Lucy
All hell had broken loose. Blasts of plasma whizzed over and around us, dead men and pieces of robot (apparently, even the Drones could only take so much) lay on the ground, and screams permeated the air. I was running after Cara and Matt, with Ben and Madiza behind us. We were headed for the submarine, which seemed our only option for survival. I tripped several times over corpses, which made me shriek each time. I wasn't used to there being so much death.
Suddenly, I found my path blocked by one of the soldiers, his rifle aimed at my heart. I skidded to a halt, and felt the horror of knowing that I was about to die. He was about to pull the trigger- when he disintegrated into a blob of mush. I saw Paris standing there, holding a smoking plasma rifle! All I could think to say was, "Th-thank you."
"No problem. Come on!" She grabbed my arm, and pulled me after the others.
In record time, we managed to get inside the sub. Kestrel was lying in a corner, clutching a shoulder, which was dripping blood; he must have been grazed by a ball of plasma. Max, Tower, and Deep Thought were administering to him. The Ox burst in, hair and glasses disheveled. He was followed by a crowd of Resistance members and ex-prisoners. I couldn't tell how many had been lost, but I did know that there was a lot more room inside the sub than there had been. I felt a pang in my heart for all those who had been lost.
Once the door was shut, Ox staggered to the controls, and with a few parting blasts, began steering us out into open water. Through the viewing screen, I could see that the consumerists were getting into their subs too; they meant to follow us.
"Yip-yip!" exclaimed Madiza.
We all turned to her in surprise. It was the first time she'd spoken in hours.
"Huh?" asked Cara.
"It's the phrase Aang uses whenever he wants his bison to fly!" she explained in a cheerful tone.
"His...bison?" Matt raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Yes, it's a flying bison! His name is Appa!"
We all looked at each other. It seemed that Madiza was back to normal.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Freegans part 58
Cara
My life, what I could remember of it, flashed before my eyes. I know, that's an extremely cliche phrase, but that's what I experienced. I had memories from when I was seven, doing the project with Matt and Lucy...that time when I was twelve, and Matt accidentally hit me in the head with an old croquet mallet, giving me a concussion...the time when I paid him back (accidentally, I assure you) by breaking his nose with a badly aimed hockey stick...the first time I saw Madiza... There was other stuff too, lots of it, but I don't feel like revealing it all right now. I need to keep some things secret, you know.
Anyway, things looked bad. We were trapped like rats. There was nowhere to go, as we could see the leader of these soldiers (the guy in the red cap again-how I utterly detested him at this moment!) talking into a walkie-talkie, calling the Drones. The Drones! Suddenly, my heart gave a leap of hope. I remembered how Deep Thought kept tinkering around with them. But how many had he got? What if they got overwhelmed? My heart gave a sink of despair.
"Well, well, looks like the Resistance has been run to earth at last," Red Cap was saying. Great. Not only had he captured us, but now he wanted to gloat about it! I gave a small sigh. Why couldn't he just get it over with?!
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. Frankly, I'm surprised there are so few of you." The dude strode forward, surveying us. The soldiers pointed the business ends of their plasma rifles at us, as a deterrent against any funny business.
"There are far more of us than you know," said the Ox coldly. He refused to show any signs of fear, for which I felt a wave of respect.
"Oh, I know that. But the way I see it, if you strike a major blow at the heart of an animal, the rest of it slowly dies."
Oh, now he was making irritating metaphors. I could feel my irritation rising. This was odd. I didn't feel afraid at all. Instead, I was just plain mad. We had not come all this way, and gone through so much, just to be stopped by some idiot who thought he was the next Benjamin Franklin!
Matt looked at me, and I knew that he could see I was planning on doing something stupid, because he gave an anxious shake of his head no.
I gave him a look that dared him to try and stop me. He gave me one in reply that said he would, if he had to pinion me to the floor. I shot back a look saying that we were probably going to die anyway, so what was the harm? Our facial argument was interrupted, when from behind us there was a loud blasting sound!
One of the soldiers fell to the ground, a gaping wound in his chest. We turned, and gasped as around thirty Drones came floating out the doorway, and began firing on the consumerists. I shot a glance at Deep Thought. He had a humongous smirk, like the cat that swallowed the canary. However, I had more important things to think about, like running like heck for the submarine, so I didn't spend much time looking.
My life, what I could remember of it, flashed before my eyes. I know, that's an extremely cliche phrase, but that's what I experienced. I had memories from when I was seven, doing the project with Matt and Lucy...that time when I was twelve, and Matt accidentally hit me in the head with an old croquet mallet, giving me a concussion...the time when I paid him back (accidentally, I assure you) by breaking his nose with a badly aimed hockey stick...the first time I saw Madiza... There was other stuff too, lots of it, but I don't feel like revealing it all right now. I need to keep some things secret, you know.
Anyway, things looked bad. We were trapped like rats. There was nowhere to go, as we could see the leader of these soldiers (the guy in the red cap again-how I utterly detested him at this moment!) talking into a walkie-talkie, calling the Drones. The Drones! Suddenly, my heart gave a leap of hope. I remembered how Deep Thought kept tinkering around with them. But how many had he got? What if they got overwhelmed? My heart gave a sink of despair.
"Well, well, looks like the Resistance has been run to earth at last," Red Cap was saying. Great. Not only had he captured us, but now he wanted to gloat about it! I gave a small sigh. Why couldn't he just get it over with?!
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. Frankly, I'm surprised there are so few of you." The dude strode forward, surveying us. The soldiers pointed the business ends of their plasma rifles at us, as a deterrent against any funny business.
"There are far more of us than you know," said the Ox coldly. He refused to show any signs of fear, for which I felt a wave of respect.
"Oh, I know that. But the way I see it, if you strike a major blow at the heart of an animal, the rest of it slowly dies."
Oh, now he was making irritating metaphors. I could feel my irritation rising. This was odd. I didn't feel afraid at all. Instead, I was just plain mad. We had not come all this way, and gone through so much, just to be stopped by some idiot who thought he was the next Benjamin Franklin!
Matt looked at me, and I knew that he could see I was planning on doing something stupid, because he gave an anxious shake of his head no.
I gave him a look that dared him to try and stop me. He gave me one in reply that said he would, if he had to pinion me to the floor. I shot back a look saying that we were probably going to die anyway, so what was the harm? Our facial argument was interrupted, when from behind us there was a loud blasting sound!
One of the soldiers fell to the ground, a gaping wound in his chest. We turned, and gasped as around thirty Drones came floating out the doorway, and began firing on the consumerists. I shot a glance at Deep Thought. He had a humongous smirk, like the cat that swallowed the canary. However, I had more important things to think about, like running like heck for the submarine, so I didn't spend much time looking.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Questions that need answering
Here is a list of most of my questions concerning the Lord of the Rings movies. If any of you out there can answer them, I would appreciate it. Note: some questions may pertain to the extended version, and so you might not know. Don't feel bad.
1. If Merry and Pippin were all dirty from the explosion they created from setting off the firecracker, wasn't it a bad idea to have them wash the dishes? (The Fellowship of the Ring)
2. What was the point of the Balrog having wings, if it can't fly? (TF of the R)
3. Why is it that Gandalf rarely ever uses magic in combat?
4. Is Wormtongue really Grima's last name, or is it just an insulting nickname? (The Two Towers)
5. Does anyone else find Galadriel to be really creepy, with how she can speak in people's minds? (TF of the R and TTT)
6. Where did Lord Denethor find a chicken, grapes, and cherry tomatoes if they were under siege? (The Return of the King)
7. Is Gandalf allowed to hit Denethor with his staff like that? I didn't think he'd be allowed to behave in such a way to the Steward of Gondor. (TR of the K)
8. Does nobody in these movies know how to take a pulse, or check for a heartbeat?
9. Why does the Balrog have a whip? (TF of the R)
10. Does anyone besides me think of the phrase "Want to fight? Want to have a wizard's duel?" when Gandalf and Saruman fight? (TF of the R)
11. If Aragorn's necklace got broken, why is his and Arwen's son wearing it in Arwen's dream? (TR of the K)
12. Does Gimli have more than one axe, or does the one he keeps breaking/throwing return magically and repair itself?
13. What is it with hobbits and their subconscious desire to possess evil shiny objects? (such as the One Ring and the palantir)
14. If Frodo was wearing his mithril coat at the time, how was Shelob's stinger able to pierce it? (TR of the K)
15. If elves and dwarfs are mostly enemies, how is it that the password for getting into Moria is in Elvish? (TF of the R)
16. Why doesn't the One Ring turn Sauron invisible? (TF of the R)
17. How come nobody-neither Denethor nor his guards-noticed that Faramir twitched when he got oil poured on him? (TR of the K)
18. How did the enemy even know about Gollum, and that he had possessed the Ring? (TF of the R)
19. Who is the real hero of the movies: Frodo or Sam? (personally, I vote the latter)
20. Isn't it a shame that Frodo and Sam never got to eat that rabbit stew Sam prepared? (TTT)
1. If Merry and Pippin were all dirty from the explosion they created from setting off the firecracker, wasn't it a bad idea to have them wash the dishes? (The Fellowship of the Ring)
2. What was the point of the Balrog having wings, if it can't fly? (TF of the R)
3. Why is it that Gandalf rarely ever uses magic in combat?
4. Is Wormtongue really Grima's last name, or is it just an insulting nickname? (The Two Towers)
5. Does anyone else find Galadriel to be really creepy, with how she can speak in people's minds? (TF of the R and TTT)
6. Where did Lord Denethor find a chicken, grapes, and cherry tomatoes if they were under siege? (The Return of the King)
7. Is Gandalf allowed to hit Denethor with his staff like that? I didn't think he'd be allowed to behave in such a way to the Steward of Gondor. (TR of the K)
8. Does nobody in these movies know how to take a pulse, or check for a heartbeat?
9. Why does the Balrog have a whip? (TF of the R)
10. Does anyone besides me think of the phrase "Want to fight? Want to have a wizard's duel?" when Gandalf and Saruman fight? (TF of the R)
11. If Aragorn's necklace got broken, why is his and Arwen's son wearing it in Arwen's dream? (TR of the K)
12. Does Gimli have more than one axe, or does the one he keeps breaking/throwing return magically and repair itself?
13. What is it with hobbits and their subconscious desire to possess evil shiny objects? (such as the One Ring and the palantir)
14. If Frodo was wearing his mithril coat at the time, how was Shelob's stinger able to pierce it? (TR of the K)
15. If elves and dwarfs are mostly enemies, how is it that the password for getting into Moria is in Elvish? (TF of the R)
16. Why doesn't the One Ring turn Sauron invisible? (TF of the R)
17. How come nobody-neither Denethor nor his guards-noticed that Faramir twitched when he got oil poured on him? (TR of the K)
18. How did the enemy even know about Gollum, and that he had possessed the Ring? (TF of the R)
19. Who is the real hero of the movies: Frodo or Sam? (personally, I vote the latter)
20. Isn't it a shame that Frodo and Sam never got to eat that rabbit stew Sam prepared? (TTT)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Freegans part 57
Matt
It was one of the longest walks of my life, even though I knew it had to be less than an hour long. There's something about knowing any moment you could be attacked by evil Drone cyborgs, and possibly killed, that really makes time crawl. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing almost completely on end, and I clenched my hands into fists to keep them from shaking. We were in the belly of the beast, and we had to get out soon.
I looked at Cara, to gauge how she was handling the situation. She was staring straight ahead, her teeth clenched. I gathered she was still feeling steamed at Paris. I understood how she was feeling, but thought maybe she should let it go. Don't get me wrong, I felt it had been out of line for her to spy on Madiza like that. But it seemed to me that we shouldn't blame her for Project 112; they probably would have done it to Madiza regardless. Besides, Paris seemed genuinely remorseful for what she had done. Yes, I know, the definitive word being 'seemed'. But I like to think of myself as a pretty good judge of character, and I could see no deception in her face. She was really concerned for Madiza.
Speak of the devil, I looked at her, to see how she was doing. She was still in the crook of Ben's arm, scrawling away on the paper as if her life depended on it. Her big green eyes stared vacantly into space. I gave her another glance; it was funny that I hadn't noticed it before, but her eyes were basically the same color as Cara's! That was odd. You didn't see that many green-eyed people. It almost made me think- I dismissed the idea. That would be waaaay too far-fetched, right? Even for such a convoluted, wild story as ours. It had to be a coincidence.
Kestrel and Ox led us almost effortlessly through the corridors; every time we came across a Drone, Deep Thought would reprogram it, whistling cheerfully. In a way, this was happening a little too easily. I began to wonder if any moment we might get caught, or be heading into an ambush. My fears were confirmed when we got down into the docking bay, and came face to face with an entire squadron of soldiers, surrounding the perimeter, with plasma rifles drawn, and pointed right at us.
It was one of the longest walks of my life, even though I knew it had to be less than an hour long. There's something about knowing any moment you could be attacked by evil Drone cyborgs, and possibly killed, that really makes time crawl. I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing almost completely on end, and I clenched my hands into fists to keep them from shaking. We were in the belly of the beast, and we had to get out soon.
I looked at Cara, to gauge how she was handling the situation. She was staring straight ahead, her teeth clenched. I gathered she was still feeling steamed at Paris. I understood how she was feeling, but thought maybe she should let it go. Don't get me wrong, I felt it had been out of line for her to spy on Madiza like that. But it seemed to me that we shouldn't blame her for Project 112; they probably would have done it to Madiza regardless. Besides, Paris seemed genuinely remorseful for what she had done. Yes, I know, the definitive word being 'seemed'. But I like to think of myself as a pretty good judge of character, and I could see no deception in her face. She was really concerned for Madiza.
Speak of the devil, I looked at her, to see how she was doing. She was still in the crook of Ben's arm, scrawling away on the paper as if her life depended on it. Her big green eyes stared vacantly into space. I gave her another glance; it was funny that I hadn't noticed it before, but her eyes were basically the same color as Cara's! That was odd. You didn't see that many green-eyed people. It almost made me think- I dismissed the idea. That would be waaaay too far-fetched, right? Even for such a convoluted, wild story as ours. It had to be a coincidence.
Kestrel and Ox led us almost effortlessly through the corridors; every time we came across a Drone, Deep Thought would reprogram it, whistling cheerfully. In a way, this was happening a little too easily. I began to wonder if any moment we might get caught, or be heading into an ambush. My fears were confirmed when we got down into the docking bay, and came face to face with an entire squadron of soldiers, surrounding the perimeter, with plasma rifles drawn, and pointed right at us.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Freegans part 56
Ben
Madiza-or Ivy, I guess, but to me, she was still Madiza- collapsed to her knees, shrieking, "MAKE IT STOP!!!" Her hands flew to her ears, and she began rocking back and forth uncontrollably and screaming. Instantly I went to her side; catching her by the shoulders, I got her to look me in the eyes. She stopped screaming, and began sobbing instead. I gently took her hands from her ears, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her head against my shoulder. I could guess what had happened: seeing her old 'friend' again had brought back all the memories she had tried to suppress for so long. That was why she allowed her brain to be so bombarded with trivia and facts; it kept the pain away. It tore me apart to see her so upset, because-well, because I loved her.
I'm sorry if you are feeling disgusted by the sappiness of that statement, but it's the truth. I needed her to be her usual, happy self. I wished fervently that I could talk, say something, anything that could help her.
"We need to go!" I heard Ox say. I wondered when he had gotten here. I looked up, and saw that the whole team had arrived. They had freed all the prisoners, who were now standing in a huddle, looking as if they expected this to be another trap. I couldn't really blame them. Slowly, I stood up, lifting Madiza with me. She clung to me like a limpet, trembling, with her eyes squeezed shut. With one hand, I began checking my pockets. I knew what she needed. Luckily, I was able to procure a pencil, and some paper. Gently, I pushed them into her hands. After a second, her eyes slowly opened. Her spidery fingers closed around the pencil, and she began writing.
Cara and Matt walked with us, carrying their helmets under their arms. Everyone had them off by now; there seemed to be no more point in trying to pretend. Suddenly, I noticed that Paris was following us, staring anxiously at Madiza. I gave her a cold stare, and motioned her away. She had done enough.
"Please," she said in a small, pathetic voice, "I didn't mean for this to happen to her. They promised they wouldn't do anything to harm her-really, they did. I never thought-"
"Well, you should have!" snapped Cara. "Don't you see? You can't trust the government to keep promises, or tell you the truth! They would have told you anything to get what they want!"
"Cara," Matt said softly, "I think she understands now." He gave her a look, and she turned away from Paris, teeth clenched.
As the crowd of people went down a corridor, they came across a Drone, slumped against a wall. They started back in fright, but Deep Thought came forward fearlessly. He casually opened a panel, rearranged some wires, and then closed it again.
"What did you do?" asked Lucy, who was standing next to him.
"The same thing I did to the last one who got too close to my cell: reprogramming it. Just in case." Deep Thought smirked.
Madiza-or Ivy, I guess, but to me, she was still Madiza- collapsed to her knees, shrieking, "MAKE IT STOP!!!" Her hands flew to her ears, and she began rocking back and forth uncontrollably and screaming. Instantly I went to her side; catching her by the shoulders, I got her to look me in the eyes. She stopped screaming, and began sobbing instead. I gently took her hands from her ears, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her head against my shoulder. I could guess what had happened: seeing her old 'friend' again had brought back all the memories she had tried to suppress for so long. That was why she allowed her brain to be so bombarded with trivia and facts; it kept the pain away. It tore me apart to see her so upset, because-well, because I loved her.
I'm sorry if you are feeling disgusted by the sappiness of that statement, but it's the truth. I needed her to be her usual, happy self. I wished fervently that I could talk, say something, anything that could help her.
"We need to go!" I heard Ox say. I wondered when he had gotten here. I looked up, and saw that the whole team had arrived. They had freed all the prisoners, who were now standing in a huddle, looking as if they expected this to be another trap. I couldn't really blame them. Slowly, I stood up, lifting Madiza with me. She clung to me like a limpet, trembling, with her eyes squeezed shut. With one hand, I began checking my pockets. I knew what she needed. Luckily, I was able to procure a pencil, and some paper. Gently, I pushed them into her hands. After a second, her eyes slowly opened. Her spidery fingers closed around the pencil, and she began writing.
Cara and Matt walked with us, carrying their helmets under their arms. Everyone had them off by now; there seemed to be no more point in trying to pretend. Suddenly, I noticed that Paris was following us, staring anxiously at Madiza. I gave her a cold stare, and motioned her away. She had done enough.
"Please," she said in a small, pathetic voice, "I didn't mean for this to happen to her. They promised they wouldn't do anything to harm her-really, they did. I never thought-"
"Well, you should have!" snapped Cara. "Don't you see? You can't trust the government to keep promises, or tell you the truth! They would have told you anything to get what they want!"
"Cara," Matt said softly, "I think she understands now." He gave her a look, and she turned away from Paris, teeth clenched.
As the crowd of people went down a corridor, they came across a Drone, slumped against a wall. They started back in fright, but Deep Thought came forward fearlessly. He casually opened a panel, rearranged some wires, and then closed it again.
"What did you do?" asked Lucy, who was standing next to him.
"The same thing I did to the last one who got too close to my cell: reprogramming it. Just in case." Deep Thought smirked.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Freegans part 55
Madiza
Ivy. IvyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyI.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.IVYIVYIVYIVYIVYIVY-
My name.
Hearing it again, for the first time in years, drove the shadows and voices from my mind. I stared at the girl: Paris. I remembered her. She had been a spy, sent to get information from me, pretending to be my friend. Now she was staring at me, and her expression was a combination of horror, pity, and remorse. I couldn't bear it, and turned from her. I looked at my new friends, and saw that they were all staring at me.
"That's your name?" Cara asked. "Ivy?"
I nodded, and whispered, "Yes." Memories flooded my mind, of my childhood, my mother calling me, and catching me in her arms. A memory of looking at myself in the mirror. My hair had once been reddish-brown, before the shocks and tortures had turned it white, and very nice. It was like my mother's, and like my uncle. He was a great speaker, and always willing to spend time with his little niece.
More images and words came crowding in, horrible, nightmarish ones: being captured, and the tortures. Screaming, screaming, and the nights spent in the cell, silently weeping, wanting it all to end. And then-the Project, being hooked up to the machine, all the knowledge being poured in, too much, too much, all voices at once, facts, thoughts, stories, all too loud, can't hear, no no no no NO NO STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!!!!
Ivy. IvyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyivyI.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.I.V.IVYIVYIVYIVYIVYIVY-
My name.
Hearing it again, for the first time in years, drove the shadows and voices from my mind. I stared at the girl: Paris. I remembered her. She had been a spy, sent to get information from me, pretending to be my friend. Now she was staring at me, and her expression was a combination of horror, pity, and remorse. I couldn't bear it, and turned from her. I looked at my new friends, and saw that they were all staring at me.
"That's your name?" Cara asked. "Ivy?"
I nodded, and whispered, "Yes." Memories flooded my mind, of my childhood, my mother calling me, and catching me in her arms. A memory of looking at myself in the mirror. My hair had once been reddish-brown, before the shocks and tortures had turned it white, and very nice. It was like my mother's, and like my uncle. He was a great speaker, and always willing to spend time with his little niece.
More images and words came crowding in, horrible, nightmarish ones: being captured, and the tortures. Screaming, screaming, and the nights spent in the cell, silently weeping, wanting it all to end. And then-the Project, being hooked up to the machine, all the knowledge being poured in, too much, too much, all voices at once, facts, thoughts, stories, all too loud, can't hear, no no no no NO NO STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!!!!
Freegans part 54
Lucy
I felt a wave of relief when I saw that Ben was all right. He twisted out of the now inactive Drone's grip, and pulled off his helmet, wiping his sticky hair out of his face. Even out of breath and sweaty, he was still undoubtedly handsome. My oggling of him was ruined by Madiza. Her helmet was off too, and so I knew it was she who darted up to him, and caught him in a tight hug. After a moment of surprise, Ben hugged her back, leaning his head on hers. When she finally pulled away, Madiza scolded, "Don't EVER scare me like that again!" Ben bowed his head humbly, and signed something at her with one hand. She giggled.
"What did he say?" asked Cara.
"Yes, dear," she said, snickering again.
Now that that was settled, I wanted to take off my helmet; I hated feeling constricted inside, and I knew everyone else did too. But Kestrel said, "There are also human guards up here; we can't take any chances." So Ben and Madiza reluctantly replaced their helmets, and we walked off again, only at a less stealthy pace than before. Now we really had to hurry. Thankfully, Kestrel seemed to know where he was going. He led us left, right, forward, left, left, and so on, until I had lost all track of where we were. When we came to a door with a key pad, he quickly punched in a code, and it slid open. We went in, and there it was-a line of cages, with prisoners inside. In a flash of deja vu, I was reminded of our cell back in the basement in Washington D.C, except that instead of locks requiring keys, they had key pads. How long ago had that been, anyway? I didn't know.
My heart felt sick at the sight of those people. When they saw us, they cowered against the walls, looking like frightened animals. They were all drawn and pale, wearing ragged, gray-striped clothes like pajamas. Most of the ones I could see were men, but I caught a glimpse of at least one woman. Their hair was mostly long and stringy, and that added even more to their animal appearance. Unable to stand another moment of their horrified stares, I yanked off my helmet, letting them all see that I was just a young girl.
"We're your friends!" I proclaimed.
"Lucy!" Cara gasped.
Ignoring her, I said, "We're here to help you! Don't be afraid of us!" The prisoner's expressions changed from terrified to confused, and slightly suspicious. Kestrel, after a moment of hesitation, took his helmet off too.
"Where is Deep Thought?" he asked. Nobody answered. They all stared at us out of hooded, shadowed eyes. Suddenly, a voice called, "Present!"
It came from one of the cages in a far corner, separate from the others. It made sense, if this Deep Thought was as smart as I had heard. We walked over to it, and when I saw him, I was temporarily speechless, but for a different reason than when I had first seen Ben. This Deep Thought was just a boy!
Well, more like a teenager. But still, he looked at least 14! I was shocked. This was the great computer genius?! Besides being young, he was kind of small, maybe an inch shorter than me. His shaggy hair was light brown, and fell around his face like a pair of curtains. As for his face, it kind of reminded me of a goblin, but a cute goblin, if that makes sense. He had gray squinty eyes that turned up at the corners, a pointed nose, and a mouth that seemed permanently turned up in a sideways smile. Deep Thought shuffled towards the bars of his cage, and stared intently at us.
"Well, it's about time!" he said in a faux-annoyed tone. "I sent out that distress call two days ago! Where have you been?!"
"Sorry, we had to pick up something." Kestrel smiled. Then he warned, "You might want to step back. I don't know the code for this door." Then he pulled his plasma rifle off his shoulder, and took aim at the key pad.
"No! Don't do that!" He was stopped by Deep Thought's cry.
"Why not?"
"It's been programmed so that you can't tamper with it! If any harm comes to it, the cell will immediately self-destruct!"
Kestrel looked frustrated. "So how can we get you out?"
"Well, you could ask me what the code is, wise guy."
Our leader looked startled, then a combination of annoyed and amused. Finally, he asked, "What's the code?"
"24601." For some reason, Deep Thought snickered when he said it. Even stranger, Madiza did too.
"Jean Valjean!" she proclaimed. The computer genius looked over at her, startled.
"And who is this, then?" he asked.
"This, my friend, is Project 112. She's what we needed to pick up." Kestrel pushed in the number, and the cage door swung open. "How did you know the code, anyway?"
"Oh, I just watched whenever they opened or closed my door, and figured it out that way. It was easy. So, this is Project 112. Wow! Can I see your face? Please? I've been wanting to meet you for forever!"
Looking pleased, Madiza pulled off her helmet, letting her white hair fall down in a long wave. Deep Thought rubbed his hands together delightedly, reminding me even more of a goblin. It didn't help that they had extremely long, skinny fingers, like a pair of pale spiders.
"Wonderful! We have so much to talk about!" They launched into an intellectual discussion that it was impossible for me to follow, as we turned to go let the other prisoners out. Already, he and Madiza were getting along perfectly. It made me wonder if he hadn't had to experience a little of Project 112 himself; his eyes had a similar gleam to hers, and he had the same perpetual sense of humor. It seemed to me that insanity and genius had a lot of parallels.
Suddenly, a voice from one of the cells called out, "Ivy?"
Instantly, Madiza's smile left her face. Her eyes widened, and she turned in the direction of the speaker. It was a girl, about 17, standing by the bars of one cage. I immediately identified her as a consumerist, since she had their perfect looks: long blond hair, that was beautiful even when shaggy and matted, and doe brown eyes with long eyelashes. Her face was heart-shaped, and even through the grime you could see that she had a perfect complexion. She was staring earnestly at Madiza.
"Ivy? Is that you?"
I felt a wave of relief when I saw that Ben was all right. He twisted out of the now inactive Drone's grip, and pulled off his helmet, wiping his sticky hair out of his face. Even out of breath and sweaty, he was still undoubtedly handsome. My oggling of him was ruined by Madiza. Her helmet was off too, and so I knew it was she who darted up to him, and caught him in a tight hug. After a moment of surprise, Ben hugged her back, leaning his head on hers. When she finally pulled away, Madiza scolded, "Don't EVER scare me like that again!" Ben bowed his head humbly, and signed something at her with one hand. She giggled.
"What did he say?" asked Cara.
"Yes, dear," she said, snickering again.
Now that that was settled, I wanted to take off my helmet; I hated feeling constricted inside, and I knew everyone else did too. But Kestrel said, "There are also human guards up here; we can't take any chances." So Ben and Madiza reluctantly replaced their helmets, and we walked off again, only at a less stealthy pace than before. Now we really had to hurry. Thankfully, Kestrel seemed to know where he was going. He led us left, right, forward, left, left, and so on, until I had lost all track of where we were. When we came to a door with a key pad, he quickly punched in a code, and it slid open. We went in, and there it was-a line of cages, with prisoners inside. In a flash of deja vu, I was reminded of our cell back in the basement in Washington D.C, except that instead of locks requiring keys, they had key pads. How long ago had that been, anyway? I didn't know.
My heart felt sick at the sight of those people. When they saw us, they cowered against the walls, looking like frightened animals. They were all drawn and pale, wearing ragged, gray-striped clothes like pajamas. Most of the ones I could see were men, but I caught a glimpse of at least one woman. Their hair was mostly long and stringy, and that added even more to their animal appearance. Unable to stand another moment of their horrified stares, I yanked off my helmet, letting them all see that I was just a young girl.
"We're your friends!" I proclaimed.
"Lucy!" Cara gasped.
Ignoring her, I said, "We're here to help you! Don't be afraid of us!" The prisoner's expressions changed from terrified to confused, and slightly suspicious. Kestrel, after a moment of hesitation, took his helmet off too.
"Where is Deep Thought?" he asked. Nobody answered. They all stared at us out of hooded, shadowed eyes. Suddenly, a voice called, "Present!"
It came from one of the cages in a far corner, separate from the others. It made sense, if this Deep Thought was as smart as I had heard. We walked over to it, and when I saw him, I was temporarily speechless, but for a different reason than when I had first seen Ben. This Deep Thought was just a boy!
Well, more like a teenager. But still, he looked at least 14! I was shocked. This was the great computer genius?! Besides being young, he was kind of small, maybe an inch shorter than me. His shaggy hair was light brown, and fell around his face like a pair of curtains. As for his face, it kind of reminded me of a goblin, but a cute goblin, if that makes sense. He had gray squinty eyes that turned up at the corners, a pointed nose, and a mouth that seemed permanently turned up in a sideways smile. Deep Thought shuffled towards the bars of his cage, and stared intently at us.
"Well, it's about time!" he said in a faux-annoyed tone. "I sent out that distress call two days ago! Where have you been?!"
"Sorry, we had to pick up something." Kestrel smiled. Then he warned, "You might want to step back. I don't know the code for this door." Then he pulled his plasma rifle off his shoulder, and took aim at the key pad.
"No! Don't do that!" He was stopped by Deep Thought's cry.
"Why not?"
"It's been programmed so that you can't tamper with it! If any harm comes to it, the cell will immediately self-destruct!"
Kestrel looked frustrated. "So how can we get you out?"
"Well, you could ask me what the code is, wise guy."
Our leader looked startled, then a combination of annoyed and amused. Finally, he asked, "What's the code?"
"24601." For some reason, Deep Thought snickered when he said it. Even stranger, Madiza did too.
"Jean Valjean!" she proclaimed. The computer genius looked over at her, startled.
"And who is this, then?" he asked.
"This, my friend, is Project 112. She's what we needed to pick up." Kestrel pushed in the number, and the cage door swung open. "How did you know the code, anyway?"
"Oh, I just watched whenever they opened or closed my door, and figured it out that way. It was easy. So, this is Project 112. Wow! Can I see your face? Please? I've been wanting to meet you for forever!"
Looking pleased, Madiza pulled off her helmet, letting her white hair fall down in a long wave. Deep Thought rubbed his hands together delightedly, reminding me even more of a goblin. It didn't help that they had extremely long, skinny fingers, like a pair of pale spiders.
"Wonderful! We have so much to talk about!" They launched into an intellectual discussion that it was impossible for me to follow, as we turned to go let the other prisoners out. Already, he and Madiza were getting along perfectly. It made me wonder if he hadn't had to experience a little of Project 112 himself; his eyes had a similar gleam to hers, and he had the same perpetual sense of humor. It seemed to me that insanity and genius had a lot of parallels.
Suddenly, a voice from one of the cells called out, "Ivy?"
Instantly, Madiza's smile left her face. Her eyes widened, and she turned in the direction of the speaker. It was a girl, about 17, standing by the bars of one cage. I immediately identified her as a consumerist, since she had their perfect looks: long blond hair, that was beautiful even when shaggy and matted, and doe brown eyes with long eyelashes. Her face was heart-shaped, and even through the grime you could see that she had a perfect complexion. She was staring earnestly at Madiza.
"Ivy? Is that you?"
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