Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A New Chapter in the Story

I looked out the cockpit window feelin’ tired. “I got a call from the Blue Sun office sayin’ Somethin’ was left for me there….. A blanket and a nest….. All I could think of was Lily…… I went down into the Mines…. Musta fallen asleep….. Woke up to Xoxo yellin’ at me….. Said I needed to head to the old relpicant order power core…. Wait for her there.” I rubbed my chin, then my eyes. “I waited…… Then Xoxo came…. And Lily….. Lily had to shut her friend down for a short time. While everythin’ played out how they aught to’ve been the first time. I don’t know if I had much part in anythin’ but getting’ in the way….” There was the small pile of ruined curcuit boards. The EMP pretty much destroyed the equipment in the Shadow.

“Then it was over. Lily was gone. Then Xoxo handed me a note….. I read it and did what was asked of me. Had to make a distance flight….. then had to head back to the Drift. Kitten…. She sent me a wave…. Up out of the black. She told me Lily was ok…. But I saw her get taken by the core…..” Diggin’ into the Cockpit console, I pulled another dead board. This was startin’ to get frustratin’. “I hid for days. But I knew I had to let Brooke and Dex know I was ok, I just needed time. There were other thing’s needin’ my attention. I didn’t have enough time to deal with my grief……Spent a few nights tryin’ to make contact with someone ‘bout this packet what needed delivery. I did….. finally. But it was a hard thing to do….. You hang onto somethin’, you start thinkin’ you don’t want to do the delivery……. “ I frowned at the growin’ pile of stuff I was needin’ to replace.

There was goin’ to be a lot of salvagin’ to find what I’d need to make all the repairs. “Desmond, come ‘round a couple odd days ago. He found Gallagher’s brain. Then Lily and I had to get Diesel and knock him down. We both got beat good in the process….. But we got the gorram ‘bot. Desmand took care of puttin’ the brain into the bot….. Who knows how Gallagher’ll take it. One thing down…. How many more were waitin’ to happen…..” Pullin’ open another panel, there was more dead ‘lectronics to rip out. I sighed unhappily. I hated bein’ grounded.

Throwin’ down the last panel board, I slammed the main colsole with my hand, “I went back to make sure….. Had to deal with a few things……Xoxo was back on me ‘bout stuff… Not unusual for her. Seems she can find somethin’ to give me grief over most times. I decided to head for the last place of peace of late. I was too tired to be flyin’….. The mines. Went down there to be left alone……. It’s where Kitten and Bram found me….. Don’t remember much of the convo…… Then later, I was hallucinatin’…….. Lily on a white horse….. in the mine?...... Now I know I was seein’ things.” Getting’ up, there was a lot more panels to pull and rip electronics out of. “Last couple days been havin’……. To deal with whether it was a dream or a hallucination from lack of sleep and not eatin’….. Then there’s been the waves……. Short bursts only…… But I knew who and what they were……. Knew all too well……. Damn Xoxo……”

"Then Kitten was startin’ to act strange…. Yeah… I know, she’s not right…. But there’s a difference…. And it ain’t good. She’s been eatin’ worms… Testin’? Some sort of test she’s bein’ told to do. And she’s got a chip in her head too now…. Dylan found that out…. He’s a reader who can sense stuff like that….. Then Kitten was activated…. Started with blind sidin’ me. I don’t know if Gallagher went after her, but he was there when I come ‘round….. Then it was Brooke, Bram and me tryin’ to get Kitten and kill the chip in her head….. We set the small EMP off in the Shadow…… I knew we’d lose evrythin’ inside… But better that then Kitten killin’ everyone….. Chip was dead, but her objective wasn’t….. Gorram painful too..... Got bit and kicked……. Then she got my pistol…… I don’t remember too much after…. As for body armor?.... It don’t hold up well at point blank…. Woke in the clinic. Seana patched me up…… Then Brooke, Dex and their friend come in…. With Kitten…. They got her… But it was lily what shut the controls down on her……. And Jai was there too…..”

Not a good thing to do.. set off an EMP inside a ship. Kills everythin’. “Now Dex’s missin’… Brooke’s real worried….. Lily’s startin’ to become human….. She don’t believe it though…… Kitten’s fightin’ with another reader what showed up….. She knows her……. Then last night…….. Lily’s tryin’ to say she’s cuttin’ me lose…… And goin’ to get fixed by Krenshar….. more like dismantled…… I couldn’t let that happen….We had a discussion in Seana’s office….. Didn’t go too well……Was getting’ real riled over Xoxo and her rules….. Kept tryin’ to tell Lily to hold off from destroyin’ herself. Just a little longer……. That’s all I was askin’ for….. A couple days…. Just that…….. I said somethin’ Maybe aughtn’t’ve…. Ra ra boo….. It was all I had left to offer Lily….. Most like, Xoxo’ll have me ended for it….. I don’t care much…… If Lily’s gone….. and the future waitin’ on what I can’t give now…….” Somethin’ rattled ‘round in my head after that……. A mother and daughter readin’ their book...... together……… Its a story….. still bein’ written….

Friday, February 5, 2010

A Flower named Liy

I leaned back against the cargo container, lookin’ at the huge pile of sand….. gorram sand…..” Couple days back… things were different. I just got back from one salvage job, was getting’ ready for the next. Decided to go to the dancehall, see who all was there. I was hopin’ Brooke was there so I could tell her the second container was ready for bein’ sold. I saw…..Lily…. All dressed pretty….. Hid her ears… Cause someone said somethin’ unkind.”

Ran a shakin’ hand over my face. It hurt to think right now….”We danced close…. Smell of her her scented hair…. I love her. She said she wanted to sleep with me in the new ship I got fixed up…… She climbed into the top bunk…. Said it’d be like a sleep over… She asked if I was goin’ to sleep in the lower bunk….Yeah, I was. I got a lot of respect for her. Always will.” My head was startin’ to hurt bad…. Another migraine…. Ain’t had one in a real long time….

Closin’ my eyes, I couldn’t stop the pain…. In my head……. or my heart. “Next day, was work…. Sorting more salvage b’fore I headed out….. Heard Brooke and Dex’s shuttle comin’ in, so I went to talk to em… Got to see the new K18 security system. Bot dog….. But somethin’ more….Then Lily come back…..She was real upset ‘bout somethin’…….That’s when the ‘verse started to collide for us……” Time… runnin’ out like sand blowin’ in the wind….

Jai was there and saw…… Saw her just layin’ there on the floor…….”Lily said a jar with a brain got stole….. Was Aurora’s……It was taken from Lab 81…..,” Time was slim….. Lily…… “We tried talkin’ to that gorram bot what was in the offices… was ‘bout as useful as headache….” Like the one splittin’ my brainpan…”Then there was Blue. He was tellin’ us what to do… He wanted the brain…. Keep it away from Mister Krenshar at all costs or something worse then b’fore was goin’ to be made….. Had to find who stole it first…. Turned out to be Mercedes…… Jai nearly got ended by Lily.. She was so angered…….Then there was somethin’ that Jai said. Somethin’ ‘bout Mercedes sendin’ it somewhere… We had to track it down…. Or grab it b’fore Krenshar could do anythin’ with it.”

“Talked to Vegas… Said he’d help us….. At that time we had a day and a half……Then Blue started testin’ Lily and me…….’lectrified fences… Gorram…..We found AuroraBlue’s book sittin’ on one of the rooms. Thoth, Miya, Vegas, Lily, and I looked at the story book on the table where AuroraBlue’s picture lay on one page. There was Lily’s little book filled with Sanskrit too. I only seen a pic of it durin’ a cortex tour my Ma showed us durin’ schoolin’. It was a copy… I closed it and gave it to her anyway. Seems the page had a bunch to say on it…. Rememberin’ the words was too easy now…. Repeatin’ em…. Burnin’ behind my eyelids….’Chosen one. Creation. All part of the plan. Perfect….. and she gave up her life for the flower….and he placed the coin in his mouth and transferred the images to the woman….. the flower bloomed….. Chosen one.’”

Didn’t know how much longer I could hold out…. Shakin’, feelin’ sick….Pain……”BerryBell said Thoth would bring live to AuroraBlue….Yeah….. found out it was the book. Miya got real riled over it. Thoth said somethin’ ‘bout a contract for Krenshar.… Another confusin’ problem..… Then we’re back jumpin’ through hoops with Blue… He’s playin’ games with us…….Lily went to the power plant below the replicant order lab…. I found her sleepin’? In the core….. I went in after her…… Lily didn’t know how she got there…… For a mo…. Just a mo.. I thought I heard Blue…… Commentin’…..Then we find out Gallagher ain’t him…… It’s that gorram diesel bot…. Says he killed Gallagher….. Lily went crazy….. She just attacked everyone…..The bot, after a while decided to leave some orange sand, an apple and Gallagher’s Dharma keyring…… It hurt… Gallagher was a real friend of mine. Lily loved him……Bot said he was in pieces…..”

The migraine was startin’ to blind me…… I wanted to heave….time was shiftin’ out of control….”Me and ….Lily….we went to tell Seana…. But the mayor wasn’t in……..Then Lily collapsed…..then she… she shut down….. She gave up….. Took her to the Blue Sun compound…..Blue told me bring her inside…..Not much else I could do…..Blue told me he wanted Kitten….Was it another test?” I couldn’t see strait…Had to talk to Seana. She needed to know. “I heard Blue say something… ‘Rest Lily, AuroraBlue….Very soon now. Not sure what all it meant….Just needed to tell someone…. Had to….In case I failed the test…. I saw the not-Gallagher…..Told him he caused Lily’s shutdown….Mad? I’m full of grief and gorram mad!” Walkin’ to The Mayor’s office didn’t cool me down….It followed me….The pain and the bot……

“Seana, she knew somethin’ happened……I guess I showed it pretty well…. And the gorram bot.. Parody of my friend….. Walked in b’hind me…… The mayor was pretty gorram mad too… She wanted to talk to Xoxo… and Blue….. Said she wasn’t goin’ to Lose Lily either…..Don’t know what’s goin’ to come of it….Just don’t know…… Lily….I love her……” I kissed her, lay her gently on the floor and left her with Blue….

((OOC: If you weren’t there or seen the folks here in this Blog, you can’t use it… Sorry… You got to find us to get the IC story. ))