I promise to give you the best
of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give. I promise to
accept you the way you are.
I fell in love with you for the qualities, abilities, and outlook on
life that you have, and won't try to reshape you in a different image. I
promise to respect you as a person with your own interests, desires, and
needs, and to realize that those are sometimes different, but no less
important than my own.
I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window
of my personal world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and
dreams.
I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face change as we
both change in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.
And finally, I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I
have to give and all I feel inside in the only way I know how ...
completely and forever.
(What seems real in this world is something I no longer have any sort of
a grasp of. Minutes became hours, hours became days, days became months,
and so on and so forth. There are drinks, there are cigars, there are
snippets of conversations with my tall "friend" and endless
conversations within the mind. The only comfort I know is several hours
of sleep, and being secluded within the confines of my own thoughts is
hell in its own right. To take of pills, to take of a two to the head
and one to the chest for proper measure, to take of alcohol in excess,
would that be a welcomed escape at this point in time.)
"Time..."
(Devourer? Crash upon thyself and take of the name I once was given as
my own. There is no beginning, no end. There was then, there is now, and
there is forever. Funny, that sounds all too familiar. Is then grand?
Now isn't. What of forever?)
"A sound..."
(A slight rapping, the door? It is. I cannot even say that I've been
awoken from a deep slumber. The rum, the single malt scotch, they help,
but this is the CBD age, is it not? I don't sleep, so much as I lie
there with eyes wide shut and then there is morning. That is the outlook
of a broken man, a man bested by his greatest opponent ever named. Chris
Page? No. Respect is issued and nary a negative word will spill from the
lips of one who finds naught by the passing of time ever so slowly in
regards to a man that have summoned me forth from the shackles set upon
his own hands. Page is a "friend", if I can even use that term anymore.
The cameras gave us many great moments and the occasional smile, the
opportunity to reemerge before the light for a moment of something once
great, can that make an aging man happy for a fleeting second again?)
"Happiness..."
(Parting was indeed such sweet sorrow. Loneliness, seclusion, solitude,
here I thought they'd be the truest friends, at least in my younger
years, but had I known what crimes of passion, crimes of vengeance and
any manner of crime to get what I thought I wanted or needed would
entail, I'd have continued living fast and free. To perhaps see death at
the hands of a coward or an enemy I've made...)
"There are many enemies."
(There are stacks of bodies of those enemies, and those still breathing?
They have walled themselves up in distant lands, because as I had sought
to find you, I would have. Now there is but me, and there is he who is
the guardian of time, keeping me walled in, not by my own choice at this
point. The past caught up with me as I unfurled the litany of my
misdeeds to him, to see my own confinement for the sake of society's
safety. I am poison. I am the Flint water supply. I am the GMO. I am the
modern driver on their phone.)
"That rapping on the door again..."
(Louder now, and they have been patiently waiting while I wander through
an eternity of my own thoughts. I rise. Clothing, all too familiar, I am
drawn to the door, THIS door. I open it, and I see "him". It is not only
he, but the souls of the dead, the missing, the morose sans one. Had I
saved him through my own misdeeds? Time devourer? No. Time in
repetition.)
Aiden: It's good to see youth with a sense of humor even during a time
like this when their deaths are imminent, considering Mr. Saotome's
refusal earlier. I wouldn't be the proper host this evening if I didn't
formerly introduce you to my wife, who has played a key hand in all of
this. I mentioned the former leader of LifeCircle, my dear friendship
with him, I fell in love with his daughter at first sight and the
feeling was mutual. So mutual was it, even as she embraced drug usage
and sought out a career in professional sports, we grew not the slighest
bit apart. As a matter of fact, I believe you're going to love this, we
even concocted the perfect plan for retribution, after you decided to
pursue the search again. We utilized an injury to draw forth the
compassion we knew of that resided deep in your black tangled heart.
(Footsteps. Black heels, progressing forward. A figure concealed in the
moonlight. She has a veil draped over her face, as if prepared for a
funeral, almost fitting considering the circumstances. She plants a kiss
of Aiden's lips, as he clutches her tightly.)
Aiden: I have a humorous idea that might lighten the mood in here
briefly. Ranma, had you and your brother loved this Jesus Christ
fellow as your father did, perhaps it might be fitting then if you were
betrayed by a kiss.
(The woman progresses towards me. Jay and John looking on. Even despite
everything that had occurred, John had no sympathy, none, a smirk
plastered on his face. Jaye's expression was different, he was looking
into Ranma's eyes, because he knew. She plants a kiss on his face and
takes to Aiden's side. The tears begin to flow from my eyes, something
Chi had never seen, something Jaye and John had never seen, something
Rick had never seen. His fists clenched his weapon tightly. The veil is
removed.)
Amy: There is a reason for everything Ranma. There is a purpose that
runs deeper then the oceans themselves. There is a history that reaches
beyond your unseen fourth dimension and there is a passion that two
lovers hold for one another that will surpass any boundaries. You were
that boundary Ranma, you broke into my heart, and overtook it, but I
never forgot the ultimate purpose, and I stand before you now, with a
past engrained in me that goes back to your father and the purpose he
served. A past that was my father's livelihood, one I had taken as my
own, my husband and I. But there has been one constant that held during
our time together....
Ranma: You're right Amy. I love you, even now, I love you. I love the
fact that I walked into the hospital that night, igniting a fire that
became a friendship, shaping itself into a relationship, and ultimately
a marriage. I love the evenings we spent together, a cup of coffee in
hand and a Santurce breeze billowing throughout the evening, caressing
our cheeks. I loved making love to you. They often say that passion
isn't really happiness, but passion and love coexisted, at least in my
heart they did. I loved the fact that you changed me, and turned a
broken heart into a fabric woven with each day we spent together. I love
the fact that when I left the sport, I wasn't sad, because I had
something to return home to. But you're right Amy, there has been one
constant that held during our time together. I do know what that
constant is....
(I lock eyes with her.)
Ranma: Time's limitless unpredictability.
(I step heavily upon the ground and kicks his boot towards Amy. The
same knife, that had been used against Lana, aginst Sirius, finds itself
lodged in Amy's chest.)
Amy: Ran....ma....
(She drops to the ground, the blood beginning to pour down, a mixture of
mangled emotions and betrayal, poured out in one fell swoop of
retribution.)
"Life becomes a blur when the unexpected takes shape."
(Aiden drops to clutch his dying bride. Jaye and John stand in utter
shock. Dana cries out, realizing from the get go of the evening that
Robert Brown was merely a fabrication. Rick tightens his grip on her. I
back up against the wall, everyone still holding their position. The
tears are flowing from my eyes. I turns my gaze towards my brother who
has begun to shed tears as well. A nod.)
"A blinding white flash symbolizes the end, even before it comes."
(Aiden draws his weapon while clutching Amy with his free hand. The
first shot is fired from my Beretta, it catches Aiden directly in the
hand, the weapon flying from his grasp. John cries out and begins to
spray his weapon across the room.)
"If I could turn back the hands...."
(Rave charges forward, catching Jace in the back of the head with the
tripod. He collapses on the ground. Koji and Ken back up against the
wall. A shrill cry escapes Ken's lips as a bullet rips through his
chest, fired from John's glock. Chi emits a rapid fire contigent of
bullets collecting together as they roar through their respective
barrels. Aiden tries to reach for his weapon as Sergeant Drake takes aim
and fires. A direct shot catches Koji in the heart as he is taken off
his feet, hitting the ground as his final breath is exhumed from his
lungs. Draped at Ken's side, the two friends shall argue no longer.
Peace has become their given.)
"If I could turn back the hands...."
(Dana emits a surge of tears as Rick's grasp is held. He has his own
weapon in hand. Sergeant Drake takes aims, but the weapon is swept from
his hand by the tripod in Rave's hand. John fires at will, Chi replying
to his attempts with those of his own. Aiden reaches for his weapon,
releasing Amy and he creeps underneath the table to take aim. Jaye
hasn't fired, but has taken cover behind a doorway opposite the entryway
where Rave catches Sergeant Drake a second time with the tripod. Drake
drops to the ground. I continue to fire, bullets ripping through
the air from all directions. Rave raises the tripod a third time as
Sergeant Drake raises his weapon, Dana looks on and she drives a stiff
elbow into Rick's chest, breaking his grasp on her. He turns to grab her
again as a bullet from Chi's 84FS rips through his shoulder. He holds
fast to his weapon. Dana leaps on Sergeant Drake, knocking the weapon
from his grasp. Rave drops the tripod and reaches out for her. Bullets
spread in all directions and he can hear but one. A shot fired from
Rick's gun catches Dana in the back. A moment in time slowed in his
eyes, and then brought back to original speed, a second, a third, a
fourth and Dana drops motionless to the ground.)
"Of time..."
(Sergeant Drake rises from the ground, rushing past Rave and fleeing the
building. Aiden and I exchanging shots. Crane taking aim at Chi. Amy
reaching out to Aiden underneath the table, the knife embedded in her
chest. Jaye lifts his weapon up and he points it at the back of John's
head. John stands motionless, ceasing his fire momentarily, the nature
of the situation sinking in. An ounce of good present in his partner's
soul. A shot fired from Rick's gun, a shot fired from Jaye's gun. The
back of John's head taken off as Jaye staggers back. Crane and Rick
firing in unison. Rave huddled over the body of his deceased girlfriend.
Jaye's back forced up against the wall as he is battered by an arsenal
of bullets. He slides down the wall, leaving a crimson coating on the
wall, as he takes a heavy breath, a second, he lifts his arm to fire, he
shot does not come, a final bullet from Rick's gun alleviating him of
the attempt.)
"If I could turn back the hands....of time."
(Crane turns his head, the recipient of a forced kiss from an 84FS
bullet engaging his lip and exiting through the back of his head. Rick
takes aim and fires fast. I rise to my feet, both weapons aimed directly
at Aiden, exchanging shots. A weapon held in Amy's hand, shaking, yet
slowly the Black Goddess rises in the form of a Smith And Wesson
special. The sound of broken glass, I turn my head to see my brother's
body sent crashing through the window. Rick dropping to his knees, one
hand clutching his shoulder, the other clutching his abdomen, blood
flowing fast. He grabs his weapon again, but not in time. A Brigadier
bullet rips through his hand and another through his chest as he slumps
lifelessly to the ground beside the bodies of both Koji and Ken. A pool
of blood has nestled itself comfortably beside the head of Jace courtesy
of Rave's tripod shot. I train my weapon once again on Aiden, firing at
will. Aiden drops back from under the table as he is caught in the left
shoulder. I leap onto the table as Aiden slowly backs away weapon still
in hand. I fire again, catching his lower left leg.)
"A moment in time....where we are faced with the realization of an
occurrence....we call it reflection."
(For a brief moment, there was silence. The realization has set in. The
room was no longer clouded by gunfire. The room was no longer consumed
by the rage and hatred of so many. A past running deeper than the bluest
of oceans. A moment of betrayal, an act of retribution. A collection of
troubled souls defeated in a matter of minutes, but I can see the
moonlight. I think back to the cup of coffee I had last night. I was
smiling. I was a husband. All I had to do was put one last demon to
sleep, but now I'm the one who is tired, I just want to close my eyes, I
just want to rest.)
"Timedevourer. A stage name issued to him, chosen to represent all that
he was, is and ever shall be. Respected by few, hated by many. He
accomplished much. Beloved Brother. Beloved Husband. He who is created
of the dust, to it shall return."
-Ranma Saotome. 1973-2019
(He staggers backwards, dropping from the table and landing hard upon
his back. The bullet had penetrated his side, fired from the barrel of
the Smith and Wesson clutched in Amy's hand. Ranma fired again, a bullet
catching Aiden in the chest, a second, a third, a fourth, a fifth, a
sixth, a seventh and all returned in unison. Chest. Legs. Arms, none
were protected from the onslaught. Aiden laid motionless on the ground.
He clutched his side, raising his weapon yet again and pointing it
towards Amy. Tears flowed from her eyes as they did from his.)
Ranma: Even in death, I shall love you. Yet even in death, I shall
surely recognize your betrayal.
Amy: Even in death, you shall know the reasoning behind this betrayal,
yet even death you must surely know that truly I spoke three words when
together with you.
(A second bullet released from Amy's gun, a third and fourth bullet
released from my gun. Amy's bullet finding its mark in my chest, my hand
clutching my heart. My bullet united in a decision of matrimony, resting
forever in Amy's abdomen until death do us part. There are times when
even the world itself stops speaking. A time where it listens to a
conversation between two souls united in their attempts, even if those
attempts are sins committed against one another. A room once consumed in
gunfire, has become again nothing more then a forgotten dining hall in
an abandoned training facility. Lane looks on with fervor, understanding
simply by examining several minutes of horror what has occurred and
realizing the emotions surging through each and everyone of the minds
that were present when Rome fell. A convergence of souls united in their
respective goals, to defeat the purpose present in the minds of their
opposition.)
"I hadn't ever truly lived the moment save through his eyes, and now
through my own."
(Am I awake? Am I dreaming, dying within them? Were you not supposed to
jerk awake? A racing heart, a cold sweat? I remember the cop, his name
was Lane. Now we are side by side, in a cafe, the coffee has gone cold.
There are none save us. I know what must follow.)
Ranma: Might I deny this request?
Lane: I was told to give this to you when you picked up the check this
evening.
(It would play out as it did once before. I take the package from his
hand, opening it up. I found the final piece of the puzzle in videotape
format and I returned to the station. I remove the security tape from
the cafe's VCR, placing the contents within, again, I pressed play.)
"Do we really live before we die or are we simply passing time?"
(The videotape picked up where it had left off. Hand upon heart, barely
conscious on the floor, blood flowing fast. I extend my hand to hers,
and she takes it. Aiden was dead. Breath had taken flight from my lungs
and it would soon be joined by theirs respectively. The kid was draped
over the body of his fallen girlfriend, tears raining down, his cheeks
merely a passing point. I place a gentle kiss on her cheeks before
backing away from her.)
Ranma: No. I'm....not....your....timedevourer. I'm a man....who
wished....to love....I realize now....it was nothing more then a radical
dream.
(Her hand slips away, in death she weeps no longer, in life, tormented
by her betrayal, but tormented even more so by the tragedy that was the
reality of the situation at hand. Rave had wiped away his tears and
progressed over to me kneeling down beside me. I reach out my hand to
him.)
Rave: Everything, it's gone. It's all gone. Everything, my future, it's
changed course. I've lost it all. Friends. Family.
Ranma: Listen kid....I've traveled the road many....times.
Live....your.....life.
(He doesn't respond. I reach my blood soaked hand into my pants pocket
and hand Rave a folded piece of paper.)
Ranma: A favor....for a dying man....
Rave: My grief....so fresh....a dying man I cannot help.
Ranma: You will kid....you will....everything....within....
(Silence. My hand fell to my side and my eyes closed. It was done. A
momentary static. A black screen. It becomes a composite of matches.
This was long before James Raven, Big Shank, Rage, Tomoko, and the man I
face, taking pause from my reclusive state for a smattering of moments,
Chris Page. A showcase of footage from the wedding, business success
shared with my brother at Serenada corporate events. Home video footage.
A lengthy pause on the video. I am about to stop it. I pause. An
assembly of an era that has ended, and a night that I haven't lived
through my own eyes in forever.)
"A Tale of Time and Space, a conclusion reached. A return to the
present."
