"Rich you had better sit down" Pt2.

Rich opens his eyes, a sense of disorientation haunting him. He is not totally sure where he is, but he knows it is nowhere familiar. Then a familiar thing drifts into view.

Maggie, her Ebon face smiling at him. "How are you feeling Rich?"
"Confused." He confesses.
She shrugs almost apologetically. "Sorry."
He sits up and looks round and the weird land scape he finds himself in. They are in some 'space'. Its edges such that they are defined by a swirling pattern of dark purples and dark greens over black. In this area is a horribly clashing red sofa which was acting as his bed. A low table baring a tray with a coffee pot and a pack of feelgoods on it, a door and a large picture window showing the same swirl..
Rich looks round. "Nice place you have hear he tries lamely."
Maggie laughs in appreciation of the polite comments. "It does." She pours out the coffee and hands it to him and then expertly lights one of the cigarettes before putting it in his other hand. He finds himself smiling at her appreciatively. She lights one of the the cigarettes for her self and perches on the coffee table.

There is a slightly awkward silence as they each try to work out how to start the conversation. Rich ends it with a question born out of a union of his racing brain and his panic at the silence.
"So when did you get the rest of your body back?"
She laughs, dispelling his panic as he realising what he has just said. "I didn't Rich. This is just a product of where we are."
"And where are we."
"In the window."
He looks at her confused, aware in some small way of the significance of the comment.
She guesses his thoughts. "Yes that is where Andi puts stuff he wants to forget, but don;t worry he has not forgotten us."
"So where is he?"
"Out. Getting your stuff before Cloak does. He figured there would be some things you would rather not leave behind."
"Leave behind." He echoes the words thought fully, absorbing their implications. After what he now knows he can not go back. Suddenly he appreciates why Andi vanished. Guilt fills him as he realises all he is abandoning. The Misfits, Haven. He takes a long drag on the feelgood.
Maggie puts a hand on his shoulder, dropping to kneel in front of him. "Don't worry Rich, we won;t leave you out the the cold."

The she turns and looks towards the window. "Andi's coming back."
"How do you know?"
She doesn't reply, instead she moves to the window. As she moves she changes, the cheek bones dropping slightly, the hair becoming softer and a more natural ginger fro the shocking red. Most noticeable her eyes change, pupils and Iris bursting onto the whiteness. Rich stares at the human before him. Some how he knows it is still Maggie, yet now she is human. Ignoring him she places her hand on the window frame almost lovingly. She closes her eyes in thought.

The swirling pattern shifts faster, the patches of colour blending together to form a shape, then and outlined image that slowly fills with colour. It is inside some deserted half demolished building. The Exeter is standing there. It lifts up the assorted bags and steps casually through the window. As the bags thump to the floor the colour bleeds from the image and it dissolves into the swirl again. The Exeter loops an arm round Maggie and bends to kiss her. As it does so it shrinks, its black frame taking on the colour of Andi's skin and hair. My the time he lets go it is Andi, standing firmly in a way Rich has not seen for years.

"You've been smoking." He chastises softly.
"Only to keep Rich company."She defends "Hungry?"
He nods.
"I'll get you something." She heads for the door. Briefly Rich can see beyond it into a long perfectly normally looking corridor lined with doors, then it swings closed behind her.
His lover gone from his sight Andi turns to Rich and beams.
"Got your stuff." He gestures to the assorted bags.
"Ta." Rich responds. Refilling the coffee cup.
Andi tilts his head on some side, a vague smile on his face. "You could let it eat you or you could just give in and ask." He prompts.
Rich looks up. "Ok then I'll bite. What happened to the M.S.?"
"Still got it." Andi responds.
"But you are walking."
Andi nods. "The Exeter. It's indermalised. See I did learn something spending all that time with you."
Rich smiles. "So You finally came to terms with Ebb shit eh?"
And shrugs. "No I'm not Ebon remember."
"Yeah right." Rich draws on the feelgood. "So what is this. Andi shit?"
Andi smiles he moves over and pours out a fresh cup of coffee for himself. "No it is reality." He responds flatly. He moves over sitting on the coffee table.
"Remember Fold ship Andi?"
Rich nods.
"And the thresher suits for that matter." Andi realises. "It's all just that really. It is all a matter of what you know." He stops shaking his head and corrects himself. "No it is what you believe."
Rich frowns at him.
"I can't explain it." He confesses. Then he smiles. "Rich you always wanted to fly an Ebb ship."
Rich nods.

Andi reaches forward, he places his hand against the side of Rich's head.

He is in the Navigators bubble. He can feel the ship moving, feel the fear that drives it. And then the fear flows over him and it is himself that is swimming. His awareness expands, he can sense the research station, the sub....
Some where out side the memory Rich realises this is Fold ship Andi. This is what Andi was feeling when they ran from the ocean and the shimulhera.
But that is not important.
He is swimming, he can feel the ripples of muscles moving, his tails swishing, propelling him forward. Then he leaps from the surface. Swimming on up through the air. For some reason sacred of the beacon, afraid that is is the light of the explosion of the bomb the union are going to use.
Once in orbit he stops, turning to view the planet. A sense of calmness and embarrassment as he realises what the light really is. There are other things that must be dome. The pressure differential to be sorted out. It must be done slowly or his passengers will be injured. And some how he will be injured. He sets to work, following the carefully memorised pattern of slowly decreasing pressure. It becomes obvious and easy, not even something he needs to think about. Released from the concentration he allows other things to distract him.
A realisation flows into him. There is something more. He can feel the universe. He can feel the extent of the reality he could just go to. Travel at the speed of thought. Only it is not travel. Travel is movement, motion. This is just..... Being somewhere else. And it is all so easy and obvious. Freedom. He could just go and be free and leave all the weird shit behind... Only there are things to go back to, Maggie, Alexi. The yearn to roam and see things dissolves in the sense of responsibility. To Rich, to Maggie and to the Big Man. Anger flares briefly that this should be the case, and then is clamed by the sense of friend ship. He is no longer alone. These people care about him and he owes it to them not just to piss off and never be seen again.
He becomes aware of an irritation. A voice like the buzzing of an insect in a large hall way, barely heard yet senses at some deeper level. Suddenly he realises he needs to pay attention to some one else.
The sound of his own voice catches him by surprise.
"Andi! We need communications."
"Ok Ok." He reaches out, transferring power to the bridge controls, suddenly aware of the complexities of his own body, The power sources, the control surfaces. Aware of the Solar winds flowing over his skin. Revelling in its gentle caress after so long. How long? He has to get back to them. They will be worried. He has to report in, tell them what he knows. And there is a favour. The Union.
The insect returns. It wants to know where they are. He responds, aware that the data is practically useless but know it will buy him time. Instead he reaches out along the communication beam and addresses home: Dark Lament.
"This is the Fold ship Andi, once known as the fold ship Yung. I am home."

Rich blinks. The image fades from him. He stares at Andi. "I...." He pauses absorbing what he now knows. "Sorry." He comments.
Andi looks confused.
"You were exploring the nature of universe and I interrupted you to get communications." He reminds him.
Andi shrugs "Don't matter, what you did was no where near as bad as what the Nec's did, but I figured you didn't need that."
"So that is what it is like to be a fold ship pilot?"
Andi nods.
"Wow.." There a genuine tone to his comment.
Andi just smiles. "Reckon you could do it?"
"I...." Rich pauses, a realisation comes over his face and he looks up at Andi. Some how he realises that the sensations are all still there. "Yeah." He responds.
"Good." Andi stands up. Then he holds out his hand, a surprised strength in his grasp as he helps Rich to his feet. "Maggie" He shouts.
The door opens and she comes in carrying a couple of rounds of toast. It makes Rich wonder how long it actually took for Andi to gift him the memory.
"We have to go meet people." Andi states.
"What about breakfast?"
Andi reaches out and grabs a piece of toast. He folds it in half and sticks it all in his mouth, chewing frantically then washing it down with coffee.
"Done." He mumbles his mouth still half full.
She scowls at him. "Good job I ate whilst I was making it then." She comments darkly.
Rich helps himself to a slice.
Maggie turns to him. "Ok Rich we have some friends I...."
"Don't spoil the surprise." Andi chastises softly.
She looks at him and frowns.
Andi grins. And then his face turns serious. "We need unity. We need a fold ship. I'll explain later."
"Ok." She comments curiously.
Andi loops his arm round her. Then he looks up at Rich and cheeky grin on his face. "You might want to look away." He echoes the warning Rich always gave to Andi before he popped his deathsuit.
Rich shakes his head.

And then regrets it.

Andi starts to kiss Maggie, she wraps her arms and legs round him, and then they are not there, The blackness follows out of them and round them, encasing them in the smoothness of Exeter. The shape shifts and grows and unfolds into the familiar suit. And then the suit does something very unfamiliar.
It smiles.

"Ready to go?" The voice asks, a strange fusion of Maggie and Andi.
Rich nods.
"Good."
The suit makes its way to the window. It shifts and folds to reveal a seascape. A long jetty reaching out into the flat calm ocean. At then end of the jetty Rich can make out something floating on the surface of the sea. It looks vaguely fish like. The suit holds out its hand to help him step out of the window.
Rich pulls himself over the sill. "It's a bit inconvenient isn't it?"
"When it was set up I never expected to have to physically enter or leave it. And now it is a tradition." The thing responds almost apologetically. As they step clear the window fades out of existence.

The suit turns and looks at him. "Ready to put all that into action?"
"All what?"
"What Andi showed you." It gestures to the end of the jetty. Rich follow the gesture, now he is clear of the window he can see it clearly. A small fold fighter. Just large enough for three. Two if one was a Stormer or a big Ebon. He looks at the suit. Or the thing in front of him.
"You want me to fly that?"
"Don;t you want to fly it?"
"Well yes but... Where am I going?"
"Don't worry I can give you the location."
Rich looks down the Jetty. He smiles. "Ok then lets do it."

It is all there, all spread out before him. He can feel it. The ship welcomed him as he lowered himself into the bubble, aware in some way of the 'thing' behind him, but focusing on rich. And then he was focusing on himself. And then there was no self. Just the fold fighter Rich and its passenger. Unity. A familiarity with the being that leaves him clear that this item has been the fold fighter unity more than once. Well at least he has a name for it.
Unity points of a bright star far in the distance. Only one jump but at exteam range.
Fold ship rich smiles and reaches for it.

It is almost to quick. He is there and he can feel himself separated into two as the navigator pod is popped. He pulls himself out onto the top of the fighter, lovingly stroking it's glistening surface.
Unity smiles at him.
"It's yours." He comments.
Rich looks up surprised at the generosity. "Are you sure?"
Unity shrugs, a very Andi gesture. "Yeah I can always make another one."
Rich stares at the off hand comment.
Then he becomes aware of some one approaching them. He lifts himself off the fighter turning to face them. Unity turns as well and smiles a greeting. He guides the newcomer in to the group.

"Introduction time." He mocks softly. Ms Haven this is Richard Godfrey, Rich this is Ms Haven." Unity clicks its fingers, "Ah but then you have already met ." The face plate twists into a very Andi smug expression.
Ms Haven stares at him, her expression saying 'you will die for this.'
"I tell you what, I'll leave you to answer all his questions."Unity grins. It pats her on the shoulder gently and then walks away.
Ms Haven turns to face the man beside her. Rich stands there, his jaw doing guppy impressions.
She sighs. "Rich you had better sit down."