Cara
We were in a submarine! I had never seen one before, except in books, so this was a really exciting experience for me. As I peered out one of the portholes, I saw several species of fish; this was unusual, since I'd assumed they'd all be extinct by now. Then again, maybe the consumerists needed them as a food source.
Us kids (well, all except Madiza) sat on a bench in front of the Ox, who explained what was going to happen when we got there.
"We need to go in quickly, and quietly. If any Drones catch us, it will be disastrous."
"Why?" asked Lucy.
Kestrel pressed a button on his watch, and a hologram appeared. It was a giant creature, about 8 feet tall, and because it had some kind of levitation boots, it wasn't touching the ground, making it look even taller. I craned my neck, getting a look at its face. The Drone had a hard face that looked vaguely like a human's, except it had no mouth. That, and something about it just looked creepier. Probably the fact that it was obviously not human. It's arms reached down past it's knees, sort of like a chimpanzee. The hands on those things looked incredibly strong. I was not liking this thing already. My low opinion increased when the hologram slowly turned to reveal the guns on it's back. I was reminded of a scorpion's tail. The overall effect of this Drone gave me the creeps.
Suddenly, Matt said, "Doesn't look too bad." I gave him an 'Are you insane?' look.
"What?!" he protested. "All we have to do is-blast them with plasma rifles or something! I mean, it's not like they have secret weapons or anything, right?"
"Why do you think they're called Drones, Matt?" asked Kestrel.
"...Like the male bees?"
"No. It's because of the low moaning noise they make. It messes with your inner ear, making it impossible for you to run away. If you try, you stumble and fall, every time. Also, these Drones are incredibly strong. Once one grabs you, it would be nearly impossible to make it let go. They are the ultimate capturing machines."
Matt sat silently for a moment. Finally, he said, "I would like to retract my previous statement."
"So, what do we do about them?" asked Lucy.
Kestrel pressed another button, changing to a different hologram. It looked like a cross between two different machines.
"This is the Sacred Computer and ATM of Light," announced the Ox. "We need to get to it, and then Madiza needs to punch in the KillCode. That will give us an extra hour in which to find Deep Thought, and any of our other comrades, and set them free. If we don't manage it in the alloted amount of time, we are lost."
Something in the finality of his words sent chills running along my spine. I knew he wasn't talking about not finding the way back. I involuntarily shivered.
We were led to separate rooms, and given new clothes. They were in black, and made out of some weird material. I wondered if they were mithril, and had a small chuckle with myself. I changed clothes, but kept the levitation boots. Call me sentimental, but since they'd saved my life at least twice, I felt a kind of attachment to them. When we came back, I smirked at how Matt and Lucy looked: like little kids playing at being ninjas. At least, until I realized that I probably looked the same way. The dark coloring made Madiza look even paler than she was, so that she was practically the color of snow. Ben, despite his emaciatedness and matted hair, looked dashing, but that was what came of coming from the consumerist community. There was no such thing as an ugly person there, at least on the outside.
Matt asked, "Do we get any weapons?"
"You shouldn't have to. At all times you will be protected," was the Ox's reply. Matt looked crestfallen. At that moment, Madiza cried, "Ooh, it's a giant squid!" We went to see what she was looking at, and realized that we were here. At the Prison Sanctum.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Happy Hannukah!
Yesterday, Hannukah, or Chanukah, or however you spell that, began at sundown. So, today, even though we're not Jewish, our family is having potato latkes and salmon for dinner! It's going to be a marvelous kosher meal! Happy Chanukah, everyone!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Freegans part 48
Madiza
We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine! Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink! Lots and lots of water! Going down! Ooh, fishies! Little little fish, Cynoscion nebulosus, spotted seatrout! Where where where are we going? Ask the Professor, he'll know. Ox is the Professor. Does that make me Ginger or Mary Ann? Hee hee hee hee!
"We're going to the Golden Church's Prison Sanctum, out in the middle of the ocean."
Gold gold gold all that glitters is not gold. Still really pretty, though. That's the place of the KillCode, need to remember that. Of course I can, not hard at all. Wonder how far we are under the sea. Not quite 20,000 leagues. Under the sea, under the sea! Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us, in fricassee! Wouldn't put it past them, nope, nope, nope. Ooh, bright shiny lights! All in gold...
We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine, yellow submarine! Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink! Lots and lots of water! Going down! Ooh, fishies! Little little fish, Cynoscion nebulosus, spotted seatrout! Where where where are we going? Ask the Professor, he'll know. Ox is the Professor. Does that make me Ginger or Mary Ann? Hee hee hee hee!
"We're going to the Golden Church's Prison Sanctum, out in the middle of the ocean."
Gold gold gold all that glitters is not gold. Still really pretty, though. That's the place of the KillCode, need to remember that. Of course I can, not hard at all. Wonder how far we are under the sea. Not quite 20,000 leagues. Under the sea, under the sea! Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us, in fricassee! Wouldn't put it past them, nope, nope, nope. Ooh, bright shiny lights! All in gold...
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Freegans part 47
Matt
Finally, we came to a stop. I looked ahead, and saw the reason was a dead end. 'O-kay,' I thought. 'How is this helpful?' My unspoken question was answered when Kestrel reached up, and pushed on the ceiling. It shifted! Some of the others moved to help him, and after a moment, that part of the ceiling lifted up. With a few grunts, they moved it, leaving a square hole over our heads. I could see the night sky, with sprinklings of stars decorating the dark blue. Suddenly I felt very emotional (ssh, don't tell Cara or Lucy). How long had it been since I had last seen that sky?
I could hardly wait to get boosted up out of the hole, just so I could see more. I felt cool breezes over my face, which was really nice. I could feel soft, wet grass beneath my worn-through shoes. Even though there was no moon, I could still see almost everything. I looked at my friends, and saw they were looking happy too. However, our reactions were nothing compared to those of Ben and Madiza. They were actually crying, Ben silently, Madiza in loud, unashamed sobs. They were hugging each other, staring at the stars, the ground, even the shadowy trees, as if they wanted to drink in everything at once.
"They're still here!" Madiza cried out jubilantly. She pointed at the stars, joy written all over her face. "The white coats didn't drain them! They're still out there!"
The Resistance members anxiously shushed her, plasma rifles cocked. That reminded me that we were not out of the woods yet.
As soon as the last of the team was out, they pushed the rock which served as the trap door back into place.
"Come on, we have to get going," directed the Ox. He handed out a few sets of goggles. I put them on, and discovered they were for night vision. Awesome!
"Can we keep these?" I asked Kestrel.
He smiled. "Maybe. We'll see if we survive first." I figured that would suffice for now.
Finally, we came to a stop. I looked ahead, and saw the reason was a dead end. 'O-kay,' I thought. 'How is this helpful?' My unspoken question was answered when Kestrel reached up, and pushed on the ceiling. It shifted! Some of the others moved to help him, and after a moment, that part of the ceiling lifted up. With a few grunts, they moved it, leaving a square hole over our heads. I could see the night sky, with sprinklings of stars decorating the dark blue. Suddenly I felt very emotional (ssh, don't tell Cara or Lucy). How long had it been since I had last seen that sky?
I could hardly wait to get boosted up out of the hole, just so I could see more. I felt cool breezes over my face, which was really nice. I could feel soft, wet grass beneath my worn-through shoes. Even though there was no moon, I could still see almost everything. I looked at my friends, and saw they were looking happy too. However, our reactions were nothing compared to those of Ben and Madiza. They were actually crying, Ben silently, Madiza in loud, unashamed sobs. They were hugging each other, staring at the stars, the ground, even the shadowy trees, as if they wanted to drink in everything at once.
"They're still here!" Madiza cried out jubilantly. She pointed at the stars, joy written all over her face. "The white coats didn't drain them! They're still out there!"
The Resistance members anxiously shushed her, plasma rifles cocked. That reminded me that we were not out of the woods yet.
As soon as the last of the team was out, they pushed the rock which served as the trap door back into place.
"Come on, we have to get going," directed the Ox. He handed out a few sets of goggles. I put them on, and discovered they were for night vision. Awesome!
"Can we keep these?" I asked Kestrel.
He smiled. "Maybe. We'll see if we survive first." I figured that would suffice for now.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Survey
Hello out there, you readers of my blog, and especially of my blog story! Just wanted to ask you all a little question:
After I finish the story I've been working on (and be assured, it's coming to an end soon!), what kind of story do you want me to write next? Fantasy, science-fiction, mystery? Or do you have any opinion at all concerning the matter? Please let me know!
Yours truly,
The Looney Writer
After I finish the story I've been working on (and be assured, it's coming to an end soon!), what kind of story do you want me to write next? Fantasy, science-fiction, mystery? Or do you have any opinion at all concerning the matter? Please let me know!
Yours truly,
The Looney Writer
Monday, October 24, 2011
Freegans part 46
Lucy
Once again, we were off. I felt about ready to drop. What's more, I was kind of annoyed with Madiza. We'd gotten an excuse to finally go home, and she insisted that we be dragged along on another crazy trip, which had a possibility of us getting killed! I felt so angry I wanted to-to- to do something violent! However, what with all the plasma rifles around, that would probably not be a good idea, so I just walked and stewed in silence.
You'd think Cara and Matt would notice I was upset, maybe try to make me feel better, but did they? No! They were perfectly happy to be chatting away with some of the Resistance members, palling around! Madiza was speaking in French with Le Masque again, and as for Ben? He walked along by her side, looking a little anxious, but perfectly willing to go along with this. For some reason, his compliance annoyed me more than anything else. I glared at the ground sullenly.
I don't know how long we walked. It could have been days, or just a few minutes. Suddenly, a pair of bloodshot green eyes were staring right into mine, and a voice shrieked, "Boo!"
I screamed, and jumped back, bumping into one of the new people. Blushing, I apologized, and turned to see Madiza standing there, cackling her silly head off.
"That wasn't funny!" I cried indignantly.
"Oh, come on! Don't you know what day it is?"
"No. Why should I?"
"Friday, October 31st. This is Halloween, everybody make a scene!" Madiza grinned, and ran to the front of the line, where Ox and Kestrel were.
I looked at Cara and Matt, nonplussed, forgetting I was mad at them.
"Hallow-what?"
"Halloween. It's an old holiday, before the government took over. People dressed up in costumes, and went to people's houses for candy. It was something called trick-or-treating," said Cara.
"Oh."
"The rule was the scarier, the better, I think."
"She can keep track of the days of the week?" I asked, bemused.
Cara and Matt both looked at me.
"You're actually surprised by that, Luce?"
Once again, we were off. I felt about ready to drop. What's more, I was kind of annoyed with Madiza. We'd gotten an excuse to finally go home, and she insisted that we be dragged along on another crazy trip, which had a possibility of us getting killed! I felt so angry I wanted to-to- to do something violent! However, what with all the plasma rifles around, that would probably not be a good idea, so I just walked and stewed in silence.
You'd think Cara and Matt would notice I was upset, maybe try to make me feel better, but did they? No! They were perfectly happy to be chatting away with some of the Resistance members, palling around! Madiza was speaking in French with Le Masque again, and as for Ben? He walked along by her side, looking a little anxious, but perfectly willing to go along with this. For some reason, his compliance annoyed me more than anything else. I glared at the ground sullenly.
I don't know how long we walked. It could have been days, or just a few minutes. Suddenly, a pair of bloodshot green eyes were staring right into mine, and a voice shrieked, "Boo!"
I screamed, and jumped back, bumping into one of the new people. Blushing, I apologized, and turned to see Madiza standing there, cackling her silly head off.
"That wasn't funny!" I cried indignantly.
"Oh, come on! Don't you know what day it is?"
"No. Why should I?"
"Friday, October 31st. This is Halloween, everybody make a scene!" Madiza grinned, and ran to the front of the line, where Ox and Kestrel were.
I looked at Cara and Matt, nonplussed, forgetting I was mad at them.
"Hallow-what?"
"Halloween. It's an old holiday, before the government took over. People dressed up in costumes, and went to people's houses for candy. It was something called trick-or-treating," said Cara.
"Oh."
"The rule was the scarier, the better, I think."
"She can keep track of the days of the week?" I asked, bemused.
Cara and Matt both looked at me.
"You're actually surprised by that, Luce?"
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Freegans part 45
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."
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."
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