Aslan Ends (part 1)

John Conner

Aslan gave her a look but nodded. "You left out some parts of the tale, but that was more for brevity and privacy than anything else like covering embarrassment, I see."

She seemed embarrassed enough at some parts of what she’d already told us already about her trip through "40 K" land. Some of it was kind of funny. Some of it was kind of . . .nice actually in the end.

Definitely not fitting with the setting.

. . .

Look, I don’t know a lot about that tabletop game from Game Workshop, but between what I do know from some of the more techy/nerdy types I do associate with (they do have the best hackware out there) and what she’s told us all I just gotta say: I now understand why she’d been a bit stressed even before running into UNIT here with the Master in tow! Even IF it turned out okay in the end, kinda (and kind of heart warming with them showing off the newest Primarchs to the crowds).

"Though I just got to wonder why Aslan’s not being more down on her for having used the Master to save the day," I mutter to myself.

While I was raised with learning to blow shit up and flying around in helicopters (and thinking that was how normal people lived), I did happen to know a bit about The Chronicles of Narnia. Kinda had to know it from that one time Mom shacked up with that survivalist who was REALLY kinda religious and such.

Didn’t last long (thank God, the guy was seriously psycho about some things), but that was one of the things . . .

Ah, anyway I am just saying that while it was a long time ago I gotta say that Aslan’s view on things (as well as the entire book) kind of had a "black and white" view on morality and . . .

"Child, that Aslan you are thinking of may hold some truth of my view on morality," Aslan humphs. Oh shit, he overheard me. "But questions on my moral views aside, her handling of the Master in hiring him to but the Situation that Rei and the rest had been facing was hardly a gray area as far as morality is concerned."

Yeah, I know thanks. I am just saying I’m surprised that Aslan is being flexible and reasonable here like that. You don’t see that too often in children’s bedtime stories and all that garbage, you konow!

"While shooting first is much more survivable than shooting second I and my sisters are hardly trigger happy idiots," Rei grumbled, giving me and the others around the room an annoyed look. "First thing first is to determine just what the situation is before whether or not to shoot, and a brilliantly good thing we did determine the actual situation for Betty Ragan’s world, I’d say."

Later, I learn that Rei, while not exactly in the same league in preparation as say Batman, had learned a thing or two from her original caretaker, Gendo Ikari, in preparing for contingencies.

Uh, . . . While not quiet as out and out insane as Gendo, really. I mean the guy actually had come up with some kind of wacko scenario scheme for Denmark invading Japan to stop Nerv?! Really?

. . .

Yeah, right.

AS luck would have it she had a scenario of her own (one of a LOT, all of which she’s not telling me at all, saying ‘it’s a secret’ or some such thing like that’s a joke of some kind or somethin’), so she figured out how to fix the problem for Betty’s world and not being able to play executioner to the Master in the process.

Uh, okay, I suppose. I guess she doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff, being judge, jury and executioner and all that, vigilante justice and all that junk. I can respect that. Really. Would be kinda messy otherwise and my life (and everyone else’s here) is complicated enough as it stands.

I mean I have . . .well . . .had a future at being a Great Military Leader and Savior of the Human Race --nod nod, wink wink, you and Rei should really know the truth about that, what with my life being portrayed in films and such, right. . .wonder when sis is going to be showing up here?--and all that, and when I had been planning on breaking out Mom from that asylum I did want to do it without killing people in the process, or did that part about me telling the Terminator he wasn’t a Terminator any more after that near f*ckup earlier with those Jocks in the movie not clue you in on things? I was going to break a lot of laws doing it but didn’t want to have to worry about having homicide (or aiding in homicide) on my already long wrap sheet, thanks.

Besides . . .I don’t WANT to kill people just she did, up to a point. I understand the part where she’s saying that she tasked the Master with trying to save as many lives as possible (knowing that not EVERYONE could be saved and she was working with the ONLY person she could from my universe who’d be able to do something about it). I understand how those who’d survive the disaster of my Earth finally wearing through the fabric of space/time into the chaotic area between reality. How it would . . .

. . .

F*ck, you don’t wanna know what kind of eldritch abomination the survivors would be transformed into by that, okay!?

. . .

Okay, I understand the reasoning and can see where she’s coming from, okay? Kind of creeped out that I and my Mom almost got the ax here with the Master’s rescue plan, but then again she and I are kinda in the eye of the storm for the time space paradox on the Terminator side of things. Everything on the Singularity side of the paradox kinda went into never never land/limbo or something so . . .they’re no longer a problem. Or even existing any more beyond maybe faint memories by some people, if that.

….

Ya know what? F*ckit. I figure that she did the best she could with what she had at hand and it looks like it worked and she as far as I can see did the right thing so I’m good with it. You good with it? Good.

Moving ON!

"But I take it that you have something to do with us still being around?" Mom finally broaches the unanswered question, finally voicing something we are all curious about but kinda dreading the answer.

"Not to alarm but without my intervention in both bringing you out of your world and into this one and relatively stabilizing your forms and mind," the Lion finally confesses, looking all the world a bit embarrassed at out some things had cropped up there unexpectedly (like I mean the changes my Mom went through here and something I am told had happened to me . . . .

What? Did something happen? I mean my wings look like they always do and they feel okay. Nothing else was bothering me and a feel REALLY good now with that soul bonding with Yuki here.

OOOH, you gotta believe me when I say I feel REAAALLY good right now about that bond… Could fly to the Moon and back now, way I feel right now and . . .

"Uh . . .why didn’t I just fly away and out of danger when the T-1000 was chasing me in that semi?" I ask myself, blinking.

I mean I liked my dirtbike and all that, but not enough to risk getting crushed under the weeks of a semi-truck and all that. I’m not some kind of dipshit like that, thanks!

Why didn’t I fly and leave that liquid metal assassin in the dirt?!

The Brigadier

"I would imagine it having to do with the fact until a few moments ago you did not have wings?" I venture, smiling slightly in well meant humor.

No need to remain hostile to this group now is there? We have already established what their intentions had been and what they had trying to do was noble enough; nothing I could fault even IF I would question using the MASTER of all people to save the Earth.

. . .

Save MY Earth, I should say. Dash it all, there being multiple reality versions of my world being thrown into the mix of normal conversation; something I have not had to seriously contemplate since the Inferno incident and that evil version of me: the Brigade Commander.

But I pause when I notice the rather startled and confused look Conner . . .John Conner gives me, only to be interrupted by a slight growling cough from Aslan and quickly explains (mentally) that John Conner’s transformation had been in mind, body, and soul (if you pardon the metaphysical term).

For all intents and purposes when whatever exactly had been done to "stabilize" John Conner’s existence/body/whatever after being "removed" from my world’s timestream by the Master in his efforts to save it-- Conner’s existence was part of one of the two time/space paradoxes threatening MY Earth’s existence—there had to be a basic . . . "rewrite". To both Conners and even the Terminator, and anyone else involved in the "Terminator" incident directly (as in giving birth to John Conner, fathering John Conner, being a sibling to John Conner

In as far as every last human being from my world, there is only a void in their lives (if even that) whenever and where ever the Conners and their companions (I speak of the Terminator) went, except for me. Every last computer record will prove to be somewhat scrambled and even physical records will have lines blanked out like they’ve been redacted, for that is was they’ve had done in as far as their existence: they’ve been Redacted.

Only reason why I still recall them is that my information came directly from a Champion, so is somewhat proof against Redacting due to their . . .odd nature.

. . .

After meeting one of Rei’s "superiors" (a Rule 1), I cannot say I should find it hard to believe. Their nature is just too bloody ODD to not expect them to be able to overcome a time travel paradox even the Doctor (may his bowels be torn out by rabid wolves) would be hard pressed to overcome.

I and the others learn this and much more from Aslan, much quicker than we’d been able to otherwise do.

Pardon, nothing against Rei but as it turns out in reflection she had been rather trying to herd cats when trying to steer the conversation with us. We just had TOO many questions and had to know the answers immediately and . . ..

Well, let us just say that we were LESS inclined to be abrupt with a Talking Lion than her. You don’t argue with a lion, period!

We also learned that the linking between MY Earth and Professor Kirke’s Earth was irreversible. That has all sorts of implications, not all of them good.

Bloody, looks like we’re going to be seeing Disclosure in my lifetime after all. Brilliant. Could’ve spun some kind of fairy tale answer to why day turned to night (UNIT is SOOOO good and spinning yarns and having the public believe), but this . . .

No.

1. No, this’ll be the nail in the coffin for keeping things secret. Do hope we can break it to the masses without a blind panic…

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