You Would Not Believe Your Eyes

This story was inspired a bizarre idea I woke up with. Be warned that it's mostly a moving story, but then the ending is probably one of the most bizarre you'll ever read.
Ranger 1 and Ranger 6 slowly drank their smoothies as they discussed the situation sadly. Ranger 5 hadn’t been the same since he’d returned from that space mission a couple months ago. The first sign that something was wrong was him not changing out of costume after the mission was completed. It was days before they saw him again, out of uniform, but still acting strangely. He tried to be friendly and reassuring, but there was still something aloof about him; he wasn’t as open as he usually was. At first they chalked it up to him still recovering. He had been through so much physical and emotional trauma that it wouldn’t be surprising for it to have taken a severe toll on him. Shortly after, he ended his relationship with Ranger 1, saying that she deserved someone who could give her the love she needed. He also relinquished the leadership role to Ranger 6, saying he felt he could do a better job than he could. He still appeared out of uniform, but he appeared in it more often than not. While he hung out with the other Rangers and partook in missions whenever he could, he still seemed like a changed person. In fact, it was like he was a different person simply playing a role.
The other Rangers, in discussing the situation, came to the conclusion that one of three things had happened. One, his personality had changed due to the traumas he had suffered in the line of duty. Two, he had become possessed by some kind of entity. Three, this version they had been interacting with was an imposter. Since he had refused all physical and psychological examination, it was hard to determine which option it was. However, they started feeling more and more that they were dealing with an imposter- a non-malicious imposter, but still an imposter. After conversing for a while, Rangers 1 and 6 decided to take action the next day.
The following day, they approached the costumed Ranger 5 as he sat at a table. They exchanged greetings and then Ranger 6 declared, “We were going over something sad and serious.”
“Oh?” Ranger 5 asked. “What is it? Maybe I can help.”
“I think you can.” He showed him a book. “We were looking over these memorials to those who died in the line of duty.”
“Oh.” There was a pause and then Ranger 5 told them, “Go ahead and show me what you wanted.”
The three spent some time looking over the pictures of cemeteries and monuments created to intern and memorialize the fallen. There were also memorials to those who had gone missing in action. Rangers 1 and 6 also brought up the efforts to find MIA soldiers, noting how recovering remains and knowing what had happened could help bring closure to their loved ones, while Ranger 5 listened solemnly.
After a poignant silence, Ranger 5 sadly arose, walked over to the wall, leaned against it, and announced, “You deserve to know. I’ll take you there.”
“Where?” asked Ranger 6.
“The place I interned your fallen colleague.”
Ranger 1 found herself crying. She had prepared herself for this possibility, but now that she was facing it, she found the emotions were too strong. Ranger 6 also found himself resting his face in his hands and quivering with sudden emotion. Ranger 5 dug his fingers into the wall and told the duo, “I’m sorry. When you’re ready, you can assemble the team and bring him back here.”
Hours later, the assembled team was led to a cave on an alien world. The imposter Ranger 5 showed them a casket reverently placed on a slab of rock; nearby was a simple wooden tablet with writing explaining how the deceased had sacrificed himself in battle to save others. As he reached to open the casket, Ranger 6 found his arm trembling and a lump forming in his throat. He pushed past it and opened the coffin; inside was a freshly mummified human corpse.
The fake Ranger 5 told them, “You’re free to… to do any testing you need to confirm that’s your… your friend. I tried to preserve the body in respect for the sacrifice he had made. I’ll understand if you never want to see me again. I’m sorry; I never meant to cause you any pain.”
Ranger 1 offered, “You thought… You thought it would be more painful for us to learn he had died, and so you decided to take his place.”
“Yes, but in the end, all we did was cause you more.”
“‘We’?”
“Yes.” As the Rangers watched, small bits started to emerge from the imposter’s form. They rose up and began to glow. “You’ve heard, haven’t you, about how some alien creatures can have powers regardless of how small they are? Just like you’ve shown, living things can band together to do amazing things.”
More and more of the shining bits flew into the air as the humanoid body lost its form. The Rangers remembered how they had heard about how the lightning bugs of some alien worlds could merge together and take different shapes; they now saw that the abilities of these space fireflies were greater than they ever could have imagined. Finally there was nothing left of the imposter’s human disguise, only the lights of a myriad of space fireflies floating through the air.
By Raidra
Category:Stories
Category:Raidra