Cara
The woman in the mask cried out jubilantly, "Monsieur Boeuf! You and the rest are alright! It is magnificent!" She nearly threw her arms around Ox, who quickly took a step back.
"Yes, Masque, I'm quite alright, thank you. It's very fortunate that you came to us so quickly."
"Oh, it was not all my doing, non? It was mainly due to the ingenuity of La Tour, and his knowledge of the tunnels." She indicated a small, dark man with a small, scruffy beard. I noticed that Kestrel gave an involuntary smile upon seeing him.
"Tower," said Ox in a relieved-sounding voice. "You made it, too."
Le Masque, Tower, and the others peered over at us curiously. When she cast her eyes on Madiza, Masque gasped.
"Is that-"
"Mais oui, c'est moi, Le Projet 112!" Madiza exclaimed, in perfect French. I can't say I was surprised; nothing she could do surprised me anymore. Looking delighted, Masque broke into a rapid conversation with her.
Though his face seemed more accustomed to smiling, Tower looked very grim as he sidled up to Ox, Kestrel, and Max. He said, "There is no more time. We need to get to the Church and free Deep Thought and the others now." He spoke in a foreign, but very nice-sounding accent.
Ox nodded. "Alright. Kestrel, you and I will take 112 and a few others, and go to the Church. Max, you can take the others back home-"
"What?!" It took us a moment to realize that the shocked cry had come from Madiza. She had evidently finished talking to Masque, and was behind us, listening in. Her green eyes were wide with shock, and slight terror.
"You're going to take them away? You can't! I need my friends! I need them!"
"The Church of Golden Light is no place for them. They can't help us. You can," said Ox.
Then I was forced to eat my words. Madiza did something that completely surprised me (and probably Lucy, too, since she was so hostile towards the looney). She folded her arms stubbornly across her chest, and said, "Not without my friends!" Then, even though they didn't say anything, a conversation passed between Ox and Madiza. The problem was plain. He needed her, and didn't want to try to force her to give the code. He didn't want us in danger, but saw that she wasn't willing to be separated from us. It was a struggle for power that only one of them could win. Finally, he sighed and nodded.
"Alright. They may come too."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Freegans part 44
Matt
'Figures,' I thought. The Ox, Kestrel, and the red-haired woman pulled out plasma rifles, and began blasting, making it hard for me to see who it was that we were even fighting. Dodging a plasma ball that nearly took my head off, I grabbed the crowbar that Cara tossed to me from her knapsack (I was beginning to wonder if that thing was bottomless), and joined in to the fighting. As soon as I got involved, I could see that these weren't the Junkmen, since they were of ordinary height, and they weren't robots, since they were humans. The conclusion? They must be from the government. This had an odd effect on Kestrel. He had set his beret very low over his face, and looked like he was trying to hide somewhat. I figured he had been a spy, or something like that.
Sadly, we were outnumbered, and out-gunned. In almost no time at all we were surrounded. One of them stepped forward, smirking. He was dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the soldiers, except that his beret was bright red. I assumed this meant he was the leader. He addressed the Ox:
"You have some things that belong to us." The man indicated us kids. "We'd like to have them back now."
"I'm afraid that you can't," said the Ox in a dignified voice.
The soldier looked annoyed. "Perhaps I am not making myself clear." He made a gesture, and almost every soldier pointed his gun at the Ox's chest.
"You aren't in any position to say what we can or can't do. We are taking them now, and if you try to resist, you-"
He was interrupted by a blast of electricity, knocking him sideways into some of the other ranks, like a set of dominoes.
Madiza then turned her tazer on the group next to them, before they could come to their senses and start shooting her. Unexpectedly, more help emerged, in the form of another small group of people, who shot up the tunnel towards us with more plasma rifles. Their leader was a woman wearing an elaborate mask, as if she were about to go to a costume party. Madiza looked down at the man with the red beret, and said contemptuously, "Baaaad old putty-tat!"
'Figures,' I thought. The Ox, Kestrel, and the red-haired woman pulled out plasma rifles, and began blasting, making it hard for me to see who it was that we were even fighting. Dodging a plasma ball that nearly took my head off, I grabbed the crowbar that Cara tossed to me from her knapsack (I was beginning to wonder if that thing was bottomless), and joined in to the fighting. As soon as I got involved, I could see that these weren't the Junkmen, since they were of ordinary height, and they weren't robots, since they were humans. The conclusion? They must be from the government. This had an odd effect on Kestrel. He had set his beret very low over his face, and looked like he was trying to hide somewhat. I figured he had been a spy, or something like that.
Sadly, we were outnumbered, and out-gunned. In almost no time at all we were surrounded. One of them stepped forward, smirking. He was dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the soldiers, except that his beret was bright red. I assumed this meant he was the leader. He addressed the Ox:
"You have some things that belong to us." The man indicated us kids. "We'd like to have them back now."
"I'm afraid that you can't," said the Ox in a dignified voice.
The soldier looked annoyed. "Perhaps I am not making myself clear." He made a gesture, and almost every soldier pointed his gun at the Ox's chest.
"You aren't in any position to say what we can or can't do. We are taking them now, and if you try to resist, you-"
He was interrupted by a blast of electricity, knocking him sideways into some of the other ranks, like a set of dominoes.
Madiza then turned her tazer on the group next to them, before they could come to their senses and start shooting her. Unexpectedly, more help emerged, in the form of another small group of people, who shot up the tunnel towards us with more plasma rifles. Their leader was a woman wearing an elaborate mask, as if she were about to go to a costume party. Madiza looked down at the man with the red beret, and said contemptuously, "Baaaad old putty-tat!"
Friday, July 8, 2011
Freegans part 43
Lucy
Madiza and Ben looked very sweet, snuggled up together like that. He couldn't use his voice to say 'ssh, ssh', so he was softly hissing through his teeth. It was all very cute to watch. So why did I have bile rising in my throat, and feel churning in my stomach? I turned away, only to see Cara and Matt smirking at me, and looking as though they were trying not to laugh.
"Shut up!" I snapped.
"What?" asked Cara, her green eyes going wide and innocent. I just glared, and looked for somewhere else to look. My options were becoming smaller by the second. From behind me I heard small explosions of giggles.
It was a relief to me when Kestrel announced that it was times to go. We got up, and began to quickly pack our things. I tried to carry as much as possible, but didn't do very well, I'm afraid. Most of it had to be taken from me, and distributed among the others. But I didn't mind much. I was used to being the weakling. The tall woman, Max, opened the secret door, and we slipped out. To my dismay, I found myself walking near Madiza, who was mumbling and humming to herself, perfectly happy again. I tried to ignore her, instead focusing on the sides of the tunnel, or my friends, or anything else.
Suddenly, Madiza looked right at me and said, out of the blue, "I've been considering words that begin with the letter J. Jealousy. Jaundice. Jack-in-the-box. Juvenile."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" I demanded, stung by the first word.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," she replied lightly, looking up at the ceiling as if there were something interesting there. "Just-beware of the green-eyed monster. Oh, and you can't lose what you never had."
Then she went back to her demented mutterings. I felt flustered and angry. Had she just given me a threat? My wonderings were interrupted-by an attack suddenly made on our small group.
Madiza and Ben looked very sweet, snuggled up together like that. He couldn't use his voice to say 'ssh, ssh', so he was softly hissing through his teeth. It was all very cute to watch. So why did I have bile rising in my throat, and feel churning in my stomach? I turned away, only to see Cara and Matt smirking at me, and looking as though they were trying not to laugh.
"Shut up!" I snapped.
"What?" asked Cara, her green eyes going wide and innocent. I just glared, and looked for somewhere else to look. My options were becoming smaller by the second. From behind me I heard small explosions of giggles.
It was a relief to me when Kestrel announced that it was times to go. We got up, and began to quickly pack our things. I tried to carry as much as possible, but didn't do very well, I'm afraid. Most of it had to be taken from me, and distributed among the others. But I didn't mind much. I was used to being the weakling. The tall woman, Max, opened the secret door, and we slipped out. To my dismay, I found myself walking near Madiza, who was mumbling and humming to herself, perfectly happy again. I tried to ignore her, instead focusing on the sides of the tunnel, or my friends, or anything else.
Suddenly, Madiza looked right at me and said, out of the blue, "I've been considering words that begin with the letter J. Jealousy. Jaundice. Jack-in-the-box. Juvenile."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" I demanded, stung by the first word.
"Oh, nothing, nothing at all," she replied lightly, looking up at the ceiling as if there were something interesting there. "Just-beware of the green-eyed monster. Oh, and you can't lose what you never had."
Then she went back to her demented mutterings. I felt flustered and angry. Had she just given me a threat? My wonderings were interrupted-by an attack suddenly made on our small group.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Freegans part 42
Ben
For a while all I did was watch Madiza draw. I could tell something was wrong, because her hands were trembling slightly, and she was writing an essay in Latin. That only happens when she feels agitated. I reached out and touched her shoulder. She stopped her frantic scribbling, and looked up at me. Her green eyes were bulging with fear.
Hey, are you okay? I signed at her with my free hand. Madiza had taught me sign language, but we didn't use it that often, unless I had no writing materials handy. She replied, No. Well, not really. If you want to know the truth, Ben-ben, I'm really scared. I'm expected to turn off the Drones of Golden Light, for crying out loud! It was clear that she was in one of her more lucid moments. She looked down, and suddenly stuffed the chalk in her pocket.
I don't know if I can take all this pressure, Ben! she signed. I reached out and put an arm around her bony shoulders.
Madiza, I signed with my right hand, you're a genius. You know the KillCode. And we'll all be here to protect you. You'll be fine.
She smiled at me gratefully. Thanks, Ben-ben. But what happens afterward? What will they do to us? They seem nice, but who knows what their real motives are?
I pulled her close, leaning her head against my shoulder. Gently I began to rock back and forth, hissing through my teeth. It was a guaranteed way to calm her down.
For a while all I did was watch Madiza draw. I could tell something was wrong, because her hands were trembling slightly, and she was writing an essay in Latin. That only happens when she feels agitated. I reached out and touched her shoulder. She stopped her frantic scribbling, and looked up at me. Her green eyes were bulging with fear.
Hey, are you okay? I signed at her with my free hand. Madiza had taught me sign language, but we didn't use it that often, unless I had no writing materials handy. She replied, No. Well, not really. If you want to know the truth, Ben-ben, I'm really scared. I'm expected to turn off the Drones of Golden Light, for crying out loud! It was clear that she was in one of her more lucid moments. She looked down, and suddenly stuffed the chalk in her pocket.
I don't know if I can take all this pressure, Ben! she signed. I reached out and put an arm around her bony shoulders.
Madiza, I signed with my right hand, you're a genius. You know the KillCode. And we'll all be here to protect you. You'll be fine.
She smiled at me gratefully. Thanks, Ben-ben. But what happens afterward? What will they do to us? They seem nice, but who knows what their real motives are?
I pulled her close, leaning her head against my shoulder. Gently I began to rock back and forth, hissing through my teeth. It was a guaranteed way to calm her down.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Ultimate Disney villain
After much research, study, and speculation, I have narrowed it down to 11 Disney villains who are ultimately superior and awesome, based on voice, looks, powers, and/or theme song (if they have one).
I haven't gotten a particular order for them in coolness, but I do know they are:
1. Ursula, from The Little Mermaid. Evil, white-haired, sarcastic tentacled-woman. What's not to like?
2. Medusa, of The Rescuers. Greedy, sadistic, red-haired woman. There's a pattern here.
3. Jafar, the main bad dude in Aladdin. Doesn't have a theme song in the first movie, and the second is rather mediocre in my book. But his powers are uber-AWESOME.
4. Cruella de Vil, from 101 Dalmatians. Fur-wearing, slightly crazy dog-killer, known as the devil woman. Great theme song.
5. Maleficent, the bad fairy or whatever in Sleeping Beauty. Her song, if you can call it that, doesn't really have any words, just a creepy, bone-chilling clarinet solo. Plus, she has one of the best lines, describing her minions: "They're all hopeless. A DISGRACE to the forces of evil."
6. Frollo, ala The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sings one of the best songs in Disney history, and his religious hypocrisy is a refreshing relief from the usual cheesy nauseous villains they think up. Even if he does wear a dorky-looking hat.
7. Captain Hook, from Peter Pan. He's hilarious, temperamental but cowardly, and always looking for loopholes in his promises. He can't hold a candle to Dustin Hoffman, but he's the next best thing.
8. Shere Khan, out of The Jungle Book. One of the BEST voices ever! And the way he is politely threatening causes chills every time!
9. Doctor Facilier, from the latest The Princess and the Frog. He has the best song in the movie, and is sort of a cross between Hook and Cruella de Vil. This makes him automatically awesome.
10. Scar, the deprived, vengeful brother from The Lion King. Kind of a stereotypical theme, but then again, most of these are. And there is probably no one with half a brain who would deny that his song is magnificent, and great, and any other positive adjectives possible.
11. Hades, Lord of the Dead, a la Hercules. He talks, looks, and acts great. And the flaming blue hair only adds to his image.
If anyone has any other suggestions for the list, please let me know.
I haven't gotten a particular order for them in coolness, but I do know they are:
1. Ursula, from The Little Mermaid. Evil, white-haired, sarcastic tentacled-woman. What's not to like?
2. Medusa, of The Rescuers. Greedy, sadistic, red-haired woman. There's a pattern here.
3. Jafar, the main bad dude in Aladdin. Doesn't have a theme song in the first movie, and the second is rather mediocre in my book. But his powers are uber-AWESOME.
4. Cruella de Vil, from 101 Dalmatians. Fur-wearing, slightly crazy dog-killer, known as the devil woman. Great theme song.
5. Maleficent, the bad fairy or whatever in Sleeping Beauty. Her song, if you can call it that, doesn't really have any words, just a creepy, bone-chilling clarinet solo. Plus, she has one of the best lines, describing her minions: "They're all hopeless. A DISGRACE to the forces of evil."
6. Frollo, ala The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Sings one of the best songs in Disney history, and his religious hypocrisy is a refreshing relief from the usual cheesy nauseous villains they think up. Even if he does wear a dorky-looking hat.
7. Captain Hook, from Peter Pan. He's hilarious, temperamental but cowardly, and always looking for loopholes in his promises. He can't hold a candle to Dustin Hoffman, but he's the next best thing.
8. Shere Khan, out of The Jungle Book. One of the BEST voices ever! And the way he is politely threatening causes chills every time!
9. Doctor Facilier, from the latest The Princess and the Frog. He has the best song in the movie, and is sort of a cross between Hook and Cruella de Vil. This makes him automatically awesome.
10. Scar, the deprived, vengeful brother from The Lion King. Kind of a stereotypical theme, but then again, most of these are. And there is probably no one with half a brain who would deny that his song is magnificent, and great, and any other positive adjectives possible.
11. Hades, Lord of the Dead, a la Hercules. He talks, looks, and acts great. And the flaming blue hair only adds to his image.
If anyone has any other suggestions for the list, please let me know.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Freegans part 41
Cara
"No, not yet. We have another hour to go before moving," said the Ox to her. She glanced at her watch again, and said, "Oh. Sorry." Then she lay down and went back to sleep.
There was silence, as we digested this little bit of news. I happened to glance over at Madiza, and suddenly noticed that one of her already-ragged shirtsleeves had torn, and I could see her bare arm. To my surprise, it was covered in hundreds of long-healed, pale scars, overlapping and connecting. They stood out against her fair skin. Madiza seemed to instinctively know I was staring, and pulled up her sleeve quickly. I turned to my friends, who I could tell had seen it too. Ben handed me a piece of paper. It had written on it, Don't ask her. She doesn't like to remember. They're all over both her arms and her back, too.
"What happened to her?" I asked.
Ben took back the paper, and scribbled on it for a long while. When he finally gave it back, Matt and Lucy and I read it over.
It was at least a year ago. We were in the cage, doing nothing, when the vice-president came down, accompanied by a squadron of soldiers. They unlocked the cage;then they unchained Madiza, and dragged her out of the cage. Then, before my eyes, they suddenly began flogging her! Right there, in the middle of the floor, for no apparent reason, except to satisfy Gwilliam's angry mood! When he'd finally had enough fun, they brought her back in, and re-chained her! As if she could even crawl, in her weakened and battered state. After they left, I did my best to care for her wounds, even using some of our water to clean them. Even so, it took weeks for them to completely heal.
I looked up, and was startled when I saw that Ben had the scariest look on his face. It was similar to the look Lennie had in the 1996 version of Of Mice and Men. All three of us backed away slightly. As soon as it had come, the expression faded. He smiled apologetically, and went and sat down by Madiza, and watched her draw. I couldn't help noticing that Lucy was scowling at them. Matt and I both rolled our eyes. It was becoming a little obnoxious the way Lucy kept mooning over Ben.
"No, not yet. We have another hour to go before moving," said the Ox to her. She glanced at her watch again, and said, "Oh. Sorry." Then she lay down and went back to sleep.
There was silence, as we digested this little bit of news. I happened to glance over at Madiza, and suddenly noticed that one of her already-ragged shirtsleeves had torn, and I could see her bare arm. To my surprise, it was covered in hundreds of long-healed, pale scars, overlapping and connecting. They stood out against her fair skin. Madiza seemed to instinctively know I was staring, and pulled up her sleeve quickly. I turned to my friends, who I could tell had seen it too. Ben handed me a piece of paper. It had written on it, Don't ask her. She doesn't like to remember. They're all over both her arms and her back, too.
"What happened to her?" I asked.
Ben took back the paper, and scribbled on it for a long while. When he finally gave it back, Matt and Lucy and I read it over.
It was at least a year ago. We were in the cage, doing nothing, when the vice-president came down, accompanied by a squadron of soldiers. They unlocked the cage;then they unchained Madiza, and dragged her out of the cage. Then, before my eyes, they suddenly began flogging her! Right there, in the middle of the floor, for no apparent reason, except to satisfy Gwilliam's angry mood! When he'd finally had enough fun, they brought her back in, and re-chained her! As if she could even crawl, in her weakened and battered state. After they left, I did my best to care for her wounds, even using some of our water to clean them. Even so, it took weeks for them to completely heal.
I looked up, and was startled when I saw that Ben had the scariest look on his face. It was similar to the look Lennie had in the 1996 version of Of Mice and Men. All three of us backed away slightly. As soon as it had come, the expression faded. He smiled apologetically, and went and sat down by Madiza, and watched her draw. I couldn't help noticing that Lucy was scowling at them. Matt and I both rolled our eyes. It was becoming a little obnoxious the way Lucy kept mooning over Ben.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Freegans part 40
Matt
Dude, I had not asked a stupid question! It was a very rational inquiry that deserved speculation! Right?
Anyway, Kestrel and Ox were giving us a very long once-over, and I was starting to get a little uncomfortable. I asked, "What do you mean?"
Cara gave one of her 'That was a really dumb question, Matt' sighs which annoy me so much, and said, "They're not sure they can trust us. They think it's suspicious that we turned up so suddenly. Isn't that right?" The question was directed towards the men. Both nodded.
"S-s-so, what are you going to do with us?" asked Lucy, turning pale.
"Well, if you're just kids, you should be sent home. This is no place for you. But if you turn out to be enemy spies or something-"
"You'll kill us?" I concluded.
"No, probably just tie you up and leave you somewhere."
"Don't you have a lie detector machine or something you can use to test us, see if we're innocent?" asked Cara.
Ox and Kestrel looked at each other, then back at us. The Ox said, "We do, but we don't have it with us. Sadly, it's back at our center of operations."
"Dang," muttered Cara.
Just then, the strange redheaded woman who'd come in and fallen asleep woke up. She looked at a wristwatch, and said, "Time to go."
Dude, I had not asked a stupid question! It was a very rational inquiry that deserved speculation! Right?
Anyway, Kestrel and Ox were giving us a very long once-over, and I was starting to get a little uncomfortable. I asked, "What do you mean?"
Cara gave one of her 'That was a really dumb question, Matt' sighs which annoy me so much, and said, "They're not sure they can trust us. They think it's suspicious that we turned up so suddenly. Isn't that right?" The question was directed towards the men. Both nodded.
"S-s-so, what are you going to do with us?" asked Lucy, turning pale.
"Well, if you're just kids, you should be sent home. This is no place for you. But if you turn out to be enemy spies or something-"
"You'll kill us?" I concluded.
"No, probably just tie you up and leave you somewhere."
"Don't you have a lie detector machine or something you can use to test us, see if we're innocent?" asked Cara.
Ox and Kestrel looked at each other, then back at us. The Ox said, "We do, but we don't have it with us. Sadly, it's back at our center of operations."
"Dang," muttered Cara.
Just then, the strange redheaded woman who'd come in and fallen asleep woke up. She looked at a wristwatch, and said, "Time to go."
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