Sky Full of Holes

Link to article: Sky Full of Holes.

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The first thing that hit her, upon opening the slightly-sticky door, was a roar of sounds, chimes, screams and laughter; D.C. Al Fine was out of her element. She rarely had a chance to leave the council's chamber, but given [[[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/the-world-kept-turning-hub|the current state of things]]], she had a sudden increase in idle time.

The Silicon Nornir had become useless machinery. The BLACK, ORANGE, and WHITE Suits had all stopped working. Eurtec had vanished. The Council wanted answers, and all the while, she could feel her immense strength waning. In summation: things had been better.

"Over here, old friend," a male voice said, struggling to be heard over the din of the establishment. "Come join me!"

As she approached, deftly maneuvering around the small bodies filling the space, she looked at him. He was wearing a t-shirt and shorts, a stark contrast to her suit; if they had been at the United Nations, he would have been underdressed, but here? Here, she was the abnormality.

"Why," she began, "in God's name did you want to meet //here// of all places."

"I wanted to talk. Just you, me, and that which will remain." He gestured out onto the floor in front of him, flashing lights and buzzers filling the air. D.C. Al Fine finally absorbed the reality of where they were: an arcade, for children.

She sat down on the bench beside him, as they looked out into the sea of laughing children and klaxonous machines.

"We're talking," she said, "but we could have talked anywhere else. Why //here// in particular? And I don't want to hear the excuse that 'it was a message from God'; haven't you used that enough times by now?"

"This is magic, isn't it?" he said, looking at the chaos unfolding before them. "Look at how far they've come."

"Why so nostalgic, all of a sudden?"

"There's a change in the wind. I'm sure you've felt it."

"And if I have?"

"You have," he said, "or you will. Either way, it is an inevitability."

"Your point?"

"I just think," he said, offering a kind smile, "that we should face the end with dignity. Or rather, the dignity we have left."

He gestured to a bruise on his leg.

"I can't walk through walls anymore," he said. "Learned that the hard way, but -- it's amazing what this body will do, I haven't had a bruise before."

"You're here talking about dignity and bruises," she said, rolling her eyes, "but I don't have that luxury. Not when I have an entire organization nipping at my heels, counting on me to find a solution and lead them through this. Do you remember what that was like?"

"You know as well as I do that I hate being in power." He gave a kind smile, as he looked around in amazement; despite his wizened appearance, he saw this place the same way the children did.

"Get to the point," she said, "I have better places to be than an arcade."

"Isn't it beautiful?" he asked, looking into the sea of electronics. "Look at this."

"A children's arcade," she said, crossing her arms, "is not what I would call beautiful."

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, watching as life went on.

"I have felt it," she quietly said, breaking the noise-filled quiet. "But what are we supposed to do? Why not let it take us?"

"Because it won't. Not in the way you think; no, you and I will not become humans. That is just something that we are not and can never be. Do you know how many ends I've witnessed since this began? I have seen so many disappear, vanishing into thin air, dying, and even worse fates." He sighed.

"So what? We're just supposed to give up?"

"Earlier," he said, nodding his head to the machines and crowds, "you asked why I invited you here, to an arcade of all places. I wanted you to see something -- just, take a look."

She humored him; she looked around the space, watching children dart from machine to machine, each displaying different images, lights, sounds, text. It was a cacophony of excitement, and each machine was unique in it's own way.

"What about it?" she asked, a feeling in her gut.

"Look at this. Look what humans have done, all on their own. Yes, I had a hand in creation, but... they have truly embraced that. Look around you, see the wonder through the eyes of a child. All of this, everything we see: that is the result of human ingenuity. That is the product of their civilizations, or their cultures, of their stubborn refusal to give up, even when facing overwhelming odds."

"So," she said, "your point is that we should follow in their lead? And keep fighting?"

"No, not quite." He laughed, shaking his head. "I think we can both agree that we have already impacted their lives enough. Seven Occult Wars? From the dawn of man to today... we never should have interfered."

"It's not like we can just leave them."

"No? Why not?" He looked older in the flashing neon lights. "Look at this place. Humanity has done the impossible; they have taken inert, mundane rocks and made something fantastical. They have made the inert magical, at the same time as the fantastical is being made inert. A poetic ending, no?"

There was as much silence as could be found within an arcade, as Al Fine contemplated his words.

"Time to face the music," she said, standing and offering him a hand, which he accepted.

He grinned, embracing her tightly; a look of surprise passed over her face. A crowd of children ran by, their leader charging towards a skee-ball machine, determination in his young eyes. The two tired deities stood in place, watching the future, as they disintegrated into dust. What was once two gods was now simply ash.

The era of magic was over.

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Sky Full of Holes

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