Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

cold by giving everyone leprosy. We have to consider this very carefully, Captain. If we let the genie out of this bottle, it might well defeat our enemies, but what about afterwards? Remember what the original Emperor wanted to do with it. And you can see what it did to Marlowe's state of mind."
    The sky darkened, and suddenly it was twilight. Thunder rumbled menacingly overhead. The air was bitter cold. And Jesus wasn't smiling anymore.
    "Can we all be a little more careful about how we choose our words around this guy?" Barron suggested quietly. "He may or may not be who he says he is, but he's certainly the god of this world. Our force shields might be strong enough to protect us if he starts calling down the lightning, but let's not put it to the test until we absolutely have to, all right?"
    "You dare to doubt me?" said Jesus. His voice was darker now, like thunder speaking, or the rage of a storm about to break. Blood ran freely from the stigmata in Jesus' hands and feet, and from the spear wound in his side. "Let me show you what I can do. You each came here looking for someone, even if you didn't realize it. I can see their names and faces in your minds, and the holes their loss has left in your lives, and in your souls. Behold; let the dead rise, and walk again."
    A swirl of dust rose from the ground, forming a huge whirling dustbowl. The green grasses and blue skies were gone now, sucked up into the flying duststorm.
    And then part of it took shape and form as a human being; a young man in Fleet uniform who stood before the landing party, smiling. He seemed vaguely familiar to Silence, but it wasn't till Barron lurched suddenly forward that Silence realized who he was looking at.
    "Father!" said Barron, his voice cracking as he stumbled toward the smiling figure.
    Silence started after him, and then held his ground. He didn't want to get too close to the new figure, or to Jesus. "Barren; this isn't your father! He died on Unseeli. This is just a ghost made of nanotech!"
    "Do you think I don't know my own father!" said Barron hotly. "He's exactly how he looks in the old family holos!"
    "Of course he looks like that. Jesus must be drawing on your memories to shape the nanos!"
    "Does it really matter?" said a new, familiar voice. Silence felt a cold hand clutch at his heart. He turned slowly and there was Investigator Frost, standing before him. Looking just as he remembered her, before she died.
    "You can't be real," he said roughly. "You're just my memories, given shape and form. Aren't you?"
    "Good question," said Frost. "Damned if I know the answer. I feel real enough, but then I would say that, wouldn't I? Come with me. There are things we need to say."
    And Captain Silence and Investigator Frost walked slowly off together, so taken up with each other's presence that they didn't even notice the world reforming itself around them. The whirling dustbowl became a green forest for them, and soon they were walking between tall proud trees, while something very like birds sang sweetly overhead. The air was full of the scents of autumn, and dry grasses and fallen leaves crunched under their boots. Silence recognized the place. They were walking through a forest on Virimonde, in a place where he had nearly died.
    It seemed such a long time ago now.
    "So," said Frost. "How have you been? Not wasting time mourning me, I hope?"
    "I've been… getting on with my life," said Silence. "Keeping busy. A lot's happened since you died."
    "More wars, I suppose. There's always a war going on somewhere. Did Lionstone live long enough to stand trial? I would have liked to see that."
    "She escaped, in spirit at least. Joined her mind with the AIs of Shub, leaving
    her body behind. Kid Death destroyed it, just in case."
    "Ah yes," said Frost. "The SummerIsle. I remember him. He killed me. Did you kill him?"
    "No," said Silence, after a moment. "It seemed to me there'd been enough killing. And besides… you would never have surrendered to the rebellion. That's why you let him kill you. It's no surprise to me that my mind chose this place for us to talk. I nearly died here, when Stelmach shot me. But I used my abilities to heal a wound that would have killed anyone else. You had the same abilities. You could have healed yourself, if you'd wanted to. But you wanted to die."
    "Yes," said Frost. "I did. I'm glad you finally admitted that to yourself. Don't feel guilty over my death, John. It was inevitable. There was no place for