Jim and Sharon decided to just go along with things at least until they left the building, having after all just been threatened of uncertain death (which, in this case, sounded worse than certain death). After hailing a cab that didn't look like it had any bugging equipment inside it, they began a very animated discussion.
On one hand, Jim had always hoped to perform work associated with this sort of cutting-edge research; on the other, Sharon -- being more practically minded -- had had the time to make a few mental calculations and figure out that having a third party sponsor a wedding ceremony that could be about as lavish as she wanted would save a lot of money for their families.
All in all, the deal was objectively good, so that the taxi driver barely had to turn the Persuadertron chemical nebulizer on; he only remembered to turn it off when feeling a sudden urge to vote Republican and try some recreational drugs after catching some Rush Limbaugh on the radio.
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The reception was, indeed, going to be VIP fare -- there could easily have been two hundred people in the small, Victorian style church. The pastor had been very happy to close down the building for renovations a week before, considering that said renovation had been paid in full by the groom's employer and included a brand new security system that was as pervasive as it was unobvious. No more arguments about not installing a security camera because it didn't fit with the friendly look of the building by being too visible, that was for sure...
The weather was almost picture perfect, a few scattered clouds to help fend off the advancing heat, and the building was filled to the brim -- Pastor Phillips wasn't entirely sure about the rather large-set ushers that the organization demanded be brought along, but he figured that this Mr. Ellis had to be a very senior employee and the security personnel was part of his entourage. Besides, they had had yet to be anything but extremely polite.
The only thing missing from what would otherwise be a perfectly scripted wedding ceremony was a photographer, but the pastor had overheard Mrs. McCormack explain to her parents that pictures would definitely be taken by the same security system -- maybe it was the company's focus, and they wanted to showcase their products' results. Well, they WERE footing the bill after all...
Pastor Phillips was proceeding almost on automatic; this could've been the first wedding in years that finally went off without a glitch. The bride was positively radiant, the only concession to modernity in her otherwise very classical wedding dress being some rather too visible, up close, velcro straps on her veil and gown. The groom however, in the elderly clergyman's opinion, was slightly more nervous than even men about to tie the knot tend to be.
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"...speak now, or forever hold your peace." Pastor Phillips proclaimed, his well honed lungs needing no such thing as a microphone to fill the wooden building. He had been forewarned that there could be trouble at this stage, and he paused for an extra moment to look at his temporary congregation; the only sign of agitation were the ushers-bodyguards suddenly coming to high alert.
He almost sighed in relief when the few electrical lights in the building went off -- like a performance, every wedding had to have a glitch, and as much as it was unbecoming for a man of God to think so, Reverend Phillips felt that it was bad luck for the new couple for it not to be so. At least it was something as minor as that...
Sharon was, for a moment, alarmed enough to look back, partially lifting her veil. Jim looked at the lights flickering and quickly said to her, "From the hum it looks like it's actually a brownout... I wouldn't worry, it's probably the electric organ, bet I can fix it for them later..."
Sharon smiled knowingly at her soon to be husband, feeling somewhat relieved, and replied in a playful tone, "You're such a sweet nerd... I mean a sweet guy." Pastor Phillips, who was close enough to hear, opened his eyed wide at the remark, but by looking at the couple's eyes he figured that this must have been some sort of private joke between the two. He sincerely hoped that they would last, and cleared his throat, preparing to continue.
The Reverend's hope lasted all of a half second. No sooner had Sharon's last word disappeared from the air that a side door burst open, and a thin young woman who could have been in her late teens or early twenties literally flew along the altar and lunged herself at the groom, her gymnast's jump made even more flight-like by the dark well-worn cape that covered her frame.
"JIM! YOU'RE STILL YOU! YOU'RE ALIVE! I LOVE YOU!"
From the perspective of Rev. Phillips, a number of things happened simultaneously. James Ellis was knocked on his back, yelled at in his ear, and smooched with light kisses all over his face. Sharon McCormack took off the lower half of her gown in a split second and proceeded to try to kick the intruder off her husband-maybe-not-to-be. A large percentage of the guests stood up to better see what was going on, amidst a general exclamation of surprise. The bodyguards rushed to intervene, but had to make their way through the small but suddenly restless and curious crowd and got temporarily trapped in it; a gun was flashed and a boy screamed, but it didn't look like anyone was going to get hurt anytime soon. Finally, Sharon managed to pry the newcomer off Jim after she stopped smooching him and simply clung to him tightly.
"Thank the Moons you're still you..." Pastor Phillips could see for a moment that the girl's eyes, piercingly yellow and somewhat catlike, were filled with tears of evident joy even as she let Sharon drag her off Jim.
"Who are you?" Sharon demanded, more concerned than exasperated.
"I'm Karen... I-I'm sorry to interrupt you but I had to be sure, only MY Jim would say something like that in a moment like this..."
"Wait a second, I know who you are, but-" Jim tried to interject, but was immediately cut off.
"YOUR Jim? Look Miss Doctor Who or whoever you are, THIS is MY Jim, you get back on your alt node spaceship thing and get yourself another!" Sharon yelled out, pushing Karen away.
"No, you don't understand... the entire grid is fractured, everything's dangerously thinned out -- we don't know who did it, there's not even almost any ''we'' anymore, no Factions, I'm partially immune because I was in transit at the time and... oh Jim I thought I lost you..."
Karen turned around and slumped in Jim's arms, Shron trying to yank her off and hitting some metal object under Karen's cape instead; a moment later, just as the bodyguards were finally managing to negotiate the crowd without resorting to violence, the yellow-eyed girl turned around again and bowed her head towards Sharon. "I... I understand that I don't have a place here... but please, be good to him..."
Jim put his hand on Karen's shoulders, and said in a resolute tone of voice,
Mon Mar 29 02:02:59 2004
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