The Improbability Principle

Meanwhile, Stuart found himself being guided by his apparently holographic companion through rows and rows of computer servers and circuitry. He smiled as he realised that House had been programmed to make footstep noises as he walked along the tiled floor. Or at least he was choosing to make them.

It had been three days long slog, but it had proven to be a fairly uneventful journey thus far.

The entire troop had set up camp at the base of the Mountains above them. Most of the people were inside their tents, keeping warm against the chill air. The "Hoth" uniforms- and Jeeves had nicknamed them, were indeed warm, with the fur and hide used, they itched, so people tended to prefer huddling around a Levitt lamp for warmth when they had the option.

The snow around them reflected bright white in the sun, with clouds floating idly by. The mountain range towered, great monoliths of nature raised against the sky like a Giant's teeth. And the wind roared. "Remind me why we are going east via Italy?" Murmured Josh.

"Because it's where the ports still work. A boat is faster than walking, and we can arrive on the Indian peninsula." Came Thomas's reply

"Right." Josh grimaced.

Jenna emerged from a small dip in the snow a little way ahead. "Our ultrasound indicates the tunnel is still open- we can go about half way up and then safely through the mountains."

"Good" Said Josh.

"So you've arrived"

The voice was dark, almost a growl. As Jeeve's vision adjusted to the relative gloom of his new surroundings, he took stock of it's owner. It was broad set, humanoid, with the same tar black skin as the previous encounter. Two pitch black chest plates hung from it's shoulders, and the rest of the armoured suit made it look like some kind of strangely distorted stag beetle. The face was skeletal, as if the flesh had been torn from it, except for the eyes, which now glowed white as they stared back at Jeeves. Krimmen Jeeves thought.

Jeeves looked into the floor and saw his own reflection staring back at him. His normally neat brown hair hang lopsidedly accross his face, his black longcoat and combat trousers battered and torn. The walls curved upwards over his head, as if they were in a section of a dome. He looked to his left and saw Mac hanging next to him.

It spoke again, but the jaw did not move as the voice resonated forth once more.

"You've caused us quite a problem, you and your friends"

Jeeves came to. He felt the grip around his wrists and instantaenously supported himself against it so that he could raise his feet to strike the foe that had dared to grab him from behind.

He wished he hadn't.

What he felt was like pain, but as if the very core of his being was being ripped out through his feet. He recoiled quickly, and fell to the floor, insofar as his bindings would allow, and took stock.

His mind throbbing from whatever it was that had just taken place, he could see that he was in a smallish room, that was apparently built from blackness. He could see where his feet had previously been touching the wall, a shimmering light was swirling, growing ever smaller as if it was being drawn out into the dark. He looked at his wrists, slick blue steel manacles bound each, and a chain protuded and tied him to the black surface that stood as a wall. At this point, a cold, white light shone on him from behind. He noted that the light didn't stop at the blackness in front of him as it would on a solid surface, but passed into it, and rippled away into the distance. He turned squinting to face the light now, and found himself staring blindly at the sillhouette of his guard.

"We can deal with this later" Said Josh, grabbing his Kris from a hook on the wall, drawing it shattering a hole through the frozen tent door, running out before the solid pieces of canvas had finished tinkling to the ground.

The others grabbed their assorted weapons, and followed suit, Stuart's voice sounding over the tannoy as they ran: "To Arms".

The sight that greeted them was one they thought they would never see again.

The moonlight peeked out from another point on the horizon, casting the landscape in a cold blue hue, and bathing the small gathering in white, like some ghostly remnants of a long forgotten war.

"Is that so?" Came another voice from the foot of the slightly elevated mound on which they stood.

Josh realised that he had finally done it... He had let people get to know him so well they had a fair idea of what came next. He chuckled internally.

"Yes, it is so."

The small crowd that had gathered very nearly brought a tear to his eye. And it was growing.

Josh stood alone.
The blood red sunset cast itself around him, marking him out like someunholy silhouette blasted out on the now barren terrain that lay about his beaten, worn prescence. He looked out to the horizon to see the trees in the distance. The smoke was thinning now, crowning the sunset with a deep orange and purple hue as it spiralled around in an endless circle.
He could feel the sun on his face. It filled his eyes, reflected bronze from his aubern hair. It felt warm and pleasant, like he could feel it in the very core of his being, healing from within.

Peace... The word had sounded so sweet once in his ears, but now... now he wondered if he could ever make it worth the price that had been paid.