Colin MacGregor

Colin could only watch and listen from the doorway as the Captain yelled at Sean.

Sean was exasperated, trying to explain. "We didn't do it, that's what I'm trying..." He sighed. "Liz, don't you have any idea where the guy went?"

The red-head frowned. "I was looking at the device, trying to figure out a way to disable it, and wasn't paying attention."

"Right", Williams spat. "You will disable the device, now, or I shoot your traitorous allies." He drew the pistol and pointed it at Sean, who froze.

"I've been trying", Liz said quickly, her eyes widening at the sight of the gun, "but..."

"There he goes!" Marcus shouted suddenly. The other skinrider ran for the door to the engine room just as the dark-haired bomber ducked through it.

"Stop! All of you!" The Captain swung his gun towards the door, but returned its aim to Sean as the skimmer started to follow the others.

"Aye, aye, sir, stopping now." Sean snapped both hands into the air for good measure.

Liz ducked through the hatchway, however, just behind Marcus. Colin heard a number of shouts over the roar of the boilers, and then a loud clang, as though another hatch had been slammed shut.

"Captain", Max began again, holding his hands open in front of him, "that was the one who planted the bomb. The one my friends were chasing."

Williams narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. "All of you, stand there, next to the bomb." He motioned with his left hand for CJ and Ryan to move closer to Sean. "If they do not bring this man back, quickly...I will shoot all of you."

The other passengers in the hold were edging awya nervously, murmuring amongst themselves as they spotted the bomb and the Captain's pistol. One near the stairwell noticed that the door was still propped open, and nudged a few of the immigrants standing nearby. Slowly, apparently hoping not to draw the Captain's attention, they began sidling up the stairs towards the hatch that Colin continued to prop open.

Scooter, meanwhile was threading through the press of the crowd to approach the Captain from behind. Max gave him a slow nod when the Captain looked towards the engine room hatch, but before the ghost could try anything, it swung open once more.

"Good job, Liz." Marcus grinned at her as they dragged the bomber back into the hold. "I never would have thought to inhabit the door and slam it in his face."

Liz smirked as she dropped the bedraggled man at the Williams' feet. "There's your bomber, Captain."

Williams stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze, and his Luger, on the man. "Who are you? Is this true?"

The man looked up at the pistol facing him and smirked. "My name", he answered in a German accent, "is Lorant. And yes, it is true."

Anger raged in the Captain's eyes. "You will disarm it now", he said, aiming his pistol at Laront's head. "Or I will kill you."

Williams fired, then, the shot hitting Larant squarely in the forehead, splattering gore across the bulkhead. The body collapsed to the floor as the immigrants began screaming and shoving to get away from the scene.

The Captain blinked and staggered as though struck and then looked around at the crucible again. "What...what happened...?"

At the top of the stairs, watching the immigrants now stream out and towards the upper decks, Colin smiled. He saw one of the tethers wrapping around the Captain dissolve as the bomber's body fell and nodded. Tha' ought tae ge' things moving.

"I'm afraid", Max answered with sympathy, "that you are ready for the truth. You're a ghost - you've been a ghost for nearly a century."

"How is that possible?", Williams asked, still stunned. His hand dropped to his side, the pistol loose in his grip.

"You died - you and all of these immigrants, among others - when that bomb went off." Ryan explained softly. "About a hundred years ago, and you've been reliving that night ever since."

"Apparently Lorant, this bomber, was one of the tethers binding the feedback loop", Liz added.

Seeing the Captain's look of confusion, Marcus stepped in. "With this kind of event, the trauma can cause those who remain as ghosts to be trapped, endlessly repeating the actions that led to the incident. What matters now is breaking these others", he gestured around the hold at the tethered immigrants, "out of the loop as well, and before that bomb explodes."

The Captain shook his head suddenly. "Wait, you said among others." His voice tightened. "You mean Constance, my fiancée." He gazed around at them, and Max nodded.

The Captain ignored him, though, running over to the engine room hatch. He bellowed through, "You men! Abandon ship! That's an order! And get these people to the boats!" Williams stormed back over. "I must get Constance to...", he paused. "Not safety, I fear."

"Then come with me." Sean offered his hand. "I can take you to her while the rest get the immigrants to safety."

Williams reached out for Sean's hand, and the two disappeared in a flash of light as the wisp wended them both topside.

CJ clapped her hands as crewmen began running out of the engine room. "All right, people, move!" She began hurriedly making her way through the crowd, pushing the passengers when they wouldn't move fast enough.

"We've got about five minutes before that thing blows", Max said as the crucible regrouped outside the hold. The last of the immigrants ran for the stairs to the top deck as CJ began counting heads. "Sean's up with the Captain, Scooter, Liz, Max, Marcus, Ryan...where's Colin?"

The ghost stood beside her, invisible even to those who could normally perceive his presence. He swore silently at her question, still unable to make a sound.

Ryan spun around. "Damn, I haven't seen him since he disappeared in front of those guards."

"Called on his stains, then", Max grumbled. "Nothing for it, we'll have to hope he's around and get ourselves out. He's not showing up again until the shadows release him."

Great. Jus' what I wanted tae hear. Colin sullenly followed his crucible up the stairs towards the life boats. He glared at Max. And ye'd be happy tae leave me, nay doubt.

All of the crucible members jumped into the last boat, which dropped away from the port side just as the bomb exploded on the starboard. The United heaved upwards momentarily before crashing down again, sending a torrent of water coursing over all of them.

Colin froze at the sensation, but quickly shook it off this time, more worried about returning to his normal, rather than heightened, invisible state.

Liz, however, shrieked and wrapped her arms around her more tightly as the United once more began its trip to the bottom. She shook herself, trying to regain composure, and Colin wanted to reach out a comforting hand, but still could not.

Both of them were pulled from their fears by the sudden glows from the lifeboats around them. All of the tethered immigrants were fading into golden shades and lifting into the heavens, while those not bound to remain simply faded.

The Captain and his fiancée, Constance, were the last to ascend. Williams turned to all of them as his form dissolved into faint gold stars and tipped his cap before the two faded from sight entirely.

Instantly, the pressure of the deep crashed in upon them as they once more found themselves beneath the ocean, now standing in the rusted out hold of the United's hulk. Colin cried out as he once more found himself submerged, the realization that he could speak again only a footnote against the panic that strove to dominate his mind. Unable to open his eyes, the young spirit huddled into a ball and sank to the floor.

Liz gasped at the double shock of Colin's reappearance and the return of reality. The other members of the crucible were looking on both of them with concern when the spirit managed to fight down the panic and open his eyes again.

Marcus put a hand on Liz's shoulder comfortingly. "Remember, don't try and breathe. I know it sounds silly, but it helps." He smiled as she nodded slowly.

"And whatever you do," Max added with a smirk. "Don't think about the millions of gallons of water pressing down on you..."

"Remind me tae push yuir wheelchair down some stairs nex' time I see ye in yuir meat", he spat.

Max shrugged. "Hate me if you want, kid, but focus the anger, use it to put the fear in its place. I'm not here to be liked, I'm here to make you into a functional team."

"You going to be all right?", Ryan asked Colin softly, stepping between the wisp and the skinrider.

The ghost was silent for several moments before responding. "Aye, was jus' a bi' o' a shock."

"Later", Colin whispered. "I'm nay ready tae talk abou' i'." His voice returned to a normal level so that everyone could hear him. "Le's jus' ge' ou' o' here."

"Way ahead of you, kid." Sean re-appeared out of the side of the submersible then, a satisfied expression on his face. "Once the tethers stopped interfering, some of the instruments came back online."

"You found out something, then?", Liz asked shakily. The sleeper had her arms wrapped tightly about herself, but her eyes shone with curiosity.

Sean nodded. "From what I can tell, there was some sort of cascading failure. Looks like the depth sensor got wigged out by the interference and everything else went to Hell from there. I can't be sure, though, I can just trace out some of the shorts."

With one last concerned glance at Colin, Ryan moved over and put his hands on the submarine. The water around the banshee shimmered, the shadows from the two wisps' flickering aura lengthening and surrounding Ryan who shuddered, but kept his hands in place.

"One of the crew had a Ouija board", the hue began in a flat voice. "He wanted to see if he could contact the ghosts of the United."

"He did", Ryan continued. "The other crewmembers told him to put the board away, but he continued. Until...until something started going wrong." The banshee frowned. "The guages started going haywire, and sparking. He dropped the board, but the planchette kept moving."

Ryan tensed, his voice becoming louder. "They lost control of the sub when several of the sensors went out simultaneously. I can see the tethers slashing through the ship, disrupting the electronics." He pulled his hands away from the wrecked sub and shuddered.

"And without the depth sensor, or reliable controls," Marcus said thoughtfully, "they hit bottom."

CJ looked over at Marcus and winced. "The sub goes out of control and they knock a hole in the side. The sub floods, and suddenly they're trying to breathe water. That's gotta suck."

Liz nodded her agreement and began swimming up towards the surface. Hearing no argument from the others in the crucible, the spirit followed after her as quickly as possible.

"Not as well as I'd like", she admitted with a wry grin. "But it helps to have something else to anchor to."

She laughed as well. "That too, I suppose, but I meant the knowledge. I'm sure it's a comfort, on some level, to see all those ghosts who have persisted for so long..."

Colin nodded. "Aye, the though' did occur tae me. Sounds like there's summat else, though."

"There is", she agreed. Her voice took on a far more serious tone. "And that something else means I'll have to make a trip like this again, probably soon."

The ghost blinked in surprise. "I though' ye'd be as glad as I if ye ne'er had tae go swimming again."

"I would", she said frankly, "but I have to. If those ghosts down there lasted so long at the bottom of the ocean, then maybe Nigel..." Liz paused, trying to compose herself once more. "Maybe Nigel's spirit lingers on at the site of our shipwreck. I might be able to see my fiancé one last time."

Nodding in sudden understanding, Colin reached out a hand and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "And despite the fear, ye ha'e tae try."

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Last Updated: January 2, 2004 by Blake Sorensen

#0767 - Releasing Tethers

November 14, 2003