II.151
Happiest Cat I ever knew
Why'd you purr the way you do?
I'd have to claw her just to see if she was real
Watch the tail twitch away, see the pain she'd feel
Happiest Cat I ever knew
Why'd you purr the way you do?
She wanted to feel the same deep inside
Penetrate my skin......
User: Depeche Mode (adapted) -- Zoroaster and Maharet
Date: 2-Mar 09:18 AM 762599936
II.152
(Then...like a bad remake of Star Trek II, the VAXERPRISE escapes zippo-quick
as the expanding shock wave...oh wait...wrong board...
___ ___
|___| __---__ |___|
. ___\_/_____---.--.--.---_____\_/___ .
\____\\_______\__:__/_______//____/
\\_ \__| |__/ _//
\\_ `| |' _//
. \\..=====..// . .
. `/|||||||\'
|_-------_| .
\ /
`-----'
User: ENTERPRISE
Date: 7-Mar 07:19 AM 763024751
II.153
TRAVELER sleeps in his room over the Cafe...DARICELL in her cold jail
cell...ZOROASTER lies comatose in a hospital bed, attached to tubes and beeping
machines...and they all dream...
...They dream of strolling in a Renaissance garden together, laughing at
talking. They see decaying statues, toppled columns, ancient altars...
everything is beautiful in the sunlight, if slightly weatherbeaten. On a lark,
Daricell pretends to be a sacrificial victim and lies on what they know to be
a 2nd-century pagan altar, throwing her head back in surrender... "Ought I to
wear white?"
...And then Zoro sees something...a dark, but familiar gaunt figure on top
of a nearby stairway. "The Man in Black," he breathes, and, because he must,
he walks, then runs towards the evil man, who turns and darts away with a
smile. Then Zoroaster is over the bridge and out of sight.
Daricell leaps lightly from the altar and runs after him, only to find
that the bridge ends in a fence, with only an empty green field on the other
side. "Zoro... Where are you?" Her cries go unanswered, though she looks up
and down the deserted river for the private eye or his dark quarry. She
returns to Trav, to tell him that Zoro has disappeared.
Before Dari can explain the mysterious disappearance, they hear a
howling from another direction. "Stay here," Traveler says and runs off
through the trees. At the center of a green labyrinth, INLERAH leans against a
stone pillar and screams. As he watches, Trav sees her shadow on the ground
assume a frightening concreteness...till she seems to wrestle with the
insubstantial figure. He calls to her, but she does not hear.
Zoroaster, though invisible to Daricell, is still tracking the Man in
Black amidst the statues, walls, trees and hedges. Then he has a sudden
thought...the one place to which his quarry would head now... He turns and
sprints back to find Daricell, but the grounds seem to shift, to rearrange, as
he runs through them... At last he glimpses her from afar, beyond reflecting
pools and walkways separated by shrubbery and low stone walls, channels of
faintly chattering water and sparkling fountains. She is on the altar again,
resting against it as she looks about for the others, her eyes shaded with a
hand.... Suddenly, he sees the Man in Black walking towards the altar, slowly
but with determination...and Daricell now appears to be tied down. He pulls
out
a curving knife that flashes wickedly in the sunlight, and continues walking
toward his captive prey. Zoro wants to scream...
Traveler has plunged into the maze, but has become lost. Finally he comes
out facing water...the whole estate appears to border on the sea. Just across
from the large mansion is a barge made of stone. Two large black banners
fly over it...but as Trav gazes at them, they become sails and the boat becomes
real. On the deck stands the old sailor, Captain Hansen, screaming madly into
the rising wind that whips the tree branches around restlessly.
Trav, Zoro and Dari all look up at the same moment and see the dark clouds
which now cover the sky. The wind forms the clouds into a vast spiral that
seems to be slowly descending, ready to engulf everything...
And none of the dreamers know where their fellows lie...
User: Travicell
Date: 11-Mar 09:10 PM 763420279
II.154
We've entered a whole weird area here, folks.....
User: Cardinal Ximinez
Date: 12-Mar 12:05 PM 763473973
II.155
wait! are those vultures circling over the VVVC? you know, they can smell a
board kill....
User: ecstabella
Date: 13-Mar 06:10 PM 763582219
II.156
ROMANTIC lies on a stone bench built into the wall of a cold, dark room
at the base of Ahannos' fortress. The front wall of the cell--for that is
what it is--consists of floor-to-ceiling iron bars, grown rusty with time and
with the salt that can be smelled in the air even here. Actually, she is not
far from the water: the back wall of the cell has a series of small square
holes in it at about eye level, showing a view of the harbor. The dim,
ever-present light filters through these windows, giving her just enough
illumination to make out the details of her accomodations, and the corridor
outside, which appears to run past many similar cells. All appear empty,
except the one across from hers--which, strangely, contains what appears to be
a man-sized statue or other object, draped with a cloth.
It has been at least a few hours since the zombies left her here. At the
time she was hugely relieved just to have them take their clammy white hands
off of her and shuffle away...but now, in silence except for the faint murmur
of waves out in the harbor, she finds her mind straying in unpleasant
directions. What does Ahannos intend with her? He seems willing and able to
spill blood if it is required for his sorcery. What part does he want her to
play in his strange plan, which somehow involves Atlantis? Or will he just
forget about her...and leave her, forgotten, in this cell? She thinks she can
glimpse bleached bones in a cell down the hall...perhaps that will be her fate.
Or, worst of all, she may not be allowed to truly die, but be reanimated by the
same ghoulish spells that power Ahannos' undead servants.
_I wonder what they're doing at the Cafe right now..._ She's not even
sure they know she's missing..._though there were those Coast Guard ships
pursuing us, before he cast the fog spell. Did TRAVELER or somebody call them
out to look for me?_ She stands up, for the hundredth time, and looks out into
the harbor--across to the narrow opening in the tall cliffs, through which they
sailed into this circular cove. _Maybe they'll find the way in._ But there's
something magical about this place, and she suspects that no ordinary mariners
could find a way in no matter how long they searched.
_I could use some chocolate...or anything to munch on, so long as it isn't
brought by those zombies_. Just then, to her surprise, she hears someone
approaching. Is it another trick of the wind? No, footsteps really are
approaching down the echoing corridor. She goes to the bars and looks. Four
of the undead, with their blank expressions, mottled skin and tattered clothes,
are bearing Ahannos in a sedan chair. She backs away as they approach. He
utters a command, and they set him down just in front of the cell; now she is
sitting on the bench along the side wall.
"Why d'ye back off? Think I'll bite?" he says gruffly.
"I don't like them," she says, pointing to the silent servants.
"Oh." He looks at them, then back at her, then barks another command.
The four chairbearers turn and shuffle back the way they came. "Now. Happy?"
"You don't understand. I won't be happy till you take me back to where I
belong."
"You aren't goin' anywhere, girl! Not till I says."
"But you still haven't told me why I'm here!! Can't you at least do
that?" she pleads.
He says nothing for a few moments. Then, "Soon. I'll tell ye soon."
She sighs in exasperation. "Why did you come down here then?"
"Don't you talk to me like that! Don't you know I'm--" He cuts himself
off.
"You're what?" For a moment there, she heard again in his voice something
unlike the rough old sailor he appeared to be on the outside--a proud, but cool
tone, the speech of someone noble and sophisiticated. "I know you're not what
you seem. You told me something about Atlantis before, about how it ruled the
ancient world through magic, and how it sunk into the sea. But I know you
didn't tell me everything."
"Aye, that I didn't. There's much left to be told...much that I ha' told
no one these long years."
"So...do you want to tell me? Am I your captive audience?"
"D'ye even want to hear? You don't think it's the raving of a mad old
sailor?"
She opens her arms and looks around. "All this is obviously real. I've
seen that your magic is real. Why not Atlantis too? Look, I'll be honest--"
"Aye, you're good at that," he mutters.
"--I just want to find out what's going on. And...well, I am curious
about this place, about your ship, about...about you." _He better not take
that the wrong way!_, she thinks.
"You want to find out what's going on. Heh. Well, I still canna tell you
all, but I can tell you more." He fingers the cane that he carries with him,
even while sitting on the chair. "I am the last prince of Atlantis. I was
trained in seacraft and in the magical arts, as befits a gentleman of a noble
house. I was on a trade mission for my father, the lord of the city of
Tholos, when the Great Darkness fell and the land of Atalani perished, more
than thirty centuries ago..."
User: the t r a v e l e r stoppeth one in three... ;)
Date: 13-Mar 07:28 PM 763586932
II.157
...And as Cado makes his way to the waters edge, he feels a strange sensation
of peace come over him. "Maybe this place isn't _all_ bad..." he thinks...
Though he is still worried about what he has gotten himself into. But no, the
calming sensation overcomes his fear...what of this? The water swirls and
rolls along the horizon, spilling up over rocks and splashing about...rising
and receding...waking and declining...there is almost sense in it...
...From a million miles or so, it seems, a voice calls to him...no...wait...it
is a song...a familiar song... He watches as the clouds drift by, as the wind
peaks and divels among the waves, causing patterns that are random, but then
they are not... And the voice seems to pick him up and carry him along...
"No wind when I took the watch...my ship was still...waiting...
A low-light mirrored sky...a restless sailor...waiting..."
Cado picks up his step, to the water's edge...it's the sea...it has to be...the
voice is coming from the sea...
"I close my eyes, say the words of will...
For the gentle breathing that moves the sea...
Will make my sails fill..."
The sky begins to darken...ever slightly...but he sees it...and the wind
becomes noticeable against his face...what is happening? It seems to be out of
his control...or is it? Soon, it seems that his mind has begun to sing in
unison with the voice... But then, it seems that they are one...
"Whisper waves cloud the glass...awake at last...like a lover...
It rushed around me, talking sweet...roll over, roll over, roll over..."
He walks out toward the water, almost uncontrollably...it calls to him...he
calls to it...the peacefulness rolls around him, surrounding him, like a
growing power...his mind and the voice have joined into a perfect harmony...
"And in my ear it blew it's name...
It sounds so strange...but I heard it plain..."
His lips begin to move in unison with the words...it is becoming clear...the
water begins to rise higher around him...the wind rushes around, lifting the
waves to peaks...splashing and crashing...
"Mistral, mistral wind..."
Suddenly, like a giant wave, the wind crashes together around him, lifting him
into the air. The clouds swirl madly in the sky, as do the waves below
him...but he is not afraid...it it is all clear to him now...
"I've always held the wheel but I let the wind steal my power..."
Cado motions with his hand and brings up from the depths a pillar of water,
onto which he steps, and stands motionless, hands outstretched...rising higher
and higher...the wind blowing through him now...his mind and the sea in
union...
"Oh, I let it spin me around...lose my course...nights run by like hours..."
Power...there is so much power...but not of greed or lust or malevolence...it
is a power within and a power without...it reaches in to him...he reaches out
to it...together they are one...
"And it would show me the way to the deepest mountain...
Too high and beautiful to be...
Mistral...Mistral wind!......"
Forever he has been here...but he just arrived?? No...he has returned...yet he
has never left...emotions and feelings wind around him in a flurry of mist and
soft but powerful billowing air...
"Oh, the hours of the watch I wait for that breeze to move me...
And draw me back to that place...magic spaced all through me..."
The incantation races through his mind and across the water, which responds so
naturally that it seems to be a part of him...or he a part of it...Names,
faces, places...all dart past his eyes...sounds...feelings...it is all coming
together...
"And I cry your name across the empty water...
You've made a crazy dreamer out of me..."
Culminating within him, the power races through every inch of his body...his
mind screams out to the water...
"Mistral...mistral...mistral...mistral...
...Mistraaaaaallllllllll............"
Spinning, turning, around, around, around...it rushes into him...running,
hiding, absorbing into every corner of his being...tucking itself away inside
him...
And slowly he sinks down...down...down...until at last his feet rest upon the
ground once again...
...and he is standing once again on a rock at the water's edge...The clouds
gone...the waves receded...the wind still...
He turns to face the mountain...and walks unafraid into its interior once
again...
User: Cado...ok Max...all yours... :)
Date: 13-Mar 09:35 PM 763594549
II.158
ECSTASY walks back up into her tower and closes the door behind her. Locking
her voice-activated lock with a simple command, she trudges up the stairs. SHe
reaches the library and and presses on the panel behind the first edition Lord
Byron poems. A ceiling tile pops open and she swings up to the hidden higher
level.
"I think it is time to decorate up here. Since I am sleeping alone, I need
to finish the atmosphere. Hmmmm....what do I need? I know! I'll bring up the
coffin from under the stairs in the cellar. That takes care of the sleeping
arrangements...now, do I need light? Nah."
ECSTASY looks around and realizes that the one thing that is missing is
music. She swings down to the library and calls TRAVELER. "Could you order me
that five-disc CD player and call up a craftsman to rig up the speaker system
for my coffin? Thanks."
TRAVELER shakes his head as he hangs up the phone.
User: ecstasy
Date: 14-Mar 01:21 AM 763608107
II.159
then he calls back.
"should you need a leg massage before you retire, i'm sure something can
be arranged."
User: traveler
Date: 14-Mar 02:47 AM 763613288
II.160
LOUCH sends a message up to Ecstasy in her tower...
"When you get done decorating, I have a bottle of Absolut in one hand, a bottle
of Bacardi Gold Reserve in the other, and a bag full of mixers, in case you
feel you need em... I figure drunkenness needs company... you can even take the
bottle of yer choice... send for me if ya want company... "
The message being sent, Louch decides to read some Shakespeare to pass the
time...
User: Why not... I mean, Louch _is_ skipping her Shakes class right now
Date: 14-Mar 11:51 AM 763645884
II.161
ECSTASY types back: "I would take the Absolut but I have this evil hangover
from drinking all that virtual tequila for the past few months (or has it only
been a night?)...but in the future, we'll get together and sing the
liebestraume.....:)
User: ECSTASY
Date: 14-Mar 03:45 PM 763659925
II.162
Ghost ripped himself away from the arm holding him...
"That's it, I'm outta here.. this sucks!" - Ghost
"Really? Are your sure, you wouldn't lie to me, would you?!" - Venkman.
Ghost pulled out a small black object, aimed it at the wall near Venkman...
"Whoah... ack..", screamed Venkman as he dived out of the way..
*wham* the wall explodes...
"You coming?!", asked Ghost.
"Uh.. no thanks.. you go on ahead.. I want to take a nap.. yeah.. that's it.."
Ghost exits stage left...
[later]
"Damn Billy Bob, we got us a rather huge hole here... wonder why the other
varmit didn't take hoof?" - policeman #12
"No way!! I'm staying right here, you can't make me leave.. he's out there,
just waiting for me... " screamed Venkman.
User: GHOST
Date: 14-Mar 07:24 PM 763673083
II.163
TRAVELER yawns, sits up in bed, and runs his hand through his tangled
hair. The morning sun filters in through a window. The previous night's sleep
was not the best--it was interrupted by strange dreams, and a phone call from
ECSTASY--but he figures a cup of SYLVAR's secret blend will get the day off to
a good start. Then he remembers--Sylvar is staying in town, helping DARICELL
with her case. That means no fresh-ground coffee...sigh. But there is one
thing to look forward to this morning: Traveler has agreed to drive into town
with Orpheus, who wants to go on a record-buying spree before the upcoming
rave.
After a shower, a cuppa joe, and a couple of DIQMAN's donuts, Trav feels
a little more human. He finds Orpheus in the Blue Room, where the DJ has been
playing with fractal software since finishing his all-night music set in the
Black Room a couple hours earlier. Usually he has a ride to take him home in
the mornings, and bring him back out to the Cafe in the evenings, but today, on
the way into town at least, he'll ride with Traveler.
As the two of them walk out to the proprietor's car (the famous blue
convertible, now recovered and repaired, that went off a drawbridge and into a
river in an earlier adventure), the VVVC is slowly stirring to life. "Time to
get new music?" says Orpheus. "Yes, sir, time to get new music," says Trav.
"You have the address of that record store, Orphy?"
"Orphy's got it. 909 Zukunftstrasse. Gestern Und Heute Dance Music.
See,
Orpheus got a list, see?" He eagerly presses a printout into Traveler's hand,
a list of recent record releases. "Got a list from the Net."
"You want to buy all these?" Trav leafs through the 3-page list
dubiously.
"Orpheus got to get new music for rave. Got a list. Trav said we would
get new music." Though the DJ's voice has barely risen from its normal laconic
pitch, it is a little quicker than normal. Despite Orpheus' autism, the cafe
owner feels he has learned to read subtle changes in his mood; clearly, this
trip is important to him.
"Well, what the heck, I've spent enough money on everything else for this
rave: the lights, the sound system, the guest DJs. And I'm sure it's going be
a success--it's got to be. I guess we can buy all these records for the good
of the cause." Trav gets a familiar gleam in his eye, and hands the list back
to Orpheus as they pass through the front doors.
LOUCH is coming in as they go out. "Morning, Trav. Say, did CADO ever
show up for work last night?"
"What? He wasn't here? I hadn't noticed. Well, have someone give him a
call. Maybe he felt sick. I'll be back in a few hours!" Before Louch can
say anymore, Traveler and Orpheus are crossing the street to the parking lot.
User: Traveler
Date: 14-Mar 09:52 PM 763681972
II.164
ECSTASY hisses at the sunlight coming through the windows in the tower. "Time
to retreat into my recess."
User: ECSTASY
Date: 14-Mar 10:55 PM 763685718
II.165
Mistress, remember that old trueism....
Happiness is a warm Gun, er... Towel... I meant towel...
User: Perigrine: *comfort* Heather, sleeping alone sucks.
Date: 15-Mar 10:24 AM 763727111
II.166
Peri: no kidding!!!!
LOUCH seriously debates between calling CADO and getting smashed. *hmmm... it's
early yet. I think I'll get smashed instead.* Putting the Absolut aside with
a black ribbon on it and a note to X, she opens up the Bacardi, snks to the
ground, and starts drinking...
User: Louch-in a better mood, but still not thrilled... :(
Date: 15-Mar 11:52 AM 763732388
II.167
TRAVELER and Orpheus cruise north on the Bay Road till the turnoff for the
Information Superhighway, which takes them southeast towards the City. As they
rise up on soaring overpasses into the morning sky, Trav puts Deep Forest into
the tape player, and "Sweet Lullaby" joins with the wind to clear his head and
heart. He feels relieved to get away from the Cafe, which surprises him: he
had been so worried at first about leaving it. The rave plans have just been
taking up all his time and energy; but now he feels, for the first time in a
long time, relaxed, and he realizes how anxious he's been lately.
"I've been worrying about this rave far too much, Orphy," he says. "It's
supposed to be about fun. I guess I've kind of lost sight of that aspect, what
with all the crazy stuff that's happened lately." He sobers, thinking about
the recent tragedies. But even they can't dim the pleasure of this morning.
Soon they come down off an exit ramp into the heart of the City; a few minutes'
drive brings them to Zukunft-strasse. "I remember this street well..." Trav
murmurs. He pulls up in front of Gestern Und Heute Records, and they get out.
Inside, rows and rows of record bins stretch out in front of them. Some
of the store's stock is on CD or cassette, but most of it is good old-fashioned
vinyl--still the choice of DJs everywhere. The proprietor, a thin young man
with a shaved head, lots of earrings and an anorak, greets Orpheus like the
regular customer he is. Orpheus returns the greeting, without making eye
contact (he rarely does, even with friends), and goes right to the bins with
his list.
Traveler explores the store curiously. Sifting through recent releases,
he finds a 12-inch single of Enigma's "Return to Innocence." He takes it over
to the other side of the store, where a few Technics 1200 turntables (the
workhorse of most club DJs, with a shock-absorbing base and a pitch control for
adjusting the speed of the record) are available for listening. One of the
turntables is free; Trav slips on the attached headphones, puts the record on,
and immerses himself in the Midnight 380 Remix of the song. "Love....devotion
...feeling...emotion..." The bass crash of the house beat stirs his body,
while the lush synthesizers, the woman's whispering voice, and the sampled
chanting take his mind away on an ocean of sound. "That's not the beginning of
the end...that's the return to yourself...the return to innocence..." _Music
is
magic...I feel like dark clouds are lifting..._
When Orpheus is ready to check out, Trav reluctantly tears himself away
from the listening station. "Here, let's get these too," he says, stacking a
few more records on the already-high pile the DJ has accumulated. The clerk
grins. Traveler doesn't even mind the very large check he has to hand over.
"It's all for the cause of technoshamanism," he says to himself. He chats with
the clerk for a few moments about the rave, then helps Orpheus carry the
records out to the car. "Orphy, one of these days you've got to teach me
something about your craft," Traveler says. "It must really give you a sense
of power to do what you do." Orpheus doesn't quite understand, but Traveler
smiles.
User: t R A V E l e r: Spiritual Guidance Mix
Date: 15-Mar 01:51 PM 763739554
II.168
(SCENE: The conference room where DARICELL and SYLVAR have been feverishly
working on their defense. Enter now the BAILIFF.)
BAILIFF (singing): They say conviction!
SYLVAR (singing): I say acquittal!
BAILIFF: They beat the war drum!
SYLVAR: I play...the fiddle?
BOTH: Conviction, acquittal,
The war drum, the fiddle,
Let's call the whole thing off!
DARICELL (spoken): I hope you do more for me out there than play the fiddle,
Jon.
SYLVAR (spoken): But that's exactly what we have to do...give 'em a sad story
with lots of violins. Trust me, babe.
BAILIFF: All right, you crazy kids, you're on in five!
User: Okay, Ben & Darice...break a leg! --Max
Date: 16-Mar 03:12 AM 763787591
II.169
CADO looks up at the towering facade of the cliff fortress. Its alien
and imposing style is both majestic and frightening; clearly this was built
by people who wanted to show off their power. _I can't hang around here too
much longer_, he thinks. _A little more recon, then I'll try to get back
using the key_.
He manages to slip down to the pier, and sneaks past Ahannos' undead
sentries to reach the black ship itself. The dark sails are now furled; the
wind moans faintly through the masts. Cado jumps across to the deck, dropping
into a crouch quickly in case he was seen or heard. But after a moment, it
seems safe. He examines as much of the ship as he can: the fore cabin, the
forecastle above it, the sterncastle where the ship's wheel is located, and
the rear cabin (where he finds a piece of material that looks suspiciously
like it was ripped from ROMANTIC's dress).
"So she was here! He did pick her up, just like MOODINDIGO said!" the
bouncer remarks to himself. "But she's obviously not here now. He might have
thrown her overboard somewhere--but then why would he have picked her up in
the first place? I bet he's got her locked away somewhere in the fortress..."
He cuts his search of the ship short (the hatches to the lower holds are locked
anyway), and returns back up the pier to the fortress.
Entering by the same side door he came out of, he now sets out to explore
the vast lower levels of the structure, which appears to go far back into the
cliff. There are numerous corridors lined by small cell-like rooms; this place
looks to have had an extensive dungeon. Many of the hallways are lit by
ingenious use of skylights; other than that, only the occasional torch, at
major intersections and stairways, breaks the gloom. Some passages trail off
into pitch black; Cado avoids them.
At one point he nearly turns the corner to run into several of the zombie
servants, who are carrying some kind of load; he manages to quickly retreat,
but from his hiding place in an empty cell, he can see the zombies looking
around with their blank white eyes. He also sees what they were carrying: a
chair on which sits the old sailor himself!! The old man utters an
unintelligible command, and they set him down and begin carefully stalking down
the corridor. Cado has a sinister feeling that their senses may be better than
those of ordinary humans, especially here in the darkness; every distant
drip-drop of water or scurrying of unseen creatures attracts their attention.
Cado tries to quiet his breathing... _But who knows? They may even hear the
beat of my heart..._
Then he senses a more subtle, probing kind of search: a mind that is
reaching out, looking for his. _Hansen, or whatever his name is! He's using
his magic! I must make my mind blank..._ Cado concentrates, or rather,
completely relaxes, and lets all thoughts drain from his mind. He becomes
one with the vast stone cliff that this whole place is carved out of; he lets
the faint sounds from the corridor flow over him, and the searching fingers
of the magicians' mind pass over as well. He knows he may not succeed...he
can only hope he is far enough away that he will not be detected. _Worrying
about it will only make me easier to sense_, he thinks quietly. _I am not
here...I am invisible..._
He doesn't know how much time passes before the calm is broken by
Ahannos' voice, barking another order. He opens his eyes, and sees the zombies
shuffle back down the hallway to pick up his chair again. The procession
moves away, and up a distant staircase. He is safe! He waits a while, then
continues his search for Romantic...
User: Traveler
Date: 16-Mar 12:59 PM 763822767
II.170
...and it is at that exact moment that Skippy's pants decide to fall down.
Oh the cruel irony of it all. Tune in tomorrow when you'll hear Skippy
Podar say, "Hahaha! I've heard of water retention, but THIS is ridiculous!"
User: ENTERPRISE...8)
Date: 17-Mar 09:16 AM 763895812
II.171
TRAVELER drops Orpheus off at home. He pulls away after seeing that the
DJ has gotten inside ok, and then a thought comes to him: _ZOROASTER_. He
frowns. _I did promise DARICELL I would see how he was doing. The doctors
haven't reported any change in his condition...but I think I should drop by
nonetheless_. He puts on his turn signal, changing course for Virtual Memorial
Hospital.
Downtown, he enters the hospital garage and parks the car. Soon he is
showing ID to the dour clerk at the desk, and walking through the antiseptic
white halls. He passes through successive glass doors, each insulating its own
silent, sterile stretch of corridor...and finally, through a door marked
EPSILON ZONE, down a long fluorescent-lit hallway, he comes to Zoro's room.
Trav opens the wide door by its elongated, cold metal handle. The sounds
of several beeping medical monitors, like the faint noises of small birds or
insects, testify to the frailty of the life within. He draw near to the bed.
Zoroaster lies there, in perfect pale repose, connected to a cluster of
machines by thin, snaky tubes and wires. _Like a womb...or a tomb_, Traveler
thinks. _Is he on his way to death, as a king in his funeral boat, or a new
birth from within the nurturing machines?_ Someone has crossed the private
eye's arms over his chest, and the resemblance to a body laid out in a coffin
stirs a spasm of pathos and anger somewhere inside Trav. He reaches down and
lays Zoro's arms back at his sides, careful not to disturb the IV lines.
"You're not dead yet, old friend."
Now, strangely, he is struck dumb. Many things could be said...but he
isn't sure which ones to voice and which to leave silent. _Does it matter at
all? They say comatose patients can sometimes hear what's going on. Who
knows?_ At last, Traveler comes to a decision. "This is no time for final
words," he says. "Just know that...DARICELL sends her love. As do all your
other friends." He turns and leaves.
User: Traveler
Date: 17-Mar 03:50 PM 763919468
II.172
Coming soon: "Daricell's Defense".
User: SYLVAR
Date: 17-Mar 10:01 PM 763941700
II.173
Daricell's Defense? What's that? A can of Mace(tm) to use against Walter? 8)
User: ENTERPRISE...8)
Date: 18-Mar 07:43 AM 763976730
II.174
No, I think it's a can of Mace(tm) to use against anyone who tries to pull her
apart from Walter...
"Geez, did those two have an industrial Super Glue accident, or what???"
--Skippy Podar (Age 6)
User: VENKMAN
Date: 18-Mar 07:56 AM 763977377
II.175
Daricell's Defense
To the tune of "Belle" from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
New lyrics by Jon Vallee
VALLEE: Look around
It's a quiet courtroom
Ev'ryone
Hushed and listening
Look around
It's our crowning moment
When you're free, you'll be --
BAILIFF: Hear ye!
All rise!
BAILIFFS: Hear ye!
Hear ye!
All rise!
(With a commotion of bodies, all rise.)
DARICELL: Here comes the magistrate with stern demeanor
A honest man, though, can't you tell?
Though I've got a lot at stake
He may be a lucky break
Are you sure you know the law, Jon? --
JUDGE (spoken): Daricell.
DARICELL (spoken): Good morning, Your Honor.
JUDGE (spoken): Approach the bench with your counsel. How do you plead?
VALLEE (spoken): Not guilty.
DARICELL (spoken): Yes, you see, Your Honor, it started with a brownie and then
I needed some fresh air and I went outside for a walk, only
nobody knew where I was and next thing I knew, I was accused
of murder, but I'd never do --
JUDGE (spoken): That's nice. Bailiff!
(sung): The press! Let them in!
(The imposing oaken doors at the rear of the courtroom are opened. An unruly
mob of reporters, photographers, free-lancers, and high-school journalism
students pours into every available seat, and then some.)
REPORTERS: Look, there she is, I heard they're going to gas her,
She's going to cough up blood and die!
FREE-LANCER: Where's the prosecutor, though?
STUDENT: Maybe sleeping, I don't know!
PHOTOGRAPHER: What a spectacle: the State v. Daricell.
FREE-LANCER: Angie!
STUDENT: Hello!
FREE-LANCER: How's Ms. Ranieri?
PHOTOGRAPHER: Shut up!
FREE-LANCER: Bite me!
STUDENT: Five dollars, please.
FREE-LANCER: I need
A scoop
STUDENT and
PHOTOGRAPHER: We'll beat you to it!
(The magistrate raises himself to his full height.)
JUDGE: The three of you are in contempt of court!
(Pounding his gavel, the judge takes his seat. The crowd quiets.)
JUDGE (spoken): If all is in order, then...
VALLEE (spoken): Your Honor, I must object.
JUDGE (spoken): An objection already?
VALLEE (spoken): The prosecutor has failed to show up! You must declare my
client not guilty by forfeit.
JUDGE (spoken): Not since yesterday...
VALLEE (spoken): What?
JUDGE (spoken): According to a law which took effect yesterday at midnight,
the prosecutor is allowed to make a grand entrance whenever
he chooses to.
VALLEE (spoken): A new law? Gee, maybe the continuing education program
would have been a good idea after all... =(
JUDGE (spoken): Just make your opening argument.
VALLEE (spoken): But... Your Honor!
JUDGE (spoken): I insist.
VALLEE (muttered): Well, bite me! Bite me very much!
(Jon takes a moment to regain his composure after his setback, then addresses
the court.)
VALLEE: Ladies and gentlepersons of the jury,
Your Honor, I've a tale to tell.
I address you here today
To convince you all to say
"We acquit and clear the name of Daricell."
DARICELL: Hey,
He's a decent singer,
But about his expertise...
We'll see...
I
Hope that he remembers
All the tricks he learned from Kellogg's U-
-niversity!
YENTA: I hear the prosecutor's quite a lawyer;
He's the pugnacious type as well.
KIBITZER: Yes, his voice is rather odd,
An atonal fusillade.
He's a virtuoso candidate
CROWD: (A man whom we all love to hate)
Yes, say your prayers, O poor doomed Daricell!
[Who is the mysterious prosecutor? Will he, indeed, show up at all?
Find out when the trial of Daricell Copperpot continues!]
User: Sylvar, writing as Jon Vallee, Stupor Juris
Date: 18-Mar 11:51 AM 763991551
II.176
At the VVVC:
-----------
NORM [tm] sits in the White Room, looking at a City map spread out on his
table. Various points are circled in red. "Oh, great...he wants me to drive
all this way...he wants me to go THERE?...oh, geez...D'OH!...oh, this sucks...
boy, am I bitter..."
PALLAS walks by with a tray of food. "What are you bitter about now,
Norm?" the waiter asks.
"TRAVELER wants me to go pick up people for the rave tomorrow night.
I'm supposed to drive around the City to various pickup points."
"So? You drive the Taco Bus, and you work for Trav now."
"Yeah, but I don't wanna pick up ravers! Raves suck, and so does techno
music. D'OH!"
"Oh, NORM, you're just bitter because...because Russ is Jewish!"
"Yeah, well, bite me."
"Is Thursday good for you?"
Suddenly the air between them is split by an explosive *CRACK*. They
snap their heads towards the Bar, where they see ECSTASY standing on top of
the counter, brandishing her Extend-O-Whip [tm]. "The next person who utters
a Vax joke gets it for real," she says menacingly. Pallas and Norm are
immediately very quiet. Then Pallas looks at the food on his tray and
remembers something.
"Oh, by the way, Norm. You're supposed to deliver these donuts and
coffee to PYEWACKET. DIQMAN said so."
"I'm supposed to do deliveries now??"
"When business is slow, yes."
Norm is about to utter the D-syllable, but he catches X still glaring
at him. He thinks better of it, and merely takes the donuts and coffee from
Pallas with a sigh, then heads towards the front door.
Ecstasy climbs down from the bar, her leather creaking slightly. "Now,
I shall be returning to my lair upstairs. The sunlight hurts my eyes.
Besides, none of you are elite enough for me." She snags a bottle of something
from behind the bar, and heads for the stairs...
...Just as Diqman comes out of the Kitchen. <> he asks Pallas.
"Yeah, yeah. He's leaving now."
<> Diqman sits down with a
newspaper, and starts to read. There on the front page is a banner headline:
"DARICELL GOES TO COURT!! `Death Chef' To Be Tried In Attack On P.I." Diqman
clucks in disgust.
Just then, a small feline form walks quietly into the Cafe, and sniffs
around curiously. _No trace of Zoro...I guess he hasn't been here lately,_
thinks Maharet. She conducts a little more olfactory examination, still unseen
by most of the Cafe denizens, and concludes that Daricell hasn't been around in
a while either. _Strange, that their smells should be missing. And yet
there's also something here that wasn't before...blood has been spilled. And a
darker trace--almost beyond smelling._
She hops up on the table behind Diqman's, and peers over his shoulder at
the newspaper. _Daricell in court? She didn't try to kill my master...I know
who did that._ She jumps down and trots swiftly for the door. Running across
the street, she manages to leap up on to the rear fender of the Taco Bus just
as Norm drives it out of the parking lot and heads south towards the City...
Back in the White Room, Diq turns the page and continues reading the
story about Daricell. <>
User: Traveler
Date: 18-Mar 06:14 PM 764014464
II.177
[Previously in the VVVCourtroom...]
YENTA: I hear the prosecutor's quite a lawyer;
He's the pugnacious type as well.
KIBITZER: Yes, his voice is rather odd,
An atonal fusillade.
He's a virtuoso candidate
CROWD: (A man whom we all love to hate)
Yes, say your prayers, O poor doomed Daricell!
[We now continue the trial of Daricell Copperpot.]
(The tall oaken doors swing wide open, bashing into the rear walls with a
shudder. A shadowy figure strides in, accompanied by his sycophant gopher.
It is the prosecutor -- the dreaded MAN IN BLACK.)
GOPHER (spoken): Wow, everyone's in awe of you, boss! You're the greatest
prosecuting attorney in the world!
MIB (spoken): I know.
GOPHER (spoken): No defendant alive stands a chance against you! No judge,
for that matter!
MIB (spoken): It's true, my subtly flattering sidekick. And I'm going to
do a number on that one.
GOPHER (spoken): The Copper-Top Vaxer?
MIB (spoken): She's the one! The unlucky girl I'm going to prosecute.
GOPHER (spoken): But she's...
MIB (spoken): Telling the truth.
GOPHER (spoken): I know, but...
MIB (spoken): And that makes this a challenge! And have
I *ever* lost a case?
GOPHER (spoken): Well, of course not, but if you believe she's innocent, why
would you try to...
MIB: Right from the moment when I saw her blotter,
I knew I'd send her straight to Hell!
She's as pure as driven snow
And I'm evil, as you know,
So I'll prosecute angelic Daricell.
WOMEN: Look, he's
So mean,
Evil incarnate!
The Man
In Black,
So like a shade,
She has
No chance
No power present
Preserves her from this Chthonian charade!
User: Sylvar, writing as Jon Vallee. More will follow eventually.
Date: 20-Mar 06:14 PM 764187291
II.178
maybe i need to drink today
but not alone
definitely not alone
"maybe i'm all messed up
...
this is the only time i really feel alive
...
my moral standing is lying down"
traveler feels a leaden weight descend on him as he drives back toward the
cafe. it's true...darkness can come out of nowhere.
User: traveler trvlr trv *
Date: 22-Mar 11:57 AM 764337486
II.179
[Previously in the VVVCourtroom...]
WOMEN: No power present
Preserves her from this Chthonian charade!
[The courtroom erupts in a Babel confusion.]
FOLKS: Poor girl!
My word!
Oh dear!
I know!
She is in trouble!
You're brilliant, Boss!
Calm down!
I'm dead!
What now?
Hey, Jon!
No comment now!
What can he do?
I'm calm!
Dead meat!
I'm cool!
Ahem!
I'm in control here!
DARICELL: There must be more than this chaotic strife...
MIB: Just count your blessings if you're in for life!
CROWD: Thus starts the saga of a chef on trial
Must she bid life itself farewell?
Though it's plain that she's been framed
They may gas her just the same
It's a losing game for all herein
FOLKS: (The judge has had too much Ki-Rin)
CROWD: You've played the devil's violin,
Daricell!
FOLKS: (Bonjour!) (Bonjour!) (Bonjour!) (Bonjour!) (Bonjour!)
-- fin --
User: Sylvar, writing as Jon Vallee. Dedicated to Traveler.
Date: 22-Mar 12:59 PM 764341209
II.180
Meanwhile, Maharet prepares to testify...
User: ZOROASTER
Date: 22-Mar 04:55 PM 764355304
II.181
Meanwhile, Ecstasy senses that Traveler is in need of help and a *ahem* good
whipping or two. She oils up her favorite whip and waits.....
User: please don't be depressed! Ecstasy wants you happy!
Date: 23-Mar 09:37 AM 764415427
II.182
...as Skippy grabs a can of Bing Cherries and his power screwdriver, and chases
a pair of hamsters around the room shouting, "Come back here you wretches and
take your thrashing like MEN!"
Ah...how I love high drama. 8)
User: Enterprise...VVVC: The Next Generation...8)
Date: 23-Mar 09:43 AM 764415865
II.183
The Virtual Virtual Vax Cafe Update
-----------------------------------
* TRAVELER has gone record shopping with Orpheus, taken him home, then
visited the still-comatose ZOROASTER in the hospital. Now he's on his
way back to the Cafe. The rave is only a day and a half away.
* DARICELL and SYLVAR have gone to court--and the prosecuting attorney is
none other than the Man in Black! The trial is the model of a modern major
musical... :)
* GHOST has escaped from jail, using some mysterious device to blast his way
out
after being asked by STEFAN to cooperate with a VBI investigation into UFOs.
* Maharet, stopping by the Cafe, has learned of the trial of Daricell and is
hitching a ride on NORM's Taco Bus [TM] to get there.
* CADO is still sneaking around Ahannos' fortress, looking for ROMANTIC.
On with the story...
User: TRAVELER
Date: 23-Mar 02:22 PM 764432592
II.184
ROMANTIC is moping in her cell at the base of Ahannos' ancient fortress.
She has taken a couple of naps, and, more than anything else, simply feels
bored. She doesn't even look up when she hears quiet footsteps outside the
cell, figuring it's another zombie guard passing by...until she realizes
they've stopped right outside the iron bars. She looks up--it's CADO!
"Boy, am I glad to see you!" she says a little too loudly, then claps her
hand over her mouth as her words reverberate down the hall. "Cado! How did
_you_ get here?" she says more quietly. "Has Ahannos been making more runs
with his boat?"
"Ahannos? Is that his name? We only knew him as Hansen, but I guess
that's just an alias," the bouncer says. "No, I didn't get here by boat--I
found another way. It's kind of a long story. But listen, how are _you_
doing?"
She sighs. "Well, I'm more or less okay. They've given me water and some
dry bread. But I'm still not sure why I'm being kept here. Geez, this is like
an existentialist play or something." She falls silent for a moment. "Of
course, when he came to talk...I did learn a lot."
"Ahannos has come down to talk to you? He must have been on his way back
from that when I ran into him a little while ago. Managed to hide, but those
zombies almost sniffed me out," says Cado. "What did he talk about?"
"Some very strange things," Romantic says. "First of all, do you believe
in magic? 'Cause if you don't, you will."
"Believe me, I've seen what he can do. I know he's got some kind of hold
over ALBATROSS...and that ship of his seems to run partly by sorcery, too."
"Yes--he sails it all alone. He can call up winds, fog, all kinds of
things. I didn't know about Albatross, though. But he did tell me a lot.
Like I said, very strange things...so keep an open mind, ok?" The bouncer
nods, and she continues. "He says he's from Atlantis...the only survivor.
He was a prince, and knew some magic. Evidently Atlantis, thousands of years
ago, ruled most of the world through magic...but then something went wrong, and
the island sank into the sea, just like the stories say."
"What went wrong, exactly?"
"Well, he's never come right out and said it. But it sounded like it had
something to do with the magic itself. It was as if...as if they used so much
magic--to run their ships, control the weather, everything--that it overloaded
the circuits, so to speak. It was like a very bad case of feedback..."
User: TRAVELER
Date: 23-Mar 03:16 PM 764435822
II.185
*brief segueway (sp?) to 24hrs. previous...*
...as twilight settles upon the Cafe', and TRAVELER closes down the Red and
White Rooms with the assistance of LOUCH, FIREFLYTE rises to consciousness as a
penny wavering under the water of a fountain...she is half-buried in a tangle
of feet, pillows, and electrical spaghetti, where she'd fallen unconscious
earlier in the day, after unsuccessfully trying to catch up on e-mail
(aGAIN?!) in the Blue Room. Slowly she extricates herself from the tangle, and
stretches, catlike and yawning...
...She spies in a corner the unconscious form of DIQMAN, curled up
where he'd gone to rest earlier in the day. A vague frown shadows his face, and
his eyes move rapidly behind his eyelids. "...Dreaming, eh...?" thinks 'FLYTE.
She pulls a blanket out from the tangle she just came from, and drapes it about
the sleeping cook. "...Dream warmly for me, if you can. One of us needs to..."
she whispers, as he stirs briefly in his sleep.
...FIREFLYTE looks out through the bay window as she checks on her
violets. "Still dark indigo...damned if I know why..." ...she sees the color
echoed in the encroaching night. Quietly, she slips out onto the balcony, and
makes her way up a trellis to the patio over the Black Room...
User: Fireflyte... ...listening to Depeche Mode, wishing for poster...
Date: 24-Mar 02:47 AM 764477257
II.186
...with the additions of the Sauna/Hottub over the Blue Room, and the
Ivory Tower over the Red Room, the balcony seems nestled as in a private alcove
looking out over the sea. Under the indigo sky, the sea looks nearly invisible,
save for the flashes of the waves, flickering like fish scales etched in
silver. The air smells of salt, of kelp, of cool, of that damp floating
peacefulness...
"The sea, as though invisible...the whole of the world, there and yet
not there...hiding outside of the edges, filling in the negative spaces...yet
seeming in this troubled time a world full of nothing..." Her words seem so
much ramblemuttering to her, flowers to be plucked apart for philosophy
later...until that last line...something about that phrase...
"...a world full of nothing....'In a world full of nothing, Though it's
not love, It means something...'" She hrms...then softly hums the song as she
gazed out at the blank darkness of the sea...she finds a certain phrase, and
repeats it in a lullaby singing..."It's easy to slip away, And believe it
all,...It's easy to slip away, and believe it all,...It's easy to slip away,
and believe it all,..." Her voice floats out, soft and fluid, and she seems to
suddenly realize something...
User: Fireflyte... ...only occasionally gets to sing under moonlight now...
Date: 24-Mar 03:00 AM 764478102
II.187
"...It *is* easy to slip away,...and believe it all...buy a dream or a
feeling or a ploy someone says is real, or the knowledge feigned through facts
of our of finite nature. But Einstein was right -- imagination is more
important than knowledge. It is key to who and what we are. If we lose
ourselves to singularities--to an extreme of one way, one idea, one belief,
one focus--then imagination feeds back upon itself. We slip away, losing
epiphany in our own self-nurture..."
FIREFLYTE's eyes glitter sharply. She bobs a deep bow to the sea, and
extends a hand, as though to the air itself...with surprising coincidence, a
soft breeze greets her from the direction of the sea, and she smiles, teeth
flashing softly feral in the faint starlight...she gently pavannes left, then
right, turning with graceful swoops and glides, dancing to a tune none can
hear...her gait is light, though deliberate, and her hands weave a fine net in
the air about her as she moves. She dances silently, save for the occasional
soft jingle of a necklace she wears,--beads, bells, feathers and a single bead
with that familiar black-and-white-with-dots pattern...
She smiles, eyes wide and wakeful, as she dances softly for a few hours
with the sea breezes, then bows again to the sea, whispers a faint "Pardon for
intrusion 'pon your balcony, Trav'ler..." and skitters down the trellis to make
her way back into the Blue Room, where she pauses briefly to put something in
the pocket of the sleeping DIQMAN's apron, and thence to the Red Room to make
morning teas... ...Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, Raspberry Royale, and
Amaretto.
User: Fireflyte... ...now returns you to the day of Daricell's trial, +13 hrs.
Date: 24-Mar 03:33 AM 764480085
II.188
A small crowd of police officers and jail officials mills around inside
the jail cell from which GHOST recently made his escape. Investigators examine
the large hole that has been blasted in the wall, climbing through it and
taking pictures of it; others are questioning VENKMAN, Ghost's former cellmate.
"Vhy did you not go vith him?" the police captain asks.
"Go...with...him? Are you CRAZY? He was crazy! Nuts, I tell you! All
he did was talk to the walls...he said they were alive! And those songs he
would sing! Songs about cows, all night long! You put him in here on purpose,
didn't you? To torture me! You want me to confess, eh? You want me to tell
you about my offshore assets? Well, you can't crack me! I won't talk, I tell
you! Unless..." Suddenly Venkman goes quiet. "You aren't going to bring him
back, are you? Please say you won't. Please...PLEASE, I BEG you! I...I'll
say anything, I'll sign anything! Just DON'T BRING HIM BACK!!" He is reduced
to a gibbering heap on the floor of the cell.
The warden looks away in disgust. "Take this poor sucker away. Stick him
in another wing...and schedule an appointment for him with the prison
psychologist."
A police officer walks up to where the captain and the warden are
standing. "We've examined the blast debris. It seems to have been produced by
some high-energy beam...I can't understand how Ghost could have got hold of
such a thing." He shakes his head, and hands a sheaf of notes and Polaroid
photos to the captain.
The warden takes one of the photos and looks at it. "Hell, maybe the wall
got blasted away from outside!"
The police captain shakes his head. "No. Ze blast damage is consistent
with force applied from here inside ze cell. Zees will take some time to
figure out. Have ze search teams made any progress?"
The officer sighs. "No, sir, no sign of him. Apparently he moved pretty
fast once he got outside."
Suddenly, the sunlight streaming through the hole in the wall is blocked
by a human silhouette. A figure steps inside, brushing dust off of his
trenchcoat. "Hello, gentlemen. My name is Agent STEFAN, of the VBI."
"I remember you, fella!," says the warden. "Y'all came in earlier to
talk with Ghost. What in tarnation happened? Did you see?"
"Yes, I did. He got agitated when I asked him if he would help my
investigation...he pulled out a small black device...and blasted that hole.
I tried to follow him, but he's quick."
"Shucks! Well, what the hell were ya investigatin', anyhow?"
"I'm afraid that's classified."
Another police officer comes striding down the cell block, approaches the
captain, and hands him a manila folder. He opens it and reads for a moment.
"Zees is ze investigation of the murder at the VVV Cafe?"
The newly arrived officer nods.
"Well, well. It looks like we have a suspect. Ze preliminary reports
have been confirmed. If you will excuse me, Warden, Monsieur Stefan, I have
other business." The captain departs.
"I should be going too," Stefan says. "I have some ideas of my own on how
to find our fugitive." He steps back through the wall, and disappears.
"Hey, what about this here hole in my wall!? Hey...wh..." The warden
sighs, as the police investigators begin to pack up their gear.
User: TRAVELER
Date: 24-Mar 01:32 PM 764515984
II.189
CADO stands outside ROMANTIC's prison cell. "If Ahannos is typical of
the people of Atlantis, they probably deserved the cataclysm that wiped them
out."
"I know...they sound like a very cruel race, from his descriptions. But
most of them didn't see anything wrong with what they did. They were elitist,
they were noble, they were proud. But they were grand, in a strange way."
"Rom, what is this, Helsinki syndrome? Don't tell me you sympathize with
the guy who's holding you prisoner!"
"No, it's not that. It's just that...I can see there's more to him than
that ugly, bitter old man he's become. He used to be something else." She
stands, and points behind Cado. "Look over there." He turns and looks at the
cell across the hallway. A beautiful, stark white statue of a young man in
a flowing robe stands in the cell, an old tarpaulin on the floor next to it.
"That was him, Cado. A statue made of him when he was young."
Cado looks at the face. It has a touch of the coldness that Ahannos
radiates now...but only a touch. There is nobility, but not such hardness;
in fact, there is a vitality, a look of warmth. The young man's gaze is fixed
on far horizons...Cado can almost picture getting to know the young Prince
Ahannos. "He's...certainly changed since then."
"Yes. He told me about his life as a young man...he wasn't interested in
ruling--which was okay, because he was the youngest of three brothers. He
collected art, and cultivated animals. But as a prince, he was obligated to
perform certain duties. He liked sailing, which was one of the great Atlantean
arts, so his father made him an envoy to various lesser cities and colonies.
He was on a mission when Atlantis was destroyed."
"But how is it he's still alive today at all?"
"He knew some magic, and he found other survivors who knew more. They
were scattered between a few small colonies...this was one of them. But
gradually their magic weakened, and the people of other races who had been
enslaved by the Atlanteans hunted them down and took revenge. The last few
held out here, in this harbor...and when it was clear that they couldn't win
the fight, they concealed the place with the last spell they were able to work.
Now it can only be entered magically."
"The Coast Guard said they couldn't track the ship, and they couldn't
figure out where it went, even when the fog cleared," says Cado. "I guess the
entrance is somehow invisible to outsiders. But you still haven't told me
how he's lived all these centuries."
"Some kind of longevity spell. It took up a lot of energy, but he figured
out a way to prolong his life. Only thing was, it didn't prolong his youth."
She gestures to the statue. "He hid that away down here as he grew older and
more ugly...he couldn't bear to see himself as he'd once been."
"But why is he the only one? Did he kill the others off, or just not let
them have the spell?"
"I'm not sure, but I think it was probably a combination of both. He's
very ambitious...I think he didn't want anyone else to have the glory of
reviving Atlantis."
"Reviving Atlantis?? I don't get it...how could he possibly do that?"
asks Cado.
"Through magic, obviously. I don't understand it exactly, but he thinks
that he's got the magic power and the know-how to actually bring it right back
up out of the ocean."
"That'll take a lot of magic power. And it's bound to have some side
effects," says Cado.
"Oh, that's an understatement. He admitted to me that there would be
tidal waves and earthquakes at the very least, and he didn't know what kind of
magical effects would result," Romantic says. "But that's not the worst of it.
Cado, he wants to do it all again!"
"What do you mean?"
"He wants to see Atlantis rule the world again! He says the greatest
nobles of Atlantis had the power to put themselves into a magic sleep if some
disaster befell them. He thinks they're probably lying there beneath the ocean
right now...waiting to be reawakened."
Cado shakes his head. "I hope he's wrong...but if he's right--if he has
even a chance of making this crazy scheme work--we have to stop him."
"Well, the first thing you have to do is get me out of here!" says Rom.
"These bars are pretty thick, but they're also pretty old, and corroded by the
salt in the air. I betcha we could take care of 'em without too much trouble."
Cado grins. "Hey, you're talking to one of the guys who escaped from
VENKMAN's clutches at the Indigo Toucan. Of course, he didn't have any
magic...but we'll see what we can do. Maybe a big rock with a sharp edge..."
The bouncer looks around, and not far down the hall finds a piece of rubble
that fits the bill pretty well. He returns to Romantic's cell and begins
hacking away at one of the bars...
User: TRAVELER
Date: 25-Mar 03:21 PM 764608906
II.190
Inle watched the feline figure of Flyte walk back towards the cafe with dark
and dispirited eyes, before turning resolutely toward the path back to where,
..for her, this nightmare began - The Circle.
Beyond the cafe there lies a stone circle. It is an ancient place of worship,
the exact origin and nature of it, not completely known. The magic that
surrounds it, however, has always been plain to see. It's in the air, in the
stones, and in the trees that surround it. It follows the classic lines of all
great magical places. The circle, that represents life, are here formed by
giant
stones. The lines in the earth that represent the forces that touch us are cut
like grooves, and many different symbols from many centuries of various
worship, sit as monuments. But whatever god was prayed to over the years, the
same basic natural powers were being called on, whatever symbol or name was
used to draw them. For Inle.. her names were personal: Nagila, Wasicunpi, Taku
Skanskan, or even the manifestation of all, Wakan Tanka. Depending on what she
needed, she would pray to one or all of them, and many others. Even Cian, tho
she and the God of Chaos and Miscommunication were, and had always been bitter
enemies. Even He.. she respected and paid homage to here..
Now though, with all that had transpired, she approached the familiar ground
with trepidation and dread. It was quiet save for the light breeze that set the
leaves in the branches of the nearby trees to gossiping. The late afternoon
light seemed to bring no comfort, and instead of a warm yellow, it was
lighter, almost greyish.. cold. The stones stood silent. More so than Inle was
used to. Not to say they ever had a 'voice', but usually when she approached
her mind would immediatly start thinking along the lines of what ritual to
begin, and what questions to ask the Elders. ..for when coming before them, it
is always wise to have a goal and a purpose in mind. ..a reason for approaching
them. But now, in the cold afternoon light, her mind was blank. She knew her
purpose, but not how to go about it.. not really.
She stepped into the circle, and knelt down. The ground was cold too. It was
almost as if the circle's energy were gone. That thought brought a shudder to
Inle, and she looked about, eyes darting almost in fear, but of what she wasnt
quite sure. She saw nothing, save the wind in the trees, and the light
flickering thru the branches and playing on the grass. She heard nothing, save
those same gossiping voices, and the chirrup of some sparrows chasing each
other across the meadow. Once again she tried to focus.. to organize her
thoughts. She closed her eyes to empty herself of outward thought, ..to go
'silent' herself, so perhaps she might hear the stones.
Slowly her mind allowed the release, and she grew mentally silent and blank,
and only then did she hear them. Did she understand. The magic was not gone. It
was here, lower, weaker. Being drained. Struggling to maintain itself, and
losing. She dropped completely and went into the dream, knowing now what she
must ask, and who she must ask.. she called the akicita, the messanger.
He came this time in the form of a fox, a trickster's guise, and this botherd
Inle a bit. It was a bad sign. None the less, she spoke to him. "I need your
help Homba. My world is under a spell, and even here, where our worlds meet,
the magic has interloped."
The Trickster seemed to dance on the wind, but Inle could see his usual playful
dance was somehow subdued, and he appeared agitated. "Thy world and mine are
one, InleRah, in truth. And the spell that holds yours is but a semblance of
the true spell. Even now, Nagila battles with the spider, to hold the balance.
There are forces in your world battling it as well. Seek to help them. Your own
balance has been sundered Inle. Your job is to find it again, before it aids
the spider once more."
Inle was shocked at the Trickster's apparent blunt honesty. She had thought
with the akicita in this form she would have to decipher riddles to find his
meaning. But it was plain and clear what he was saying, and that above all
frightened her the most.
With the akicita's help she became one with the wind. His form faded, and
distorted, turned to smoke, and whisked away on the wind.. which is the only
true form of the akicita. She followed him over the trees, and then began the
true journey. She began to seek Richard. Find him. Like a bloodhound her mind
probed.. entered the Cafe~, seeping through the walls. She found his scent
strong in the Black Room and trailed it to the Cellar. Her mind screamed as it
sensed the power of the spider strong there. Still she probed every corner, but
Richard was not there. She followed his trail out of the cellar, and to the
kitchens. Upward, to the Tower, and down again.. Ruthlessly she rooted him out
until her mind touched his, and she found him.
User: INLERAH
Date: 28-Mar 01:08 PM 764860144
II.191
...meanwhile...
Richard blinked awkwardly, and winced at the visable light. When it was gone,
he sat slightly dumbfounded. He knew, could feel, the presence of the human
Cado was gone. "He went thru the light.." Richard said to himself.
The Dark Man stood up, and seemed at a loss to explain what had happened, and
that agitated him. He decided to leave the thoughts alone for now, and headed
out of the cellar and away from the Rhythm a moment. Away from the
"...gateway." he thought. "that's what it was." He allowed himself to muse over
the idea, but headed out anyway.
Slipping through the Black Room to the kitchen, he watched the people scurry,
and seemed amused by there general unease and discord. While in his musing, he
entertained himself by causing a number of 'accidents'. He did nothing that
would anger the rhythmic pulse that now seemed to mix evenly with his own.
Richard was coming to depend on it.. and even He, though he didnt like it, was
starting to see it as his Master. The idea grated on his nerves and on his
sensibilities. But he darent challenge it.. like a drug, he wanted it.. and the
more time he spent under its dark embrace, the more he knew he could not escape
succumbing to it totally.
Bored, and agrivated with this knowledge, the Dark Man slipped up the stairs to
the Ivory Tower where he found Ecstasy relaxing on the coucch with a book laid
open on her lap. The woman seemed as agitated as he did, and there was a bottle
of spirits beside her. A snear closed over Richard's face, as he leaned,
invisably in the doorway. The woman stirred, frowning slightly, and looking up
from her book, but she did not see him.
Richard's learing gaze went over her slowly, and his snear grew.. that power
would not let him kill, not yet... but there were other ways to enjoy one's
self. And this minx looked like she needed to be taught a few things.
As he stepped firmly into the room however and moved toward the unsuspecting
woman, he felt a touch on his mind, and growled angrily.
User: Richard
Date: 28-Mar 01:10 PM 764860323
II.192
As InleRah found him, she growled in anger.. having sensed where he was, and
his intentions. She slipped into him with ease, the help of the akicita behind
her. Richard's fury enveloped her, and a scream of rage broke out.
"Get out of me bitch!" he snarled. But Inle was silent, and worked swiflty and
deftly. Her mind was flooding with his thoughts, as hers were flooding into
him. She tried her best to hide them, but doing that and struggling with the
powerful shadowself was a difficult task. She concentrated on the job at hand.
Find the link where they broke apart. And learn as much about the why of it as
Richard could teach her. She screamed in pain as Richard fought back, mentally.
a terrifying pain ripped through her, and must have ripped through him as well,
but Richard did not seem to care. he wanted free of her, and he wanted it now!
Inle could feel in him the low pulse of power that seemed to mix with Richard's
own blood now, and the dark ebb of that pulse made her shudder with horror.
"I have to break its hold on him, before I can succeed." she thought.
Again Richard struck out at her, trying to free himself from her mental grasp.
As the two struggled, Inle glimpsed from somewhere in her thoughts the image of
Traveler standing at the gateway to a labrynth. At that moment she pulled out
of Richard and collapsed on the ground, once again in the quiet afternoon ease
of the stone circle.
She lay there exhausted and trembling for several minutes. Finally opening her
eyes she whispered simply. "Traveler.."
...meanwhile...
Richard, once free of Inle disappeared from the Tower. His energy nearly spent,
not even the Rhythmic power could conceal him from the eyes of people around
him. So, he made his way to the towel room, and sat in the dark, coolness of it
to think. His rage was complete now. Just as he was ready to enjoy himself
again something had stopped him. And the surprise of Inle's intrusion had
caught him so offguard it had almost scared him. He slammed his fist against
the wall in frustrated rage, and snarled.
User: InleRah.. This is my task, to walk this path alone.
Date: 28-Mar 01:14 PM 764860593
II.193
Trav: I want 30% of the movie royalties if my name shows up ANYWHERE in your
little...dare I say it...STORY. 8)
User: Skippy Podar..."Traveler's cash cow rides again!"...8)
Date: 28-Mar 03:24 PM 764868330
II.194
High up in his chamber atop the last Atlantean fortress, in an impossible-
to-find cove somewhere north of the VVVC, Ahannos--prince, sailor, sorcerer,
immortal--weaves a spell at his altar. It is a minor spell, merely to maintain
and reinforce the vast net of magical forces and probabilities that he has
woven over the centuries, in preparation for his great project. But in the
course of working it, he finds something is wrong...
His concentration broken by a gap in the flow of supernatural energy,
he opens his eyes. They dart around suspiciously...and then he spots it--an
empty space on his altar, where none should be. The Key of Summoning, a heavy
thing of dark iron that allows him to open magic portals across space (in this
case to the Cafe) has been stolen!
Ahannos' mind churns in anger and surprise. It couldn't be a zombie who
took the key--they are merely corpses without individual wills. "Which means
there is an intruder," he whispers. "I will find you, whoever you are. I
will find you, impudent fool." Then he stops and smiles. There must be three
deaths for the great spell to reach its conclusion. The first has already
occurred--the murder of TREKKER. "But the second...the second must be carried
out soon. And now perhaps I have a victim..." He reaches out with his mind
into the halls and chambers of the empty fortress, searching for another
consciousness...
* * *
Many levels below, CADO stands outside ROMANTIC's cell, hammering away at
one of the iron bars with a large rock. Rom sits on the bench within. "You
know, if you'd just hand me a rock, I could help you, and this would go twice
as fast," she says.
"Wouldn't hear of it. Don't worry, I'll break through this soon; it's
pretty corroded. Now, you just finish telling me about what Ahannos said,"
Cado says, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Oh, all right, if you must play the hero, go ahead. Let's see, where was
I? Oh yeah...So Ahannos wants to raise Atlantis, and I think his magic could
actually do it, even though the side effects would be disastrous."
"This is going to take a lot of magical energy, right? So where's he
getting that from?" Cado asks.
"Well, apparently, he's been gathering it up for hundreds of years. Of
course he uses some of it up to keep himself alive, to keep his zombies alive,
and to power his ship. But aside from that, he stores what he finds. He said
there used to be much more magic at loose in the world...now it's only in
isolated pockets, but apparently he's been sailing around and soaking it up
somehow...storing all of it here, at his base."
"To use in the final spell...I get it. But what does the Cafe have to
do with all this?"
"I'm not exactly sure about that," says Romantic. "He didn't completely
explain that. But it seems that the Cafe was built over the site of some old
ruins..."
"Let me guess--ruins from the time of Atlantis?"
"You got it! There was some kind of outpost or temple there, and by
coincidence, the Cafe was built there centuries later. But the old ruins
still have some kind of power in them. Ahannos has released some of that
power somehow..."
"ALBATROSS!" says Cado. "That's what he was doing down there--that's
what the gateway was for. Albatross is somehow under Ahannos' control--he's
the inside man, and he must have released the magic power when he was poking
around in the cellar. I knew there was something unnatural going on at the
Cafe--I could just feel it, and see it in everyone. You don't know how weird
it's been lately, Rom...everyone is getting obsessive about different things."
Suddenly, like the beam of a searchlight, Cado senses a probing
mind-glance in his direction. "Ahannos!" he whispers, and shuts his eyes.
He concentrates, trying to make his mind transparent and empty. But it is
too late--the more powerful mind of the ancient sorcerer finds him, and he
feels himself fixed in its relentless gaze...
"What is it? What's wrong, Cado?" Romantic asks.
"He's found me," Cado says. "It's too late..."
User: TRAVELER
Date: 28-Mar 05:09 PM 764874599
II.195
TRAVELER drives north along the Bay Road, just outside of the City. The
Cafe lies only a few minutes ahead. He passes a familiar vehicle going the
other way--the Taco Bus[tm], soon to be temporarily converted to the Rave Bus
[tm]--waves, and honks.
The bus' driver, none other than NORM!, waves and honks back. He's not
particularly happy about making deliveries for the Cafe, but it does
technically fit into his job description. PYEWACKET's donuts and coffee are
on the seat beside him, still quite warm; so is a piece of paper with her
address, which he consults again. "I guess I take this turnoff..." he mutters
to himself, and slips a tape of Mozart into the tape player.
Norm! steers the bus east along a surprisingly pastoral-looking road
in the northeastern section of the City. This little area has somehow escaped
ever being intensively developed, and still has one or two small farms and
ranches. On his right, he notices a small field with a couple of horses
grazing on it. And there, up ahead, is a larger pasture, with perhaps a dozen
cows, and a tall, thin man in amongst them, talking to them...
"--the HELL?" says Norm as he drives by. "That guy looked familiar...
hmm...oh well, I'd better get Pyewacket's food delivered." He drives on--
while in the pasture, GHOST carries on an animated discussion with several
of the cows...
User: Traveler
Date: 28-Mar 06:07 PM 764878080
II.196
In Ahannos' Dungeon:
--------------------
"How do you know he's found you?" ROMANTIC asks CADO.
"I just know!! I can feel his mind looking for me. If you attune
yourself to it, you probably can too--there's a lot of magic in the air
here. Look, I can't let him find me here!" Cado looks up and down the
hallway outside Romantic's cell with desperation. "But maybe I can break
through this bar before he gets down here, and you can escape with me."
"Are you crazy, Cado? Leave, so he doesn't get both of us!" Rom says. But
the bouncer is hammering feverishly at the corroded iron bar with the rock in
his hand. Already he's made a break at the bottom of the bar, and now is
trying to make another break towards the top. A considerable amount of the
rusted metal has flaked off and fallen to the floor, but there is much to go.
"Okay, at least give me a rock too, so I can help."
Cado nods, finds a piece of stone rubble down the hall, and runs back to
Romantic with it. "I'm sorry...I should have let you help earlier...I was an
idiot!" he says glumly.
"Come on--no time for regrets--just hammer!" Rom lays into the bar with
gusto, and Cado follows from the other side. But he feels the menacing gaze
of Ahannos in his mind, growing ever closer...and his fear grows ever
greater...he begins trembling.
"My God, Rom, he's almost here!!"
"Just keep hammering! Not much more to go!"
But now, at the far end of the dungeon corridor, comes a retinue of
four rapidly trotting zombies carrying Ahannos in his chair. "YOU!! You
are mine!" the old man screams, and his words echo deafeningly from the
empty stone cells. Cado stops hammering, and bolts down the hall. Rom
watches as the zombies, still bearing their master, sweep past her cell; the
sorcerer casts a single, brief, baleful glance in her direction, as if to
say, "I'll deal with you later..."
Cado sprints through the dark galleries of the empty fortress, running on
terror and survival instinct. Somewhere behind him are dim sounds of echoing
feet and voices, but they blur with the rasping of his breath and the pounding
of his heart. One hand still clutching the rock, he struggles to remember the
way back up to the temple chambers: _this stairway...then left...third right,
or was it fourth? No time to decide--third..._ At an intersection, he risks a
look back: there is Ahannos, borne by his undead slaves, some fifty yards
back--but several other zombies have run ahead, and are bearing down on him
quickly. They appear to be holding various weapons: blades and maces of dull
metal. For an instant that seems like an hour, Cado is frozen. Dimly, he sees
Ahannos' outstretched hand, reaching towards him...
And he realizes the old sailor is putting a spell on him! "No you don't!
I'm harder to catch than that!" he says, shaking his head to clear it. He
turns and dashes on. _I know I'm getting closer...there was a window down that
last hallway, and it looked like I was fairly high up above the water..._
He thinks ahead: _The key has got to be the way out of here, but I think
it only works from that one chamber._ He jams a hand in his pocket and pulls
out the dull iron key he stole from Ahannos' altar. _I just hope I can figure
out how to open the portal..._
Now he's close: the temple can only be another level or two above him.
The lifeless patter of the zombies' feet has grown steadily louder; they don't
seem to be quite as fast as he is, but they keep a relentless, steady pace, and
know the maze of the fortress interior better than he does. Suddenly, two of
them, armed, step out of side corridors in front of him. Their blank eyes fix
him with empty stares, and their swords cross, blocking the hallway. Almost
by reflex, Cado swings back the hand that still holds the rock, brings it
forward, and lets the projectile fly at the zombie on the left.
The stone catches the guard on the side of his forehead, and he falls back
against the wall, scrabbling and twitching blindly. The other one lunges
with his sword to cover the gap, but Cado dives to his knees and slides
underneath. A freeze-frame image embeds itself in his mind: the fallen
zombie's head wound, oozing greyish gore... He rolls over a couple times,
stumbling to his feet with scraped palms and ripped pants, and takes off
up the final staircase.
Into the temple chamber, across the room, past the altar to the small
side doorway, up the spiral staircase. And now he is standing on a narrow
circular stone dais, the entire harbor stretched out beneath him in a dizzying
panorama. He tries to calm his heavy breathing, and grasps the key with
both hands, holding it raised in front of him as he saw Ahannos doing. He
empties his mind of all but the key, drawing its image deep into himself...
and now he feels a contact with it. The image in his mind takes on a life of
it own, and he can see how to channel the magic all around him through the
key, to open the portal...he begins the delicate mental work.
Somewhere below, his pursuers draw near, but he pays no attention, his
mind focused only on escape. He visualizes the key, hanging in space,
shifting, turning, opening the locks of the dimensional planes themselves...
Almost through...and then a door, opening, and the image becomes real, as a
door of light roars open in front of him with a blast of wind. He opens his
eyes, looks into the shining gateway, and steps forward...
User: Traveler: Home Free Mix :)
Date: 30-Mar 03:28 PM 765041359
II.197
TRAVELER steers the blue convertible into his reserved space in front
of the Cafe, and gets out. As he strolls toward the entrance, he sees a woman
holding a camera and wearing a black bag over one shoulder, taking pictures of
the Cafe and the area around it. "Get any good shots?" he asks.
"Oh, yes, this is a beautiful place," she says. "I haven't asked the
owner though. Do you think he'd mind?"
"No, I don't think so...unless it's for commercial purposes."
"Nope, just artistic ones. My name's AQUA22, by the way." She extends
her hand, and he shakes it.
"I'm Traveler, and I happen to be the owner." He smiles. "Good luck."
"Oh, thanks!" she replies. He strolls up to the front doors and enters.
Though it is the middle of a bright day, everything seems dark and muted
in the Cafe--the dim light coming in the windows, the somber murmur of
conversation, the scatter of isolated patrons sitting one to a table, or alone
at the Bar. Trav blinks, wondering briefly at the contrast. Normally the VVVC
is much more bustling at this hour; have things gone downhill in his brief
absence, or is the effect more noticeable now only because he's been away? He
steps over to LOUCH, who is slumped in her seat near the door. "How's
business?"
She looks up suddenly, and jumps. "Oh, you startled me! I didn't see you
come in, Trav." She wraps her arms around herself. "I don't know...things
aren't moving real fast. Maybe because it's so cold in here...have you noticed
that?"
Trav shakes his head, frowns, and moves on. He sees XIMINEZ huddled over
a Bloody Mary at the Bar, and waves, but the Cardinal only stares blankly at
him. ECSTASY is nowhere to be seen..._Must be holed up in her chamber again_.
In a booth in the Blue Room, ALBATROSS and ROARK are having a solemn
conversation about something; at a terminal, SANCTUARY sits in front of a
screen that is blank but for a flashing cursor, as if he's forgotten why he is
there. Traveler glances briefly into the Black Room--at this time of day, it
is usually empty, but today there are two people there: MISTERB and EINSTEIN,
still sitting at the bar with worried, glazed expressions. By this time, small
cobwebs appear to be forming around them.
He enters the Kitchen. None of the assistant cooks are to be found: only
DIQMAN labors at the large stove. "Diq...where's everyone else?"
<> he says vaguely. <> As he speaks, he works feverishly, flipping food on the
grill, stirring ingredients into pots, chopping vegetables, moving from task to
task with manic intensity.
"Are you sure? I mean, you were already under pressure having to be head
baker _and_ head chef while DARICELL's gone."
<> Diq says
distractedly, pulling a couple loaf pans out of an oven rapidly without
bothering to use mitts or potholders. He doesn't seem to notice their heat, as
he empties the loaves out to cool and moves on to rinsing mushrooms at the
sink. Trav watches, confused, till he hears shouting from the Red Room.
There he finds PALLAS, order pad in hand, arguing with a customer at a
table. "I told you today's specials already, so you can just bite me!" the
headwaiter says. Traveler crosses to the table quickly.
"Hey, the customer always comes first. Now be nice to this gentleman,
Pallas."
"I'm sick of these idiots who come in here and take all day to decide!
Do they think I enjoy standing around waiting?" Pallas sighs with
exasperation. "All right, fine, `sir', I'll be back _again_ in a few minutes
to see if you've made your selection." He stalks off.
"What is it around here?" Trav says to himself. "I'm going upstairs.
This place is depressing."
In his office, he sits listlessly at his desk, unable to concentrate even
on the upcoming rave. Thoughts jumble together in his mind: Daricell's trial,
ZOROASTER's coma, ROMANTIC's abduction, and a nameless, featureless darkness
that is steadily growing at the edge of his mind. To distract himself, he
begins leafing through the collection of Cafe-related documents that have been
sitting on his desk ever since he obtained them from VENKMAN's office at the
Indigo Toucan. The dossier has already yielded some interesting information--
for example, the fact that the current Cafe building replaced a church called
St. Christopher's, which burned down less than a century ago after standing
since the later Middle Ages. Now Trav pages back through even older material.
_Hmmm...before the church was here, there was some kind of tavern or
public-house, it looks like. We've come full circle! ...And speaking of
circles...this old map shows a ring of standing stones north of the building...
that would be covered by the woods now, if it's still there._ He flips further
through the folder. _What's this?_ ...a sheaf of charred, waterstained and
very old-looking paper or parchment catches his eye. The leaves seem to be
torn from a book; the top one says
Ye
DO-IT-THYSELF
DO-IT-THYSELF
GRIMOIRE,
Being A Collection Of Divers Potions, Remedyes,
& Concoctions, Both Medicynal & Alchemycal, &c.
_Magic spells? Heh. What would anyone want with these? Probably all eye-of-
newt, toe-of-frog stuff._ He is about to look through the tattered pages, when
he hears light footsteps coming rapidly up the stairs.
Trav looks up just as FIREFLYTE dances in through the door. "Hi there,"
she says in a voice that is somehow both cheery and solemn. "I'm glad you're
back...we need to talk. It's about INLERAH. I'm not quite sure how to explain
it, but she's in real trouble. We all are...though that's even harder to
explain."
He turns his chair to face her. "Well, give it a try. I can't shake the
feeling there's something wrong around here myself...
She opens her mouth to speak, but is interrupted by the loud crash of a
door from somewhere downstairs. "TRAV!" shouts a voice. "TRAV! It's CADO!
I made it back! I know where Rom is! And I know what the old man is up to!
The whole Cafe is in terrible danger!"
User: Traveler: the thought plickens...
Date: 31-Mar 05:08 PM 765133772
II.198
CADO crashes into the office, nearly out of breath...
"Trav...I know where Rom is...It's the old sailor...he's got this...this
place...and magic...he works magic...Atlantis...*gasp*"
TRAVELER looks puzzled. "Cado, slow down...I can't understand what you're
trying to say. You say Rom is with the old sailor? Where? What place?"
CADO gasps for breath and tries again. "Trav, he's a survivor from
Atlantis...you know...the sunken city! He's stayed alive all these years
because he practices some form of magic. He's taken Rom prisoner in his
temple...it's across the sea somewhere, but I'm not sure where...I went through
a portal that he opened up...*gasp*...He brought Albatross across as
well...He's controlling him...wants to take over the world...*gasp*..."
TRAVELER's eyes grow wide. "Are you sure about all this, Cado? You might have
just taken a nasty knock down in the cellar..."
CADO shakes his head vigorously. "No...it was there...I swear it. I...I've
got it too! I felt it! Trav, I've been feeling this ever since you started
planning the rave...ever since Albatross and I went down into the cellar that
day...I FELT IT!!!"
"Cado, calm down...you're getting all worked up...what do you have??"
CADO, frustrated and unable to communicate, grabs TRAVELER by the lapels.
"Trav, I've got the power too! I can feel everything that's going on! This
place is being taken over by that old sailor's magic!!! We're on a burial
ground!..."
CADO breaks off, still unable to communicate everything he saw and felt...but
then he sees FIREFLYTE, and with wide eyes, lets go of TRAVELER. He looks into
her eyes for a moment, then back at TRAVELER...
"InleRah..." he nearly whispers, closing his eyes tightly... "Where is she?"
But just as TRAVELER opens his mouth to speak, CADO bolts out of the office and
down the stairs...
Completely bewildered, TRAVELER looks at FIREFLYTE for an answer. FIREFLYTE
stares at the doorway for a moment. "Let him go, love..." she says quietly,
"...he knows his power now. He is doing what he has to do."
User: CADO
Date: 31-Mar 11:42 PM 765157362
II.199
In the Ivory Tower, ECSTASY is asleep on her couch with a book of
Byron laid upon her leather-clad chest. She awakens to find herself screaming
from the intense pain of sunlight striking her face. "Dammit! I told
MOODINDIGO that when we were building this to not let any cracks develop! I
cannot have this shoddiness in construction. He will have to pay for this!
Look at my skin!" She touches her face to feel the skin already swelling and
there is a slight burning smell.
"I guess that I will have to make sure to never 'nap' again. Mental
reminder: only sleep in the coffin." ECSTASY walks to her armoire to reach
for a bottle of white foundation. "This should cover up the burn until I feed
again."
User: Ecstasy
Date: 1-Apr 00:25 AM 765159946
II.200
ECSTASY smooths the lead-based foundation over her skin to cover the burn
areas. She remarks to no one that it would be easier to do it properly if she
could use a mirror. She pats her skin to place the finishing touches and hides
the bottle.
She moves to her cd player to press the combination for Joy Division's
_Substance_ and sings along to "Love will tear us apart again." Red tears flow
down her face as the realizes the truth of the song. ECSTASY catches herself
mid-wail and furiously stops herself. Rubbing the tears off with the back of
her hand, she snuffles and decides to not be like this anymore. She reaches
for her bottle of sangria and takes a delicate yet hearty swig.
"Time to move on to more enjoyable things, like revenge and passion." She
laces herself into a fresh white pirate shirt and leather skirt and moves down
the stairs.
User: ECSTASY
Date: 1-Apr 05:31 AM 765178323