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Welcome to Percotran -Part XLVI By: Richard Davidson on 4/21/2003; 10:18 PM Kasheeba, you are the most amazing woman Ive ever seen, or even dare dream about, said Richters former self, coyly. Meeting you has awakened something in me that I thought died long ago... Keep it to yourself, loverboy, interrupted President Lincoln, weve got giant spiders to think about. You think about them, said Richters former self. I already know Ill survive. My future self is sitting right next to me, and if I died, how would he still be here? Oh youve just got that all figured out, have you? Then explain HIM, she shouted, pointing at Swig. As her shout echoed through the dank passageway, it was met with loud scuttling sounds. How many do you think there are? whispered President Lincoln. Hundreds of millions, Kasheeba said back, in her normal voice. Whispering emboldens them, by the way. Duly noted, said the President, just a little too loud. Alexander couldnt help but laugh. Whats so funny, future boy? she said, in anger. Actually, I think that would be past boy, but it was just nervous laughter. She told you not to whisper, so you damn near shouted. I couldnt help it. 17 didnt see how they were getting anywhere. Tell us about that Atomizer youre holding. Well, theres not much to tell. You already know everything about it thats not classified, she answered. Actually, thats the part Im interested in, 17 said nervously, as he heard what sounded like spiders drawing nearer. I mean, couldnt you set it in a fan pattern, that starts, say about 10 feet from where we are, and continues on for, oh, say, the length of this tunnel? And what IS the length of this tunnel, Records Handler 17D? she posed their biggest obstacle in the form of a question. See, I could take my best guess, but the problem is, if I guess too far, I could be taking out a power grid cover, or water flow inhibitor, or both, and then well be electrocuted as we drown. She paused for dramatic effect, as if she needed any. And if I dont guess far enough, we miss some of these super intelligent spiders, who will probably switch to guerrilla tactics as soon as they lose the incredible advantage of numbers they have now. Do it anyway, recommended Kasheeba, and do it now! As she said the word now, the scuttling noises became deafening. It was the sound of hundreds of millions of deadly spiders the size of Beagles rushing them at speeds of over 35 MPH. The President closed her eyes, activated her Atomizer, and said a little prayer to herself. In an instant, sunlight was streaming through a very large hole, that went down another three or four miles. Wow! shouted Alexander. You blasted right down to the ocean! Sure enough, water was rising from below. The island began to shake violently, and smoke started pouring from a mountain in its center. Didnt the Geneticon say that these islands are living entities? asked Ted. Im pretty sure thats what he said, answered 17. So this island is mad at us for wounding it; its setting off a volcano; were sinking; and hey, look at that! said Kasheeba, pointing to a spot about 50 feet below them, where millions of large spiders were pouring out of another tunnel, and racing up the rubble towards them. This is the kind of stuff thats been happening to me ever since I got here, said Alexander, who was the calmest person there. So whatdya want, sympathy? asked the irate President. She atomized the spiders, making a much smaller hole this time; actually more of a recess beneath them. She didnt like the words beneath them very much, as the ground below their feet started falling into the recess shed just made. Id rather bounce around with rocks and dirt than be eaten by spiders, she thought to herself convincingly, as she was the first one over the edge. Commander Richters former self actually dove off the crumbling pile of dirt, in order to reach her, with his present self right behind, and the rest just sort of let gravity take its course. They landed with a splash, in the newly formed ocean at the bottom of the island, as tons of rocks and boulders crashed all around them. President Lincoln narrowly missed being crushed, and one of the Commander Richters told her to take a deep breath, and dive. Kasheeba, Swig, Alexander, Ted and 17 rode down in a section of metal pipe that had broken off, and although it had stopped them from being crushed, they were trapped inside, and it was filling with water. One end of the pipe was embedded into the side of the cliff, and the other was filled with boulders. Cmon you big strong men, shouted Kasheeba, HEAVE! She had inserted her sword between two of the smaller rocks, and was leaning against it and pushing with all her might. All four men applied pressure, until they had actually moved the rocks enough to make a small opening. It was still too small to get out of, though, and the water was already up to their chests. Pull! she screamed, and the force of removing her sword knocked 17 and Ted back into the wall of the pipe, where they both took pretty good head injuries. With a mad thrust, Kasheeba got the sword in even better, and before she could say a word, Alexander and Swig were applying force to the sword, while Ted and 17 pulled on all three of them. Another rock moved, and Kasheeba nudged Alexander to crawl out, which he did, gladly. At the top, he was perched on a rock that jutted out right above the pipe, and leaned down to grab ahold of Ted, who was emerging below. Next came 17, and then there was a hesitation, as water started pouring out of the hole. Kasheeba! Swig! they were all yelling, and the sword came out between two medium sized rocks, almost impaling Ted. All three men grabbed the rock, and pushed, until it rolled a little, making the opening bigger, and through it came Swig, chortling and sputtering up a lungful of water. The pressure was making the water shoot through the hole like a fountain, and through the middle of the fountain shot Kasheeba, looking as if she were riding the spray. She landed gracefully next to Alexander, and said, sorry, that first hole wasnt big enough for Muscles here, indicating the nearly drowned Swig, then adding, where are the others? I think they dove, suggested Ted, thinking thats what he wouldve done. I hope they make it, she said, with a faraway look in her eye. That Commander Richters a real charmer. Which one? asked Alexander, feeling a bit jealous. Does it matter? she asked. No, I suppose not, Alexander said flatly. What about the age difference? I cant see how that matters, either. They cant be more than a few weeks apart. No, I mean isnt he a bit old for you? Alexander was getting frustrated. Hes human isnt he? she answered a question with a question. What does that have to do with anything? Alexander sounded edgy. My people live a very long time, she said, teasing him just a bit. Youd be surprised how old I am. Really? said Alexander, whose voice got a whole lot softer, how old are you? I dont know how old, in years, she replied, my people dont measure such things. Alexander felt a bit cheated by that answer. But if I were to guess, Id say somewhere in the neighborhood of 150. Thats a pretty old neighborhood, thought Alexander. You dont know what to say to that, do you? she smiled. She was right. He didnt. And besides, he only had a thing for her because of her hopped up pheromones, he decided. Hed been studying some science since hed been here. The odds of having an adult relationship with this crazed Pirate woman were quite slim, after all. Oh well. It was probably no less realistic than 17s ideas about the President of Percotran International, the most evil corporation that had ever inhabited planet Earth. Where were all the nice girls in the future? Alexander didnt know. Well, you sure look young for your age, was about all he could muster. The magnitude of the understatement was not lost on him, or anybody else, for that matter. Lava and fire were starting to rain from above. Maybe we should dive, too, suggested Ted, who didnt really have an interest in any of the love triangles in play around him. He did, and so did 17. Swig shrugged his shoulders, took a deep breath, and with a look that said, this may be it for me, followed. Alexander was left gazing at the beautiful Kasheeba, but for only a second, and then he was left alone on a sinking, cognizant island, with fire and lava coming down on his head. It was the most beautiful thing hed ever seen. Some of the lava had poured down from the other side, and there was a waterfall of fire cascading into the water below, where it hissed, steamed, and turned to rock, as the water bubbled. My God, if I jump down there now, Ill be boiled like a lobster, he thought. Of course, if I stay here, Ill be burned to death. Hmmm... Boiled.... he looked apprehensively down at the water. Burned.... only a few yards from the top of the hole, a palm tree was incinerated like a stick match. Boiled... he decided he better dive, and go for maximum depth, and try to hit as far from where the lava was hardening as possible. Or he could simply step through the Electronic Transfer Window that had opened right next to him. He didnt know where it would take him, but one thing he had learned by now was that the unknown was always a better alternative than certain death. He leaned out over the water to step through, but the Window disappeared, and he was plummeting belly-first towards the boiling water. The Window opened again. Sorry, technical difficulties... came a voice, but it was only speaking to air. Alexander was microseconds away from the worst bellyflop of his life.
Re: Welcome to Percotran -Part XLVI By: Seth Dillingham on 4/21/2003; 8:51 PM On 4/21/2003, Richard Davidson said: >"This is the kind of stuff thatís been happening to me ever since >I got here," said Alexander, who was the calmest person there. This is my favorite line in the story, so far. :-)
RE: Welcome to Percotran -Part XLVI By: Richard Davidson on 4/21/2003; 9:08 PM Cool! Now that you mention it, I like it too. I managed to get "outside the story," without "getting outside the story." That's how Bruce Lee would describe it. "It is like a finger, pointing to the moon. Do not look at the finger, lest you miss all the heavenly glory." That's not really on topic; it's just my favorite Bruce quote.
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