I rose to my feet and laid Elaine gently on the ground. Now was the time. All these people were counting on me. I couldn't let them down. "Bring me the balloons." I ordered, and after some minor fumbling, I had them in my hands. A long piece of string that stretched almost a mile was also placed in my possession. We were set.
The tabs on the balloons were pulled and they instantly inflated to their massive size. The balloons were identical, outfitted with nets beneath them to support the refugees weight. This was the tricky part of my plan, if this didn't work, then I had condemned everyone to dea... no, I couldn't think like that. I was the hero. It was my job, my duty to save them. They could not die, especially not my parents. I would not allow it.
I felt as though my plan, working like clockwork, was happening in slow motion. After ordering the citizens to file into one balloon, I laid my beloved in there too, giving my parents strict instructions to keep her safe. A copper curl danced across her face in the cool breeze. I leaned over, kissed her forehead, and whispered in her ear,
"I love you Elaine, and I will until I breathe my last breath."
I pulled back and, to the shock of the refugees, I flashed them a crooked grin, trying to hide my fear, as I shoved their balloon off, away from the main group of Beasts far below. Then, turning, I lept, coat flying behind me, onto the other balloon and floated toward the main group of Beasts prepared to do the noble thing.
I was resolved to not look back, but a familiar cry reached my ears and my head turned of its own accord...
Friday, December 21, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
(31) More Elevators and Epic Fighting
The charge and blast of my 4000xp blaster gun seemed loud enough to wake the dead, but my little cupcake snored lightly and rolled off my knee. The Beast stood there for a moment with a gaping hole in its filthy chest before falling backwards into the puddle of its own bloody guts.
Quick as a flash Elaine was on my shoulder and my blaster was charging again as I jumped over the corpse. We were one floor beneath the dome, taking off down the hallway, we reached the elevator shaft in time for me to blast the door open with a short burst to the controls. The group of people huddled in the net cheered softly for me as they began to make their way out. I directed them down the hallways to the elevator and soon all of us were crammed inside the service elevator. We couldn't risk it not making another trip so we were shoulder to shoulder. It would have been awkward if I was easily embarrassed, which I'm not. Ha! I just tried my best to keep Elaine comfortable on my shoulder and not knock her pretty head into the wall too many times....
The cheery *ding* of the elevator told us we had reached the top floor. This was the moment of truth. As the metal doors opened, I gave my reflection a dashing smile before aiming my blaster at the fast-widening space ahead. One glance told me this was going to be one heck of a fight.
My gun went off before the doors had finished opening. Then I sprinted past the body of the decapitated Beast before it had even hit the ground. "FIGHT!" I yelled over my shoulder, "FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES; FIGHT FOR THOSE YOU'VE LOST! FIGHT FOR THOSE YOU HOLD DEAR!" I heard blasters going off all around me as the swarm of Beasts began to drop like over-grown flies. But they were still coming, one got a good swipe at my arm. Gosh dangit! My poor coat sleeve was in tatters...and I was bleeding, but that was no matter. I hiked Elaine up a little as I sprinted for the door, which opened and more Beasts began racing in. Crap!
We were surrounded, there was only one way out, "GET ON THE ROOF!" I shouted at the mass of people fighting their way through the Beasts. Suction guns went off all around me as people began to rise. I kept fighting, giving them their best chance at reaching the top. Once they were all above the Beast's reach I shot mine up and leapt into the air.
People shuddered and some sobbed as they made their way past the corpses suspended from the ceiling. I made it to the top and blasted through the roof with my gun. Soon, we were all on top, gulping the cool night air. The sky was lightening, dawn was near. I could see the Beasts from the camp swarming into the city and preparing a full-scale attack that would finish us off.
As I reached for the bar of chocolate I kept in my pouch for emergencies and tore off a chunk, I realized that this was it, the deciding point. By daybreak, there would be one victor, and the victor always gets the girl.
Quick as a flash Elaine was on my shoulder and my blaster was charging again as I jumped over the corpse. We were one floor beneath the dome, taking off down the hallway, we reached the elevator shaft in time for me to blast the door open with a short burst to the controls. The group of people huddled in the net cheered softly for me as they began to make their way out. I directed them down the hallways to the elevator and soon all of us were crammed inside the service elevator. We couldn't risk it not making another trip so we were shoulder to shoulder. It would have been awkward if I was easily embarrassed, which I'm not. Ha! I just tried my best to keep Elaine comfortable on my shoulder and not knock her pretty head into the wall too many times....
The cheery *ding* of the elevator told us we had reached the top floor. This was the moment of truth. As the metal doors opened, I gave my reflection a dashing smile before aiming my blaster at the fast-widening space ahead. One glance told me this was going to be one heck of a fight.
My gun went off before the doors had finished opening. Then I sprinted past the body of the decapitated Beast before it had even hit the ground. "FIGHT!" I yelled over my shoulder, "FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES; FIGHT FOR THOSE YOU'VE LOST! FIGHT FOR THOSE YOU HOLD DEAR!" I heard blasters going off all around me as the swarm of Beasts began to drop like over-grown flies. But they were still coming, one got a good swipe at my arm. Gosh dangit! My poor coat sleeve was in tatters...and I was bleeding, but that was no matter. I hiked Elaine up a little as I sprinted for the door, which opened and more Beasts began racing in. Crap!
We were surrounded, there was only one way out, "GET ON THE ROOF!" I shouted at the mass of people fighting their way through the Beasts. Suction guns went off all around me as people began to rise. I kept fighting, giving them their best chance at reaching the top. Once they were all above the Beast's reach I shot mine up and leapt into the air.
People shuddered and some sobbed as they made their way past the corpses suspended from the ceiling. I made it to the top and blasted through the roof with my gun. Soon, we were all on top, gulping the cool night air. The sky was lightening, dawn was near. I could see the Beasts from the camp swarming into the city and preparing a full-scale attack that would finish us off.
As I reached for the bar of chocolate I kept in my pouch for emergencies and tore off a chunk, I realized that this was it, the deciding point. By daybreak, there would be one victor, and the victor always gets the girl.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
(30) Elevator Ride
After picking up the soft body of my beloved, I sprinted
across the hallway to the net suspended under the elevator...now four floors above me.
Well crap.
I didn't want the elevator to come down... that would mean it was plummeting to the passengers' deaths--not the most preferable outcome. I had to think. My ticket up was beyond the reach of any suction-gun I had and it was getting farther...Elaine has such fine legs...er farther away. We had to get back...or we could stay down here and get cozy...um. Crap.
Why did she have to be so dang beautiful!? How's a guy supposed to think clearly with a stunned and stunning woman in his arms? Suddenly, a sound from the other room. Well double crap! The Beasts were waking up! Gosh dang it all!
My foggy brain cleared of the desires for that which only a woman can satisfy and snapped into protection mode. One thought dictated all others: I must save Elaine, no matter the cost.
I noticed that the hallway past the room with the quasi-conscious Beasts was littered with the shredded remains of the barricade doors. They must not have come from this elevator, that meant there was another way out! I flipped Elaine onto my shoulder, grabbed my 4000xp blaster gun and hurtled down the hallway, dodging puddles of blood and shards of metal as I went, blue coat flying, looking like a freakin' hero.
Once I reached the end of the hallway I saw that there was another elevator, a service one, just waiting for me. Leaping inside I punched the button for the top floor and holstered my blaster gun. Carefully pulling Elaine off my back, I knelt down with her and laid her on the floor, her head on my knee to keep it off the filthy metal bottom of the elevator. I tried to wake her. I tried everything, shaking her, pinching her, throwing her at the wall of the elevator....okay, maybe not that...but short of kissing Sleeping Beauty, I could not get her to wake up. For the first time since she fell into that pool, I was scared. I tried to remember emergency medical procedure, but it was all a mix of numbers, pulses, and bandages covered in cute bunny rabbits. Was she breathing? I couldn't tell! Placing my hand in front of her mouth didn't help. So, I did something I'm not too proud of, I stared at her, very fine, chest. After a moment, I saw that it was indeed moving...but after another moment, I realized the elevator wasn't.
I reached for my 4000xp blaster gun and whipped around just as the doors opened.
(29) My Body Gave Up
I steadied myself as I aimed my ray gun at the creature
staring at me through the door. Its eyes were black as night, with only a thin ring
of red around the outer edge in a perfect circle that grew wider as it
registered my weapon. The long face with the terrifying mouth which cut its way
back to the bat-like ears barred all hundred of its razor sharp teeth. The thin
slits that served as nostrils flared and a guttural growl escaped its hairy
throat. It was nearly bent double to fit through the doorway it had cut, its
body was a good twelve feet tall, the wiry build and lean muscle mass made it
only more terrifying . There was no doubt in my mind that it could and would tear
my body apart in a matter of seconds, were it not still concerned about my
weapon. The charge that my gun had built was enough to blast the Beast’s head
off, but it would not do much damage to the next one came through the
doorway, and that one would kill me for sure.
The standoff lasted long enough
for me to register out of the corner of my eye that the elevator had reached my
floor. I looked at the console long enough to place my finger on the hold
button, when I looked back I saw that there were two Beasts in the room.
They
were lightening-fast, but the elevator was there. I only had to give John as
much time as I could hold out for. Then he could get away, he could live along
with everyone else. I was prepared to die for the greater good, and the one I
loved about all else. One of the Beasts moved toward me and soon was within one
of its long arm’s lengths. Foul breath escaped its lips and surrounded me with
the smell of rotting flesh. I was sure now that I would be eaten as soon as the
life escaped my body, if not a little before. I was not needed for information
any more. It was not like before. Now they knew where John was and all they had
to do was smoke the lowest level and his fate would be decided. I was going to
give the survivors their best chance. I took careful aim and let my gun go off.
The
nearest Beasts’ head blew into a million shreds of skin, blood, and brains.
The
wall behind it was splattered with the gore and, as my gun began to charge, the
decapitated body fell to the ground at my feet. A shot to the head with a short
burst knocked the second Beast down but it was not strong enough to penetrate
the thick skull. It swiped at my feet and knocked me to the ground. I lay
there, helpless, with the wind knocked out of my body as my gun tried to gain enough
power to save me. More Beasts scrambled into the room. The one that
knocked me down was on top of me now, raising its arm poised, to claw my stomach to shreds.
Suddenly! A loud explosion knocked all the Beasts in the room to the ground
violently. One of them fell on top of me and its weight nearly crushed me. The
heat from the explosion washed over me. The Beast’s body was shoved roughly off
me and a familiar face swam in my blurred vision.
John! I was saved. He lifted
me into his strong arms and carried my body over those of the Beasts that
littered the floor. I relaxed against his comforting chest, my hand winding in the black hair at the back of his neck. My body, under all the pressure of
the last few days, especially the last several hours, quit on me and I lost
consciousness.
Monday, December 17, 2012
(28) Trapped
I made my way down the dark hallway. The lights flickered eerily as I traveled over puddles of liquid I prayed wasn't blood. To stay as quiet as possible, I hoovered about an inch above th ground. I needed to create enough trouble for them to send the elevator down...what could I do? I wound my way through the hallways until I came to a door that was cracked open. A faint golden glow emminated from the room. I held my breath as my eye peered through the crack in the door.
The room was empty of movement. So I felt safe enough to enter. The glow emitted from a computer console. It was flickering and there was some snow on the screen, but I could still clearly read what was flashing there: Capital Controls and Maintenance—touch screen to begin. A soft brush with my fingertips set the screen in motion. Schematics of the entire building popped up, sorted by levels. I was fortunate to have found this. Now I could control the elevators myself, without having to create a diversion. A few taps and the elevator was shown, as a red dot, moving down the levels. I was turning to leave when the screen flashed and made a beeping noise. Whipping my head back around, I saw that the elevator had begun to climb again. Pressing and holding the downward command, I watched as the elevator slowly began to descend.
As I watched the screen I saw the service elevators start moving, and one of them stopped at my floor…I was in trouble now. The Beasts must have known that I was messing with this console because they had sent someone to get me, but if I let my finger up for a second, the elevator would rise. I was trapped. I could almost feel the Beasts sneaking down the hallway. Without removing my finger, I tried pressing other controls. I locked off a portion of the hallway, the gridlock only bought me a few moments though; their fierce claws forced through the steel doors. I locked down every door including the one in my room. Soon, all of my fingers were holding down controls to keep my commands from being overridden. The last door before mine was ripped through with a loud screech, and as I glanced at the elevator’s progress, I saw that it only had three floors to go. Reaching into my holster I drew out my ray gun and turned to face the door as a long claw sliced through the metal as easily as butter.
The room was empty of movement. So I felt safe enough to enter. The glow emitted from a computer console. It was flickering and there was some snow on the screen, but I could still clearly read what was flashing there: Capital Controls and Maintenance—touch screen to begin. A soft brush with my fingertips set the screen in motion. Schematics of the entire building popped up, sorted by levels. I was fortunate to have found this. Now I could control the elevators myself, without having to create a diversion. A few taps and the elevator was shown, as a red dot, moving down the levels. I was turning to leave when the screen flashed and made a beeping noise. Whipping my head back around, I saw that the elevator had begun to climb again. Pressing and holding the downward command, I watched as the elevator slowly began to descend.
As I watched the screen I saw the service elevators start moving, and one of them stopped at my floor…I was in trouble now. The Beasts must have known that I was messing with this console because they had sent someone to get me, but if I let my finger up for a second, the elevator would rise. I was trapped. I could almost feel the Beasts sneaking down the hallway. Without removing my finger, I tried pressing other controls. I locked off a portion of the hallway, the gridlock only bought me a few moments though; their fierce claws forced through the steel doors. I locked down every door including the one in my room. Soon, all of my fingers were holding down controls to keep my commands from being overridden. The last door before mine was ripped through with a loud screech, and as I glanced at the elevator’s progress, I saw that it only had three floors to go. Reaching into my holster I drew out my ray gun and turned to face the door as a long claw sliced through the metal as easily as butter.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
(27) A Reluctant Parting
Dear reader, it's Elaine again. I want to apologize for John's childish behavior. He was just trying to annoy me, and he succeeded (He'll wish he hadn't soon enough). Anyway, I guess I'll pick up where he left off.
So, we embraced and I was filled with an overwhelming joy to be in his arms once again. But it couldn't last forever. We had to break apart, and then we had work to do. He turned to his parents and they began to discuss how they could get these people out of this basement. I made my way across the room to see to the people who had been displaced and forced to hide by the Beasts. I was helping the refugees, some with small children, eat what few provisions we had brought and pack up their few, meager possesions. Some of the people had this dead look in their eyes; I could tell they had lost so many loved ones that they had given up hope. They would probably not live very long if we made it out of this city alive. That "if" was insurmountably improbable.
I glanced at John frequently. He seemed to be in his element, working out a plan of escape and attack; his analytical mind was calculating the best method for accomplishing his two goals. One time, I caught his eyes as I glanced at him. We stared at each other for a long moment, then I saw an idea form and click in his mind. He smirked at me and sauntered over.
"Hey baby, he said, putting his arm around my shoulder and giving me a squeeze, "you think you could help me out with a little plan of mine?"
I looked deep into his twinkling eyes and saw a hint of something else behind the sparkle, was it fear? I couldn't tell, but he was doing an awfully good job at hiding it. I nodded. He smiled.
John led me to the elevator shaft he had blasted a hole in and pointed up at the long, narrow space above us that seemed to stretch on endlessly. The few lights were weak and flickered randomly adding a decidedly creepy atmosphere to the already disturbing place.
"Now, Elaine, I know that you can hoover about 10 feet off the ground or so, but you are also really agile at climbing because of that. What you need to do is, hoover to about 10 feet, enter at the level above us, and try to make a ruckus so that the elevator will descend. Once it stops at your floor, we'll have our ticket up."
I swallowed hard and stared at the floor 10 feet above us. When I looked back, John was staring at me with a look of fear mingled with pain on his face. Suddenly I was wrapped in his arms. My hands slid up his chest, snaked slowly around his neck, and into his black hair. He stroked my curls and whispered in a husky voice,
"I don't want anything to happen to you, but this is the only way, you're the only one who can do this. I need you, in more ways than one. I love you Elaine, I don't want to lose you. Be careful, be safe, I'll always come for you." With an enormous effort we pulled apart so we could stare into the other person's face. It took even more self-control to not kiss each other passionately, as we wanted to do so desperately. We broke apart and I slowly sprang into the air where I rose until I reached the doorway.
One short blast from my ray gun created a hole large enough for me to squeeze through, I looked my last on John's handsome face, full of longing, before I disappeared into the dark hallway.
[Side note, I know that John wrote this on his last post: Well dear reader, you shall not be disappointed. Next time I shall tell of how I bested the entire Beast force in the capital with a piece of string, two weather balloons, a bar of chocolate, one 4000xp blaster, 25000kg of explosives, and one smokin' hot babe. You shall have to wait through the "gooey love stuff" as he called it before I can get to the point in the story where he does get to do all that.]
So, we embraced and I was filled with an overwhelming joy to be in his arms once again. But it couldn't last forever. We had to break apart, and then we had work to do. He turned to his parents and they began to discuss how they could get these people out of this basement. I made my way across the room to see to the people who had been displaced and forced to hide by the Beasts. I was helping the refugees, some with small children, eat what few provisions we had brought and pack up their few, meager possesions. Some of the people had this dead look in their eyes; I could tell they had lost so many loved ones that they had given up hope. They would probably not live very long if we made it out of this city alive. That "if" was insurmountably improbable.
I glanced at John frequently. He seemed to be in his element, working out a plan of escape and attack; his analytical mind was calculating the best method for accomplishing his two goals. One time, I caught his eyes as I glanced at him. We stared at each other for a long moment, then I saw an idea form and click in his mind. He smirked at me and sauntered over.
"Hey baby, he said, putting his arm around my shoulder and giving me a squeeze, "you think you could help me out with a little plan of mine?"
I looked deep into his twinkling eyes and saw a hint of something else behind the sparkle, was it fear? I couldn't tell, but he was doing an awfully good job at hiding it. I nodded. He smiled.
John led me to the elevator shaft he had blasted a hole in and pointed up at the long, narrow space above us that seemed to stretch on endlessly. The few lights were weak and flickered randomly adding a decidedly creepy atmosphere to the already disturbing place.
"Now, Elaine, I know that you can hoover about 10 feet off the ground or so, but you are also really agile at climbing because of that. What you need to do is, hoover to about 10 feet, enter at the level above us, and try to make a ruckus so that the elevator will descend. Once it stops at your floor, we'll have our ticket up."
I swallowed hard and stared at the floor 10 feet above us. When I looked back, John was staring at me with a look of fear mingled with pain on his face. Suddenly I was wrapped in his arms. My hands slid up his chest, snaked slowly around his neck, and into his black hair. He stroked my curls and whispered in a husky voice,
"I don't want anything to happen to you, but this is the only way, you're the only one who can do this. I need you, in more ways than one. I love you Elaine, I don't want to lose you. Be careful, be safe, I'll always come for you." With an enormous effort we pulled apart so we could stare into the other person's face. It took even more self-control to not kiss each other passionately, as we wanted to do so desperately. We broke apart and I slowly sprang into the air where I rose until I reached the doorway.
One short blast from my ray gun created a hole large enough for me to squeeze through, I looked my last on John's handsome face, full of longing, before I disappeared into the dark hallway.
[Side note, I know that John wrote this on his last post: Well dear reader, you shall not be disappointed. Next time I shall tell of how I bested the entire Beast force in the capital with a piece of string, two weather balloons, a bar of chocolate, one 4000xp blaster, 25000kg of explosives, and one smokin' hot babe. You shall have to wait through the "gooey love stuff" as he called it before I can get to the point in the story where he does get to do all that.]
Saturday, August 11, 2012
(26) That Time I Was Awesome [Oh wait...that's everyday]
As Elaine was utterly depressed without me on the lowest level of the capital building, I was unconscious three floors up. I wasn't out for long though.
Hey there, I'm John, the stud you've been reading about. ;) I've been reading Elaine's blog and decided that this was a good point to tell some of the story from my perspective. Seeing as how a lot of crazy stuff went down when she wasn't around. So, back to the dark hallway.
When I woke up, the lights were all out except for a small pulsating orange light that was shining right in my flippin' eyes. I was chained to a large long chair that reminded me of the dentist. I really hate the dentist, with all his tools and stuff. It freaks me out. I would much rather be on the front lines of a war than see the dentist. Anyway, strapped to this chair I looked around the room and saw that I was surrounded by Beasts.
Noticing I was awake, one of them stepped forward and pulled out a small box covered in buttons and whirring knobs. After fiddling with it, the box spoke in a raspy and metallic voice that sounded like the ancient earth singer Steven Tyler. Man that guy was odd,but his daughter sure turned out pretty, I mean, alright. Elaine is the most beautiful girl in all of space and time. I love you baby. Yeah....the voice said,
"Tell us, John, where are your forces? Where is your military base located?"
"I'm not talking you idiot sons of dirt." I said defiantly. More button pressing,
"Then we will torture it out of you." I looked straight into the eyes of the Beast and asked to see the box. The Beast handed it to me and when he was close enough I knocked my head against his. Stars popped before my eyes and I said,
"Bring it on you piece of dirt!"
I won't gross you out with all the gory details of my gruesome torture. Let's just say I've got a few more battle scars and an irrational fear of turnips. Eventually they threw my body into a room with no windows and told me they'd "be back". Honestly, did they think they were the Terminator or something? I crawled to the wall of the cell and pulled myself up. I moved slowly over to the door and listened intently. Now, they had stripped me of my weapons and my favorite blue coat, but they hadn't searched me carefully enough. I had a secret hiding place (and no, I'm not telling you where it is) for a small but powerful 4000xp blaster gun, limited edition with my name engraved on the handle and a diamond on the top of the barrel. I pulled it out and shot a very small, but very potent close-range blast at the lock on the door. A large hole burst into existence on the door and it swung forward to let me out.
I crept down the hallway and soon came to a door that was open and emitting an orange light. Beasts. I peeked around the corner and saw them sniffing over my coat, trying to get a fix on where I had been so they could work out the location of the base. I charged my 4000xp blaster and suddenly lept in front of the doorway. Four quick shots took out the Beasts. I snatched my coat from their grimy claws, grabbed my bag with all my supplies from the table, and sprinted to the doorway. When I came to the elevator I shot the doors apart. Shooting my grappling gun 360-s against the wall of the elevator shaft I jumped into the darkness. I slid down my rope as fast as possible until I reached the bottom of the shaft. As I stuffed the grappling gun into my bag I blasted open the door to the bottom floor and walked through it slowly for dramatic effect...which was wasted because no one was there.
I walked down the hallway and came to another door. I almost blasted it before I realized I should check the lock. It was locked. I knocked on the door and a voice called out,
"Who goes there?"
What was this? The room for paranoids anonymous?
"I'm John, leader of the army and son of the governors."
Several locks clicked and the door was opened by a receptionist who had seen better days. She smiled at me. I grinned and searched the room till I found them. My parents. They came running over and engulfed me in hugs. I hadn't seen them in forever. I was so glad they were still alive. When we broke apart, they stepped aside as Elaine launched herself at me. I spun her around the room till I got dizzy. She was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. I loved her so much, and yet, I love her even more today.
But you don't want to hear about all this gooey love stuff, you want to hear about the fighting!! Well dear reader, you shall not be disappointed. Next time I shall tell of how I bested the entire Beast force in the capital with a piece of string, two weather balloons, a bar of chocolate, one 4000xp blaster, 25000kg of explosives, and one smokin' hot babe.
Hey there, I'm John, the stud you've been reading about. ;) I've been reading Elaine's blog and decided that this was a good point to tell some of the story from my perspective. Seeing as how a lot of crazy stuff went down when she wasn't around. So, back to the dark hallway.
When I woke up, the lights were all out except for a small pulsating orange light that was shining right in my flippin' eyes. I was chained to a large long chair that reminded me of the dentist. I really hate the dentist, with all his tools and stuff. It freaks me out. I would much rather be on the front lines of a war than see the dentist. Anyway, strapped to this chair I looked around the room and saw that I was surrounded by Beasts.
Noticing I was awake, one of them stepped forward and pulled out a small box covered in buttons and whirring knobs. After fiddling with it, the box spoke in a raspy and metallic voice that sounded like the ancient earth singer Steven Tyler. Man that guy was odd,
"Tell us, John, where are your forces? Where is your military base located?"
"I'm not talking you idiot sons of dirt." I said defiantly. More button pressing,
"Then we will torture it out of you." I looked straight into the eyes of the Beast and asked to see the box. The Beast handed it to me and when he was close enough I knocked my head against his. Stars popped before my eyes and I said,
"Bring it on you piece of dirt!"
I won't gross you out with all the gory details of my gruesome torture. Let's just say I've got a few more battle scars and an irrational fear of turnips. Eventually they threw my body into a room with no windows and told me they'd "be back". Honestly, did they think they were the Terminator or something? I crawled to the wall of the cell and pulled myself up. I moved slowly over to the door and listened intently. Now, they had stripped me of my weapons and my favorite blue coat, but they hadn't searched me carefully enough. I had a secret hiding place (and no, I'm not telling you where it is) for a small but powerful 4000xp blaster gun, limited edition with my name engraved on the handle and a diamond on the top of the barrel. I pulled it out and shot a very small, but very potent close-range blast at the lock on the door. A large hole burst into existence on the door and it swung forward to let me out.
I crept down the hallway and soon came to a door that was open and emitting an orange light. Beasts. I peeked around the corner and saw them sniffing over my coat, trying to get a fix on where I had been so they could work out the location of the base. I charged my 4000xp blaster and suddenly lept in front of the doorway. Four quick shots took out the Beasts. I snatched my coat from their grimy claws, grabbed my bag with all my supplies from the table, and sprinted to the doorway. When I came to the elevator I shot the doors apart. Shooting my grappling gun 360-s against the wall of the elevator shaft I jumped into the darkness. I slid down my rope as fast as possible until I reached the bottom of the shaft. As I stuffed the grappling gun into my bag I blasted open the door to the bottom floor and walked through it slowly for dramatic effect...which was wasted because no one was there.
I walked down the hallway and came to another door. I almost blasted it before I realized I should check the lock. It was locked. I knocked on the door and a voice called out,
"Who goes there?"
What was this? The room for paranoids anonymous?
"I'm John, leader of the army and son of the governors."
Several locks clicked and the door was opened by a receptionist who had seen better days. She smiled at me. I grinned and searched the room till I found them. My parents. They came running over and engulfed me in hugs. I hadn't seen them in forever. I was so glad they were still alive. When we broke apart, they stepped aside as Elaine launched herself at me. I spun her around the room till I got dizzy. She was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. I loved her so much, and yet, I love her even more today.
But you don't want to hear about all this gooey love stuff, you want to hear about the fighting!! Well dear reader, you shall not be disappointed. Next time I shall tell of how I bested the entire Beast force in the capital with a piece of string, two weather balloons, a bar of chocolate, one 4000xp blaster, 25000kg of explosives, and one smokin' hot babe.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
(25) Elevator Music
As we slowly made our way down the long rope toward the ground, I nearly fainted. All around us, hanging by their necks from the ceiling, were hundreds of corpses. It looked as though half the city had been strung up in here. Suddenly I knew why the building still stood. The Beasts were killing the remaining people one by one. And, they probably were planning on a rescue mission. I buried my face into John's chest. I couldn't watch as the dead bodies swung slowly, ominously, from side to side.
"Shhhh, Elaine, everything is going to be alright. I'm right here. I'm not going to let you go." John whispered in my ear. In that moment, I realized how much better things seemed when John was here, when I could hear his voice. Even surrounded by death, sunlight was present, in him. He made everything better, that's how I knew I was in love. The whole world looked brighter when he was with me, more magical. I knew even more firmly that I never wanted to be parted from him.
Finally we reached the floor. John gingerly stepped to the ground then asked, "Can you stand? It's okay Elaine, we're past them, we're far past them." His soft voice in my ears gave me reassurance. I nodded and stood on my own two, albeit shaky feet. John took my hand and pulled me through the large room toward the elevator that would take us to the most likely place for the refugees to hide: The War Room.
As we reached the elevator, John jerked his head suddenly and looked to the shadows. Raising his ray gun it charged and discharged rapidly as he killed six Beasts in quick succession. Then we hurtled around the reception desk and into the elevator where he punched the button for the lowest level. Breathing quickly we stood there looking tense as the awkward elevator music piped in from invisible speakers. Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a halt three floors above our destination. A flickering overhead proceeded the failure of the lights. We were plunged into inky blackness. All at once the door opened and a dart flew in quick as a flash, hitting John in the neck. A long, hairy arm reached out of the darkness and grabbed John. I tried to keep him in the elevator, but the Beast ripped him from my grasp. The elevator door slammed shut and it continued it's decent as though nothing had happened. The lights even flicked back on. When the elevator stopped I tried to get it to go back up, but it refused to budge. Then, as soon as I stepped off, it closed its doors and began to move upward again. I was trapped here, and John was a prisoner of the Beasts.
The absence of John stabbed at me like a knife. My world had plunged into darkness quickly as the lights in the elevator. That was the thing about the magic of love, once you've seen the world that way, all bright and beautiful, reality without your beloved seems empty and dim. I didn't believe John was gone for good, or dead, I knew he would come for me, but until I saw his face again, or heard his voice, or even received the smallest letter from him, my world was as dark as a night without the moons.
"Shhhh, Elaine, everything is going to be alright. I'm right here. I'm not going to let you go." John whispered in my ear. In that moment, I realized how much better things seemed when John was here, when I could hear his voice. Even surrounded by death, sunlight was present, in him. He made everything better, that's how I knew I was in love. The whole world looked brighter when he was with me, more magical. I knew even more firmly that I never wanted to be parted from him.
Finally we reached the floor. John gingerly stepped to the ground then asked, "Can you stand? It's okay Elaine, we're past them, we're far past them." His soft voice in my ears gave me reassurance. I nodded and stood on my own two, albeit shaky feet. John took my hand and pulled me through the large room toward the elevator that would take us to the most likely place for the refugees to hide: The War Room.
As we reached the elevator, John jerked his head suddenly and looked to the shadows. Raising his ray gun it charged and discharged rapidly as he killed six Beasts in quick succession. Then we hurtled around the reception desk and into the elevator where he punched the button for the lowest level. Breathing quickly we stood there looking tense as the awkward elevator music piped in from invisible speakers. Suddenly, the elevator jolted to a halt three floors above our destination. A flickering overhead proceeded the failure of the lights. We were plunged into inky blackness. All at once the door opened and a dart flew in quick as a flash, hitting John in the neck. A long, hairy arm reached out of the darkness and grabbed John. I tried to keep him in the elevator, but the Beast ripped him from my grasp. The elevator door slammed shut and it continued it's decent as though nothing had happened. The lights even flicked back on. When the elevator stopped I tried to get it to go back up, but it refused to budge. Then, as soon as I stepped off, it closed its doors and began to move upward again. I was trapped here, and John was a prisoner of the Beasts.
The absence of John stabbed at me like a knife. My world had plunged into darkness quickly as the lights in the elevator. That was the thing about the magic of love, once you've seen the world that way, all bright and beautiful, reality without your beloved seems empty and dim. I didn't believe John was gone for good, or dead, I knew he would come for me, but until I saw his face again, or heard his voice, or even received the smallest letter from him, my world was as dark as a night without the moons.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
(24) Kiss
We sprinted through the city and finally came around a corner and found ourselves right next to the capital building. Why the Beasts hadn't already broken in I had no idea. They must have simply wanted the building to remain intact. If they could break through the wall they sure could break into the capital building, even with a ragtag resistance and a barricaded door. We crouched in the shadows as John analyzed the situation. The Beasts were surrounding the large dome-shaped building. The slick surface would make it impossible to climb over it, but every entrance was being patrolled by some guard or other. After a moment of scaning our surroundings John began to study the dome itself. After a moment he took my hand and led me into a house next to our location where the door had been busted in. We crept through the darkness. The house was large and long and came right up against the dome. We made our way to the fourth story and found a window that opened up a couple of feet away from the dome itself.
The Beasts did not like human dwellings or they would have made a camp in here. But then that went back to the heart of our quarrel with the beasts. They didn't use buildings. They lived in the elements and disliked finding us building things on the planet. We were here first and this planet had been empty of sentient life before we moved onto it, however the Beasts think that they are a more superior race and that living outside has made them stronger than the rest of us.
John opened the window quietly and shot his suctioning grappling gun onto the dome. It latched on and John turned to look at me.
"Can you climb this?" He asked holding out the rope. I supposed I would find out.
"I think so," came my uncertain reply.
"Wait here for me then while I climb, I'll come back and get you when I'm done, okay?"
I didn't like the sound of that, but a quick test of upper body strength told me that I could not support my own weight on that rope. John looked deep into my eyes. Then he said abruptly,
"I want to kiss you right now. I know that I may not come out of that building and I know that you might not make it out of this city. I want to know what it feels like to kiss your lips, Elaine, but I won't do that. No matter how much I want to. I want your kisses to be special, and until I can pledge everything that I am to you, I'm not worthy to have them. Even if I was, I would not want to steal a kiss from you before I die. That's not fair to you, or the lucky son of a gun you marry. So, know that I am dying to kiss you, you bewitching fairy, but that I won't, for your sake." Then he kissed my hand, winked at me, and lept out of the window before I could say another word.
I watched him work his way up the slick, stone dome and thought about his words. I felt like the most special girl in the world. He wanted me. He wanted to kiss me. And yet, he valued me more than his own wants and desires. Part of me was disappointed he didn't kiss me, but the rest of me was just that much more impressed with him. As I watched his flapping blue coat grow smaller as he climbed higher and higher, I felt an overwhelming desire to be at his side again. I ached when I wasn't with him. As I leaned out the window watching John, I heard a sound below.
Then a creak on the stairs.
A Beast was going to come through that door in a matter of seconds and there was no where to hide. I didn't think, I just jumped after John. He had been using the two grappling guns to make his way farther up the dome so there wasn't even a rope to hang onto. Thankfully my ability to hoover, and my momentum kept me a few feet off the dome. I ran through the air and reached the top just as John was setting his charges. As he turned to get a good distance away from the blast he ran smack into me. Laughing he pulled me out of the air and flattened me onto the dome. His body shielding me from any shrapnel.
As we stood up he flashed a grin at me and said, "Couldn't keep away from the babe magnet could you?" I shoved him and laughed. How he could make jokes when we were just about to launch into a full-scale rescue mission to save his parents I had no idea. After affixing a grappling device onto the roof near the hole he hooked the gun on his belt and took me in his arms.
He dropped us into the large room, but we weren't the only bodies suspended from the ceiling.
The Beasts did not like human dwellings or they would have made a camp in here. But then that went back to the heart of our quarrel with the beasts. They didn't use buildings. They lived in the elements and disliked finding us building things on the planet. We were here first and this planet had been empty of sentient life before we moved onto it, however the Beasts think that they are a more superior race and that living outside has made them stronger than the rest of us.
John opened the window quietly and shot his suctioning grappling gun onto the dome. It latched on and John turned to look at me.
"Can you climb this?" He asked holding out the rope. I supposed I would find out.
"I think so," came my uncertain reply.
"Wait here for me then while I climb, I'll come back and get you when I'm done, okay?"
I didn't like the sound of that, but a quick test of upper body strength told me that I could not support my own weight on that rope. John looked deep into my eyes. Then he said abruptly,
"I want to kiss you right now. I know that I may not come out of that building and I know that you might not make it out of this city. I want to know what it feels like to kiss your lips, Elaine, but I won't do that. No matter how much I want to. I want your kisses to be special, and until I can pledge everything that I am to you, I'm not worthy to have them. Even if I was, I would not want to steal a kiss from you before I die. That's not fair to you, or the lucky son of a gun you marry. So, know that I am dying to kiss you, you bewitching fairy, but that I won't, for your sake." Then he kissed my hand, winked at me, and lept out of the window before I could say another word.
I watched him work his way up the slick, stone dome and thought about his words. I felt like the most special girl in the world. He wanted me. He wanted to kiss me. And yet, he valued me more than his own wants and desires. Part of me was disappointed he didn't kiss me, but the rest of me was just that much more impressed with him. As I watched his flapping blue coat grow smaller as he climbed higher and higher, I felt an overwhelming desire to be at his side again. I ached when I wasn't with him. As I leaned out the window watching John, I heard a sound below.
Then a creak on the stairs.
A Beast was going to come through that door in a matter of seconds and there was no where to hide. I didn't think, I just jumped after John. He had been using the two grappling guns to make his way farther up the dome so there wasn't even a rope to hang onto. Thankfully my ability to hoover, and my momentum kept me a few feet off the dome. I ran through the air and reached the top just as John was setting his charges. As he turned to get a good distance away from the blast he ran smack into me. Laughing he pulled me out of the air and flattened me onto the dome. His body shielding me from any shrapnel.
As we stood up he flashed a grin at me and said, "Couldn't keep away from the babe magnet could you?" I shoved him and laughed. How he could make jokes when we were just about to launch into a full-scale rescue mission to save his parents I had no idea. After affixing a grappling device onto the roof near the hole he hooked the gun on his belt and took me in his arms.
He dropped us into the large room, but we weren't the only bodies suspended from the ceiling.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
(23) The Fall
The cool night air rushed past our ears. We landed on the first rooftop easily. The next several jumps went really well, then, we slipped. I felt our feet fly out from under us as we began to land. Our bodies fell backward, hurtling toward the ground.
I reacted by flipping my body mid-air and launching John up onto the roof to safety.
He grabbed my hand,
holding my fingers tightly,
but the sweat on our hands cause his
grip
to
lessen.
He
lost
my
hand...
As his fingers parted with mine he bit his lip and slid off the roof after me. The buildings were about 15 feet high. I could not keep us in the air now that we were falling. John wrapped his arms around my waist as something shot up at the roof.
Our bodies suddenly jerked upward and we were suspended about 6 feet off the ground. He had fired a grappling hook at the roof and it had suctioned on to the structure. How John had managed to fire the gun and hook it onto his belt before grabbing my falling body as we tumbled through the air? He saved our lives in a matter of seconds. The push of a button and we were lowered slowly to the ground. John's feet hit the ground first and he cradled me in his arms as the hook disengaged and dropped to the ground beside us.
"Let's stay on the ground for a while, okay Elaine?" He laughed between gasps for air. I nodded, too winded and stressed to speak. "You saved my life Elaine. I saw what you did there. I owe you a debt of gratitude...although I did just save your life so I think we're even, don't you?" a crooked grin flashed across his face in the moonlight.
Oh, but he hadn't saved me from falling. I fell even harder that night for my hero, John.
I reacted by flipping my body mid-air and launching John up onto the roof to safety.
He grabbed my hand,
holding my fingers tightly,
but the sweat on our hands cause his
grip
to
lessen.
He
lost
my
hand...
As his fingers parted with mine he bit his lip and slid off the roof after me. The buildings were about 15 feet high. I could not keep us in the air now that we were falling. John wrapped his arms around my waist as something shot up at the roof.
Our bodies suddenly jerked upward and we were suspended about 6 feet off the ground. He had fired a grappling hook at the roof and it had suctioned on to the structure. How John had managed to fire the gun and hook it onto his belt before grabbing my falling body as we tumbled through the air? He saved our lives in a matter of seconds. The push of a button and we were lowered slowly to the ground. John's feet hit the ground first and he cradled me in his arms as the hook disengaged and dropped to the ground beside us.
"Let's stay on the ground for a while, okay Elaine?" He laughed between gasps for air. I nodded, too winded and stressed to speak. "You saved my life Elaine. I saw what you did there. I owe you a debt of gratitude...although I did just save your life so I think we're even, don't you?" a crooked grin flashed across his face in the moonlight.
Oh, but he hadn't saved me from falling. I fell even harder that night for my hero, John.
(22) The City
What had looked like a massive pile of bodies was actually a large force of animated corpses. They had been manipulated somewhere, programed to attack. I heard John's ray gun charge beside me so I readied mine too. John was here, I knew he would save me. I was not alone. He looked at me and kissed my forehead,
"I hadn't meant to charge in, guns blazing, but it looks like we have to. Can you shoot?" I nodded my head firmly, then to prove it, I shot the nearest body through the chest. It's guts splattered everywhere. I grimaced and prepared to shoot another one while I looked for a way out. When I spotted a dark side alley to my left I tugged at John's arm and pointed it out. He nodded and we fought our way through the horde. When we got into close range the ray guns took too long to charge to be of much use, so I started punching and kicking the corpses. John's strength enabled him to break off their limbs and necks. Eventually, covered in gore, we made it to the alley and ran inside. John fired at the walls as we passed through them and caused them to collapse, leaving us with no escape, but also ensuring we wouldn't be followed.
When we came to a fork in the alley, we checked the holographic schematic of the city. We were west of the capital building. So we took the right fork and continued on. It got darker, to keep us from getting separated, John held my hand and led me through the streets using a small pulsating green glow-light. As we neared a main street, John stowed his light safely, but didn't let go of my hand, instead he pulled his gun out and we pressed our backs to the wall at the edge of the building nearest the street. John looked down at me and nodded. Silently we ran across the street and ducked next to a large fountain that was now leaking and spraying water into the street. Large puddles rippled about the square. I knew this place. I had come here often to feed the amphibious birds that lived in and around this fountain. From the look of the red water, most of them were dead.
So much death surrounded this city. This city I loved. I had spent most of my childhood running through these streets. The library a few blocks from here had housed me nearly 29/8 one summer. I spent every available moment there pouring over books and reading all about adventures that people had on our planet of origin, earth.
Suddenly I was brought back to the present when John's gun charged. I saw the shadow move right in front of the street we needed to be on, it was no corpse, but a Beast. Ten feet tall with long deadly curved arms, it's large ears were pricked and alert for the slightest sound. It was a miracle we hadn't been spotted before. If John killed it, the others would surely hear about it. Hadn't our fight near the wall been noisy enough? Maybe it hadn't reached the rest of the city. Maybe the corpses were just acting on their own. There was a lot of debris in the square. John was looking at it too. He stowed his ray gun and motioned for me to follow him. We crawled across the smooth irridianite stone and found our way to a street north of our position. As we cautiously made our way down the street against the wall and in the shadows, I saw that the library was not destroyed. I motioned to John and we ducked inside the doorway, guns at the ready. I took John's hand and led him up the stairs and to a place where a part of the roof opened up to allow some sunlight in. We pulled ourselves up onto the slick, white surface of the roof. I saw the buildings line up all the way to the capital. We could jump our way across the city. The roofs were flat enough, as long as our feet didn't slip on the slick, cool surface. John wrapped his arms around me again, and we launched ourselves into the air.
{on a rather interesting side note, the corpses in the city were originally just going to be a pile of bodies, looking ominous. However, the comments on my last post were so funny and indicative of zombies that I couldn't resist. But, I dislike the "feed me brains" zombies that infect people, I just like the idea of animated and dangerous corpses used for war purposes. So, thank you for inspiring me to have John and Elaine enter the city with more of a bang! :) }
"I hadn't meant to charge in, guns blazing, but it looks like we have to. Can you shoot?" I nodded my head firmly, then to prove it, I shot the nearest body through the chest. It's guts splattered everywhere. I grimaced and prepared to shoot another one while I looked for a way out. When I spotted a dark side alley to my left I tugged at John's arm and pointed it out. He nodded and we fought our way through the horde. When we got into close range the ray guns took too long to charge to be of much use, so I started punching and kicking the corpses. John's strength enabled him to break off their limbs and necks. Eventually, covered in gore, we made it to the alley and ran inside. John fired at the walls as we passed through them and caused them to collapse, leaving us with no escape, but also ensuring we wouldn't be followed.
When we came to a fork in the alley, we checked the holographic schematic of the city. We were west of the capital building. So we took the right fork and continued on. It got darker, to keep us from getting separated, John held my hand and led me through the streets using a small pulsating green glow-light. As we neared a main street, John stowed his light safely, but didn't let go of my hand, instead he pulled his gun out and we pressed our backs to the wall at the edge of the building nearest the street. John looked down at me and nodded. Silently we ran across the street and ducked next to a large fountain that was now leaking and spraying water into the street. Large puddles rippled about the square. I knew this place. I had come here often to feed the amphibious birds that lived in and around this fountain. From the look of the red water, most of them were dead.
So much death surrounded this city. This city I loved. I had spent most of my childhood running through these streets. The library a few blocks from here had housed me nearly 29/8 one summer. I spent every available moment there pouring over books and reading all about adventures that people had on our planet of origin, earth.
Suddenly I was brought back to the present when John's gun charged. I saw the shadow move right in front of the street we needed to be on, it was no corpse, but a Beast. Ten feet tall with long deadly curved arms, it's large ears were pricked and alert for the slightest sound. It was a miracle we hadn't been spotted before. If John killed it, the others would surely hear about it. Hadn't our fight near the wall been noisy enough? Maybe it hadn't reached the rest of the city. Maybe the corpses were just acting on their own. There was a lot of debris in the square. John was looking at it too. He stowed his ray gun and motioned for me to follow him. We crawled across the smooth irridianite stone and found our way to a street north of our position. As we cautiously made our way down the street against the wall and in the shadows, I saw that the library was not destroyed. I motioned to John and we ducked inside the doorway, guns at the ready. I took John's hand and led him up the stairs and to a place where a part of the roof opened up to allow some sunlight in. We pulled ourselves up onto the slick, white surface of the roof. I saw the buildings line up all the way to the capital. We could jump our way across the city. The roofs were flat enough, as long as our feet didn't slip on the slick, cool surface. John wrapped his arms around me again, and we launched ourselves into the air.
{on a rather interesting side note, the corpses in the city were originally just going to be a pile of bodies, looking ominous. However, the comments on my last post were so funny and indicative of zombies that I couldn't resist. But, I dislike the "feed me brains" zombies that infect people, I just like the idea of animated and dangerous corpses used for war purposes. So, thank you for inspiring me to have John and Elaine enter the city with more of a bang! :) }
Monday, July 30, 2012
(21) Death at the Capital
The hours flew by faster than the insane speed of John's bike. Soon, three more days had passed us by as unremarkably as the foiliage, except it meant that the food supply at the capital was dwindling quickly. We never spoke of the mission or the plan of attack. When I had broached the subject, John had been unwilling to talk about it so I didn't push the issue. Mostly it felt as though he was savoring each moment with me. Unwilling to allow a moment to slip by without taking full advantage of it. We learned so much about each other in those few hours when our feet were on the ground between bike rides and much needed sleep.
Dawn of the fourth day, there was a change in John's expression. There was a hard line in place of his mouth and two ice chips where his eyes used to be. I felt his body stiffen as I held it in my arms on the bike. I knew--I could read him well at this point--that something was wrong, and I could infer that we must be nearing the capital. The high speed slowed and soon we reached a halt right behind a large tree. He parked it and dismounted before turning to face me. His eyes were hard and he looked at me with a calculating expression.
"I probably shouldn't have brought you along. This will be dangerous, and it was selfish of me to bring you out here so unprotected. But I need you, and more than that, more than needing help, I wanted to be with you. I can't stand it when we are apart."
He needed me here. More that that, he wants to spend time with me. Little old nobody me. He made me feel special. I wanted to do my best to prove to him that i could be useful. He looked at me and pulled out a holographic map, with the touch of a button, a schematic of the capital popped up including the best intel on the Beasts' army.
"The bike can get us within 5 miles of the city, then it's foot work. We should reach the city by nightfall. Then, we just have to find a way through the army, over the 20' wall which the Beasts will be guarding, through the barricades and find our way through this maze of fallen debris to the capital and not die."
I blinked, "Sounds like a plan." I said, with a slight smile. John was a "think on your feet kind of guy"I respected his ability to do that, I was a planner, but he was the professional at this. I would defer to his plans or lack thereof.
We rode in just like he said, by nightfall, the outer camp of the Beasts was in sight. John backed up against a tree with his ray gun held up to his face at a vertical angle. He looked like a rouge hero. I liked that. We peaked around the tree and saw the eerie orange glow of the camp. I really hate orange. I looked up at the treetops and saw that they went right up to the wall. An idea took shape in my mind. I looked at John and relayed my thoughts. A devious smile broke his face and he said in a hushed tone,
"I knew I wouldn't regret bringing you along."
I scaled the tree and John followed me. When we reached the top John wrapped his arms around my waist and we leapt into the air, my ability to fly kept us in the air at that height long enough to get to the next tree. Silently we tree-hopped to the wall. As we floated down on the inside of the wall we kept our eyes open and sharp for any beast activity.
When our feet hit the ground our noses were overwhelmed with the rank smell of death and decomposing bodies.
A large mound of them rose up before us.
I buried my face in John's shoulder as memories of the tomb assaulted me.
Dawn of the fourth day, there was a change in John's expression. There was a hard line in place of his mouth and two ice chips where his eyes used to be. I felt his body stiffen as I held it in my arms on the bike. I knew--I could read him well at this point--that something was wrong, and I could infer that we must be nearing the capital. The high speed slowed and soon we reached a halt right behind a large tree. He parked it and dismounted before turning to face me. His eyes were hard and he looked at me with a calculating expression.
"I probably shouldn't have brought you along. This will be dangerous, and it was selfish of me to bring you out here so unprotected. But I need you, and more than that, more than needing help, I wanted to be with you. I can't stand it when we are apart."
He needed me here. More that that, he wants to spend time with me. Little old nobody me. He made me feel special. I wanted to do my best to prove to him that i could be useful. He looked at me and pulled out a holographic map, with the touch of a button, a schematic of the capital popped up including the best intel on the Beasts' army.
"The bike can get us within 5 miles of the city, then it's foot work. We should reach the city by nightfall. Then, we just have to find a way through the army, over the 20' wall which the Beasts will be guarding, through the barricades and find our way through this maze of fallen debris to the capital and not die."
I blinked, "Sounds like a plan." I said, with a slight smile. John was a "think on your feet kind of guy"I respected his ability to do that, I was a planner, but he was the professional at this. I would defer to his plans or lack thereof.
We rode in just like he said, by nightfall, the outer camp of the Beasts was in sight. John backed up against a tree with his ray gun held up to his face at a vertical angle. He looked like a rouge hero. I liked that. We peaked around the tree and saw the eerie orange glow of the camp. I really hate orange. I looked up at the treetops and saw that they went right up to the wall. An idea took shape in my mind. I looked at John and relayed my thoughts. A devious smile broke his face and he said in a hushed tone,
"I knew I wouldn't regret bringing you along."
I scaled the tree and John followed me. When we reached the top John wrapped his arms around my waist and we leapt into the air, my ability to fly kept us in the air at that height long enough to get to the next tree. Silently we tree-hopped to the wall. As we floated down on the inside of the wall we kept our eyes open and sharp for any beast activity.
When our feet hit the ground our noses were overwhelmed with the rank smell of death and decomposing bodies.
A large mound of them rose up before us.
I buried my face in John's shoulder as memories of the tomb assaulted me.
Friday, July 27, 2012
(20) Breakfast at Dinnertime
The bike whooshed through the woods. John was skilled at avoiding every little tree and branch, even at such high velocities. As we were nearing a lake he punched a large button in the center of the handle bars and the wheels abruptly left the ground and we began to hoover over the ground just moments before it became water. Then John turned to the right and started going north, into the rising sun. I held onto John tightly. I never wanted to let him go. When mid-day hit, John slowed his bike and landed it on the soft turf. The sun was blazing so John found some shade under a large tree. I was so tired. I hadn't had a proper night's sleep in days and my body was protesting. I eased myself stiffly off the bike and lay down on the springy grass. I was asleep before John had dismounted his bike.
I didn't know how long I slept, but I awoke to a hand on my face, gently moving my hair aside and stroking my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw John's face looking down on me with an apologetic smile.
"Hey sweetheart", he said in a soft voice, "We have to get going; I'm so sorry to wake you."
I smiled at him and nodded as I slowly sat up. He helped me. His help was unnecessary, but I loved it when he touched me so I let him support me as I got to my feet. It was evening, just before twilight. My stomach grumbled loudly causing John to laugh. This sound was the most beautiful sound in the world, apart from his voice saying my name. He rifled through the rations and pulled the tab on a smallish one. Breakfast for two sprang into existence. We each grabbed a plate loaded with an omlet, bacon, sausage links, and pineberry fruit.
"So", I said slyly between bites. "All the ladies love the bike? How many ladies have you taken on this thing?"
John looked at me with a coy look on his face and started counting on his fingers and moving his lips as though he was counting outloud, though I couldn't distinguish his words. After a moment of this he looked at me and said, "Only one...you" Then his devastatingly handsome smile broke across his face and I blushed at the honor. When we had eaten our fill we wrapped it back up in the pouch it had sprung from. This shrunk it down to the size of a small orange.
Then John grabbed me and spun me around before placing me on top of his bike. He stepped back and looked at the picture that made with a grin on his face. Then he hopped onto the bike and we rode off into the fading light.
I didn't know how long I slept, but I awoke to a hand on my face, gently moving my hair aside and stroking my cheek. I opened my eyes and saw John's face looking down on me with an apologetic smile.
"Hey sweetheart", he said in a soft voice, "We have to get going; I'm so sorry to wake you."
I smiled at him and nodded as I slowly sat up. He helped me. His help was unnecessary, but I loved it when he touched me so I let him support me as I got to my feet. It was evening, just before twilight. My stomach grumbled loudly causing John to laugh. This sound was the most beautiful sound in the world, apart from his voice saying my name. He rifled through the rations and pulled the tab on a smallish one. Breakfast for two sprang into existence. We each grabbed a plate loaded with an omlet, bacon, sausage links, and pineberry fruit.
"So", I said slyly between bites. "All the ladies love the bike? How many ladies have you taken on this thing?"
John looked at me with a coy look on his face and started counting on his fingers and moving his lips as though he was counting outloud, though I couldn't distinguish his words. After a moment of this he looked at me and said, "Only one...you" Then his devastatingly handsome smile broke across his face and I blushed at the honor. When we had eaten our fill we wrapped it back up in the pouch it had sprung from. This shrunk it down to the size of a small orange.
Then John grabbed me and spun me around before placing me on top of his bike. He stepped back and looked at the picture that made with a grin on his face. Then he hopped onto the bike and we rode off into the fading light.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
(19) Cherry Red and Turbo-Charged
I nodded. Somehow I knew that John was not going to let his parents die. His lips parted in a grave smile, then he looked down at his bag and tossed it at me. After pulling a matching black leather backpack out of his closet he started filling it with supplies. I looked at my empty satchel and wondered what on Terrafima I should pack. All my things had been back at the other base. I didn't even have a spare tunic or a cloak to keep me warm on the cold nights. John looked up when he had finished filling his pack with a few items of clothing, a communicator, and a couple of spare ray guns, and charge packs. He pulled his long blue coat on and ran his fingers through his hair as he looked a me. Then he took my hand and led me into the room where I had burned the dress. It's smouldering remains were lying there in the floor. John made his way to a crate and, after looking around for a moment, he pulled a large black cloak out. It was embroidered around the hem and collar like my tunic. I donned the cloak as he lead me down the winding passage ways to the armory. He pulled out his key card and scanned in. We were approved by the machine and allowed to enter.
The walls and floor were covered in the largest variety of weapons I had ever seen in my life. In a straw-filled crate John removed a belt of small explosives. These charges were only about the size of a walnut, but their blast would destroy a ten foot wall made of two feet of solid stone. Another communicator was found and placed in my hand. The small device fitted in my ear and enabled me to speak to anyone on my frequency. The small controller that came with it fit safely in a pocket in my bag. John pulled out a large gun, nearly as tall as me, and to my surprise, he set it aside to get at some rope and grappling hook shooters. He turned to me and said,
"We need to travel lightly and quickly, don't grab anything you can't use or run with." This made sense. We were a rescue mission after all. Two people confronting the army of the Beasts head on was suicide and didn't do anyone any good, except the Beasts. John led me to the kitchen where we grabbed ration packs for the journey.
Fully geared up for the rescue mission, John took me to the vehicle shed. The metal structure was full of everything from missiles to scooters. We ducked behind a large 5-wheeler as John devised a way to get around the guard. He seemed too immovable and alert to sneak past. Then an idea hit me. John handed me his backpack and pointed out his sleek and somewhat sexy land/air ship. I made my way over to the convertible which could roll on two wheels like a vintage earth motorcycle, or whose wheels could turn horizontal and cause the contraption to hoover a few feet above the ground. I snuck past the guard as John started chatting with him.
"Hey Claude, how's the shift going? I haven't seen you much since your reassignment. I heard you're going to make Alyssia very happy. You sly dog! Yeah, the news of your engagement spread like gossip in a small town." Claude mumbled something about being on-duty, but he was not a very bold man. As I crept back to the door we had come through I saw John clap Claude on the shoulder and say, "Oh, there's nothing happening right now! I don't even think the Beasts are awake outside this base. Their sleeping...or dead." A dark chuckle ripped through John's throat as he said that. A weaker one escape Claude's lips. "Oh", said John, "I'm taking my lady out for a ride on my bike over there. We'll just take a turn around the base. All the ladies love the bike." He drawled. I could almost hear him wink. Rolling my eyes I came around the corner of a large truck so that it looked like I had just come through the door. Claude looked at me with wide blue eyes. His mop of blonde hair and round face made him look like a child. How was he old enough to be engaged? Much less in the military? I flashed my best attempt at a dazzling smile and wrapped my arm around John's muscular one. He looked down on me with a twinkle in his eye and said,
"Hey baby, you ready to go on a "magic carpet ride"? He winked at me and I giggled at the old Disney movie reference. Thousands of years after the film had been made, it was still preserved and watched by each generation. He quickly stepped around Claude, pulling me along. Claude opened his mouth to object but John turned his head and cut him off saying, "Just a quick trip Claude, ol' buddy. Please don't tell the big boys? I just want a bit of freedom from this cursed metal prison." I turned and looked at Claude with my best pouty face. I saw Claude swallow and nod carefully before turning his back on us.
John hopped on the back of the cherry-red "bike" that was clearly his baby and fired her up. I ran over the the large metal door and swiped his key card through it so that the door raised up about 6 feet off the ground. John nudged his bike along till he was out of the hanger. I closed the door and slipped under it and into the moonlight. It must be nearing dawn, for light was just starting to appear over the northern horizon through the trees. I sighed in the cool air before I was suddenly pulled up onto the bike by John. He had pulled me into his lap and there was a sly smile on his face.
"Good job Elaine." He whispered in my ear. He smelled so good when he was this close. Like mountains and sunshine with just a hint of leather. It was a very manly smell. He kissed my forehead and then lifted me up to place behind him on the bike. I hugged his waist and leaned my head against his back. "Hold on" he called with a laugh in his voice as he kick-started the bike into 18th gear and started the hydrolic turbo thrusters. He turned the bike sharply and we sped off to the west, the wind blowing my hair behind me in a mass of red.
The walls and floor were covered in the largest variety of weapons I had ever seen in my life. In a straw-filled crate John removed a belt of small explosives. These charges were only about the size of a walnut, but their blast would destroy a ten foot wall made of two feet of solid stone. Another communicator was found and placed in my hand. The small device fitted in my ear and enabled me to speak to anyone on my frequency. The small controller that came with it fit safely in a pocket in my bag. John pulled out a large gun, nearly as tall as me, and to my surprise, he set it aside to get at some rope and grappling hook shooters. He turned to me and said,
"We need to travel lightly and quickly, don't grab anything you can't use or run with." This made sense. We were a rescue mission after all. Two people confronting the army of the Beasts head on was suicide and didn't do anyone any good, except the Beasts. John led me to the kitchen where we grabbed ration packs for the journey.
Fully geared up for the rescue mission, John took me to the vehicle shed. The metal structure was full of everything from missiles to scooters. We ducked behind a large 5-wheeler as John devised a way to get around the guard. He seemed too immovable and alert to sneak past. Then an idea hit me. John handed me his backpack and pointed out his sleek and somewhat sexy land/air ship. I made my way over to the convertible which could roll on two wheels like a vintage earth motorcycle, or whose wheels could turn horizontal and cause the contraption to hoover a few feet above the ground. I snuck past the guard as John started chatting with him.
"Hey Claude, how's the shift going? I haven't seen you much since your reassignment. I heard you're going to make Alyssia very happy. You sly dog! Yeah, the news of your engagement spread like gossip in a small town." Claude mumbled something about being on-duty, but he was not a very bold man. As I crept back to the door we had come through I saw John clap Claude on the shoulder and say, "Oh, there's nothing happening right now! I don't even think the Beasts are awake outside this base. Their sleeping...or dead." A dark chuckle ripped through John's throat as he said that. A weaker one escape Claude's lips. "Oh", said John, "I'm taking my lady out for a ride on my bike over there. We'll just take a turn around the base. All the ladies love the bike." He drawled. I could almost hear him wink. Rolling my eyes I came around the corner of a large truck so that it looked like I had just come through the door. Claude looked at me with wide blue eyes. His mop of blonde hair and round face made him look like a child. How was he old enough to be engaged? Much less in the military? I flashed my best attempt at a dazzling smile and wrapped my arm around John's muscular one. He looked down on me with a twinkle in his eye and said,
"Hey baby, you ready to go on a "magic carpet ride"? He winked at me and I giggled at the old Disney movie reference. Thousands of years after the film had been made, it was still preserved and watched by each generation. He quickly stepped around Claude, pulling me along. Claude opened his mouth to object but John turned his head and cut him off saying, "Just a quick trip Claude, ol' buddy. Please don't tell the big boys? I just want a bit of freedom from this cursed metal prison." I turned and looked at Claude with my best pouty face. I saw Claude swallow and nod carefully before turning his back on us.
John hopped on the back of the cherry-red "bike" that was clearly his baby and fired her up. I ran over the the large metal door and swiped his key card through it so that the door raised up about 6 feet off the ground. John nudged his bike along till he was out of the hanger. I closed the door and slipped under it and into the moonlight. It must be nearing dawn, for light was just starting to appear over the northern horizon through the trees. I sighed in the cool air before I was suddenly pulled up onto the bike by John. He had pulled me into his lap and there was a sly smile on his face.
"Good job Elaine." He whispered in my ear. He smelled so good when he was this close. Like mountains and sunshine with just a hint of leather. It was a very manly smell. He kissed my forehead and then lifted me up to place behind him on the bike. I hugged his waist and leaned my head against his back. "Hold on" he called with a laugh in his voice as he kick-started the bike into 18th gear and started the hydrolic turbo thrusters. He turned the bike sharply and we sped off to the west, the wind blowing my hair behind me in a mass of red.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
(18) The Message
The capital had been attacked? I thought incredulously. That is where the governors live: John's parents. I looked up at his hardened face and squeezed his hand comfortingly. He didn't look down. He didn't react. He stared at the soldier and gave a curt nod before leaving the storage room with me in tow. After passing through a series of winding tunnels lit only by green, electromagnetic pulsing lights we reached the "war room" as it were. The officers were gathered around a table fitted with a holographic map. They all looked quite intimidating standing around the table which cast a blue light up at them. A general with a large, bushy grey mustache looked at me with a furrowed brow. His eyes flicked up to John's. A short nod of the general's head told me that John's powerful position made it okay for him to bring me here without much of a power struggle. John brought me right up to the table and drew up a chair for me beside his, but he didn't sit down.
"What happened?" He demanded in a tone I was unaccustomed to. I had never been privy to see him working as a leader in the rebel forces. He was so...cold and professional. The John I knew was playful and warm. John looked down at the hologram and saw that a small blue light was blinking in front of him. He stretched out a firm hand and, after a moment's hesitation, he drew up a holographic projection of his father, Governor Richardson. I looked at the image in great anxiety as the video playback of the Governor revealed that the city had been taken except for the capital building, but they only had enough supplies to stay alive for a week with the few refugees who had escaped the annihilation of the city.
John's features were hard as stone through the whole recording. When it ended, the image of his father collapsed back into the table. John looked up at the officers in the room and asked, "What should our response be?" I was puzzled, it seemed that getting to help those trapped in the capitol building should be the response. I held my tongue. I was allowed in here to be near John, that was my only capacity. I was not a military general. I was merely the orphaned daughter of two rebel spies. My parents ran covert operations within the government and protected the governor and the cabinet till they were killed in action at the start of this bloody war. That was where I first met John. We had played together as kids, I had been sent away to school, and when I came back to work as a secretary one holiday John and I had reconnected and fallen in love. My parents had always approved of John and were pleased to see us together. He was there for me when they died and he's been there for me ever since.
The general with the grey mustache spoke up after an uncomfortable silence. "The capital is as good as lost. There is no way we can mobilize a force large enough to break the Beasts' perimeter before the survivors die."
I let out a small gasp that was ignored. That man had just condemned John's parents and the rest of the people in the capital to death. I looked at John's face, tears welling up in my eyes and was shocked. "You're right." John said, with no hint of emotion in his voice. "But let's not tell them that. They don't need to know they are condemned. Let them hope. It will be all they have, in the end."
The officers were grave. Their faces betrayed some hints of pity on John. I was angry, I wanted to scream at the men. How could they be so heartless! I would have spoken my mind, but for the fact that John had agreed with them. If he was on their side, who was I to speak against them?
John's voice broke the silence. "Do you need anything else from me? I've given you my most recent attack plan and the new intel we've gathered on the Beasts' movements." The men all shook their heads and John bowed slightly before taking my hand and leading me out of the room. John led me through more winding tunnels until we reached a locked door. John took a small, brass key out of his pocket and let us into the room. It was his quarters. He sat my down in his chair and locked the door. I stood up and wrapped him in my arms.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered with a tremble in my voice. John held me tightly and I felt his lips bury through my hair and find my neck. He kissed it and after a long moment he pulled out of my curly locks and looked in my eyes. He gave me an odd smile, then he went over to his closet and pulled out a black, leather bag with a long strap meant to go across one's body. He turned back to me and said,
"I'm not going to let anything happen to my parents. I'm going to rescue them, and I need your help."
"What happened?" He demanded in a tone I was unaccustomed to. I had never been privy to see him working as a leader in the rebel forces. He was so...cold and professional. The John I knew was playful and warm. John looked down at the hologram and saw that a small blue light was blinking in front of him. He stretched out a firm hand and, after a moment's hesitation, he drew up a holographic projection of his father, Governor Richardson. I looked at the image in great anxiety as the video playback of the Governor revealed that the city had been taken except for the capital building, but they only had enough supplies to stay alive for a week with the few refugees who had escaped the annihilation of the city.
John's features were hard as stone through the whole recording. When it ended, the image of his father collapsed back into the table. John looked up at the officers in the room and asked, "What should our response be?" I was puzzled, it seemed that getting to help those trapped in the capitol building should be the response. I held my tongue. I was allowed in here to be near John, that was my only capacity. I was not a military general. I was merely the orphaned daughter of two rebel spies. My parents ran covert operations within the government and protected the governor and the cabinet till they were killed in action at the start of this bloody war. That was where I first met John. We had played together as kids, I had been sent away to school, and when I came back to work as a secretary one holiday John and I had reconnected and fallen in love. My parents had always approved of John and were pleased to see us together. He was there for me when they died and he's been there for me ever since.
The general with the grey mustache spoke up after an uncomfortable silence. "The capital is as good as lost. There is no way we can mobilize a force large enough to break the Beasts' perimeter before the survivors die."
I let out a small gasp that was ignored. That man had just condemned John's parents and the rest of the people in the capital to death. I looked at John's face, tears welling up in my eyes and was shocked. "You're right." John said, with no hint of emotion in his voice. "But let's not tell them that. They don't need to know they are condemned. Let them hope. It will be all they have, in the end."
The officers were grave. Their faces betrayed some hints of pity on John. I was angry, I wanted to scream at the men. How could they be so heartless! I would have spoken my mind, but for the fact that John had agreed with them. If he was on their side, who was I to speak against them?
John's voice broke the silence. "Do you need anything else from me? I've given you my most recent attack plan and the new intel we've gathered on the Beasts' movements." The men all shook their heads and John bowed slightly before taking my hand and leading me out of the room. John led me through more winding tunnels until we reached a locked door. John took a small, brass key out of his pocket and let us into the room. It was his quarters. He sat my down in his chair and locked the door. I stood up and wrapped him in my arms.
"I'm so sorry." I whispered with a tremble in my voice. John held me tightly and I felt his lips bury through my hair and find my neck. He kissed it and after a long moment he pulled out of my curly locks and looked in my eyes. He gave me an odd smile, then he went over to his closet and pulled out a black, leather bag with a long strap meant to go across one's body. He turned back to me and said,
"I'm not going to let anything happen to my parents. I'm going to rescue them, and I need your help."
Thursday, July 19, 2012
(17) A Gun
John pulled me through a hidden door and into a small
storage room. He lit a lamp and looked at me. I was shaking on the ground,
holding the weapon with which I had taken a life. John looked at me closely, he
pulled at my hair, rubbing it’s blonde strands between his fingers.
“What happened to you?” He asked. Tears welled up in my eyes
and poured down my face. I could not speak. John looked at me with great
concern and took the ray gun gently from my shaking hand. He stowed it in its
holder and stood up, casting his eyes around. He found a trunk and dug through
it until he found a leaf green tunic with draped sleeves that hung down,
rippling to one’s elbows. The ornate gold encircling designs on the wide neck
tunic were quite pretty. A matching black belt, black boots and bronze-colored
tights were found. John presented these to me and left the room. I ripped the
orange monstrosity off my body and dressed in the soft, cotton clothes John had
selected for me. But, as I looked in a tarnished silver plate at my reflection, I sighed over my hair. I missed my old tresses. I pulled the glass top off
the lamp and used the flame to set fire to that horrible orange dress. A soft
knock came at the door.
“Come in.” I said in a small voice. John poked his head in
through the door, he was carrying a tray full of breads and cold meats and some
odd herbs. He looked at the burning dress, but didn’t say anything. I took a
piece of bread from the tray, tore off bit-sized chunks, and popped them into
my mouth. As I chewed John began mixing herbs together and grinding them with a
mortar and pedestal. I was silent, and so was he. After he finished with the concoction,
he took the dark red powder and dumped it on my head. With a large pouf
sound I felt my hair spring back into it’s normal curly state. I snatched at a
curl and saw that it was its normal fiery red. John was watching me. I looked
up into his kind eyes and threw my arms around him. He held me close with arms
that comforted, not restricted. I was safe again. We pulled apart after a long
moment.
He placed his hand on my cheek and said, “Oh my dear Elaine.
I am so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?”
I was confused. “What are you apologizing for?” I asked
incredulously.
“For dropping you into that cursed pool!” He cried.
“That was not your fault!” I protested. “I will not forgive
you for a crime that you did not commit. But how did you find me?”
John looked at me and said, “I ran off because I heard the
beasts near the clearing. I was lucky you stayed there at the pool because they
saw you and realized what had happened. They must be in contact with that world
because they knew what it was called. One of the leaders mentioned the name of
the planet and galaxy so I was able to get a fix. I was fortunate that I landed
right where you were. It took me a while to get a hold of a pair of teleport
devices, but it looked like I was not a moment too late. Were you…it doesn’t
matter.” He mumbled the last part.
I looked puzzled at him, “Was I what…?”
He looked at me and then cast his eyes down as he said, “Were
you getting married?”
I looked at him and carefully chose my words. “Yes, I was
being forced to marry a man who looked like you, but was not like you at all. I
don’t know how he was able to know me and look like you, but it must have been
to get at me. Can I have a ray gun?” The sudden question startled him. “I would
have been forced to live as his wife if you hadn’t shown up when you did, I
don’t mean that I doubt your ability to protect me, I just think that I have
such a great propensity for getting into these scrapes that I want a way to
defend myself.”
John studied me for a long moment then asked. “What did you
mean when you shouted at that King about a kiss?”
I sighed. “He…”, I looked at my hands, “I was forced to kiss
him. He kissed me but I didn’t kiss him back.” I glance up at John, his face
was one of barely contained rage.
“That son of a….” he looked at me and stopped short. He got
up and paced about stopping suddenly and spitting, “I swear Elaine, if you
hadn’t shot him already I would go back there and finish the job myself!”
“So can I have a ray gun? I asked.
“Yes! Though I don’t plan on letting you out of my sight for
as long as I live, I’ll give you one.” He opened another crate and found a ray
gun identical to his and fitted a leather holster on my belt. A knock came on
the door. John called them in, holding tightly to my hand as though to make
good on his promise to keep me with him at all times.
A soldier’s head stretched around the door and said, “John,
we need you, there’s been another attack. It’s the capitol.”
John’s face hardened and he squeezed my hand tighter.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
(16) An Unexpected Wedding
The crowd cheered at the prospect of the sudden ceremony and
formed two groups leaving an aisle between them. I was given an orange veil and
a matching bouquet as my groom jogged to the end of the makeshift aisle. The
music played what must have been a wedding march. I was forced to walk, slowly
passing row after row of people. Each step was closer to my death than before. I
was still five rows away when a loud sound of particles materializing distracted
everyone’s attention. All eyes turned and looked behind me, my controller must
have been taken by surprise because I was able to move on my own. I turned
around slowly and ripped the veil out of my eyes.
“John!” I cried with my high, breathless voice. It was my
John. Flying cool blue coat and all. He looked a little lost and started when I
called his name. But as he looked at me he reached up and rubbed his earring.
“Elaine!!” he called. He sprinted to my side pulling me into
his arms.
“Put me down!” I called in a panic. My controller was
gaining her wits and forced my hands to grab John’s neck in a vice grip. The
surprise on his eyes was like a knife in my heart. I was going to strangle him
in a matter of moments. No, I loved him too much. I focused my thoughts on
doing the one thing she didn’t have control of, flying. My body rose in the
air, but I could not pull John up with me so my hands let go.
“Her box John!’ I
called as I floated in the air. He looked where I pointed. His ray gun flipped
out of its holster quick as a flash and blasted a hole in the device. I was
free. My corset released and my dress split both side seams. The shoes were the
first thing I cast down on the fleeing crowd. I threw the gloves down too and
landed beside John. He grabbed me and held me close.
“NOOO!!” cried the
imposter King as John strapped a teleport device on my wrist. He lunged at John
in a rage. As John was programing my teleporter I grabbed his ray gun from his
holster and shot the King in the heart.
“That’s for stealing my first kiss!” I
screamed, my freedom was giving me vent to my rage at being imprisoned. John
looked at me stunned then pressed the buttons that sent our particles flying
through time and space. We landed on Terrafima. The ground had never seemed so
sweet as I collapsed on it. We were just outside one of the human bases. We
were safe.
(15) Controlled
A knock came at the door. John burst through without waiting
for me to answer and clutched at the doorframe as he stared at me. “You look
gorgeous!” He said, my controller moved me over to him with a little skip and a
twirl bringing my hand up to his face and rumpling his blonde locks. He grabbed
my hand and kissed it with a smirk on his face. I saw his eyes flit for a
moment to the woman in the corner of the room and wink at her before turning to
me again. I was forced to twirl in a slow circle for the King, who was wearing
blue outfit that looked very heavy with all the gold that encrusted it. He took
my arm and led me out of the room and down the hallways. I was a prisoner in my
own body, and I was too out of breath even to speak. Each breath was a painful
affair as my body protested to being mangled in this way, I was afraid that my
ribs were cracking under the extreme pressure. As we came through the 11 foot
high, gilded double doors I was met with an incredible and terrifying sight. I
was at the court, and it looked like a large party. The women were all moving
around the room in large gowns making them look as colorful and bright as wrapped
candies, the men twirled the women around or stood by the punch table drinking
a green liquid that smoked faintly. As we descended the stairs the woman came
up behind me and whispered in my ear with a venomous voice,
“If you don’t smile and appear to be madly in love with the
King I will make you do things that you would shudder to even think about
doing. And the next time you will be fitted with something that will give me
ultimate control over you.”
I froze, the King John turned and smiled encouragingly at
me, but I was paralyzed with fear. He leaned in close and pinched my backside
sharply with a laugh. This unexpected action kick started my senses again.
I slapped him right across the face.
The sound echoed throughout the hall and hundreds of eyes
looked up at me.
Dead silence.
I looked aghast as the King John’s eyes glowered at me. My
body moved to the King, my arms wrapped around him, and my neck stretched up to his
shocked face. I tried to resist, but I was unable to. The King looked at my
controller and a fire lit in his eyes. His lips crushed against mine, hungry
and violent. My hands wound their way through his hair and pulled him closer to
myself. My mind was screaming. I wanted out. I was barely able to breath.
His arms were tight as iron and kept me crushed up against him. The people in
the hall burst into cheers and applause. When we pulled away, I thought I was
going to pass out from the prolonged lack of oxygen. Black spots burst before
my eyes and I gasped for air, my face flushed with red blood. The King lifted
his hand in the air and said, a little breathless himself,
“My fiancé is a little too anxious for the honeymoon.”
Laughter rippled through the room. “We shall have to content ourselves with a
kiss and a night of drinking and dancing!” The crowd cheered and an upbeat song
played throughout the room. The King
pulled me on the dance floor and began to twirl me through a series of
complicated steps including a lot of dips and lifts of my body into the air. I
kept a smile on my face to avoid any other kisses, but I wondered what would
happen if my smile faltered a little. I was too scared to try. I felt dead
inside. When I was given a break from dancing to eat some food I saw that my
controller was being distracted by a strapping man. I took my chance, grabbed a
knife and turned to plunge it into the heart of John, but I was halted. The
knife was turned and suddenly pointed at my chest by my own hand. The King John
looked at me and at the other woman. He laughed with a slightly nervous laugh
and announced,
“My bride to be feels that she would rather die than remain
unmarried to me another moment. How do you all feel about having the wedding
right now?”
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
(14) An Excess of Orange
The walls were stuffed full of sumptuous gowns, the bright
colors reminded me of wrapped sweets in a shop. I looked down at my stained
tunic in it’s dull forest green and felt simultaneous excitement at trying on
the gowns and apprehension about fitting in with this land full of its tall,
slender, blonde women. I was short and my face had been gaunt from stress, but
I was nonetheless more curvy than the women I had seen thus far. I pulled a
bright green dress out and the servant lady made a small cough noise. I turned
to her and she looked up saying,
“If it pleases you madam, the King favors orange.” Then she
bowed her head and fell silent, her message delivered. She must have been referring
to John. I looked around the closet, picking at the bright dresses until I
found one that was entirely orange. But it looked too small for me. I had more
stomach than this dress was made for. When I heard a rustle behind me I saw the
servant holding up a strange device that looked like a corset of old with new
nobs and buttons attached. She held her hand out for the orange dress and took
it and the corset into the bedroom. I started pulling my clothes off and I
tucked them under the bed in case she wanted to dispose of them. She fitted the
corset around me, pulling the strings in quick motions that caused me to gasp.
Then she started pushing buttons and turning nobs on the small box attached to
it. The sound of a small airlock whooshed and I felt my waist shrink impossibly
small. Something inside of me seemed to shrink as well. I opened my mouth but
was unable to speak because of how tight my midsection was being squeezed. She
unhooked the control box and I heard a lock click, letting me know that I was
going to be unable to get out of this corset. I was only able to move around
the room very slowly. I looked in the long oval mirror and saw that I cut quite
a figure before my vision was overtaken with layers of orange fabric as the
dress was thrown over my head. The dress looked stunning on me, but it clashed
violently with my red hair. The full skirt puffed out at my hip and flowed
several feet behind me, it was a rich taffeta fabric with large puffed sleeves that
ended at my elbows and dripped in a long point to the ground. My bare neck was
fitted with a large jeweled necklace and my hair was grabbed with the hands of
the woman. My mobility was severely restricted so I was unable to do anything
but try to reason with her verbally. My voice was high, as though I had jumped
several octaves up.
“Please”, I said breathlessly, “don’t touch my hair.” She
didn’t listen to me, but grabbed a brush and started pulling it through my hair
with quick, jerking motions. Tears of pain and sorrow dripped down my face as I
sat helplessly. After two hours of this a great amount of hair was on the floor
at my feet, having been rent most unkindly from my aching scalp. My hair was
frizzy to the extreme, but mostly straight now. She took a large vat of a hot
blue liquid and jerking my head back, poured it all down my hair. When I was
allowed to sit back up I saw in the mirror that my hair was now waist-length,
silvery blonde, and stick straight. She then started pulling it up and piling
it onto my head. She stuck it full of orange feathers and jewels. Thick make up
was caked on my face and my lips were painted orange. A pair of orange gloves
and shoes completed the outfit. The shoes had a platform on their base that was
3 inches high, which just helped the 8 inch stiletto heals bring me up to her height.
I tried to take a step forward, but I wobbled and collapsed in a chair,
breathless sobs threatening to make me pass out. The woman then pushed a few
buttons on that small control box and my feet worked of their own accord. I
stood up and pranced around the room as though I were a ballerina. My hands and
arms moved with a motion that seemed like a professional dancer. I was being
controlled. This woman had fitted me with clothes that contained some
controlling devices.
(13) The Palace
How had John found me? He looked odd. His hair was blonde
instead of black. His features were all there but the expression they made was
foreign to me. There was a haughty look in his eyes that I had never seen
before. I was going to spring out of the water at him, but then I realized that
I was in my underwear. I sank lower into the water and pulled my long, waist
length hair around me to cover myself. He laughed an unusually cold laugh. I
wondered how long he had been standing there. I was so embarrassed and cursed
my own carelessness, but wait. Why was he watching me? Didn’t he have more
honor than that?
“Turn around” I called with an angry tone in my voice. He
looked at me incredulously and said,
“Why would I do that?” His leering expression appalled me
and I felt sick. Could this be the John I knew? When I saw that he had no
intention of looking away I swam to the edge of the water where my clothes were
and pulled them into the water. He shook his head, laughing that cold laugh as
I struggled to dress under the water. When I had managed it I stood up snatched
my boots off the grass and marched away from John, angry tears streaming hotly
down my face. He caught up with me in a moment and grabbed my arm.
“Where do you think you are going, I’ve spent years looking
for you.” I looked into this now-blonde John’s face and thought about what he
had said.
“What do you mean, years?” I asked slowly. He looked at me
with a smirk and said,
“I’ve jumped through time and space looking for you, I found
this planet, but I was 10 years too early. I’ve made a home here while I waited
for you to arrive. I still love you and I’m dying to get married to you.” He
knelt down on one knee and offered me a ring with a diamond the size of a large
pea. I was flabbergasted. I knew I had wanted to marry John, but this John was
different. What had happened to the John I knew?
“I…I need some time before I give you an answer.” I
stammered. “I need to adjust to my new surroundings.” John rolled his eyes and
snapped the ring box shut. He took my arm and led me firmly over to the hilltop
where the waterfall fell from. He gestured grandly to the palace in the
distance,
“This is my kingdom Elaine, you should think about what you
will miss out on if you refuse me. I’ll give you till sundown tomorrow to give
me an answer.” I looked at him with wonder at what could have turned him this
way. He dragged me over to his large white, winged horse and placed me upon her
back before climbing up himself and sending her into the air.I hugged his waist
from behind and leaned my head on his back. He seemed to like this. His pegasus
flew to the orange palace and landed on a large spire with a circular top. John
dismounted and pulled me off. He held out his arm to me, I took it. There was
no spark when we touched, no magical moment. Perhaps it would take time for me
to understand this new John. Maybe I would learn to love him too. I walked with
him, still damp, past servant after servant who stared at me, some dropped what
they were holding. I wondered what made me so odd, before I realized that all
these people had straight blonde hair and bright orange lips. Their garments
were long and flowing layers of thin materials. We reached a door that John
opened for me. I stepped inside and found a gorgeous room of blue...everything.
A blue floor, blue walls, a blue crystal chandelier, blue tables, blue soft
chairs, and a large blue canopy bed with blue sheer drapes. I turned to face
him and saw him looking at me with a calculated look on his face. He took my
hand and kissed it. I blushed a bit.
“I’m sorry for my rudeness, he said, “I have been under a lot of pain without you here. I’m afraid that my hunger for you has made me temporarily forget myself. I shall leave you to get changed and freshen up. I shall return in a few hours to present you to the court.” Then he winked at me, turned on his heal, and was out the door. I stood there for a moment before I heard a rustling sound behind me. I spun around and saw a woman were standing there, in a white dress with long, fine flaxen hair. She looked at me and stepped forward to tug on my red curls. I must be an oddity here because of my hair.
“Have you never seen red curls before?” I questioned. The woman shook her head and said in a high voice,
“Everyone here has hair like mine. I shall have to do something about yours.” I clutched at my hair.
“You will not changed my hair, I like it this way!” The woman looked taken aback, as though I was mad. She shook her head and stepped back. Bowing slightly she receded and opened a large closet and stood aside so I could examine it’s contents.
“I’m sorry for my rudeness, he said, “I have been under a lot of pain without you here. I’m afraid that my hunger for you has made me temporarily forget myself. I shall leave you to get changed and freshen up. I shall return in a few hours to present you to the court.” Then he winked at me, turned on his heal, and was out the door. I stood there for a moment before I heard a rustling sound behind me. I spun around and saw a woman were standing there, in a white dress with long, fine flaxen hair. She looked at me and stepped forward to tug on my red curls. I must be an oddity here because of my hair.
“Have you never seen red curls before?” I questioned. The woman shook her head and said in a high voice,
“Everyone here has hair like mine. I shall have to do something about yours.” I clutched at my hair.
“You will not changed my hair, I like it this way!” The woman looked taken aback, as though I was mad. She shook her head and stepped back. Bowing slightly she receded and opened a large closet and stood aside so I could examine it’s contents.
Monday, July 16, 2012
(12) A New World
“John!!” I called out, but it was no use. He was gone. I
looked longingly into the pool, tears rolling down my face and sobs wracking my
body until I was reminded of the ancient earth tale of Narcissus who stared
into a pool so long he was turned into a flower. Granted, he was in love with
his own reflection, but I realized that I was no use to John just staring at
what I had lost. I had to move on. I stood up straight and pulled away from the
glassy surface of that cursed pool, the moment I did it vanished. I fell to my
knees and buried my face in my hands as I cried. No. I had to get a hold of
myself. For John. That was enough. My determination enabled me to dry my eyes
and calm my hysteria.
I really looked around my new environment for the first
time. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. The colors were so lush and
bright that they didn’t seem real. The sky was a bright robin’s egg blue, the
grass a lush, bright green. There were two suns in the sky, so I must be in a
different solar system from my home world of Terrafima. It was the second
colony earth made, but the planet had been invaded by the beasts and the war
had ruined a lot of the planet’s beauty. This place, was so different. The
trees snaked up in spiraling pink curves and had plump, colorful fruits hanging
off them. Crystal clear water rushed over a riverbed made entirely of clear
quarts stones ranging in size from pebbles to boulders. Large clear bubbles
rose from the river instead of foam wherever the liquid hit a large rock. There
was a path near the grassy patch I was standing on that was cobblestoned with
rose quartz. Butterflies flitted to and fro and small birds with colorful
plumage darted around overhead. I was on a plain and saw that the stone path
stretched far into the distance where a building rose up against the blue sky.
It’s tall, orange spires stretched high, and I felt, perhaps instinctively,
that I should go there. In a way, I felt it calling me there. I inhaled deeply
of the sweet smell of this strange place, it smelled of peppermint, fresh
peaches, sugar crystals, and sunshine. Then, simply placing one foot in front
of the other I started down the rose quartz path my eyes trained on the orange
palace before me.
After walking for several hours I grew hungry. The
succulent-looking fruits hanging heavy on the trees I passed called out to me
and soon I could think of nothing else. I stopped and plucked a large, ripe
purple fruit that hung in an upside down pear shape. I studied it closely,
sniffing it. The sweet smell was so inviting and the smooth skin was so think,
but a veneer—the only think separating me and it’s juices. My teeth broke the
skin and the sweet juice flooded my mouth and dripped down my chin. It was
delicious. The taste awakening a ravenous hunger I gulped it down in a second.
In a frenzy I snatched and devoured a dozen of the fruits before I stopped. I
could not find the words to describe the flavors of these fruits. Their colors
were so bright and their tastes so unique. The blue ones were tart, the purple
were quite sweet, there was an unusual tanginess in the yellow one and the red
one, it was the best: a mixture of sweetness and tartness that balanced
perfectly.
I looked down at my hands and saw that they were dripping with a
rainbow of colorful juices. My tunic was splattered and stained with the same
nectar. I felt the stickiness dried on my face all around my chin. Laughing a
bit I made my way to the river and found a small puddle near it which proved a
fine mirror for me to see my comical appearance. Giggled bubbled out of my
mouth uncontrollably. I managed to clean a good bit of my arms with the clear
water, but I was so sticky and hot from the twin suns I decided to take a bath.
I looked for a good spot and saw that a small waterfall was nearby surrounded
with bright blue bushes bearing yellow berries and small white flowers. Looking
around I saw no sign of any life form for as far as my eyes could see. I began
to undress by the bank of the waterfall. I stepped into the water and felt a
chill run up my spine. The water was quite cold, but it felt so good, so I
plunged under the surface. Part of me hoped I would appear back in my world,
but I knew that what had transported me here was more magical than this simple
waterfall. My red curls swirled around me and the fruit juices, after much
scrubbing, left my skin and ran off my body in little colored rivlettes.
As I swam about, enjoying the water, I forgot to keep an eye
out for anything approaching my pool. I looked up after I had burst upward
through the water, flinging my hair behind me in a long, wet mass, and I saw
him. He was standing there watching me with an amused expression on his face.
John!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
(11) The Pool
The moment was magical. I wanted it to last forever, but
nothing on this earth lasts forever, not even joy. The two of us could not stop
looking at each other, drinking in each other’s presence. Every second was more
magical and precious than the last. John put his shirt back on, eventually. He
looked so strapping in his white tunic with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his
muscular forearms. His black belt was made of a tough leather covered with gold
studs creating a planetary pattern that drew the eye to his ornate holster
where his ray gun was snuggly stowed. His fitted pants were tucked into his
worn, black leather boots covered in a similarly planetary golden pattern. His
long, deep blue coat, which was made of a thick material, looked, well, cool.
That was the fact of John. He exuded coolness. With a casual flick of his hand
he rumpled his black hair so it was momentarily lifted off his forehead. A
green jewel I hadn’t noticed before, caught my eye as he did this. I reached up
and pushed his hair back to see the small, teardrop-shaped, smooth gem dangling
from his ear. It was attached to a gold chain that snaked up the outer edge of
his ear and wove through it in several more places. “When did you get this?” I
asked. He reached up as though he had forgotten and then looked at me with a
gleam in his eye.
“I got this the day we said goodbye. I never wanted to
forget the way I felt you had been woven into my life and the shade of your
eyes.” I blushed. He was so sweet. I looked down at my long, forest green tunic
outfit, completed with brown tights and worn leather boots. I hadn’t realized
how simply dressed I was. I tugged at a stray thread on my hemline and looked
back up. John was still smiling at me.
“Come on”, he crooned, “I want to show you something.” He
held out his hand, and I took it. This was the first time we had held hands. It
was as though a spark started where our hands connected and flowed through the
rest of my body like an electric current. He took me through the trees and I
felt as though I wanted it to be like this forever. Walking hand-in-hand with
John. Eventually we reached a clearing that took my breath away.
It was secluded, surrounded almost completely by trees. As
we entered, the sunlight dancing through the leaves and floating pollen
illuminated a small pool, clear as glass and smooth as stone. The grass was
springy here and the air smelled sweet with the hundreds of wildflowers
blooming all over the small clearing. It was like something out of a fairytale.
John turned to see my reaction; it must have been good because he let out
another dazzling smile. I walked slowly over to the pool, but John was feeling
playful, probably because of his satisfaction at my reaction. He fairly skipped
beside me, casting his coat behind him, where it landed perfectly on a tree
branch. How did he do things like that? Was this boy even real? He reached out
to grab me, but I decided to play too so I danced out of reach. He loved it. He
cocked an eyebrow and got ready to pounce as I sprinted through the flowers. He
lept toward me, his hair flying behind him, and I sprang just out of reach. His
smile was so devastating, how did I not just give in? Oh, but I loved to tease
him. As he lunged forward I jumped straight in the air and hovered above him.
“Not fair!” he shouted, looking put out, but with a sparkle
of fun in his eye. “You are so much like a fairy, I don’t believe you aren’t
descended from them.” He called playfully. “I don’t have wings”, I protested.
My ability to fly was one born of me naturally. I was simply able to fly, to
bend gravity to my will, but I couldn’t go very high. I danced through the air
while he followed beneath me. Suddenly he found a rock and lept high enough to
catch hold of my foot. His unexpected weight pulled us both to the ground where
we landed in a tangle of limbs and a shout of laughter. I jumped to my feet,
but he grabbed my waist and began tickling me. I detested it when anyone else
did this to me, but I loved it when he tickled me. I was giggling
uncontrollably when I stepped backward and fell into the pool. The cold water
engulfed me and I sank straight to the bottom; the laugh still suspended on my
lips.
Then I fell sideways. It was the strangest sensation. I
broke through the surface of the water and landed on the soft ground, but in a
completely different place. It looked like a completely different planet. I
stood up and looked at the pool, it shimmered to my left, suspended in the air,
floating perpendicular to the spongy earth. What kind of pool does that? I
peered around the edge of it and saw that it was as thin as paper and the only
thing on the other side was more of this strange world. I looked through the
pool and saw the glen I had just been in. John was looking in the water
frantically trying to find me, suddenly he caught sight of me and reached out
trying to grab me. I put my hand in the pool, but was unable to. My hand just
made ripples on the surface. I pressed my face against the strange pool and
looked longingly at John, panic now filling my stomach, where only mirth had
been before. He couldn’t seem to penetrate his side of the pool any more than I
could. He seemed to be talking to me, but I couldn’t distinguish any words. He
jerked his head back as though someone was coming behind him. He shouted at me
and I heard his muffled voice say, “Don’t worry Elaine, I’ll find you. I love
you!” before he snatched his coat off the tree and ran out of my line of sight.
I was trapped in another world, without John.
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