Chapter 6: What lies at the end of the spiral Pt. 1

Author's note: I'm back, and it's looking like this will be the first series I complete!

Yay! I mean, it's not like I don't like writing Signalis stuff... it's just stories need to end and not ending a story just feels wrong, ya know... I mean, my Spy x Family fanfic is close to ending too, but that's another story. This one is basically done. In any case, welcome to the 2+ part finale to Dream Signals. I hope you enjoy your stay within the mouldy and rotting walls under the Blue Eye.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The end of the descent,Deep below bedrock,Where mortal beings have laid, Neither eyes nor foot before.World dissolving,Souls screaming,Illusions emulsifying,End encroaching,Under the Blue Eye.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up from my dream, stars still dancing behind my visual feed, beside Ariane's dessicated body, her breath still there. Weak, but still there. I kissed her on her forehead and noticed all my worries seeming like nothing after that dream.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," I said, stoking Ariane's head, "How're you doing today?"

She opened her mouth to try and respond in sighs as she stared in my general direction with glazed over eyes.

"It's okay, Ariane... Everything's going to be just fine," I told her, stroking her head, "I'll go ahead and make us some breakfast, okay?"

With that, I went to leave the room, but aside touched the door handle, my arm recoiled.

I looked at the door handle, and touched it again. What flowed through me, compelling me to pull back, felt like a minor shock, tensing up the muscles and making them contract.

Not worrying about this, I grabbed the handle and twisted.

The door flung open without my pushing it.

I walked to the kitchen and got to cooking. I grabbed whatever I could get my hands on and whipped up something to eat. It wasn't pretty but it was good enough.

Turning around, I walk down the corridor, the metallic clang of my footfalls upon the flooring of the ship.

Burned out husks littered the floor, immobile. I ignored them, proceeding to the next room, pointing my pistol through the doorframe while walking in cautiously.

The hallway looked longer than it had any right to be, given the corrupted replika I could hear just behind one of the boxes. I checked my pistol, 3 bullets... 7 on my person... I reloaded the gun.

I waited to make a decision... I could just run away from the replika... but what if I get hit. I checked again... a singular repair spray. I might need it later... but the same goes for the bullets.

I bolted to the next room.

The corrupted replika followed close behind. I dashed ahead and ran around a bunch of boxes, focusing on the door.

I felt something strike my shoulder from behind.

One of those bastards hid behind a box.

I ignored it and kept dashing ahead. I could survive a hit. This was nothing...

I have a promise to keep afterall.

The door opened as soon as I reached it and I rushed in, moving to the right and leaning my back against the wall.

Every single one of my components hurt. Not enough to have to use a repair spray, not yet.

I wanted to lie down beside Ariane again.

I got up, the way to the mineshaft ahead of me. That was my next stop.

I went to the elevator, reaching the mineshaft.

The doors creak open and I walked into the street. Walking forward, down the sidewalk, looking up at the bleeding sky, looking around at the melting grey houses.

I pass by a woman crying over someone who had been gutted.

Not dead, but getting there.

The EULR's head snapped to where I was, her eyes pleading. I took out a repair spray and tried to help the wounded unit, almost instinctively.

"Star? Talk to me!" She cried to her still pale companion.

"Yu... I don't think I'm gonna make it..." she said, glancing at her intestines peeking through the shoddily done bandages.

"I've already called an ambulance..." Her voice got shakier, "Just hang on..."

"Remember our first date?" The STAR unit asked, the clostrophobia of the mineshaft only seeming worse than before now, "You took me to a planetarium to see the stars..."

Yu nodded in response, wiping away her tears.

"And I told you I was over all of that stuff about being an astronaut..." Star added.

The EULR unit nodded in response.

"Well... I wasn't exactly honest with you... there was still a part of me that wanted to go up there... see everything... but in all honesty, I don't think I could leave you behind..." the STAR unit said, "And I don't think there would be any space battles either."

She laughed at her own joke, chuckling for a second before coughing up blood violently.

"I would've like to see the stars with you again one more time..." The STAR said as she looked up to the red sky, a smile spreading across the blueing lips. Her eyes glazed over as the oxidant formed a puddle around her broken frame... corpse.

Yu looked down to the STAR unit, unable to process what had happened.

Star looked up through the EULR unit as she tried desperately to bring her lover back to life.

I kept on moving.

I needed to get... somewhere...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S.: Alright, so I had to think a lot about how I was going to name the EULE and STAR units... I mean, Eule doesn't really sound like a normal name and Star isn't something I'd go for unless I could have a story behind it.

In any case, I ended up calling the Eule, Yu and the Star, well, Star, but the story is that Yu and Star were childhood friends from kindergarten and Star was into magical girls and that kinda stuff at the time she's just add Star as a prefix to anything she did. Yu decided to nickname her Star. If you want a side story or a completely seperate fanfic for that, I'll be happy to oblige.