Fighting Back

Chapter 4

The darkness surrounded him from every side. When he tried to prostrate his arm he realize that he had none- he was a pure thought spinning and falling into the endless emptiness for what seemed like an eternity. The swirling subsided almost as abruptly as it begun and Lister found himself floating, although he wasn’t quite sure was there anything he was floating above. The first sense that got back to him, was his touch, he became aware that he’s standing at the solid surface and a second later, that he had his body back or at least, this reality’s equivalent of it.

Lister blinked few times, trying to get use to this severe void but at the same time he was afraid to even twitch, after all who knew what awaited him there. One careless step and he might start falling again.

“Where the smeg am I?” He asked loudly, more to hear the sound of his own voice and break the overwhelming silence, than to anyone in particular. Now, when he considered it, he decided that this was something he should think in the first place. If he understood Kryten correctly, he was there to convince Rimmer that even the worst memories could be forgotten and the bright future was awaiting. The only problem was that he knew Rimmer for eight years and there was nothing even slightly glowy about the future; trapped three millions years from Earth with only him, Cat and Kryten for company, with no prospects for promotion or sex life… this mission was starting to look unsuccessful already and he hadn’t even begun it.

He shook those thoughts away, he needed to convince the hologram in order to safe his own life as well, so perhaps he should first convince himself. What challenge awaited him here? He could bet his priceless guitar that he had landed in the middle of the infamous Gazpacho Soup incident.

Suddenly, Lister noticed that the darkness that up until that point was simply omnipresent, had begun to disappear, as if someone started to light the lamps, one after another. It took a while for Lister to understand that he wasn’t witnessing the vanishing of the darkness but the materialization of a world- the spots of brightness clearly started to shape as objects, some of them connecting with each other, while other grew bigger.

Lister braced himself for… well, actually, he had no idea what was he bracing himself for but he did it anyway, this was after all, Rimmer’s mind. He had been here before and, quite frankly, disliked every second of it. He looked around slowly and squirted his eyes in disbelieve. Good thing the bet he made was with himself because otherwise he would have to tell his baby ‘byebye’. He wasn’t in the mess, this wasn’t even Red Dwarf, he was standing in the middle of the most pompous living room he had ever had a misfortune to encounter. Green drapes were hanging from the windows, it’s color matching perfectly not only the overly fluffy carpet but also the trees outside. The furniture looked so clean they seemed almost sterile, Lister had seen hospitals that were less hygienic. This wasn’t normal, he felt totally out of place, like a gigantic germ creeping up a surgeon’s ass during the operation.

A single, shiny picture standing upon a coffee table caught his eye- a woman, man and three boys were gazing at him in contempt. He didn’t need to look around anymore, he knew perfectly well, where he was.

Rimmer’s house on Io.

No wonder Rimmer was such a clean-freak, being rise in a place like that could really screw someone’s personality.

Lister frowned. Although he had hared about Rimmer’s childhood many times and always in relation to some horrible events it never occurred to him that the holograms’ worst memory was related to this place. Sure, Rimmer mentioned more than once that his father had been an always disappointed, military-obsessed sadist or that his mother had more lovers monthly than Liza Minelli through her whole life but still… it wasn’t as if Lister didn’t take those tales seriously, he did, just the way that Rimmer had been speaking about them, like it didn’t bother him at all, made Lister less sensitive to them.

Perhaps it had been a mistake. Perhaps Rimmer was concealing his truth feelings, afraid to be ridiculed, he ridiculed them himself.

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that the family portrait he was staring at had five people on them- mother, father and three sons. Were was the fourth one? Had Rimmer’s parents truly hated him so badly that they excluded him from a simple photograph? Lister had started to less and less optimistic, this whole place had some sick atmosphere around it, he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

Deciding that it was too late to have doubts or regrets, Lister formed a simple plan in his head. He had to find Rimmer and learn what was exactly about this house that was worse than dying (twice), being tortured by own Self-loathing, meeting a successful, charming yourself from another dimension or even The Soup.

He doubted that he would like the answer.

Whether he wanted it or not, it was time to move. Lister had no idea how much time did he have but he knew that he probably had it less than he needed. Kryten had said ‘few hours’ but he also stated that time here wasn’t the same thing that in the real world. He approached the table and picked up the photograph that unsettled him only moments ago. It felt as material as any other object in artificial reality would and Lister smiled to himself, the knowledge that he could interact with the surroundings made him feel much better. If there was any mortal danger awaiting at least he could kick it in the dangly parts.

Speaking of screaming… the unexpected noise startled Lister and he nearly dropped the picture. He put it down, gently and begun to listen, trying to pick up as much as possible. The sounds were definitely coming from upstairs; quick, heavy steps, angry voices and then, a booming thud, as the doors above him were closed which such force, that Lister wondered did they survived the impact.

At least he knew what should he do now. Slowly, he begun to ascend the stairs, carefully looking around for sings of any other residents. Finding none, he sped up his pace until he found himself standing at the beginning of a long, wide corridor. On both sides he noticed doors and realized that behind one of those The It awaited. Judging from the noise from one the room, he even knew behind which.

For the first time since his arrival here, Lister felt fear. It was one thing to deal with a grown up man, neurosis and smegginess aside but it was utterly different to deal with a child. He discovered with a mild shock that he didn’t want to know what’s going here, not because he regretted getting here in the first place but because people abusing children had always repulsed him, the mere thought that someone, *a parent*, would hurt a baby made him want to smash nearest mobile objects into the wall. He didn’t want to know because even if he prevented it from happening again he wouldn’t undo it, it had already happened in the distant past.

To Rimmer.

He didn’t know who was in the room with him; was it his father, the infamous uncle Frank or one of his brothers but it didn’t matter. He had to act quickly.

The plan he came up with earlier had been modified. He would enter the room, grab Rimmer, run for his life and then have a heart-to-heart with him.

Lister pressed the doorknob and opened the door rapidly, wanting to surprise people inside and gain some advantage. He stepped inside ready to snatch Rimmer and do the Roadrunner act and but his feet refused to carry him further. His chest tightened and he found it difficult to breath. For a split second Lister considered his options, he could either get sick all over the ostentatious navy blue carpet or faint, both actions seemed to be equally attractive at the moment.

“Get your hands away from him” he chocked out finally “or I’ll kill you.”

It wasn’t the first time that David Lister had threaten someone with death but, for the first time in his entire life, he actually meant it.

Tbc…