Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Reflections of the Past

The sky around them rolled, spinning once, and then twice as he tried to right himself. Adam grabbed Conn around the chest and flipped both of them over so they were looking down. He couldn't see signs of the ground yet, and so took his cues from the wind that roared up to meet them. He spread three of his arms out wide like a starfish while gripping con with the other arm. Conn held out an arm as well to stabilize the others side, and together they floated through the sky like an awkward starfish.

Adam had thought about falling to his death plenty of times. In his line of work it was a near and present danger on more than one occasion. There were plenty of opportunities for his parachute not to open, or one of the lines to snap, or that the vessel he was in might fall from the sky. Either way it was a concept that he had considered on multiple occasions.

And as always, if he found himself falling to his death, he was gonna do some sick flips, and then orient himself head first, so that when he hit the ground he would die instantly. He had no desire to break al the bones in his body and then live the rest of his life as Frankenstein's monster pinned back together with rivets.

"Someone is being dramatic." Conn said mildly appearing inside his head uninvited as usual.

"Dramatic! I thought I was being rather calm considering the situation."

"The part where we are going to die is a bit dramatic, though by all means hug me closer."

He could just feel the shit eating grin on Conn's face, and considered pushing him away for a moment so he could die in peace.

"I wouldn't do that, considering I'm your one ticket out of death's greeting hall."

"What do you mean."

And then he remembered, "Oh duh."

"You said it not me."

Adam paused, "What are you waiting for."

"Waiting for a good moment, when I can actually see the ground. If we just fell into a realm full of sky and are going to be falling forever, than I see no point in trying to use this trick. A cloud rushed past beside them, plunging them into a landscape of white. Light filtered around them, and the clouds opened up just a moment later to reveal a cloud ceiling stretching on into infinity pillars of white fluff rising and falling from it's surface.

It looked like the artistic representations of heaven.

Of where he was going to be in a few minutes.

He flipped the two of them upright, pointing their feet down and rolling over so he was looking con in the face. They started to fall faster as they were more streamlined now, and Conn grinned at him with his sharp rows of little grinding teeth. His ribbons whipped out, "There's still a chance to kiss me before you die Admiral, tell me how you really feel."

"Not now Conn!." He snapped

The clouds opened up beneath them rendering the world below in patchwork.

Immediately, Adam knew where they were.

Earth,

Not the exact place on earth, but he would know the layout of those streets anywhere. The plant life, and the way the roads were built, all of it.

It was all familiar. It became even more familiar the closer they got to the ground , with the hovercars battling along through the streets, sky cycles, hoverboards. Drones passed below them in a lattice, and he worried that they might plow straight into one of them. What would the UNSC think, Finding Admiral Vir as sidewalk pizza.

"Can we get on with this." Conn asked mildly.

Adam was shaken from his thoughts, locking his arms around conn, over one shoulder and under the other armpit, "You better do it so I can hold on."