Matt
Kestrel said, "We need to keep moving. The Junkmen will probably send out more robots."
"Where do they get all of them?" asked Cara.
"They were prototypes the government created. However, they turned out to be defective, so they were thrown down in the basement, like everything else the government fails at. The Junkmen found them, and decided to reprogram them for their own use."
"How do you know all this?" I asked.
"I'll explain later. Come on."
I shot a glance at Lucy. She looked about to collapse...again. However, she caught me watching, and said, "I'm fine, Matt. Really." She gave a smile that didn't look very convincing. However, Ben gave me a note that said, "I'm helping her. It's no problem." As if reading my thoughts, Kestrel said, "We just need to go a little farther. There's a place where we can hide and rest."
Now reassured, we headed out.
As we crept down the tunnel, I noticed that Madiza was acting strange. Well, stranger. She was wringing her hands as she walked, rocking back and forth slightly. Her eyes didn't seem completely focused on anything, and she was muttering something under her breath. I cocked my head to the side, and managed to catch that she was saying, "...almost there. We're almost there."
"But what will we find?" she asked herself in a different voice. "They might try and take your soul again. In fact, I bet that's just what they'll do."
"Don't be ridiculous!" she said in her regular voice. "He's a good boy, isn't he? He won't hurt us!"
"HE won't. We don't know about the rest of them!"
"Do you think he'd be with trashy people?"
"You can't be too careful nowadays. Remember the Eiffel girl?"
I turned to Ben and raised an eyebrow. He grabbed out his pad and pencil, and scribbled for a long time. Then he handed me the pad.
'A few months before she went mad, a fellow inmate was placed in her cell with her. It was a consumerist girl named Paris, and they sort of became friends. She told Madiza that she wanted to escape and go to the Freegan hideout. However, it turned out that Paris was actually a spy trying to get information out of her. Madiza found out in time, and told her that she knew. Soon after they took Paris away. And a few months later, they did something that drove Madiza absolutely bonkers.'
"Were you there?" I asked. Ben shook his head no. He took back the paper, and wrote, 'She told me. In one of her more sane moments. It really shook her up. It's a wonder that she trusted me.'
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Freegans part 30
Cara
"Cara, what's going on?" asked Lucy. I watched Ben, Matt, and Kestrel as they attacked the robots. Matt turned to us, and mouthed the word, 'Run'. "I believe that they mean to have us escape while they get killed," I said.
"What?! No!" Lucy looked shocked.
"My feelings exactly. You and Madiza stay here, and I'll go help." I clicked my heels, re-igniting my levitation boots. Lucy didn't protest. She seemed perfectly content to stay there where it was safe. I was about to head over, when I noticed that Madiza was digging around in my knapsack, which I had completely forgotten about.
"Madiza, what are you doing?!" I asked. She looked up and smiled.
"MacGyver!" she said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but to my surprise she pulled out several odds and ends, which she quickly began putting together. There was a vial of some weird liquid, though not the poison from earlier, a round glass ball, and a water bottle, none of which I remembered being in the knapsack earlier. I half wondered if she hadn't slipped the items in when I wasn't looking.
She poured the liquid into the ball, which had a cork stopper in one side, and handed it up to me, along with the water.
"Fly over, pour in the water, then drop the ball on the metal people! It'll make sure the performance ends with a bang!"
I wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but Madiza had been right before. So I grabbed both things, and ran through the air until I was over the heads of the robots, though as far away from our friends as possible. I pulled out the cork, poured in the water, and quickly replaced the cork. The mixture began to hiss and smoke, which made me nervous. Down below, Kestrel saw what I was doing, and his eyes went wide. Grabbing Matt and Ben, he ran like heck to the rope, and began swinging them over the pit. I dropped the ball. At the same moment, it felt like something wrapped around my foot.
The resulting explosion sent me flying through the air. I was temporarily deafened by the blast, and had no control. However, just before I could slam into the wall, I felt a sharp jerk on my leg, and was steered out of the way. I saw my friends running out of the cavern, and down a branching off tunnel. Madiza and the others were holding on to a long rope, the other end of which was wrapped around my ankle. That was the only thing keeping me safe. Thankfully, it was very sturdy. Looking down, I saw that there was a new hole in the ground, and most of the robots had either been blown to bits, or fallen down the new hole. Finally I was able to right myself, and I floated down towards the others. Almost as soon as I was back on solid ground, if not sooner, I was enveloped in rib-crushing hugs by my friends.
"That was INSANE, Cara!" said Matt. "How did you do that?!"
"Madiza made a bomb, and told me how to use it," I said. Speak of the devil, she smiled, and sang softly,
"All around the underground,
The robots chased the children!
The robots all fell down a deep well,
Oh, it was bewild'ren!"
"Cara, what's going on?" asked Lucy. I watched Ben, Matt, and Kestrel as they attacked the robots. Matt turned to us, and mouthed the word, 'Run'. "I believe that they mean to have us escape while they get killed," I said.
"What?! No!" Lucy looked shocked.
"My feelings exactly. You and Madiza stay here, and I'll go help." I clicked my heels, re-igniting my levitation boots. Lucy didn't protest. She seemed perfectly content to stay there where it was safe. I was about to head over, when I noticed that Madiza was digging around in my knapsack, which I had completely forgotten about.
"Madiza, what are you doing?!" I asked. She looked up and smiled.
"MacGyver!" she said. I had no idea what she was talking about, but to my surprise she pulled out several odds and ends, which she quickly began putting together. There was a vial of some weird liquid, though not the poison from earlier, a round glass ball, and a water bottle, none of which I remembered being in the knapsack earlier. I half wondered if she hadn't slipped the items in when I wasn't looking.
She poured the liquid into the ball, which had a cork stopper in one side, and handed it up to me, along with the water.
"Fly over, pour in the water, then drop the ball on the metal people! It'll make sure the performance ends with a bang!"
I wasn't sure if this was such a good idea, but Madiza had been right before. So I grabbed both things, and ran through the air until I was over the heads of the robots, though as far away from our friends as possible. I pulled out the cork, poured in the water, and quickly replaced the cork. The mixture began to hiss and smoke, which made me nervous. Down below, Kestrel saw what I was doing, and his eyes went wide. Grabbing Matt and Ben, he ran like heck to the rope, and began swinging them over the pit. I dropped the ball. At the same moment, it felt like something wrapped around my foot.
The resulting explosion sent me flying through the air. I was temporarily deafened by the blast, and had no control. However, just before I could slam into the wall, I felt a sharp jerk on my leg, and was steered out of the way. I saw my friends running out of the cavern, and down a branching off tunnel. Madiza and the others were holding on to a long rope, the other end of which was wrapped around my ankle. That was the only thing keeping me safe. Thankfully, it was very sturdy. Looking down, I saw that there was a new hole in the ground, and most of the robots had either been blown to bits, or fallen down the new hole. Finally I was able to right myself, and I floated down towards the others. Almost as soon as I was back on solid ground, if not sooner, I was enveloped in rib-crushing hugs by my friends.
"That was INSANE, Cara!" said Matt. "How did you do that?!"
"Madiza made a bomb, and told me how to use it," I said. Speak of the devil, she smiled, and sang softly,
"All around the underground,
The robots chased the children!
The robots all fell down a deep well,
Oh, it was bewild'ren!"
Freegans part 29
Ben
Next I went to get Madiza. She wouldn't want to leave the fight, but what was important at the moment was that she be safe. Oh, and the others, too. She was zapping her tazer like a crazy person (Yes, I know she is), hitting a robot with every shot. However, more and more kept coming. I hoped Kestrel had a lot of plasma shots. I grabbed her arm. She turned to me.
"Hi, Ben-ben! Isn't this fun?!" she asked delightedly. I pointed to the rope swinging over the pit, which Lucy had now been freed from, then to Madiza. She got the hint almost immediately.
"But Ben, I'm having fun!" she protested. I paused quickly to kick the legs out from under one of the robots, then smashed the dome open with my hand, and pulled out some of the circuits. I pointed to it in a way that said, "It's too dangerous."
"Tell that to him!" Madiza pointed to Kestrel. I looked at her firmly, determined to make her go where it was safe. She glared stubbornly back. Suddenly I got an idea. I made big Bambi eyes, and made my best pleading look at her. Sighing, Madiza nodded. Turning away, she suddenly ran to the edge of the pit, grabbed the rope, and swung across with a loud Tarzan yell. She jumped off at exactly the right moment, and landed just behind Lucy, who was curled up in a fetal position, and Cara, who was trying to calm her down without actually touching her. I whistled to Matt, and waved him over to me. Now we would need to give Kestrel backup. Hopefully we would give the girls a chance to get away, even if it meant losing our own lives.
By now Kestrel had run out of plasma shots, and was instead smashing the robots with his rifle and other fighting skills. We went to join him. This looked like the end. However, I planned to use all my strength to the last.
Next I went to get Madiza. She wouldn't want to leave the fight, but what was important at the moment was that she be safe. Oh, and the others, too. She was zapping her tazer like a crazy person (Yes, I know she is), hitting a robot with every shot. However, more and more kept coming. I hoped Kestrel had a lot of plasma shots. I grabbed her arm. She turned to me.
"Hi, Ben-ben! Isn't this fun?!" she asked delightedly. I pointed to the rope swinging over the pit, which Lucy had now been freed from, then to Madiza. She got the hint almost immediately.
"But Ben, I'm having fun!" she protested. I paused quickly to kick the legs out from under one of the robots, then smashed the dome open with my hand, and pulled out some of the circuits. I pointed to it in a way that said, "It's too dangerous."
"Tell that to him!" Madiza pointed to Kestrel. I looked at her firmly, determined to make her go where it was safe. She glared stubbornly back. Suddenly I got an idea. I made big Bambi eyes, and made my best pleading look at her. Sighing, Madiza nodded. Turning away, she suddenly ran to the edge of the pit, grabbed the rope, and swung across with a loud Tarzan yell. She jumped off at exactly the right moment, and landed just behind Lucy, who was curled up in a fetal position, and Cara, who was trying to calm her down without actually touching her. I whistled to Matt, and waved him over to me. Now we would need to give Kestrel backup. Hopefully we would give the girls a chance to get away, even if it meant losing our own lives.
By now Kestrel had run out of plasma shots, and was instead smashing the robots with his rifle and other fighting skills. We went to join him. This looked like the end. However, I planned to use all my strength to the last.
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