The Concert Part VI - Finale

Posted on Mon Apr 1st, 2019 @ 11:06pm by Captain Brady Dering M.D., PhD & Cadet Freshman Grade Molly Seol & Captain Karyn Dallas R.N. & Commander Sonia Dalca & Mackenzie Bergman & Cadet Freshman Grade Catherine Wells & Cadet Freshman Grade Gwen Morgan
Edited on on Mon Apr 1st, 2019 @ 11:26pm

Mission: Ready For The Weekend!
Location: The Subspace Cafe
Timeline: 2388/08/30 2230 (Sat. Aug. 30 2388 10:30 - 11.00pm)

Kelly stepped back up onto the stage as the club lights came down and the sound of sirens seemed to come from the background as she got her violin and bow ready. She gave a nod to DJ Phantom and held up four fingers before she looked to Gwen. "Ready?" she asked her as the lights began to come back up and she drew her bow across the strings. "This is a number call Take Flight which is what all of us will do upon graduation!"

There were some cheers and a few whistles, and then the audience became quiet.

Still mentally smiling over Kelly’s last exuberant comment Gwen stepped forward but to one side as the opening solo began. She watched with a half smile as the gentle opening continued, her own body moving subconsciously to the music. Flowing, no hard edges then it began to build. After a bit she sang then but gentle wordless sounds that blended with the music into one joint, living thing. She felt silent and after a few more moments of solo which had built to something powerful indeed she really began to sing. Her normally quiet voice rolling out with a kind of power.

“I can't be held too tightly
My spirit quivers like a kite
But when you love me without strings
I take flight”

She sang with complete focus as she moved elegantly around the stage.

“I want to burn more brightly
Than all the shooting stars at night
And when you wish the best for me
I take flight”

“And with the moon beside me
We dance in time
Don't let this distance tell you
This is goodbye
It's not goodbye”

Kelly kept the melody slow and lingering as Gwen sang and listened to her roommate and party sing, pride swelling in her at how she began to bloom. She quicked the pace of her bow, bringing it over and on the strings, going faster and faster before she reached a crescendo and leveled off.

The barest hint of longing in Gwen's voice that she wasn’t even aware of, the wish to be loved like that flowed into her words, flavoring them but unheard by any but the most observant. The power of the music breaking down the internal walls that normally kept her inner thoughts from leaking out. Pulled along by the sheer power of the music and audience to affect mood and emotion she continued to sing even as she hoped she didn’t fall off this ride.

“I'll see you on the other side
Where no one's wrong and all is right
And off we'll go into the light
Where we'll take flight

We'll take flight
We'll take flight”

Kelly danced as she played, her body moving in synch to the music she played and the words Gwen sang, her eyes shining as the crowd began to move to the beat as well. She cast a bright smile as she stepped up beside of Gwen and picked up the beat again. It was an amazing experience and she wanted to be right by Gwen's side to share it with her.

Gwen felt more than saw Kelly move nearby then she glanced to Kelly sharing a brief but shining moment of perfect understanding and accord before facing the audience, finishing the musical duet.

Music and voice faded into the silence.....

Finally, Kelly drew the bow over the strings one last time and let it fade as the holographics died down and the sound of chirping birds faded into the background.

Applause rippled across The Subspace Cafe in a thunderous roar and cadets called for more as well as instructors stepping up to applaud.

Gwen glanced at Kelly beaming and did something she normally never did. Moved by the emotions of the moment she threw one arm around her friend and they stood together basking in the acceptance.

Commander Sonia Dalca was on her feet with the rest of her table. Indeed along with many of the people in the room. She couldn't hear her own applause as it was drowned out by the sheer number in the room. She was proud of them both, she could see the initial unfolding of wings that would enable both of them to fly. She could almost see the the kinds of officers they'd be, one drawing every eye but with a loyalty and competence unmatched. Another quietly confident with a far seeing eye, no less dedicated then her partner. She felt a pang at the thought that she couldn't be prouder than if they were her own children as it got her thinking about her own one day. She shook off the thoughts to focus on the future of Starfleet and right now it seemed very bright.

To hear Kelly talking about taking flight before she launched into the song with Gwen had made Brady's heart soar. The young cadet had come so far in so short a time and was now performing at The Subspace Cafe in front of so many people. He was so proud of her and knew that she would go far even after he left the campus for his own command. He hoped she would, but if she kept playing and singing with Gwen, he knew she would be. He stood with the others and began to applaud, a whistle escaping his lips which surprised even him and he smiled from ear to ear.

Commander Devin McCall came to his feet and applauded with the others who were calling for more. To see Cadet Morgan shine like she was was nothing short of amazing and he was proud of the depth of emotion that she had put into her singing. He felt that she would go a long way if she kept at it like she was.

Barim whistled loudly and clapped his hands when the song ended, encouraging others around him to join in. He soaked up the positive emotions flowing from everyone and knew that he would be coming to future concerts as well.

Lance joined in the applause in amazement at the performance that Mack's cousin and her friend had put on and planned on seeing if he could arrange something special for them.

Ailyssa AKA DJ Phantom, lowered all the lights and holographics until just the spotlights rested on the two cadets while she programmed in the final set of holographics that had been given to her before the show. She had peeked at what it was going to be and was extremely pleased to see what had been put together for the crowd.

Catherine Wells, clapped and cheered with the rest. These guys were good and their music made you want to move even as the messages resonated. Just one more reason she was glad she came out tonight.

Her almond shaped eyes bright from excitement, Molly clapped and cheered next Catherine, eager for more. She happened to look around and spotted the cute young guy with the piercing blue eyes who had spun her around earlier, and couldn't help but wonder who he was.

Karyn clapped and cheered loudly with the rest of the crowd. Not only that the music been beautiful and the performance perfection, but she admired the cadets for being comfortable enough to perform in front of such a large group. Dallas enjoyed singing and acting as hobbies, but she'd always been more than a bit self-conscious when it came to actually performing in front of people. It spoke well of the cadets that they were so comfortable this early on.

Kyle had taken a seat back at the table so that he could enjoy the next set. And was it ever good. Kelly and Gwen had some real talent. When it was over, he stood and clapped along with everyone else. Those two were getting a bunch of fans won over. He chuckled a bit as he pictured what it might be like going across campus and seeing a few cadets running up to them for autographs.

Then it was time for the finale. Even as far as up to this point Gwen hadn’t been entirely sure she was going to be able to do this song. It required a power of voice that she wasn’t sure she possessed but the previous songs had given her a confidence to try so she stepped forward into the light. As she moved one, if they were close enough, could see she’d unbuttoned the top button of her shirt and her sleeves were rolled up. Still elegant but even her stance was a proclamation of confidence.

“I wanted to say something about your support tonight, the hardest part for any artist is to share their work with others since it’s so personal.” She glanced over at Kelly with a smile then returned her attention to the crowd, “And we’d both like to thank you for being such a wonderful part of this whole process.”

"You're all wonderful!" Kelly exclaimed as she gave a nod to the DJ in the booth and brought her violin up to her chin and got the bow ready.

“And now I’d like to introduce our final song, modified from an old poem it will, I feel, speak to the new versions of ourselves we hope one day to become.” She said honesty pouring from every syllable, “We’ve worked especially hard on this on and hope you will enjoy it. It’s titled, Shatter Me.”

A holographic clockwork appeared by Gwen with a ticking sound and a holographic glass bubble appeared around Kelly as the music as she turned slowly with the music, one leg raised as she began to play.

The music, and oddly enough briefly the sound of winding clocks, began quietly, building in power.

“I pirouette in the dark
I see the stars through a mirror
Tired mechanical heart
Beats 'til the song disappears”

It was sad, plaintively sung but light.
Kelly remained like a statue, nothing but her arms moving as the music built even further and Gwen’s voice went with it.

“Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me”

Her body moved unable to keep the music to just her hands rose and fists briefly clenched as she poured out the refrain, a kind of cry for help.

Kelly stepped off the revolving platform and moved to examine the globe she was in, her eyes looking as if trying to find a way out and finding none. She pounded a fist against it and fell back before cracks started to appear in the globe. Picking her violin back up as items began to fall over, she played harder and faster.

“Shatter me!
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me”

Her voice flowed around the music like water throw rocks filling the gaps and shifting effortlessly with the changing rhythms. Her voice going soft again. Her body moving to the music.

“If only the clockwork could speak
I wouldn't be so alone
We'd burn every magnet and spring
And spiral into the unknown”

Kelly hung her head after she stood up and moved back to the platform, her arms at her side as if she had no reason to remain upright and alive. A butterfly caught her attention and she looked at it in wonder and began to renew her playing, the music swelling with Gwen's voice.

And again it built and stayed here a voice that rolled throughout the roll that flung the longing words to every corner and into any receptive heart.

“Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me”

“Shatter me!
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me”

Inside Gwen’s mind she could only hold on as the music, like a rushing white water river tore through her. Ripping aside shields, anxieties, everything fell to the power the music had over her and she threw her soul into it. Longing woven throughout the entire and some aspect of herself hidden deep on her mind, long kept locked away raised its sleepy head and roared. She could feel something shift but was carried along by the music unable to stop.

Kelly's playing grew more intense as she turned in different directions and cracks began to spread through the globe. Her skin began to glow as if an inner light came through cracks in her skin and she looked towards Gwen as the young woman sang, extremely proud of her.

“If I break the glass then I'll have to fly
There's no one to catch me if I take a dive
I'm scared of changing
The days stay the same
The world is spinning but only in gray
If I break the glass then I'll have to fly
There's no one to catch me if I take a dive
I'm scared of changing
The days stay the same
The world is spinning but only in gray
(Only...)

It seemed as if the surface of Kelly's skin exploded outwards in fragments of glass as she played in sync with Gwen's singing, the holographics on point with the song and she only hoped that their future performances would be just as amazing.

“Somebody shine a light
I'm frozen by the fear in me
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me
So cut me from the line
Dizzy, spinning endlessly
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me”

With that, the holographic crystal globe that had surrounded Kelly exploded outwards and she moved to stand beside of Gwen with tears in her eyes at the emotional outpouring of the song while she continued to play and she pirouetted and twirled to the music in sheer joy.

“Me...!
Shatter me!
Somebody make me feel alive
And shatter me!”

At the end she stood on her feet as the last of the music washed over her then, completely unplanned, felt to one knee as one about to be knighted, spent.

Kelly lowered her bow and violin to its stand and reached for Gwen. "Stand, Gwen and be recognized," she softly requested as a slow applause began and raised until it seemed as if every hand in the place was meeting its partner. Voice raised in a crescendo of cheers, cries for encore and encouragement.

Gwen allowed Kelly to help her up and she stood there, still a drained but with a stunned pleased expression as though she couldn't quite believe what had just come out of her but had decided it wasn't a bad thing. She stood with Kelly, shoulder to shoulder as the audience reacted.

Mack wasn't about to let anyone else praise her girls before she got the chance to. She rose to her feet and whistled, then began to applaud. It was clear she was a proud woman. Both young women were doing something she'd never have the courage to do, and they made it look so easy. With the holo-imager she'd brought with her, she snapped a few pictures to be sent home when the chance came up. The smile on her face was unwavering as she continued to cheer them.

Brady had stood when the applause had began, joining in at first, and then after excusing himself to those he had been sitting with in the boothe, started heading carefully over towards the stage when he spotted Mack, recognizing her. He went over to stand next to her and joined in the cheering.

Lance added his applause and whistling to the growing thunder coming from the concert level of The Subspace Cafe. The final song had been amazing and the change he saw coming over the two cadets was even more so.

Barim hefted his glass in salute to the two cadets, feeling almost drunk on the waves of emotion that were pouring from everyone around him. "We want more!" he began to chant, but his words were drowned out.

Devin stood and began to clap, knowing that the two young ladies would go far on campus and he made a note to see how it would affect Gwen in her personality from this point on.

Ailyssa brought the lights back up and turned on the house music as she watched everyone react. It had been a great show and she looked forward to working with the two girls again.

Damian got to his feet and whistled as he clapped his hands. He was excited for the two young women, and planned to meet up with them after all of this was over. That would be when he'd let them know just how much he enjoyed the music and how proud he was of them.

"Thank you so much everyone!" Kelly said. "We love you all and we'll see you again soon!"

Gwen, out of words, just smiled broadly and waved at the crowd in an agreement with Kelly.

~~~End~~~