other company and say good-bye to everyone."

"Dun't worry 'bout me," he said with a faint smile, touched by Setsuna's gesture. "You go on ahead and I'll make sure everythin' happens that's s'posed to."

"You stayed with me, though," Setsuna tried to stubbornly argue. "Why can't we just stay with you?"

Adam lowered his voice. "'Cause I dun't need any help here, but I think Cayce an' Psyche will. You gonna send 'em in there to face whatever might be lurkin' with jus' the Johns to protect 'em?"

"Hey, they can't possibly be that useless," Setsuna said with an amused grin, though a little teary-eyed. "But got'cha." He reached out to hug Adam farewell, then pulled on Kira's sleeve.

Adam gave a melancholy little smile as he hugged the other boy back. "I'll see you again, Setsuna" he murmured. Then he moved into the doorway to hold it as the others passed through.

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The Antichrist nodded. "See you soon, Kira. Take care of them in there."

"Me too... I'll miss them," Setsuna echoed Kira's sentiments, then grabbed his hand. "And you! Hey! We're sticking together, remember?" he playfully scolded Kira as a way to cheer himself up.

((Waiting to go through the hole until we've heard from the rest of the crowd on whether they're going or not.))

"Thank you," Psyche told Adam, briefly but sincerely.

Adam gave Psyche a knowing smile. "Have fun stormin' the castle!"

Constantine contemplated the door as the others exited, and finally shook his head. "Think I'll stick around a bit, if it's all the same to you." There was no telling where this was going--literally or figuratively--and even if Adam (whoever the kid was) was adequate to hold the door here, that left no one to run messages or fetch help or anything else that might be needed on this end.

John stepped forward. "Well, this isn't about to be the one time that I don't let my curiosity get the better of me."

He glanced behind him where someone had been waiting silently for the past minute or so.

Aeryn hadn't wanted to interrupt the goodbyes and important discussions that had been going on when she had finally found her way to the room, but as John glanced at her she stepped forward to stand next to him, shoulder to shoulder, and gave him a small, certain smile.

"Or the one time I don't let your curiosity get the better of me," she agreed to his silent question.

Cayce had been standing silently throughout, heedless of the silent tears on her face, unable to come up with words.

She'd never gotten the chance to say goodbye to Win Pollard. Now it looked like she was going to have to say goodbye to almost everyone who meant everything to her here, all at once.

And when she turned and saw Aeryn, some wrenching emotion crossed her face and she stooed with her hands over her face for a long moment.

"I've got to go back," she said at last, her voice ragged. "For a while, I mean. I have to ... I have to tell people. And I have to say goodbye." She managed a crooked smile that only made her look sadder. "I know Psyche's got that link to the Doctor, but ... I've got to spread the word. It's what I do. I, uh, I don't suppose the powers that be could at least be persuaded to turn the radio system back on?"