Starring:
Date Set: August 9th, 2009
Summary:
Think about the love inside the strength of heart
Think about the heroes saving life in the dark
Climbing higher through the fire, time was running out
Never knowing you weren't going to be coming down alive
But you still came back for me
You were strong and you believed
Yellowcard, "Believe" (click)
Six Months Ago…
"Thank You For Giving Up Your Life"
Nevada Museum of Science & Technology
Las Vegas, Nevada
"Hey! Wait for us," Niki is in the midst of reminding the boys good-naturedly, laughing, as she strides through the tiny parking lot to a little stonework path, hand-in-hand with D.L. It's hot out here in the dry Nevada air, but for Niki, it's almost comforting. It's warm, familiar. Still, her hair's been pulled back and she wears a tank top — striped, ombre in fading purples — as lightweight as possible to survive the weather. Thankfully for one of their family especially, they're headed somewhere air-conditioned.
Settled against the desert on the edge of Vegas is a small building shaped like something out of a sci-fi movie — NEVADA MUSEUM OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. It's a family affair for many, not just the Sanders-Hawkins-Reynolds conglomeration: groups of families with kids of all ages and adults curious about the small tourist spot drift in and out. Inside, it promises to be full of feats of modern technology, history, displays of mad science and shows and more.
"I dunno about you guys, but I'm still dizzy from that rollercoaster," Niki adds. She's not really complaining, though — she's smiling. "My stomach's been doing backflips for half an hour."
This is a very strange picture. Although, the amount of interracialness is astounding. It almost looks as if this family was designed to be this way. Whatever the case may be, D.L. is making sure to keep his hand clenched tightly with Niki's, while letting his eyes roam around the immediate area. "Well, don't worry too much." D.L. quips, his tone just brimming with the teasing nature that comes with having a good time. "Museum's are boring enough to calm down any ailments." Maybe he's just trying to poke at Micah's love for these venues. Or maybe he really does think they're boring. Either way… he's joking!
"Buuuuuuuut Daaaaaaaaaad this is going to be AMAZING! It's not just any museum! I bet they have like ultra old amazing ridiculously huge computers!! I bet it doesn't have any RAm and very little memory which is astounding because cellphones are more advanced than the giant computer and can hold more — " It's at this point that Micah peers at his dad, mom, then Cam incredulously. " — my point is, it will be AWEsome." That said he virtually jogs up to the door.
Cam is wearing as little as he can get away with in the heat, a t-shirt and shorts and shoes with no socks, and he's still sweating some. Still, he's laughing as he looks back up to Niki from where he'd stepped ahead, "That's why you never go on a rollercoaster near lunch time." It's not just Micah's love of such things, though. The technology side may be mostly Micah, given Cam looks a little uninterested as Micah starts to talk about the old giant computers, but Cam seems just as excited in general. Maybe it's the science side of the equation, or maybe it's just coming with his foster family, but he runs after Micah to the door.
Niki looks from Micah to D.L. and lifts her brows, a playful grin on her lips. Yeah. What Micah said. "It'll be educational," the blonde teases, drawing the word out and nudging D.L.'s side lightly. She leaning into him as they make their way behind the teenagers inside the museum.
There's a little booth inside for admissions, a couple bucks each; less, for those under sixteen. It's not expensive. Niki lets D.L. pay but doesn't leave his side, watching Micah and Cam and glancing around at the sights.
Rows and rows of glass windows looking out the way they came allow sunlight into the lobby. Beyond the admissions, colourful displays are set up everywhere in the main room, interesting architecture winding its way throughout. Crystal clear screens line one wall, some of them showing 3D pictures (if you wear the glasses!), model airplanes hang from the ceiling— it's what one might expect.
To the left is a door with 'THE VAULT' marked over it in bold metal signage, and the stand beside it indicates that it's full of important artifacts of the last century and technological novelties. Important ones, since it's literally a vault. Unlike most vaults, this one's open to the public!
Figures. The Black Man has to Pay. See, this is the bad thing about actually having a job. One has to give up the moolah in order to do so. Either way, D.L. shells out the cash. "Great. Education. Something we desperately need while we're on /vacation/." But that's about all D.L.'s smiling face has to say about that subject at the moment. He looks back over to Niki, before realizing that there's a huge VAULT door that's just… there. "Check it out, Micah." is offered, with a finger-pointing in the Vault's direction, just in case the wide eyed brat misses it in his excitement.
Wide and in wonder at the entrance and exhibits, Micah silently gapes at the technology he can see from the entrance. And once the admission is paid, he literally hops into the rest of the museum, staring at the airplane models on the roof. "This. Place. Is. Amazing." And then D.L. points to the VAULT. His eyes light up happily as he sees it, "Wooooooow! CAM! Cam, quick! I bet this is where they keep the good stuff!" Excitedly he hops towards the vault, still beaming. But he turns around for a quick second to face his parents, "Thanks Dad! Thanks Mom! This place is awesome!"
Cam grins and starts to run after Micah, but then nods quickly in agreement at his comments to the parents, "Yeah, it is." He pulls up short as he sees a sign, though, and calls, "Micah? The computer exibit's over that way, want to check that first? Then Space Exploration, then we can come back to the vault?"
The panes of glass in the museum's windows and the glass-encased displays and screens start to rattle lightly — as if there's a passing train, but no such noise can be heard. The miniature airplanes hanging from the ceiling sway.
Museum staff and those perusing the displays pause and look around, unsure of what just happened. Some people don't even notice.
Niki notices, and she's one of the people who give the museum a wary, unsure look around, but whatever it was, it seems to pass, and she smiles brightly at the boys.
Striding toward them and casually tugging D.L. behind her by the hand, Niki says, "Enjoy it while you can, remember you're grounded when we get back home." Her light, amused voice makes it sound like a joke, but seriously — so grounded. Niki pauses near a display of some kind of display about Weapons of the Future. She's not really paying attention to the museum's wonders; she's just watching the boys' excitement. She leans on D.L. again, looking up at him. "I'm glad we got to come."
"Whatever makes my family happy." is all D.L. has to say on the matter. He's not really looking at any displays or anything either. He also is too much of a guy to really notice that something could be amiss. Especially when Niki's face goes from wary and back to smiling so soon. Whatever he might've thought he heard or whatever, is dismissed just as fast as it was there. He looks from Niki to the boys and plasters on his own smile. "Hey! Make sure you tire yourselves out too!" And then he's smirking back at Niki. "… So I can do the same to your mother, tonight." Oh ho.
"Wow! Computer exhibits?!" This is completely up Micah's alley. He nods at the comment about being grounded, although this seems like a small sacrifice for saving the world, and heroes have to make sacrifices. He follows the signs to the computer area as directed by Cam. "We should build one of these!" he points towards a giant computer. "All it does is computer numbers… it's like an overgrown calculator, but seriously, I need to build one of these…"
Cam nods as well to Niki, "We remember!" But he doesn't pay much attention to the worry of being grounded at the moment, running ahead with Micah. He grins at his foster brother, "You could probably build one that big using today's components, and have a real supercomputer." He totally misses the ground shaking. He probably assumes it *is* a subway car going by under them, and doesn't pay any attention.
Niki strolls gradually in the direction Cam and Micah run off in, smirking up at D.L. She sneaks an arm around him. It's on! But for now, she watches the boys. She doesn't honestly know what half of the stuff in here does, nor the detailed history of the computer, but she likes to hear Micah explain it — so she calls out, "What're they used for?"
The words barely leave Niki's mouth before a sudden tremor takes over the building. While the tremor itself is mild, every single glass object — windows, display cases, the screens of televisions and computers, even the glass windows of the faux planes above — explodes, bursting outward, glass shards literally blasting everywhere with a high-pitched shatter. People scream as they're hit by flying glass — it's next to impossible to avoid it.
A second tremor hits. Tremor is barely a word for it. It's as if the integrity of the building has suddenly been shot to nothing with a giant, unseen blast. The museum shakes, things toppling over; a crack appears in the far right wall and a constant crumbling can be heard in its structure. The floor rumbles, vibrates.
"Oh, don't ask him. He'll start at the beg—" D.L.'s words are abruptly deleted when the doom happens. Yes, that's right. DOOM. When glass shatters, his instinct is immediately latch onto Niki and phase. The boys are a little too far for that. "Boys! Get down!" D.L. is going to try to phase-walk (w/ Niki) over to where the boys are so that he can get them under his intangible protection too. But with the whole room freaking out, in addition to the shaking… well… who knows if he'll be able to get there easily.
"It's fo — " but Micah is cut off by another tremor, one that he can't ignore as it causes glass to fly towards all of the museum patrons, himself included. His excitement has transformed into a different beast. D.L.'s words are headed and Micah gets down into something resembling the duck and cover position. Regardless, some stray shattering glass strikes the teen's legs (darn summer air causing skin exposure), drawing small droplets of blood.
Cam lets out a yell as things suddenly start exploding. A spray of snow suddenly puffs off of him as he instinctively tries to redirect flying glass away from him. Of course, snowflakes don't really carry much force to do such a thing, so he gets hit a number of places. Nothing big, but drawing blood. He quickly ducks for the floor then as well.
While some of the museum's visitors have an easier escape, able to run out the door or through the broken windows, this family, and those near, them aren't so lucky. Back here by the computers, the ceiling, unstabilized, starts to collapse. The first warning is a wisp of dust before all of the displays hanging from it fall to the ground, followed by a portion of the ceiling itself. It crashes down between Cam and Micah and their parents— everywhere, things break, fall and crash. With all the technology shoved and wired into the museum, fire erupts here and there. It's chaos.
To Niki, who thought everything was going to be perfect on this planned, unplanned and planned again vacation to somewhere so much like home, until they got back to their new home, everything seems — for a moment — to move in slow motion. This isn't how it was supposed to happen… in her mind. It was supposed to be okay. But it looks like fate has other plans.
Doesn't mean she's gonna give up. "Micah— Cam!" The floor actually rocks as she holds onto D.L., saved from the explosion of glass thanks to his penchant for being intangible. Her worried, panicked glances around, trying to catch sight of the boys over the sudden rubble. She doesn't see them, but she does see a grandma all alone in the corner, the ceiling falling around her. She points. "D." The way she says it— her voice should say it all. They can't just leave her there. "I can get Micah and Cam. I can get through." Easy, with her strength. She breaks away from him, but pauses — briefly, not wanting too much time to pass while she can't see the boys, not knowing what might have happened to them — with an almost knowing look in teary blue eyes. "I love you."
Niki whirls around and starts to climb over the pieces of the building to Micah and Cam, pushing aside rubble to get there. "MICAH! CAM!"
"Love you."
D.L.'s words are leveled right back at Niki, before he finds himself spinning on his heels and making his way through the commotion and debris to get towards the older woman. He literally Ghosts and dives through something huge that falls off something huger and slides his way over to where the woman is. There are no words to be said, even as he grabs the woman by her shoulder, lifts, phases and shoves her through the wall next to them. He's pretty sure it's safer outside than inside. His head has already twisted round to see if he can't find what happened to his family, while that hand lets go of the older woman.
"CAM! Cam, are you OKAY?!" Micah is already on his feet as the ceiling starts to break, and reaches over to help Cam to his feet. His eyes are wide as he clutches his phone, he's already found the schematics of the building. "There's no easy way out of this building from here! These people…" He glances around warily. DOOM. There's no doubt about it. His heart rate skyrockets. While he and Cam have seen their fair share of excitement the last six months, nothing compares to this. Niki's voice causes the teen to call back, "MOM….! MO-OOM!" He calls loudly, tears form in his dark eyes against the haze of the dust. It doesn't take a genius to know that this is trouble.
There's obvious fear on Cam's face as well as he gets up, but he answers, "I.. I'm ok." He's icy cold to the touch as he struggles to keep his fear in check, but not so cold to give Micah frostbite. He looks around When Niki calls to them, he joins Micah in shouting back, "Niki!"
"Micah!! Cam! I'm almost there— !" Through the dust, debris and smoke that fill the air with that haze, Niki is coughing by the time she climbs and shoves her way to the boys. She can vaguely see their shape; the shapes of the computers ablaze, the wall of the vault to the left… she comes into sight, already reaching out for them. "You're okay," she breathes hurriedly — it's a relieved realization for her as much as it is encouragement for them. Determined, a take-charge attitude kicks in. "Take my hands and stay close— "
Above, another crack ravages the ceiling and a slab of the building seems to fall from the sky. It starts to down in a cloud of dust straight for Micah and Cam.
Niki hears it before she sees it and looks up just in time. In that split second, she stares, her look of determination intensifying with fear, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, dust and tears smeared together on her face. "Watch OUT!" she shouts, surging ahead to push Micah and Cam out of the way. She can't stop the ceiling from crashing down on her, though. It hits her hard and she stumbles underneath the weight of it, knees bending, but holds up the heavy ruins on her shoulder. "D.— D.L.!!" She can't see him. He has to get the kids out.
"Niki!" The sound of his wife's voice just spurs D.L. into action. He goes Full On Phase and slides across the floor and off in the direction of where his wife's voice came from. He's already passing through stuff he didn't even know was there, by the time he gets to where the family is. It only takes him a second to realize what's going down and he's not about to let it happen. Not now. "Boys!" As soon as he gets to where they are, he's reaching out hands for both of them, needing the skin on skin contact to get them phased along with himself, so that he can swing them to the left and towards whatever that wall is that seems to look quite strong and not cracking. Weird.
Cam's cold touch causes Micah to wince, but it doesn't hurt, just sends chills down his spine amid the chaos. "MOM!" Micah shouts as he's pushed out of the way. "MOM —" and then she's holding up the ruins. He sighs a little with relief, but his easy breathing is short-lived. The destruction of the building feels like it's happening around them rather than to him — like he's watching it on television, yet the terror and fear are real. Like Niki, the dust and tears are collecting as a mess on his face and dust cakes on his glass-wounded legs.
Micah grasps D.L.'s hand tightly and clamps his eyes closed, mentally ready for whatever his dad has in mind and whatever fate has willed.
Cam stumbles as he's pushed, yelling out again as he realizes the ceiling's falling, but then blinking and looking back up to Niki. It's obvious he's more scared than he's been at any time since 'acid lady', and just like then he's practically frozen, unable to figure out what to do. Then D.L. is there, and he reaches quickly to grab hold of his offered hand as well, gripping the hand as tightly as he can manage.
Niki could hold this up for awhile. She could use her impressive strength— throw the heavy debris off where a normal person would have already been crushed. It's heavier than anything she's ever held up before, and it's a struggled, evidenced by her grimace and the sweat of her brow, but, like an unusual Atlas, she could do it.
Except the building keeps collapsing. More keeps piling on, rubble raining down from the ceiling — and maybe the floor, the walls above, the second level. If she let go now— who knows what could happen. It could collapse on Micah and Cam. The more debris rains down, the harder it is for Niki to hold it up. Beneath the hems of her jeans, her boots slide against the dirty tile floor. She chokes, fighting against the pressure and trying not to cry.
She watches until she sees that D.L. is there, and that he has Micah and Cam and they're going to be okay: she watches as he swings them, phased, into the safety of the vault, and lets go.
And then she lets go because she can't hold on any longer.
They're through the wall and in the VAULT they'd seen prior. Ironically nothing is falling in here; nothing crashes through. The VAULT maintains its integrity under the weight of the building. As Micah opens his eyes he breathes a little easier, but only for a moment. Tears stream down his eyes as the reality strikes. The dust has collected along his clothing, is matted in curls, and streams down his face in muddied tears. He calls as loudly as he can through the wall, pressing his hands against it semi-frantically, "Mom! Dad!"
CRASH "MOM!!! DAD!!!" he virtually screams their names as he falls to his knees, his tears dripping against the floor of the sturdy vault. He sobs loudly, the pain of his legs temporarily forgotten. His insurmountable guilt building. He claws at the wall, silently wishing he could phase through it, willing himself to give up all technology in exchange for the ability to walk through walls like his dad. All the wishing in the world can do nothing.
Cam stumbles as he's pushed through the wall. He hadn't had his eyes closed, so there's a moment of physical disorientation in the middle of all the emotional. The crash snaps him out of both though, and he blinks, running to the wall too, but he says, to Micah, "That was just your dad phasing her, so she couldn't hold it up anymore. They'll be through. Any second now." Whether he's in denial and truly believes it, or he's just trying to reassure Micah isn't clear, as tears roll down his face now too, as he stumbles back to sit on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest.
There's too many sounds going on at once. It sounds like the world if falling apart. In some ways, that couldn't be farther from the truth. D.L.'s hands are phased long enough to come back through the wall of the vault, but that's about it. His knees buckle beneath the weight of what's happening and even though those hands are thrust upwards to try and keep the weight from crushing his wife… and himself… he's just not strong enough. Words cannot come from his mouth, as he's too busy grunting and losing his grip. He goes down, hitting the ground hard, arms stretched out towards Niki…even as the debris and chunks of building pile.
Another crash follows, and another, and another, as the building just falls apart. Everything except the vault, the door of which is entrapped with rubble and a ceiling beam.
Then the whole building — what's left of it — is as silent as the vault room.
No one comes back for Micah and Cam. But there are sirens in the distance.
"Believe", cont'd; click
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.
Be strong. Believe.
Think about the chance I never had to say
Thank you for giving up your life that day
Never fearing, only hearing voices calling out
Let it all go, the life that you know, just to bring it down alive
And you still came back for me
You were strong and you believed
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.
Wanna hold my wife when I get home
Wanna tell the kids they'll never know how much I love to see them smile
Wanna make a change or two right now
Wanna live a life like you somehow
Wanna make your sacrifice worthwhile
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Everything is gonna be alright
Be strong. Believe.
Think about the love inside the strength of heart
Think about the heroes saving life in the dark
Think about the chance I never had to say
Thank you for giving up your life that day
RIP Niki Sanders & D.L. Hawkins