Clan Douglas Dynasty (Finished)

[Beddy_Boop]

I love how you make each character their own! I love how you make us eager to read more, even if your just posting everyday things! I love how you give us (what I assume) is your voice in the writing! I love how everything flows seamlessly together! But I hate that this will have to end! Happy writing to the end!

[Schipperke]

"Crisis!”

Millie has a very restless night, filled with strange and disturbing dreams.



Rising early, she turns on the television to watch the news.  She is shocked by what she hears.

Millie:  Come quick!  You need to hear this!  Oh, I can’t believe it.





The others cluster round as the announcer says sombrely:  So there you have it, folks.  The weather monitoring service has detected a huge meteor shower heading right for us.  Sunset Valley is directly in the path of these destructive forces.  For further details, we take you to our weather girl.  Cyndi, what can you tell us about these meteors?



Cyndi, sobbing:  Oh, Lance, it’s just too, too awful!  We’re all going to die!



Lance:  Should people try to get away to foreign locations?  Maybe go to Barnacle Bay or Twinbrook?



Cyndi:  No use!  The whole sim planet is in the path of the meteors!  There is no safe place to escape to! 
Lance:  Cyndi, how long do we have?  When are the meteors expected to hit?



Cyndi:  They should start arriving this evening, shortly after dark.  (breaks down completely)

[Schipperke]

"But We have no Atavachron"
(reference:  Star Trek episode titled All our Yesterdays)

Molly:  This is terrible!  What will we do?
Sleuth:  You heard what she said - there is no safe place!  I can’t believe, after all we’ve been through, we’re all going to die like this!
James:  Now, let’s not panic.  We have the day to think about it and try to come up with a plan.
Millie:  In StarSim Trek, there was a world that was being destroyed by some sort of force.  The inhabitants used a device called an “atavachron” to escape into the past.



Mojo, scoffing:  You couch potatoes and your tv programs!  It may have escaped your notice, dear, but we don’t have an atavachron.
Moth blurts:  But - (he looks at James)
James:  Aye, lad, I think it's time to show the others what you've been working on in the basement.

They troop downstairs and enter the locked room.



Christie:  What on earth?
Sleuth:  Where did these come from?



James:  You've heard of time machines?  Here they are.  Sleuth's wife Jenna made them.
Wimsey:  But why?
James:  Oh, I just had a notion.  Now, the basic model will take you to sometime in the past or sometime in the future.  You don't really have much control over your destination.  But these machines have been upgraded by our very own scientific genius!  Moth, tell them what you've been doing.
Moth:  I've upgraded these machines so you can set them to an exact time period in the past or future.  What that means is that we can set them so that all eight will arrive at the same time and place.  I've also designed an upgrade that allows them to travel to Dimension H.
James:  So there you  have it, boys and girls.  Thanks to Moth and Jenna, we have a way to escape before the meteors start falling.  Now let's go upstairs and start planning.

They gather around the kitchen table to decide what to do.

[Schipperke]

"Planning"

Molly:  I think we should go to the past.  I've always thought I'd like to live in medieval times.
Wimsey:  Remember that we're immortal.  If we go to the past, eventually we'll be back to today and we'll have to deal with the meteors all over again.
Sleuth:  I think we should go to the future.  The only question is, how far into the future should we go?  How long will it be before the planet recovers from the meteors and it's safe to live here again?
Wimsey:  If we go to Dimension H, we'll have to learn to speak Hinglish. 
Christie:  Don't forget we need to keep eating ambrosia.  How do we know life fruit and death fish will be available in either the future or Dimension H?

Everyone pauses for a moment, reflecting on the truth of Christie's observation.  Finally Moth says:  We'll just have to take a supply of both along with us.  With the skilled gardeners and anglers we have in this family, we should be able to grow our own life fruit and stock a pond with death fish.
Mojo:  I still miss Radar.  He said we'd be together again someday.  Do you think that might be possible in either the future or Dimension H?
Moth:  We have the technology to bring ghosts back to life.  The problem in our own time is the limitation on household size.  I know there's no such limitation in Dimension H.  As for what things will like in our own future, who knows?
Millie:  But you said the Dimension H scientists don't know how to revive the dead.
James:  Aye, maybe not, but don't forget SV's top scientist will be travelling with us, and he certainly knows how to do it!



They continue going over the pros and cons of travelling to the future or to Dimension H.  Finally James says:  I think it's time we made our decision, people.  We need to allow ourselves enough time to get ready.  Now, write your choice on a piece of paper.  Majority rules.  As there are 8 of us and we don't want a tie, I'll abstain.

They pass their votes to James, who begins reading:  "the future, Dimension H, the future, the future, Dimension H, Dimension H."
Mojo:  Three votes for each?  But that's only 6 votes!  You must have missed one.
James:  No, there are only 6.  Someone didn't vote.
Moth:  I couldn't decide.  I'd like to do both.
James:  Well, we can't do both.  Since we have a tie, I'll cast the deciding vote.  Here's what we'll do...

[Schipperke]

"Preparing"

Before beginning their preparations for the trip, they share a nourishing meal of ambrosia.



Moth's first ambrosia.  He doesn't care for the smell.



Christie makes sure all the food replicators are full of ambrosia.  As she works, she thinks about what lies ahead.  Will there be new recipes for her to learn?  New books to read?  Will she be able to find work?  There are so many unknowns.



Millie goes through the bookcases and collects copies of all the books written by family members over the generations.  Her own Douglas Dynasty, Volume IV was finished a few days ago and is already a best-seller.  She wonders if there will be a Volume V and what she'll be writing about at that point.  Or if any of them will be alive.



Molly takes the best nectar from the racks and puts it in her inventory.  She makes sure one of the nectar makers is stashed safely in the family inventory.  She hopes there will be new fruits where they're going for her to experiment with.  She thinks it would be nice if she could meet someone special and finally get married.



Wimsey and Sleuth finish cataloguing the gallery items and take a few minutes to catch up on the news.  It seems that nobody is at the television station - it's just the same news loop, repeating over and over.

Wimsey:  Are you afraid?
Sleuth:  Very.  You?
Wimsey:  Oh, yes.  But I keep reminding myself, when Dad [James] came to SV, he was poor and had no job or friends - not even any skills.  We have each other.  And an impressive array of skills.
Sleuth:  If survival is possible, we'll find a way.



James seems to be everywhere, organizing, encouraging and keeping everyone busy and on track.  He is thinking about his dead wife Holly, love of his life and mother to the Dynasty.  His fondest wish is for them to be together again.  To tell the truth, he's feeling quite energized and excited by the challenge they're facing.



Mojo and Moth carry the heavy time machines up to the yard. 



As Moth checks and rechecks the settings, Mojo reflects on the situation.  His fondest wish has always been to be reunited with his brother, and for the first time since Radar's death, Mojo feels hopeful that he may see his brother again.  He knows he should probably be upset by the situation, but he really isn't.



Moth, too, is excited.  He is confident his upgrades to the time machines will work - after all, he secretly tested them last week by travelling to the future and to Dimension H.  What he saw in both places amazed him.  He knows some will find it hard to adjust to the new life, but he believes they will be as excited as he is about all there is to learn.  He is also looking forward to using his LTRs of Master of Seduction and Fertility Treatment.

[Schipperke]

"Zero Hour"

The family inventory is full to overflowing.  Personal inventories are packed.  There is just one more important job to do before they leave.  They rush across the street to the family plot. 



They pick up all the family graves.  Nobody will be left behind.



The shadows are growing long as they all run over to stand in front of their time machines.



Molly starts to sing:  "Let's go out - "
Millie joins in: "in a blaze of glory - "
They all start singing  together:  "All good things must end!"



James's voice, loud and off-key, rises above the rest:  "Like the heroes in a story - "



The singing peters out as reality hits - this is their story.  And it is ending.  Suddenly they all feel sad.

James:  No time for mourning, people - twilight is coming fast.  Maybe our story in SV is ending, but our new adventure is waiting for us.  Now - everyone into your time machines, and we'll see each other when we reach our destination.



Moth waits until everyone else is safely aboard then plunges into his time machine.



They're gone.

[Schipperke]

"Destruction, Death, and Someone who is Disappointed"

Shortly after dark the meteors begin falling.



The night sky is lit up as meteors continue to fall throughout the night, all over town.





A solitary black-clad figure, barely visible in the darkness, rubs his hands together gleefully.



The sun rises on a scene of widespread destruction.  The school is gone completely.



The gym has sustained significant damage.



Most houses are destroyed or badly damaged.



Dead bodies lie everywhere.







At 15 Summerhill CT, the meteors have taken out most of the garden.



In the basement gallery (miraculously undamaged) a lone figure drifts disconsolately, moaning loudly:  "Where are they?  They must be here somewhere!  I've been waiting so long for this moment.  I can't believe that old man and his progeny are gone!"

[Schipperke]

"All our Tomorrows"

So where did they go? 

Perhaps they decided to go to the future and will re-appear in Sims 4, 5, or a later version.  None of them really enjoyed being celebrities in this life, so if they have gone to the future they will likely be using different names.

Or perhaps James opted to take the Clan to Dimension H.  Again, I suspect they will be seeking anonymity.  But if you're out walking one day and you meet a new neighbour named James and he's wearing plaid, talk to him.  Look deep into his eyes and say the words "Sunset Valley" and "Dynasty."  When you say those words, if his eyes flicker, you'll know.

The end.

Heartfelt thanks to all those who have taken the time to read this story, and especially to those who have left comments.  Without your encouragement I might have given up long ago.  I love you guys.

ps to Metro - the accountants are working to calculate the gallery value.  They hope to have the final tally in a day or two.

[ratchie]

I loved the ending of your story. I am sad to see them go but glad they are all still together. I really hope that Mojo has been reunited with Radar.

Rachel

[Asleep]

WOW! What an AWESOME ending! But... now the Dynasty is over....

[LenaLJ]

What a wonderfull ending of a wonderfull story... Really great job on being the first to finish the dynasty challenge.
And congratz on your really good written story.

I don't know what others think but some good looking pictures of your museum would be great. I always wanted to see a finished museum.

[samoht04]

That was an amazing ending! 

[Joria]

OMG.  I am overcome with sadness and awe.  Sadness because it's over and I won't see the clan again in this Simtime.  Awe over the amazing finale!  You are one of the most creative and talented people I have met here.  Congratulations on a well written story, a terrific ending, and on being the first to finish.  This truly has been the best of all the stories written so far.

[Lilygirl]

Great way to make the Clan Douglas go out with a flourish!

I was kind of expecting the Clan to become a photo-shopped picture of all 8 of your Schipperkes together, as that is where the inspiration for naming your Immortals came from.    Something like, your Immortals travel to Dimension H and this is how they are represented. Perhaps that's how I will have to picture them in my mind!

Thank you so much for sharing your Immortal Dynasty's story with all of us!

[Pam]

Beautiful, Schipperke.  You certainly didn't disappoint with that ending!  Very exciting and well done!  Congratulations!